Niu Ben (1935-)

"You consider the Party as the mother and joining the Party as a sacred thing, and kept pursuing progress for more than 60 years," Xi said in a letter to Niu Ben on June 25, 2018. "Your resolve to follow the Party for life is touching."

Noting that Niu has portrayed many highly acclaimed characters over the years, Xi encouraged Niu to inspire more artists and writers to be faithful, thoughtful and responsible to contribute to the prosperity of socialist literature and art.

Niu Ben, an 83-year-old Chinese actor, was admitted as a probationary CPC member on May 31, 2018.

Niu, who formerly worked with the Shanghai Film Studio, started acting from the age of 11, and has since played roles in a number of films, such as "Dragon Beard Ditch," "The Red Detachment of Women" and "Legend of Tianyun Mountain."

More details: Xi encourages octogenarian actor to set model for artists