HONG KONG -- All recipients of the July 1 Medal, the highest honor of the Communist Party of China (CPC), were party members at the frontline, with none drawn from senior ranks, the South China Morning Post has reported.

"The July 1 Medal recipients come from the people and are rooted in the people," the newspaper on Tuesday quoted Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, as saying.

Xi described the recipients as "ordinary heroes" and said their contributions were achievable and their spirits reachable by all.

Xi on Tuesday conferred the July 1 Medal on 29 members of the CPC, which celebrated its centenary on July 1.

Among the recipients were Ma Maojie, known for her heroic contribution to the campaign to cross the Yangtze River during the Chinese People's War of Liberation;

Wang Shumao, a role model in safeguarding the country's rights and interests in the South China Sea;

Wang Zhanshan, a war hero who participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and other battles;

Liu Guijin, a veteran diplomat who made outstanding contributions to promoting Sino-African friendship;

Memetjan Wumer, a village official in Xinjiang dedicated to safeguarding ethnic unity and opposing ethnic separatism;

Zhang Guimei, a teacher working for female education in poverty-stricken mountainous areas;

Lu Yuanjiu, a pioneer of automation science and technology;

Chen Hongjun, a young soldier of the People's Liberation Army who died defending the country's borders in 2020;

Zhoigar, a guardian of the country's borders on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau;

Qu Duyi, a veteran journalist who worked for Xinhua News Agency.