Summary: The article commemorates the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, emphasizing its consistent commitment to the welfare of the Chinese people and national rejuvenation. It highlights the Party's deep understanding of global trends and accurate assessment of shifting social contradictions across historical periods. The Party led the people to achieve successes in the New Democratic Revolution, socialist revolution and construction, reform and opening up, and the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. These accomplishments are described as the most magnificent chapter in thousands of years of Chinese history. No specific official statements or U.S.-related content are mentioned.
Summary: Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, developed through the Party's century of experience and the practice of strict governance, systematically outlines principles such as upholding the Party's leadership, centralized authority, and comprehensive governance. It emphasizes that the Party's leadership is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and requires absolute loyalty to the Central Committee. The thought addresses key areas including political construction, ideological guidance, organizational strength, and anti-corruption efforts, aiming to ensure the Party remains strong and capable of leading national rejuvenation and Chinese modernization. No accompanying officials are mentioned, and the article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: At the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping outlined six distinctive traits of the Party, prioritizing "persistently pursuing truth and always keeping the correct direction." He emphasized the Party’s historical adherence to Marxism, from Mao Zedong Thought through to Xi Jinping Thought, which has guided China through revolution, construction, and reform. The article traces this ideological evolution, noting how each era’s theoretical innovations—such as the combination of Marxism with Chinese practice and traditional culture—have driven national rejuvenation. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: In his speech at the 105th anniversary of the CPC, Xi Jinping reviewed the Party’s historical achievements and highlighted its unique qualities, such as pursuing truth, serving the people, and self-reform, while calling for continued efforts to realize the Party’s central tasks. The speech was praised by Central Party School faculty and students as providing direction for the new era. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article analyzes the global race for technological dominance, noting that major powers like the US, EU, and Japan are intensifying strategic investments, with US firms like SpaceX and OpenAI pursuing IPOs. It argues that competition has shifted from traditional geopolitical dimensions to tech leadership, characterized by market-driven innovation, systemic ecosystem rivalry, and global market control. The author emphasizes that future success hinges on the efficiency and cost of full-cycle industrial innovation, with Asia emerging as a central hub. It warns against protectionist trends, advocating for open, resilient ecosystems to sustain long-term competitive advantage. The piece is authored by the director of the Center for Science and Technology Strategy at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
Summary: Japan's "Reiwa rice shortage" of 2024-2025, the worst rice distribution crisis in 30 years, saw 5kg bags surge to 4,335 yen by November 2025, double the price from two years prior. The government, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries releasing 210,000 tons of reserve rice in February 2025—the first non-disaster use since 1995—found its interventions largely ineffective. The crisis exposed deep structural flaws, including Japan's long-standing "acreage reduction policy" that kept production and inventories dangerously low, and the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives' monopoly over 90% of rice distribution, which blocked reserve stocks from reaching retailers. Root causes also include shrinking cultivation, an aging farming workforce (average age over 67), and policy rigidity that prioritized producer interests over supply security. The article warns that such systemic failures—rooted in interest group capture, short-sighted policies, and irreversible demographic decline—offer critical lessons for building resilient food security systems.
Summary: Cape Verde made history at the 2026 World Cup by becoming the smallest and least populous nation to reach the knockout stage. The article analyzes how this West African island nation overcame severe colonial legacies, geographic fragmentation, and resource scarcity to achieve middle-high income status by 2025. Key to its success were stable governance through peaceful political transitions, a diversified economy centered on tourism and green industries, and strategic use of its large diaspora for remittances and talent. The country leveraged its stable political system and high governance rankings to attract investment, while transforming islands' isolation into digital and tourism assets. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations appears in the article.
Summary: The article argues that centralized unified leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee is a foundational principle for Marxist parties, tracing its theoretical roots from Marx, Engels, and Lenin. It emphasizes that this principle has been critical to the Party's successes across revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, citing historical examples from the Zunyi Conference to the Xi Jinping era. The piece highlights the necessity of a stable leadership core, referencing Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Xi Jinping, and calls for institutionalizing mechanisms to enforce central authority. It concludes by urging unwavering adherence to Xi Jinping's thought and the "two establishments" to advance Chinese modernization and national rejuvenation. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article emphasizes Xi Jinping’s principle of “upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee” as the highest political principle for advancing Chinese-style modernization and national rejuvenation. It quotes Xi warning that without such leadership, the Party and country would become fragmented and unable to accomplish anything. The piece links this principle to Marxist party-building theory and historical Party unity, citing victories from poverty alleviation to technological breakthroughs. It calls for all officials to steadfastly uphold the “two establishments” and “two upholds,” ensuring loyalty to Xi’s leadership. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article analyzes four common formalistic pitfalls in the "problem-checking" phase of China's political education on correct performance views: substituting subjective attitudes for objective analysis, using collective responsibility to dilute individual accountability, blaming external factors instead of internal failures, and addressing surface symptoms rather than root causes. It calls for deeper, fact-based investigation and "responsibility penetration" to ensure reforms address real基层 needs and public concerns. The piece emphasizes the need for "investigation-style" problem-checking, using实地走访 and data verification to avoid vague or superficial reports. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article details the drafting process of the 1949 Common Program, which served as China's provisional constitution. Zhou Enlai drafted the core text after extensive revisions, with Mao Zedong personally editing key passages, including the definition of state organs. The final version was adopted unanimously on September 29, 1949, following nearly a year of multi-layered consultations among the Communist Party,民主党派, and social groups. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations. The summary emphasizes the role of democratic consultation and the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in shaping the founding blueprint.
Summary: Mao Zedong personally titled and wrote a commendatory note for the 1941 investigative report "Lu Zhongcai's Long March," praising its concise, fact-based style as a model against verbose Party jargon. The report, based on a rapid investigation by Gao Kelin, used specific data and examples to prove the feasibility of the government's salt transportation plan, directly addressing concerns of the masses. It became the earliest benchmark for improving writing style in Yan'an, later influencing the rectification campaign against "empty talk." The article notes that such effective writing stems from deep grassroots investigation and a focus on solving practical problems, a principle later echoed by Xi Jinping. No mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations is present in the article.
Summary: In a speech marking the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping emphasized the need to apply a correct, materialist view of Party history, evaluating achievements and setbacks within their historical context. He asserted that the Party's singular theme is national rejuvenation, and that while errors occurred, these were temporary compared to the Party's major accomplishments. Xi called for a "grand historical perspective" that sees Party history as both continuous and staged, avoiding isolated interpretations. No U.S. or U.S.-China relations were mentioned in the article.
Summary: During the 2024 Two Sessions, President Xi Jinping addressed a joint group meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, criticizing the "two skins" problem where basic research and industrial practice remain disconnected. He called for accelerating the integration of research and production, urging faster progress in incentivizing and promoting policies for科技成果转化 (translation of scientific achievements into practical use). Xi emphasized establishing enterprises as the main innovators and fostering innovation communities between universities, research institutes, and companies. He stressed the need to reform evaluation systems to prioritize real-world impact over papers and awards, and to improve intellectual property rights and revenue-sharing mechanisms. No accompanying officials were named in the report, and no reference was made to the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Xi Jinping’s November 2023 APEC CEO Summit speech, excerpted in the fifth volume of *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, underscores China’s role in global growth through high-quality development and high-standard opening-up. He advocates open regionalism and rejects protectionism, "decoupling," and "small-yard, high-fence" tactics—implicitly referencing U.S.-led policies. The article highlights APEC’s consensus-based, non-exclusive cooperation model as an alternative to bloc confrontation. Xi reaffirms China’s commitment to a market-oriented, rule-of-law, internationalized business environment and calls for joint efforts to counter geopolitical interference in global economic cooperation. China positions itself as a stabilizer and engine for world modernization, offering shared opportunities from its development.
Summary: Spanish scholar Julio Ríos, in his book *China: Towards a New Journey of Modernization*, analyzes the success of the Chinese path to modernization under Xi Jinping Thought, highlighting its focus on national rejuvenation and common prosperity. He argues that China's long-term planning, including five-year plans, and its embrace of traditional Chinese culture are key to its achievements. Ríos notes that China advocates for an inclusive new globalization, exemplified by the Belt and Road Initiative, while rejecting external interference. He states that in response to US unilateralism and protectionism, China has become a global advocate, and that both the EU and the US should adopt constructive, rather than confrontational, approaches toward China. The transformation, Ríos emphasizes, is led by the Communist Party of China.
Summary: The article argues that generative AI, particularly large language models, is transforming from a technical tool into a cognitive medium that reshapes how people form worldviews, aesthetic preferences, and value judgments, posing both challenges and opportunities for Chinese cultural subjectivity. It identifies three interconnected issues: digitizing Chinese culture into machine-readable data, modernizing it by embedding Chinese values into algorithmic rationality, and internationalizing it through open global exchange to avoid cultural distortion and marginalization. The piece calls for foundational work in structuring cultural data, infusing AI training with Chinese cultural logic and ethical safeguards, and actively participating in global AI governance to ensure Chinese culture thrives in the intelligent civilization. No specific official or accompanying figures were reported. The article does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article discusses the expansion of the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, highlighting the participation of new nations like Cape Verde alongside traditional powers. It notes the emotional farewells to aging stars such as Messi and Ronaldo while younger talents like Mbappé emerge. China's presence is emphasized through infrastructure projects at venues in Mexico City and Vancouver, Chinese-made security and media equipment, and a full Chinese referee team. Chinese firms dominate sponsorship and merchandise production, with 70% of fan goods from Yiwu, showcasing China's economic reach. The piece laments China's national team absence but points to progress in youth football, with U17 and U23 Asian Cup runner-up finishes.
Summary: Xi Jinping emphasized the strategic importance of basic research at a symposium, stating it is the source of the entire scientific system and the key to solving all technical problems, and called for sparking young people's imagination and desire to pursue it. The article notes that amid intensifying global competition—including in the context of U.S.-China strategic rivalry—basic research is critical for achieving high-level technological self-reliance. It identifies obstacles such as exam-oriented education and utilitarian mindsets that deter youth, and proposes reforms like project-based learning, open labs, and stronger cultural recognition for scientists.
Summary: In a speech marking the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping reviewed the Party’s history and highlighted its unique strengths, emphasizing unwavering commitment to the people and self-reform. The address was well received by faculty and students at the Central Party School, who praised it as a guiding document for the new era. They noted that the Party’s success stems from traits such as seeking truth, serving the people, and maintaining strategic initiative. The discussion did not address the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article examines early international reporting on the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921, focusing on a November 1921 article in the Dutch newspaper *De Tribune* by Comintern representative Henk Sneevliet (Maring). Sneevliet's dispatch, titled "The Chinese Worker – A Much-Exploited Person," was the first to publicly disclose the CCP's formation to the international community, noting that "Chen Duxiu’s magazine readers in eight provinces formed small groups and decided to establish the Communist Party of China." The piece also details Sneevliet’s observations of Chinese workers’ harsh conditions and early labor movements in Beijing, Shanghai, and southern China. No U.S. or U.S.-China relations are mentioned.
Summary: The article expounds Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, highlighting its role as the theoretical foundation for the Communist Party of China's governance and self-reform. It emphasizes key principles such as upholding the Party's leadership as the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, maintaining centralized unity around the Party Central Committee, and implementing full and rigorous Party governance. The text repeatedly cites Xi's directives on these matters, including the need to enforce strict discipline, combat corruption, and ensure the Party's enduring vitality. It concludes that Xi's thought provides the guiding framework for the Party to lead China's modernization and national rejuvenation.
Summary: On June 25, the Central Party School held a meeting on cultivating a correct view of political achievements, led by Executive Vice President Xie Chuntao, who analyzed typical cases. Xie emphasized studying Xi Jinping's thought on party building and learning from both positive and negative examples to strengthen party spirit. He called for upholding the "two establishments" and "two upholds," preventing ideological risks, and adhering to democratic centralism. Other officials in attendance included Vice Presidents Gong Weibin, Li Wentang, and Zhang Zhongjun, along with Party Committee members Feng Pengzhi and Wang Yang. The meeting stressed using cases as mirrors to correct deviations in the view of political achievements.
Summary: On the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), a theory seminar on “Identity Concepts of CPC History and Party Building” was held in Hefei on June 25, hosted by the Anhui Provincial Party School. Pan Liquan, deputy head of the school, delivered a speech, and Wu Meifang, deputy head of the Anhui Provincial Party History Research Institute, gave a keynote address. The seminar brought together over 60 participants to discuss the theoretical implications, historical evolution, and methodological approaches of these foundational concepts. Experts emphasized that the concepts must be guided by Xi Jinping’s thought on party building and rooted in practical innovation. Attendees pledged to turn the consensus into concrete actions to build an independent knowledge system for CPC history and party building with Chinese characteristics.
Summary: On June 26, a seminar on "Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building" was held at the Xinjiang Party School, with Executive Vice President Liu Baodong delivering a speech and Vice President Yuan Jinhui presiding. Nine experts gave keynote addresses on topics including using Xi's thought to guide Xinjiang's high-quality development. The seminar stressed the need to deepen theoretical research on Xi's thought and for Party schools to promote its application in Xinjiang. The goal is to translate learning into practice for Xinjiang's stability, China's strength, and national rejuvenation.
Summary: On June 26, 2026, the High-end Think Tank Forum on National Governance of Developing Countries was held in Beijing, with officials including Xie Chuntao, Qu Qingshan, Chang Bo, and Qu Yingpu attending and delivering speeches. The forum emphasized that political parties should lead national development and represent people's interests, highlighting Xi Jinping's role in realizing the Chinese Dream and China's theoretical and institutional innovations. It stated that the Communist Party of China has fulfilled responsibilities for development, civilization, and peace, contributing to global stability and opportunities for the Global South. Parallel sessions addressed parties and global development, social governance, and global governance, with over 150 participants from more than 20 countries and international organizations.
Summary: The Shanghai Party School is expanding its international outreach by hosting foreign delegations and training programs, including a 2025 seminar on the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee for over 150 scholars from 100 countries. It promotes CPC theories and Chinese modernization through tailored courses, multilingual videos, and bilingual readings highlighting Shanghai’s "five centers" and people’s city governance. The school also develops on-site teaching on Xi Jinping’s Shanghai legacy and compiles case studies on high-quality development. To strengthen its global communication capacity, it trains teachers in cross-cultural education and recruits experts for dialogue. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: On June 23, Zhejiang Provincial Party School launched its "Innovative Theory Mobile Classroom" in Tibet, with Vice President Liu Jinqiang, Deputy Commander of Zhejiang's aid-Tibet mission Qiu Zhiqiang, and Tibet Party School Executive Vice President Cui Luchun speaking at the ceremony. The initiative implements a cooperation agreement between the two provincial party schools, bringing courses on Xi Jinping Thought and offering guidance on national research proposals and teaching development. Over a week, the team will teach in Lhasa and Nagqu, using a "Smart Campus" system to reach 7 prefectural and 73 county-level party schools.
Summary: A training seminar for village and community cadres and party members, hosted by the Shandong Provincial Party Organization Department and Party School, was held in Zouping from June 24-25. The seminar aimed to implement Xi Jinping’s directives on party school work and enhance grassroots cadres’ governance capabilities through targeted training. Attendees included responsible comrades from the provincial party organization department and party school, along with local officials from Binzhou and Zouping. The event featured a hybrid format with on-site and online participation, totaling over 2,700 attendees. No mention was made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: At a recent meeting of the Chongqing Party School’s Famous Course Development Leading Group, Executive Vice President Liu Xiaowu, joined by leaders Zhang Jian, Xie Laiwei, and Hou Jinxiong, called for intensified development of courses on Xi Jinping’s party-building thought, correct performance views, and digital capacity. He stressed upholding the principle that the party school is for the party, reinforcing ideological阵地, and ensuring every lesson is a high-quality精品. The school will prioritize core curricula and practical case-based teaching, while organizing expert teams to address urgent course gaps. Liu urged faculty to maintain a "classroom is paramount" mindset and to continuously refine content through collective preparation and competition. The initiative aims to boost overall teaching quality and better serve Chongqing’s development through high-caliber talent cultivation.
Summary: The article reports that since May 2023, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Party School has been running the regional Communist Youth League School to enhance cadre training. This innovation integrates the Party school's political guidance, educational resources, and research strengths, resulting in 41 training sessions for 3,111 participants over three years. In May 2024, the “Ningxia Youth Work Research Center” was established, and its research has received provincial-level leadership recognition. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article details a specialized educational session on "establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements" held at the Shaanxi Provincial Party School, where trainees engaged in self-criticism without discussing accomplishments. The school integrated this learning into its curriculum, employing methods like structured discussions, field visits, and case studies to shift trainees from passive reception to active reflection. Participants, including middle-aged cadres and county-level officials, examined tendencies toward short-termism and prioritized long-term, people-centered governance. Several trainee-authored policy advisory reports received approval from provincial leaders, demonstrating the program's practical impact. The training aims to align ideological alignment with concrete actions to promote high-quality development in Shaanxi.
Summary: The article reports that the Lanzhou Municipal Party School, under its executive vice president, has implemented a coordinated system to enhance county-level party schools. It details mechanisms for joint course development, research collaboration, and teacher training, including a "one school one policy" approach and digital course sharing. The initiative resulted in over 780 training sessions for 95,000 people in two years. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article details how the Pu'er Municipal Party School in Yunnan Province has improved teaching quality through four key initiatives: research, practice, evaluation, and competition. It emphasizes a "course-is-sacred" philosophy, integrating research with teaching to address local development challenges. Two courses, including one on the history of the Pu'er ethnic unity monument oath, were selected as national model courses. The school uses rigorous preparation, trial lectures, and collective evaluation to refine content and methods. Biennial competitions and external contests further drive innovation and faculty development, fostering a cycle of high-quality teaching and research.
Summary: The Wanzhou District Party School in Chongqing reported that it has enhanced its basic training programs by focusing on four areas: building a strong teaching team, improving content, raising teaching quality, and upgrading facilities, leading to 100 sessions and 17,031 trainees. The school adopted a three-year "horse racing" competition for teachers, established discipline teams, and collaborated with local universities to share faculty resources. It developed 59 new courses, including themes like Xi Jinping’s remarks on Chongqing and topics such as new quality productive forces and AI, while inviting 95 experts from national and provincial party schools. Teaching reforms introduced methods like case studies, desktop simulations, and moot courts, achieving a 98.6% excellence rate in course evaluations. The school also built a new campus, set up branch schools in three towns, and deployed mobile party school teams to deliver 359 grassroots sessions.
Summary: The article emphasizes the importance of effectively telling "red stories"—those of the Party, revolution, and heroes—as a means of transmitting revolutionary spirit and ideology, particularly for grassroots Party school teachers. It advises grounding these stories in local historical resources, ensuring factual accuracy, and extracting the deeper ideological and spiritual lessons from historical events. To enhance impact, the piece recommends using vivid, accessible language and flexible presentation formats such as immersive and interactive methods to evoke genuine emotional resonance. Finally, it stresses that the ultimate goal is to connect these stories to contemporary practical concerns and real actions, motivating audiences to translate inspiration into concrete contributions to current work and development.
Summary: Jiao Yulu, appointed to lead the impoverished Lankao county in 1962, vowed to "change Lankao" despite severe illness, telling his wife Xu Junya that "the party sent me to Lankao because it needs me." He forbade cadre privilege, drafted "Ten Prohibitions for Cadres," and stated, "we are people's servants, must share hardships with the masses." Leading a survey team across 120 villages, he developed scientific plans to control sand, salt, and floods, declaring, "we must have revolutionary boldness and a realistic work style." His relentless efforts, including drafting a five-year plan, ultimately transformed Lankao from a disaster zone to a prosperous county, though he died in 1964.
Summary: The article examines Tang dynasty travel poetry (羁旅诗), analyzing how poets expressed loneliness, the pain of separation, and philosophical self-reflection during their journeys. It highlights classic verses from poets like Du Fu, Li Bai, and Li Yi to illustrate themes of wandering, the fleeting nature of reunion, and the existential insights gained from long-distance travel. The piece argues that these poems resonate across centuries because they capture universal human experiences of displacement and the bittersweet realities of life's transience. No officials are quoted, no specific political actions are reported, and the United States or U.S.-China relations are not discussed.
Summary: The article traces the history of the Ansai waist drum, from its origins in ancient warfare to its role in Yan'an-era revolutionary morale, where it was performed for Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De during harvest celebrations. After 1949, it became a symbol of national pride, featured at events like the 1990 Beijing Asian Games and 1997 Hong Kong handover, and was later inscribed on China's first national intangible cultural heritage list. The drum's modern evolution includes integration into school curricula and fusion with contemporary dance, while its performances have reached global audiences, such as a 2026 show in London's Trafalgar Square. No direct mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Over the 105 years since its founding, our Party has consistently adhered to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, has profoundly discerned the major trends in world development, has accurately grasped the changes in the principal social contradictions at each historical period, has united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country in unremitting struggle, and has created the great achievements of the new-democratic revolution, the socialist revolution and construction, reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, writing the most magnificent epic in the several-thousand-year history of the Chinese nation.
Return to TopBy: 中央党校（国家行政学院）党的建设教研部
After traversing a glorious course of 105 years, having the guidance of scientific theory has always been our Party’s fundamental advantage and the way to achieve victory. Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building was formed in the great practice of exercising full and rigorous Party governance in the new era, and is a scientific summation of the theoretical development and practical experience of Party building in the new era. This thought profoundly grasps the intrinsic connection between governing the Party, managing the Party, strengthening the Party, and rejuvenating the country, through the Fourteen Perseverances (十四个坚持), comprehensively and profoundly elucidating the highest principles, strategic policies, value pursuits, work layouts, and methodological pathways of Party building in the new era. It provides a concentrated summary of Xi Jinping’s landmark and guiding new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies on Party building in the new era. The formation and development of Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building has greatly deepened our Party’s understanding of the laws governing the Communist Party’s governance and the laws of the Party’s own construction, and has greatly enriched and developed Marxist theory of Party building with a series of original theories. To deeply study and comprehend Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building, it is necessary to systematically study and accurately grasp the scientific connotations of this thought, effectively drive Party building to better enhance its political nature, embody the characteristics of the times, grasp the laws, and be rich in creativity, so that the century-old major Party becomes even stronger, more resilient, and full of vitality.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding Party leadership is the most essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Socialism with Chinese characteristics has many features and characteristics, but the most essential attribute is upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China. This is the fundamental political guarantee for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. In response to the problems existing for a period of time within the Party where many had vague understanding and weak action on upholding Party leadership, and where there was weakening, hollowing, and fading in the implementation of Party leadership, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that “Party leadership is the most essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” highlighting the essential stipulation of Party leadership over socialism with Chinese characteristics. In practice, our Party plans and advances reform, development, and stability; internal affairs, foreign affairs, national defense; and governance of the Party, the state, and the military, all starting from strengthening Party leadership and ultimately landing on strengthening Party building. When the Party is well built, our country, our people, and our cause have a backbone; when the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is firmly upheld, our country, our people, and our cause have a direction marker. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly contemplates how, in the long historical process of striving toward the realization of communism, to uphold the fundamental principle of Party leadership and the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, emphasizing that the Party exercises leadership over everything—over Party, government, military, civilian, and educational affairs, across the east, west, south, north, and center; that Party leadership is the foundation and lifeline of the Party and the country, and the interests and destiny of the people of all ethnic groups in the country; that upholding the Party’s overall leadership is the essential path for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics; that Party leadership must be implemented in all fields, aspects, and links of Party management and governance, and state governance, and so on. Party leadership sets the direction, Party building gathers strength; Party leadership plans the overall situation, Party building promotes stability. The vast number of Party members and cadres must be exceptionally clear-headed, have exceptionally bright eyes, and have exceptionally firm stance on the major principle of upholding Party leadership, and must not have any ambiguity or wavering.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee” is the highest principle of Party leadership. Safeguarding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is an important experience of China’s revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, and is a major principle of party building for a mature Marxist ruling party. Looking back at history, the reason our Party has been able to repeatedly break through turbulent rapids and dangerous shoals, withstand major tests of high winds and rough waves, and even 惊涛骇浪 (jīng tāo hài làng - "frightening waves," perilous situations), and unite and lead the people to usher in the unstoppable bright prospect of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, is inseparable from a strong and powerful Party Central Committee, and inseparable from the presence of a core in the Party Central Committee and a core in the entire Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee is by no means a general issue or a personal matter, but a directional and principled issue, a matter of Party spirit, the overall situation, and concerns the future and destiny of the Party, the nation, and the country; that the Party Central Committee is the brain and the central nervous system, and the Party Central Committee must have the authority to make the final decision with 一锤定音 (yī chuí dìng yīn - "one hammer sets the tone," having the final say); that at all times and under all circumstances, we must adhere to maintaining a high degree of alignment with the Party Central Committee, forming harmony in the ensemble conducted by the unified command of the Party Central Committee, and so on. The sole center of Party unity is the Party Central Committee; when the Party Central Committee is united, the entire Party will be united, and the people will be united. The vast number of Party members and cadres must deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments” (两个确立), enhance the “Four Consciousnesses” (四个意识), strengthen the “Four Confidences” (四个自信), and achieve the “Two Safeguards” (两个维护), so as to resolutely respond to what the Party Central Committee advocates, resolutely comply with what the Party Central Committee decides, and resolutely refrain from what the Party Central Committee prohibits.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding full and rigorous Party governance” is the strategic policy for Party building in the new era. To govern the country, one must first govern the Party; to govern the Party, one must be rigorous. In the 1960s, our Party proposed that “the Party must supervise itself”; the 13th National Congress of the Party wrote “rigorous Party governance” into the congress report; the 16th National Congress of the Party wrote “the Party supervising itself and governing it rigorously” into the Party Constitution. However, for a period, the management and governance of the Party were too lenient, too loose, and too soft, causing many within the Party and in society to be deeply worried about the future of the Party and the country. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, standing at the strategic height of the Party’s long-term governance and the country’s enduring peace and stability, proposed “full and rigorous Party governance” as the strategic policy for Party building in the new era, and incorporated it into the “Four Comprehensives” (四个全面) strategic layout, unswervingly grasping rigor in thought, rigor in supervision, rigor in discipline enforcement, rigor in cadre management, rigor in work style, and rigor in anti-corruption, continuously improving the system for full and rigorous Party governance, and giving greater prominence to comprehensive and systematic deployment, coordinated and efficient advancement. This has curbed certain unhealthy practices that had long not been curbed, corrected certain stubborn and chronic ills that had not been eliminated for years, fundamentally reversed the lax, loose, and soft situation in Party management and governance, and made the Party stronger and more resilient through revolutionary tempering. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that full and rigorous Party governance should be taken as the Party’s long-term strategy and eternal subject; that the rigorous tone, rigorous measures, and rigorous atmosphere should be maintained over the long term; that the Party’s ability to purify itself, improve itself, reform itself, and enhance itself should be continuously strengthened; and that the Party must never change its nature, never change its color, and never change its flavor, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must manage all aspects of full and rigorous Party governance with higher standards and more concrete measures, deeply advance the new great project of Party building in the new era, ensure that the Party always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and promote the steady and sustained progress of Chinese-style modernization 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "steady progress reaches far").
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind” is the Party’s purpose, stance, and value orientation. For an individual or a political party, the rarest thing is to maintain the original aspiration unchanged through vicissitudes, and to preserve the true nature intact through hardships. In 1945, Mao Zedong called at the 7th National Congress of the Party for “the people of the whole country to unite, organize the people’s army, organize the people’s party, and organize the people’s government.” From a small red boat to a majestic giant ship, the Communist Party of China grew and developed precisely because it served the people, relied on the people, and benefited the people, becoming the world’s largest political party. However, the longer the Party has been in power, the larger the Party’s scale, and the changes in the Party’s membership structure inevitably bring severe challenges to the Party’s own construction and state governance. It is easy to acquire an original aspiration, but difficult to maintain it to the end 初心易得，始终难守. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that the Party’s original aspiration and mission are the concentrated embodiment of the Party’s nature, purpose, ideals, convictions, and goals, inspiring our Party to forever adhere to them, and urging our Party to forge ahead resolutely; that the rivers and mountains are the people, and the people are the rivers and mountains; in winning and guarding the rivers and mountains, what is guarded is the people’s hearts; that the Communist Party of China is the people’s party, a party that serves the people; that the Communist Party being in power means doing things for the common people and doing the common people’s affairs well; that the Communist Party of China is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and also a party that seeks progress for humanity and common harmony for the world, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must always remember that for the Party to govern long-term and always win the trust and support of the people, it must firmly establish and practice a correct view of performance, adhere to a people-centered development philosophy, follow the mass line of the Party in the new era, and always breathe the same air, share the same fate, and be heart to heart with the people.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the primacy of political Party building” is the fundamental requirement of Party building in the new era. Taking a clear stance on politics is the fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist political party. For a period, under the conditions of developing a socialist market economy, the “four major tests” and “four dangers” (四大考验、四种危险) facing our Party were severe and complex; the principle of commodity exchange and feudal personal dependency relationships penetrated the Party; the danger of forming interest groups within the Party was objectively present. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has continuously focused on and forcefully addressed the “seven issues” (七个有之) problem, making severe punishment of corruption involving collusion between officials and businessmen a top priority in the tough battle, resolutely cracking down on capital-driven profit-seeking behaviors backed by power, and resolutely preventing various interest groups and power groups from infiltrating the political sphere. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that political Party building is the fundamental construction of the Party, determining the direction and effectiveness of Party building; if political Party building is not carried out or deviates from the direction guided by political Party building, it will be difficult for other aspects of Party building to achieve expected results; that the 19th National Congress of the Party clearly placed political Party building in the first position and emphasized taking political Party building as the lead; that safeguarding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee should be taken as the highest political principle, and Party leadership should be implemented in all fields, aspects, and links of Party management and governance and state governance; that political discipline and political rules must be strictly enforced; that political supervision must be strengthened and political inspections deepened; that the “seven issues” must be resolutely prevented and dealt with; that two-faced people and two-faced factions who feign compliance with the Party Central Committee must be resolutely eliminated, and the political ecosystem within the Party continuously purified, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must deeply comprehend the strategic consideration and rational choice since the 18th National Congress of the Party of placing political building in the first position, consciously align with the political direction, uphold the political leadership of the Party, consolidate the political foundation, cultivate the political ecosystem, guard against political risks, forever maintain political integrity, and enhance political capability, resolutely safeguard the unity and solidarity of the Party, and ensure that the entire Party is unified in will, unified in action, and advances in step.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the use of the Party’s innovative theory to solidify the soul and forge the spirit” is the fundamental task of the Party’s ideological construction. Thought solidifies the soul, theory steadies the mind. Without a revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary practice. The advanced nature of a Marxist political party is first manifested in its ideological and theoretical advanced nature. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, our Party has adhered to combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, establishing Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, opening up a new realm of the sinicization and modernization of Marxism. To uphold ideological Party building, it is necessary to use the Marxist worldview and methodology to arm the mind and transform the subjective world; to uphold theoretical Party strengthening, it is necessary to promote arming the entire Party with the Party’s innovative theory, educating the people, and promoting work. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that ideological construction is the foundational construction of the Party; that arming the entire Party with the Party’s innovative theory is the fundamental task of the Party’s ideological construction; that theoretical armament must be continuously strengthened; that long-term mechanisms must be improved to consolidate the soul through study, increase wisdom through study, rectify style through study, and promote action through study; that the foundation of faith must be built, the calcium of the spirit must be replenished, and the rudder of thought must be steadied, and so on. Faced with increasingly arduous and complex missions and tasks, the vast number of Party members and cadres must deeply realize that the Party’s innovative theory is the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people. Only by unremittingly using Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era to solidify the soul and forge the spirit can the mind be clarified and the direction set, action be resolute, and the results of study be continuously transformed into a powerful force for fulfilling duties and undertaking endeavors.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the tempering of strong Party spirit” is a lifelong subject for Party members and cadres. The Party spirit of Chinese Communists is the requirement that the nature of the Party imposes on individual Party members, reflecting the Party’s advanced nature and purity. Practice has repeatedly proven that any problems that arise among Party members and cadres ultimately originate at the root of Party spirit. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that Party spirit is the foundation for Party members and cadres to establish themselves, establish their careers, establish their words, and establish their virtue; that the Party spirit of Communists focuses on strengthening ideals and convictions, forging loyalty to the Party, cultivating deep feelings for the people, purifying moral character, and maintaining integrity and self-discipline; that strengthening Party spirit relies on concrete cultivation and tempering; that leading cadres must take tempering Party spirit and enhancing ideological awareness as a lifelong subject, learning until old age, studying until old age, and cultivating until old age, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must deeply understand that the cultivation of Party spirit is a transformation of the essence of Party members; consciously tempering a strong Party spirit requires nourishing Party spirit with advanced socialist culture, revolutionary culture, and excellent traditional Chinese culture, continuously undergoing the tempering of the “great furnace” of inner-Party political life, and transforming the subjective world while transforming the objective world.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the improvement of an organizational system that links upper and lower levels and where execution is strong” is where the Party’s advantage and strength lie. The Party’s strength comes from the organization; organization multiplies strength. The Party Central Committee is the sole source of authority for Party organizations at all levels; Party local organizations must resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee; Party grassroots organizations must become strong battle fortresses for effectively realizing Party leadership. In response to problems that emerged in the Party’s organizational system during a period, such as short circuits in transmission, blockages in execution, and ineffective implementation, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that the Party’s overall leadership and all the Party’s work must be realized through a strong organizational system of the Party; that an organizational system that links upper and lower levels and where execution is strong must be improved; that the political and organizational functions of Party organizations must be enhanced; that Party organizations at all levels must be promoted to make comprehensive progress and achieve comprehensive excellence; that central and national organs are the “first kilometer” for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and must not have “blocking tigers” ; that local Party committees are the “middle section” for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and must not have “midway obstacles” ; that grassroots Party organizations are the “last kilometer” for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and must not have “broken roads” ; that the Party’s political and organizational advantages must be transformed into advantages for winning; that the Party’s political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social appeal must be continuously strengthened, and so on. Party organizations at all levels and the vast number of Party members and cadres must all take responsibility and fulfill their duties in their respective domains, fully clearing all types of blockages, choke points, and blind spots in the implementation of the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, ensuring that the Party’s leadership operates “like the body directing the arm, and the arm directing the fingers” (如身使臂，如臂使指).
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the building of a high-quality cadre team capable of shouldering the task of national rejuvenation” is a critical issue concerning the cause of the Party and the country. Once the political line is determined, cadres are the decisive factor. If problems arise in our country, they will mainly arise within the Communist Party; if problems arise in our Party, they will mainly arise among cadres. In response to prominent problems existing for a period within the cadre team, such as impure politics, insufficient responsibility, weak ability, and unrealistic work style, especially the absence of supervision over the “key few,” the tendency toward “four only” (四唯) in selecting and appointing personnel, and the chronic disease of some cadres not acting in their posts, it is necessary to profoundly answer the question of the times: “the key to governing the country lies first in employing people” with a strong sense of urgency. Entering the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed and upheld the Party’s organizational line for the new era; upheld that the Party manages cadres and the organization selects people, strengthening the leading and gatekeeping role of Party organizations; clarified the standards for good cadres in the new era: firm ideals and convictions, serving the people, diligent and pragmatic, daring to take responsibility, and being honest and upright; improved the system for cadre quality cultivation, understanding people through affairs, selection and appointment, strict management, and positive incentives; grasped the fundamental plan of ensuring that there are successors; that rigorous Party governance is key to rigorous cadre management; prevented the emergence of unhealthy tendencies and corruption in the selection and appointment of personnel; deepened the reform of the cadre and personnel system, forming a selection and appointment system that is comprehensive, scientific, standardized, effective, practical, simple, and easy to implement, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must practice the political character of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility, continuously strengthen their ability to promote high-quality development, serve the masses, and prevent and defuse risks, and work selflessly and struggle and dedicate themselves to the cause of the Party and the people.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style improvement” is an effective way to maintain the Party’s flesh-and-blood connection with the masses. The Party’s work style concerns the Party’s image, the people’s support, and the Party’s survival and death, and determines the success or failure of the Party’s and the country’s cause. China’s millennia-old tradition of using education and customs to govern the country shows that style forms at the top and custom transforms at the bottom 风成于上，俗化于下. To promote a social climate and folk customs that are upward and good, the vast number of Party members and cadres must lead with an excellent work style. In response to the escalating “four forms of decadence” (四风) that emerged within the Party for a period, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly perceived the essence of work style issues and profoundly pointed out that the core of work style issues is the relationship between the Party and the masses; that work style improvement is always on the road; that implementation of the Central Eight-Point Regulation (中央八项规定) spirit must be 锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě - "carve without stopping," persistent); that correcting the “four forms of decadence” and fostering new practices must be pursued simultaneously; that privileged thinking and privileged behavior must be resolutely eliminated, and so on. Party organizations at all levels must enhance the targeting and effectiveness of work style education, establish and improve regular mechanisms for discovering and solving problems, strengthen supervision and discipline enforcement, implement political responsibility for work style improvement, and continuously promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style improvement. The vast number of Party members and cadres must persist in enhancing understanding through study, increasing consciousness in examining problems, often using the Marxist flashlight to shine on themselves, starting to reform from daily small matters and minor details, breaking with erroneous concepts, and truly liberating themselves through good habits.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the strict discipline of the entire Party to govern the entire Party” is the fundamental solution for full and rigorous Party governance. Party discipline is the code of conduct that all Party organizations and all Party members must abide by, and is an important guarantee for maintaining the Party’s unity and solidarity and fulfilling the Party’s tasks. Our Party is a Marxist political party organized by revolutionary ideals and iron discipline; strict discipline is the Party’s glorious tradition and unique advantage. However, for a period, some Party organizations and Party members and cadres showed weak Party consciousness, organizational laxity, and slack discipline, becoming prominent problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed that for the Party to supervise itself and govern it rigorously, strict discipline must be relied upon; that discipline should be stricter than the law, and discipline should come before the law; that the “four forms” (四种形态) of supervision and discipline enforcement should be applied; that political discipline and organizational discipline should be prioritized, driving the strictness of integrity discipline, mass discipline, work discipline, and life discipline; that institutions and disciplines should become electrified “high-voltage lines” ; that the disciplinary education, restraint, guarantee, and incentive functions of the Party should be comprehensively exerted, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must strictly abide by the Party’s discipline and rules, be adept at transforming heteronomy into autonomy, internalizing it into norms of speech and conduct used daily without conscious awareness of it (日用而不觉), and find full freedom and broad space for undertaking endeavors within the framework of observing discipline and rules.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the integrated advancement of daring not to be corrupt, being unable to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt” is an important strategy for full and rigorous Party governance and the basic policy for the anti-corruption struggle. Corruption is the biggest tumor that endangers the vitality and fighting capacity of the Party, and has always been 格格不入 (gé gé bù rù - "incompatible," out of tune) and 水火不相容 (shuǐ huǒ bù xiāng róng - "water and fire are incompatible," irreconcilable) with the Party’s nature and purpose. For a period, the trend of corruption within the Party escalated; some corrupt practices became increasingly serious even 触目惊心 (chù mù jīng xīn - "strikes the eye and shocks the heart," shocking), with extremely bad nature and extremely negative political impact, seriously eroding the foundation of the Party’s governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that corruption is the biggest threat facing our Party; that the anti-corruption struggle is a major battle that cannot afford to lose and must never lose; that a clear head must be maintained, the charge must always be sounded, and it must be remembered that the fight against corruption is always on the road; that the Party and state supervision systems must be upheld and improved; that the integrated advancement of daring not to be corrupt, being unable to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt (一体推进不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐) must be upheld; that corruption must be punished with a zero-tolerance attitude, unswervingly following the path of anti-corruption with Chinese characteristics; that the regulation and supervision of the allocation and operation of power must be strengthened; that a culture of integrity for the new era must be strengthened, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must deeply understand that the strategy and policy of the integrated advancement of the “three no’s” (三不腐) are not divided into stages or levels, but are integrated as one; the three have an interdependent and mutually reinforcing internal logic, using integrity to strengthen responsibility and using responsibility to fortify loyalty.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding governing the Party with institutions and regulations” is the long-term and fundamental measure for full and rigorous Party governance. Leadership institutions, organizational institutions, etc., are major issues in Party building that govern the foundation, govern the long term, govern the overall situation, and ensure stability. The 13th National Congress of the Party formally proposed the major proposition of strengthening the Party’s institutional construction; the 16th National Congress of the Party incorporated institutional construction into the overall layout of Party building. In response to problems that emerged during a period among some Party members and cadres in implementing institutions, such as “running through a yellow light and bypassing a red light” , and issues such as insufficient authority of Party institutions, inadequate supply, and lax enforcement, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed upholding governing the Party with institutions and regulations; improving the system of inner-Party laws and regulations; deepening the reform of the Party building system; and putting power into the cage of institutions. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that cadres at all levels should be guided to consciously study the Party Constitution, abide by it, implement it, and safeguard it; that democratic centralism must be strictly implemented; that everyone is equal before institutions and there is no exception in implementing institutions, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres must deeply recognize the important law that “to govern the country, one must first govern the Party; to govern the Party, one must be rigorous; and to be rigorous, one must rely on laws and regulations” , persist in using institutions to manage power, affairs, and people, test the effectiveness of institutions by whether they are simple and easy to implement and scientifically useful, and continuously improve the execution of institutions with the consciousness of observing discipline and rules.
Deeply comprehend that “upholding the fulfillment of political responsibility for governing and managing the Party” is the “ox nose” that must be firmly grasped in full and rigorous Party governance. Leadership is responsibility; Party leadership itself includes the requirements of education, management, and supervision. In response to prominent problems existing for a period where some Party organizations narrowly understood the responsibility for managing and governing the Party as the responsibility for building a clean and honest Party and fighting corruption, even vaguely handing it over to the disciplinary inspection commission, resulting in the hollowing of the main responsibility of Party committees (Party leadership groups), pressure decreasing layer by layer, and responsibility idling without implementation, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that the key to implementing the main responsibility is to truly implement Party leadership; that from the main responsibility for building a clean and honest Party and fighting corruption to the main responsibility for full and rigorous Party governance, it is not just a change in wording, but also the development of practice and the deepening of understanding. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the responsibility for managing and governing the Party is the most fundamental political responsibility; that the responsibility for managing and governing the Party includes main responsibility, supervisory responsibility, responsibility of the first responsible person, “one post with dual responsibilities” , etc., which together form a complete chain of responsibility; each type of responsibility is important and must be strictly implemented; that a responsibility system with clear subjects and clear requirements must be improved to promote the implementation of responsibility for managing and governing the Party, and so on. The vast number of Party members and cadres, especially leading cadres, must deeply recognize that full and rigorous Party governance is the common responsibility of the entire Party; according to their duties and tasks, they must continuously enhance their sense of responsibility, patch the weak links in implementing the responsibility system for governing and managing the Party, consciously know, clarify, assume, and fulfill responsibilities, and truly implement and ground all the requirements of full and rigorous Party governance consistently to the end.
Since the birth of Marxist theory of Party building, the light of its truth has always illuminated the path of human progress, not only profoundly changing the world but also profoundly changing China. Reviewing the history of the Communist Party of China’s own construction, it is precisely because of Mao Zedong’s thought on Party building that a Party completely consolidated in ideology, politics, and organization was established, enabling it to unite and lead the people to found New China and achieve great victories in socialist revolution and construction. It is precisely because of the scientific guidance of Deng Xiaoping’s theory on Party building, among others, that the Communist Party of China carried forward the cause and forged ahead into the future 继往开来 (jì wǎng kāi lái - "carry forward the past and open up the future"), advancing with the times 与时俱进 (yǔ shí jù jìn - "advance with the times") to promote the new great project of Party building, uniting and leading the people to achieve tremendous achievements in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. On the new journey of the new era, with the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building, the Communist Party of China will surely manage and govern itself well and build itself strong, providing a strong guarantee for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, and making new and greater contributions to the progress of human civilization.
Return to TopBy: 本报评论员 李曼青
The light of truth illuminates the road to rejuvenation, and the great power of thought leads the great journey. At the conference celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping incisively summarized the six outstanding characteristics that distinguish our Party from other political parties and political forces, and placed “aspiring to pursue truth, always keeping the forward direction steady” in the primary position. This major thesis profoundly reveals the inner logic of the century-old Party that, despite going through storms, has not changed its original aspiration, and despite long trials, has remained steadfast in its course.
In modern times, China was deeply trapped in a crisis of survival, and countless people with lofty ideals 上下求索 (shàng xià qiú suǒ - “search above and below,” striving to find a way), but failed one after another due to the lack of guidance from scientific theory. The salvoes of the October Revolution brought Marxism-Leninism to China, pointing the way forward and providing a new choice for the Chinese people who were painstakingly seeking a path to save the nation and ensure its survival. In this historical tide, the Communist Party of China 应运而生 (yìng yùn ér shēng - “respond to the times and arise,” emerge as the times require). Looking back on the struggle course of more than one hundred years, our Party has always held high the true banner of Marxism, continuously exploring truth, enriching truth, testing truth, and practicing truth in the great practices of revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, leading the country and the nation to advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times, always standing on the correct side of history and on the side of human civilization and progress.
In the revolutionary struggle, Chinese Communists with Comrade Mao Zedong as their main representative integrated the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with China’s specific realities, made theoretical summaries of a series of innovative experiences accumulated through arduous exploration and tremendous sacrifice, opened up the correct revolutionary path of encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing state power by armed force, founded Mao Zedong Thought, and pointed the correct direction for the victory of the New Democratic Revolution. In the period of socialist revolution and construction, Chinese Communists put forward a series of important ideas on socialist construction, enriched and developed Marxism with new ideas, new viewpoints, and new theses, led the people to complete the socialist revolution, eliminate all systems of exploitation, realize the most extensive and profound social transformation in the history of the Chinese nation, and achieve the great leap of a large Eastern country that was 一穷二白 (yī qióng èr bái - “poor and blank,”) and had a huge population striding into a socialist society. In the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Party led and supported the great discussion on the criterion of truth, adhered to and developed Marxism from new practices and characteristics of the times, scientifically answered a series of basic questions on building socialism with Chinese characteristics, formed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and achieved a new leap in the Sinicization of Marxism. In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Chinese Communists with Comrade Xi Jinping as their main representative have adhered to integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture, profoundly summarized and fully applied the historical experience since the founding of the Party, proceeded from new realities, founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing more complete institutional guarantees, more solid material foundations, and more proactive spiritual strength for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up and growing rich to becoming strong, and created the great achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
Truth guides the direction. At the critical juncture of the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan and the deep advancement of building a strong country, we must always adhere to the guiding position of Marxism, use the Party’s innovative theory to consolidate the soul and strengthen the foundation, and in aspiring to pursue truth, always keep the forward direction steady, striving to write a new chapter in building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Return to TopBy: 学习时报采访组
105 years of 栉风沐雨 (zhì fēng mù yǔ - “combed by the wind, washed by the rain,” enduring hardship and toil), 105 years of arduous struggle, 105 years of brilliant achievements. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), warmly reviewing and summarizing the glorious journey and great achievements made by the Communist Party of China over the past 105 years in uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups across the country, profoundly revealing the excellent qualities that have enabled the Communist Party of China to continuously create brilliance, and inspiring and encouraging all members of the Communist Party of China to strengthen confidence and continue striving to create new historical brilliance. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech aroused warm repercussions among the faculty, staff, and students of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）). Everyone unanimously expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech is 高屋建瓴 (gāo wū jiàn líng - “pour water from a high rooftop,” strategically commanding and far-sighted), broad in vision, profound in thought, rich in content, closely following the pulse of the times, and running through history and the future; it is an important document shining with the brilliance of Marxist thought, further pointing out the direction and providing guidance for realizing the Party’s central tasks in the new era and new journey.
The Party has united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country in unremitting struggle, writing the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of history of the Chinese nation.
Since the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation have had the most reliable mainstay. China, beset by internal and external troubles, impoverished and weak, initiated earth-shaking historical changes. Over the past 105 years, the Party has always adhered to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to overthrow the three mountains of oppression, establish New China, successfully open up and adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, continuously promote the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, forge a powerful world’s largest ruling party, and write the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of history of the Chinese nation. Everyone unanimously expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech has highly condensed and summarized the Party’s 105 years of unremitting struggle, profoundly clarified that our Party is worthy of being a great, glorious, and correct party, and pointed out the direction for the whole Party to strengthen confidence, continue struggling, and strive to create new historical brilliance.
105 years of unremitting struggle have fundamentally changed the destiny of the Chinese people. Wang Yi (王毅), Deputy Director of the CPC History Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that once the Communist Party of China was founded, it adhered to seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, embarking on a great journey to completely rewrite the destiny of the Chinese people, and completely ending the humiliating history of old China as a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. After the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China led the people in self-reliance and arduous struggle, advancing socialist revolution and construction, and consolidating the material foundation for national development and the people’s peaceful life. In the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Communist Party of China actively promoted reform and opening up, achieving a substantial leap in comprehensive national strength and an all-around improvement in the people’s production and living conditions. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era, the Communist Party of China led the people of the whole country in continuous struggle, comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty, and solidly promoting common prosperity for all the people. After 105 years of unremitting struggle, under the leadership of the Party, the Chinese people have completely shaken off the historical passivity of backwardness and poverty, completely bid farewell to the old situation of being trampled upon, controlled by others, and struggling to survive, and have truly firmly grasped the historical initiative of their own development and national rejuvenation.
Kong Lei (孔磊), a student of the Training Department and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, said that our Party led the people in bloody battles and indomitable struggle, completely ending the suffering destiny of the Chinese nation since modern times. From insufficient warmth and food to a comprehensive moderately prosperous society, the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, growing rich, to becoming strong. The Chinese people are striding toward the future with confidence and vigor. This glorious journey profoundly demonstrates that the fundamental purpose of development is to enhance people’s well-being and enable the masses to have a better life. It inspires us to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, build a scientific and technological innovation highland with international competitiveness, provide broad space for all kinds of talents to display their abilities, make great efforts to solve urgent and difficult problems in employment, education, medical care, housing, elderly care, etc., continuously transform development achievements into a happiness index that the masses can perceive and feel, share a high-quality life in high-quality development, and practice the original aspiration and mission of Communists with actual actions.
105 years of unremitting struggle have opened up the correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Sun Dongsheng (孙东升), a student of the Central Management Class and Vice President of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature (中央党史和文献研究院), believes that the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921 completely changed the direction and process of the development of the Chinese nation. Our Party took over the baton of history, united and led the Chinese people to overthrow the three mountains, establish New China, establish the socialist system, and achieve great victories in the new democratic revolution, socialist revolution, and construction. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, our Party emancipated the mind, forged ahead with sharp enterprise, united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to create great achievements in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and opened up the great path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country, with self-confidence, self-reliance, upholding integrity and innovation, comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society, created two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. The Communist Party of China has successfully opened up a correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This is an inevitable historical conclusion and a glorious starting point for continuing to move toward a bright future.
105 years of unremitting struggle have demonstrated the powerful vitality of Marxism. Li Haiqing (李海青), Vice Dean of the School of Marxism of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that the powerful vitality of Marxism originates from the people’s nature of its value pursuit, pointing out the right path of history advancing by relying on the people, occupying the moral high ground of humanity. The powerful vitality of Marxism originates from the scientific nature of its principles and methods. A key reason for the Party’s brilliant achievements over more than a hundred years of struggle is that it has always been guided by the scientific truth of Marxism, attaches importance to building the Party ideologically and strengthening the Party theoretically. The powerful vitality of Marxism originates from the openness of its ideological system. Marxism does not exhaust truth but continuously opens up the path to understanding truth in practice; what it provides is not ready-made dogmas but a guide to action. The paths of new democratic revolution, socialist revolution, socialist construction, and socialism with Chinese characteristics opened up by our Party are all great creations that combine the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities.
105 years of unremitting struggle have profoundly influenced the course of world history. Xu Zheng (许征), a student of the Central Management Class and Executive Vice President of Fudan University, believes that from the perspective of the world socialist movement, our Party united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to establish a socialist system in a large Eastern country accounting for nearly one-quarter of the world’s population, promoted the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics to become broader, and promoted the historical development to show a profound transformation favorable to Marxism and socialism, which has far-reaching historical significance for the development of world socialism and the progress of human civilization. From the perspective of human modernization, our Party led the people to successfully create the path of Chinese-style modernization, create two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, create a new form of human civilization, break the myth of “modernization = Westernization,” expand the way for developing countries to achieve modernization, and add confidence and provide useful inspiration for developing countries to explore their own modernization. From the perspective of global governance, our Party embraces the world, always stands on the right side of history and the side of human civilization progress, proposes building a community with a shared future for mankind, promotes the common values of all mankind, promotes the building of a new type of international relations, promotes the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative, and its leading role in global governance reform is continuously strengthening.
“An ancient Eastern country with a brilliant civilization of more than 5,000 years, moving forward along the socialist road, is destined to be an extraordinary journey that changes history and creates the future,” said Dong Zhenhua (董振华), Director of the Scientific Socialism Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Viewed from the long span of history, China’s development is a progressive undertaking belonging to all of humanity. Under the Party’s leadership, Chinese-style modernization has profoundly influenced the course of world history. On the world modernization road, China has achieved astonishing achievements, creating a set of governance experiences with Chinese characteristics and world significance, providing useful references for solving global governance deficits, trust deficits, peace deficits, and development deficits. We advocate and actively promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, contribute public goods to the international community, provide opportunities for world development, and the international community also looks forward to hearing China’s voice and seeing China’s proposals. China’s success is the success of a modernization path opened up independently, and also the success of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and continuously responds to world development difficulties and common development dilemmas with innovative great practice.
105 years of unremitting struggle have forged a powerful Communist Party of China. Chen Shuguang (陈曙光), Director of the Scientific Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that from a global comparative perspective, our Party, as the world’s largest ruling party, has advantages that other parties find hard to match: our Party has the ability to integrate society, can oversee the overall situation, coordinate all parties, effectively integrate social resources, concentrate efforts on major tasks, and overcome the drawbacks of mutual political struggles and constraints among different parties and interest groups; it has the strategic planning ability to plan long-term national development and maintain the stability and continuity of major policies; it has the efficiency of decision-making and implementation, advocates hard work to rejuvenate the country, responds promptly to emerging challenges, advances orderly on matters it has determined, and “continues to work session after session” on matters of long-term importance; it has a system for selecting the capable and appointing the virtuous, ensuring that the selection and appointment of cadres always maintain close ties with the masses and serve the people wholeheartedly, free from the constraints of financial groups or the coercion of populism; it has a mechanism for self-purification. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, our Party has achieved remarkable results in promoting self-reform, demonstrating the ability and determination of the Communist Party of China to self-purify, self-improve, self-reform, and self-enhance.
The incomparable excellent qualities are the key code for why the Communist Party of China can succeed.
“The fundamental reason why the Communist Party of China can continuously create brilliance in its 105 years of struggle, and why history and the people chose the Communist Party of China, lies in the excellent qualities of our Party that are incomparable to other political parties and political forces.” Everyone unanimously believes that extracting the key code from the struggle of more than a hundred years has both historical depth and contemporary height. Standing at a new historical starting point, only by continuously carrying forward the excellent qualities, ensuring that the Party never deteriorates, never changes its color, and never loses its flavor, can we achieve the second centenary goal on schedule and create new historical glory.
Zhang Taiyuan (张太原), Director of the Literature and History Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that the incomparable excellent qualities are the key code for why the Communist Party of China can succeed, and also a systematic condensation and theoretical sublimation of the Party’s unique advantages summarized previously. In 2012, Comrade Xi Jinping, at the National Conference on Commending Advanced Excellence in Creating and Competing, summarized the Party’s unique advantages as theoretical advantages, political advantages, organizational advantages, institutional advantages, and the advantage of close ties with the masses, revealing the internal mechanism of the Party’s growth from small to large, from weak to strong. If the five advantages answer the question of what the Party relies on to stand firm, the excellent qualities further answer the question of what the Party relies on to endure and not decline. The two are in the same vein but deepen progressively. Specifically, unwavering pursuit of truth is the inheritance and development of the theoretical advantage, rising from adhering to Marxism to a higher consciousness of testing and developing truth in practice; deeply rooted in the people is the contemporary interpretation of the advantage of close ties with the masses, a vivid portrayal of adhering to the people’s standpoint and a key measure to consolidate the ruling foundation; bravely undertaking historical missions and conforming to the trend of development are the expansion and extension of the political advantage, expanding from firm belief to mastering strategic initiative and staying ahead of the times; daring and adept at struggle is a spiritual character condensed from the organizational advantage, reflected in an iron will not afraid of risks and challenges; focusing on strengthening oneself is in the same vein as the Party’s greatest advantage of self-reform, forging a strong and powerful Marxist ruling party with the spirit of self-reform. From unique advantages to excellent qualities, it reflects the Party’s deepening understanding of the laws of its own construction.
Only by pursuing truth can we grasp the direction; only by adhering to truth can we nourish the original aspiration. Han Donghui (韩东晖), Director of the Philosophy Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that over the past 105 years, the Communist Party of China has adhered to the “two combinations,” adhered to the Party’s ideological line, gained insight into the general trend of the times, grasped historical initiative, continuously promoted theoretical innovation in arduous exploration and practical innovation, ensuring that the cause of the Party and the people advances in the right direction. Marxism established the nature, purpose, and goals of our Party, defined the supreme lofty ideals and strong Party spirit of Communists, and it is precisely in the unremitting struggle of daring to fight and being good at fighting that our Party has become the world’s largest ruling party with significant global influence and the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Marxism forged the scientific thinking methods, working methods, and leadership methods of the Chinese Communists. It is precisely because we adhere to the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method, scientifically apply the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, that we can always stand on the right side of history and the side of human civilization progress, comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, and create a new form of human civilization.
Being for the people and relying on the people is the essential characteristic that distinguishes a Marxist political party from other political parties. Wang Daoyong (王道勇), Deputy Director of the Social and Ecological Civilization Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that the people’s nature is the most distinctive theoretical character of Marxism and is the background color of the Chinese Communist Party. Marxism was formed, enriched, and developed in the practice of the people’s liberation; it is a theory thoroughly and completely for the people. Our Party always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the Chinese people, promotes social progress through the people’s practice, and realizes the free and comprehensive development of individuals. The people are the creators of history and the decisive force in social change. The people’s support is the firmest foundation of the Party’s governance; only by rooting in the people and serving the people can the Party’s cause remain invincible. Therefore, being deeply rooted in the people and always having a solid foundation are the most essential excellent qualities of the Communist Party of China, and also the most distinctive excellent qualities that distinguish the Communist Party of China from other political parties.
Yang Zhengwei (杨正位), a student of the Central Management Class and Deputy Director and Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Development Research Center of the State Council, believes that the Communist Party of China has inherited and sublimated the people-oriented thought of Chinese civilization, always remembers the original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation, adheres to the spiritual code of “sickle and hammer” in the Party emblem, always insists on putting the people at the center, and has tempered distinctive excellent qualities. First, adhering to the supremacy of the people. Establishing the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, “letting the people be the masters of the country,” “the country is the people, and the people are the country,” the Party always puts the warmth and cold of the masses first, “takes the people’s heart as the heart,” and firmly keeps the people’s support, the greatest politics. Second, adhering to the mass line. Respecting the people’s principal position and pioneering spirit, insisting on asking the people for advice and needs, and developing whole-process people’s democracy. During the revolutionary period, the people pushed carts to support the front; in the new era, the masses participate in grassroots governance. The Party always breathes the same breath, shares the same destiny, and connects hearts with the people. Third, adhering to benefiting the people. From overthrowing the local tyrants and dividing the land, the all-out war of resistance, overthrowing the three mountains, to reform and opening up, poverty alleviation, comprehensive moderate prosperity, not indulging in empty talk, delivering on promises, and ensuring the clean and pro-people background through self-reform.
“A good chess player seeks the overall situation; a good planner is far-sighted. Our Party unifies planning affairs and planning the overall situation, planning the present and the future, and firmly grasps strategic initiative.” Jin Minqing (金民卿), a student of the Central Management Class and Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Director of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies, believes that the quality of “bravely undertaking historical missions, always mastering strategic initiative” mainly has three sources. First, the lofty ideal goals cherished by our Party. Since its founding, our Party has unswervingly written communism on its banner. Firm ideals and beliefs form an endogenous traction force towards goals, never stopping the steps of striving forward no matter what difficulties and hardships encountered. Second, the solemn historical mission shouldered by our Party. Once founded, the Communist Party of China shouldered the sacred responsibility given by the people. In the historical process of revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, it has consciously transformed a high sense of historical responsibility into an internal driving force for development and progress, achieving one victory after another. Third, our Party always adheres to the guidance of Marxist scientific theory. In the unremitting struggle of adhering to long-term goals and practicing the original aspiration and mission, it timely judges the principal social contradictions of different periods, determines the central tasks and stage goals of different periods, formulates and fully implements correct lines, principles, and policies, so that the cause of the country and the people always advances in the right direction, continuously achieving brilliant achievements that attract worldwide attention.
Fan Jida (樊继达), Deputy Director of the Economics Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that anchoring the goal of national rejuvenation and struggle, our Party, with a high degree of historical consciousness, takes on the major responsibilities entrusted by history and the people, successfully creating one miracle after another, firmly holding strategic initiative in hand. Faced with the dynamic changes of the principal social contradiction, our Party promptly establishes central tasks, responds to the people’s needs with precise adjustments of lines, principles, and policies, and answers the examination papers of the times well. From self-reliance to self-strengthening, from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization, a series of strategic decisions demonstrate our Party’s ability to proactively grasp opportunities in crises and open up new situations amid changes. Currently, the international environment is severe and complex, domestic reform, development, and stability tasks are arduous and heavy, and various risks and challenges are intertwined. In the torrent of the times, party members and cadres must always anchor the long-term goal of Chinese-style modernization, earnestly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, proactively recognize, respond to, and seek changes, plan work with strategic vision, and solve various problems with a sense of responsibility.
Song Shiming (宋世明), Deputy Director of the National Governance Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that since the Industrial Revolution, all countries and nations in the world have entered the process of world history, which is independent of human will. However, the “time zone” and “position” of each country and nation in the space-time coordinate system of the world historical process are different. Only by respecting historical laws while grasping historical initiative, and basing on national conditions while embracing the world, can we grasp the key integration point of change in any historical period, conform to the trend of development, and always stay ahead of the times. Our Party, with a high degree of historical consciousness and a broad world vision, soberly understands China’s national conditions, the theme of the times, and the principal social contradiction, continuously promotes the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, completes the tasks of the times under the guidance of the Party’s innovative theory, and the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, growing rich, to becoming strong, becoming a worthy pioneer of the times and backbone of the nation.
Yang Zhongcheng (杨忠诚), a student of the Training Department and Director of the Policy Research Office of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee, believes that the excellent quality of “conforming to the trend of development, always staying ahead of the times” originates from the lofty ideals, high historical consciousness, and broad world vision of our Party as a Marxist ruling party. It will surely lead the country and nation to advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times, continuously creating new historical achievements. Staying ahead of the times presupposes the historical initiative to grasp and understand the general trend, adhere to the dialectical materialist and historical materialist worldview and methodology, understand the objective laws of human social development and the trends of the century-old world changes, see the direction, find the coordinates, and forge ahead in accordance with the general trend of the times, firmly grasping the development initiative. The key lies in inspiring the practical determination to forge ahead with enterprise, overcome difficulties, battle risks, and meet challenges with the spirit of historical initiative, integrate the wisdom to recognize changes, the method to respond to changes, and the courage to seek changes throughout work, promote the Party’s work to reflect the times, grasp the laws, and be full of creativity, and strive to open up new prospects for the cause. The ultimate goal is to shoulder the mission of standing at the forefront. It is necessary to better coordinate the domestic and international overall situations, balance development and security, improve the ability to scientifically predict changes, timely detect risks, and effectively respond to challenges, ensuring that the giant ship of China’s rejuvenation breaks through the waves and sails steadily and far.
History is the best textbook. Wang Huxue (王虎学), Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that whether in the era of revolutionary war or in the era of peaceful development, our Party always adheres to and promotes the spirit of fearing no sacrifice and fighting bravely. For the people, the country, the nation, and for ideals and beliefs, it cuts through thorns and forges ahead. No matter how strong the enemy, how difficult the road, how severe the challenge, it is always fearless and never retreats. Along the way, facing the life-and-death test of blood and fire, countless revolutionary martyrs sacrificed their lives for righteousness; facing the development predicament of “poverty and blankness,” countless builders rooted themselves in the desolate Gobi; facing the complex and changeable internal and external environment in the new era, our Party has always stood at the forefront with an iron will of “no matter how the wind and rain come, I remain unmoved,” leading hundreds of millions of people through one difficulty after another and winning one victory after another. Here, daring to struggle emphasizes stance and attitude, requiring the courage to face things and the bravery to show the sword; being good at struggle emphasizes ability and method, requiring the wisdom to recognize changes and the art to create new situations. The unwavering confidence that runs through comes from the strong leadership of the Party, the heartfelt support of the people, and the incomparable institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is the confidence to overcome the enemy and difficulties, and also the confidence to dare to struggle and be good at struggle.
The more great the cause, the more it is full of difficulties and obstacles. Lan Hanlin (蓝汉林), a student of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Theoretical Study Seminar and Vice President of the Zhejiang Provincial Party School (Academy of Governance), believes that in the 105-year struggle, all achievements made by the Party and the people were achieved by overcoming risks and challenges. Daring to struggle, the core is to maintain an iron will. This will originates from the sincerity of “for the people, the country, the nation, and for ideals and beliefs,” reflected in being always fearless and never retreating, no matter how strong the enemy, how difficult the road, or how severe the challenge. In the overall national development, it is necessary to strengthen crisis awareness and bottom-line thinking, face the interest barriers in the deep-water zone of reform, the “bottleneck” difficulties of key core technologies, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Being good at struggle, the key is to grasp the law. Struggle is not blind brute force; we must actively recognize, respond to, and seek changes. Profoundly observe the changes in the world situation and the principal social contradictions, improve the ability to scientifically foresee and detect risks. Adhere to balancing development and security, grasp the main contradiction in complex situations, resolve risks and break through bottlenecks with scientific strategies.
Handling China’s affairs well depends on the Party, and the key is that the Party should manage the Party and govern strictly. Wang Yiguang (汪一光), a student of the Central Management Class and Vice Chairman of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said that looking back on the Party’s 105-year journey of hard work, it has been challenging and difficult. Deeply pondering “why the Communist Party of China can succeed,” the key lies in the fact that our Party has always placed its own construction in a prominent position. During the revolutionary war years, our Party insisted on building the Party ideologically and strengthening the Party theoretically, tempered a strong revolutionary team, and gathered the powerful force to overthrow the three mountains and establish New China. During the socialist construction period, it continuously rectified the Party conduct and government conduct, consolidating the long-term ruling foundation. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee opened a great historical turning point; the whole Party ideologically brought order out of chaos, adhered to seeking truth from facts, unified ideological understanding, and firmly set the direction forward. In the process of reform and opening up, it closely focused on the overall situation of reform and development to strengthen its own construction, improve systems and mechanisms, strengthen institutional constraints, and ensure the steady progress of reform and opening up with strong Party building. Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee clearly identified self-reform as the second answer to the historical cycle of order and chaos, promoted comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to develop in depth, and strived to achieve self-purification, self-improvement, self-reform, and self-enhancement. Facing unprecedented changes in a century, our Party always maintains the string of managing and governing the Party strictly, forging the Party’s body with thorough revolutionary spirit, improving governing ability, so that our Party can calmly cope with complex environments and various risks and challenges.
“A powerful political party is forged in the process of continuous self-strengthening.” Lü Pin (吕品), Deputy Director of the Party Building Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), told reporters that “focusing on strengthening oneself, always full of vitality” is both a profound summary of the Party’s more than a hundred years of historical struggle experience and a strategic guide for the great new project of Party building in the new era. The century-long journey repeatedly confirms that to govern the country, the Party must be governed first; only when the Party thrives can the country be strong. Our Party soberly grasps the ruling laws of the Marxist ruling party and leaps out of the historical cycle of order and chaos. Examining itself with the requirements of the development of the times reflects the Party’s theoretical character of keeping pace with the times; alerting itself with a strong sense of crisis reflects the Party’s sober consciousness of being prepared for danger in times of peace; perfecting itself with the spirit of self-reform reflects the Party’s political courage of turning inward. From General Secretary Xi Jinping’s proposal in 2012 that “to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” to the formal proposal at the 19th National Congress that “to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” to the speech at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China clearly stating “remember the truth that to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” and then to the speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China elevating it to the excellent quality of the Party of “focusing on strengthening oneself,” it reflects the continuous deepening of our Party’s understanding of the laws of managing and governing the Party.
Strengthen confidence, continue to struggle, and constantly create new achievements worthy of the times and the people.
“Time waits for no one! History waits for no one!” Realizing the Party’s mission and tasks in the new era and new journey is a process of continuous struggle and long-term effort. Everyone unanimously expressed that they should strengthen confidence, continue to struggle, practice the original aspiration and mission with practical responsibility, write a brilliant answer for the “15th Five-Year Plan,” and constantly create new achievements worthy of the times and the people.
Feng Lixia (封丽霞), Director of the Political and Legal Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China demonstrated to the world the strong determination and will of our Party to strengthen confidence and continue struggling. On the new journey of the new era, for our Party to create greater brilliant achievements, it must adhere to the Party’s overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. The Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy are the ideological guide and action program for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, are valuable experience and major achievements gained through hard exploration by the Party and the people, are the fundamental follow of the Party and national cause, and also the source of the whole Party’s determination to keep the path unchanged and the will unshaken. Only by adhering to the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy can we carry forward the Party’s excellent qualities from the past to the future, ensure that the Party always becomes the leadership core of the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and steadily create great achievements worthy of the times and the people.
Xiao Wengao (肖文高), a student of the Training Department and Secretary of the Jiading District Committee of Shanghai, believes that we should always take the Party’s original aspiration as our own heart and the Party’s mission as our life, maintain the determination to keep the path unchanged and the will unshakable, with strong consciousness and absolute loyalty, effectively engrave the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy in the heart and practice it in action. Persistently use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to consolidate the soul, improve political stance, grasp regional positioning, find practical implementation points, cherish the “great of the country,” adhere to the “four placements,” consciously plan, position, and promote regional development under the overall situation, implement the Party’s lines, principles, policies and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee without compromise, take responsibility and be a vanguard in serving the needs of the national strategy, truly achieve both adding luster to one region and contributing to the overall situation. Firmly shoulder the heavy responsibility of “promoting development in one region, benefiting the people’s livelihood in one region, and ensuring safety in one region,” spare no effort to consolidate and expand advantages, break bottleneck constraints, strengthen development shortcomings, rely on concrete actions to strive to create new achievements worthy of the times and the people, run one’s own leg well in the continuous struggle relay, and make due contributions to the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation.
“The Communist Party of China is a party that came from the masses, its foundation is in the people, its blood is from the people, its strength is from the people. The people are the greatest confidence for the Party to govern and rejuvenate the country and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Chu Songyan (褚松燕), Director of the United Front Teaching and Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that adhering to the supremacy of the people is a valuable experience of our Party’s more than a hundred years of struggle. Closely related to this is adhering to the people being the masters of the country, developing people’s democracy, maintaining close ties with the masses, and relying on the people to promote national development. On the new journey, we must always remember that the country is the people, and the people are the country, adhere to everything for the people, everything relying on the people, adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, give play to the institutional advantage of relying closely on the people, develop whole-process people’s democracy, enhance the institutional effectiveness of the people being the masters of the country, practice the people-centered development thought in high-quality development, and unswervingly take the road of common prosperity for all the people. Always remember the original aspiration and mission, walk the Party’s mass line well in the new era, continuously consolidate and develop the great unity of all ethnic groups, the great unity of the people of the whole country, and the great unity of all Chinese sons and daughters, so that hundreds of millions of people, under the unity and leadership of the Party, give full play to their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity, gather the mighty force to comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization, and win greater victories and glory on the new journey.
The Party’s foundation is in the people, its blood is from the people, its strength is in the people. Zuo Yongxiang (左永祥), a student of the Central Management Class, Member of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Mianyang Municipal Party Committee, said that looking back at the Party’s struggle journey, from the Huaihai Campaign pushed by small carts, to the reform sound pressed by the handprints of Xiaogang Village, to winning the largest poverty alleviation battle in human history... every monument is engraved with the dedication of the people, powerfully proving that the people are the creators of history and the real heroes. Only by adhering to the people’s principal position, guiding the people to devote themselves to modernization with the spirit of being masters, can we carry forward the past and create new historical achievements. The original aspiration is as solid as a rock; relying on the people focuses on practicing the purpose of serving the people. On the new journey, we must walk the Party’s mass line well in the new era, adhere to the people-centered development thought, take the people’s satisfaction as the yardstick for testing work, continuously develop whole-process people’s democracy, promote development by listening to grassroots voices and drawing on the wisdom of the masses, benefit the people by caring about their safety, warmth, and solving urgent difficulties, exchange sincerity for the people’s hearts, and gather the people’s strength with concrete actions.
Ma Baocheng (马宝成), Dean of the Institute of Emergency Management of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that as socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core attaches great importance to preventing and defusing major risks, firmly safeguarding national security and social stability, providing a strong security guarantee for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. On the new journey, we must continuously enhance crisis awareness, adhere to bottom-line thinking, estimate difficulties more fully, think about risks more deeply, move first and fight active battles, achieving “security without forgetting danger, existence without forgetting death, governance without forgetting chaos.” Adhere to the overall national security concept, continuously improve the national security system, enhance national security capabilities, improve the level of public safety governance, improve the social governance system, build a higher level of safe China, further consolidate the national security barrier, realize a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security, ensure a new development pattern with a new security pattern, and ensure the smooth realization of the socialist modernization cause.
Reviewing the glorious course of 105 years, our Party has always stood on the right side of history and the side of human civilization progress, deeply changed the trends and patterns of world development with unremitting struggle, and profoundly influenced the course of world history. Wu Zhicheng (吴志成), Dean of the Institute of International Strategy of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that the Party leading the people to promote Chinese-style modernization has created a new form of human civilization, expanded the path for developing countries to achieve modernization; proposed and worked with all countries to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, contributing Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese strength to solving major human problems. Socialist China is recognized as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. This major global influence of the Party is precisely the result of the unremitting struggle of generations of Chinese Communists uniting and leading the Chinese people, and also a concrete manifestation of the Party’s practice of striving for the cause of human progress and making new and greater contributions to humanity. On the new journey, the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics led by the Party will definitely always embrace the world, hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win, promote the common values of all mankind, promote the building of a new type of international relations, promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative, inject more positive energy into world peace and development, and show greater responsibility and action for building a better future for the world.
“In the 105-year glorious journey, our Party has been tempered by thousands of hammers and is still vigorous. A very important reason is that it has always insisted that the Party should manage the Party and govern strictly in all respects, and continuously promote the Party’s self-reform.” Wang Yimin (王益民), Executive Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), said that since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has profoundly grasped the fundamental nature of the Party and the changes in the development of the Party’s conditions and national conditions, highlighted the distinct theme of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, deeply promoted the great new project of Party building in the new era, promoted historic and groundbreaking achievements in Party building, and the Party has become stronger and more powerful through revolutionary forging. We must implement the requirements of the Party managing the Party and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party throughout the entire process and all aspects of the School’s (Academy’s) work, implement it throughout the entire process and all aspects of the Party building work in the organs, and promote the high-quality development of the School’s (Academy’s) cause with high-quality Party building. Combine the study and implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech with the study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the work of party schools, organize Party members and cadres to deeply study and carefully comprehend, consciously use Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building to plan and promote all aspects of the School’s (Academy’s) organ Party building, continuously improve the quality of organ Party building, and provide strong guidance and a solid guarantee for practicing the original aspiration of the party school.
The more effective the management and governance of the Party, the stronger the guarantee for economic and social development. Wang Minghao (王鸣昊), a student of the County Party Secretary class and Secretary of the Ruyong City Party Committee of Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, believes that in county governance, the leadership of the Party is not empty; it must run through all fields and the entire process of economic and social development. Whether it is rural revitalization, industrial development, or education, medical care, and grassroots governance, the role of the Party committee in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties must be fully exerted. Especially facing complex contradictions and risk challenges, it is even more necessary to ensure that in critical moments there are Party organizations making decisions, and in the face of difficulties there are party members charging forward. Adhere to the strict tone to strengthen conduct and discipline, focus on collective “three assets,” people’s livelihood funds and other “micro-power” around the masses, weave a dense supervision network, deepen the promotion of reform through cases, resolutely eradicate the soil of “fly corruption and ant corruption,” use systems to manage power, affairs, and people, and let a clean and upright atmosphere fill every corner of the county. Xiu Wen (修文), a student of the County Party Secretary class and Secretary of the Jiedong District Committee of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, said that we must always maintain sobriety and determination, take “having the Party in heart, having the people in heart, having responsibility in heart, and having discipline in heart” as the guide for doing business and starting a career. Take the Party’s political construction as the guide, strengthen ideals and beliefs, shoulder political responsibility, implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee without compromise, ensure that the reform, development, and stability of the region advance in the right direction. Continuously cultivate the feeling for the people, unite and lead Party members and cadres to be united and aligned, rely on a strong and powerful combat fortress, gather forces from all sides to strive, and continuously benefit the people of the whole district with development achievements. Always adhere to the strict tone, promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of rectifying conduct, enforcing discipline, and fighting corruption, start from myself, lead the way from above, guide Party members and cadres to adhere to clean integrity, regulate the operation of power, and continuously cultivate a clean and upright political ecology.
Zheng Yi (郑艺), a student of the Central Management Class and Member of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, believes that as leading cadres in the political and legal system, we must always remember the fundamental political attribute that “the political and legal system is the Party’s,” remember the sacred mission and responsibility entrusted to us by the Party and the people to “maintain national political security, ensure overall social stability, promote social fairness and justice, and ensure the people’s peaceful life,” always stand from the political height of deeply understanding the decisive significance of the “two establishments” and resolutely achieving the “two safeguards,” adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building, adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on the rule of law, unswervingly implement the overall national security concept, better coordinate the two major tasks of development and security, spare no effort to “prevent risks, ensure safety, maintain stability, and promote development,” actively respond to various risks and challenges on the road ahead, strive to ensure high-quality security for high-quality development, contribute political and legal strength in continuously rewriting the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and ensure that the giant ship of China’s rejuvenation breaks through the waves and sails steadily.
Youth are the vital force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping, standing at the strategic height of the Party’s cause being passed down from generation to generation and having successors, put forward important requirements for youth work and expressed ardent expectations for the young generation, fully reflecting the cordial care of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core for the vast number of youth and the high importance attached to youth work. Xu Xiao (徐晓), a student of the Central Management Class and Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Youth League Central Committee, told reporters that as a youth worker, he is deeply encouraged and greatly inspired, further enhancing the sense of mission and responsibility for doing a good job in the Party’s youth work in the new era. Deeply recognizing that the Communist Youth League, as an assistant and reserve force of the Party, must comprehensively study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, always adhere to the Party’s overall leadership, adhere to the principle of the Party managing youth, firmly grasp the fundamental political task of educating people for the Party, focus on the main responsibility of leading and gathering youth, mobilizing and organizing youth, contacting and serving youth, continuously deepen the political guidance of youth ideology, wholeheartedly support youth to make contributions, sincerely serve the urgent difficulties of youth, guide the vast number of youth to unswervingly listen to the Party and follow the Party, establish lofty aspirations, bravely undertake the heavy responsibility of the times, integrate personal pursuits into the cause of the Party and the country, seize the day and live up to youth, run the historical relay race well on the new journey, pave the way with youth and let ideals shine.
(Wu Qing, Wang Cuijuan, Zhao Hui, Mao Qiang)
Return to TopBy: 刘冲
Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating its evolution, with major powers intensively issuing policies and stepping up strategic deployments. In 2026, U.S. science and technology innovation enterprises accelerated their market capitalization process; SpaceX completed the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history; OpenAI, Anthropic, and other leading artificial intelligence companies actively advanced their listing processes; the European Union introduced the "European Technology Sovereignty Plan" covering areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and computation-electricity coordination to support its domestic science and technology innovation enterprises; Japan planned a long-term strategic layout, intending to implement a "Growth Strategy" with 370 trillion yen in public-private joint investment in 17 core fields including artificial intelligence, chips, and space by 2040, comprehensively strengthening its own scientific and technological competitive strength. In the past, great-power games mostly focused on traditional dimensions such as geopolitical spheres of influence, military power balances, and ideological confrontation, whereas the new round of global great-power competition is undergoing a fundamental transformation; technological leadership has become the key to great-power competition.
Characteristics of Great-Power Competition for Technological Leadership
Marketization of the main body lays the foundation for innovation. Market innovation forces have become an important support for technological games. Unlike the past innovation model dominated by governments and research institutes, the current global science and technology innovation landscape is undergoing deep iteration; enterprises have become the main bodies for breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies, industrialization of achievements, and implementation of scenarios. An innovation system with deep linkage among capital, enterprises, and industry is becoming increasingly mature. Global enterprise R&D investment accounts for over 70 percent of the total society-wide investment; in 2024, the total R&D expenditure of the world's top 2,000 enterprises reached 1.45 trillion euros, consistently dominating global innovation. In cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, and biomedicine, technology iteration and implementation all rely on enterprises as important vehicles.
Systematization of the game reshapes the competition paradigm. The competition dimension has upgraded from single-point technology rivalry to a comprehensive contest of the entire ecosystem. In the past, technological competition focused on single technologies or breakthroughs of single products, whereas today's technological game covers the entire field of R&D, industry, markets, rules, capital, and talent, competing in the completeness, resilience, and openness of a country's strategic industrial ecosystem. A well-developed strategic industrial ecosystem can link key links such as technological breakthroughs, industrial chain supporting, mass production, rule output, and international cooperation; it is an important vehicle for transforming technological advantages into industrial, market, and institutional advantages. Nowadays, leadership in a single technology is hard to sustain into a long-term advantage; only by building a collaborative, efficient, safe, and controllable industrial innovation ecosystem can a virtuous cycle of science and technology innovation development be formed.
Globalization of elements takes the initiative in the market. Global market control has become a visible indicator of technological leadership. The value of technological innovation ultimately relies on the globalized market for implementation and realization; market size, user volume, application scenarios, and global share are the foundations for technology iteration and upgrading, standard iteration and improvement, and continuous industrial growth. Large-scale global market applications can effectively spread high R&D costs, accumulate massive scenario data, cultivate industry user stickiness, and help a country's technology system transform into industry-wide standards, firmly grasping the leading direction of technological evolution. Current great-power technological competition breaks through the single dimension of a country's own technology and industry, upgrading to an all-domain game over global market resources, technology systems, and standard rules. Major technological powers all build globalized technology cooperation and market deployment networks through technology export, computing power empowerment, standard leadership, and industrial linkage, gathering global innovation resources and market elements.
Multiple Countries Systematically Build Strategic Advantages in Technological Competition
Strengthening intelligent new infrastructure to solidify the foundation for enterprise innovation and development. Many countries have successively focused on strategic industrial ecosystem deployment, strengthening the foundation for enterprise innovation and development through the construction of intelligent new infrastructure. Unlike traditional infrastructure systems such as transportation and electricity, the new infrastructure of the artificial intelligence era covers core elements such as high-end chips, computing power data centers, smart grids, cloud computing platforms, high-quality data resources, and high-level talent reserves, serving as the underlying strategic support for cutting-edge technological innovation iteration. The U.S. "AI Action Plan" lists computing power deployment, chip production capacity construction, and smart grid upgrades as core pillars of industrial development. The European Union has implemented the "InvestAI" special program, coordinating 200 billion euros to deploy intelligent super-industrial platforms, providing integrated supporting services of computing power, data, and storage for various market innovation entities. Russia, South Korea, India, and other countries are accelerating the construction of national-level computing power platforms and big data centers.
Strengthening technology-finance empowerment to amplify the strategic competition level of frontier industries. The capitalization process of global technology enterprises continues to accelerate. U.S.-based SpaceX completed its U.S. stock market listing, raising $75 billion; OpenAI, Anthropic, and other leading intelligent companies have also submitted IPO applications. According to Goldman Sachs forecasts, the total IPO fundraising of U.S. technology companies this year will reach a historic high of $225 billion. At the same time, many countries, 因地制宜 (yīn dì zhì yí - "according to local conditions," measure according to local circumstances), have constructed systematic technology-finance support systems to precisely empower hard-core science and technology innovation development. The European Union, relying on the European Innovation Council and the European Investment Fund, has set up tens-of-billion-level special science and technology innovation funds, with multiple tools such as tax relief, equity investment, and project guarantees, focusing on supporting early-stage technology enterprises and strategic technology projects; Japan, relying on the national Growth Strategy Industry Fund, coupled with long-term government procurement and science and technology innovation tax incentives, continues to increase investment in key areas such as artificial intelligence, chips, and aerospace; the United States, through policies such as public capital equity participation, special science and technology innovation subsidies, and R&D tax credits, continues to amplify the empowering effect of capital markets. The orientation of technology finance tilting toward early-stage projects, small and medium-sized science and technology innovation entities, hard-core technology tracks, and new strategic infrastructure has become a key lever for many countries to amplify their science and technology innovation competitive advantages.
Focusing on industrial chain security and resilience to optimize the strategic balance pattern of technological competition. The United States continues to promote strategic policy optimization and adjustment, focusing on solving problems such as industrial hollowing out and lagging technological iteration, deepening policy coordination and linkage with allies, vigorously promoting the reshoring of advanced manufacturing, actively building diversified and multi-dimensional supply chain systems, attempting to prevent and resolve strategic risks brought by dependence on a single supply chain, and stabilizing its own industrial and technological competitive foundation. Facing the fragmented and camp-based development trend of industrial chains, many countries actively adapt to changes in the global science and technology innovation landscape, coordinating security and openness on the basis of adhering to the logic of market-oriented, globalized innovation collaboration. The European Union has introduced the "Critical Raw Materials Act," building a regional internal resource recycling supply chain; Japan and South Korea focus on semiconductor core materials and precision equipment to build local backup production capacity; India and Southeast Asian countries are simultaneously deploying localized manufacturing bases to divert production capacity; all parties continue to fill supply chain shortcomings and optimize industrial layout, striving to enhance the impact resistance and comprehensive resilience of industrial chains, and steadily build a new pattern of safe, stable, collaborative, and sustainable technology industry competition.
Future Game Trends
The efficiency and cost of the industrial innovation cycle are the decisive factors for long-term competition. The development of strategic frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, advanced manufacturing, bio-intelligent manufacturing, and clean energy has long-term, iterative, and systemic characteristics. Single technological breakthroughs, single-generation product upgrades, or single achievement implementation cannot determine the long-term competitive landscape. The core of future great-power technological competition is the efficiency contest and cost comparison of the entire chain innovation closed loop, centered on the complete industrial innovation cycle of technological breakthrough, engineering verification, mass production, market application, data feedback, and iterative upgrading. The competitiveness of countries and enterprises is concentratedly expressed as the ability to achieve rapid technology iteration relying on industrial scenarios, and the ability to continuously reduce the cost of the entire innovation process through systematic support from infrastructure, industrial chain supporting, capital and talent, and governance systems. Future technological games are no longer competition of single-point advantages, but a long-term comprehensive race of innovation efficiency, industrial efficiency, and resource allocation efficiency. The entity that can complete the industrial innovation cycle at faster speed, lower cost, and higher quality will inevitably continuously accumulate leading advantages and consolidate strategic initiative.
The rise of Asian industrial innovation reshapes the geographical pattern of global technological competition. The center of gravity of global industrial transformation and capital deployment continues to shift eastward. The Asian region is ushering in a super development cycle of continuous capital injection, rapid industrial upgrading, and dense innovation explosion. Multiple driving forces such as industrialization of artificial intelligence, construction of new infrastructure, popularization of renewable energy, energy security assurance, and upgrading of high-end equipment manufacturing are superimposed, continuously stimulating regional innovation vitality. From the perspective of industrial scale, Asia's industrial added value accounts for nearly half of the global total; it is a core hub of the global intelligent production and supply chain, a core base for new energy and high-end equipment manufacturing, and a core carrier for critical mineral processing and industrial exports. From the perspective of market scale, Asia gathers over 60 percent of the global population, making it the world's largest super consumer and innovation application market with the greatest potential. With the superposition of multiple advantages, Asia will become the production center, technology diffusion center, and strategic competition center of the new round of industrial revolution. The future global great-power game for technological leadership will focus intensively on core areas such as Asia's industrial upgrading, capital investment, innovation iteration, supply chain reorganization, and market development. Seizing the opportunities of Asia's industrial cycle development is the key to winning the initiative in global technological competition.
An open and resilient industrial ecosystem possesses sustainable long-term strategic value. Against the backdrop of intensifying geopolitical competition and rising protectionism, the risk of fragmentation of the global technology industry system and division of technology camps continues to accumulate. Some economies implement exclusionary technology barriers and closed industrial circles, exacerbating problems such as redundant construction of global industrial chains, stagnation of technology cooperation, and increased internal friction within industries, severely constraining the coordinated development of global science and technology innovation. From the perspective of the underlying laws of science and technology innovation, enterprise technology iteration cannot be separated from the empowerment of globalized markets, the feedback of economies of scale, the support of efficient supply chains, and the assistance of international talent and developer networks. The digitalization, industrialization, and green transformation of developing countries also cannot be separated from extensive international technology cooperation and technology sharing. The development model of closure, exclusivity, and camp confrontation violates the laws of technological development and the general trend of economic globalization, making it difficult to form long-term stable competitive advantages. In the future, only by adhering to openness, inclusiveness, and collaborative innovation, coordinating development and security, openness and self-reliance, building an open strategic industrial ecosystem with resilience, vitality, and attractiveness, fully integrating global innovation resources, market resources, and cooperation resources, and forming a development pattern of collaborative innovation and mutual benefit and win-win, can technological leadership be continuously consolidated and strategic advantages be secured in long-term great-power competition.
(The author is the director of the Center for Science and Technology and Strategy at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (中国现代国际关系研究院))
By: 徐佳利
Japan's "Reiwa rice crisis" (令和米荒) is a nationwide shortage of rice supply and sharp price surge that broke out in Japan from 2024 to 2025, named after the Reiwa era, and is considered one of the most serious food distribution upheavals in the country in three decades. Data from the end of November 2025 show that the price of ordinary 5-kilogram bags of rice had risen to 4,335 yen, hitting record highs for multiple consecutive weeks and doubling from two years earlier. Although the Japanese government implemented multiple intervention measures such as releasing reserve rice, adjusting agricultural policies, and enacting new laws, the effects were limited. This indicates that the crisis is not simply triggered by food shortages; behind it lie deep systemic problems and structural risks in Japan's national food security guarantee system.
The typical characteristics of the "Reiwa rice crisis" are mainly as follows. First, supply shows a systemic shortage, superimposed on a historically low inventory crisis. According to data released by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (农林水产省) in July 2024, as of the end of June that year, private-sector rice inventories nationwide had fallen to 1.56 million tons, the lowest level since comparable data became available in 1999. This extremely low inventory state broke the circulation balance, triggering a chain reaction from retail to wholesale. Large supermarkets generally implemented a policy of "one bag per person limit," and due to inventory shortages, repeatedly entered phased sales suspensions; some small and medium distributors, because of complete depletion of supply sources, had no choice but to cease operations and exit. Hoarding and reluctance to sell at the wholesale level further distorted the circulation order, continuously amplifying the supply tension in the terminal market. Second, prices show sustained inflation, hitting a historical peak in nearly 30 years. The supply gap directly led to a sharp surge in rice prices. In 2025, the national average price of ordinary 5-kilogram bags of rice in Japan remained at a high level above 4,000 yen for a long time, doubling year-on-year and setting a price record for nearly 30 years. Worth noting is that after the new rice came to market, prices did not experience the traditional seasonal decline, but continued to oscillate at high levels. This sustained high inflation not only drove up overall food prices, but also continuously squeezed residents' consumption capacity, while compressing the profit margins of related industries such as catering and rice noodle processing, forming a dual pressure pattern on people's livelihoods and industry. Third, policy regulation has shown failure, and difficulties in the circulation links are prominent. Facing the crisis, the Japanese government launched intervention measures such as releasing reserve rice, but the actual effect was minimal. The long-implemented "acreage reduction policy" (减反政策) encouraged farmers to reduce rice planting area through subsidies, causing rice production capacity and inventories to operate at dangerously low levels for a long time, severely compressing the space for policy adjustment. More critically, the circulation sector is constrained by the existing interest structure; the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA, 日本农协) controls over 90% of the country's rice procurement, storage, and distribution channels, using its monopoly position to hinder the efficient direct delivery of reserve rice to retail terminals. Most of the reserve rice released by the government is controlled by the JA, making it difficult to actually flow to the market, creating a situation of "having reserves but no supply," fully exposing the rigid shortcomings of the governance system in crisis response.
Why did the "Reiwa rice crisis" occur? In essence, the root lies in the long-standing institutional defects of Japan's agricultural system.
First, there are structural limitations in policy adjustment capacity. Japan has long implemented the "acreage reduction policy," which deliberately compresses the supply of rice for staple food through production reduction subsidies, conversion guidance, and strict market access mechanisms, in order to maintain stable rice prices and farmers' incomes. This policy masked potential risks during periods of low demand, but caused the supply system to operate in a dangerous range of low inventories for a long time, greatly narrowing the space for policy adjustment. To alleviate social pressure, the government launched unconventional interventions. In February 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced the release of 210,000 tons of government reserve rice, the first time Japan had used strategic reserves under non-natural disaster conditions since 1995. However, the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives purchased over 90% of the government reserve rice, forming a substantive monopoly. Out of its own interests, the JA was slow in releasing the rice, resulting in a large amount of reserve rice being unable to enter the retail market in time, failing to play a role in stabilizing rice prices. This shows that Japan's agricultural policy relies excessively on administrative production restrictions and price maintenance, lacking the ability to correct course oriented toward "ensuring supply" under risk scenarios.
Second, the foundational support for the rice farming industry is insufficient. Judging from Japan's official data, it still has relatively high food production capacity, but in reality the rice farming system has shown obvious "hollowing out." Since the implementation of the production reduction policy in the 1970s, Japan's rice planting area has continuously shrunk, the utilization rate of arable land has significantly declined, and about 40% of paddy fields are idle or semi-idle. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries show that in 2023, Japan's actual rice output was only 6.61 million tons, far below the potential production capacity level of about 14 million tons. On this basis, the extreme high temperatures that occurred in 2023-2024 not only reduced national rice production by about 10% compared to normal years, but also significantly lowered the proportion of high-quality staple rice, further constricting the effective supply that can directly enter the staple food market. This long-term compression of the industrial base has left the rice supply system lacking buffering capacity; once hit by climate shocks or a rebound in demand, the market quickly turns to a state of tension.
Third, the agricultural labor supply faces challenges. In recent years, the labor problem in Japan's rice production has shifted from cyclical difficulties to structural bottlenecks. Currently, the average age of agricultural workers in Japan has exceeded 67 years old, with a continuous outflow of young labor, small-scale family operations dominating, and land consolidation and large-scale development progressing slowly. Under this demographic structure, even if the policy level sends signals to expand production, there is a lack of sufficient labor and organizational capacity in reality to respond quickly. After the new rice came to market in 2024, some regions saw farmers choose to reduce planting scale or switch to other crops due to labor shortages and rising operating costs, further weakening the supply of staple rice. The rigid constraint of labor supply makes it difficult for Japan's rice farming system to resolve short-term shocks by "planting more rice," and supply elasticity is significantly lower than policy expectations.
Japan's "Reiwa rice crisis" exposes the shortcomings of the agricultural system, bringing the following key warnings for building a highly resilient food security system. First, interest bundling challenges the foundation of food security. When food governance is tied to the interests of specific groups, agricultural policy deviates from the original purpose of ensuring supply, giving priority to maintaining the existing interest structure. Constrained by the interests of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, Japan's food control focuses on maintaining industry returns, weakening the public function of ensuring supply. Under normal conditions, the system can still operate; but once production reductions or logistics crises occur, policy becomes hampered, tools such as expanding production, releasing reserves, and optimizing circulation may completely fail, and the ability to guarantee food security as a safety net continues to weaken. Second, short-sighted industrial policies breed systemic risks. Agricultural production has a long cycle and weak ability to withstand fluctuations, and must be based on long-term planning. If agricultural policies focus on fiscal pressure and short-term market conditions while neglecting long-term resilience building, they will continuously erode agriculture's ability to withstand pressure. Japan's long-term implementation of short-term agricultural policies has continuously compressed the buffer space for food supply, risks have 日积月累 (rì jī yuè lěi - "accumulate day by day, month by month," to accumulate over time), and ultimately, after encountering external shocks, complete failure occurred, confirming that short-term governance will eventually trigger a food crisis. Third, the imbalance of demographic structure has irreversibility. Food security relies on the social fundamentals; policy cannot reverse the structural demographic crisis. The aging of the rural labor force, talent gap, and outflow of rural population directly solidify the shortcomings of agricultural production. Even if pro-farmer policies are subsequently adjusted, lacking labor and business entities to take over, production increase measures will be difficult to implement. Thus, food security is not only an industrial issue but also a social structural issue that requires comprehensive long-term planning.
Return to TopBy: 李晓宇
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Mexico, and the United States, the Cape Verde national team continuously broke historical records and successfully advanced into the World Cup knockout stage. Consequently, the Republic of Cape Verde has become the country with the smallest land area and the smallest population among all teams to advance in the history of this tournament. This West African island nation, located in the central North Atlantic, composed of 10 islands, with a land area of 4,033 square kilometers and a population of approximately 540,000, has thus garnered significant global attention. While most Sub-Saharan African countries are still struggling in developmental dilemmas, this West African island nation has taken the lead in achieving a leapfrog development; it was listed by the United Nations as a middle-income country in 2008 and was listed by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income country in 2025. Cape Verde possessed prominent inherent developmental shortcomings, with an extremely weak developmental foundation in the early stages of independence, and once fell deeply into developmental dilemmas for a long period. The reason this country was able to break through developmental shackles and join the ranks of upper-middle-income countries lies in its ability to conduct national construction and reform exploration based on its national conditions, walking out a development path with unique characteristics.
Cape Verde officially gained independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1975. In the early stages of state-building, the overall national conditions were highly backward, national development was deeply mired in difficulty and faced many stumbling blocks, and it completely lacked the basic conditions for autonomous development. There was no established industrial system domestically, agricultural production was broken and weak, and the basic economic operation relied solely on a simple service industry dependent on external ties. The national territory consisted of scattered islands and was isolated in terms of transportation; infrastructure across the entire territory was extremely primitive, and core resources such as fresh water and arable land were scarce, with all essential supplies such as food and energy relying entirely on imports. Domestic job positions were scarce, public services were lacking, the living standards of the people were low, a large amount of labor and talent continuously flowed abroad, funds for social construction were extremely deficient, and the country relied on international aid for long periods to maintain operations, resulting in a weak overall economy and extremely poor developmental resilience. The fact that Cape Verde's development fell into difficulty in the early stages of independence was the result of the combined action of the following three aspects.
A deformed industrial structure left behind by colonial rule. From the establishment of Portuguese colonial rule in 1495 to Cape Verde's independence in 1975, nearly 500 years of colonial exploitation thoroughly destroyed the country's foundation for autonomous local development and solidified a dependent and single-faceted industrial pattern. Portugal treated Cape Verde merely as a maritime transit hub in the Atlantic shipping routes and a distribution center for the slave trade; all construction served the interests of the metropolitan power and never cultivated local productive industries. In agriculture, colonizers forcibly promoted cash crops such as sugarcane and coffee, and extensive livestock ranching crowded out scarce arable land; long-term predatory development caused land degradation and soil erosion, leading to the comprehensive contraction of the local food cultivation industry and causing long-term food shortages. In industry, Cape Verde lacked core resources such as oil and minerals and received no dividends from colonial resource development; colonizers only built port transit facilities and completely abandoned the construction of manufacturing and light industrial systems. Long-term colonial exploitation ultimately led Cape Verde to form a deformed structure characterized by a lack of autonomous industry, weak agriculture, and a service industry dependent on external markets, leaving it consistently lacking the capacity for autonomous economic "blood creation" after independence.
Inherent natural barriers. As a typical small island developing state, Cape Verde possesses harsh geographical conditions and extremely scarce resources, with inherently weak developmental resilience. The country is composed of scattered islands far from the West African mainland, resulting in severe territorial fragmentation; the difficulty and high cost of inter-island transportation and all-encompassing infrastructure construction make it impossible to form a unified domestic market, which seriously restricts the circulation of goods and industrial linkage. At the same time, the local climate is arid with little rain, and fresh water and arable land resources are scarce; more than 90 percent of daily necessities and energy rely on imports, making economic development extremely susceptible to the impact of international market fluctuations. The narrow territory and limited population make it difficult to form a large-scale consumer market, leaving manufacturing and processing industries with no way to develop, and the economy can only rely on a few service industries such as tourism and shipping, making the problem of industrial singularity increasingly prominent. Furthermore, frequent climate disasters such as droughts, typhoons, and sea-level rise continuously damage infrastructure and impact the fragile industrial system, further amplifying the vulnerability of economic development.
The outflow of talent and capital overdraws the nation's endogenous drivers of development. As early as the 19th century, frequent domestic droughts and famines gave rise to waves of population outflow. After the economic recovery of Europe in the 1960s, a large number of young and middle-aged laborers traveled far to Western Europe for work. After national independence, the weak economic foundation, scarce job positions, and lagging public services continuously drove the outflow of high-quality talent, technical personnel, and young labor, causing Cape Verde to become an "immigrant nation." Large-scale population loss caused a serious rupture in domestic human capital, and development in all fields faced the dilemma of talent shortages. The outflow of talent was accompanied by the continuous outflow of capital; industries were unable to complete capital accumulation, fiscal revenue was deficient, and national construction relied on international aid for long periods, creating a huge funding gap and eventually falling into a 恶性循环 (è xìng xún huán - "evil cycle, vicious circle," a sequence of reciprocal cause and effect in which the effects maximize the causes).
Facing these dilemmas, Cape Verde stood on its own national conditions to solve developmental problems, transforming inherent shortcomings into characteristic advantages, and walking out a modernized development path suited to a small island nation.
Strengthening the governance system to consolidate the foundation of development through stable political transition and effective governance. Political instability and governance chaos are the core bottlenecks causing the lagging development of most Sub-Saharan African countries, whereas Cape Verde, through stable political transition and efficient governance construction, has created a stable and orderly development environment. In the 1990s, Cape Verde followed the wave of African democratization and steadily promoted political system reform; it established a multi-party system in 1990, completed its first peaceful change of power after independence in 1991, promulgated a new constitution in 1992 to establish a moderate parliamentary democracy, and constructed a mature and stable political institutional system. Since then, a stable pattern of benign competition and alternating rule between the two mainstream political parties, the Movement for Democracy (Movimento para a Democracia) and the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (Partido Africano da Independência de Cabo Verde), has formed domestically, with power always being transferred peacefully through votes, thoroughly eliminating chaos such as military coups, electoral violence, and social unrest, earning high praise from the World Bank for being "coup-free, conflict-free, and long-term stable." On the basis of a stable political situation, Cape Verde has continuously optimized government governance capabilities, promoted the construction of clean government, simplified business processes, and optimized the market environment, continuously releasing institutional dividends. In the 2024 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Cape Verde ranked 35th globally, with its level of integrity among the forefront of Africa; in the 2025 Economic Freedom Index, it ranked 40th globally and 3rd in Sub-Saharan Africa. An efficient and clean governance system and a stable and harmonious social environment have greatly attracted foreign investment and boosted market confidence, providing the most core institutional guarantee for industrial development and economic transformation.
Based on national characteristics to activate development momentum through diversified industrial transformation. Breaking through the unsuitable path of traditional industrialization and basing itself on the resource characteristics of an island nation, Cape Verde has actively laid out advantageous industries. First, developing the cultural tourism industry to create an economic pillar. Relying on pure island scenery and unique Atlantic island culture, it has created a cultural tourism calling card of "the Caribbean of Africa," continuously improving tourism infrastructure such as transportation, accommodation, and recreation, promoting the deep integration of the cultural tourism industry with transportation, cultural creativity, and leisure services, and continuously releasing the vitality of the cultural tourism economy. In 2025, Cape Verde received over 1.24 million international tourists, which is more than twice its own population, and the output value of the cultural tourism industry accounted for 25% of GDP, becoming a core pillar of national economic growth. Second, laying out emerging green industries to break through the bottleneck of resource constraints. Relying on coastal location advantages, it vigorously develops the blue economy, promoting the development of industries such as port upgrading, maritime trade, and coastal aquaculture; it seizes the opportunities of the global green transition to vigorously develop renewable energy such as wind and solar energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports and alleviating resource shortage pressures. Finally, promoting the construction of the digital economy to break the constraints of geographical isolation. By improving digital infrastructure, using digital technology to break through transportation, trade, and government barriers between various islands, solving the developmental problems of territorial fragmentation and market segmentation, it is gradually constructing a diversified industrial pattern of coordinated development among tourism, the blue economy, the green economy, and the digital economy, significantly enhancing economic resilience and sustainable development capabilities.
Activating overseas diaspora resources to empower national development. Addressing the developmental difficulty of long-term population outflow, Cape Verde has innovatively transformed diaspora resources into an important driver of national development. On one hand, improving institutional guarantees to consolidate the diaspora's sense of national identity. The state clarifies the legitimate rights and interests of overseas citizens through legislation, provides legal protection for naturalized citizens, reserves 6 special seats for overseas citizens in the National Assembly, builds diaspora museums, and strengthens diaspora cultural identity, ensuring that tens of millions of overseas citizens remain closely connected to their motherland, thereby consolidating the emotional and institutional foundation for the diaspora to give back to their hometown. A stable diaspora system has brought abundant remittance income, with diaspora remittances accounting for 12%–15% of the national GDP year-round—a scale three times that of foreign direct investment—and diaspora deposits account for nearly half of the total bank deposits, becoming the most stable and long-lasting source of funds for national construction and completely breaking free from excessive dependence on international aid. On the other hand, issuing special policies to promote the conversion of remittance capital. Through favorable policies such as the Immigration Investor Law, overseas citizens are granted exclusive investor status, guiding scattered remittances to shift from consumption-oriented funds to investment in core industries such as tourism, infrastructure, and the service industry, making diaspora funds an important driving force for industrial upgrading. Furthermore, relying on overseas diaspora networks to absorb global talent resources, the country uses dual nationality policies to attract the return of excellent overseas talent; for example, more than half of the players in the Cape Verde squad for the 2026 World Cup were born overseas and hold dual nationality, which is a vivid microcosm of diaspora talent empowering national development.
Return to TopBy: 卢毅
Affairs lie in the four directions, the key lies in the center. The edifice of socialism with Chinese characteristics requires four beams and eight pillars to support it; the Party is the overall skeleton running through it, and the Party Central Committee is the ridgepole. Upholding the Party’s leadership, first of all, is upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. This is the highest principle of Party leadership, and at no time or under any circumstances can it be ambiguous or wavered. Accurately understanding and grasping the theoretical basis, historical basis, and practical requirements of upholding the Party Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership is of great significance for deeply studying and implementing Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building and advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era.
Upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is a major founding principle of Marxist ruling parties. In the practice of leading the European workers’ movement, founding the theory of scientific socialism, and establishing the proletarian party, Marx and Engels always emphasized the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. In 1847, the “Communist League Rules” drafted by Marx and Engels stipulated that the Central Committee was the executive authority of the entire League, and that members must “obey all resolutions of the League.” Faced with divisive forces within the Party, at the Central Committee meeting held in 1850, Marx resolutely criticized the splitting activities of Willich and Schapper, and resolutely defended the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. In 1864, the International Workingmen’s Association (First International) was established, and Marx and Engels resolutely defended the authoritative status of the Workers’ Congress and the General Council. In the later period of the First International, in response to Bakunin’s anarchist and splittist views, Marx and Engels wrote classic works such as “The Alleged Splits in the International” and “The Alliance of Socialist Democracy and the International Workingmen’s Association,” expounding the principle of centralization and unity, and systematically demonstrating the necessity of revolutionary authority. In 1871, Marx summarized the lessons of the Paris Commune in “The Civil War in France,” pointing out that after the victory of the revolution, organizing the new regime, maintaining the new regime, and building the new regime all require centralized, unified leadership. Engels also held: “The Paris Commune was defeated because of a lack of centralization and authority.”
Lenin enriched and developed Marx and Engels’ thought on upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. In 1902, in his book “What Is to Be Done?”, he proposed that to carry out genuine class struggle, “the primary and most urgent practical task is to establish a revolutionary organization capable of giving strength, stability, and continuity to political struggle.” Such a revolutionary organization “must be premised on centralization, and absolutely requires centralization.” In 1903, at the Second Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, Lenin advocated that Party members must participate in Party organizations, and build the Party in accordance with the principles of localities subordinate to the center, lower levels subordinate to higher levels, and the minority subordinate to the majority. In order to defend the organizational principles of the proletarian party, in 1904, Lenin pointed out in “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” that organizational opportunism “is an attempt to weaken the responsibility of intellectuals towards the proletarian party and to weaken the influence of the central organs.” He emphasized that the Party should have a tight organization, unified will and action; only a party established according to the principle of centralism is a “truly steel-like organization.”
Upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is an important experience of revolution, construction, reform, and the new era. In January 1935, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held the Zunyi Conference during the Long March, which in fact established Comrade Mao Zedong’s leadership position in the Party Central Committee and the Red Army, began to establish the leadership position of the correct Marxist line represented mainly by Comrade Mao Zedong in the Party Central Committee, and began to form the first generation of the Party’s central leadership collective with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core, causing the Party and the revolutionary cause to 转危为安 (zhuǎn wēi wéi ān - “turn danger into safety,” to avert a crisis). However, after the Zunyi Conference, the entire Party truly deeply realized the great significance of maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized, unified leadership, and it took a process for this to become conscious action. During the Yan’an period, in order to solve problems such as ideological differences and factionalism within the Party, our Party carried out a large-scale rectification movement, achieving unprecedented unity and uniformity throughout the Party, laying a strong ideological and political foundation for winning the War of Resistance and national liberation.
After the founding of New China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China successively made the “Decision on Organizing the Communist Party of China Committee within the Central People’s Government,” the “Decision on Establishing the Communist Party of China Leading Party Members Group within the Central People’s Government,” and the “Decision (Draft) on Strengthening the System of Departments of the Central People’s Government Submitting Requests and Reports to the Central Committee and Strengthening the Central Committee’s Leadership over Government Work,” upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. In 1956, large-scale socialist construction began. Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized in “On the Ten Major Relationships”: “In order to build a powerful socialist state, there must be a strong unified leadership of the central government, there must be a unified national plan and unified discipline; to undermine this necessary unity is not permitted.” Comrade Deng Xiaoping also proposed at the Eighth National Congress of the Party: “The Party is a fighting organization; without centralized, unified command, it is impossible to win any battle.”
After reform and opening up, the Party Central Committee continued to emphasize centralized, unified leadership. In 1980, the “Guiding Principles for Inner-Party Political Life” adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party pointed out: “The entire Party obeying the Central Committee is the primary condition for maintaining the Party’s centralized unity and the fundamental guarantee for implementing the Party’s line, principles, and policies.” In 1992, the Fourteenth National Congress of the Party made specific provisions for maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized, unified leadership, requiring that “every Party member, especially leading cadres, must consciously maintain the Party’s unity and the authority of the Central Committee, and keep in line with the Central Committee in ideology and politics. No acts that undermine or split the Party are allowed.”
Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, in the face of the “seven have’s” (七个有之) problems existing within the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken ensuring the entire Party obeys the Central Committee, upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership as the primary task of the Party’s political construction, established and improved the leadership system for the Party’s major work, strengthened the functional role of the Party Central Committee’s decision-making and deliberative coordination bodies, improved the mechanism for implementing major decisions of the Party Central Committee, strictly implemented the system of reporting to the Party Central Committee, strictly enforced the Party’s political discipline and political rules, strengthened political supervision, deepened political inspections, investigated and punished problems that violate the Party’s line, principles, and policies and undermine the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, resolutely prevented and governed the “seven have’s,” resolutely removed dual-faced people and two-faced factions who 阳奉阴违 (yáng fèng yīn wéi - “outwardly comply, inwardly oppose,” to feign compliance while acting against orders) the Party Central Committee, continuously purified the inner-Party political ecology, ensured 令行禁止 (lìng xíng jìn zhǐ - “orders are carried out, prohibitions are heeded,” strict enforcement of orders), and guaranteed that the entire Party maintains high consistency with the Party Central Committee in political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path. The entire Party is more unified in ideology, more united in politics, and more consistent in action.
Upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee requires establishing and maintaining a stable leadership core. The 105-year struggle history of the Communist Party of China proves that wherever the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized, unified leadership are well upheld, the Party’s cause flourishes; conversely, the Party’s cause suffers setbacks. Before the Zunyi Conference, our Party was not yet mature; from Chen Duxiu to Wang Ming, none became the leadership core, and thus no mature Party Central Committee was formed. This was an important reason why the cause of the Party and the people repeatedly suffered setbacks and even faced the danger of failure in the early period of the revolution. After the Zunyi Conference, because we had Comrade Mao Zedong as the leadership core, our Party formed a stable and mature central leadership collective and achieved victory in the Chinese revolution. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, because we had Comrade Deng Xiaoping as the core of the second generation of the central leadership collective, our Party led the people to open up the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and achieved brilliant achievements in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the most fundamental reason why the cause of the Party and the state has achieved historic accomplishments and undergone historic changes is that we have established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position in the Party Central Committee and the entire Party, and established the guiding position of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thereby firmly maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and centralized, unified leadership. Therefore, we must fully recognize the extreme importance of maintaining the core for upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, continuously strengthen the ideological, political, and action consciousness of supporting the core, following the core, and defending the core, profoundly comprehend the decisive significance of the “two establishments” (两个确立), and resolutely achieve the “two upholds” (两个维护).
Upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee requires establishing and perfecting the institutional mechanisms for the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Party Central Committee successively formulated a series of documents such as the “Decision on the Working Rules and Discipline of the Central Committee,” the “Decision on the Working Rules and Discipline of Party Committees at Various Levels,” the “Decision on Strengthening Party Spirit,” and the “Decision on Unifying the Leadership of the Party in the Anti-Japanese Base Areas and Adjusting Relations Among Various Organizations,” initially forming the system for upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. During the War of Liberation, the promulgation of documents such as the “Decision on Establishing a Reporting System,” the “Supplementary Instructions on Establishing a Reporting System,” the “Instructions on Strictly Implementing the Reporting System,” the “Resolution on the System of Requesting Instructions and Reporting to the Central Committee by the Central Bureaus, Sub-Bureaus, Military Regions, Military Affairs Commission Sub-Commissions, and Front Committees,” and the “Decision on Perfecting the Party Committee System” effectively strengthened the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. In the early period of the founding of New China, the Party Central Committee established Leading Party Members Groups and Party Committees within the central government institutions, establishing the system and mechanism for the Party to exercise comprehensive leadership over state power. After reform and opening up, the Party Central Committee adopted the “Guiding Principles for Inner-Party Political Life,” emphasizing the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee, taking the Party Constitution as the fundamental basis, has continuously improved the institutional mechanisms guaranteeing the upholding of the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, strictly implemented inner-Party regulations such as the “Guiding Principles for Inner-Party Political Life under the New Situation,” the “Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Reporting Requests and Reports on Major Matters,” and the “Several Provisions of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee on Strengthening and Maintaining the Centralized, Unified Leadership of the Party Central Committee,” strengthened supervision and inspection of the implementation of the Party’s line, principles, policies, and resolutions, perfected the supervision and accountability mechanism for the implementation of the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and plans and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions and comments, and effectively promoted the institutionalization of upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. System construction has always been an important starting point for strengthening the authority of the Party Central Committee. On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we must continuously perfect and firmly implement various systems for maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized, unified leadership, ensuring that the entire Party 步调一致 (bù diào yī zhì - “keep in step,” act in unison) advances forward.
The Communist Party of China has now traversed a glorious course of 105 years. The Party’s history and the history of New China’s development both tell us: to govern well our large Party and govern well our large country, ensuring the Party’s unity and centralized unity is of crucial importance, and maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee is of crucial importance. Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building clearly puts forward that upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the highest principle of Party leadership, profoundly points out the important position of the Party Central Committee in the fundamental system of Party leadership, and identifies the key to the Communist Party of China maintaining unity, strong cohesion, and combat effectiveness. To deeply study and implement Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building, we must always uphold the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, always maintain high consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in ideology, politics, and action, and strive together to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.
Return to TopBy: 李俭
In Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, one of the 14 Persistences (十四个坚持) is "upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee." This is crucial for ensuring the Party's unity and centralized unity; it is the greatest certainty, greatest confidence, and greatest advantage for overcoming all difficulties and risks and responding to all uncertainties; it is the highest political principle and fundamental political guarantee for advancing Chinese-style modernization and realizing the great cause of national rejuvenation in the new era.
Upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China is fundamentally about upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. As the world's largest Marxist ruling party, with 101.286 million Party members and leading a country of over 1.4 billion people in striving to achieve modernization, its enormous size, heavy mission, and high difficulty of governance determine that our Party must absolutely not be lax, scattered, or 各行其是 (gè xíng qí shì - "each acts as one sees fit," to act without coordination). General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "If our Party, such a large party, and our country, such a large country, cannot implement strong and powerful centralized and unified leadership, then a situation of 各自为政 (gè zì wéi zhèng - "each administers independently," to act independently with no regard for others) and 自行其是 (zì xíng qí shì - "each goes their own way," to act willfully without coordination) will emerge, and then nothing can be accomplished." This issue is by no means a general issue or a personal matter, but a directional, principled, and fundamental issue; it is about Party spirit, about the overall situation, about the Party's most important political discipline and political rules; it concerns the future and destiny of the Party and the country, and concerns the fundamental interests of the people.
Upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is a major founding principle of Marxist political parties. Marx once vividly analogized: "A single violinist is his own conductor; an orchestra needs a conductor." In leading the practice of building the Bolshevik Party, Lenin emphasized that a proletarian party must be led by a highly centralized and unified center; only a party established according to the principle of centralism can be a "truly steel-like organization." Marxist political parties are unified wholes organized according to the principle of democratic centralism; resolutely upholding "authority and centralism" and rallying all their strength are the distinctive characteristics of Marxist political parties. Both history and reality profoundly show that for a country and a political party, the leadership core is crucial. Only when the entire Party has a core, and the Party Central Committee has authority, can the Party and the country have strength.
Looking back at the Party's history of over a hundred years, it is precisely because of the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee that the entire Party can be firmly united and the people of all ethnic groups across the country can be closely brought together. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, in the face of severe and complex domestic and international situations, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the entire Party, the military, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, overcome a series of major risks and challenges, solved many long-standing problems that were difficult to solve, accomplished many major tasks that were previously desired but not accomplished, and achieved historic achievements and historic transformations in the cause of the Party and the country. The battle against poverty achieved a comprehensive victory, creating a miracle in the history of human poverty reduction. Major strategies have been advanced in succession, key core technologies have been tackled, and the Party Central Committee has made unified plans to ensure the stable and long-term progress of the Party and the country's cause — 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "move steadily to reach far," to progress steadily and achieve long-term goals).
Upholding the authority and centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is not an abstract and hollow slogan, but a concrete and pragmatic political requirement, a fundamental political rule that the entire Party must abide by; the "Two Establishments" (两个确立) are the most important political achievement since the 18th National Congress, the call of the times, the choice of history, and the aspiration of the people. On the new journey, all Party cadres and members must always put stressing politics in the first place, continuously improve political judgment, political understanding, and political execution skills, deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," resolutely achieve the "Two Upholds" (两个维护), and consciously maintain a high degree of alignment with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thought, politics, and action. They must deeply comprehend the strategic profound meaning of the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments, consciously integrate all work into the overall situation of the Party and the country's cause, resolutely put an end to acting as one sees fit and administering independently with no regard for others, and resolutely prevent cherry-picking, making alterations, and implementing half-heartedly. They must improve the implementation mechanism for the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments, layer upon layer of compacting responsibility, and strictly grasp implementation to ensure that the Party Central Committee's orders are unimpeded and that 令行禁止 (lìng xíng jìn zhǐ - "orders carry out, prohibitions stop," to strictly obey commands), truly achieving unity of thought, unity of will, and unity of action across the entire Party.
On the new journey, the tasks of reform, development, and stability are heavier than ever, and the contradictions, risks, and challenges are greater than ever. "As the boat reaches mid-stream, the waves become fiercer; as the person reaches halfway up the mountain, the slope becomes steeper." The more such a time, the more we need a backbone, the more we need to uphold the authority and centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. Only in this way can we continuously advance from victory to victory.
Return to TopBy: 王治东
The problem-finding (查摆问题) phase in the education on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance is a key measure to ensure that reform more precisely aligns with what development requires, what the grassroots expect, and what the people desire. In the course of advancing this education and study, there still exist some formalistic phenomena in the problem-finding phase, concentratedly manifested as the emptying (虚化), dilution (弱化), shifting (转化), and superficiality (浅化) of problem-finding. It is necessary to strengthen the practical effectiveness of problem-finding.
Prevent "substituting the subjective for the objective," and break the "emptying" (虚化) of problem-finding. In the initial stage of problem-finding, the most easily occurring practice is to replace deep analysis of objective contradictions with subjective declarations, thereby leading to the "emptying" of problems. In terms of manifestations, many inspection materials frequently contain expressions such as "insufficient ideological understanding," "weak awareness of purpose," "political stance needs improvement," etc. This is a practice of substituting subjective problems for objective problems. Once the "emptiness" of subjective attitude obscures the "substance" of objective facts, the problem-finding link can easily become an "empty-to-empty" declaration without a target. This phenomenon of emptying will cause rectification measures to become an 空中楼阁 (kōng zhōng lóu gé - "pavilion in the air," a castle in the air, unrealistic plan), produce a "two skins" (两张皮) phenomenon between Party building and concrete business practice, and ultimately lead to the "urgent, difficult, anxious, and longing" (急难愁盼) problems encountered by the masses in handling specific matters being quietly shelved amidst layers of emptied declarations.
Deep problem-finding must establish a review path anchored in "factual logic." The problem-finding work should require those undergoing the process to return from abstract ideological introspection to concrete fields of practice. The problem-finding work must further examine: under the appearance of "insufficient ideological understanding," what specific problem solutions have been delayed? Behind the discourse of "weak awareness of purpose," is it corresponding to an increase in mass opinions within the responsible area? This kind of review requires that problem-finding materials possess "uniqueness" and "irreplaceability" and cannot be a universally applicable template. Only by adhering to the problem-finding standard of "see the matter, see the person, see the thought" (见事见人见思想) can problem-finding materials turn from "panacea"-type empty rhetoric to deep scanning of objective reform obstacles. Only then can the inspection checklist truly become a precise "technical route" that can guide practice and 对症下药 (duì zhèng xià yào - "suit the medicine to the illness," to take targeted measures), thereby truly embodying the political requirement of "taking major problems as the orientation."
Avoid "the collective substituting for the individual," and break the "dilution" (弱化) of problem-finding. In the breadth coverage of problem-finding, another typical strategy is to use the collective problems of the leadership team to dilute individual personal responsibility, thereby leading to the "dilution" of problems. This phenomenon often manifests as frequent use in check-and-contrast work of statements such as "the team's research is not deep enough," "the team's decision-making democracy needs strengthening," etc. This practice is psychologically a game of 避重就轻 (bì zhòng jiù qīng - "avoid the heavy, take the light," to shirk the difficult and take the easy), that is, by turning contradictions upward to the "collective," it blurs the specific responsibilities of individuals regarding integrity and self-discipline, supervision in their area of responsibility, or decision-making in key links. This dilution of responsibility turns self-criticism that should touch the soul into a warm murmur of 法不责众 (fǎ bù zé zhòng - "the law does not punish the many," the idea that collective misdeeds escape punishment). When problems are "diluted" into collective commonalities, the pressure for rectification on individuals disappears. Allowing this trend to spread will cause leading cadres to develop a dependent psychology of "going with the crowd" when facing thorny contradictions, weaken the Party organization's capacity to storm fortifications as a battle fortress, and cause the responsibility of the "first-in-command" and the responsible leaders in charge to become mere formalities under layers of packaging.
In order to break this "dilution" phenomenon, problem-finding work must adhere to the principle of "responsibility penetration," dismantling the collective "big pot rice" into individual "responsibility fields." Reform is forced by problems and deepened in the continuous solving of problems. The core of solving problems lies in clarifying the responsible subject. Problem-finding should carefully identify those individual derelictions of duty that try to hide behind the collective. Has the responsible leader in charge fulfilled forward-looking information collection duties? In the collective's decision-making errors, did the individual play the necessary correcting role at critical moments? Make clear that the leadership team's problems include the individual's share, and the individual's problems are taken by the individual. Problem-finding work must strongly guide cadres to achieve a shift in voice from "we" to "I," clarifying in problem-finding materials the individual's specific stance in collective decision-making and specific actions in their area of responsibility. Only through this rigid anchoring of responsibility, returning problem-finding to specific post duties and accountability, can responsibility evasion under this collective narrative be thoroughly eliminated, and truly implement the basic requirement that "investigation and research are the foundation of planning and the way to success."
Do not replace "internal causes with external causes"; break the "shifting" (转化) of problem-finding. The most misleading behavior in the process of problem-finding is the habitual shifting of one's own responsibilities onto external environmental obstacles, leading to the "shifting" of the logic of problem-finding. Many cadres, when analyzing work lag or reform stagnation, use a "flashlight" that only shines on others, not on themselves. This strategy of shifting responsibility outward essentially "externalizes" one's own subject responsibility. In essence, it is not only a form of buck-passing but also a projection of the psychology of unequal power and responsibility in the exercise of power. They show initiative in exercising power and obtaining resources, but passivity in bearing consequences and reflecting on shortcomings. This "shifting" of problems blurs the main direction for solving contradictions, points the logic of rectification outward rather than at self-responsibility, leading to mutual buck-passing within the unit, thereby allowing true deep-seated contradictions to be quietly concealed amidst the shuffling and maneuvering of responsibility.
To solve the malady of "shifting," problem-finding work should establish an evaluation coordinate of "subjective initiative," forcing those conducting problem-finding to return to the theory of internal causes. Problem-finding must explore a core logic: under existing objective external constraints, as the person in charge, has one achieved the optimal solution within the scope of one's authority? Were active coordination measures taken to resolve those so-called external resistances? The depth of problem-finding often depends on the depth of excavation of one's own "non-action" or "insufficient action." Deep problem-finding should forcibly strip away those external narratives of "blaming subordinates," "shirking to peers," and "complaining about superiors," leaving only pure introspection about one's own performance of duties, decision optimization, and mechanism innovation. Only through this internally caused problem-finding can Party members and cadres demolish the "walls" of self-defense, making problem-finding truly become an endogenous driving force that forces personal capability improvement and style transformation.
Overcome "symptoms substituting for root causes"; break the "superficiality" (浅化) of problem-finding. Whether problem-finding can truly provide an opportunity for reform hinges on whether it can pierce the surface and reach the root cause. Currently, a relatively common situation in problem-finding is "superficiality," i.e., using superficial descriptions of problems to replace the excavation of institutional root causes. In the problem-finding process, one can commonly see the narrative of "treat the head when the head aches, treat the foot when the foot hurts" (头痛医头、脚痛医脚, tóu tòng yī tóu, jiǎo tòng yī jiǎo - "treat the head when the head aches, treat the foot when the foot hurts," a piecemeal approach). Attributing "poor attitude in serving the masses" to the low quality of individuals, and "slow project progress" to cumbersome procedures. The harm of this "superficiality" lies in the fact that the "rectification" proposed for "symptoms" often only yields short-term effects but cannot excise the disease from the institutional level. The prerequisite for scientific understanding is to see the essence behind the phenomena. If problem-finding always skirts around the crux and only grabs at the surface, then the answers found are bound to be weak and may even conceal deeper governance risks.
To effectively correct the "superficiality" phenomenon, the problem-finding link must introduce the review method of "systematic thinking" and "deep causal chain." Problem-finding work should not stop at "what happened," but should ask "why did it happen" and "where is the institutional valve." When finding problems, one must use the method of peeling bamboo shoots layer by layer, seeing through a specific problem the blind spots of power operation, the loopholes in institutional construction, or the deviations in personnel selection and appointment. This kind of deep problem-finding requires placing each isolated problem point in the ecosystem of the entire organization's operation. Only by touching the underlying logic that determines the direction of things can problem-finding truly have the effect of fundamentally solving problems. Through this layer-by-layer deep problem-finding, one can start from the surface, go 逆流而上 (nì liú ér shàng - "against the current, upward," to trace back against the current) to find the lesion, and thereby formulate reform plans that are grounded, real, and produce remarkable results.
The accuracy of problem-finding depends first on the depth of investigation and research. Party members and cadres must go deep into the grassroots, go deep into reality, start from specific problems, and focus on solving whichever problem is most prominent. This means that the problem-finding work itself must also be "investigation-and-research-style." Problem-finding cannot be done merely by sitting in the office reading materials; instead, it should be done through on-site visits, random surveys, collection of mass letters and visits, and other methods, to establish an objective "comparison pool." On this basis, a comparative review of problem-finding materials is conducted; any problem-finding that does not match grassroots reality, is disconnected from mass feelings, or deviates from objective data is deemed unqualified. This practice of using investigation and research to support problem-finding is the most solid guarantee for breaking formalistic problem-finding. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the full-chain closed-loop mechanism of problem-finding, and carry the seriousness of problem-finding through to the end.
Return to TopBy: 刘坤
周恩来起草的《中国人民政治协商会议共同纲领（草案和）》历次稿本（节录）（中央档案馆藏）
On September 29, 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference unanimously adopted the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (共同纲领, hereinafter referred to as the "Common Program"). The full text of the Common Program comprises seven chapters and sixty articles, clearly stipulating various systems and policies of the new China, including the state system, form of government, military affairs, economy, culture and education, ethnic groups, and foreign affairs. Before the promulgation of the 1954 Constitution, it served as a provisional constitution and outlined the overall blueprint for building a new China. The Central Archives houses a collection of original manuscripts of the Common Program, which directly witnesses the entire process of how, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the various democratic parties, ethnic groups, and people from all walks of life jointly deliberated on the great plan for founding the new China, taking one year to refine it from incubation, drafting, repeated consultation, to final adoption by vote.
Responding to the general trend of founding the new China, the basic framework of the Common Program was first established
With the smooth progress of the War of Liberation, the Chinese Communist Party led the people of all ethnic groups in the country to overthrow the rule of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism. The various democratic classes that participated in this struggle all hoped to establish a democratic coalition government. From the December 1947 Central Committee meeting which proposed the three major economic programs of the new democratic revolution, to the September 1948 Politburo meeting which determined the state system and form of government of the new state, the major policies regarding the establishment of a new China were being intensively formulated. On April 30, 1948, the Central Committee issued the "May Day Slogan" (五一口号), formally calling for the convening of a new political consultative conference and the formation of a democratic coalition government, thus lifting the curtain on preparations for the establishment of the new China. On September 28, the Central Committee decided to change the Central Urban Work Department into the Central United Front Work Department, appointing Li Weihan (李维汉) as its head, responsible for liaising with the various democratic parties and preparing the specific work of the new political consultative conference.
In October 1948, Zhou Enlai (周恩来) consulted with the democratic personages Fu Dingyi (符定一), Wu Han (吴晗), Zhou Jianren (周建人) and others who had arrived at Xibaipo, and drafted the "Several Issues Concerning the Convening of the New Political Consultative Conference (Draft)", which was sent in the name of the Central Committee to the Northeast Bureau after revision and approval by Mao Zedong (毛泽东), soliciting opinions from democratic personages such as Shen Junru (沈钧儒), Tan Pingshan (谭平山), Zhang Bojun (章伯钧), and Cai Tingkai (蔡廷锴) who had arrived in Harbin. The telegram clearly stated: "Regarding the Common Program, it is proposed that it be drafted by the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference. At present, opinions from all sides concerning the program may be exchanged; the Central Committee is preparing a draft." The draft referred to here was the first drafting manuscript of the Common Program, completed under the leadership of Li Weihan and named the "Draft Program of the Chinese People's Democratic Revolution" (中国人民民主革命纲领草稿).
This initial draft was divided into ten major sections totaling forty-six articles, covering areas such as political power, military affairs, land reform, ethnic groups, and foreign affairs, establishing the logic of content classification that was followed by all subsequent drafts. At that time, the War of Liberation was still in its decisive stage, so the focus of the text leaned towards wartime mobilization, land reform, and support for the frontlines, with limited elaboration on long-term national construction plans after nationwide liberation. As the war situation advanced rapidly, in March 1949, the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee established the blueprint for new democratic construction after nationwide victory; in June of the same year, Mao Zedong's "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship" systematically expounded the theory of people's democratic dictatorship. The initial draft, which had emphasized wartime tasks, could no longer be adapted to the top-level design needs for fully establishing the new China. After the establishment of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference, it was decided to base the work on the framework established by the earlier draft and rewrite a completely new programmatic text grounded in peaceful construction and taking into account long-term development.
Zhou Enlai revised the manuscript several times, refining the core draft of the Common Program
From June 15 to 19, 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference was held in Beiping. The session established six special groups, with the third group specifically responsible for the drafting and revision of the Common Program. Zhou Enlai served as the group leader, Xu Deheng (许德珩) as the deputy group leader, and the group included representatives from the various democratic parties, people's organizations, and various industries. On the 18th, the third group held its first plenary meeting. Zhou Enlai explained the importance of the drafting work and the previous work situation at the meeting. He emphasized that our political consultative conference was adding the word "new" to distinguish it from the old political consultative conference. The program would "determine the formation of the coalition government and also serve as the basis for cooperation among the various parties and groups." The meeting decided that the Chinese Communist Party would draft the initial draft of the Common Program, and Zhou Enlai personally undertook the task of writing.
In late June, Zhou Enlai independently completed a complete handwritten draft of the "New Democratic Program" in about a week, which was later renamed the "New Democratic Common Program" (新民主主义的共同纲领), constituting the most critical second-stage text in the process of the program's formation. The original manuscripts preserved in the Central Archives clearly record multiple key traces of revisions, visually presenting the process of continuous improvement of the system design: the entire original manuscript used the expression "new political consultative conference"; after the Politburo confirmed the formal name, Zhou Enlai corrected it one by one, uniformly replacing it with "Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" (中国人民政治协商会议); the original eight-chapter structure was reduced and merged through his personal deletions, finally establishing a seven-chapter framework covering General Program, Organs of State Power, Military Affairs, Economy, Culture and Education, Ethnic Groups, and Foreign Affairs; at the same time, the general economic policy of "taking into account both public and private interests, benefiting both labor and capital, mutual aid between city and countryside, and exchanges between internal and external" was added, and important clauses such as ethnic equality and regional ethnic autonomy were refined, making up for the shortcomings of the early draft which emphasized wartime matters and neglected construction.
After the draft was completed, Zhou Enlai immediately submitted it to Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi (刘少奇), Zhu De (朱德), and other central leaders for collective review. The top central leadership read through it sentence by sentence, making annotations and numerous adjustments to the logic of the clauses and the wording, reducing the initial sixty-one articles to sixty. It was then approved for printing into booklets and distributed to all participating representatives to widely solicit revision opinions. Thus, the Common Program entered a stage of broad consultation and revision.
Multi-level, comprehensive discussion to build consensus among people from all walks of life
From the time the Chinese Communist Party formally submitted the initial draft to its adoption at the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference on September 16, in addition to discussions within their own organizations by the various parties, the draft was also discussed twice by groups of the political consultative representatives who had successively arrived in Beiping, three times by the third group of the preparatory committee itself, and twice by the preparatory committee's standing committee — a total of seven discussions.
Representatives from all walks of life, based on their own fields and combined with the actual conditions of the country, put forward nearly a thousand revision suggestions, covering all aspects such as economic development, labor rights and interests, religious policy, protection of women and children, ethnic development, and foreign exchanges. Through repeated consultation and discussion, these revision suggestions eventually reached consensus. In this regard, Xu Deheng, a representative of the Jiusan Society, said: "The draft program was subjected to multiple thorough discussions by the preparatory committee; the more than six hundred representatives who came to Beiping before the opening of the conference also discussed it in groups many times; among the more than six hundred colleagues, it can be said that very few did not speak, and even fewer had their remarks disregarded; all suggestions that were urgent at the time and could be implemented were adopted. This spirit of democracy and of seeking truth from facts is worthy of our admiration and appreciation."
After September, the drafting work of the Common Program entered its final stage. Mao Zedong directly participated in the revision of various process drafts during this stage. He worked day and night at the Shuangqing Villa in Xiangshan (香山双清别墅). According to the "Chronicle of Zhou Enlai," "At 9 p.m. on September 10, [Zhou Enlai] discussed the 'Common Program (Draft)' at Mao Zedong's place until 7 a.m. the next day." While reviewing the draft, Mao Zedong rewrote the following passage: "The organs of state power at various levels during the recess of the people's congresses at the corresponding levels shall be the people's governments at those levels. The highest organ of state power is the National People's Congress. During the recess of the National People's Congress, the Central People's Government shall be the highest organ exercising state power." This passage was ultimately written into Article 12 of Chapter 2 "Organs of State Power" of the officially adopted Common Program.
During the process of drafting the program, two very important issues were confirmed. One was the form of state structure of the new China: would it adopt a unitary system or a federal system like the Soviet Union? This issue was raised by Mao Zedong. After multi-faceted论证, it was determined that the new China would implement a system of regional ethnic autonomy within a unified (unitary) state, and would not adopt a federal system. This major decision was a new and great creation by the Chinese Communist Party in using Marxist-Leninist ethnic theory to solve China's ethnic problems. The other issue was whether to include the prospect of a socialist society in the program. This was raised during the discussion of the draft program by the political consultative representatives. On this issue, Mao Zedong pointed out: "The program only states the tasks of the present stage; if we speak of things further away, it becomes empty." Zhou Enlai also mentioned, "Only when the entire people recognize in their own practice that this is the only and best prospect will they truly accept it." "Not writing it out for now does not mean denying it, but rather treating it more solemnly." This spirit of seeking truth from facts (实事求是, shí shì qiú shì - "seek truth from facts," pragmatic and realistic) of the Chinese Communist Party was highly persuasive, enabling the representatives from all sides of the political consultative conference to reach consensus.
Final review and approval by the Political Consultative Conference; the blueprint for building the new China is officially established
On September 21, 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was grandly opened in Beiping (now Beijing), marking the entry of the Common Program into the final stage of review and finalization. On September 22, Zhou Enlai delivered a report to the conference entitled "Report on the Drafting Process and Characteristics of the 'Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference' (Draft)," comprehensively reviewing the entire process from initial incubation, drafting, multi-level consultation, to repeated revisions, and providing detailed explanations of the historical background and practical basis of the program's various system designs and policy arrangements, thereby providing a basis for all representatives to review and vote.
During the meeting, all representatives, with a high sense of responsibility to the country and the people, conducted a final round of article-by-article review and meticulous proofreading of the draft program. Only minor adjustments were made to some wording and sentence order logic; the core systems and basic policies were not altered. After multiple rounds of democratic review and full discussion, a formal vote was held at the conference on September 29, and the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was unanimously adopted. Behind the unanimous adoption lay a full year of multi-level, all-encompassing democratic consultation. From the initial establishment of the basic framework within the party, to the top-level design orchestration by the central leadership, to the open suggestions and collective review by all representatives, the entire process broke the constraints of a single-group perspective, truly consolidating the greatest common consensus of the people of all ethnic groups across the country to build a new China.
In the following five years, the Common Program guided the new China to complete a series of pioneering tasks, including the consolidation of state power, economic recovery, social reform, ethnic unity, and the expansion of foreign relations, laying a solid foundation for the country's long-term development. It truly lived up to its name as the founding program and construction blueprint of the new China, serving as a program of action truly based on China's actual conditions and meeting the needs of the people, and as a people's great charter with the nature of a provisional constitution. Looking back at the complete drafting process, it is clear that this program was not a textual creation by a single entity, but a historical crystallization of the party leading the united front in practicing democratic consultation and planning the nation's future based on seeking truth from facts, providing profound historical experience for developing whole-process people's democracy (全过程人民民主) and consolidating and developing the united front in the new era.
The overall leadership of the party is the fundamental guarantee for the founding of the state through consultation. The entire drafting process of the program was directed by the Central Committee in terms of direction and pushed forward in layers. In the early stage, it relied on united front forces to build the basic text; in the middle stage, Zhou Enlai took the lead in top-level restructuring; in the later stage, the whole society was organized to participate extensively in discussion. This not only firmly grasped the fundamental direction of the new democratic founding of the state but also fully respected the right to speak and the right to participation of the various democratic parties and the masses, vividly demonstrating the unique advantages of China's new type of party system.
Multi-level democratic consultation is an important path for building consensus across the entire people. The birth of the entire program was a complete practice of whole-process people's democracy. From intra-party drafting, high-level review and revision, to discussion by all sectors and conference review, multiple links advanced layer by layer. From the fundamental systems of the state down to specific policies concerning people's livelihoods, everything was openly discussed and repeatedly refined, fundamentally distinguishing it from the old elite legislative model, and fully confirming the national essence of the people being the masters of the country (当家作主, dāng jiā zuò zhǔ - "be master of one's own house," the people are the masters).
Seeking truth from facts is the important foundation for establishing rules and institutions. The three rounds of drafting each had its own focus yet came down in one continuous line (一脉相承, yī mài xiāng chéng - "one continuous line of inheritance," deriving from the same origin): the early draft was based on the reality of the War of Liberation, focusing on wartime governance needs; Zhou Enlai's draft was based on the overall situation of nationwide liberation, supplementing the institutional design for long-term construction; the revised draft by all sectors took into account the reasonable demands of various social strata, balancing short-term recovery and long-term development. Constantly adjusting and improving the text based on China's actual conditions, it set a pragmatic and realistic model for the construction of contemporary national systems.
Return to TopBy: 杨晓萍
The "Long March of Lu Zhongcai" (鲁忠才长征记) is an investigative report serialized in Liberation Daily (解放日报) on September 14 and 15, 1941. Mao Zedong personally set the title and added an editor's note, highly affirming that "what we need is this kind of thing, not those stereotyped 千篇一律 (qiān piān yī lǜ - "thousands of pieces, one pattern," stereotyped) 'bombastic talk' (夸夸其谈, kuā kuā qí tán - "boastful talk"), not those Party eight-legged essays (党八股)." This piece was published earlier than "Rectify the Party's Work Style" (整顿党的作风) and "Oppose the Party Eight-Legged Essay" (反对党八股), and was the earliest benchmark for improving writing style personally established by Mao Zedong during the Yan'an period. 耐人寻味 (nài rén xún wèi - "thought-provoking") is that the author, Gao Kelin (高克林), recalled that because of time constraints this piece "underwent no polishing or processing" — how could an unpolished report become a model of writing style for the entire Party to study?
Speak by facts, convince with evidence. The most distinctive feature of this article is its 言之有物 (yán zhī yǒu wù - "speech has substance"), using facts to speak, eliminating subjectivism, completely different from what Mao Zedong later criticized in "Oppose the Party Eight-Legged Essay" as "空话连篇 (kōng huà lián piān - "a string of empty words"), 言之无物 (yán zhī wú wù - "speech without substance")" and "装腔作势 (zhuāng qiāng zuò shì - "put on airs"), 借以吓人 (jiè yǐ xià rén - "to intimidate")."
The basis for speaking with facts lies in investigation and research. In May 1941, the government of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region (陕甘宁边区) issued a decision to mobilize the border region people to transport and sell 600,000 loads of salt in order to alleviate economic pressure, but there were many misgivings within the border region, with a general belief that transporting salt would be 得不偿失 (dé bù cháng shī - "the gain does not make up for the loss," not worth it), causing the work to advance slowly. Mao Zedong demanded that an investigation report be submitted within three or four days. Gao Kelin (高克林), then secretary of the Working Committee of the Ten Counties under Yan'an Prefecture (延属十县工委), accepted the task and that same night convened an investigation meeting with three comrades who had just returned from transporting salt from the salt ponds of Dingbian County (定边县), and the next day delivered the report to Yan'an. Mao Zedong pointed out in his editor's note: "His investigation meeting was conducted very well." Writing style is a manifestation of work style; without in-depth practical investigation, there cannot be an article with substance.
Present facts with detailed data and concrete cases, making no empty arguments. The report precisely calculated the number of animals, round-trip days, station distances, travel costs, and load revenues, ultimately reaching the conclusion that each load could yield a profit of 35 to 75 yuan, breaking the speculation that "it will definitely lose money" through accounting, and "proving that the Party and government's salt transport plan, estimates, and methods are completely correct." At the same time, the report used specific people and events as examples to explain the experiences and risks of salt transport: positively describing Deputy District Chief Lu Zhongcai (鲁忠才), an old muleteer, "experienced, responsible, careful, and also flexible"; negatively pointing out cases such as Du Hai (杜海) exchanging a bad donkey and wasting travel expenses, Yang Wanbao (杨万保) feigning illness and sneaking away to spread rumors and create trouble, not exaggerating achievements nor concealing problems, using vivid cases to indicate the direction for improvement in organizing the masses for salt transport work, truly achieving speaking by facts and convincing with evidence.
简明扼要 (jiǎn míng è yào - "concise and to the point"), 意尽言止 (yì jìn yán zhǐ - "meaning exhausted, words stop"). This article has only a little over 2,700 characters in total, with a prominent theme, concise and refined, 直截了当 (zhí jié liǎo dàng - "straightforward"), achieving the principle of being short when there is something to say, stopping when there is nothing, just as Mao Zedong's editor's note commented: "This is a report reflecting actual conditions in concise language," sweeping away the style of "下笔千言 (xià bǐ qiān yán - "write thousands of words"), 离题万里 (lí tí wàn lǐ - "miles off topic")" and sweeping away formalism.
Structure compact, meaning exhausted, words stop. This report determined its structure according to content, closely centered on the question of whether salt transport was feasible, based on the actual situation of Fuxian County's Chengguan District (富县城关区), and sequentially divided into seven parts: mobilization situation, journey overview, difficulties along the way, living conditions, problems encountered, costs and profits, and experiences and lessons. Each part answers a specific question, with no 穿靴戴帽 (chuān xuē dài mào - "put on boots and hat," formalistic introduction), no lengthy elaboration of significance, as short as possible, stopping when finished. The opening goes straight into the topic, explaining the overall mobilization situation: "(1) The Chengguan District first was supposed to send 50 animals to carry salt, but actually sent 28; the reason for not completing the plan was that there were too few animals (at most 40-plus could be mobilized), and at the time some animals were hiding away from home, and the district government did not enforce strictly — because it was busy with grain borrowing and public bonds." In just one sentence, it clearly explains the number that should have gone, the number that actually went, and the reason for not completing. The subsequent six parts are all like this, using as little space as possible to explain the problem clearly and thoroughly. The last part, experiences and lessons, directly confronts the issues, answering one by one the concerns about whether the policy was correct, whether salt transport could make money, whether people or animals would die, and further provides suggestions for improvement for grassroots organizations in salt transport work.
The expression is particularly concise and to the point. The report mostly uses short sentences, with clear and crisp subject-verb-object structure, rarely using multi-layered nested complex sentences. Throughout the entire text there is not a single adjective, not a single parallel sentence, and not even a single superfluous word. For example, recording the journey: "From Sanli Temple to Liangzhuang, 80 li, with 40 li of mountain road, very steep, difficult to walk, water scarce (even bitter water to drink), once saw a salt muleteer whose donkey fell to death." Short sentences join together, clean and neat, the danger of the road and the difficulty of travel are all contained therein, not 拖泥带水 (tuō ní dài shuǐ - "messy, sloppy"), not beating around the bush. But it also fully explains the problems; for example, in the living conditions section, besides the expenses along the way and precautions, it also specifically mentions the porters' mood: "while walking, they sang operas and talked about past and present" "everyone was very happy, completely unaware of hardship." In just over a dozen characters, the mental state of finding joy in suffering (苦中作乐, kǔ zhōng zuò lè - "find joy in suffering") leaps off the page (跃然纸上, yuè rán zhǐ shàng - "leap off the page").
Standing from the perspective of the masses, speaking the language of the masses. The key to a good writing style is that it must be understandable to people. "Oppose the Party Eight-Legged Essay" criticized "language that is tasteless, like a beggar" and called for "learning language from the masses." This unpolished and unprocessed report exactly originated from the oral records of the salt transport team members at the investigation meeting, standing from the perspective of the masses and speaking the language of the masses.
Always express from the standpoint of the masses. The whole text uses the accounting-style expression familiar to the common people: how much for materials, how much for grain rations, how many jin carried to make how much money, responding to the masses' most concerned issue of profit and loss with simple economic accounts. The article writes about matters and people around the masses, recording real encounters on the road such as grasshoppers biting people and traveling at night, many thieves in Dingbian, shopkeepers exchanging bad rice — these are the true experiences of the porters. In the experiences and lessons section, it directly names Du Hai and Yang Wanbao, talking about affairs of fellow villagers, which the masses can understand and trust. Dialect expressions and oral colloquialisms familiar to the masses in northern Shaanxi abound: "tired" (乏了), "lie down" (卧下), "play dead dog" (耍死狗), "cause trouble" (弄乱子), "talk about past and present" (说古今), "settle accounts" (打烂账) — preserving the original flavor (原汁原味, yuán zhī yuán wèi - "original flavor") of the salt transport team members' tone of voice, without conversion to written language, vivid and lively.
It is worth noting that the title personally drafted by Mao Zedong, "The Long March of Lu Zhongcai," using the name of an ordinary person as a news headline, was unprecedented since the founding of Liberation Daily on May 16, 1941. At that time, Liberation Daily published only two pages daily: the first page for international news, the second page for international and domestic news, completely not standing from the perspective of the border region masses, let alone using an ordinary person's name as a headline. This investigative report, with Mao Zedong personally adding an editor's note to recommend it, thus opened the prelude to the revamp of Liberation Daily and the reform of writing style during the Yan'an period.
Once "The Long March of Lu Zhongcai" was published, it set off a salt transport upsurge in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. The government subsequently built roads, set up inns, organized work-exchange teams (变工队) and cooperatives. In 1941, the border region transported 299,000 loads of salt, alleviating financial difficulties, demonstrating the governance effectiveness of a fine writing style. General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly emphasized that "writing style is no small matter," distinctly advocating "short, real, new," and opposing "long, empty, false." This investigative report recommended by Mao Zedong over 80 years ago deeply aligns with these current requirements. The reason this article was able to achieve "short, real, new" lies in the deep investigation and research among the masses, the original intention of serving central decision-making and solving the masses' problems, and "unpolished" precisely standing from the masses' standpoint, discarding the formalism of "emphasizing form over substance," allowing writing style to return to its essence of solving problems and serving the masses, truly transforming the power of language into governance effectiveness for cracking difficulties and promoting development.
Return to TopBy: 王毅
General Secretary Xi Jinping, at the ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, reviewed the glorious course our Party has traversed and looked ahead to the bright prospects of the Party’s and the people’s cause. How a political party views its own history not only reflects its level of theoretical maturity but also concerns political direction, choice of path, and the support or alienation of the people, and it affects whether that party can rally strength and create a future amid the torrent of history. The Communist Party of China has always adhered to historical materialism and a correct view of Party history in treating its own history. At every major historical juncture, our Party has always grasped historical laws with historical perspective, summarized historical experience with a correct attitude, and coalesced the broadest consensus and the greatest force of endeavor among the entire Party and the whole society.
Historical materialism holds that social being determines social consciousness; therefore historical events and historical figures must be evaluated under the specific historical conditions in which they were situated, and it opposes judging or even reproaching predecessors with hindsight. Using this historical perspective to view historical figures requires, on the one hand, correctly evaluating their historical achievements, and on the other, scientifically viewing the difficulties and even mistakes in their explorations, recognizing that everyone lives in their own era and has inescapable historical limitations. To view Party history through historical materialism also requires adhering to the basic position that the masses create history. During the Jinggangshan period, “the millions of workers and peasants were aroused”; the victory in the War of Liberation was pushed forward by the common people with their small carts; many reform and opening-up measures were creations of the people; the new-era battle against poverty (脱贫攻坚战) glistened with the moving figures of millions of stationed village cadres. The Party’s history is a history of struggle, breathing the same breath, sharing the same fate, and linking hearts with the people. To depart from the people’s standpoint is to fail to understand Party history.
The theme of the Communist Party of China’s more than one hundred years of struggle is singular: the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Centered on this theme, from the founding of New China, to the establishment of the socialist system, to the implementation of reform and opening-up, to pushing socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era, the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, to growing rich, to becoming strong. This is the mainstream and essence. However, as Mao Zedong said, under the leadership of the correct line there may still be shortcomings and errors, just as the waters of the Yellow River roll and flow but in the midst there will still be a few small bubbles. On the path of exploration and advance, the Communist Party of China has made mistakes and undergone twists and turns. We must view major issues of Party history objectively and dialectically; we must recognize that both achievements and twists and turns are parts of history. It is impermissible, because achievements have been made, to refrain from speaking of past twists and turns; and it is also impermissible, because twists and turns have been experienced, to write off all achievements wholesale. More importantly, we must see that mistakes and twists and turns are partial and temporary, they are tributary currents, whereas achievements are enormous and dominant, they are the mainstream.
The grand view of history (大历史观) advocates examining specific historical events within long-term historical processes and broad spatio-temporal frameworks, grasping the periodicity of development within historical continuity, and understanding partial historical facts from the overall thread. Connecting the past and the present, linking China and abroad, helps us broaden our vision and see clearly major trends and grasp laws over the long term and in broad space. The Party’s third historical resolution adheres to the grand view of history, understanding Party history from the grand process of Chinese social development and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, providing a new perspective for our understanding of the great significance of the Party’s more-than-one-hundred-years of struggle. At the same time, the grand view of history also means that the continuity and periodicity of the Party’s historical development must be unified in our understanding. So-called continuity means that the Party’s history is a history of 一脉相承 (yī mài xiāng chéng - “come down in one continuous line,” denoting a continuous lineage) and relay struggle; each historical stage cannot be understood in isolation, detached from its preceding and following connections. So-called periodicity means that the Party’s history exhibits distinct features of the times; each historical period has its specific historical conditions, principal contradictions, and central tasks. We must neither blur the unique contributions of different stages by overemphasizing continuity, nor sever the continuity of history by overemphasizing periodicity. For it is precisely this dialectical unity of continuity and periodicity that constitutes the complete picture of the Communist Party of China’s more than one hundred years of struggle.
On the occasion of the Party’s 105th birthday, looking back at history makes it even more possible to appreciate the majestic power of the correct view of Party history. It can help us pierce the fog of history, see clearly the path we have come, recognize the present, and march toward the distance. On the new journey of the new era, we must continue to adhere to the correct view of Party history, letting the orthodox history take root and sprout throughout the Party and the whole society, thereby nurturing historical confidence among all Party members and people of all ethnic groups. Only in this way can we not lose our bearings in the wind and rain, not retreat before challenges, and advance toward the future with full confidence.
Return to TopBy: 张会丽
During the 2024 National Two Sessions, at a Joint Group Meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), General Secretary Xi Jinping, when discussing the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, pointed out: “In the past, research and production were ‘two skins’; now the conversion rate of scientific research results is much higher than before, especially when enterprises directly develop and transform their own results, and universities and enterprises form communities. This trend and direction are correct. We must 快马加鞭 (kuài mǎ jiā biān – “whip the fast horse,” to speed up), and further refine the incentive and promotion policies.”
“Two skins” (两张皮) originally refers to two layers of epidermis that are separated from each other, seemingly close but actually disconnected. General Secretary Xi Jinping used “two skins” to metaphorically describe the state of disconnection and separation between basic research and industrial practice, emphasizing that our basic research cannot be confined to papers or trapped in the laboratory, nor can industrial practice remain in the cycle of low-end processing and replication; the two must move toward each other and deeply integrate.
The misalignment and fractured linkage between supply and demand on the side of basic research and on the side of industrial practice are the most prominent manifestations of the “two skins” problem. The evaluation orientation in scientific research leans heavily toward project establishment, papers, and achievement awards; researchers work deeply on laboratory topics, with insufficient investigation into the real demands of the market and the pain points of enterprise development. Business entities focus on short-term orders, cost control, and capacity expansion, with insufficient continuity in R&D investment and weak original innovation capacity. A large number of theoretical achievements have outstanding scientific value, but their adaptability for industrialization is insufficient and their practical applicability is poor; the technical problems urgently needing resolution on the front line of industry are difficult to incorporate into the existing system of research topic selection, making it hard to match supply and demand on both sides. On one hand, a vast quantity of scientific research achievements find it difficult to leave the laboratory and achieve transformation and application; on the other hand, key technologies in the industrial chain are controlled by others, and industrial transformation and upgrading lack hard-core technical support, severely constraining the ability of scientific and technological innovation to empower the real economy to improve quality and efficiency.
The deep-seated crux of the “two skins” problem lies in the fact that the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain, and talent chain have not truly been linked and coordinated to form a single rope. The scientific research field has its own evaluation orientation, while industrial development has real cost-benefit considerations. Without effective traction mechanisms and institutional design, scientific research and industry can easily go their own ways (各行其是 – gè xíng qí shì – “each does what it thinks is right,” to act independently without coordination) and find it difficult to deeply couple. The pathways and methods to connect the two are embedded in demand-oriented research layout, cross-subject collaborative tackling, and two-way flow of talent, and are also reflected in supporting policy incentives and long-term institutional safeguards.
To solve the “two skins” problem, the primary lever is to firmly establish the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation. Enterprises face the market front line directly, are deeply familiar with industrial bottlenecks and difficulties, and can accurately judge whether a technology can save production costs, improve product quality, and cultivate new growth points for industrial development. Enterprises deeply participate in technology R&D and achievement transformation, naturally possessing the unique advantage that demand originates from industry and achievements serve industry. To this end, we must strongly support qualified enterprises in taking the lead in undertaking major science and technology projects, promote the concentration and aggregation of various innovation resources toward high-quality enterprises, and enable more scientific and technological achievements to be iteratively verified, implemented and formed, and realize market value in production scenarios.
Promoting the establishment of innovation communities between universities, research institutes, and enterprises is a key move to solve the “two skins” problem. Universities and research institutes have advantages in basic research, talent reserves, and multidisciplinary crossover; enterprises possess practical advantages such as rich application scenarios and rapid market feedback. Only by forming innovation communities on both sides can we build a transformation bridge and unblock the integration bottlenecks. A genuine innovation community is by no means simply signing cooperation agreements or putting up cooperative platforms, but rather achieving co-determination of tackling goals, co-undertaking of research tasks, co-building of innovation platforms, co-promotion of achievement transformation, and co-sharing of innovation benefits. Researchers must step out of closed laboratories and go deep into the industrial front line to uncover real technical problems; enterprises must also abandon short-term profit-seeking thinking and continuously increase R&D investment oriented toward long-term technological accumulation. Only in this way can the basic research achievements of universities and institutes be seamlessly linked with the industrialization technology applications of enterprises, forming a complete innovation chain.
Solving the “two skins” problem also requires continuously improving supporting incentive and guarantee policies. The transformation of scientific and technological achievements is not only a problem of technology implementation but also a problem of systems and mechanisms. Many high-quality scientific research achievements fail to transform smoothly, not because of insufficient technical value themselves, but because the root causes lie in ambiguous definition of intellectual property rights, unclear profit distribution mechanisms, imbalance in scientific research evaluation orientation, and absence of fault-tolerant mechanisms for innovation. We must improve a series of institutional designs such as the empowerment of job-related scientific and technological achievements, profit distribution, and transformation of job-related scientific and technological achievements, so that researchers genuinely gain a sense of achievement from the transformation of results, enterprises have a stable sense of security in carrying out industrial investment, and social capital has a clear expectation of profit when participating in innovation. For research projects that closely follow industrial needs, solve front-line problems, and can be transformed into productive forces, a clear incentive orientation should be established in the scientific research evaluation system, breaking the tendency of “only papers, only awards” – not only examining the number of papers and the level of awards, but also measuring the actual effectiveness of technology implementation, the driving effect on industry, and the actual benefits to people’s livelihoods.
When the skins are separated, they each bear the cold and heat; when the body is united, the blood and vessels flow through. Basic research and industrial development must never be detached and independent, like unrelated “two skins,” but should be deeply coupled, mutually supportive, and integrated as one. We must push more scientific research achievements to move from written documents to the market terminal, from experimental samples to mass-produced products, from laboratory platforms to industrial production lines, continuously transforming the potential of scientific and technological innovation into new productive forces that promote high-quality economic development, injecting an endless stream of driving force into comprehensively advancing Chinese-style modernization.
Return to TopBy: 宋伟
"Continuously Bringing New Dynamism and New Opportunities to the World through China's New Development" is part of a written speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the APEC CEO Summit on November 16, 2023, and is included in the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. This important document summarizes the significant contributions China has made to global economic growth, emphasizes that China will continue to inject strong impetus into world modernization through its own high-quality development and high-standard opening up, and is an important chapter for us to deeply study Xi Jinping's diplomatic thought.
Asia-Pacific regional cooperation provides a new model for regional cooperation.
Asia-Pacific regional cooperation originated from the changes in the strategic thinking of countries around the Pacific Rim after the end of the Cold War, namely transcending Cold War thinking that draws lines according to ideology, with countries committed to economic development and economic cooperation, seeking mutual benefit and common development. Starting with the establishment of APEC, Asia-Pacific regional cooperation gradually developed into multi-layered and multi-field regional integration cooperation, including mechanisms such as ASEAN, ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea), and APEC. These cooperation efforts share a common characteristic: emphasizing open regionalism, centering on economic cooperation, and not forming exclusive regional blocs, thereby enabling Asia-Pacific countries to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes in various regional cooperation processes.
Asia-Pacific regional cooperation transcends traditional power politics and embodies the strong vitality of the new type of international relations concept. Traditional power politics is essentially hegemonism and power politics, where "the strong do whatever they want, and the weak suffer what they must." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that Asia-Pacific countries jointly created the "APEC approach" of voluntarism, consensus-building, and gradual progress, respecting the development rights of all members. Asia-Pacific economic cooperation began at the end of the Cold War, with common development as its goal. Countries with different political systems and ideologies practiced 求同存异 (qiú tóng cún yì - "seek common ground while reserving differences," to find common ground despite differences), adopted a consensus-based decision-making process, treated all countries, large and small, as equals, and gave every country veto power. In promoting Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, major powers mainly play their role by setting examples and providing regional public goods. The "APEC approach" emphasizes the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, such as sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs. Each member can voluntarily participate in relevant cooperation frameworks and make its own contributions. This fully demonstrates that Asia-Pacific regional cooperation embodies the spirit of equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation, which is completely consistent with the concept of building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.
Asia-Pacific regional cooperation transcends traditional modes of cooperation and demonstrates the strong vitality of open regionalism. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Asia-Pacific development relies on openness and inclusiveness, 取长补短 (qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn - "take the long, supplement the short," to draw on each other's strengths to make up for weaknesses), and 互通有无 (hù tōng yǒu wú - "mutually exchange what one has for what one lacks," to exchange needed goods), rather than on confrontation, 以邻为壑 (yǐ lín wéi hè - "use the neighbor as a drainage ditch," to beggar thy neighbor), and 'small yard, high fences'." Before the vigorous development of Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, European regional political and economic cooperation indeed achieved some successes. European countries established a common market with a high level of internal integration. However, this type of regional cooperation was characterized by "united against the outside" and building a "Fortress Europe," which also triggered long-term economic friction between Europe and the United States. Asia-Pacific regional cooperation is a form of open regionalism, voluntarily carrying out economic integration cooperation in a low-institutionalization, high-comfort manner, achieving trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. Countries have achieved a high level of Asia-Pacific economic integration on the premise of autonomy. Over the past 30 years, the share of intra-Asia-Pacific trade has accounted for two-thirds of the region's total trade with the rest of the world, and its contribution to world economic growth has reached 70 percent. It must be emphasized that the achievements of such open regionalism will not harm the interests of members outside the region, thus truly benefiting the common development and common prosperity of the entire world. This fully demonstrates that Asia-Pacific regional cooperation has forged its own path and provided a new model for regional cooperation.
Major countries should set a good example in world economic cooperation.
Currently, the world situation is turbulent, and power politics and the law of the jungle are returning to international politics. The purposes and principles stipulated in the UN Charter are facing severe challenges. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "We need to jointly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, adhere to the way of interstate relations featuring dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and maintain prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific. The Asia-Pacific should not and must not become an arena for geopolitical contests, still less should there be a 'new Cold War' or bloc confrontation." The historical experience of Asia-Pacific regional cooperation also shows that only when all countries adhere to basic international norms such as sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and non-use or threat of use of force to settle international disputes can the international community truly become a community with a shared future of lasting peace and universal security.
Consistent with the severe challenges to the international political order established after World War II, the international economic system characterized by openness and complementarity is also facing serious threats. Protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise, and "decoupling and severing supply chains" are threatening the stability of global supply chains, greatly increasing the cost of global economic transactions and harming the sustainable development of all countries. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, with insufficient momentum for world economic growth and an increase in factors of instability, uncertainty, and unpredictability. Where will Asia-Pacific cooperation head in the next 30 years? This has become a new question of our times." The history of Asia-Pacific regional cooperation provides inspiration for world economic cooperation: all countries must uphold the goal of common development, firmly advance free trade, respect economic laws, give play to their comparative advantages, and build consensus and unleash development momentum through flexible and diverse cooperation mechanisms.
Major countries should set a good example in world economic cooperation and act as engines of global economic development. China is playing an increasingly important role as a stabilizer and locomotive in this regard. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "The starting point and ultimate goal of Chinese modernization is to enable the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to live a better life. For the world, this means a broader market and unprecedented cooperation opportunities, and it will also inject strong impetus into world modernization." The essential requirements of Chinese modernization are: upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, upholding socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving high-quality development, developing whole-process people's democracy, enriching the people's spiritual world, achieving common prosperity for all the people, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and creating a new form of human civilization. Therefore, China's development path is not one of external expansion, but one that, by increasing labor productivity and improving the people's living standards, greatly expands the capacity of the world market and helps Global South countries improve infrastructure and enhance their capacity for sustainable development, thereby achieving common development and common prosperity between China and other countries.
Sharing the enormous opportunities brought by China's high-quality development.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Facing the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, we need to take a long-term view, seize opportunities, and ride the momentum to promote digital, intelligent, and green transformation and development, jointly strengthen scientific and technological innovation and the commercialization of research findings, and promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy. We need to work together to improve global science and technology governance, strengthen the role of scientific and technological innovation in supporting green and digital transformation and sustainable development, and create an open, fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological development." In this important document, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarized China's significant contributions to global economic growth, and also emphasized that China will unswervingly advance high-standard opening up, open its doors to pursue development, and create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment, "welcoming the global business community to actively participate in the process of Chinese modernization and share the enormous opportunities brought by China's high-quality development."
Based on the concept of openness in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, strengthen cooperation in the field of science and technology. Currently, the scientific and technological revolution is advancing 日新月异 (rì xīn yuè yì - "daily new, monthly different," changing rapidly). The emergence of a high-tech product often requires the joint participation and support of many countries, from raw materials to product design to production and assembly, with different countries having different advantages. Countries need to promote global science and technology governance with the concept of openness, cooperation, and win-win results, reduce the duplication of construction and R&D brought about by artificial "decoupling and severing of supply chains" and "small yard, high fences," so that the technological progress of each country can benefit the entire world.
Promote the digital, intelligent, and green development of all economies. Over the past few decades, APEC has done much fruitful work in areas such as digitalization, cross-border e-commerce, and empowering agriculture, providing direction for the modernization development of the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese government has made commitments to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, and is actively promoting the green transformation and high-quality development of its domestic economy. At the same time, in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, China is also committed to building a "Green Silk Road" and "small yet smart" livelihood projects. Both Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and the global governance practices of the Chinese government are dedicated to a world modernization goal that is greener, better, and sustainable.
Reduce the interference of geopolitical confrontation with global economic development, and achieve win-win cooperation with an open attitude. Currently, although some Western countries have turned to traditional Cold War thinking and unilateralism, the centuries-old process of economic globalization has already made the world a community with a shared future. If countries want to develop continuously, they must open their doors to pursue development. While paying attention to economic security, all countries need to achieve high-standard opening up, fully utilize various international resources and absorb the achievements of human civilization, in order to truly realize national sustainable development and 长治久安 (cháng zhì jiǔ ān - "long-term governance and lasting peace," lasting peace and stability).
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "No matter how the international situation changes, China's determination to create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment will not change, and its policy of providing quality services to foreign investment on an equal basis will not change." The experience and measures of Chinese modernization are not only conducive to stabilizing the world political and economic order and providing valuable international public goods to all countries, but also provide valuable practical reference for countries around the world to cope with increasing turbulence and uncertainty.
Return to TopBy: 刘晓云
China: Towards a New Journey of Modernization (中国：迈向现代化建设新征程) is an important work by Spanish scholar Julio Ríos on Chinese-style modernization. Ríos is the director of the Galicia Institute of International Relations in Spain and director of the China Policy Observatory Center in Spain, and has long followed and studied the CCP's governance experience and Chinese-style modernization. In the book China: Towards a New Journey of Modernization, Ríos, from the perspective of a European scholar, analyzes the arduous explorations of Chinese Communists in seeking a path to modernization, expounds to the Western world the enormous achievements China has made in politics, economy, society, national defense, diplomacy and other fields since the new era, and to a certain extent has enhanced international understanding of Chinese-style modernization.
Why has Chinese-style modernization succeeded? This is the important proposition that China: Towards a New Journey of Modernization attempts to answer. In the book, Ríos analyzes the distinctive features of Chinese-style modernization and explores the secrets of China's historic achievements since the new era.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era guides China in advancing social development and achieving national prosperity, making China an important link in the international system. Ríos points out that in the process of realizing the "two centenary" goals (两个一百年), Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era plays an important role, thereby ensuring the coherence and depth of this decisive process. He believes that under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, China will achieve the transformation of its economic development model and become a world-class technological powerhouse. Under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, China actively participates in a more inclusive and open new type of globalization, becoming a key force in promoting a multipolar world.
In the book, Ríos summarizes two distinctive features of this thought: one is national rejuvenation, and the other is common prosperity. He believes that the political model initiated in 1949 remains 与时俱进 (yǔ shí jù jìn - "advancing with the times," keeping pace with the times); at the same time, China's economic conditions, social realities, international status, etc., have undergone tremendous changes.
The Chinese Dream helps to expand the model of socialist modernization. Ríos believes that "the Chinese Dream has rich connotations, in which all aspects are closely connected and organically integrated," including revitalizing the international image, building a moderately prosperous society (小康社会), achieving people's wellbeing, promoting social harmony, comprehensively developing the economy, revitalizing science and technology, attaching importance to environmental protection, strengthening dialogue mechanisms, and seeking international recognition, etc. The Chinese Dream not only embodies the long-standing inner aspirations of the Chinese people, but also summarizes China's historical experience over the past hundred years, and even more condenses the arduous explorations of the Chinese people in seeking a path to socialist modernization, placing hopes on the revival of the nation's past glory at some future time. In his view, the Chinese Dream is an ardent and enduring aspiration that gathers the wishes of several generations, and is by no means a utopian fantasy.
How to realize the Chinese Dream? Ríos recognizes the important role of fine traditional Chinese culture. He says that to understand today's China's modernization and the Chinese Dream concerning national rejuvenation, one cannot ignore the important role of fine traditional Chinese culture, known as the "soul of the nation," on the development path. He emphasizes that in the cultural field, while adhering to communist beliefs, the CCP also regards fine traditional Chinese culture as a national treasure. In Ríos's view, China's modernization "has adopted beneficial elements of traditional Chinese culture, which is the result of summarizing its own experience. While promoting its own values to counter Western liberal values, the CCP has both the capacity for self-exploration and innovation and adheres to its own principled stance on ideology." He clearly points out that in recent years the CCP has established a richer theoretical, policy, and ideological discourse system, striving to build a development path with more of its own characteristics and greater adaptability. The first is Marxism, ensuring the socialist direction on the basis of persisting in implementing this ideological concept; the second is the people's growing resonance with their own cultural traditions.
Ríos also emphasizes the important role of the five-year plans, as he has always believed that the CCP's long-term planning is the key to ensuring the success of Chinese-style modernization. He says: "Although with the advancement of the reform process, the role of the market economy continues to increase, the national economic development plans implemented since 1953 remain an indisputable hallmark of China's economic and political model." He states, "The five-year plan is part of China's national economic management approach, which includes the definition of national priorities and guidance for medium- and long-term economic and social development."
Advocating a more inclusive new type of globalization. In Ríos's view, China actively participates in a more inclusive new type of globalization, focusing on the development of infrastructure construction, and incorporating environmental, technological, social and other factors on a larger scale. Its concentrated manifestation is the Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路) proposed in 2013, which has greatly promoted communication and connectivity between China, Asia, Europe and Africa in various fields such as transportation, energy and trade.
Ríos proposes that the era of the West arbitrarily shaping the world is coming to an end, and the world order is in constant change. Among this, China is precisely the main driver. Maintaining an objective attitude, he clearly points out that China is a major economic and trade power, but at the same time plays an important role on today's global political stage. This is an indisputable fact, and both the EU and the United States should, based on this understanding, adopt a constructive rather than confrontational approach in handling relations with China.
Based on an objective assessment of the current international situation, Ríos believes that due to China's presence, the restructuring of the world order will be inevitable. In any case, we are witnessing a major turning point. Facing American unilateralism and protectionism, China has become a global advocate. China has achieved economic and technological self-sufficiency and complementarity to resist Western pressure. China will defend its sovereignty and its right to take its own path. Ríos also mentions that China does not seek to export the "China model" abroad, nor does it have the "Messianic complex" of the Western world during the Cold War, but rather advocates that each country seek a path suitable for its own development.
循序渐进 (xún xù jiàn jìn - "proceed in an orderly way step by step," gradual progress), 实事求是 (shí shì qiú shì - "seek truth from facts," be practical and realistic), 兼收并蓄 (jiān shōu bìng xù - "incorporate things of diverse nature," inclusive and eclectic), and a macro perspective — these have become important characteristics presented in China's transformation path, which is Ríos's unique insight into Chinese-style modernization. He says, "China implements strategies formulated independently, without having to accept interference from external forces. The considerations based on reality are thought-provoking. This is not merely a matter of diversity of experience, but also the power of self-identity based on history and culture." In his view, from renowned ancient sages such as Confucius, Laozi, Sunzi, etc., to the bureaucratic system and other social and political aspects, and then to organizational principles such as harmony, virtue, hierarchy, etc., the Chinese characteristics in China's governance model are numerous; plus traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese painting, poetic language, etc., these culturally valuable existences all make the Chinese people and Chinese society unique.
China must take its own path, and this path with its own characteristics is still being explored. Today, China's modernization process is at a decisive stage. From an economic perspective, the successful transformation of the development model is a gratifying result of the enormous efforts made by the CCP. At the same time, important achievements have also been made in political, social and other fields. And the attainment of these achievements is just as Ríos emphasizes in the book: "This great transformation has been realized under the leadership of the CCP."
Return to TopBy: 张宜春
Currently, generative artificial intelligence, represented by large language models, is upgrading from a "technical tool" to a "cognitive carrier"—when ordinary people encounter a problem they do not understand, their first reaction is to ask artificial intelligence rather than consult a book; when creators seek creative inspiration, they increasingly rely on algorithm-generated content. The process by which people form their worldview, aesthetic orientation, and value judgments is being quietly reshaped by large models. Large models are becoming the "knowledge authority" and "cultural intermediary" for the new generation. Against the backdrop of human-machine collaboration, human-machine co-creation, and human-machine symbiosis becoming new trends of the era, Chinese culture faces not the simple proposition of "how to protect tradition," but the entirely new proposition of "how to take root, grow, bloom, and bear fruit in a new intelligent civilization." Artificial intelligence is both a realistic challenge to the subjectivity of Chinese culture and a historical opportunity for leapfrogging to a new form of intelligent civilization, opening up unprecedented new space for the development of Chinese culture.
In the era of artificial intelligence, to consolidate the subjectivity of Chinese culture, we must confront and resolve the following three interrelated and progressively deepening basic issues.
The first issue is the digitalization of Chinese culture, that is, how to transform Chinese culture existing in the physical world into Chinese culture that can be understood by artificial intelligence in the digital world. This is a problem of transcoding from "humanities" to "digital," and even more a problem of leaping from "experience" to "structure." Traditionally, the orderly transmission of Chinese culture relied on the flickering continuity of classical texts, oral instruction passed from master to disciple, and the shared experience of social life—these methods constitute the cultural memory in our blood. However, these cultural forms, deeply rooted in context, emotion, and embodied understanding, are essentially a kind of "non-computable" tacit knowledge—the "vivid vitality" in calligraphy, the "interplay of void and solid" in painting, the "meaning lies beyond words" (意在言外, yì zài yán wài - "meaning lies beyond words," implying that the true sense is hinted at rather than explicitly stated) in poetry, and the "formulaic freehand" in opera—all are difficult to capture with simple binary code. This "non-computable" Chinese culture faces the urgent task of crossing the digital-intelligence divide and forming "computable" information resources for large models. If large models cannot read the 微言大义 (wēi yán dà yì - "subtle words, profound meaning," the deep significance conveyed through concise language) of the Analects, they cannot let ordinary people feel the spiritual bearing of the ancients; if artificial intelligence cannot grasp the aesthetic conception of "leaving blank space," it can only produce a "Chinese-style" skin that conforms to Western visual conventions. If the core knowledge, aesthetic paradigms, and value concepts of Chinese culture cannot be transformed into digital genes that large models can "read," then Chinese culture will not be solidified in the network parameters of artificial intelligence, leading to its "absence" and "aphasia" in the knowledge system of AI, and its "silence" and "disappearance" in algorithmic recommendations.
The second issue is the contemporization of Chinese culture, that is, under the new pattern where AI-generated content becomes the main content of the digital world, how to use artificial intelligence to create digital content that truly carries the spirit of Chinese culture. Artificial intelligence has never been a value-neutral tool; there is a close internal connection between its generated content and the selection of training data, the orientation of human feedback, and the design of algorithmic logic. Currently, the training data of mainstream global large models is still dominated by English-language internet content, and their value presuppositions, narrative frameworks, and aesthetic standards are deeply imprinted with traces of Western-centrism. With the widespread application of artificial intelligence, cultural problems such as cultural distortion (traditional symbols being randomly pasted together), aesthetic degradation ("beauty" being reduced to data probability), semantic mistranslation (e.g., the semantic misalignment between "龙" and "dragon"), contextual fragmentation (classical artistic conceptions being stripped into isolated elements), semantic drift (traditional virtues being distorted into outdated moralizing), and symbolic othering (Eastern elements being alienated into "exotic spectacles") are gradually surfacing. Therefore, the core of the contemporization work of Chinese culture lies not only in the correct expression of surface-level symbols in generated content, but also in constructing an algorithmic rationality infused with the depth of Chinese culture—injecting the systemic thinking of 天人合一 (tiān rén hé yī - "heaven and man as one," the concept of harmony between nature and humanity) into the data foundation, nurturing the aesthetic tension of "meaning lies beyond words" in the logic of generation, establishing the value orientation of 温柔敦厚 (wēn róu dūn hòu - "gentle, sincere and honest," a traditional Confucian ideal of mildness and sincerity) in the cultivation of mind and nature, and implementing the humanistic care of 和合共生 (hé hé gòng shēng - "harmony and co-existence," the idea of peaceful coexistence and mutual flourishing) in ethical design. Only by letting machines "learn" to understand the deep grammar of Chinese culture can digital content truly move from formal resemblance to spiritual resemblance.
The third issue is the internationalization of Chinese culture, that is, against the backdrop of the great flow of human knowledge and the great renewal of cognition triggered by artificial intelligence, how to achieve the absorption, integration, development, and active shaping of Chinese culture within the open global mega-system. Hegel once proposed that subjectivity is essentially established in the relationship of recognition and being recognized. The true meaning of subjectivity is not a solitary existence that 画地为牢 (huà dì wéi láo - "draw a circle on the ground as a prison," to confine oneself within a self-imposed boundary), but rather to demonstrate its uniqueness and win respect in equal dialogue with others. If the subjectivity of Chinese culture only circulates within a closed system, rather than being tested, enriched, and developed in open exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, it will eventually degenerate into 一潭死水 (yī tán sǐ shuǐ - "a pool of stagnant water," a state of lifelessness and stagnation). Historically, Chinese culture has the character of becoming more resilient through openness and more confident through exchange. Today, the application of artificial intelligence large model technology is breaking down geographical boundaries, language barriers, and cultural divides, and is also turning the concept of "each appreciates its own beauty, and the beauty of all is shared" from an ancient ideal into a contemporary reality. Chinese culture actively integrating into the great tide of world civilization does not mean abandoning its own subjectivity, but rather manifesting subjectivity on a larger and broader stage, using the wisdom of 和而不同 (hé ér bù tóng - "harmony in diversity," seeking harmony while respecting differences) to participate in shaping a new form of common digital civilization for humanity.
In response to these three issues, it is necessary to do a good job in the following three aspects of work.
First, we must still do a good job in the migration of Chinese cultural resources. This is the foundational project for developing the subjectivity of Chinese culture in the era of artificial intelligence. Under the strong support and promotion of the state, China's cultural digitalization work has achieved remarkable and brilliant results. A large number of precious classics, cultural relics, and intangible cultural heritage resources have been transformed into machine-readable digital data. However, from the raw data of cultural resources directly transformed from the analog world to high-quality training data that can be effectively correlated, deeply understood, and precisely computed by large models, there is still a gap of a large amount of technical and foundational work. In particular, Chinese cultural data covers a wide range of fields, has deep influence, and diverse values. There is a large amount of latent knowledge, tacit knowledge, and contextual knowledge that is related to the raw data but has not yet been explicitly semanticized. It is even more necessary to invest great effort in data processing and to inject the expert experience and social consensus accumulated over generations into the raw data in the form of annotations, doing a good job in structuring, knowledgeizing, and semanticizing the data, forming a knowledge graph that artificial intelligence can use for deep learning, association analysis, and reasoning generation. It is necessary to let large models not only "read" the surface of Chinese culture, but also "comprehend" the cultural logic, value veins, and spiritual atmosphere behind the data phenomena.
Second, to manifest the contemporaneity of Chinese culture, the core lies in deeply embedding Chinese cultural values into the algorithmic rationality of artificial intelligence, constructing a new paradigm of content generation with cultural genes. Since the generated content of artificial intelligence is closely linked to training data, human feedback, and algorithmic logic, the fundamental resolution of problems such as cultural distortion, semantic drift, and aesthetic degradation cannot rely solely on "post-hoc correction" of generated results, but must start from the source, injecting the spirit of Chinese culture into the algorithmic foundation. At the level of training data, it is necessary to establish a knowledge annotation system and value screening mechanism based on Chinese culture, so that large models learn the systemic thinking of "heaven and man as one" from the corpus level; in reinforcement learning from human feedback, introduce a cultural value alignment mechanism so that the algorithm truly understands the aesthetic tension of "meaning lies beyond words"; in algorithmic logic, set "hard constraints" and "safety guardrails" of cultural ethics to prevent symbol dissolution, contextual fragmentation, and semantic drift. Of course, algorithmic rationality is essentially a technological externalization of human cultural rationality. In human-machine collaboration, technology is responsible for efficiency and scale, but the anchoring of values, the interpretation of meaning, and the guardianship of culture can only be accomplished by humans. When large models experience semantic drift, human cultural correction is needed; when content is shoddily produced, human aesthetic definition is needed; when narratives are biased, human value calibration is needed. Only by using human subjectivity to steer algorithmic rationality, and by using the "form" of technology to carry the "spirit" of culture, can it be ensured that AI-generated content truly "surnames Zhong" and "surnames Hua" (is authentically Chinese), allowing the spirit of Chinese culture to achieve creative transformation through digital technology.
Finally, actively participate in global artificial intelligence governance, make China's voice heard, make China's contributions, and expand the world significance of Chinese culture in the great process of building a community with a shared future for mankind. To truly let the subjectivity of Chinese culture go global, it is necessary to advance simultaneously and support each other in two aspects: domestic foundation-building and international voice. In terms of domestic foundation-building, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a full-chain technical standards and ethical system framework for artificial intelligence related to cultural construction. On the basis of the series of AI standards and norms currently being rolled out intensively, further enhance the supply of standards in areas such as digital collection of cultural heritage, intelligent annotation, content generation, copyright protection, data security, and cross-border circulation, gradually building a digital-intelligent standard system for cultural resources with Chinese characteristics, conforming to the laws of cultural development, and oriented toward an intelligent future. In terms of international voice, actively participate in the formulation of global AI governance rules, using Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese strength to respond to the common challenges of AI safety, ethics, and cultural diversity faced by all mankind. Strengthen the construction and development of AI open-source communities, encourage and support more groups and individuals to provide new algorithms, new applications, and new paradigms derived from the fertile soil of Chinese culture for open-source communities. 桃李不言，下自成蹊 (táo lǐ bù yán, xià zì chéng xī - "peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is worn beneath them," a metaphor that virtue attracts people naturally without self-promotion). In the gentle and silent nourishing, provide Chinese wisdom for the global development of artificial intelligence. Steadily promote the overseas expansion and internationalization process of domestically-produced large models, and promote the service capability of artificial intelligence to break language barriers and enhance dialogue among civilizations, so that the world can understand a more true, multidimensional, and comprehensive China through the high-quality services provided by large models, and let Chinese culture occupy a more important and unique position in the global landscape of intelligent civilization.
(The author is Director of the Digital Art Department of the China Institute of Arts Science and Technology (中国艺术科技研究所).)
Return to TopBy: 王学斌
In the snap of a finger, from Qatar to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the World Cup has arrived again.
The World Cup is a quadrennial football feast. It is the "battlefield of teams," always in some scorching summer, when the world suddenly seems to shrink, from scattered to concentrated, from fragmented to united, from silent to clamorous. A small football actually possesses the magic to transcend borders, races, prejudices, time, and space. Compared to the past, this edition's participating teams have expanded to 48, and the total matches have increased from 64 to 104. This allows traditional powerhouses a higher margin for error, while mid-to-lower-tier teams also have more possibilities to break through. The feast has regulars: Brazil's elegance, France's verve, Germany's rigor, England's power, Argentina's agility, Spain's finesse... Using the ball as a medium, they display national characteristics and externalize national character. The feast welcomes new armies. If past tournaments saw more European and American powerhouses occupying half the landscape, then this edition has achieved an upgrade from representativeness to universality, with 10 African teams and 9 Asian teams. Among them, Cape Verde (佛得角), Curaçao (库拉索), Jordan, and Uzbekistan are all entering the finals for the first time, not lacking in giving people a feeling of 耳目一新 (ěr mù yī xīn - "ears and eyes refreshed," to find something novel and refreshing). Although the national population is less than 600,000, Cape Verde from Africa has shown unexpected tenacity and resilience: in the first round, they held European powerhouse Spain to a 0-0 draw; in the second round, they also drew 2-2 with South American strong team Uruguay; in the third round, Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage. This also set a record: Cape Verde became the country with the smallest area and smallest population to reach the knockout stage in World Cup history. Only by entering the World Cup can new teams discover gaps in actual combat, recognize shortcomings and strive to catch up; only through the big tournament can unknown countries attract more attention.
The World Cup is a human drama mixed with 悲喜交集 (bēi xǐ jiāo jí - "mixed feelings of joy and sorrow"). It is the "festival of fans." The essence of a festival is to temporarily dissolve the daily life of humanity, thereby presenting a new quality of non-daily life. Whenever the tournament arrives as scheduled, it is the time for fans to become intoxicated or even "carnival," when the imagination that is hard to satisfy in daily life comes true, and the emotions that cannot be relieved are vented. The main thread of this drama is the accelerated unfolding of 薪火相传 (xīn huǒ xiāng chuán - "pass the torch from generation to generation," to pass down a legacy) and the replacement of old with new in the football world. Some say that the 2006 World Cup in Germany was the ultimate moment when a golden generation gathered and then turned to exit, while 后起之秀 (hòu qǐ zhī xiù - "rising star") rose and took over to dominate. If we observe this edition closely, is it not also the gods stepping into twilight and new kings eager to try? The 39-year-old Messi, facing Algeria, can still perform 凌波微步 (língbō wēi bù - "walking on ripples," to move gracefully and swiftly) and easily score three goals; the 41-year-old Ronaldo finally opened his goal account. However, more veterans are nearing their twilight: Modric's "magic flute" sound is fading, Dzeko's "gun barrel" is rusting, Neymar's "gorgeous dance steps" have yet to be performed, De Bruyne's "long-range guided missiles" repeatedly miss the mark... 相映成趣 (xiāng yìng chéng qù - "contrast and create interest"), Mbappé is at the height of his power, Yamal 翩翩起舞 (piān piān qǐ wǔ - "dance gracefully"), Haaland 大杀四方 (dà shā sì fāng - "to kill in all directions," to dominate everywhere), Vinícius 攻城略地 (gōng chéng lüè dì - "attack cities and seize territory")... "The waves behind drive on those before, each new generation excels the old." What the vast number of fans are reluctant to part with, I fear, is not merely the somber farewell of beloved stars, but more so their own youthful years that, flowing away like water, will eventually come to an end. Do not say that the world is uncertain and beautiful moments are like dreams; this is merely 新陈代谢 (xīn chén dài xiè - "metabolism," the replacement of the old with the new). Of course, the drama is not lacking in warmth. The note left by the Iranian team after the match displayed the resilience of an ancient civilization and the sincerity of their call for peace. After keeping a clean sheet against Spain, the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper choked up after the match, saying "I have dreamed of this moment all my life," moving countless fans in front of the camera. Perhaps the greatness of the World Cup is not limited to competitive games, but the quiet revelation of the sportsmanship.
The World Cup is a global showcase of Chinese elements, and it is also "China's stage." In today's world, China's development achievements are benefiting the world. China Railway Construction Engineering Group (中铁建工) led the seismic reinforcement and roof renovation of the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the venue for the opening match. The upgrade and renovation of BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, with its core steel structure and 600-square-meter central LED funnel screen, were also supplied by Chinese companies. The X-ray machines for World Cup security checks and media center equipment are all "Made in China." At the same time, the Chinese referee team composed of Ma Ning (马宁), Fu Ming (傅明), and Zhou Fei (周飞) set out for the first time with a complete structure of "main referee + VAR referee + assistant referee" to ascend the top World Cup stage. Furthermore, Chinese enterprises, with strong postures of top-level sponsorship and full-category peripheral supplies, not only dominate the World Cup commercial landscape but also become the most eye-catching "non-participating protagonists" of this tournament. According to data, in the peripheral derivative field, about 70% of global products are produced in Yiwu (义乌), covering more than 9,000 types of goods such as flags, wigs, inflatable sticks, plush toys, etc. The LABUBU World Cup co-branded series of star blind boxes and other cultural creative products allowed Chinese trendy toy IP to kick a spectacular "world wave," intuitively reflecting the strong vitality and global influence of the Chinese economy.
Nevertheless, the World Cup that is right before our eyes still carries a sense of helplessness for Chinese fans: the Chinese national football team is once again absent. The United States, Canada, and Mexico seem to be somewhat "out of reach." In fact, there is no need to regret this so much. As the saying goes, "Roots deep and foundation firm" (根深本固 (gēn shēn běn gù - "roots deep and foundation firm," to have a strong foundation)), the key to the success of world powerhouses lies in a mature and stable youth training system and a good and upward football culture. Only then can talents burst forth. In recent years, China has achieved noteworthy results in youth training: our U17 and U23 football teams have consecutively won runners-up in the Asian Cup, and the "Chinese Football Kids" have even won championships overseas. Rather than standing by the pond and longing for fish, it is better to go home and weave a net, solidly lay a strong foundation and repay the fans. The Chinese team will no longer be far from the World Cup.
Return to TopBy: 陈如平
“Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the general key to all technical problems.” On April 30, 2026, at the Symposium on Strengthening Basic Research, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again profoundly elucidated the strategic position of basic research, and particularly emphasized the need to “stimulate the imagination and desire for exploration of young people, so that devoting oneself to basic research becomes the life pursuit of more young people.” This important discourse not only points the direction for building a strong nation in science and technology, but also provides a distinct value coordinate for the growth path of contemporary youth. Today, when technological innovation has become the main battlefield of international strategic games, guiding young people to aspire to basic research is far from a pure educational issue; it is a long-term plan concerning the country’s core competitiveness.
Currently, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, and competition among major powers is increasingly focusing on original innovation capabilities in basic frontier fields. From the underlying algorithms of artificial intelligence to the physical mechanisms of new materials, from gene decoding in the life sciences to aerospace propulsion for deep-space exploration, any breakthrough in stuck-neck technologies (卡脖子技术) must ultimately trace back to breakthroughs in basic theory. Basic research is the fundamental support for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.
The adolescent period is a golden period for cultivating scientific interest and thinking habits. The experiences of countless great scientists prove that the curiosity and desire for exploration in youth are often the “origin point” that drives a lifetime of scientific research. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Curiosity is human nature; the guidance and cultivation of interest in science must start from childhood.” Establishing basic research as a life pursuit means that young people are no longer passive recipients of knowledge, but active builders of the future edifice of science. This not only can reserve strategic talents for the country, but also can help young people establish lofty life aspirations in the process of exploring the unknown, integrating personal ideals into the great cause of national development.
However, to make basic research, which requires sitting on a cold bench (坐冷板凳), truly attractive to young people, multiple challenges still remain.
First, utilitarian orientation squeezes scientific curiosity. Under the inertial pressure of “only scores, only advancement” (唯分数、唯升学), young people’s energy is mostly occupied by exam-oriented training. Math Olympiads and physics competitions are often alienated into “stepping stones” to elite schools, rather than exploration based on passion. This utilitarian orientation greatly compresses the living space of pure curiosity, causing many talented young people, at the juncture of life choices, to 望而却步 (wàng ér què bù - “see and step back,” to flinch) from basic research due to “long cycles, slow results, difficulty in producing outcomes,” and instead turn to fields such as finance and applied engineering that are “short, flat, fast” (短平快).
Second, science education “emphasizes knowledge, neglects inquiry.” Current in-school science education often focuses on imparting established conclusions and problem-solving techniques, lacking the restoration and experience of the process of scientific discovery. What young people are exposed to are mostly “de-contextualized” formulas and theorems, rather than vivid problem-oriented research. At the same time, the “walls” of high-quality resources of universities and research institutes have not yet been fully broken down, and young people lack opportunities to enter frontline laboratories and communicate face-to-face with scientists, making it difficult to form intuitive perception and emotional identification with basic research.
Third, the social atmosphere and value identification need to be strengthened. Under the impact of traffic culture, the promotion of scientists’ deeds is often drowned out by the wave of entertainment. Compared with internet influencers and celebrities, the social visibility and idolization of the scientist community are still insufficient. Some parents and students have biased perceptions of the value of basic research, considering it “austere” and “out of touch with reality,” lacking a deep understanding and reverence for the scientist spirit of 十年磨一剑 (shí nián mó yī jiàn - “ten years to sharpen one sword,” long-term dedication and perseverance).
To make devoting oneself to basic research become the life pursuit of more young people requires the coordinated efforts of families, schools, and society, to build a three-dimensional support system that makes young people yearn for it, have guidance in learning, and have platforms for research.
First, reshape educational concepts. School education should adhere to emphasizing both “subtraction” and “addition.” On one hand, resolutely break the “score-only theory,” reduce ineffective homework burdens, and leave space for curiosity; on the other hand, vigorously do the “addition” of science education. This is not simply increasing knowledge capacity, but promoting changes in teaching methods, integrating project-based learning and research-based learning into daily life, so that students think, ask questions, design experiments like scientists, and experience the exploration process from 0 to 1. At the secondary school level, appropriately offer lectures or elective courses introducing cutting-edge developments such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, and life sciences, breaking the “dimensional wall” between basic research and young people’s cognition.
Second, build a connected cultivation platform. Let laboratories become a “second classroom” for young people. Vigorously promote the opening of universities and research institutes to middle school students, and deepen mechanisms such as the “Middle School Student Talent Plan” (中学生英才计划) and “Youth Academy of Sciences” (少年科学院). Through a “mentor system,” let top scientists serve as guides for young people, with “passing on, helping, and leading” in real research environments, so that young people understand that the essence of scientific research is “asking good questions,” not “reciting standard answers.” At the same time, for students in non-central cities, they can access National Large Scientific Facilities (国家大科学装置) and virtual simulation experiments through online platforms, using digital means to bridge resource gaps, ensuring that scientific dreams are not extinguished due to regional disparities.
Third, create a cultural field that esteems science. The media should increase the intensity of publicity for basic research breakthroughs and the scientist community, not only telling about achievements, but also telling the exploration stories and spiritual cores behind them, making scientists become “top-tier idols” for young people. Through science fiction works, popular science short videos, science and technology festivals and other activities, implant the image of “cool science” into the minds of young people, creating a strong atmosphere of esteeming innovation and respecting knowledge. Parents need to change their concepts, turning the family into the “first incubator” of scientific interest. Encourage children to engage in explorations of “uselessness” (无用之用) such as disassembling machinery, observing the starry sky, planting plants, etc., and protect that precious 异想天开 (yì xiǎng tiān kāi - “a wild imagination that opens the heavens,” fanciful and imaginative thinking).
Finally, optimize institutional safeguards. In college admissions such as the “Strong Foundation Plan” (强基计划), comprehensive assessment of scientific potential and innovative thinking should be further strengthened, rather than just looking at competition awards. For young scholars who devote themselves to the field of basic research, the state needs to provide more stable institutional guarantees in scholarships, long-cycle funding, and career development channels, to solve their worries about the future, giving youth patience and confidence. Let them dare to choose a career path of sitting on a cold bench.
Guiding young people to devote themselves to basic research has far-reaching significance that goes far beyond talent reserve itself; it is even more about the shaping of a nation’s thinking foundation and the living water of the source of innovation. A country’s greatest “show of wealth” is to have generations of young people willing to “waste” their youth for truth. Let us, from this moment on, carefully nurture every spark of curiosity, pave every road leading to the laboratory, so that the “cold bench” becomes the most visionary and most desirable “hot stage” of this era due to the choices of countless passionate youths. Only then can more exploration lights originating from China shine in the scientific galaxy leading to the future.
(The author is Deputy Director of the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences (中国教育科学研究院))
Return to TopBy: 学习时报采访组
105 years of 栉风沐雨 (zhì fēng mù yǔ - “comb wind and bathe rain,” to work hard despite hardships), 105 years of arduous struggle, 105 years of brilliant achievements. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, warmly reviewing and summarizing the glorious journey the Chinese Communist Party has led the people of all ethnic groups across the country over the past 105 years and the great achievements created, profoundly revealing the excellent characteristics that have enabled the Chinese Communist Party to continuously forge brilliance, inspiring and encouraging all Chinese Communist Party members to strengthen confidence and continue the struggle to create new historical brilliance. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech sparked enthusiastic responses among the faculty, staff, and students of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）). Everyone unanimously expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech is 高屋建瓴 (gāo wū jiàn líng - “pour water from a rooftop,” having a commanding perspective), broad in vision, profound in thought, rich in content, closely following the pulse of the times, spanning history and the future, an important document shining with the brilliance of Marxist thought, further pointing the direction and providing guidance for realizing the Party’s central tasks on the new journey of the new era.
The Party united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country in unremitting struggle, writing the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of Chinese history. Since the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation have had the most reliable backbone, and China, beset by internal and external troubles, impoverished and weak, began 翻天覆地 (fān tiān fù dì - “overturn heaven and earth,” earth-shaking) historical changes. Over the past 105 years, the Party has always adhered to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, united and led the people of all ethnic groups in overthrowing the three mountains of oppression, establishing New China, successfully opening up and adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, continuously advancing the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, forging a powerful world’s largest ruling party, and writing the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of Chinese history. Everyone unanimously expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping has highly condensed and summarized the history of our Party’s 105 years of unremitting struggle, profoundly clarifying that our Party is worthy of being a great, glorious, and correct party, pointing the direction for the entire Party to strengthen confidence, continue the struggle, and strive to create new historical brilliance.
105 years of unremitting struggle have fundamentally changed the future and destiny of the Chinese people. Wang Yi (王毅), Deputy Director of the Department of Party History Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that as soon as the Chinese Communist Party was founded, it insisted on seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, opening up a great journey to completely rewrite the future and destiny of the Chinese people, and completely ending the humiliating history of old China’s semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. After the founding of New China, the Chinese Communist Party led the people in self-reliance and arduous struggle, advancing socialist revolution and construction, consolidating the material foundation for national development and the people’s peaceful life. In the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Chinese Communist Party actively promoted reform and opening up, achieving a substantial leap in comprehensive national strength and all-round improvement in the people’s production and living conditions. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era, the Chinese Communist Party led the people across the country in continuous struggle, comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty, and solidly advancing common prosperity for all people. After 105 years of unremitting struggle, under the leadership of the Party, the Chinese people have completely shaken off the historical passivity of being backward and beaten, poor and distressed, completely bid farewell to the old circumstances of being trampled upon, controlled by others, and struggling to survive, and truly firmly grasped the historical initiative of their own development and national rejuvenation.
Kong Lei (孔磊), a student of the Training Department and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, stated that our Party led the people in 浴血奋战 (yù xuè fèn zhàn - “bathed in blood and fighting fiercely,” bloody battles) and 百折不挠 (bǎi zhé bù náo - “a hundred setbacks not bent,” indomitable), completely ending the suffering fate of the Chinese nation since modern times, from insufficient food and clothing to a moderately prosperous society in all respects; the Chinese nation has achieved a great leap from standing up, getting rich, to becoming strong, and the Chinese people are striding confidently and proudly toward the future. This glorious journey profoundly demonstrates that the fundamental purpose of development is to improve people’s well-being, to enable the masses to live better lives, inspiring us to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, build internationally competitive scientific and technological innovation highlands, provide broad space for various talents to display their talents, make great efforts to solve pressing concerns such as employment, education, medical care, housing, and elderly care, continuously transform development achievements into a happiness index that the masses can feel and enjoy, share high-quality life in high-quality development, and practice the original aspiration and mission of Communists with concrete actions.
105 years of unremitting struggle have opened up the correct path to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Sun Dongsheng (孙东升), a student of the Central Management Class and Deputy Director of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature (中央党史和文献研究院), believes that the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 completely changed the direction and process of the development of the Chinese nation. Our Party took over the baton of history, united and led the Chinese people in overthrowing the three mountains of oppression, establishing New China, establishing the socialist system, and winning great victories in the new democratic revolution, socialist revolution, and construction. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, our Party emancipated the mind and forged ahead vigorously, united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to create great achievements in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, opening up the great path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country, confident and self-reliant, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, creating two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. The Chinese Communist Party has successfully opened up a correct path to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This is an inevitable conclusion of history and a glorious starting point for continuing toward a bright future.
105 years of unremitting struggle have demonstrated the powerful vitality of Marxism. Li Haiqing (李海青), Deputy Director of the School of Marxism of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that the powerful vitality of Marxism originates from the people-centered nature of its value pursuit, pointing out the correct way to advance history by relying on the people, occupying the moral high ground of humanity. The powerful vitality of Marxism originates from the scientific nature of its principles and methods. A key reason for the Party’s brilliant achievements over more than a hundred years of struggle is that it has always guided itself by the scientific truth of Marxism, attached importance to building the Party through ideology and strengthening the Party through theory. The powerful vitality of Marxism originates from the openness of its ideological system. Marxism has not exhausted truth, but continuously opens up the path to understanding truth in practice; what it provides is not ready-made dogma, but a guide to action. The paths of new democratic revolution, socialist revolution, socialist construction, and socialism with Chinese characteristics pioneered by our Party are all great creations that combine the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities.
105 years of unremitting struggle have profoundly influenced the course of world history. Xu Zheng (许征), a student of the Central Management Class and Executive Vice President of Fudan University, believes that from the perspective of the world socialist movement, our Party has united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to establish a socialist system in a large eastern country accounting for nearly a quarter of the world’s population, pushing the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics wider and wider, promoting profound changes in historical development favorable to Marxism and socialism, which has far-reaching historical significance for the development of world socialism and the progress of human civilization. From the perspective of human modernization, our Party has led the people to successfully pioneer the path of Chinese-style modernization, creating two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, creating a new form of human civilization, breaking the myth that “modernization equals Westernization,” expanding the ways for developing countries to achieve modernization, and adding confidence and providing useful inspiration for developing countries exploring their own modernization. From the perspective of global governance, our Party has a global vision, always standing on the right side of history and the side of human civilization progress, proposing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, promoting the common values of all humanity, promoting the building of a new type of international relations, and promoting the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, with its leading role in global governance reform continuously increasing.
“An ancient eastern country with a splendid civilization of more than 5,000 years, advancing along the socialist path, is destined to be an extraordinary journey that changes history and creates the future,” said Dong Zhenhua (董振华), Director of the Department of Scientific Socialism Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Looking at history over a long period, China’s development is a progressive undertaking belonging to all humanity. Under the leadership of the Party, Chinese-style modernization has profoundly influenced the course of world history. On the path of world modernization, China has achieved astonishing accomplishments, creating a set of governance experiences with Chinese characteristics and world significance, providing useful reference for solving the global governance deficit, trust deficit, peace deficit, and development deficit. We advocate and actively promote building a community with a shared future for mankind, contribute public goods to the international community, provide opportunities for world development, and the international community also looks forward to hearing China’s voice and seeing China’s proposals. China’s success is the success of an independently pioneered modernization path, and also the success of socialism with Chinese characteristics, responding to worldwide development challenges and universal development dilemmas with continuously innovative great practice.
105 years of unremitting struggle have forged a powerful Chinese Communist Party. Chen Shuguang (陈曙光), Director of the Scientific Research Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that from a global comparative perspective, our Party, as the world’s largest ruling party, has advantages that other parties find difficult to match: our Party possesses the ability for social integration, can take overall command and coordinate all sides, effectively integrate social resources, concentrate efforts on major tasks, and overcome the drawbacks of mutual rivalry and obstruction among different parties and interest groups; possesses the strategic planning stability to plan the country’s long-term development and maintain the stability and continuity of major policies; possesses the efficiency of decision-making and execution, advocates pragmatic action to rejuvenate the country, responds promptly to emerging challenges, advances things steadily once determined, and “works term after term” on matters of long-term importance; possesses a system for selecting the worthy and capable, ensuring that the selection and appointment of personnel always maintain close ties with the masses and serve the people wholeheartedly, free from the control of financial groups or the hijacking of populism; possesses a mechanism for self-purification. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, our Party has achieved significant results in promoting self-reform, demonstrating the ability and determination of the Chinese Communist Party to self-purify, self-improve, self-renew, and self-enhance.
The incomparable excellent characteristics are the key code to why the Chinese Communist Party can succeed. “The fundamental reason why the Chinese Communist Party has been able to continuously forge brilliance in its 105 years of struggle, and why history and the people have chosen the Chinese Communist Party, lies in the excellent characteristics of our Party that are incomparable to other political parties and political forces.” Everyone unanimously believes that extracting the key code from the more than one hundred years of struggle has both historical depth and contemporary height. Standing at a new historical starting point, only by continuously carrying forward excellent characteristics, ensuring that the Party never deteriorates, never changes color, and never loses its flavor, can we achieve the second centenary goal on schedule and create new historical brilliance.
Zhang Taiyuan (张太原), Director of the Department of Literature and History Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that incomparable excellent characteristics are the key code to why the Chinese Communist Party can succeed, and also a systematic condensation and theoretical sublimation of the Party’s unique advantages previously summarized. In 2012, Comrade Xi Jinping, at the National Conference on Creating Excellence and Striving for Superiority, summarized the Party’s unique advantages as theoretical advantages, political advantages, organizational advantages, institutional advantages, and the advantage of close ties with the masses, revealing the inner mechanism of the Party growing from small to large, from weak to strong. If the five advantages answer the question of what the Party relies on to stand firm, then excellent characteristics further answer the question of what the Party relies on to remain prosperous and not decline. The two are consistent and progressively deepen. Specifically, the steadfast pursuit of truth is an inheritance and development of the theoretical advantage, rising from adhering to Marxism to a higher consciousness of testing and developing truth in practice; deeply rooting in the people is a contemporary interpretation of the advantage of close ties with the masses, a vivid portrayal of adhering to the people’s standpoint and a key measure to consolidate the foundation of governance; bravely shouldering historical missions and following the trend of development are extensions of the political advantage, expanding from firm conviction to mastering strategic initiative and staying at the forefront of the times; daring and being good at struggling is a spiritual character condensed from the organizational advantage, embodied as an iron will that does not fear risks and challenges; focusing on strengthening oneself is consistent with the Party’s greatest advantage of self-reform, forging a strong and powerful Marxist ruling party with the spirit of self-reform. From unique advantages to excellent characteristics, this reflects the deepening of the Party’s understanding of its own construction laws.
Only by pursuing truth can we keep the right direction; only by adhering to truth can we nourish the original aspiration. Han Donghui (韩东晖), Director of the Department of Philosophy Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that over the past 105 years, the Chinese Communist Party has adhered to the “two integrations,” adhered to the Party’s ideological line, insight into the general trend of the times, grasped historical initiative, and continuously promoted theoretical innovation through arduous exploration and practical innovation, ensuring that the cause of the Party and the people advances in the right direction. Marxism has shaped the nature, purpose, and goals of our Party, defined the communist supreme ideal and strong Party spirit. It is precisely in the unremitting struggle of daring to struggle and being good at struggling that our Party has become the world’s largest ruling party with significant global influence, becoming the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Marxism has forged the scientific thinking methods, working methods, and leadership methods of Chinese Communists. Precisely because we adhere to Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods, and scientifically apply the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we can always stand on the right side of history and the side of human civilization progress, comprehensively advance the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization, and create a new form of human civilization.
Being for the people and relying on the people is the essential characteristic that distinguishes a Marxist political party from other political parties. Wang Daoyong (王道勇), Deputy Director of the Department of Social and Ecological Civilization Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that the people-centered nature is the most distinctive theoretical character of Marxism and the background color of the Chinese Communist Party. Marxism was formed, enriched, and developed in the practice of the people seeking liberation; it is a theory completely and thoroughly for the people. Our Party always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the Chinese people, promotes social progress through the practice of the people, and realizes the free and comprehensive development of individuals. The masses of the people are the creators of history and the decisive force in social change. The support of the people is the most solid foundation for the Party’s governance. Only by rooting in the people and serving the people can the Party’s cause remain invincible. Therefore, deeply rooting in the people, always having a solid foundation, is the most essential excellent characteristic of the Chinese Communist Party, and also the most distinctive excellent characteristic that distinguishes the Chinese Communist Party from other political parties.
Yang Zhengwei (杨正位), a student of the Central Management Class and Deputy Director and Party Leadership Group Member of the Development Research Center of the State Council, believes that the Chinese Communist Party has inherited and sublimated the people-oriented thought of Chinese civilization, always bearing in mind the original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation, adhering to the spiritual code of “sickle and hammer” in the Party emblem, always insisting on taking the people as the center, and tempering distinctive excellent qualities. First, adhere to putting the people first. Establish the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, “let the people be the masters of the country,” “the country is the people, the people are the country,” the Party always puts the warmth and coldness of the masses first, “takes the people’s heart as the heart,” and firmly holds onto the people’s hearts as the greatest politics. Second, adhere to the mass line. Respect the people’s subject status and pioneering spirit, insist on asking the people for advice and needs, develop whole-process people’s democracy. During the revolutionary period, the people pushed carts to support the front; in the new era, the masses participate in grassroots governance; the Party always breathes the same air, shares the same fate, and connects hearts with the people. Third, adhere to bringing benefits to the people. From overthrowing the local tyrants and dividing land, the nationwide War of Resistance, overthrowing the three mountains of oppression, to reform and opening up, poverty alleviation, and comprehensive well-off society, not indulging in empty talk, keeping promises, and ensuring the clean and people-oriented background through self-reform.
“A good chess player plans the overall situation; a good planner achieves long-term goals. Our Party unifies planning matters and planning the situation, planning the present and planning the future, firmly grasping strategic initiative.” Jin Minqing (金民卿), a student of the Central Management Class and Party Leadership Group Member and Director of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院), believes that the characteristic of “bravely shouldering historical missions, always mastering strategic initiative” mainly has three sources. First, the lofty ideal goals our Party cherishes. Since its founding, our Party has unswervingly written communism on its banner; firm ideals and beliefs form an endogenous goal traction force, never stopping the pace of moving forward toward the goal no matter what hardships and difficulties encountered. Second, the solemn historical mission our Party shoulders. As soon as the Chinese Communist Party was founded, it shouldered the sacred responsibility entrusted by the people; in the historical process of revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, it consciously transformed high historical responsibility into internal motivation for development and progress, achieving one victory after another. Third, our Party always adheres to the guidance of Marxist scientific theory. In the unremitting struggle of adhering to long-term goals and practicing the original aspiration and mission, it timely judges the principal social contradictions in different periods, determines the central tasks and phased goals of different periods, formulates and comprehensively implements correct lines, principles, and policies, so that the cause of the country and the people always advances in the right direction, continuously achieving brilliant achievements that attract worldwide attention.
Fan Jida (樊继达), Deputy Director of the Department of Economics Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that anchoring the goal of national rejuvenation and struggle, our Party, with high historical consciousness, shoulders the major responsibilities entrusted by history and the people, successfully creating one miracle after another, firmly holding strategic initiative in hand. Facing the dynamic changes of the principal social contradiction, our Party promptly establishes central tasks, accurately adjusts lines, principles, and policies to respond to the people’s needs and answer the times’ examination papers. From self-reliance to self-strengthening, from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization, a series of strategic decisions demonstrate our Party’s ability to actively control the situation, cultivating opportunities in crises and opening new situations in changes. At present, the international environment is severe and complex, domestic reform, development, and stability tasks are arduous and heavy, and various risks and challenges are intertwined. In the tide of the times, to play a vanguard and exemplary role, Party cadres must always anchor the long-term goal of Chinese-style modernization, earnestly implement the Party Central Committee’s decisions and deployments, actively recognize changes, respond to changes, and seek changes, coordinate work with strategic vision, and solve various difficulties with a sense of responsibility.
Song Shiming (宋世明), Deputy Director of the Department of National Governance Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that since the Industrial Revolution, all countries and nations in the world have entered the process of world history, which is independent of human will. However, each country and nation has a different “time zone” and “position” in the space-time coordinate system of the world historical process. We must respect historical regularity while grasping historical initiative, base ourselves on national conditions while embracing the world, only then can we grasp the key junction of change in any historical period, follow the trend of development, and always stay at the forefront of the times. Our Party, with high historical consciousness and broad world vision, clearly grasps China’s national conditions, the theme of the times, and the principal social contradiction, continuously promotes the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, completes the tasks of the times under the guidance of the Party’s innovative theory, and the Chinese nation has achieved a great leap from standing up, getting rich, to becoming strong, becoming a worthy vanguard of the times and backbone of the nation.
Yang Zhongcheng (杨忠诚), a student of the Training Department and Director of the Policy Research Office of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee, believes that the excellent characteristic of “following the trend of development, always staying at the forefront of the times” originates from our Party’s lofty ideals as a Marxist ruling party, high historical consciousness, and broad world vision. It will inevitably lead the country and nation to advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times, continuously forging new historical achievements. Staying at the forefront of the times requires, first, grasping the historical initiative of insight into the overall situation, adhering to the dialectical materialist and historical materialist world outlook and methodology, understanding the objective laws of human social development and the trends of the world’s century-old changes, seeing the direction, finding the coordinates, and forging ahead in conforming to the trend of the times, firmly grasping the initiative of development. The key lies in stimulating the practical courage to forge ahead, overcoming difficulties, fighting risks, and meeting challenges with the spirit of historical initiative, integrating the wisdom of recognizing changes, the method of responding to changes, and the courage to seek changes throughout work, promoting the Party’s work to reflect the times, grasp regularity, and be creative, striving to open up new prospects for the cause. The final point is shouldering the mission of standing at the forefront, better coordinating the domestic and international situations, balancing development and security, improving the ability to scientifically foresee changes, promptly identify risks, and effectively respond to challenges, ensuring that the great ship of the Chinese nation breaks waves and sails steadily.
History is the best textbook. Wang Huxue (王虎学), Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that whether in the era of revolutionary war or in the era of peaceful development, our Party always adheres to and carries forward the spirit of fearing no sacrifice and heroic struggle, for the people, the country, the nation, and for ideals and beliefs, clearing away obstacles and forging ahead, no matter how powerful the enemy, how dangerous the road, how severe the challenge, always unafraid and never retreating. Along the way, facing the life-and-death test of blood and fire, countless revolutionary martyrs sacrificed their lives for righteousness; facing the development dilemma of “poverty and blankness,” countless builders rooted themselves in the desolate Gobi; facing the complex and changing domestic and international environment in the new era, our Party always stands at the forefront with the iron will of “no matter how the wind and rain come, we stand firm as a mountain,” leading hundreds of millions of people through one difficulty after another, winning one victory after another. Here, daring to struggle emphasizes stance and attitude, requiring the courage to not fear things and the boldness to draw the sword; being good at struggling emphasizes ability and method, requiring the wisdom to recognize changes and the art of opening new situations; and the unwavering confidence that runs through it comes from the strong leadership of the Party, the heartfelt support of the masses, and the incomparable institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is the confidence to overcome the enemy and tackle difficulties, and also the confidence to dare to struggle and be good at struggling.
The greater the cause, the more it is filled with hardships and dangers. Lan Hanlin (蓝汉林), a student of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Theoretical Research Class and Vice President of the Zhejiang Provincial Party School (National Academy of Governance) (浙江省委党校（行政学院）), believes that all the achievements of the Party and the people in the 105-year struggle were obtained in overcoming risks and challenges. Daring to struggle, the core is to maintain an iron will. This will originates from the sincerity of “for the people, the country, the nation, for ideals and beliefs,” embodied as no matter how powerful the enemy, how dangerous the road, how severe the challenge, always unafraid and never retreating. In the overall situation of national development, we must strengthen risk awareness and bottom-line thinking, face the interest barriers in the deep water zone of reform, the “bottleneck” problems of key core technologies, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Being good at struggling, the key lies in grasping the laws. Struggle is not blind recklessness; we must actively recognize changes, respond to changes, and seek changes. Deeply insight into the world situation and changes in the principal social contradiction, improve the ability to scientifically foresee and identify risks. Adhere to balancing development and security, grasp the principal contradiction in complex situations, resolve risks and break through bottlenecks with scientific strategies.
Handling China’s affairs well depends on the Party, and on the Party governing the Party strictly. Wang Yiguang (汪一光), a student of the Central Management Class and Vice Chairman of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, stated that looking back at the Party’s 105-year arduous journey, it has been difficult and extraordinary. Deeply pondering “why the Chinese Communist Party can succeed,” the key is that our Party has always placed its own construction in a prominent position. During the revolutionary war period, our Party insisted on building the Party through ideology and strengthening the Party through theory, tempering a strong revolutionary team, gathering powerful strength to overthrow the three mountains of oppression and establish New China. During the socialist construction period, it continuously rectified the Party style and government style, consolidating the foundation for long-term governance. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party opened a great historical turning point; the whole Party corrected ideological deviations, adhered to seeking truth from facts, unified ideological understanding, and firm the direction of progress. In the process of reform and opening up, it closely followed the overall situation of reform and development to strengthen self-construction, improved systems and mechanisms, strengthened institutional constraints, and ensured the steady progress of reform and opening up with strong Party building. Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee clearly took self-reform as the second answer to the historical cycle of rise and fall, promoting comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to deepen, striving to achieve self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-enhancement. Facing the unprecedented changes in a century, our Party always keeps the string of governing and managing the Party tight, forging the Party’s body with thorough revolutionary spirit, improving governance capabilities, enabling our Party to calmly deal with complex environments and various risks and challenges.
“A powerful political party is forged in continuous self-strengthening.” Lv Pin (吕品), Deputy Director of the Department of Party Construction Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), told reporters that “focusing on self-strengthening, always full of vitality” is both a profound summary of our Party’s historical experience of more than one hundred years of struggle and a strategic guide for the great new project of Party building in the new era. The century-long journey repeatedly confirms that to govern the country, the Party must be governed first; the Party’s prosperity can make the country strong. Our Party clearly grasps the governance laws of a Marxist ruling party and jumps out of the historical cycle of rise and fall. Examining itself with the requirements of the times reflects the theoretical character of our Party advancing with the times; alerting itself with a strong sense of urgency reflects our Party’s sober consciousness of being prepared for danger in times of peace; perfecting itself with the spirit of self-reform reflects our Party’s political courage of turning the knife inward. From General Secretary Xi Jinping’s 2012 proposal “to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” to the formal proposal at the 19th National Congress “to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” to the speech at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party clearly stating “remember the principle that to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,” and then to the speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party elevating it to the excellent characteristic of the Party of “focusing on self-strengthening,” this reflects the continuous deepening of our Party’s understanding of the laws of governing and managing the Party.
Strengthen confidence, continue the struggle, and constantly create new achievements worthy of the times and the people. “Time waits for no one! History waits for no one!” Realizing the Party’s mission and tasks in the new era and new journey is a process of continuous struggle and long-term persistence. Everyone unanimously expressed that they should strengthen confidence, continue the struggle, practice the original aspiration and mission with practical responsibility, write an excellent answer for the “15th Five-Year Plan,” and constantly create new achievements worthy of the times and the people.
Feng Lixia (封丽霞), Director of the Department of Politics and Law Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party shows the world our Party’s strong determination and will to strengthen confidence and continue the struggle. On the new journey of the new era, for our Party to create greater brilliant achievements, it must adhere to the overall leadership of the Party and the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. The Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy are the ideological guide and action program for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, the valuable experience and major achievements obtained through arduous exploration by the Party and the people, the fundamental compliance for the cause of the Party and the country, and also the determination of the entire Party to keep the path unchanged and the will unchanged. Only by adhering to the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy can we carry forward the excellent characteristics of the Party in the future, ensure that the Party always becomes the leading core in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and can steadily create great achievements worthy of the times and the people.
Xiao Wengao (肖文高), a student of the Training Department and Secretary of the Jiading District Committee of Shanghai, believes that we should always take the Party’s original aspiration as our own heart, the Party’s mission as our life, maintain the determination to keep the path unchanged and the will unchanged, and with strong consciousness and absolute loyalty, effectively engrave the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy in the heart and put them into practice. Persistently use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to solidify the soul, improve political standing, grasp regional positioning, find practical landing points, keep the “great of the country” in mind, adhere to the “four placements,” consciously plan, position, and promote regional development under the overall situation, implement the Party’s line, principles, policies and the Party Central Committee’s decisions and deployments without compromise, take responsibility and be a vanguard in serving the needs of national strategy, effectively adding luster to one region and contributing to the overall situation. Firmly shoulder the heavy responsibility of “promoting development in one area, benefiting the people’s livelihood in one area, and ensuring safety in one area,” spare no effort to consolidate and expand advantages, break bottlenecks, and strengthen development shortcomings, rely on practical work to create new achievements worthy of the times and the people, run one’s own leg well in the “relay race” of continuous struggle, and make due contributions to the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation.
“The Chinese Communist Party is a party that came from the masses; its roots are in the people, its blood is in the people, its strength is in the people; the people are the greatest confidence for the Party to govern and rejuvenate the country and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Chu Songyan (褚松燕), Director of the Department of United Front Teaching and Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that adhering to the people first is a valuable experience of our Party’s more than one hundred years of struggle, closely related to it are adhering to the people being the masters of the country, developing people’s democracy, maintaining close ties with the masses, and relying on the people to promote national development. On the new journey, we must always remember that the country is the people, the people are the country, adhere to everything for the people, rely on the people, adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, give full play to the institutional advantages of relying on the people, develop whole-process people’s democracy, enhance the institutional efficiency of the people being the masters of the country, practice the people-centered development thought in high-quality development, unswervingly follow the path of common prosperity for all people. Always remember the original aspiration and mission, follow the Party’s mass line in the new era, continuously consolidate and develop the great unity of all ethnic groups, the great unity of the people across the country, the great unity of all Chinese children, so that hundreds of millions of people, under the leadership of the Party, give full play to their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity, gather the mighty force to comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, and win greater victories and glory on the new journey.
The Party’s roots are in the people, its blood is in the people, its strength is in the people. Zuo Yongxiang (左永祥), a student of the Central Management Class, member of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Mianyang Municipal Party Committee, stated that looking back at the Party’s struggle journey, from the Huaihai Campaign pushed by small carts, to the reform sound pressed out by the handprints of Xiaogang Village, to winning the largest poverty alleviation battle in human history... every monument is engraved with the dedication of the people, eloquently proving that the people are the creators of history and true heroes. Only by adhering to the people’s subject status, guiding the people to devote themselves to modernization with a master’s spirit and enthusiasm, can we create new historical achievements in the future. The original aspiration is as firm as a rock; relying on the people focuses on practicing the purpose of serving the people. On the new journey, we must follow the Party’s mass line in the new era, adhere to the people-centered development thought, take the satisfaction of the masses as the yardstick for testing work, continuously develop whole-process people’s democracy, promote development in listening to grassroots voices and absorbing the wisdom of the masses, benefit the people in caring about safety and solving urgent needs, win the people’s hearts with sincerity, and gather the people’s strength with practical work.
Ma Baocheng (马宝成), Dean of the Emergency Management Research Institute of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that as socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core attaches great importance to preventing and defusing major risks, firmly safeguarding national security and social stability, providing strong security for the comprehensive construction of a socialist modernized country. On the new journey, we must continuously enhance risk awareness and adhere to bottom-line thinking, estimate difficulties more fully, think about risks more deeply, make the first move and fight the active battle, achieving “never forget danger when safe, never forget collapse when existing, never forget chaos when governed.” Adhere to a holistic view of national security, continuously improve the national security system, enhance national security capabilities, improve the level of public safety governance, improve the social governance system, build a higher level of peaceful China, further consolidate the national security barrier, achieve a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security, ensure a new development pattern with a new security pattern, and ensure the smooth realization of the socialist modernization cause.
Reviewing the 105-year glorious journey, our Party has always stood on the right side of history and the side of human civilization progress, profoundly changing the trend and pattern of world development with self-reliant struggle, profoundly influencing the course of world history. Wu Zhicheng (吴志成), Dean of the Institute of International Strategy of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), believes that the Party leads the people to advance Chinese-style modernization, creating a new form of human civilization, expanding the ways for developing countries to achieve modernization; proposing and working with various countries to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, contributing Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese strength to solving major human problems; socialist China is recognized as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. This global significant influence of the Party is the result of generations of Chinese Communists uniting and leading the Chinese people in unremitting struggle, and also the concrete manifestation of our Party’s commitment to struggling for the cause of human progress and making new and greater contributions to humanity. On the new journey, the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics led by the Party will always adhere to a global vision, hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win, promote the common values of all humanity, promote the building of a new type of international relations, promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, inject more positive energy into world peace and development, and show greater responsibility and action for building a better future for the world.
“In the 105-year glorious journey, our Party has been tempered by thousands of trials and remains vigorous. A very important reason is that it always adheres to the Party governing the Party and managing the Party strictly, and continuously promotes the Party’s self-reform.” Wang Yimin (王益民), Executive Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), stated that since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has deeply grasped the fundamental nature of the Party and the changes in the Party’s situation and national conditions, highlighted the distinct theme of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, deeply advanced the great new project of Party building in the new era, promoted Party building to achieve historic and pioneering achievements, and the Party has become stronger and more powerful in revolutionary tempering. We must implement the requirements of the Party governing the Party and managing the Party strictly throughout the entire process and all aspects of the work of the school (academy), throughout the entire process and all aspects of the Party building work in the institution, promote the high-quality development of the school (academy) with high-quality Party building. Combine the study and implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech with the study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the work of the Party school, organize Party members and cadres to study deeply and understand carefully, consciously use Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building to plan and promote all aspects of the Party building work in the school (academy) institution, continuously improve the quality of Party building in the institution, provide strong guidance and a solid guarantee for practicing the original aspiration of the Party school.
The more effective the governance and management of the Party, the stronger the guarantee for economic and social development. Wang Minghao (王鸣昊), a student of the County Party Secretary Class and Secretary of the Rugao Municipal Party Committee of Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, believes that in county governance, the Party’s leadership is not empty; it must run through all fields and the entire process of economic and social development. Whether it is rural revitalization, industrial development, or education and medical care, grassroots governance, the role of the Party committee in taking overall command and coordinating all sides must be fully played. Especially in the face of complex contradictions and risks and challenges, it is more necessary to ensure that when critical moments come, the Party organization takes charge, and when difficulties arise, Party members charge ahead. Adhere to the strict tone to strengthen discipline and style, closely monitor collective “three resources” (resources, assets, capital) and people’s livelihood funds and other “micro-power” around the masses, weave a tight supervision network, deepen the reform through case analysis, resolutely eradicate the soil for “flies and ants” corruption, use systems to manage power, affairs, and personnel, let clean and upright atmosphere fill every corner of the county. Xiu Wen (修文), a student of the County Party Secretary Class and Secretary of the Jiedong District Committee of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, stated that we must always maintain sobriety and determination on the road forever, take “have the Party in the heart, have the people in the heart, have responsibility in the heart, have discipline in the heart” as the action guide for doing business. Take the Party’s political construction as the guide, strengthen ideals and beliefs, shoulder political responsibility, implement the Party Central Committee’s decisions and deployments without compromise, ensure that various undertakings of regional reform, development, and stability advance in the right direction. Continuously deepen the feelings for the people, unite and lead Party members and cadres to work together with one heart, relying on strong and capable fighting fortresses, gather the strength of all sides to forge ahead, continuously benefit all the people in the region with development achievements. Always adhere to the strict tone, normalize and institutionalize the promotion of discipline, style, and anti-corruption, start with oneself and lead by example, guide Party members and cadres to adhere to clean essence, standardize the operation of power, continuously cultivate a clean and upright political ecology.
Zheng Yi (郑艺), a student of the Central Management Class, member of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, believes that as leading cadres in the political and legal system, we must always remember the fundamental political attribute of “political and legal affairs belong to the Party,” remember the sacred duties and missions entrusted to us by the Party and the people: “maintain national political security, ensure overall social stability, promote social fairness and justice, and ensure the people’s peaceful life,” always stand from the political height of deeply understanding the decisive significance of the “two establishments” and resolutely achieving the “two safeguards,” adhere to Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building as the guide, adhere to Xi Jinping’s thought on the rule of law as the guide, unswervingly implement a holistic view of national security, better coordinate the two major tasks of development and security, go all out to “prevent risks, ensure safety, maintain stability, and promote development,” actively respond to various risks and challenges on the road ahead, strive to ensure high-quality development with high-level security, contribute political and legal strength in continuously writing the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and ensure that the great ship of the Chinese nation breaks waves and sails steadily.
Youth are the fresh troops for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping, from the strategic height of the Party’s cause passing from generation to generation, put forward important requirements for youth work and expressed ardent hopes for the youth generation, fully reflecting the cordial care of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core for the vast number of young people and the high importance attached to youth work. Xu Xiao (徐晓), a student of the Central Management Class and Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, told reporters that as a youth worker, he is deeply encouraged and inspired, further enhancing the sense of mission and responsibility for doing a good job in the Party’s youth work in the new era. Deeply aware that the Communist Youth League, as the Party’s assistant and reserve force, must comprehensively study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, always adhere to the overall leadership of the Party, adhere to the principle of the Party governing youth, firmly grasp the fundamental political task of educating people for the Party, focus on the main responsibilities and main businesses of leading and gathering youth, organizing and mobilizing youth, contacting and serving youth, continuously deepen the political guidance of youth, fully support youth to make achievements, sincerely serve the urgent needs of youth, guide the vast number of young people to unswervingly listen to the Party and follow the Party, set high ambitions, bravely shoulder the responsibilities of the times, integrate personal pursuits into the cause of the Party and the country, seize the day and live up to youth, run the historical relay well on the new journey, pave the way with youth and let ideals shine.
(Wu Qing, Wang Cuijuan, Zhao Hui, Mao Qiang)
Return to TopBy: 邓绍根
In July 1921, the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (hereinafter referred to as the First CCP Congress) was convened in Shanghai, proclaiming the formal establishment of the Chinese Communist Party. This was a world-shaking event in the history of the Chinese nation's development, and from then on the face of the Chinese revolution was completely renewed. Mao Zedong, a participant, said of the First CCP Congress: "When it began, it was simple; when it ends, it will be great." The birth of the Chinese Communist Party was a world-shaking event in the history of the Chinese nation's development, and from then on the face of the Chinese revolution was completely renewed.
Because the Chinese Communist Party was then in a perilous political environment, the Party-building activities were carried out in secrecy; public reports in domestic and foreign newspapers were extremely rare. Extremely valuable is the fact that in November 1921 the Dutch newspaper De Tribune (DeTribune) published a Far Eastern correspondence written by the Comintern representative Maring — "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person" (in Dutch) — which gave a clear report to the international community on the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party, becoming the earliest newspaper to publicly report the founding of the Chinese Communist Party to the international community.
The handful of newspaper reports in 1921
In 1921, because the Chinese Communist Party's Party-building activities were carried out in secrecy, all sectors of society knew very little about the convening of the First CCP Congress; no domestic newspaper publicly reported news about the First CCP Congress itself or the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. As Hu Qiaomu said: "The First Congress was held, but it seemed that nothing had happened; there was not even a single report in the newspapers."
As of currently disclosed materials, there are only two reports in domestic newspapers in 1921 related to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. On August 1, 1921, the Shanghai Xinwen Bao (新闻报) and Shen Bao (申报) respectively published the items "Murder Case Occurs at the Great Eastern Hotel" and "Murder Case Discovered at the Great Eastern Hotel; the Victim Is a Young Woman in Gorgeous Clothes," mainly reporting the circumstances of the murder case at the Great Eastern Hotel. However, these two items did not directly mention the Chinese Communist Party, nor did they publicly report the convening of the First CCP Congress or the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Later, Party history experts, combining this murder case incident and Party history archives, verified that the opening date of the First CCP Congress was July 23; these two reports became valuable indirect historical materials corroborating the opening date of the First CCP Congress.
The relatively relaxed political environment abroad at that time allowed the founding of the Chinese Communist Party to have clear written records in foreign newspapers. More than three months after the conclusion of the First CCP Congress, on November 9 and 10, 1921, a Far Eastern correspondence written by Comintern representative Maring — "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person" (in Dutch) — was serialized in issues 34 and 35 of the Dutch newspaper De Tribune. The article openly and clearly reported on the founding of the Chinese Communist Party: "Among the readers of Chen (Duxiu)'s magazine, a small number of people scattered across eight provinces formed groups and decided to establish the Chinese Communist Party." This was the earliest public disclosure to the international community of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, becoming a precious direct historical material attesting to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Why De Tribune paid attention to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party
Why did Comintern representative Maring publish the Far Eastern correspondence "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person" in the Dutch De Tribune? This must be traced from Maring's mission to help build the Chinese Communist Party and his close relationship with De Tribune.
In October 1907, De Tribune was founded in Amsterdam. It was a left-wing Marxist publication of great influence in Dutch history and also the core theoretical battleground of the left wing of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of the Netherlands. The "Tribune faction" was the name for the left wing of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of the Netherlands, deriving its name from the Dutch De Tribune. In 1917, Lenin discussed the political role of the "Tribune faction" in the Netherlands in his political work The Tasks of the Proletariat in Our Revolution.
Maring was a supporter of the Dutch "Tribune faction" and De Tribune. In 1902, Maring joined the Social Democratic Workers' Party of the Netherlands. In 1913, he went to Java in the Dutch colony of Indonesia for revolutionary activities and established the East Indies Social Democratic Association in Indonesia. In November 1918, the "Tribune faction" created the Communist Party of the Netherlands, and De Tribune thereafter became the organ of the Communist Party of the Netherlands. Although Maring had already gone to Indonesia for revolutionary activities by this time, he maintained close ties with the Communist Party of the Netherlands. One of the editors of the Communist Party of the Netherlands organ De Tribune was Maring's son-in-law, Saar Thornton. Maring thus had a deep connection with the Dutch De Tribune. This was also a key factor enabling Maring to write news correspondence for the Dutch De Tribune as a journalist.
In July 1920, Maring, as a representative of the East Indies Social Democratic Association and the Islamic Alliance, attended the Second Comintern Congress, participated in the work of the Commission on the National and Colonial Questions, served as secretary of the Comintern Commission on the National and Colonial Questions, and was elected an executive member of the Comintern. The Comintern, on the strong recommendation of Lenin, dispatched him to China in 1921 to help with Party-building and other work. Because the Chinese Communist Party was then in a clandestine state, with a perilous political environment, Maring, as a Comintern representative, was actively engaged in Chinese Communist Party-building activities in China and always paid attention to the workers' revolutionary movement. He could only send his news correspondence manuscripts to the Dutch Communist Party organ De Tribune for public publication. According to documentary records, the fastest means of communication from Shanghai to the Netherlands at the time was usually via the United States (35-40 days). On September 4, 1921, Maring wrote the Far Eastern correspondence "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person," which was published in De Tribune on November 9. This publication speed was already considered relatively fast at the time.
The publication of "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person"
In April 1921, Maring traveled via Europe and arrived in Shanghai on June 3. On July 23, he participated in the First CCP Congress as a Comintern representative, expressed congratulations on the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, and delivered a report entitled "The Historical Mission of the Third International and the Chinese Communist Party." In August, drawing on his rich experience in the workers' movement, he suggested that the Chinese Communist Party establish a general organ of the workers' movement in Shanghai — the China Labor Union Secretariat (中国劳动组合书记部) — to concentrate efforts on guiding the vigorous development of the workers' movement in various places. On August 11, 1921, in accordance with the resolution of the First CCP Congress, the China Labor Union Secretariat was established in Shanghai; this was the first general organ of the Chinese Communist Party to openly lead the national workers' movement.
On September 4, 1921, Maring wrote a "report from the Far East," namely the Far Eastern correspondence "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person." On November 9 and 10, because the correspondence was nearly 4,000 characters long, it was serially published in issues 34 and 35 of the Dutch De Tribune, giving a detailed introduction to the development situation of the Chinese workers' movement in the early days after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. The first part of the correspondence reported on the revolutionary struggle situation in the place where he had once been active — Indonesia. He discovered that Chinese workers were even more toilsome and subjected to a higher degree of oppression than Indonesian workers: "I have been here for several months, always trying as much as possible to understand the living conditions and ideological conditions of the Chinese working class. From what I have learned and from reading materials, I find that compared with Kromo (克罗莫), the Chinese coolies, factory workers, and handicraft workers are in many respects much more backward." In this part, he also gave a detailed account of the miserable situation of Chinese workers: "Chinese workers are frequently beaten"; "Although Shanghai is gradually becoming a center of large industry, there are still tens of thousands of small workshops engaged in various handicrafts. Wages are extremely low, and the labor force is extremely large, so that primitive methods of production still prevail. In these small, ugly workshops, work begins at 7 a.m. and continues until 10 or 11 p.m., and they are still working at that hour." They "are organized with the bosses in guilds according to native-place ties"; "such guilds have no effect in improving the workers' fate."
In the second part of the correspondence, besides continuing to explain that the old-style guilds were unfavorable to the development of workers' organizations, he separately introduced the achievements of the workers' movement in Beijing, Shanghai, and the south. In Beijing: "Students have begun to work on the Beijing-Hankou Railway (京汉路) and have laid the foundation for a labor remedial school (劳动补习学校). In the labor remedial school, besides reading and writing, the rudimentary concepts of trade unions (why organize and how to organize) are also taught. The result was that six months later, after the May 1 demonstration this year, a local railway union was organized, which it is hoped will become the organization of railway employees. The union has a weekly newspaper; one of our friends in Beijing is the editor of this paper, which carried out propaganda work and also organized a railway union along the Beijing-Hankou Railway route." In Shanghai: "Some intellectuals carried out propaganda work. Although they established contacts with workers in metallurgy, textiles, streetcars, and tobacco, and tried to use workers' schools to organize a core, no lasting results were achieved." As for "the workers in the southern provinces are the most active"; "Guangzhou is not an industrial center like Shanghai; its handicraft industry is more developed than in Shanghai. In recent months, strikes have been frequent. For example, last month, 20,000 carpenters and stonemasons went on strike for higher wages. Because the police treated the workers unfairly, the workers demonstrated against the police. All conflicts ended with small wage increases."
Finally, the correspondence specially reported on "the situation in the early period after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party." The article wrote: "The Russian revolution caused a small number of intellectuals to support the Third International. In particular, the aforementioned Chen Duxiu became a firm supporter of our principles and performed well in his magazine New Youth (新青年), which he had been publishing for several years. After Sun Yat-sen's government was established, he was summoned to Guangzhou, but because he had communist ideas, he met with strong opposition from the (Nationalist) party that had invited him to take office. Therefore, he resigned and wanted to devote himself to propaganda work. Among the readers of Chen's magazine, a small number of people scattered across eight provinces formed groups and decided to establish the Chinese Communist Party... In addition, there is a student organization in Beijing studying Marxism, and in Shanghai there is a Socialist Youth organization (basically only students and teachers participate) in which various tendencies are represented."
From the above, it can be seen that in the correspondence "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person," Comintern representative Maring, subjectively, focused on introducing the situation of the Chinese workers' movement around the time of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, and overall it was relatively truthful and accurate; but objectively it disclosed the fact of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore, this correspondence became the earliest report to publicly report the founding of the Chinese Communist Party to the international community.
Later, this correspondence, "The Chinese Worker — a Badly Exploited Person," written by Comintern representative Maring, also received attention from the Soviet Union and the Comintern. In particular, the part of its second section reporting on "the situation in the early period after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party" was included in the Comintern archives under the "Non-European Countries Department" for 1921, becoming a precious archival document witnessing the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
(The author is a researcher at the Journalism and Social Development Research Center of Renmin University of China.)
Return to TopBy: 中央党校（国家行政学院）党的建设教研部
Having traversed a glorious course of 105 years, possessing scientific theoretical guidance has always been our Party's fundamental advantage and the path to victory. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building was formed in the great practice of full and rigorous Party governance in the new era, and is a scientific summation of theoretical development and practical experience in Party building in the new era. This thought profoundly grasps the intrinsic connections among managing and governing the Party, revitalizing and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation through the "Ten Persistences" (十四个坚持), comprehensively and profoundly elucidates the highest principles, strategic guidelines, value pursuits, work layout, and methodological pathways of Party building in the new era, and provides a concentrated summary of Xi Jinping's landmark and guiding new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies on Party building in the new era. The formation and development of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building has greatly deepened our Party's understanding of the laws governing the Communist Party's governance and the laws of the Party's own construction, and has greatly enriched and developed Marxist theory of Party building through a series of original theories. To deeply study and comprehend Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, it is necessary to systematically study and accurately grasp the scientific connotation of this thought, to effectively promote Party building to better enhance its political character, reflect the spirit of the times, grasp the laws of development, and be rich in creativity, making the century-old Party more robust, strong, and full of vitality.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding Party leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics." Socialism with Chinese characteristics has many features and characteristics, but the most essential feature is upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China. This is the fundamental political guarantee for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. In response to the problems that existed for a period of time within the Party, where many had vague understandings and weak actions regarding upholding Party leadership, and where there were many issues of weakening, hollowing out, and downplaying the implementation of Party leadership, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that "Party leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics," highlighting the essential stipulation of Party leadership for socialism with Chinese characteristics. In practice, our Party's planning and promotion of reform, development, and stability; internal affairs, foreign affairs, and national defense; and the governance of the Party, the state, and the military all start from strengthening Party leadership and ultimately focus on strengthening Party building. If the Party is well built, our country, our people, and our cause will have a backbone; if the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is well upheld, our country, our people, and our cause will have a compass. General Secretary Xi Jinping has deeply pondered how, in the long historical process of striving for the realization of communism, to uphold the fundamental principles of Party leadership and the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, emphasizing that the Party exercises overall leadership over all sectors, from Party, government, military, people, and cultural institutions, in all regions, east, west, south, north, and center; that Party leadership is the foundation and lifeblood of the Party and the country, and the interests and destiny of the people of all ethnic groups in the country; that upholding the Party's overall leadership is the only way to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics; and that Party leadership must be implemented in all areas, aspects, and links of managing the Party, governing the country, and administrating the state. Party leadership sets the direction, and Party building gathers strength; Party leadership plans the overall situation, and Party building promotes the final settlement. In the major principled issue of upholding Party leadership, all Party members and cadres must be particularly clear-headed, particularly sharp-eyed, and particularly firm in their stance, without any ambiguity or wavering.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee" is the highest principle of Party leadership. Maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership is an important experience from China's revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, and it is a major principle for building a mature Marxist ruling party. Looking back at history, the reason our Party has been able to repeatedly navigate turbulent rapids and dangerous shoals, withstand major tests of high winds and raging waves—even tumultuous seas—and unite and lead the people to usher in the irresistible bright prospect of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, is inseparable from a strong and powerful Party Central Committee, and inseparable from the Central Committee having a core and the entire Party having a core. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee is by no means a matter of general issues or individuals, but a directional and principled issue, a matter of Party spirit, of the overall situation, and it concerns the future and destiny of the Party, the nation, and the country; that the Party Central Committee is the brain and the central hub, and must have the authority to settle matters with one decisive voice and to have the final say; that at all times and under all circumstances, we must uphold a high degree of unity with the Party Central Committee, forming harmonies within the ensemble conducted by the Party Central Committee's unified command; and so on. The sole center of Party unity is the Party Central Committee; only when the Party Central Committee is united can the entire Party be united, and only then can the people be united. All Party members and cadres must deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments" (两个确立), strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses" (四个意识), fortify the "Four Confidences" (四个自信), and achieve the "Two Safeguards" (两个维护), resolutely responding to what the Party Central Committee advocates, resolutely following what the Party Central Committee decides, and resolutely refraining from what the Party Central Committee prohibits.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding full and rigorous Party governance" is the strategic guideline for Party building in the new era. To govern the country, the Party must first be governed; to govern the Party, rigor is essential. In the 1960s, our Party put forward the principle of "the Party must govern itself." The 13th National Congress of the Party wrote "rigorous Party governance" into the congress report, and the 16th National Congress wrote "the Party must govern itself and govern itself rigorously" into the Party Constitution. However, for a period of time, the management and governance of the Party was characterized by leniency, laxity, and weakness, causing many within the Party and in society to worry about the future and destiny of the Party and the country. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, standing at the strategic height of the Party's long-term governance and the country's enduring peace and stability, has put forward "full and rigorous Party governance" as the strategic guideline for Party building in the new era, incorporated it into the "Four Comprehensives" (四个全面) strategic layout, and unswervingly focused on rigorous thought, rigorous supervision, rigorous discipline enforcement, rigorous cadre management, rigorous work style, and rigorous anti-corruption efforts. It has continuously improved the system for full and rigorous Party governance, placed greater emphasis on comprehensive and systematic layout, coordinated and efficient advancement, curbed some unhealthy practices that had long gone unchecked, corrected some stubborn and longstanding maladies, fundamentally reversed the loose and lax situation in managing and governing the Party, and made the Party stronger and more powerful through revolutionary tempering. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that full and rigorous Party governance should be treated as a long-term strategy and an eternal subject of the Party; that the strict tone, strict measures, and strict atmosphere must be maintained over the long term; that the Party's ability to self-purify, self-improve, self-reform, and self-enhance must be continuously strengthened; and that it must be ensured that the Party never changes its nature, its color, or its flavor. All Party members and cadres must implement all aspects of full and rigorous Party governance with higher standards and more concrete measures, deeply advance the new great project of Party building in the new era, ensure that the Party always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and promote the steady and long-term advancement of Chinese-style modernization.
Deepen understanding of the principle that "upholding the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind" is the Party's purpose, stance, and value orientation. Whether for an individual or a political party, the most difficult thing is to remain true to one's original aspiration despite all vicissitudes and to retain one's fundamental character despite enduring hardships. In 1945, Mao Zedong, at the Seventh National Congress of the Party, called upon "the entire nation to unite, to organize the people's army, to organize the people's political party, and to organize the people's government." From a small red boat to a majestic giant ship, the Communist Party of China has grown and developed, becoming the world's largest political party, precisely because it is for the people, relies on the people, and benefits the people. However, the longer the Party governs, the larger its scale, and the more its composition changes, the more severe the challenges it will inevitably face in its own construction and in governing the country. The original aspiration is easy to acquire, but it is difficult to uphold consistently. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that the Party's original aspiration and mission are the concentrated embodiment of its nature and purpose, its ideals and convictions, and its goals and objectives. They inspire the Party to remain forever steadfast and drive the Party to advance resolutely. The country is the people, and the people are the country. To secure the country and to guard the country is to guard the people's hearts. The Communist Party of China is a party of the people, a party that serves the people. When the Communist Party is in power, it must do things for the people and handle the people's affairs well. The Communist Party of China is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, as well as a party that seeks progress for humanity and harmony for the world. All Party members and cadres must always remember that if the Party is to govern for a long time and always win the trust and support of the people, it must firmly establish and practice a correct view of performance, adhere to a people-centered development philosophy, follow the Party's mass line in the new era, and always breathe the same air, share the same destiny, and be heart to heart with the people.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the political building of the Party as the guiding principle" is the fundamental requirement for Party building in the new era. Taking a clear-cut stand on political matters is a fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist political party. For a period of time, under the conditions of developing a socialist market economy, our Party faced severe and complex "Four Major Tests" (四大考验) and "Four Dangers" (四种危险). The principle of commodity exchange and feudal personal dependency relationships infiltrated the Party, and the objective risk of the formation of interest groups within the Party existed. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has continuously monitored and focused on solving the "Seven Stances" (七个有之) problems, making the severe punishment of corruption involving collusion between business and politics a top priority in the crucial battle against corruption, resolutely combating capital's profit-seeking behavior backed by power, and resolutely preventing various interest groups and power cliques from infiltrating the political sphere. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the political building of the Party is the fundamental building of the Party, determining the direction and effectiveness of Party building. Without the political building of the Party, or if it deviates from the direction set by political building, the Party's other building efforts will be difficult to achieve the expected results. The 19th National Congress of the Party explicitly prioritized the political building of the Party and emphasized taking the political building of the Party as the guiding principle. It made maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership the highest political principle, implemented Party leadership in all areas, aspects, and links of managing the Party, governing the country, and administrating the state, strictly enforced political discipline and political rules, strengthened political supervision and deepened political inspections, resolutely prevented and addressed the "Seven Stances," resolutely eliminated double-dealers and two-faced people who feign compliance with the Party Central Committee, and continuously purified the political ecosystem within the Party. All Party members and cadres must deeply understand the strategic considerations and rational choices made since the 18th National Congress to prioritize political building. They must consciously align with the political direction, uphold the Party's political leadership, consolidate the political foundation, cultivate the political ecosystem, guard against political risks, forever preserve political integrity, and enhance political capabilities. They must resolutely safeguard the Party's unity and solidarity, ensuring that the entire Party acts with unified will, unified actions, and coordinated steps forward.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the use of the Party's innovative theories to consolidate souls and build spirit" is the fundamental task of the Party's ideological building. Thought forges the soul; theory sets the spirit. Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary practice. The advanced nature of a Marxist political party is first of all reflected in its ideological and theoretical advanced nature. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, our Party has adhered to integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture, establishing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and opening up new horizons in the sinicization and modernization of Marxism. To adhere to ideological Party building, it is necessary to arm the mind and transform the subjective world with the Marxist worldview and methodology. To adhere to theoretical Party strengthening, it is necessary to promote the arming of the entire Party with the Party's innovative theories, educate the people, and advance work. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that ideological building is the foundational building of the Party; that arming the entire Party with the Party's innovative theories is the fundamental task of the Party's ideological building; that theoretical arming must be continuously strengthened; that long-term mechanisms should be improved for learning to forge the soul, learning to increase wisdom, learning to rectify conduct, and learning to promote action; that the foundation of faith must be laid firmly, the spiritual calcium must be supplemented, and the ideological helm must be secured steadily. Faced with increasingly arduous and complex mission tasks, all Party members and cadres must deeply recognize that the Party's innovative theories are the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people. Only by unremittingly using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to consolidate souls and build spirit can minds be clarified, directions be set, actions be resolute, and the fruits of learning be continuously transformed into a powerful force for performing duties, taking responsibilities, starting undertakings, and creating achievements.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the tempering of strong Party spirit" is a lifelong subject for Party members and cadres. The Party spirit of Chinese Communists reflects the requirements that the Party's nature places on individual Party members, and it reflects the Party's advanced nature and integrity. Practice has repeatedly proven that any problems arising among Party members and cadres ultimately stem from problems in the root source of Party spirit. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that Party spirit is the cornerstone of a Party member's and cadre's life, career, words, and morals. For a Communist, the focus of Party spirit is to strengthen ideals and convictions, forge loyalty to the Party, cultivate deep feelings for the people, purify moral character, and maintain integrity and honesty. To enhance Party spirit, genuine self-cultivation and tempering are required. Leading cadres should treat the tempering of Party spirit and the enhancement of ideological awareness as a lifelong subject, learning until old age, studying until old age, and cultivating until old age. All Party members and cadres must deeply understand that the cultivation of Party spirit is a transformation of the essence of the Party member. To consciously temper strong Party spirit, one must pay attention to nurturing Party spirit with socialist advanced culture, revolutionary culture, and fine traditional Chinese culture; continuously undergo tempering in the "great furnace" of inner-party political life; and transform the subjective world while transforming the objective world.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the establishment of an organizational system that is interconnected from top to bottom and effective in execution" is where the Party's strengths and power lie. The Party's strength comes from organization, and organization can multiply strength. The Party Central Committee is the sole source of authority for Party organizations at all levels. Local Party organizations must resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. Grassroots Party organizations must become strong fighting fortresses for effectively realizing the Party's leadership. In response to problems in the Party's organizational system that arose for a period of time, such as short circuits in transmission, blockages in execution, and inadequate implementation, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that the Party's overall leadership and all its work must be realized through a strong organizational system; that the organizational system that is interconnected from top to bottom and effective in execution should be improved; that the political function and organizational function of Party organizations should be enhanced; that Party organizations at all levels should be pushed to make comprehensive progress and become fully developed and strong. Central Party and state organs are the "first kilometer" for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and there must be no "stumbling blocks." Local Party committees are the "middle section" for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and there must be no "middle obstruction." Grassroots Party organizations are the "last kilometer" for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and there must be no "dead ends." The Party's political and organizational advantages must be transformed into advantages for winning. The Party's political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social appeal must be continuously strengthened. Party organizations at all levels, all Party members, and cadres must all be accountable and fulfill their responsibilities for their own jurisdictions, making every effort to clear various blockages, choke points, and blind spots in the implementation of the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments, ensuring that the Party's leadership is like "the body moving the arms, and the arms moving the fingers."
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the building of a contingent of high-quality cadres capable of shouldering the task of national rejuvenation" is a critical issue concerning the cause of the Party and the country. Once the political line is determined, cadres are the decisive factor. If problems arise in our country, they will mainly come from within the Communist Party; if problems arise in our Party, they will mainly come from the cadres. In response to prominent problems that existed for a period of time in the cadre contingent, such as political impurity, insufficient sense of responsibility, weak abilities, and unrealistic work styles, especially the absence of supervision over the "key minority," the tendency towards "four-only" (四唯) in selecting and appointing personnel, the chronic ailment of some cadres being inactive in their positions, and other such ills, it is necessary to profoundly answer the question of the era — "the essence of governing the country lies first in employing the right people" — with a strong sense of urgency. Entering the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed and adhered to the Party's organizational line for the new era; adhered to the principle of the Party supervising cadres and the organization selecting cadres, strengthening the leadership and gate-keeping role of Party organizations; clearly defined the standards for good cadres in the new era — firm ideals and convictions, serving the people, diligence and pragmatism, daring to take responsibility, and being honest and upright; improved the system for cadre quality cultivation, understanding people through their deeds, selection and appointment, strict management, and positive incentives; grasped the fundamental plan of ensuring that the cause is carried forward by subsequent generations; recognized that the key to strict Party governance lies in strict governance of officials; prevented the emergence of unhealthy practices and corruption in the selection and appointment of cadres; deepened the reform of the cadre personnel system, forming a complete, scientific, standardized, effective, practical, simple, and easy-to-implement system for selecting and appointing cadres. All Party members and cadres must practice the political character of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility, continuously enhance their abilities to promote high-quality development, serve the masses, and prevent and defuse risks, and devote themselves selflessly and strive with dedication for the cause of the Party and the people.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style improvement" is an effective way to maintain the flesh-and-blood bond between the Party and the masses. The Party's work style affects the Party's image, the people's support or opposition, and the Party's survival or demise, and determines the success or failure of the Party's and the country's cause. China's millennia-old tradition of governing through moral education and law shows that style is formed at the top, and customs are transformed at the bottom. To promote an upward and upright social and popular culture, all Party members and cadres must lead with an exemplary work style. In response to the increasingly rampant "Four Unhealthy Work Styles" (四风) that emerged within the Party for a period of time, General Secretary Xi Jinping deeply perceived the essence of the work style problem, profoundly pointing out that the core of the work style problem is the relationship between the Party and the masses. Work style improvement is always on the way. The spirit of the Central Committee's Eight-Point Regulation must be implemented with perseverance. The rectification of the "Four Unhealthy Work Styles" and the cultivation of new practices must be advanced simultaneously. Privileged thinking and privileged behavior must be resolutely eradicated. Party organizations at all levels must enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of work style education, establish and improve mechanisms for regularly discovering and solving problems, strengthen supervision and discipline enforcement, implement political responsibility for work style improvement, and continuously promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style improvement. All Party members and cadres must persist in enhancing awareness through study, increasing self-consciousness through problem identification, frequently using the Marxist flashlight to shine on themselves, starting with improvements in daily trivial matters and minor details, breaking with erroneous ideas, and truly liberating themselves through good habits.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the strict discipline to govern the entire Party and all its members" is the fundamental strategy for full and rigorous Party governance. Party discipline is the code of conduct that must be observed by all Party organizations and all Party members. It is an important guarantee for maintaining the Party's unity and solidarity and for accomplishing the Party's tasks. Our Party is a Marxist political party organized by revolutionary ideals and iron discipline. Strict discipline is a glorious tradition and unique advantage of the Party. However, for a period of time, some Party organizations, Party members, and cadres showed a weakening sense of the Party, organizational laxity, and slack discipline, becoming prominent problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly stated that for the Party to govern itself and to govern itself strictly, it must rely on strict discipline; that discipline should be stricter than the law and take precedence over the law; that the "Four Forms" (四种形态) of supervision and discipline enforcement should be applied; that political discipline and organizational discipline should be especially strengthened, driving strictness in integrity discipline, mass discipline, work discipline, and life discipline; that institutions and discipline should become live "high-voltage lines"; that the functions of Party discipline in education, restraint, guarantee, and motivation should be comprehensively exerted. All Party members and cadres must strictly observe the Party's discipline and rules, be adept at transforming heteronomy into self-discipline, internalizing it as a daily code of conduct used unconsciously, and find full freedom and broad space for starting undertakings and creating achievements within the framework of observing discipline and rules.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the integrated advancement of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt" is an important strategy for full and rigorous Party governance and the basic policy for the fight against corruption. Corruption is the greatest cancer that endangers the Party's vitality and combat effectiveness, and it has always been fundamentally incompatible and irreconcilable with the Party's nature and purpose. For a period of time, the trend of corruption within the Party escalated, some corrupt practices became increasingly rampant, even shocking, extremely vile in nature, and politically extremely harmful, seriously eroding the Party's ruling foundation. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that corruption is the greatest threat facing our Party; that the fight against corruption is a major struggle that cannot afford to lose and must not be lost; that a clear head must be maintained, the charge must always be sounded, and it must be remembered that the fight against corruption is always ongoing; that the Party and state supervision systems must be upheld and improved; that the integrated advancement of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt must be upheld; that corruption must be punished with a zero-tolerance attitude, and the path of anti-corruption with Chinese characteristics must be unswervingly followed; that the regulation and supervision of the allocation and operation of power must be strengthened; that efforts to build a culture of integrity in the new era must be strengthened. All Party members and cadres must deeply understand that the strategy and policy of the integrated advancement of the "three don'ts" (三不腐) is not divided into stages or levels, but is integrated as a whole. The three are interdependent and mutually reinforcing in their internal logic. With integrity, responsibility is strengthened; with responsibility, loyalty is fortified.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the governance of the Party through institutions and laws" is the long-term and fundamental strategy for full and rigorous Party governance. Leadership systems, organizational systems, and the like are major issues in Party building that govern the fundamentals, the long term, the overall situation, and ensure stability. The 13th National Congress of the Party formally put forward the major proposition of strengthening Party institutional building. The 16th National Congress incorporated institutional building into the overall layout of Party building. In response to problems that emerged for a period of time in the implementation of institutions by some Party members and cadres, such as "running through when the light is yellow, bypassing when the light is red," as well as insufficient authority of Party institutions, inadequate supply, and lax enforcement, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated that we must uphold the governance of the Party through institutions and laws; improve the system of inner-party laws and regulations; deepen the reform of the Party building system; and put power in the cage of institutions. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that cadres at all levels must be guided to consciously study the Party Constitution, abide by the Party Constitution, implement the Party Constitution, and uphold the Party Constitution; that democratic centralism must be strictly implemented; that everyone is equal before the institutions, and there is no exception in the implementation of institutions. All Party members and cadres must deeply recognize the important law that "to govern the country, the Party must first be governed; to govern the Party, rigor is essential; to achieve rigor, laws and rules must be followed," insist on using institutions to manage power, affairs, and people, test institutional effectiveness by simplicity, practicality, scientific soundness, and usefulness, and continuously improve institutional execution through conscious observance of rules and discipline.
Deeply comprehend that "upholding the implementation of political responsibility for managing and governing the Party" is the "ox nose" that must be firmly grasped in full and rigorous Party governance. Leadership is responsibility, and Party leadership itself inherently includes the requirements of education, management, and supervision. Faced with the prominent problems that emerged for a period of time, where some Party organizations narrowly interpreted the responsibility for managing and governing the Party as the responsibility for building a clean Party and fighting corruption, and even vaguely handed it over to the discipline inspection commissions, leading to the hollowing out of the main responsibility of Party committees (Party groups), the gradual reduction of pressure at each level, and the non-implementation of responsibilities idling, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that the key to implementing the main responsibility is to truly implement Party leadership; that from the main responsibility for building a clean Party and fighting corruption to the main responsibility for full and rigorous Party governance, it is not just a change in wording, but also a development in practice and a deepening of understanding. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the responsibility for managing and governing the Party is the most fundamental political responsibility; that the responsibility for managing and governing the Party includes the main responsibility, the supervisory responsibility, the responsibility of the first responsible person, and "one post with dual responsibilities," which together constitute a complete responsibility chain; each kind of responsibility is very important and must be strictly implemented; that a responsibility system with clear subjects and clear requirements must be established to ensure that the responsibility for managing and governing the Party is implemented. All Party members and cadres, especially leading cadres, must deeply recognize that full and rigorous Party governance is the common responsibility of the entire Party, continuously enhance their sense of responsibility according to their duties and tasks, patch up the weak links in implementing the responsibility system for managing and governing the Party, consciously understand responsibilities, clarify responsibilities, assume responsibilities, and fulfill responsibilities, and truly implement all requirements of full and rigorous Party governance consistently and thoroughly.
Since the birth of Marxist theory of Party building, the light of its truth has always illuminated the path of human progress, not only profoundly changing the world but also profoundly changing China. Looking back at the Communist Party of China's own construction history, precisely because of Mao Zedong's thought on Party building, a Party that was entirely consolidated ideologically, politically, and organizationally was established, uniting and leading the people to establish New China and achieving great victories in socialist revolution and construction. Precisely because of the scientific guidance of Deng Xiaoping's theory on Party building and others, the Communist Party of China carried forward the past and opened up the future, advanced with the times in promoting the new great project of Party building, uniting and leading the people to achieve great achievements in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. In the new era and new journey, with the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, the Communist Party of China will certainly govern and strengthen itself well, providing a strong guarantee for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, and making new and greater contributions to the progress of human civilization.
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On the morning of June 25, the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）) held a study and education warning education meeting on establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance. Executive Vice President (Vice Director-General) (分管日常工作的副校长（副院长）) Xie Chuntao (谢春涛) briefed and analyzed the School's (Academy's) positive and negative typical cases. Vice President (Vice Director-General) and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Organs, Gong Weibin (龚维斌), presided over the meeting. Vice Presidents (Vice Directors-General) Li Wentang (李文堂) and Zhang Zhongjun (张忠军), members of the School (Academy) Affairs Committee Feng Pengzhi (冯鹏志) and Wang Yang (王洋), and Second-Level Inspector and Discipline Inspection and Supervision Officer of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group stationed at the Central Organization Department (驻中组部纪检监察组二级巡视员、纪检监察员) Han Long (韩龙) attended the meeting.
Xie Chuntao emphasized that it is necessary to deeply study and implement Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, earnestly study and comprehend General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and important directives and instructions on establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance and on the work of the Party school, draw lessons from the positive and negative typical cases, find gaps from Party spirit, trace root causes, and strengthen cultivation, so as to further enhance the ideological consciousness and action consciousness of establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance.
Xie Chuntao pointed out that it is necessary to steadfastly practice the original aspiration of the Party school, take a 旗帜鲜明 (qí zhì xiān míng - "banners and flags are bright," clear-cut stand) stand in stressing politics, and firmly support the "two establishments" (两个确立) and resolutely achieve the "two upholds" (两个维护) with concrete actions; it is necessary to strengthen the awareness of the front, guard against ideological risks, resolutely keep the podium of the Party school and send out the voice of the Party school; it is necessary to adhere to scientific decision-making, strictly observe the discipline red line, strictly implement democratic centralism, and do things according to laws and rules; it is necessary to highlight the people-oriented orientation, do practical affairs for people's livelihoods, go deep into the grassroots to extensively solicit opinions and suggestions, and resolutely oppose formalism; it is necessary to improve assessment and evaluation, establish a clear orientation, and effectively encourage cadres to take responsibility and act, and to start undertakings and do work.
Xie Chuntao demanded that all directly subordinate units and Party organizations must always keep the thread of grasping study and education tight, take typical cases as mirrors, deeply examine and correct prominent problems of deviation in the view of political performance, earnestly and solidly advance integrated study, investigation, and rectification, coordinate and grasp study and education and central work, better practice the original aspiration of the Party school of cultivating talents for the Party and offering suggestions for the Party (为党育才、为党献策), and strive to write a new chapter in the development of the School (Academy).
A total of approximately 1,500 people attended the meeting, including all on-duty teaching and administrative staff Party members, contract-employee Party members, retired teaching and administrative staff Party member representatives, and graduate student Party member representatives.
Return to TopOn the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, in order to deeply study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想) and strengthen research on the disciplinary construction of the history and party building of the CPC (中共党史党建学), on June 25, the theoretical seminar on "Signature Concepts of the Discipline of CPC History and Party Building" (中共党史党建学的标识性概念) was held in Hefei, sponsored by the Anhui Provincial Party School (Administration College) (安徽省委党校（行政学院）) and organized by the Anhui Red Culture Inheritance and Innovation Center (安徽红色文化传承创新中心) and the Anhui Provincial Party School Party Spirit Education Research Center (安徽省委党校党性教育研究中心). More than 60 participants attended from the Anhui Provincial Party School (Administration College), the Anhui Provincial Party History Research Institute (Anhui Provincial Local Chronicles Research Institute) (安徽省委党史研究院（安徽省地方志研究院）), the province's university system, and student representatives. Pan Liquan (潘理权), vice president of the Anhui Provincial Party School (Administration College), delivered a speech, and Wu Meifang (吴梅芳), deputy director and second-level professor of the Anhui Provincial Party History Research Institute (Anhui Provincial Local Chronicles Research Institute), gave a keynote address.
The participating experts conducted in-depth discussions around core topics such as the theoretical connotation, historical evolution, disciplinary positioning, and methodological pathways of the signature concepts of the discipline of CPC history and party building. The participating experts believed that signature concepts are the "academic business card" of a discipline. For the discipline of CPC history and party building, they carry the historical experience of the Party's over one hundred years of struggle, condense the theoretical essence of Party building, and manifest the essential attributes of a Marxist political party. To refine the signature concepts of the discipline of CPC history and party building, one must firmly grasp the correct political direction and adhere to the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building; take root in the fertile soil of practice, and promote the theoretical elaboration of concepts in the process of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground; strengthen theoretical support, and deepen the organic integration of the concept system and disciplinary knowledge.
The participating scholars all expressed that they would turn the consensus reached at the meeting into concrete actions to implement and carry out Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and promote the high-quality development of the discipline, contributing wisdom and strength to building an independent knowledge system for the discipline of CPC history and party building with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner.
(Tian Hairun (田海润))
News Report
On June 26, the "Seminar on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想)" was convened at the Party School (School of Administration) of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China. Executive Vice President (of the school) Liu Baodong (刘宝东) attended and delivered a speech, and Vice President Yuan Jinhui (袁金辉) presided.
Wang Feng (王峰), Vice President and Professor of the Institute of CPC History and Party Building at Beijing Normal University; Shen Yang (沈阳), Director and Researcher of the Office of the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Institute of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Gu Huaxiang (顾华详), First-level Inspector of the Institute of Party History and Documentation of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee; Lu Yongping (卢永平), Party Secretary, Director, and Editor-in-Chief of Today's Xinjiang magazine; Zhao Jianlin (赵建林), Deputy Party Secretary and Dean of Xinjiang Cadre College; Wang Zengwei (王增伟), Deputy Party Secretary, Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary, and Vice Dean of Xinjiang Discipline Inspection and Supervision College; Yan Guojiang (闫国疆), Dean and Professor of the School of Marxism at Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics; Wang Yuliu (王玉柳), Professor and Deputy Director of the Teaching and Research Department of Party History and Party Building at the Party School (School of Administration) of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (新疆生产建设兵团); and Fan Xiutong (范秀同), Director of the Teaching and Research Department of Party History and Party Building at the Party School (School of Administration) of the Autonomous Region Party Committee — nine experts and scholars in total — gave keynote speeches on themes including "the historical experience of persisting in using the Party's innovative theory to unite minds and forge souls in the new era," "using Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to guide Xinjiang's high-quality development," and "using Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to guide the Party's political construction," sharing their latest research findings.
The meeting emphasized that deepening the systematic and theoretical research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theory under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the era mission shouldered by workers in philosophy and social sciences. Party schools are important positions for the Party's ideological and theoretical construction; they must continuously strengthen the systematic and theoretical research, publicity, and interpretation of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, promote Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to take root, blossom, and bear fruit on both sides of the Tianshan Mountains, and truly transform the results of study into vivid practice in advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era, contributing wisdom and strength to Xinjiang's social stability and lasting peace, and to the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Experts and scholars from units including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University, the Party School (School of Administration) of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Institute of Party History and Documentation of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, Xinjiang Daily, Xinjiang Cadre College, Xinjiang Discipline Inspection and Supervision College, and Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics, as well as responsible persons from various departments of the Party School (School of Administration) of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee, and all teachers and media reporters, totaling over 100 people, attended the meeting.
(Zhao Wei)
News Report. On June 26, the 2026 High-End Think Tank Forum on Governance of Developing Countries was held in Beijing, with the forum theme being “The Historical Mission and Action Value of Political Parties.” Xie Chuntao (谢春涛), Executive Vice President (Vice Dean) in Charge of Daily Work of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）); Qu Qingshan (曲青山), President of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature (中央党史和文献研究院); Chang Bo (常勃), Director of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration (中国外文局); and Qu Yingpu (曲莹璞), President and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, attended the main forum and delivered speeches. The main forum was divided into two sessions (upper and lower units), moderated respectively by Li Yi (李毅) and Li Wentang (李文堂), Vice Presidents (Vice Deans) of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Wang Junwei (王均伟), Director of the Academic and Editorial Committee of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature, attended.
Eight guests delivered keynote speeches at the main forum: Tamara Duisenova, President of the Kazakhstan Political Management Academy and former Deputy Prime Minister; José Luis Centella, Chairman of the Communist Party of Spain; Erik Solheim, Co-Chair of the EU-Asia Centre and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme; Clifford Oparaodu, Secretary-General of the Independent Commission for the Prevention of Corruption and Other Related Offences of Nigeria; Weng Shijie (翁诗杰), former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia and former Minister of Transport of Malaysia; Duan Peng (段鹏), President of Beijing Language and Culture University (北京语言大学); Maizouda Abdelmalek, President of the Algerian National School of Administration; and Héctor Villagrán Cepeda, former Minister of Transport and Public Works of Ecuador and Professor at Beijing Language and Culture University.
The meeting proposed that political parties should be the leaders of national development, the representatives of the people’s interests, and the promoters of human progress. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly put forward the Chinese Dream of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, leading the entire Party to remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, step by step turning the great dream into a beautiful reality, and driving the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into an irreversible historical process. The Communist Party of China attaches great importance to theoretical innovation, insists on using developing Marxism to guide practice, and has provided scientific theoretical guidance for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China insists on proceeding from China’s actual conditions, continuously promotes innovative breakthroughs in theory and practice, and has expanded the correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China insists on drawing the blueprint to the end, uses medium- and long-term planning to guide economic and social development, and has drawn up a grand strategic blueprint for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China insists on reform and innovation, continuously promotes the self-improvement and development of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and has provided a strong institutional guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Everyone believes that the Communist Party of China is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and also a party that seeks progress for humanity and common harmony for the world. The Communist Party of China has shouldered the responsibility of leadership, insists on staying at the forefront of the times, and has always led the direction of China’s progress. The Communist Party of China has shouldered the responsibility of promoting development, insists on taking development as the top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country, and continuously strives for the people’s better life. The Communist Party of China has shouldered the responsibility of civilizational inheritance, insists on upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, and has promoted the life renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization. The Communist Party of China has shouldered the responsibility of maintaining peace, insists on keeping the world in mind, and injects more stability and certainty into the world. The Communist Party of China will fulfill its responsibility as a major country and major party, bring more opportunities to the world, especially Global South countries, through its own development, and make greater contributions to world development, especially the development of Global South countries. Political parties of all countries should join hands and cooperate, jointly shoulder historical missions, and open up a brighter prospect for human society.
This forum was co-hosted by the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), the Central Institute of Party History and Literature, the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, and China Daily. A total of three parallel forums were set up. The theme of Parallel Forum 1 was Political Parties and Global Development, mainly focusing on modernization paths and Global South unity and cooperation. The theme of Parallel Forum 2 was Political Parties and Social Governance, mainly discussing the functional positioning of political parties in the national governance system. The theme of Parallel Forum 3 was Political Parties and Global Governance, mainly contributing wisdom to the reform of the global governance system from three dimensions: value guidance, Southern consensus, and youth cultivation.
A total of more than 150 experts, scholars, and media representatives from over 20 countries and international organizations attended.
Return to TopBy: 杨芳 贺志琴
Shanghai is the birthplace of the Communist Party of China, the place where the Communist Party of China set sail for its dream, and also a window through which the world observes China, a hub connecting China to the world, and an important bearer of major national strategies. Relying on Shanghai’s unique position and resource advantages, Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) (上海市委党校（行政学院）) has continuously expanded the depth and breadth of its open-run education, actively played a role in international communication work, and striven to tell the Chinese story well and spread Shanghai’s excellence.
Serving the overall work of foreign affairs, it has constructed a new pattern of open-run education. Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) adheres to the educational philosophy of “modernization, comprehensiveness, research-orientation, and openness,” deeply integrates into the foreign engagement work of the Party and the state, steadily builds a multi-level, multi-dimensional pattern of open-run education, and establishes a coordinated operational system between the Foreign Affairs Office and the Foreign Training Office, the “two foreign” offices. Among them, the Foreign Affairs Office undertakes the central management responsibilities for foreign affairs, coordinating external liaison, resource integration, policy control, and risk and discipline management; the Foreign Training Office focuses on its main responsibilities and core business, fully responsible for the planning, curriculum design, trainee management, and teaching organization of foreign-related training programs. Currently, Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) maintains stable cooperation with over 30 partners from outside the country (territory), and during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, it has undertaken 130 various inspection and training projects from outside the country (territory) and received 95 batches of visits from relevant institutions outside the country (territory).
Fulfilling political missions, it carries out the promotion and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories. In its open-run education, Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) always keeps in mind the “great affairs of the state” (国之大者), adheres to the principle of “taking ourselves as the mainstay, using for our own benefit, and learning from and mutually referencing with others,” actively fulfills the political mission of telling the Chinese story and the story of the Communist Party of China well, and proactively promotes the Party’s innovative theories and the latest practices of Chinese-style modernization to the outside world. In 2025, Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) hosted the Third Global South Think Tank Dialogue – Special Promotion and Interpretation Meeting on the Spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, using a “short lecture, long interaction” approach to deeply interpret the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for over 150 high-end think tank scholars from more than 100 countries, receiving high praise from all parties. At the same time, it organized teachers to travel to Global South countries such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Venezuela to give lectures, systematically introducing the experience of the Communist Party of China in grassroots governance, style construction, and cadre cultivation, and deeply promoting and interpreting the Shanghai practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Adhering to 守正创新 (shǒu zhèng chuàng xīn - “uphold the correct and create anew,” to maintain core principles while innovating), it has built a distinctive discourse and narrative system. Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) continuously promotes the “supply-side reform” of foreign-related courses, strives to construct a foreign-related course framework with the characteristics of the times, Chinese features, and Shanghai traits, and actively creates a distinctive discourse and narrative system that is “most Chinese,” “most Shanghai,” and “most Party School.”
Closely following the foreign promotion mainline of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, it enhances value identification and emotional identification. In terms of theoretical teaching, it offers a series of courses to deeply explain the core essence, rich connotations, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In terms of case teaching, it closely follows the vivid practices of Shanghai’s “five centers” and people’s city construction, using a series of perceivable, understandable, and identifiable narrative expressions to vividly answer why the Communist Party of China can succeed, why Marxism works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good. It has developed multilingual teaching courses for the theme classroom “Shanghai Practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” allowing foreign trainees, through immersive “seeing, listening, thinking, discussing, and researching,” to truly perceive the powerful truth force and practical force of the Communist Party of China’s innovative theories. In terms of on-site teaching, it promptly transforms General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches in Shanghai into foreign-related course content, forming a series of on-site teachings on “General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Footprints in Shanghai” that have themes, mainlines, and logic.
Focusing on the inheritance of the “red gene” (红色基因) and the Shanghai practice of Chinese-style modernization, it demonstrates governance effectiveness and ideological power. It emphasizes promoting Shanghai’s vivid cases in carrying forward the great founding spirit of the Party and promoting high-quality development, high-quality life, high-efficiency governance, and high-level opening-up, vividly telling the Shanghai sample of Chinese-style modernization. It offers a series of special courses such as “Inheriting and Carrying Forward the Great Founding Spirit of the Party,” “The Course of Shanghai’s Reform and Opening-Up,” and “Deeply Advancing the Major National Strategy of Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta,” while also focusing on developing a series of on-site teachings on “Shanghai’s Struggle Practice in the New Era,” allowing visitors to witness how Chinese-style modernization has been gradually transformed from a blueprint into reality.
Building a communication matrix with online and offline coordination and linkage, it ensures that theoretical dissemination enters the mind and heart. Through online live-streamed teaching and video recording, it opens up new channels and new models for external promotion and interpretation. Since 2020, it has developed 60 foreign-related online courses, all of which have been included in the online course database for foreign exchanges of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (中联部). Centering on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, it has carefully created a series of all-English video courses titled “The Voice of the Times: Interpreting Fifteen Era Keywords,” which are released and pushed on the WeChat public account and website of Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration). It has organized the compilation of a foreign-oriented bilingual reader titled Why Shanghai, presenting a panoramic view of Shanghai’s vivid cases of high-quality development, high-quality life, high-efficiency governance, and high-level opening-up in the process of Chinese-style modernization.
Grasping talent development firmly, it lays a solid foundation for the cause of international communication. Shanghai Municipal Party Institute (School of Administration) focuses on studying the laws of foreign-related training teaching and the growth laws of excellent teachers, and through methods such as advanced studies, special training, study visits abroad, and international academic seminars, it strives to cultivate high-quality professional key teachers for foreign promotion who have excellent political literacy, are familiar with foreign-related training business, proficient in modern training methods, capable of teaching in foreign languages, and have a rich disciplinary structure. It has successively held four special teacher training sessions on “Telling the Chinese Story Well, Giving Play to the Role of the Party School,” training nearly 100 teachers from the municipal and district levels, helping a group of young teachers grow into the backbone and mainstay of foreign-related training. In addition, it has selected and appointed over 100 leading cadres, experts and scholars, and outstanding grassroots cadres with rich practical experience and high theoretical level as part-time teachers, engaging in in-depth discussions with foreign parties to increase trust and dispel doubts.
Return to TopNews Dispatch On the morning of June 23, the teaching delivery activity of the "Mobile Classroom for the Party's Innovative Theory" (党的创新理论流动课堂) of the Party School of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee (Zhejiang Administration College) (浙江省委党校（行政学院）) entering Tibet was officially launched at the Party School of the Tibet Autonomous Region Committee (Tibet Autonomous Region Administration College) (西藏自治区党委党校（行政学院）). Cui Luchun (崔禄春), Executive Vice President of the Party School of the Tibet Autonomous Region Committee (Tibet Autonomous Region Administration College); Liu Jinqiang (刘进强), Vice President of the Party School of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee (Zhejiang Administration College); and Qiu Zhiqiang (邱智强), Deputy Commander of the Zhejiang Provincial Aid-Tibet Command Headquarters (浙江省援藏指挥部), attended and delivered speeches respectively.
This teaching delivery activity is a specific measure to implement the cooperation and assistance agreement between the party schools of Tibet and Zhejiang. The teaching delivery team, relying on the Zhejiang Provincial Research and Teaching Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (浙江省习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想教研中心), gathered multiple winners of high-quality courses, bringing a batch of high-quality courses that have both theoretical height and practical depth, and specially arranged sessions for national project application guidance and on-site teaching course polishing, providing effective assistance for improving the teaching and research level of the Tibet party school and broadening the trainees' theoretical horizons and work ideas.
During the one-week teaching delivery activity, the team will go deep into Lhasa and Nagqu, and through forms such as excellent course demonstrations, thematic guidance, course polishing, and themed micro-lessons, carry out systematic teaching and in-depth exchanges for party school teachers and main session trainees, and simultaneously cover 7 prefecture-level party schools and 73 county-level party schools through the "Smart Campus" information system (智慧校园).
Basang Ciren (巴桑次仁) and Huang Xianghuai (黄相怀), Vice Presidents of the Party School of the Tibet Autonomous Region Committee (Tibet Autonomous Region Administration College), as well as main session trainees and all faculty members of the school (college), attended the meeting, with more than 360 people simultaneously participating online.
Return to TopNews Dispatch From June 24 to 25, the province-wide special seminar on basic training work for village (community) cadres and Party members, hosted by the Shandong Provincial Party Organization Department (山东省委组织部) and the Shandong Provincial Party School (Administration College) (山东省委党校（行政学院）), was held in Zouping (邹平市). This seminar aimed to thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on Party school work, further promote the implementation and realization of basic training for village (community) cadres and Party members across the province, comprehensively enhance the performance capabilities of village (community) cadres and Party members, and consolidate the foundation of grassroots governance.
The meeting pointed out that carrying out basic training for village (community) cadres and Party members is an innovative initiative by Shandong Province to strengthen the building of grassroots Party organizations and the Party membership contingent, leveraging the advantages of Party member cadre training work. It is necessary to focus on improving quality and increasing efficiency, clarify the main themes and main lines, scientifically and precisely arrange training, strengthen training organization, deeply conduct study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, and comprehensively raise the level of basic training work. It is necessary to consolidate work synergy, compact work responsibilities, strengthen factor guarantees, perfect the quality control system, construct a work pattern of coordinated linkage, normal mechanisms and long-term effectiveness, and with a higher stance, more concrete measures, and stricter work style, comprehensively enhance the quality and capability of the grassroots Party member cadre contingent, providing a strong organizational guarantee for advancing the Shandong practice of Chinese-style modernization.
The meeting emphasized that strengthening basic training for village (community) cadres and Party members is an inevitable requirement for arming grassroots cadres and Party members with the Party's innovative theories, a practical need for solving grassroots difficulties and improving people's welfare, and also the proper significance of playing the role of positions and better demonstrating the unique value of grassroots Party schools. It is necessary to closely focus on the key elements of basic training, center on full and effective coverage of all personnel, optimization of training content, construction of the teacher contingent, and application of teaching methods, to create a precise and efficient training system. It is necessary to make efforts to strengthen training guarantees, persist in strengthening coordinated linkage, strengthening carrier support, strengthening school spirit and study style, ensure that basic training tasks are implemented and take root, and make new and greater contributions to accelerating the building of the Qilu model (齐鲁样板) for rural revitalization and advancing the construction of a strong socialist modernization province.
This special seminar adopted the "main classroom + branch classroom" format, invited relevant responsible comrades from the Shandong Provincial Party Organization Department, the Shandong Provincial Party School (Administration College), and representatives from grassroots Party schools to give special guidance, and organized on-site teaching and exchange discussions. The teaching content closely followed grassroots basic training practice, and the teaching method emphasized the combination of on-site observation and centralized guidance.
Relevant responsible comrades from the Shandong Provincial Party Organization Department and the Shandong Provincial Party School (Administration College), comrades in charge of relevant departments, relevant responsible comrades from Binzhou (滨州市) and Zouping, and executive vice principals of Party schools (Administration Schools) of various counties (cities, districts) — a total of over 140 people — participated in the training. Comrades in charge of Organization Departments and Party schools (Administration Schools) of various municipal Party committees, comrades in charge of relevant sections (departments), comrades in charge of Organization Departments and Party schools (Administration Schools) of various counties (cities, districts) Party committees, comrades in charge of relevant sections, and comrades in charge of Party schools (Party member education centers) of various townships (subdistricts) — a total of about 2,600 people — participated in the training online in branch classrooms.
Return to TopNews report: Recently, the Chongqing Municipal Party School (Administration College) (重庆市委党校（行政学院）) held the third meeting of the 2026 Leading Group for Famous Course Development (名课开发领导小组). Executive Vice President (of the School/College) Liu Xiaowu (刘晓吾) presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. School (College) leaders Zhang Jian (张健), Xie Laiwei (谢来位), and Hou Jinxiong (侯晋雄) attended the meeting.
The meeting pointed out that teaching is the main responsibility and main business of the Party school. Since the beginning of this year, the entire school has earnestly implemented the municipal party committee's deployment requirements, deeply implemented the famous course development action (名课开发行动), and achieved a series of landmark results. The atmosphere for collective lesson preparation has become thicker, the quality of course development has continuously improved, and overall student satisfaction is increasingly improving. It is necessary to always adhere to the principle that the Party school is for the Party, systematically and theoretically elucidate the Party's innovative theories, and firmly guard the Party school's ideological阵地. It is necessary to clarify the main attack direction, increase the development intensity of classic, cutting-edge, urgently needed, and scarce courses, especially strengthening the development of courses on Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, and improving digital capabilities. It is necessary to deepen organized teaching research, guide teaching and research personnel to firmly establish the awareness that 'every class is a high-quality course, everyone has a representative work,' cherish positions, cherish opportunities, cherish platforms, and achieve deep cultivation in specialties, deep cultivation in practice, and deep cultivation in lecture notes, to stand firm, stand steady, and stand well on the Party school lectern.
The meeting emphasized that to do a good job in the next step of famous course development: First, strive to improve quality and efficiency, and build the basic plate of main courses more solidly. Basic courses and local practice courses are the basic plate and ballast stone of Party school teaching; they must be guarded and maintained well, with quality improved and efficiency enhanced. It is necessary to innovate working mechanisms, strengthen the whole-process management of lesson preparation, 'lesson polishing' (磨课), and lesson competitions, strictly implement the 'four ones' (四个一) work requirements, and create a strong atmosphere of comparing, learning, catching up, and helping (比学赶帮). Compress main responsibilities; the leading group should play a gatekeeping role, the expert committee should strengthen professional guidance, the academic affairs office should do a good job of overall coordination, all teaching and research personnel should stimulate endogenous motivation, and continuously improve teaching training quality. Strengthen case-based teaching, carefully select cases, coordinate compile cases, fully use cases, increase the development intensity of case courses, deeply integrate practical cases into courses, and continuously enhance the attraction, appeal, and persuasiveness of Party school classrooms. Second, focus on urgent and scarce needs, and fill the structural shortcomings more practically. Adhere to problem orientation and demand orientation, improve the curriculum system, focus on four types of courses: theoretical armed, Party spirit education, capacity improvement, and case and on-site teaching; advance according to a schedule, operate with charts on the wall (挂图作战), and strive to launch a course as soon as it is mature. Coordinate and allocate teaching staff, form assault teams, let professionals teach professional courses, and continuously optimize the course supply structure. Promote deep integration of teaching, research, and consultation, integrate research results such as national projects, consultation reports, and textbook compilation with course development, to achieve mutual promotion and overall improvement. Third, fully gather wisdom to tackle key problems, and fight the famous course assault battle better. It is necessary to adhere to quality-based school operation, firmly establish the concept that 'the course is bigger than heaven' (课比天大), make good use of the successful experience of applying for series teaching awards, fully leverage the role of the expert committee, teaching research departments, and lesson preparation teams, coordinate operations, and form synergy. Relevant teachers should maintain a 'empty cup mentality' (空杯心态), concentrate time and energy, repeatedly polish and carefully improve, continuously update course content, and create high-quality masterpieces. Take the famous course application as an opportunity to reserve a batch of high-quality courses, launch a batch of characteristic courses, strive to turn 'bonsai' into 'landscape' (把盆景变风景), promote the continuous improvement of the overall teaching quality of the school (college), and serve the city's high-quality talent cultivation with high-quality education.
Return to TopNewspaper Dispatch
“Relying on the Party School to run the Youth League School well” is an innovative practice of the Party School of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Committee of the CPC (宁夏回族自治区党委党校) in implementing Party building leading League building and improving the quality and effectiveness of training and education for League cadres. Since the Youth League School of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (宁夏回族自治区团校) was formally established on May 8, 2023, relying on the Party School of the Autonomous Region Committee of the CPC, the Autonomous Region Party School has provided comprehensive empowerment to the high-quality development of the Autonomous Region Youth League School in areas such as political guidance, education and training, and scientific research and policy advisory.
Strengthen political guidance and clarify the fundamental direction of the Youth League School’s development. The Party School is the main front for cadre education and training and possesses relatively strong resource integration capabilities. The Autonomous Region Youth League School, by running its operations relying on the Autonomous Region Party School, has established from the institutional mechanism the fundamental positioning of the Party’s distinctive political school in the field of youth work, ensuring that the school-running direction does not deviate and the political foundation remains unchanged. Leveraging the mature management system, standardized operational mechanisms, and deep school-running accumulation of the Party School, the Autonomous Region Youth League School has rapidly achieved standardized and substantive operations, effectively solving problems such as insufficient resources, scattered forces, and weak guarantees. With the high-level overall coordination and policy support of the Party School, the Autonomous Region Youth League School has always closely aligned with the central work of the Autonomous Region, firmly grasped the correct direction of youth work, and found its positioning and demonstrated its achievements in serving the overall situation and serving youth.
Integrate high-quality resources to improve the quality and effectiveness of education and training for League cadres. “Secretary of the League Committee Advanced Studies” and “Young Marxist Training Project” (青马工程) backbone training have been incorporated into the overall plan of the Autonomous Region for cadre education and training. In the past three years, a total of 41 training sessions have been conducted, training 3,111 person-times, and the training results have been widely recognized by the units that commissioned the training. The Party School’s high-quality teaching resources, management models, and curriculum systems have been fully integrated into the entire process of running the Youth League School. In terms of teaching staff, the Party School’s backbone teachers in fields such as Party history and Party building, ethnic work, and grassroots governance are coordinated, and members of the “Youth Lecturers Group” are recruited to form a teaching team. In terms of courses, the curriculum framework of the Party School’s main class series is used as a benchmark to establish a course library with “theoretical education + Party spirit cultivation + ability improvement + classic guided reading” as the main framework. The “Ningxia Youth Movement History Exhibition Hall” (宁夏青年运动史展馆), the first of its kind in the Autonomous Region, has been built, filling the gap in Ningxia’s physical positions for League history education. A case course on the construction of a youth development-oriented city has been developed and received recognition from the Rights and Interests Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. In terms of formats, the Party School’s mature paradigms such as case teaching, on-site research, and scenario simulation are flexibly used to comprehensively enhance the standardization and effectiveness of education and training for League cadres.
Relying on think tank advantages to empower youth work research. In May 2024, the “Ningxia Youth Work Research Center” (宁夏青少年工作研究中心) was established, filling the gap in research institutions for youth work in Ningxia. The Center focuses on key directions such as youth ideological guidance and Young Pioneer work to set up research topics. In the past three years, 415 topics have been reviewed, 74 have been approved, and 44 have been completed. One theoretical article was published in Study Times (学习时报), one paper was selected for the school’s (college’s) “Ten-Person Forum” (十人论坛), and a book titled Dialogue with Youth: The Century-Old Great Party and the Young Us, co-authored by all staff of the Autonomous Region Youth League School, is about to be published. For policy advisory services, in-depth research is conducted closely focusing on practical issues in youth development. Multiple reports have been rated as excellent in the Party School of the Autonomous Region’s large-scale research activities, and one decision consultation report received a positive approval instruction from a provincial-level leader. By relying on the Party School’s academic platform to deepen exchange and cooperation, and promote the transformation of research results, the Youth League School’s scientific research influence and policy advisory contribution are continuously enhanced.
Return to TopBy: 陈薇宇
At 8 p.m. on June 4, in the classroom of the Middle-aged and Young Cadres Class 1 (中青一班) at the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration) (陕西省委党校（行政学院）), a special organizational life meeting on "establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements (正确政绩观)" was in full swing.
The trainees sat in a circle, not talking about achievements, only about gaps; not beating around the bush, but going straight to the problems. "Is there a mentality of seeking quick success and instant benefits?" "Are deployments of work truly starting from the needs of the masses?" "Is there a phenomenon of emphasizing visible achievements over latent ones?" ... This "battle of ideas" lasted more than two hours; some had red faces, some broke into a sweat, but everyone's minds were suddenly enlightened (豁然开朗 - huò rán kāi lǎng - "suddenly open and bright," to suddenly see the light) and their convictions grew firmer.
This was a soul-touching tempering of Party spirit. Since the whole Party launched the study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration) has adhered to the fundamental principle of "the Party school is surnamed Party (党校姓党)," treating the study and education as an important political task and integrating it into the entire process of teaching and training.
From special lectures to structured discussions, from on-site teaching to warning education, from grassroots research to policy advisory contributions, from Party spirit analysis to organizational life, nearly a thousand trainees from more than 20 main training classes have continuously calibrated their ideological coordinates in one "required course" after another, effectively transforming the learning results into concrete actions to promote Shaanxi's high-quality development.
Systematic teaching makes the correct view of political achievements enter the mind and heart
The Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration) has always regarded theoretical armament as its primary task, closely following the theme to construct a curriculum system that is full coverage, hierarchical, systematic, and normalized, driving study and education to truly enter textbooks, enter classrooms, and enter the minds of trainees. It has fully incorporated the special course General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements — which won the national Party school system's outstanding teaching achievement award — into the teaching content of the main training classes for the spring semester. Each trainee was issued a copy of Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discourses on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements, guiding trainees to study the original text in its entirety, comprehend it word by word and sentence by sentence, and deeply grasp the core essence. Starting from the second session of main training classes, a dedicated "Correct View of Political Achievements Education" teaching unit was added to classes with a duration of one month or more, supplemented with structured discussions, on-site teaching, case analysis, etc., breaking the previous limitation of "single-point lectures" and constructing a complete teaching loop.
Targeting the job characteristics and performance needs of trainees from different classes, differentiated "precise drip irrigation" was implemented. For the Middle-aged and Young Cadres classes, the focus was on setting structured discussions on "establishing a correct view of power, political achievements, and career" and competency courses such as "Improving Scientific Decision-Making Ability" and "Improving Reform and Tackling Ability," guiding trainees to button the "first button" of clean governance and enhance their comprehensive competence in balancing development and security, as well as attending to both the present and the long term. At the same time, trainees from the Middle-aged and Young Cadres classes were arranged to sit in on meetings of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress, experiencing firsthand the entire process of major matters being decided according to law and legislation for the people, enlightening trainees to consciously embody the expectations of the masses in their future governance practices. For classes such as the County and Department-level Principal Official Appointment Training Class, the emphasis was on courses like "Continuously Improving People's Livelihood to Enhance the Well-being of the People of the Three Qin Lands (三秦)" and "Strengthening Investigation and Research to Follow the Mass Line of the Party in the New Era," enhancing trainees' ability to coordinate policies, resolve conflicts, and optimize governance. For grassroots leadership classes such as the Township (Subdistrict) Party (Work) Committee Secretary Training Class, courses like "Strengthening Party Spirit in Carrying Forward the Yan'an Spirit" and "Enhancing the Ability to Serve the Masses" were set, guiding trainees to take root at the front line and work with real effort.
In addition, to cooperate with the province's further strengthening of study and education in provincial-level organs, provincial state-owned enterprises and institutions, universities, and municipalities (districts), the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration) specially opened a "Special Seminar on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements," concentrating efforts on creating a demonstration-quality training project for study and education.
Guiding trainees from "passive listening" to "active comprehension"
Shifting from "passive acceptance" to "active tackling," from "classroom indoctrination" to "practical tempering" is a distinctive feature of the study and education carried out in the main training classes of the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration).
Structured discussion, as one of the most popular learning formats among trainees, uses progressive and analytical discussions to guide trainees to focus on problems and analyze them thread by thread (抽丝剥茧 - chōu sī bō jiǎn - "draw silk, peel cocoon," to analyze step by step), making study and education truly see people, see events, and see thoughts. "In the past, study discussions easily turned into trainees' statements of position, but structured discussions can dig deep into the root of problems. When everyone puts cases from their surroundings on the table for layer-by-layer analysis, the ideological impact it generates cannot be replaced by one-way lectures," said Tang Ying (唐莹), associate professor of the Department of Scientific Socialism, who is responsible for guiding structured discussions in the Middle-aged and Young Cadres classes.
The flipped classroom, on the other hand, lets trainees step up to the podium to give a personal account based on cases around them concerning the view of political achievements, deepening their understanding of the view of political achievements through the processes of lesson preparation, teaching, and peer review. "The role reversal gave me a stronger sense of immersion and responsibility regarding establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements," said Li Qingzhen (李庆臻), a trainee from the Middle-aged and Young Cadres Class 1, after sharing a lesson titled "Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements to Promote High-Quality Enterprise Development Through Scientific Decision-Making." He sincerely exclaimed: "Enterprises must ensure that scientific decision-making is implemented in the key links and core elements of every project, in order to create real results that can stand the test of practice, the people, and history."
The Trainee Forum serves cross-class experience exchange, centering on key issues such as "visible achievements and latent achievements," "the present and the long term," and "development and security" to promote mutual learning and consensus-building among trainees from different posts. "Real, accurate, and efficient decision-making advisory information is an important basis for the scientific decision-making of Party committees and governments, and also a 'touchstone' to test whether a cadre's view of political achievements is correct," said Liu Shaojun (刘少君), a trainee from the Middle-aged and Young Cadres Class 4, who shared a special report on improving the quality of decision-making advisory information submission at the Trainee Forum. The issues concerning the view of political achievements in the report triggered deep thinking among the trainees present.
Practical teaching, meanwhile, extended the classroom on the view of political achievements to the forefront of social reform, development, and stability. On April 11, a county and department-level cadre training class followed the footsteps of the General Secretary to see changes and comprehend thoughts. After experiencing firsthand the results of green development in the Qinba mountain area at the Fenghuang Tea Mountain in Jiangjiaping (蒋家坪), Pingli County (平利县), Ankang City (安康市), Liu Zhanjie (刘战杰), a trainee responsible for ecological environment work, said: "This is not only a vivid practice of the 'Two Mountains' theory (两山理论 - lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets), but also a concrete manifestation of benefiting the people. We must make green the most distinctive background color of Shaanxi's high-quality development."
In addition, the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration) specially invited two leaders from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection to give lectures to the main training classes, analyzing the deviation in the view of political achievements behind typical cases of discipline and law violations.
Theoretical courses, special reports, study discussions, case teaching, on-site teaching... these multi-dimensional carriers make the educational scene three-dimensional, observable, and tangible. Through theoretical study, the trainees built a solid foundation of faith; through Party spirit training, they sharpened their original aspirations and mission; through clean governance education, they fortified their ideological lines; through negative examples, they drew lessons; through in-depth exchanges, they consolidated consensus for action... completing a tempering of the view of political achievements from "introspection" to "actual combat."
Transforming ideological baptism into tangible work results
"I often think about one question: what exactly are the political achievements of the court? Through systematic study at the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration), I have gained deeper insights into this," wrote Wang Yuhuan (汪玉环), a trainee from the Middle-aged and Young Cadres Class 3 engaged in judicial work, in a study reflection that is very representative. She wrote: "We must make judicial service truly close to the masses, so that the people truly feel fairness and justice in every judicial case."
Integrating learning, thinking, and application; unifying knowledge, belief, and action. Establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements is reflected not only in the deepening of trainees' ideological understanding, but also in the tangible results of promoting career development.
During their time at the school, trainees of the main training classes wrote multiple advisory reports on establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements. Fourteen such advisory reports were transformed into "golden ideas" for promoting work through channels such as Party School Observations and Express Reports on Essential Information, demonstrating the unique value of the Party school in "offering advice for the Party."
Supporting visible achievements with latent achievements, achieving tangible results through solid work. "Based on resource endowments, anchoring green transformation, persisting in scientific and technological innovation, and making the energy revolution solid..." Ji Yuefei (姬跃飞) and other trainees from the Middle-aged and Young Cadres Class 1, guided by the correct view of political achievements and closely focusing on Shaanxi's high-quality development goals, wrote advisory reports through study and research at the Party school that received instructions from the province's main leaders. As of now, five advisory reports from trainees of the main training classes have received instructions from provincial-level leaders.
At the same time, the trainees actively extended their learning results to society. More than 50 theoretical articles they wrote were published in the media, and four episodes of "Micro-class on the View of Political Achievements" they lectured were released through media such as the Shaanxi learning platform of "Xuexi Qiangguo" (学习强国 - "Study Strong Nation"), receiving widespread societal attention.
To bridge the "last mile" of study and education, the Shaanxi Provincial Party School (School of Administration) also guided trainees to deeply integrate study and education with their performance of duties, earnestly carry out Party spirit analysis and ideological analysis, and temper a work style suitable for doing solid work and starting undertakings in the process of self-examination and rectification. "The more than three months of study at the Party school made me realize that the view of political achievements is not only an ideological examination question, but also a practical examination question," said Wang Junping (王钧平), a trainee from the Middle-aged and Young Cadres Class 2, in his graduation speech: "After returning to my work post, I will spend more energy on the masses, pour my sweat on the road of industrial development, and win the sincere approval of the masses with tangible development results."
Every study is a questioning of the original aspiration; every discussion is a calibration of the mission; every Party spirit exercise is a baptism of the soul. Leaving the gate of the Party school, this batch of "key minorities" tempered through thought are turning the correct view of political achievements into vivid practice on the Three Qin lands, writing a "Shaanxi answer sheet" for the new era with solid work and tangible results.
Return to TopBy: 汉晓明
In recent years, the Lanzhou Municipal Party School (Academy of Administration) (兰州市委党校（行政学院）) of Gansu Province has deeply studied and implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on the work of Party schools, earnestly implemented the Regulations on the Work of the Communist Party of China Party Schools (Academies of Administration), adhered to a systemic approach, strengthened problem orientation, and innovatively constructed a collaborative promotion work system encompassing a package-led linkage mechanism, joint curriculum building and sharing, joint research and political advisory work, and the improvement of teacher quality, exploring and forging a path of coordinated development between municipal and county Party schools that conforms to Lanzhou’s actual conditions and possesses Lanzhou characteristics.
Adhering to putting research first, we comprehensively promote coordinated development. We insist on using precise research to solidify the foundation for institutional design, path optimization, and resource coordination, going deep into county (district) Party schools to conduct research. Through symposiums and exchanges, sitting in on classes, consulting materials, and other methods, we comprehensively grasp the basic situation of the teacher structure, curriculum system, scientific research capability, infrastructure, etc., ensuring a clear understanding of the baseline, accurate identification of problems, and clarity of needs, providing a solid basis for targeted policy implementation. In implementing policies by category, we achieve precise guidance, insisting on concrete analysis of concrete problems. Based on the resource endowments, development foundation, and actual needs of county (district) Party schools, we have established the overall thinking of “municipal-level leadership, county-level support, complementary advantages, and overall improvement,” and have researched and formulated differentiated guidance plans of “one school, one policy.” For Party schools with a relatively good foundation, we focus on supporting branded development; for Party schools with a weak foundation, we focus on solving urgent problems such as facility standards and teacher staffing, promoting the transformation of county (district) Party schools from “each school has its own face” to “one school, one brand.” Closely focusing on the important opportunity of the Provincial Party School to promote the classified construction of county-level Party schools, we proactively connect to seek policy support and resource tilt. Through leading by example from above and driving counties with the municipality, we help county (district) Party schools calibrate their positioning and clarify their paths, coalescing a broad consensus of “seizing opportunities, building as one, and collaborating and advancing together” among Party schools at all levels in the city.
Highlighting systemic integration, we build a coordinated development mechanism. Adhering to collaborative promotion as the overall starting point, we achieve element recombination, functional complementarity, and advantage superposition, promoting an overall leap in the school-running effectiveness of Party schools across the city.
Build a package-led linkage mechanism. First, we researched and formulated the Measures for Linking with County (District) Party Schools to Carry Out Business Guidance Work, clearly specifying that one school (academy) leader and one teaching research or teaching department will be designated to contact and guide one county (district) Party school, establish problem ledgers and demand lists, and assign dedicated personnel responsible for daily communication, information exchange, and work alignment, ensuring that the linkage guidance has a carrier and yields practical results. Second, we strengthen the municipal-level overall responsibility as a safety net, urging county-level Party schools to scientifically formulate training plans, standardize training content, academic duration, and cycles, and precisely cover all types of Party members and cadres in rural areas, communities, government organs, public institutions, enterprises, emerging fields, etc., ensuring that basic training classes are held as required and basic training courses are taught as required. In the past two years, municipal and county Party schools have cumulatively held over 780 training sessions, training 95,000 person-times.
Build a mechanism for jointly building and sharing courses. First, we insist on developing courses in a stratified and categorized manner. For training targets at different levels and in different positions, we “tailor-make” training courses, innovatively launching a model of “municipal and county joint polishing, teacher-student joint research, expert joint review,” focusing on themes of industrial development, rural revitalization, ecological governance, livelihood security, ethnic unity, etc., to develop a number of high-quality thematic courses with a complete theoretical system, a demonstration and leading role, and reflecting the distinctiveness of Lanzhou’s cadre education and training. Second, we integrate resources to build courses. We coordinate the promotion of interconnection and sharing of all types of high-quality resources in the city, guiding county (district) Party schools to leverage local resource endowments such as red culture and characteristic industries to carry out the construction of a “one school, one brand” curriculum system. Chengguan District, Qilihe District, and Yuzhong County Party Schools rely on red education bases such as the Lanzhou Office Memorial Hall of the Eighth Route Army and the Xinglongshan Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery to create immersive Party spirit education courses; Yongdeng County and Gaolan County Party Schools create on-site teaching courses around themes such as building a beautiful and harmonious countryside suitable for living and working; Anning District Party Schools leverage the advantage of the concentration of regional universities to create research-based teaching courses; Xigu District and Honggu District Party Schools focus on themes such as cultivating new quality productive forces, transforming and upgrading traditional industries, and inheriting the industrial spirit to create case-based teaching courses. Third, we empower shared courses through digitalization. Actively construct a blended training model of “offline + online” and “live broadcast + recorded broadcast,” continuously make good use of the Provincial Party School’s “Enrich the People, Revitalize Gansu” lecture platform, and promote the direct delivery of high-quality courses to the grassroots. Jointly produce 12 episodes of the “Theory Moistens Golden City · Micro-Theory Lecture” series of videos, with total online views exceeding 21 million, and independently launch 8 episodes of “Theory Resounds Lanzhou · Party School Micro-Lecture Hall,” using digitalization to break through temporal and spatial limitations and expand the coverage and influence of theoretical propaganda.
Build a joint research and political advisory tackling mechanism. Focus on the vivid practices and typical cases of the Party’s innovative theories in Lanzhou and at the grassroots level, closely center on the real problems of the city’s high-quality economic and social development, coordinate the scientific research forces of municipal and county Party schools for joint topic selection, joint research, and joint tackling. Open up various scientific research declaration and political advisory submission platforms, strengthen the cultivation and incubation of municipal Party school-level projects, promptly recommend and submit outstanding scientific research and political advisory achievements of county (district) Party schools to higher levels, forming a new scientific research collaboration pattern of “joint planning of topics, joint conduct of research, and joint sharing of results.”
Build a mechanism for the overall improvement of teacher quality. First, actively integrate into the Provincial Party School’s “Double Hundred Action for Empowering Foundations and Strengthening Basics” and the “Young Teacher Cultivation Project.” Take the lead in establishing a pool of excellent teachers composed of full-time teachers, part-time teachers, and external experts, and coordinate their deployment and use within the municipal area. Regularly hold teacher training classes, teaching competitions, and activities such as guidance for project applications, periodically select backbone teachers to go to county (district) Party schools to assist in teaching and mentoring, select outstanding teachers from county-level Party schools to give lessons at the Municipal Party School, effectively achieving mutual growth in teaching and learning and joint improvement of capabilities. Second, deepen the implementation of the Master Teacher Project, appropriately relax the evaluation conditions for teachers of county (district) Party schools. Explore and promote the “mentor assistance” system, select famous teachers or backbone teachers from the municipal Party school to sign mentor assistance agreements with newly recruited teachers, providing whole-process guidance to new teachers from topic selection and design, content polishing, classroom presentation, and student interaction, helping young teachers transform from “standing on the podium” to “standing firm on the podium” and “standing well on the podium.”
Grasp implementation firmly to achieve tangible results, and gather the force of coordinated development. Adhere to promoting the implementation of various measures on the ground through a responsibility system, list-based management, and closed-loop management, providing a strong guarantee for the high-quality development of municipal and county Party schools. Clarify responsibilities to ensure that matters are managed by someone. Consolidate the main responsibility of county (district) Party committees in running Party schools, managing Party schools, and building Party schools, actively strive for strong support in the construction of county (district) Party school leadership teams, talent selection and recruitment, cadre selection, school-running guarantees, etc., to promote the formation of a work pattern with Party committee leadership, Party school primary responsibility, and department coordination, ensuring that work is carried out by someone, problems are managed by someone, and responsibilities are borne by someone. Set goals to ensure that there is a direction for work. Strictly implement the spirit of the Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of County-level Party Schools (Academies of Administration) and the relevant work requirements of the Provincial Party School, focus on key tasks such as implementing basic training tasks, integration of teaching, research, and consultation, building the teacher team, and improving school-running conditions, break down and refine target tasks item by item, quantify indicator standards, set completion deadlines, truly using goals to drive progress and using actual results to test effectiveness. Strengthen supervision to ensure a closed loop for work. Improve the methods of supervision and guidance, promptly incorporate experience and practices recognized by the grassroots and proven effective into the institutional system, and timely adjust and optimize procedures that are cumbersome or have poor connectivity. Strengthen the display and exchange of work results within the system, promote learning and mutual reference, promote all Party schools at all levels in the city to answer the same questions together and advance in coordination, and strive to create a new situation of high-quality development of municipal and county Party schools.
[The author is the Executive Vice President (常务副校长) of Lanzhou Municipal Party School (Academy of Administration), Gansu Province.]
Return to TopBy: 杨文冲
Teaching is the central work of the Party School (School of Administration), and strengthening the construction of high-quality courses is an important pathway to improving teaching quality. In recent years, the Party School of Pu'er Municipal Committee of Yunnan Province (School of Administration) (云南省普洱市委党校（行政学院）) has firmly established the concept that "the course is as important as heaven" (课比天大), and by taking the four measures of research, practice, evaluation, and competition as the starting point, has continuously exerted efforts to create a number of high-quality courses. Among them, two courses, including "The Glorious History of the Pu'er National Unity Oath Monument and Its Contemporary Significance" (普洱民族团结誓词碑的光荣历史及其现实意义), were selected as good courses for national cadre education and training by the Central Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee; two courses were rated as high-quality courses of the Yunnan Provincial Party School (School of Administration) system; and multiple courses were selected as good courses for provincial cadre education and training by the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee Organization Department.
Promote teaching through "research" and consolidate the foundation of high-quality courses. Adhere to centering on the core and serving the overall situation; transform the work themes of the Party committee and government into research topics, transform research topics into teaching special topics, use teaching special topics to answer development difficulties, and construct an integrated pattern of teaching, research, and consultation in which "themes become topics, topics turn into special topics, and special topics solve difficulties." Adhere to the principle that no investigation, no right to speak, and strengthen research support. Every year, centering on the core work of the Party committee and government, integrating local realities and distinctive advantages, it requires teaching and research personnel to throw themselves into the work, go down to the front line to conduct investigation and research, genuinely perceive the vivid practices at the grassroots level and the thoughts and aspirations of the masses, and on the basis of obtaining objective, comprehensive, true, and reliable first-hand materials, form teaching plans, and construct a collaborative and mutually reinforcing mechanism of teaching and research in which "high-quality research achievements support high-level teaching, and high-level teaching tests high-quality research achievements."
Promote teaching through "practice" and meticulously polish courses. Establish a mechanism in which young teachers are contacted by school (academy) leaders and helped and guided by backbone teachers, and always regard improving teaching quality as the foundation of establishing the school. In accordance with the requirements of teaching reform, further transform teaching concepts, improve teaching content, innovate teaching methods, and highlight the characteristics of the Party School and the features of Pu'er. Combining discipline construction and professional directions, vigorously advocate the concept that "everyone goes onto the podium, teaching determines the hero," adhere to the principle of "no preparation without investigation, no podium without trial teaching," and through perfecting a full-process course polishing mechanism, make efforts to solve problems such as "cannot teach," "cannot grasp accurately," and "cannot teach thoroughly." Over the years, it has persisted in holding one city-wide Party School special topic competitive lecture each year, strictly controlling the trial lecture gate for new special topics; new special topics that lack theoretical support and research content, that have not undergone collective lesson preparation by the teaching and research office, or that have not been improved according to the revision opinions of the academic committee, are all not passed. After the competitive lecture ends, the school (academy) academic committee conducts a comprehensive review, fully considers the quality of the special topics and teaching needs, and finally determines the teachers and special topics that succeed in the competitive lecture for the year.
Promote teaching through "evaluation" and strictly control quality. School (academy) leaders attach high importance, organize all teachers to participate in tackling key problems of high-quality courses, implement team operations and the combination of "evaluation" and "deliberation." Through forms such as teaching and research office lesson preparation, special topic group lesson preparation, improvement lessons, and demonstration lessons, provide multi-faceted comments on the teaching teachers, clearly point out strengths and shortcomings, and give specific suggestions for improvement and revision. Hold many collective lesson preparation meetings, with school (academy) leaders and the school (academy) academic committee participating throughout in listening to and evaluating lessons, strictly controlling quality according to standards such as carefully chosen topics, brilliant content, insightful expression, precise examples, exquisite teaching methods, and beautiful courseware, and providing point-to-point specific guidance opinions.
Promote teaching through "competition" and exert demonstration effect. To exert the demonstration effect of high-quality courses, the school (academy) holds a city-wide Party School high-quality course competition once every two years. Adhere to the principle of unifying political nature, academic nature, and practical nature, strictly select high-quality courses according to evaluation criteria such as political stance, theoretical depth, academic framework, practical significance, and teaching effect, make efforts to increase the degree of teaching organization, strengthen the building of teaching brands and the construction of high-quality courses, and develop and create a batch of high-quality courses that possess both the characteristics of the times, regional cultural heritage, and practical guiding significance. At the same time, guide teachers to form groups to participate in activities organized by the province and city such as "I Will Speak on the Party's Innovative Theory" (党的创新理论我来讲), "I Will Tell Stories from My Side about Implementing the Spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Party to Strengthen Work Style and Improve Efficiency" (强作风提效能我讲落实党的二十大精神的身边事), "City-wide Cadre Education and Training On-site Teaching Point Guide Competition" (全市干部教育培训现场教学点讲解员大赛), and "Red Land Song Speech Contest" (红土地之歌演讲大赛), turning classrooms into sites and practice into teaching materials. Through the form of using matters close at hand to educate people close at hand, tell "big truths" from small stories, and present "big themes" from small entry points, achieving the purpose of promoting learning, teaching, and training through competition, constructing a communication platform for mutual learning and resource sharing for the majority of teachers, further tempering the teaching staff, and enhancing the endogenous driving force of teaching innovation in the city's Party Schools.
[Author unit: Party School of Pu'er Municipal Committee of Yunnan Province (School of Administration)]
Return to TopBy: 龚元建
The Party School of the Wanzhou District Committee of Chongqing steadfastly upholds and practices the Party school's original aspiration of "cultivating talent for the Party and offering counsel for the Party" (为党育才、为党献策), takes as its vehicle the creation of the "Red Academy Pioneer Action" (红色学府先锋行) city-wide party building cultivation brand for Party organs, and persistently exerts precise efforts in four aspects: forging an outstanding team, strengthening content supply, improving teaching quality, and enhancing school-running conditions, to advance the improvement of quality and efficiency in basic training. At present, it has held 100 sessions of basic training classes, training 17,031 person-times, and both the number of training sessions and the number of trainees rank among the highest of district and county Party schools in the city.
Forge an outstanding team. First, conduct teaching competitions. Firmly grasp the "Red Academy Pioneer Action" Party building work vehicle, implement a three-year-cycle "horse racing" competition, establish work lists such as a new course list, post the listed status each quarter, incorporate it into the annual work report, and link it with the evaluation of excellence, effectively stimulating the motivation of teachers to enhance their teaching skills. Second, enrich the teaching staff. Tap internal potential for efficiency, with school leaders and backbone teachers taking the lead to accept and develop 20 courses, forming three discipline teams in Marxist theory, regional economics, and law, and organizing 135 sessions of "face-to-face business work" activities; take the lead in establishing a Marxist theory education cooperation platform with local universities such as Chongqing Three Gorges University, regularly conduct teaching exchanges, and achieve mutual sharing of teaching staff. Third, strengthen talent cultivation. Use the "master-apprentice" model with school leaders who have teaching and research experience to help young teachers complete new course development within three years of employment; through measures such as establishing "young lecturer" positions, selecting "Western Light" (西部之光) visiting scholars, recommending participation in upper-level training, and arranging competition reward funds, strengthen the training of young teachers; school leaders guide young teachers throughout the entire process of participating in teaching competitions, helping them to stand firm and stand well on the podium as early as possible.
Strengthen content supply. First, focus on new course development. Guide full-time and part-time teachers into the new course development track, cumulatively developing 59 basic training courses, accounting for 79% of the total; around the themes of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech and directives during his inspection of Chongqing, and the spirit of the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee of the Party, arrange experienced full-time and part-time teachers to customize and develop courses, promoting the latest achievements of the Party's innovative theory into the classroom. Second, improve teaching content. Establish a course update mechanism, promptly incorporate new quality productive forces (新质生产力), artificial intelligence, mega-city governance, and the construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor (西部陆海新通道) into the teaching system to develop new courses; establish a normalized supervision mechanism, assign dedicated personnel to attend classes for evaluation, maintain course quality standards, continuously enrich teaching content, and ensure that lesson plans and courseware are more accurate and comprehensive. Third, emphasize external introduction and internal linkage. Hold the "Three Gorges Grand Classroom" (三峡大课堂), inviting 95 person-times of faculty from the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), the Beijing and Chongqing Municipal Party Schools, and the Zhejiang, Fujian, and Henan Provincial Party Schools to teach at the school; launch a series of interview lectures on "Remembering the 'Great Affairs of the Nation (国之大者)', with deep affection for the Three Gorges Reservoir Area," continuously broaden course sources and enrich the course system. Take the lead in establishing a faculty pool for the first district collaborative group of the city's Party schools, invite 69 person-times to teach at the school, effectively enriching course supply.
Improve teaching quality. First, deepen teaching reform. Optimize teaching organization and management, explore the "seven-step method" teaching reform, and systematically develop courses through seven steps: release of teaching topics, teacher acceptance and application, teaching group trial lectures, school-level new course review, two-way class attendance and polishing, annual course competition, and student evaluation feedback; the excellent rating rate for course evaluations reaches 98.6%, and multiple teachers have won awards in city-wide Party school teaching competitions or high-quality course evaluations. Second, innovate training methods. Break the single model of traditional thematic teaching, comprehensively use teaching methods such as case teaching, tabletop simulation, circuit court entering the Party school, student independent forums, and student video interviews, to enhance teaching appeal and impact. Invite leading cadres to speak at the podium; successive district party secretaries have insisted on teaching the "First Lesson of the Semester" in the spring semester; invite renowned experts and scholars from Fudan University, Tongji University, Chongqing University, Southwest University, as well as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the National Museum of China, etc., to teach at the school, broadening students' horizons. Third, develop characteristic courses. Focus on local educational resources such as the Three Gorges resettlement culture, develop theoretical thematic courses and case teaching courses that reflect local characteristics, newly build the Three Gorges Resettlement Red Gene Education Hall (三峡移民红色基因教育厅), establish seven teaching bases including the Chongqing Three Gorges Resettlement Memorial Hall (重庆三峡移民纪念馆) and the resettlement villages in Dazhou Town (大周镇), develop 13 (or 13 lines of) on-site teaching points (lines) themed around ecological civilization construction and grassroots governance, forming an on-site teaching matrix.
Improve school-running conditions. First, build new school facilities. Construct the new campus according to the principle of practicality, effectiveness, and economy; improve infrastructure such as the library, red culture corridor, grand conference hall, and Three Gorges Resettlement Red Gene lecture hall, greatly enhancing the school's capacity. Second, run grassroots branch schools well. Coordinate and promote the integrated development of the district's Party schools; set up branch schools of the district Party committee in Ganning Town (甘宁镇), Fenshui Town (分水镇), and Henghe Tujia Township (恒合土家族乡) where conditions permit; strengthen business guidance and work coordination; implement school-running subsidy funds; arrange respective teaching and research offices to pair up and connect, promoting substantive operation; have already held 58 training classes, training 2,950 person-times. Third, make good use of the mobile Party school. Recommend Party school teachers to become members of the district-level propaganda team, carrying out 359 sessions of sending courses down to the grassroots; form a "Torch Passing to Villages" (薪火‘乡传’) young teacher propaganda team, develop 25 micro-courses such as "Towards Common Prosperity," "The Yangtze River's 'Ten-Year Fishing Ban' (长江‘十年禁渔’)," and "Digital Village: Seeing Changes," achieving the goal of explaining theory, policy, and knowledge in plain and understandable language; conduct 196 sessions of micro-propaganda, promoting the extension of high-quality teaching resources to the grassroots.
(The author is the Executive Vice President of the Party School of the Wanzhou District Committee of Chongqing.)
Return to TopBy: 刘娟
General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we must tell well the stories of the Party, the stories of the revolution, the stories of the base areas, and the stories of heroes and martyrs. Red stories are vivid teaching materials for passing on the red genes. Grassroots Party school teachers are on the front line of theoretical armed and Party spirit education; telling red stories well is not only a duty but also a mission. Only by making red stories possess infectiousness and penetrating power can they truly become vivid teaching materials that nourish the original aspiration and temper thought.
Based on local soil, blend reason and emotion to tell a grand realm. Fully excavate the treasure trove of Party history and the rich mine of red resources, put 绣花功夫 (xiù huā gōngfu - "embroidery effort," meticulous and painstaking work) into material selection and content polishing, accurately find the point where micro story plots and grand historical narratives connect, ensuring that red stories have flesh and blood (有血有肉, yǒu xuè yǒu ròu - "has blood and flesh," vivid and lifelike), are truthful and moving, and blend reason and emotion.
Activate local resources. The most distinct advantage of many grassroots Party schools is being "very close"—beneath their feet are revolutionary old grounds, and beside them are heroic past events. We should deeply cultivate the local red fertile soil, excavate vivid material from local revolutionary history and local red relics, precisely select red stories that meet the requirements of the times, fit the needs of cadres, and are close to current practice, and tap into the power that 直抵人心 (zhí dǐ rén xīn - "directly reaches the heart," deeply touches people).
Solidify the story foundation. Telling stories first of all means telling facts; authenticity is the lifeline of red stories. Red stories are not legends; every figure and every detail must insist on deriving theory from history and combining history with theory. Only a telling based on solid historical research can be full of confidence and convincing, enabling the story to have the power to penetrate people's hearts.
Grasp the spiritual core. Be good at 由事及理 (yóu shì jí lǐ - "from events to principles," deriving principles from events), guiding the audience to perceive profound thoughts and great spirit from specific plots, thereby further understanding and grasping the deep-seated questions of why the Communist Party of China can succeed, why Marxism works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good. Only by placing historical events within the broad context of the era and the Party's struggle course for thinking and interpretation can red stories transcend the limitations of isolated events and display the ideological radiance and era value that 历久弥新 (lì jiǔ mí xīn - "grows ever newer with age," becomes more vibrant over time).
Be close to the masses, innovate methods to enhance infectiousness. With good content, good form is also needed. No matter how profound the thought or how moving the story, if the expression method is outdated and the language dry, it will be difficult to achieve the effect of entering the brain and entering the heart (入脑入心, rù nǎo rù xīn - "enters the brain and enters the heart," deeply impressed and internalized). It is necessary to adapt to the characteristics of information dissemination in the new era and the habits of Party members, cadres, and the masses in receiving information, and continuously innovate the ways and means of telling, so that red stories become more knowable and feelable (可知可感, kě zhī kě gǎn - "can be known and felt," tangible and perceptible), more lovable and approachable (可亲可近, kě qīn kě jìn - "can be loved and approached," amiable and accessible).
Language must be vivid. The penetrating power of theory often lies in the ability to transform it into vivid language. Be good at "translating," using language the masses can understand to tell red stories well. More use of dialects, local expressions, and vivid metaphors familiar to the masses can quickly close the distance with the masses and make the masses feel immediately warm.
Forms must be flexible. The same red story, presented in different forms, can have different effects. On the basis of traditional classroom teaching, combine richer and more diverse forms and means to enhance immersive, panoramic, and interactive experiences. Through scene reenactment, role-playing, and other methods, vividly present revolutionary scenes, so that the revolutionaries' fearless spirit of sacrifice and sincere feelings for the family and country 穿越时空 (chuān yuè shí kōng - "crosses time and space," transcends time and space) and reach people's hearts, allowing students to truly feel the "temperature of faith."
Emotions must be genuine. All techniques must ultimately serve genuine feelings. Have deep identification and sincere emotion for red stories, and think from the perspective of the audience. Be good at excavating and telling the true stories of Communist Party members rooted in grassroots and serving the masses, so that the audience is deeply touched by the selfless dedication of Communist Party members, deeply recognizes the vanguard and exemplary role of Communist Party members, and thereby receives education and inspiration.
Respond to concerns, enlighten thought, promote real action. The ultimate goal of telling red stories well is to enlighten thought and guide practice. The propaganda of red stories cannot stop at "being moved for a while"; it must seek connection with real life and promote the transformation of spiritual strength into practical action.
Respond to real problems. Propaganda cannot be 自说自话 (zì shuō zì huà - "talk to oneself," monologue without considering audience); it must dare to answer the ideological confusion and practical problems commonly concerned by cadres and the masses. For example, when talking about family tradition construction in grassroots communities, we can start from specific problems existing in current family relationships, using Zhou Enlai's story of the "Ten Family Rules" to provide spiritual reference for modern families, arousing the masses' reflection on integrity and family responsibility. Only by closely following real concerns can stories be told into the hearts of the masses.
Combine with real needs. Integrate the passing on of red genes and the promotion of the spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists with central work and development tasks, and carry out precise interpretation for different groups. For example, tell the Nanniwan Spirit to young people returning to their hometowns to start businesses, so that they draw on the entrepreneurial courage of 自力更生 (zì lì gēng shēng - "regeneration through one's own efforts," self-reliance) and 艰苦奋斗 (jiān kǔ fèn dòu - "hard struggle," arduous struggle); tell the Jiao Yulu Spirit to grassroots cadres, so that they learn the feelings for the people and the spirit of responsibility, inspiring enthusiasm for rooting themselves at the front line and working hard and with determination. Only when historical spirit illuminates the path forward can propaganda provide inexhaustible motivation.
Promote real action. Successful propaganda can prompt the audience to transform inner emotion into concrete actions rooted in their posts and striving with vigor. For example, telling the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" Spirit is to inspire scientific and technological workers to dare to climb and innovate independently. Telling the Reform and Opening-up Spirit is to encourage cadres and the masses to dare to venture and try (敢闯敢试, gǎn chuǎng gǎn shì - "dare to rush and dare to try," bold and experimental) and forge ahead with keen determination (锐意进取, ruì yì jìn qǔ - "enterprising and resolute," determined to advance). When the red spirit is internalized as a value pursuit and externalized as conscious action, truly achieving the sublimation of "remembered for a lifetime, influenced for a lifetime," only then is the goal of telling the story achieved, and only then is the propaganda truly completed as a closed loop.
(Author unit: Party School of the Xinyang Municipal Committee of Henan Province)
Return to TopBy: 贾关青
The concept of achievement view is the fundamental viewpoint and general outlook on political achievements; it is the concrete manifestation of a leading cadre's worldview, outlook on life, and values in the practice of governance. In the process of governing Lankao, Jiao Yulu consistently upheld the political character of establishing the Party for the public good, the value pursuit of creating benefits for the people, the pragmatic style of scientific decision-making, and the spirit of responsibility of grasping tasks and working earnestly. Through his every word and deed, he practiced the requirements for political achievements of a Communist, providing an eternal benchmark for Party members and cadres in the new era to establish and practice a correct achievement view.
Upholding the principle of Party spirit and strictly demanding of oneself
In the early 1960s, difficulties were widespread across the country, and the disaster situation in Lankao County, located in the former course of the Yellow River, was particularly severe. Under normal years, the entire county suffered crop damage across 200,000 to 400,000 mu, with 100,000 to 200,000 mu of crops yielding no harvest, and 200,000 people facing food shortages due to the disaster. To reverse this difficult situation, the organization urgently needed to dispatch an outstanding leading cadre to Lankao to preside over the work of the County Party Committee; this heavy responsibility fell upon Jiao Yulu.
At the end of 1962, Zhang Shen, the Secretary of the Kaifeng Prefectural Party Committee, approached Jiao Yulu to speak with him on behalf of the organization, conveyed the organizational decision, and explicitly told him that Lankao was a "most bitter, most difficult, and most poor" county, so that he could make full ideological preparations. At that time, Jiao Yulu was already suffering from severe hepatitis; if he were unwilling to go to Lankao, he only needed to state his medical condition. However, Jiao Yulu immediately expressed his stance: "I am grateful to the Party for sending me to the most difficult place. The more difficult it is, the more one can be tempered. Please rest assured, Organization; I will never leave that place until the appearance of Lankao is changed." Subsequently, he informed his wife, Xu Junya, of this news. Upon learning he was going to Lankao, Xu Junya said worriedly: "Some say it is the poorest place, covered in sand dunes and saline-alkali land, where no crops can grow." He patiently persuaded her: "The Party has told me to go to Lankao, which means Lankao needs me. The more difficult the place, the more one must go; that is what a good comrade does."
After taking office, Jiao Yulu always strictly adhered to a public-mindedness and strictly observed bottom lines. Facing the shortage of relief supplies and tight resources in the disaster area, he resolutely eliminated the "specialization" of cadres and took the lead in breaking down the thought of privilege. He not only cautioned the cadres around him that "we are all servants of the people, and must share joys and sorrows and face hardships together" and "life cannot be special, and family members cannot be special; everyone's family members are the same," but also seriously halted plans to renovate his office, declined kind offers to arrange jobs for his daughter, and criticized his son for watching "idle plays." He personally drafted and formulated the "Ten Prohibitions for Cadres." Considering that he had many children, the County Party Committee thought of giving them some care whenever relief was distributed, but he resolutely refused, and even instructed his wife: "Lankao is a disaster area, and the people's lives are very difficult; we cannot take even a penny's worth of advantage from the public. If there are difficulties in life, we must rely on ourselves to solve them through thrift and economy."
Caring for the people's well-being and resolving their troubles and difficulties
During his work in Lankao, Jiao Yulu always placed the well-being of the masses at the highest position in his heart, frequently going deep among the masses to visit the poor and ask about their hardships. At that time, the outflow of the Lankao population was very serious; the railway station was crowded every day with disaster victims fleeing to escape famine, and although the county had established an "Office for Discouraging Famine Flight," it could not solve the fundamental problem, and more than 10,000 people still had to go out to make a living.
One day in mid-December 1962, Jiao Yulu heard that a batch of disaster relief supplies had arrived at the railway station and immediately organized workers to transport them. During the unloading process, he saw many disaster victims crowded in the waiting room. As soon as the train arrived at the station, everyone swarmed forward, and those who could not squeeze onto the train could only wait for the next one. After unloading the relief supplies, he walked into the waiting room and asked several disaster victims about their situations. Some said, "My wheat seedlings were killed by wind and sand, and each person is only allocated a few catties of wheat"; some said, "The crops in my village were killed by alkalinity"; others said, "My production team suffered a flood in the autumn." This scene deeply stung Jiao Yulu. Shortly after, he organized members of the County Party Committee to come to the railway station and said emotionally: "Comrades, the vast majority of these people are our class brothers; they were driven outside by famine. This cannot be blamed on them; the responsibility lies with us. The Party has entrusted 360,000 people to us, and we have failed to lead them to overcome the famine; we should feel shame and heartache."
To solve the people's problem of food, Jiao Yulu actively implemented the Party's principles and policies, abolished the "Office for Discouraging Famine Flight," formulated the land "Six Guarantees" and "Six Determinations" policies, encouraged and supported the masses in developing side industries, and also organized procurement teams to travel across the country to purchase more than 600,000 jin of substitute foods such as dried sweet potatoes, vermicelli, dried radishes, alfalfa flakes, and broad beans to distribute to the affected masses. To solve the people's problem of warmth, he not only required various communes to earnestly perform work for the masses during snowy weather but also personally braved wind and snow to deliver relief grain and funds to the people. He told the cadres: "A Communist Party member should appear before the masses when they are in their most difficult times, and should care for and help the masses when they need help the most."
Conducting in-depth investigation and research, and emphasizing scientific governance
While initially solving the immediate needs of the masses, Jiao Yulu also profoundly realized that the root of Lankao's problems lay in the "three harms" of wind and sand, saline-alkali land, and waterlogging; if the "three harms" were not eliminated, Lankao would never know peace. To this end, he established an "Office for Eliminating the Three Harms," formed a "three-in-one" investigation team composed of cadres, technicians, and veteran farmers, and personally led the team to the front lines. Knowing his health was poor, his comrades all advised him to listen to reports in the office, but he firmly stated, "To fundamentally cure the 'three harms,' one must weigh their importance. Only through investigation and research and by obtaining first-hand information can one make correct judgments and deployments."
In early July 1963, a large-scale investigation and research work was fully launched. Together with the investigation team, Jiao Yulu traveled for three months, trekking more than 5,000 li, visiting more than 120 out of the 149 production brigades in the entire county. When torrential rains poured, he waded through waist-deep river water to survey the direction of flood flows; when gale-force winds swirled sand, he faced the sky-filling sand to investigate the positions of wind gaps; when the scorching sun was overhead, he braved the burning sun to identify saline-alkali components and drew a detailed and complete distribution map of the "three harms." He also consistently insisted on learning from the masses, requiring comrades that "when you feel there is no way to do the work, go among the masses and ask them, and you will have a way." From the disaster-resistance experience of the masses, he summarized and refined many practical methods such as "applying plaster" (turning over silt to suppress sand) and "stabbing needles" (widely planting Paulownia), and explored a scientific and effective governance scheme: for sand control, combining "applying plaster" and "stabbing needles" by planting sand-fixing tree species such as Paulownia; for water control, dredging river channels, building drainage ditches, and improving water conservancy facilities; for alkalinity control, deep plowing to suppress alkalinity, turning over silt to suppress alkalinity, and digging ditches to drain alkalinity, thereby improving soil conditions.
On this basis, Jiao Yulu believed that to thoroughly govern the "three harms," there must also be a holistic and long-term plan. Thus, he organized relevant personnel to draft the "Preliminary Concept (Draft) on the Three and Five-Year Plans for Sand Control, Alkalinity Control, and Water Control" (hereinafter referred to as the "Concept") and distributed it throughout the county for implementation. During the revision, he specifically added such a passage: "We are wholeheartedly serving the people; serving the people is concrete, not abstract. Lankao is our glorious post of work; we must develop deep feelings for every blade of grass and every tree in Lankao, and we must do the work in this region well, otherwise we will be unwilling. Currently, the disaster situation in Lankao is so serious that we must have great revolutionary courage, soaring drive, and a pragmatic working style. We have the determination to lead the people of the entire county to fight bitterly for three to five years to complete this production revolution."
Persisting in earnest work and achieving long-term success
According to the blueprint formulated based on the "Concept," Jiao Yulu led the people of the entire county to launch a grand movement to eliminate the "three harms." To consolidate the joint efforts of cadres and the masses, he selected and established several advanced models such as the "Spirit of Han Village," the "Determination of Qinzhai," the "Drive of Zhaoduolou," and the "Path of Shuangyangshu," creating a strong atmosphere of comparing, learning, catching up, and surpassing, as well as of hard work and earnest action. He worked under overload for a long time, causing his liver disease to worsen, and frequently used hard objects such as tea mug lids and fountain pens to press against his liver to relieve pain. Even so, he still forced himself to persist in his work despite his physical condition. At a standing committee meeting of the County Party Committee, he said: "My personal thought is that as long as I am in Lankao for one day, I must work for one day, concentrating my strength to do the work well."
In this way, under the leadership of Jiao Yulu, the governance of the "three harms" in Lankao quickly achieved results. By the end of 1963, the entire county had afforested 21,014 mu, cultivated 773 mu of seedlings, established 186 windbreak belts, and blocked 83 wind gaps. In January 1964, 160 large river channels were newly dug or dredged. Upon verification, a total of 90,000 mu of saline-alkali land in the county had been reclaimed. The summer grain output in 1963 more than doubled compared to the previous year, and the annual grain output increased by 37%. However, unfortunately, just as various undertakings in Lankao were steadily improving and the development momentum was continuously rising, Jiao Yulu passed away from illness on May 14, 1964, at the age of only 42. Before his death, he was still thinking about the future of Lankao, writing the outline for the article "The People of Lankao Have Many Extraordinary Ambitions, Daring to Teach the Sun and Moon to Change into a New Sky," and requested to be buried on a sand dune, so that having not cured the sand dunes while alive, he would watch the people of Lankao cure the sand dunes after his death.
After Jiao Yulu's death, inspired by the spirit of Jiao Yulu, the people of Lankao followed one blueprint to the end, with one generation succeeding another. In 1965, preliminary food self-sufficiency was achieved, basically escaping the predicament of "eating returned grain"; in 1989, the "three harms" were comprehensively governed, and the sight of "yellow sand flying across the sky and no greenery growing everywhere" never returned; in 2017, the "hat" of a national-level poverty-stricken county was successfully removed, and a historic leap from a "poverty-stricken county" to a "moderately prosperous county" was gradually achieved. Today's Lankao has convenient transportation, prosperous industries, beautiful ecology, and affluent people; the masses have finally lived the happy life they have long dreamed of.
Return to TopBy: 高玉敏 关岩
Travel poetry (羁旅诗), also called travel records poetry (记行诗) or journey poetry (行旅诗), is a literary work in which poets, having left their homeland for various reasons, use poetic form to reflect the hardships of wandering and the difficulties of residing in a foreign land, to express longing for home and family, and to convey deep reflections on life's experiences. Tang poetry is the peak of Chinese poetic art, and among it, a large number of travel poems are 脍炙人口 (kuài zhì rén kǒu - “quick to chew and popular in people's mouths,” widely praised and enjoyed) masterpieces. As Yan Yu (严羽) said in Canglang's Remarks on Poetry (沧浪诗话): “The fine poems of the Tang people are mostly works about military campaigns, exiles, travels, and separations; they often move and inspire people.” These excellent works all take the life state of “on the road” as their foundation, bearing the poets' profound thoughts on ideals and reality, time and fate. In the midst of travel, there is both the vastness of mountains and rivers, and even more the subtlety of the human heart. Its unique charm lies precisely in using external travel to fully depict internal searching, and through the scenery of the road to comprehend the realm of life.
The distance of the road fully captures the lonely mood of wandering during travel. In the Tang dynasty, the territory was vast, and transportation routes crisscrossed; literati inevitably had to 长途跋涉 (cháng tú bá shè - “long journey trudging,” to make a long and arduous journey) due to reasons such as study, official career, visiting friends, and war. Moreover, after the An Lushan Rebellion, society was tumultuous, and travel became a normal state of life for Tang poets. The vastness of the travel space constantly made poets aware of the insignificance of individual life, and accompanying this was the inescapable loneliness on the journey. Du Fu, adrift alone in a boat in his later years, lamented in Written on a Night Journey (旅夜书怀): “Buoyant, what am I like? A single gull between heaven and earth.” By contrasting heaven and earth with the gull, the feeling of having no place to return to becomes even stronger. The sense of loneliness in travel is even more extreme in frontier fortress poetry, such as Cen Shen (岑参)’s Written in the Desert (碛中作): “Riding west, I almost reach the sky; leaving home, I have seen the moon twice full. Tonight I do not know where to lodge; a thousand miles of flat sand, no sign of man.” And Li Yi (李益)’s Joining the Army on the Northern Expedition (从军北征): “After snow on Mount Tianshan, wind on the sea is cold; the horizontal flute plays ‘The Road Is Hard.’ Three hundred thousand conscripts in the desert; all look back to see the moon in the sky.” The desolate desert, silent and uninhabited, also dissolves the possibility of soldiers returning home. And when the state of travel coincides with a specific time, this lonely experience becomes even more intense, such as Dai Shulun (戴叔伦)’s Staying at Stone Inn on New Year’s Eve (除夜宿石头驿): “In the inn, who asks about me? Only the cold lamp is dear. On this night that ends the year, I am a man ten thousand li from home.” And Bai Juyi’s Thinking of Home on the Winter Solstice Night in Handan (邯郸冬至夜思家): “In Handan post station, I encounter the winter solstice; hugging my knees before the lamp, my shadow accompanies me. I imagine at home, sitting late into the night, they should be talking about the traveler far away.” The language of these poems is plain as speech, their emotions sincere and natural, precisely because they “can speak of feelings shared by all,” so that later travelers find their hearts 心有戚戚 (xīn yǒu qī qī - “heart has a sympathetic resonance,” to empathize deeply). The long journey gave poets an opportunity to ponder the meaning of life; when alone between heaven and earth, the taste of loneliness is repeatedly savored, and naturally, there arises the melancholy of “gazing at the bright moon together, we should shed tears,” and also the realization that “all things from ancient times are like water flowing east.”
The parting on the road exhaustively expresses the mixed 悲喜交集 (bēi xǐ jiāo jí - “grief and joy intermingle,” mixed feelings of sorrow and joy) in the 聚散无常 (jù sàn wú cháng - “gathering and parting are without constancy,” the impermanence of meeting and separating) of gatherings and separations. Travel is inevitably accompanied by parting — parting from one’s homeland, parting from family, parting from all that is familiar. Every parting is like a wound cut into the traveler's heart; just as it heals a little, it is torn open again by the next leg of the journey. Li Yi’s Overjoyed to Meet My Cousin and Then Part Again (喜见外弟又言别): “After ten years of chaos, we grew up and meet by chance. Asking surnames, shocked at first meeting; giving names, I recall the old face. We talk of changes since parting until the evening bell. Tomorrow on the road to Baling, autumn mountains — how many layers?” It depicts the poignant scene of the poet’s 不期而遇 (bù qī ér yù - “meet without expectation,” chance encounter) with his cousin in the midst of upheaval and their hurried farewell, expressing sincere familial affection and the lament over the uncertainty of life’s meetings and partings, with a strong sense of real life. Du Fu’s Presented to the Retired Scholar Wei Ba (赠卫八处士): “Visiting old friends, half are ghosts; I cry out, burning within.” “Tomorrow separated by mountains, both worlds are vast and vague.” And Sikong Shu (司空曙)’s Staying Overnight at Yunyang Inn with Han Shen and Parting (云阳馆与韩绅宿别): “Suddenly meeting, I suspect it’s a dream; sadly we ask each other’s years.” “Moreover, there is tomorrow’s regret; we cherish the parting cup and pass it together.” All depict scenes of the poet joyfully meeting an old friend on a journey and then painfully parting, with emotions rising and falling dramatically — 大起大落 (dà qǐ dà luò - “great rise and great fall,” dramatic ups and downs) — great joy and great sorrow (大喜大悲, dà xǐ dà bēi - “great joy and great sorrow,” extreme emotions), deeply moving. Fan Xiwen (范晞文), a poet of the late Song, said in Night Chats by the Bed (对床夜语): “The feeling of meeting suddenly after a long separation is 宛然在目 (wǎn rán zài mù - “clearly before the eyes,” vividly visible); thinking and savoring it, emotions merge and spirit comprehends, almost like a direct narration. The predecessors said that Tang people’s works about traveling gatherings and partings are the most able to move people’s hearts; truly not empty words.” The reason these poems can still 动人心魄 (dòng rén xīn pò - “move people’s heart and soul,” deeply stirring) after a thousand years is precisely that they fully depict the true face of parting on the journey — the joy and sorrow interwoven from the impermanence of fate and the preciousness of reunion. The feeling of parting arises from the journey, and is deepened by the journey, making readers 感同身受 (gǎn tóng shēn shòu - “feel as if experiencing it personally,” empathetic). Every traveler has either seen off or been seen off, grows up in partings, and in partings feels the impermanence of gathering and parting and the enduring nature of longing.
The realization on the road, deep self-reflection after having seen all mountains and rivers and years. The longer the travel, the more one can see the true nature of life from wandering. Mountains and rivers change, the future is uncertain, hometown is distant, relatives and friends are scattered; the long road strings together the gains and losses, sorrows and joys of life. Travel poems often contain many insights about the passage of time, the ups and downs of fate, and 人生无常 (rén shēng wú cháng - “life is impermanent,” life’s uncertainty). Zhao Gu (赵嘏) said in Two Poems on the Road Home East (东归道中二首): “All my life I have been engaged in travel service; today I begin to know it is wrong.” “Why bother to trouble my bosom friend? Without fame, I also cease my scheming.” After half a lifetime on the road, one finally understands that the things one runs around to obtain are not necessarily worthwhile, and fame and profit may not truly settle one’s body. Seeing through vanity and letting go of attachments are often realizations gained after experiencing twists and hardships. Huai Pu (怀浦) lamented in Early Thoughts at an Inn in Early Winter (初冬旅舍早怀): “I am ashamed to have started travel service early, deeply at odds with the Way.” It says that in their running around, people often go against their original intentions, but circumstances push people forward, so they can only move step by step. Li Bai said it more clearly, and with more emotional detachment: “The road forks to north and south; white silk easily changes color. All things are indeed so; human life has no fixed period.” The world changes too fast; life has no certainty. It is precisely because travelers have experienced so much impermanence that they see through the changes of the world, accept gatherings and partings as fate, and make peace with destiny amidst wandering.
Han Yu’s Preface to the Changhe Poems of Jingtan (荆潭唱和诗序) says: “Words of joy are hard to craft well, while words of hardship are easy to make good. Therefore, literary works always arise from travel and the wilds.” For Tang poets, amidst the dust of the road, there is the loneliness of wandering, the joys and sorrows of gathering and parting, and even more, the reflection and composure after having seen all worldly affairs. Precisely because of this, when we reread these works thousands of years later, what moves people is not only the homesickness and the pain of parting in the poems, but also the life philosophy the poets left behind on their long journeys. Those states of mind — whether broad-minded, persistent, or composed — after experiencing life’s joys and sorrows, are the most enduring scenery in travel poetry.
Return to TopBy: 李蔚
Have you heard of the Ansai waist drum (安塞腰鼓)? On that yellow earth land (黄土地) crisscrossed with thousands of gullies and ravines, hundreds of men wearing white sheep-belly towels on their heads and red waistbands around their waists dance their steps and strike the waist drums. For a moment, yellow earth flies up, and the drum sound resonates to the sky and clouds. That momentum, like 排山倒海 (pái shān dǎo hǎi - "topple mountains and overturn seas," overwhelming and unstoppable), makes the audience 血脉偾张 (xuè mài fèn zhāng - "blood vessels distend," blood surges with excitement).
This drum sound was struck from ancient battle formations. Legend has it that when the Yellow Emperor fought Chiyou, he ordered eighty kui-cowhide drums to sound together; the drum sound was like giant thunder rolling across the wilderness, heaven and earth changed color, and Chiyou's army was shaken until 魂飞魄散 (hún fēi pò sàn - "soul flies, spirit scatters," terrified out of their wits) and 溃不成军 (kuì bù chéng jūn - "routed and not an army," utterly defeated and scattered). The saying '一鼓作气 (yī gǔ zuò qì - "one drum raises morale," to build momentum at the first drum) from the Zuo Zhuan (左传) and the statement 'advance upon hearing the drum sound' from Xunzi: On Military Affairs (荀子·议兵) both reveal the connection between drum sound and battle morale. According to the Music Section of the Taiping Imperial Reader (太平御览), the 'Drum and Wind Music' entry records that whenever a victory was won and prisoners were presented to the emperor, they would 'strike up drums and pipes in full force.' On the battlefield, the drum is the command, the soul, the heartbeat of thousands upon thousands of troops, and also the most resounding cheer of victory.
The name 'Ansai' has a long history. It lies on the border between the Northern Song and Western Xia, known as the 'throat of Shang Commandery and lock and key of the northern gate,' and was named for 'pacifying the border' (安定边塞). In the Ansai waist drum, many elements related to war are still preserved. The formation walked by waist drum performers according to fixed patterns is called the 'big field' (大场). Among the big field patterns, there is a category originating from ancient battle formation diagrams, such as 'King of Qin Mustering Troops' (秦王乱点兵) and 'Yellow River Eighteen Formations' (黄河十八阵). In the past, waist drummers wore 'helmet tassels, horse brushes, battle scarves, and battle robes,' quite exhibiting a martial spirit. The battle cap had a round mirror embedded in the center, with three red-tassel balls standing upright amid it. When drumming, the red-tassel balls turned into leaping flames, flipping up and down with the body, adding even more fierce and vigorous energy.
Later, this drum sound walked from the battlefield into the lives of common people, becoming an important ritual for the people on the yellow earth land to pray for peaceful days. The people of northern Shaanxi have an old saying: 'Strike the sounding instrument once; peace stays for all four seasons.' When the gongs and drums sound at the start of spring, they pray for 风调雨顺 (fēng tiáo yǔ shùn - "winds gentle, rains timely," favorable weather for crops), and the year's hopes follow. Beating drums at harvest time is to thank heaven and earth for their blessing, and also to celebrate the good harvest of the year.
In the 1940s, the Ansai waist drum gained a revolutionary story. During the Yan'an period, in the Great Production Movement (大生产运动) led by the Party among the military and civilians in the base areas, the border region achieved a great grain harvest. The folks of Ansai went many times to Zaoyuan and Yangjialing, beating waist drums to pay New Year's respects to the central leadership comrades such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De. That drum sound carried the fragrance of grain, the hard work of the farmers, and the people's gratitude to the border region government. After the publication of the 'Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art' (在延安文艺座谈会上的讲话), literature and art workers from the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts (鲁迅艺术文学院) went into the folk, bent down, dug those ancient folk arts out of the dust, and polished them anew. The costume of the Ansai waist drum changed in this wave: the white sheep-belly towel and red waistband replaced the former helmet tassels and battle robes, becoming the classic image that continues to this day. They also reformed the waist drum to be easy to learn and pass on. Wherever the drum sound reached, revolutionary morale rose high, and people's hearts were tightly gathered together.
After the founding of New China, the Ansai waist drum became an even more joyful drum, carrying the people's confidence and pride. Since it went to Beijing in 1951 to present a tribute, it has appeared many times in the Tiananmen National Day celebrations. In addition, during major events such as the opening ceremony of the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, the 1997 Hong Kong handover celebration, the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay ceremony, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo 'Shaanxi Week' cultural exhibition, and the 2014 Beijing APEC summit cultural performance, the Ansai waist drum was also present. Every time the drum sound rises, it both records important historical moments and stirs the collective resonance of the national spirit.
The first to bring the waist drum to Beijing's Tiananmen were a group of ordinary farmers. On the eve of National Day in 1951, more than a dozen drummers from Ansai carried dry provisions, traveled a long distance, walked from the Loess Plateau all the way to Tiananmen, and the round trip took a full 50-odd days. They wanted to do only one thing: beat a section of waist drum to send blessings to New China. More than 70 years later, the Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway (西延高铁) opened to traffic. In the new year of 2026, they again went to the capital, again beat drums. Only this time, wheels replaced feet; it took just over five hours to complete the long journey from Yan'an to Beijing. In the rumbling drum sound, what they beat out is the modern life of the people of Yan'an — prosperous and solid, revealing full happiness.
Carrying a cultural confidence accumulated over millennia, the Ansai waist drum has also gone beyond national borders and stepped onto the world stage. In the new year of 2026, a grand Ansai waist drum performance took place at Trafalgar Square in London, astonishing overseas audiences. That drum sound crossed 千山万水 (qiān shān wàn shuǐ - "a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters," great distances), showing the world its colorful cultural charm.
However, no matter how far it goes, the root of the Ansai waist drum is still on that yellow earth land. The 'six strengths' (六劲) of the Ansai waist drum are precisely the spiritual foundation of the people on the yellow earth land: standing up from hardship and jumping in happiness. 能劲 (néng jìn - "ability strength," the ease of being content with one's lot) is the contentment of accepting fate (乐天知命); 狠劲 (hěn jìn - "fierce strength," unyielding stubbornness) is the stubbornness that never gives up (百折不回); 蛮劲 (mán jìn - "rough strength," power to fight fate) is the power to struggle against destiny; 猛劲 (měng jìn - "fierce strength," forward-charging courage) is the courage of 一往无前 (yī wǎng wú qián - "one goes forward without hesitation," pressing forward with courage); 虎劲 (hǔ jìn - "tiger strength," the bravado of taking sole charge) is the prestige of 舍我其谁 (shě wǒ qí shuí - "if not me, who else?" taking charge); 牛劲 (niú jìn - "ox strength," enduring patience for millennia) is the tenacity that stretches across millennia. These six strengths are born from the yellow earth, melt into the bones, and manifest the Chinese people's spirit, energy, and vigor.
In 2006, the Ansai waist drum was inscribed in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. It is a drum passed down through generations; what is passed on is the root, and it lives in the present. In Ansai, there is a folk saying: 'From ninety-nine years old down to those who have just learned to walk, everyone can beat the waist drum.' Here, beating the waist drum is a way for people to express joy, vent emotions, and gather hometown sentiment. During breaks in the fields, beating the drum is a pleasure in a brief respite; at festive gatherings, beating the drum is an exuberance in the bustle. Red silk flies, drum sound shakes the sky; men, women, old and young, dance freely. The waist drum is in the days of this land, and also among the children. All primary and secondary schools in Ansai have incorporated the waist drum into their curriculum and recess activities. The children bounce to the drumbeat, raising drumsticks above their heads, faces flushed red. That happy energy overflows from their rosy cheeks and spreads through the entire campus.
The Ansai waist drum is also moving forward with the times. The vigorous young men are finding new paths for this old art. They understand that the old generation's legacy cannot be lost. Traditional movements such as 'wrapping the waist and passing the crotch' (缠腰过裆) and 'horse stance jumping' (马步跳跃) must be performed strictly and kept earnestly. But while preserving tradition, they also add a little something new. The rhythm and body language of modern dance are being integrated bit by bit. The drumming posture becomes more free and easy, and the performance tension becomes stronger. On the roots of the old art, new branches have grown.
The Ansai waist drum comes from the depths of history, sounds on harvest days, celebrates the good life, passed down through generations, 生生不息 (shēng shēng bù xī - "live and grow without ceasing," eternal vitality). As long as the drum sound is there, the root is there. With the root there, no matter where one goes, one knows that one is a descendant of the yellow earth land.
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