Study Times - July 10, 2026

Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building: Original Contributions to Marxist Party Building Theory

By: 季正聚

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, centering on the major issue of the times of what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build such a party, has put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies, forming Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想). Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is the chapter on party building in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and provides the fundamental guidance and action guide for advancing the great new project of party building in the new era. As the latest achievement in the sinicization and modernization of Marxist party-building theory, Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building clearly puts forward the Fourteen Perseverances (十四个坚持), with rich connotations and a rigorous system, manifesting firm ideals and convictions, a high degree of historical initiative, a clear problem orientation, a strong sense of mission and responsibility, deep feelings for the people, and scientific thinking methods — understanding the substance and applying it in practice, with substance and function integrated, and possesses a distinct theoretical character. The Fourteen Perseverances both adhere to the most fundamental and core content of Marxist party-building theory and, in studying new situations and solving new problems, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, return to the source and open up new frontiers, and push out the old and bring forth the new. They scientifically answer major theoretical and practical questions of party building in the new era, enriching and developing Marxist party-building theory with a series of original achievements, and opening up a new realm of Marxist party-building theory.

A historic answer successfully responding to the issue of the times: what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build such a party

The classic Marxist writers mainly answered the fundamental question of “how to build a revolutionary proletarian political party.” Marx and Engels, in the Communist Manifesto, elucidated the nature, mission, and strategic principles of the proletarian party. Lenin, in works such as What Is to Be Done? and One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, systematically discussed the organizational principles and party-building principles of the new-type proletarian party. These theoretical achievements provided scientific theoretical guidance for the founding and revolutionary struggle of proletarian parties.

Although the classic writers offered principled expositions on how a Marxist political party should govern long-term after seizing power and how to ensure that it does not change its nature, color, or flavor, these were not fully developed or systematically answered. The original contribution of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is first of all reflected in its theoretical innovation tightly focused on the major issue of the times of “what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build such a party,” advancing Marxist party-building theory into the logic of long-term governance and achieving a historic leap in theoretical focus. From the height of scientifically grasping the laws of building a ruling Marxist party, it profoundly clarifies and answers fundamental questions such as how our Party can consolidate its long-term ruling status, how to forever preserve its revolutionary nature, advanced nature, and integrity, how to continuously improve its governance capability, how to prevent governance risks, and how to break free from the historical cycle of rise and fall.

Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building profoundly grasps this historic transformation. Every one of the Fourteen Perseverances examines and plans party building from the perspective of long-term governance. For example, persevering in the leadership of the Party is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics — this is establishing the argument from the fundamental prerequisite of governance; persevering in the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee — this is establishing the argument from the fundamental guarantee of governance; persevering in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party — this is establishing the argument from the fundamental path of governance; persevering in remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind — this is establishing the argument from the fundamental driving force of governance. This systematic thinking starting from the logic of long-term governance represents a major theoretical breakthrough of Marxist party-building theory in the new era.

First, from having the people supervise the government to the Party’s self-reform — a scientific answer ensuring that the Party never changes its nature, color, or flavor. One of the most original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is the proposal of “self-reform” as the scientific answer for breaking out of the historical cycle of rise and fall. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that through unremitting efforts, the Party has found the second answer for breaking out of the historical cycle of rise and fall — self-reform — ensuring that the Party forever remains unchanged in nature, color, and flavor.

In 1945, Mao Zedong gave the profound answer for breaking out of the historical cycle of rise and fall in the cave dwellings of Yan’an — having the people supervise the government. After more than a hundred years of struggle, especially the new practice since the 18th National Congress, our Party has put forward the scientific answer for breaking out of the historical cycle — self-reform. This answer fully manifests the firm determination of Chinese Communists to tirelessly advance the Party’s own construction and ensure that its nature, color, and flavor never change, marking a new height in the century-old Party’s understanding of the laws of building a long-term governing Marxist political party.

The major thesis of “self-reform” both adheres to the people’s nature of the Marxist political party — popular supervision embodies the people’s attribute of power — and profoundly reveals the unique advantage of the Marxist political party’s own construction — self-reform embodies the Party’s consciousness, initiative, and creativity. This major theoretical innovation elevates the Marxist requirements for the party’s self-purification, self-improvement, self-renovation, and self-enhancement to a new height.

Second, from “governing as a major party and major country” to “governing as a strong party and strong country” — strategic thinking and deployment. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is a major theoretical innovation precisely under this historical orientation. It organically connects the Party’s leadership with upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, building a modern socialist power, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, advancing party building from the height of its bearing on the Party’s long-term governance.

The Fourteen Perseverances profoundly grasp the internal connections between running and governing the Party, rejuvenating and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation. This formulation scientifically and systematically links the three levels of “running and governing the Party,” “rejuvenating and strengthening the Party,” and “strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation,” revealing the inherent logical relationship between party building and the development of the Party’s and the country’s cause. Party building is not building for its own sake, but to ensure that the Party always remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to ensure that the Party can lead the great cause of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation. This theoretical perspective of planning and advancing party building within the overall picture of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation is an innovative development of Marxist party-building theory in the new era.

Profoundly grasping changes in the world, the country, and the Party’s conditions, and the historic shift of the issue of the times, constitute the logical starting point of the original development of Marxist party-building theory by Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. It is the logic of party building in the context of long-term governance and building a strong country, laying the theoretical foundation for the unfolding of the entire content of the Fourteen Perseverances.

Systematic innovation in the core content of party building: the theoretical framework and original contributions of the Fourteen Perseverances

If the shift in the issue of the times is the logical starting point of the original development of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, then the Fourteen Perseverances are the core content of this original development. The Fourteen Perseverances are a concentrated summary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies on party building in the new era that are iconic and trendsetting. They profoundly clarify the highest principles, strategic guidelines, value pursuits, work layout, and methods and paths of party building, and profoundly reveal the inherent laws of a large Marxist party forever maintaining vigor and strong combat effectiveness. From a logical structural perspective, the Fourteen Perseverances can be divided into three levels: the first four are the general exposition, embodying the highest principles, strategic guidelines, and value pursuit of party building; the fifth through the thirteenth are the specific expositions, mainly elaborating on key tasks such as political party building, ideological party building, organizational party building, work style party building, discipline party building, the fight against corruption, and institutional party building; the last one is also a general one, serving as a powerful guarantee.

Persevere in the leadership of the Party is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This thesis is the first item of the Fourteen Perseverances and is also the red thread running through all of them. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that upholding and strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership concerns the future and destiny of the Party and the country; all our endeavors are built on this foundation, rooted in this most essential feature and greatest advantage. This original thesis elevates the Party’s leadership from a “political principle” to the height of an “essential feature.” The Party’s leadership is not externally appended but is inherent in the defining nature of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics; it is not optional but indispensable; it is not temporary but runs through the entire process. This achieves a new theoretical breakthrough on the basis of the Marxist theory of the relationship between the party and the state: the Communist Party of China not only leads the country but also constitutes the essential attribute of the state system.

Persevere in the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. This is the highest principle of the Party’s leadership. “Persevering in the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee is the highest political principle” — this thesis clarifies that the Party’s leadership is not dispersed or pluralistic but centralized and unified; not formal or symbolic but substantive and all-encompassing. In the history of Marxist party-building theory, although Lenin emphasized democratic centralism, identifying the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee as the “highest political principle” and making it the core requirement of political party building is an important theoretical innovation of the new era.

Persevere in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the distinctive theme of party building in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that we must be bold in advancing the Party’s self-reform, unswervingly promote comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, always maintain the Party’s advanced nature and integrity, and ensure that the Party always remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core incorporated comprehensive and strict governance of the Party into the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy — this is unprecedented in the history of Marxist political party building. It shows that party building is not an isolated departmental task but a strategic project concerning the overall situation of the Party’s and the country’s cause.

Persevere in remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind. This is the eternal issue for Communists. The proposal of “remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind” moves the value pursuit of the Marxist political party from the level of abstract principles to the level of concrete practice. The answer to the fundamental question of what the Communist Party of China is and what it is to do constitutes the value cornerstone of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. Anchoring “the people’s aspiration for a better life is our goal of struggle” requires the entire Party to always place the people in the highest position in their hearts and to regard benefiting the people as the most important political achievement. This is both an adherence to the Marxist view of the people and a theoretical deepening under the conditions of the new era.

Persevere in taking political party building as the guide. This is one of the most original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed that political party building is the fundamental construction of the Party, and for the first time incorporated political construction into the overall layout of party building, requiring that its guiding role be brought into play. The important thesis of “persevering in taking political party building as the guide” elevates political party building to a guiding height, anchors the fundamental focus of running the Party and governing it in the new era, and is a major original contribution of our Party to Marxist party-building theory. For the first time, it clearly defines political construction as the guide for party building. This thesis grasps the fundamental, overall issues of running the Party and governing it. Political construction is the “outline”; other constructions are the “details”; when the outline is lifted, the details follow. This theoretical innovation fundamentally changes the logical structure of party building: it is not that various constructions are parallel and equal, but that political construction guides everything.

Persevere in consolidating the soul with the Party’s innovative theories. This is the fundamental task of ideological party building. Taking “persevering in consolidating the soul with the Party’s innovative theories” as the fundamental task of ideological party building, and taking tempering Party spirit and enhancing ideological consciousness as a lifelong subject. This thesis elevates theoretical arming from a general “learning requirement” to the height of “consolidating the soul.” “Consolidating the soul” addresses the issue of building consensus; “solidifying the soul” addresses the issue of forging spirit. This formulation profoundly reveals that theoretical arming is not merely the acquisition of knowledge, but also the shaping of faith, the steadfastness of conviction, and the forging of the soul.

Persevere in tempering strong Party spirit. Party spirit is the essential attribute of a Marxist political party. General Secretary Xi Jinping vividly pointed out that ideals and convictions are the “calcium” in the spirit of Communists; without ideals and convictions, or if ideals and convictions are not firm, the spirit will “lack calcium” and suffer from “osteomalacia.” Party members and officials should regard the firming of ideals and convictions as a lifelong subject, believing in them for a lifetime and adhering to them for a lifetime. The use of the word “tempering” endows party spirit construction with a dynamic, processual connotation. Party spirit is not once and for all; it requires strict ideological tempering, political training, practical exercise, and professional training, and must manifest strict Party spirit in the face of urgent, difficult, dangerous, and heavy tasks and the test of temptations of interest.

Persevere in perfecting the organizational system that is vertically connected and horizontally coordinated and executes effectively. Organizational construction is an important foundation of party building. The eight characters “vertically connected and horizontally coordinated and executes effectively” precisely summarize the essential requirements of the organizational system of a Marxist political party, emphasizing both the “completeness” of the organizational system and its “effectiveness.” If a party has a perfect organizational system but lacks execution, it becomes a heap of loose sand. This thesis elevates organizational construction from “building organizations” to the height of “strengthening effectiveness.”

Persevere in building a contingent of high-caliber officials capable of shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation. Once the political line is established, officials are the decisive factor. Officials are the backbone of the Party’s and the country’s cause. The formulation “capable of shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation” elevates the goal of building the contingent of officials from a general “having both virtue and talent” to the strategic height of “taking on the heavy task of national rejuvenation.” This gives the building of the official contingent a distinct contemporary connotation and historical mission on the basis of Marxist theory on officials.

Persevere in promoting the normalization and institutionalization of work style construction. Work style construction is the eternal theme of party building. The proposal of “normalization and institutionalization” profoundly reveals a law-based understanding of work style construction: work style construction is not a passing fad, not campaign-style governance, but requires sustained, long-term efforts. Since the new era, our Party has begun by formulating and implementing the Eight-Point Regulation of the Central Committee to break the ice, rectifying the Four Forms of Decadence with the spirit of driving a nail, and winning the trust and support of the people with the new atmosphere of work style construction.

Persevere in managing the entire Party and governing the entire Party with strict discipline. Strict discipline is a distinctive feature of a Marxist political party. General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed that strengthening discipline construction is the fundamental strategy for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, elevating discipline construction from “one aspect” of party building to the height of a “fundamental strategy.” “Fundamental strategy” means that discipline is not merely the “rules” for managing people, but the “foundation” for governing the Party. Without strict discipline, there is no unity and solidarity of the Party.

Persevere in advancing the integrated approach of ensuring that officials are deterred, incapable, and unwilling to engage in corruption. This is the basic policy for the fight against corruption. “Ensuring that officials are deterred, incapable, and unwilling to engage in corruption” organically unifies the three dimensions of punishment, institutions, and education. “Being deterred from corruption” addresses the issue of “dare not,” relying on severe punishment to form deterrence; “being incapable of corruption” addresses the issue of “cannot,” relying on institutional construction to tighten the cage; “being unwilling to engage in corruption” addresses the issue of “does not want to,” relying on education and guidance to cultivate culture. The three are not isolated but an organic whole advanced in an integrated and coordinated manner. This theoretical innovation expands the Marxist thinking on clean government from a single dimension to multi-dimensional coordination, achieving a systematic breakthrough in anti-corruption theory.

Persevere in governing the Party with institutions and regulations. This is the long-term and fundamental strategy for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that strengthening the construction of intraparty regulations and institutions is the long-term and fundamental strategy for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has adhered to the integrated construction of law-based governance of the country and institution-based governance of the Party and regulation-based governance of the Party, promoting the intraparty regulations and institutions to become more mature and well-defined. Persevering in governing the Party with institutions and regulations is an important content of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. The parallel proposal of “institution-based party governance” and “regulation-based party governance” forms a dual normative system of “institutions + rule of law.” “Institution-based party governance” emphasizes the adequacy of institutional supply; “regulation-based party governance” emphasizes the rigidity of institutional implementation. The combination of the two constitutes the complete institutional logic of running and governing the Party.

Persevere in implementing the political responsibility for running and governing the Party. This is the “ox nose” that needs to be firmly grasped in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. For comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, the key lies in “comprehensiveness,” the critical point lies in “strictness,” and the core lies in “governance.” Who is the subject of “governance”? It is party organizations at all levels and leading Party members and officials. “Persevering in implementing the political responsibility for running and governing the Party” is to clearly answer the question of “who governs,” transforming running and governing the Party from “organizational behavior” to “political responsibility” — it is not optional but mandatory; not soft but hard. The four characters “political responsibility” endow running and governing the Party with political seriousness and the compulsion of responsibility.

As an organic whole, the original contribution of the Fourteen Perseverances is not only reflected in the specific content of each item but also in the organic interconnection and coupling of the overall framework. First, adhere to systems theory, coordinating the Party’s leadership and party building. The Fourteen Perseverances include both content on “persevering in the Party’s leadership” and content on “party building.” This coordinated arrangement reveals the inner unified relationship between the Party’s leadership and party building: the Party’s leadership is the value orientation of party building, and party building is the organizational guarantee of the Party’s leadership. Second, adhere to the organic unity of comprehensive theory and focal point theory. The Fourteen Perseverances both comprehensively cover all aspects of party building and highlight priorities; they place political construction in the first position and take comprehensively and strictly governing the Party as the main line. This theoretical framework, which is both comprehensive and focused, embodies the methodological consciousness of dialectical materialism. Third, understand the substance and achieve its function, with substance and function integrated. The Fourteen Perseverances are both epistemology and methodology. This theoretical character of integrating substance and function endows Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building with both theoretical profundity and practical guidance. Fourth, adhere to the unity of means and ends, profoundly grasping the internal connections between running and governing the Party, rejuvenating and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation. The Fourteen Perseverances position and plan party building within the overall picture of the development of the Party’s and the country’s cause, revealing the internal logic that running and governing the Party is the means, rejuvenating and strengthening the Party is the goal, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation is the destination. This broad theoretical perspective is a major development of Marxist party-building theory in the new era.

Innovative transformation of methodology: a model of party building through the Two Integrations (两个结合)

The original development of Marxist party-building theory by Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is not only reflected in the shift of the issue of the times and the innovation of core content, but also in the innovative transformation of methodology. Combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture — the creative application of the “Two Integrations” in the field of party building constitutes the original contribution at the methodological level of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.

Combining with China’s specific realities, taking root in the great practice of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the new era. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building originates from Marxist scientific theory, is rooted in the fine traditional Chinese culture, and is nurtured in the great practice of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the new era. This thought is not a general summary of party building experience, but the systematic integration and original development of Marxist party-building theory by the Communist Party of China under the historical orientation of long-term governance.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has advanced comprehensive and strict governance of the Party with the force of a thunderbolt. Starting with formulating and implementing the Eight-Point Regulation of the Central Committee to break the ice, taking political party building as the guide for all work of party building, and systematically constructing a system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. From the 19th National Congress clearly putting forward the general requirements for party building in the new era, to the 20th National Congress systematically planning a sound system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, to the National Conference on Party Building Work formally proposing Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building — a clear upward trajectory from practice to theory and back to theory guiding practice is evident. Behind this lies the magnificent exploration of our Party in systematically advancing running and governing the Party, rejuvenating and strengthening the Party, within the historical depth of long-term governance, building a strong country, and national rejuvenation.

The practical foundation of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building stems from the fresh experience of strengthening party building since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The unremitting practice of running and governing the Party in the new era has confronted and resolved many deep-seated problems, summarizing a series of party building experiences that have stood the test of practice. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is precisely a systematic arrangement, law refinement, and theoretical sublimation of this series of practical achievements. This theoretical generative logic of coming from practice and going to practice ensures that Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building possesses both the height of theory, the depth of historical heritage, the strength of practice, and the warmth of people’s feelings.

Combining with the fine traditional Chinese culture, drawing on the rich nourishment of more than five thousand years of civilization. A series of original and emblematic major concepts put forward by Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building are both rooted in classic Marxist expositions and have absorbed the essence of the fine traditional Chinese culture, presenting a distinct Chinese character, Chinese style, and Chinese manner.

The more than five thousand years of civilization history of the Chinese nation has nurtured a vast and profound cultural resources and governance wisdom, providing abundant cultural nourishment for party building in the new era. The people-oriented thought of “the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is stable, the state is at peace” is inherently consistent with our Party’s fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly; the way of governance of “governing means being upright” and “cultivating oneself and establishing virtue” serves as a cultural resource for Party members and officials to temper Party spirit and strictly observe conduct; the governance wisdom of “orders must be carried out and prohibitions must be obeyed, with unity of will from top to bottom” permeates the organizational system that is vertically connected and horizontally coordinated and executes effectively; the tradition of managing officials through “purifying the turbid and promoting the clear, rectifying discipline and laws” provides historical mirror for work style construction and anti-corruption work. This cultural root and soul enable Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building to possess both the truth power of Marxism and the profound foundation of Chinese culture.

The creative application of the “Two Integrations” in the field of party building has far-reaching methodological significance. First, it solves the path problem of the sinicization and modernization of Marxist party-building theory. The spread and landing of Marxist party-building theory around the world involves a process of localization. How to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in China? The “Two Integrations” provide a scientific answer: it must combine with China’s specific realities, so that theory is tested and developed in practice, and also combine with the fine traditional Chinese culture, so that theory is nourished and elevated in culture. Second, it realizes the dialectical unity of upholding fundamental principles and making innovations. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building both adheres to the most fundamental and core content of Marxist party-building theory and is adept at using materialist dialectics, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, and pushing out the old and bringing forth the new in studying new situations and solving new problems. This methodology of upholding fundamental principles and making innovation ensures that theoretical innovation does not deviate from the correct direction and always maintains the vitality of keeping pace with the times. Third, it manifests profound cultural confidence and historical consciousness. Incorporating the fine traditional Chinese culture into the resource pool of party building theoretical innovation itself embodies a high degree of cultural confidence. It is not a simple borrowing of traditional cultural concepts, but a creative transformation and innovative development, making the excellent elements of traditional culture an organic part of the party building theory of the new era.

In summary, Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is the latest theoretical form of Marxist party-building theory under the conditions of long-term governance. It enriches and perfects the treasure house of Marxist party-building theory, fills the theoretical gap in systematically advancing the building of a long-term governing Marxist political party with a systemic approach, opens a new realm of sinicization and modernization of Marxist party-building theory, systematically reveals the inherent laws of a century-old large party forever maintaining its vitality, and is of milestone significance in the history of the development of Marxist party theory and the more than one-hundred-year history of party building of the Communist Party of China. At the same time, the powerful truth strength and practical force of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building have been fully tested and demonstrated by practice. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party has become stronger and more powerful through revolutionary tempering, providing a fundamental guarantee for historic achievements and historic transformations in the cause of the Party and the country. In the new era and new journey, the tasks of reform, development, and stability are heavy, and the contradictions, risks, and challenges are unprecedented. The more complex the situation and the more arduous the tasks, the more necessary it is to adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, to build and strengthen our Party well, ensuring that the Party always stays at the forefront of the times in the historical process of profound changes in the world situation, and always remains the strong leadership core in the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

(The author is a researcher from the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee)

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Keep pace with development trends and always stay at the forefront of the times

By: 朱培蕾

"Following the trend of development, always staying at the forefront of the times" is one of the excellent qualities of the Chinese Communist Party profoundly expounded by General Secretary Xi Jinping. It emphasizes that our Party upholds a high degree of historical consciousness and a broad world perspective, clearly grasps China's national conditions and the theme of the era, actively recognizes changes, responds to changes, and seeks changes, sharpens its pioneering and enterprising spirit, and promotes the Party's work in all fields to embody the character of the times, grasp the laws of development, and be rich in creativity, leading the country and the nation to advance in the logic of historical progress and to develop in the currents of the times. This major thesis profoundly reveals the deep mystery of how a century-old Party, having weathered storms, remains in its prime and, having endured hardships, continues to thrive, forever standing at the tide of the times and steering the course of history.

Grasping the general trend with a high degree of historical consciousness. The over 100-year history of struggle of the Chinese Communist Party is precisely a magnificent epic that, with the eye of Marxism, discerns the era and, with the posture of historical initiative, leads the trend. Looking back on the path, the birth of the Chinese Communist Party itself was an inevitable product of grasping the general historical trend. From the spark on Jinggangshan to the turning of the tide at Zunyi, from the ideological ice-breaking of the great discussion on the criterion of truth to the spring tide of reform and opening up, from the sudden emergence of the "two bombs, one satellite" to the global coverage of the BeiDou network, the Chinese Communist Party has always led the Chinese nation to break waves and forge ahead in the currents of the era with its forward-looking strategic vision and firm historical confidence. It is precisely this historical consciousness of "planning according to the situation and acting in response to the trend" that has enabled the Party to always firmly grasp the initiative in development within the logic of historical progress.

Discerning the trend with a broad world perspective. From the day of its founding, the Chinese Communist Party has understood and handled its relations with the external world from the perspective of the great history of China's development, the great landscape of world changes, and the great currents of human development. This world perspective has enabled our Party to view China by stepping out of China, to view China by standing in the era, and to pinpoint its own position and mission in the vast spatial-temporal coordinates. Looking back over the century-long journey, from "taking Russia as a teacher" to "taking our own path," from dividing the "three worlds" to defining the era theme of "peace and development," from the Belt and Road Initiative to four major global initiatives, our Party has always keenly captured the pulse of the times, scientifically judged the characteristics of the era, closely linked China's destiny with the global trend, enabling the Party to always conform to the trend and ride the momentum in the currents of the times.

Opening up new prospects with a proactive spirit of recognizing changes, responding to changes, and seeking changes. Following the trend of development requires not only the eyesight to see the trend clearly but also the ability to steer it. Today's China is in a critical period where the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the major changes unseen in a century in the world are interwoven and interacting with each other. Only by accurately recognizing changes can one see the direction and grasp the pulse amidst great changes. Actively respond to changes based on the changed reality, promptly adjust strategies, tactics, guidelines, and policies so that subjective guidance conforms to the development of objective circumstances. Exert subjective initiative, actively seek changes while respecting objective laws, actively promote the transformation of contradictions in a favorable direction, open up new realms and lead the future amidst changes.

The century-long journey is magnificent and vast; the currents of the times are mighty and rolling. Having traversed a glorious 105-year journey, the Chinese Communist Party, precisely by virtue of its excellent quality of following the trend of development and always staying at the forefront of the times, has made correct choices at critical historical junctures time and again, leading the Chinese people to create miracles that have made the world sit up and take notice, becoming an undoubted vanguard of the times and the backbone of the nation. On the new journey, we must always maintain a keen insight into the general trend of the times, continuously enhance our consciousness and ability to recognize, respond to, and seek changes, win historical initiative in the waves of the times, and continuously forge new and greater brilliance.

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Building a Strong Energy Nation with a New-Type Power Grid

By: 钱朝阳

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we must deeply promote the energy revolution and accelerate the building of an energy powerhouse. From the proposal of the goal of "accelerating the building of an energy powerhouse" at the 2021 Central Economic Work Conference to the inclusion of "building an energy powerhouse" in the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五), this is a major strategic deployment made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on the global trend of energy transformation and the stage of China's energy development, and with a view to the overall situation of building a modern socialist powerhouse. It has pointed the way forward and provided fundamental guidance for promoting high-quality energy development in the new era. As a central energy state-owned enterprise, China Southern Power Grid Company has always kept in mind the "great things of the state" (国之大者), thoroughly implemented the new national energy security strategy, firmly shouldered the role of main force in building an energy powerhouse, accelerated the construction of a new power grid (新型电网), promoted the construction of a new power system (新型电力系统) and a new energy system (新型能源体系), and contributed energy strength to comprehensively advancing Chinese-style modernization.

Grasp the path of building an energy powerhouse, firmly shoulder the mission and responsibility of the power grid

The level of energy development is an important indicator of the degree of national modernization, and an energy powerhouse is an important foundation for a modern socialist powerhouse. Building a new energy system, a new power system, and a new power grid constitutes a practical system for building an energy powerhouse that is 环环相扣 (huán huán xiāng kòu - "interlocking rings," closely connected) and progressing layer by layer, and is a concentrated embodiment of the energy development path with Chinese characteristics.

The new energy system is the main path for building an energy powerhouse. The new energy system is a systemic transformation covering the entire chain of energy production, supply, and consumption as well as all aspects of energy governance, technological innovation, security assurance, and international cooperation. It drives reliable energy supply to become a solid foundation for ensuring economic growth and improving people's livelihood, energy green transformation to become an important engine driving the dual carbon (双碳) process, energy industry upgrading to become a main front for developing new quality productive forces (新质生产力), and comprehensive energy strength to become a key force shaping new advantages in international competition and cooperation. It supports the energy powerhouse in demonstrating strong independent support capability, resource allocation capability, green development capability, innovation driving capability, industrial competitiveness, governance leadership, and rule-shaping capability, and solidifies the energy foundation for modernization.

The new power system is the key support for building a new energy system. Electric power is an important strategic advantage for China to prevail in global competition in the new era. China has built the world's largest power supply system and clean power generation system. In 2025,全社会用电量 (total social electricity consumption) historically exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, and electricity accounts for over 30% of terminal energy consumption. Electric power is gradually becoming the dominant form of energy utilization and is reshaping the energy ecological pattern. The new power system connects energy production and consumption, occupies a central position in the energy supply system. It promotes clean and efficient energy production through changes in the power source structure, promotes green and low-carbon energy consumption through source-grid-load-storage (源网荷储) interaction, promotes coordinated and efficient energy governance through price and standard systems, promotes self-reliance and strength in energy science and technology through cross-domain integration and innovation, promotes safe, stable, and reliable energy through ample power security, and promotes open and win-win energy cooperation through power interconnection. It will strongly support the construction of a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient new energy system.

The new power grid is the core hub for building a new power system. The power grid is a platform carrier for the convergence and flow of power energy flow, information flow, and value flow. China’s power grid has become the world’s largest extra-large power grid with the strongest transmission capacity, the highest operating voltage level, the largest scale of new energy integration, and the longest safe operation record. The grid’s resource optimization and allocation capability is world-leading. Building a new power grid and promoting the reshaping of grid layout, structure, and function will comprehensively enhance the power system’s ability to receive, allocate, and regulate power, better meet the diversified and high-quality electricity needs of the people, better support the large-scale and high-proportion development of new energy, better ensure the safe and stable operation of the power system, better carry the flourishing development of regulation resources and emerging business forms, better serve the construction of a unified national market, and comprehensively promote the wide-area, free, and efficient flow of energy factor resources.

Grasp the connotation and requirements of the new power grid, accelerate the creation of a new form of modern power grid

The new power grid is essentially a new form of modern power grid that embodies the requirements of the energy powerhouse goal and adapts to the needs of building the new energy system and the new power system. It is a deep transformation and systematic reshaping of grid layout, structure, function, technology, model, and form. We must adhere to systems thinking, market thinking, transformative thinking, and ecological thinking to coordinate the promotion of new power grid construction.

The newness of layout lies in overall coordination across the entire domain. Optimize power flow direction and grid layout with a national chessboard approach, coordinate the synergistic layout of cross-provincial and cross-regional channels with hierarchical and zonal grids, coordinate the synergistic layout of clean energy base development and delivery with distributed energy nearby consumption, coordinate the synergistic layout of power source development with energy-using industries, coordinate the coordinated development of AC/DC and sending-end/receiving-end grids, and explore planning and construction models such as sea-land integration and air-ground integration according to local conditions, to achieve the optimized allocation of energy resources over a larger scope.

The newness of structure lies in multi-level coordination. Optimize the coordinated development pattern of main grid-distribution grid-microgrid (主配微网). The main grid strengthens flexible allocation capacity to support wide-area deployment of energy resources and consolidate the physical foundation of the national unified market. The distribution grid strengthens resilience and interaction capacity to support high-level consumption of new energy and lay a solid foundation for safe and reliable power supply. The microgrid strengthens elastic balancing capacity to support efficient energy use combinations for end users and enhance the level of end-point autonomy and self-governance. The main grid, distribution grid, and microgrid form an organic whole with clear interfaces, complete functions, intelligent operation, and efficient interaction.

The newness of function lies in comprehensive carrying capacity. Give play to the core value of the grid platform in connecting, integrating, and empowering. Carry the high-penetration grid connection and high-level consumption of centralized and distributed new energy. Carry the open access and two-way interaction of flexible regulation resources such as new energy storage, adjustable loads, and virtual power plants. Carry the healthy and orderly development of new business forms such as source-grid-load-storage integration (源网荷储一体化), direct green electricity connection, and zero-carbon parks. Carry the high-quality and green energy use of new quality productive forces such as computing power facilities, charging facilities, and advanced manufacturing. Become a comprehensive hub efficiently carrying various new elements, new resources, and new business forms.

The newness of technology lies in digital-intelligent empowerment. With digitalization and intelligent technologies as the core, build a new-generation digital power grid. Promote the deep application of artificial intelligence in core scenarios such as grid planning and construction, equipment management, dispatching and operation, power supply service, and security defense. Promote the deep integration of core elements such as power, data, computing power, models, and scenarios. Promote the deep upgrading of core capabilities such as whole-grid perception, intelligent analysis, precise prediction, and automatic control. Drive the two-way empowerment of artificial intelligence and the energy and power industry.

The newness of the model lies in efficient adaptation. Adapt to new trends in energy transition, new variables in market development, and new challenges in system security. Build a new power dispatching system that adapts to multiple grid forms, multiple dispatch objects, and multiple business models. Improve a high-standard power market system with multi-level market architecture, multi-category market products, and multi-functional market mechanisms. Build a systematic, coordinated, and proactive grid security defense system. Comprehensively enhance the system's adaptability in complex scenarios.

The newness of form lies in multi-network integration. The grid form becomes more open and flexible, with multi-level network integration, multi-business integration, and multi-type facility integration. Achieve interconnection and intercommunication, resource co-construction and sharing, and functional coordination and linkage with elements such as the water network, computing power network, new-generation communication network, urban underground pipeline network, and logistics network. Use smart dispatching to drive grid-water network coordination, energy saving and carbon reduction to drive grid-computing power network coordination, digital interaction to drive grid-communication network coordination, urban renewal to drive grid-underground pipeline network coordination, and transportation-energy integration to drive grid-logistics network coordination. Rely on underlying resource circulation, functional complementarity, value transmission, and technical support to promote system integration and convergence.

Grasp the key points of new power grid construction, open up a new situation of high-quality power grid development

The 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五) period is a critical period for building an energy powerhouse. China Southern Power Grid Company will build a safe, reliable, green, low-carbon, strong, resilient, intelligent, and flexible new power grid with a higher stance, more practical measures, and greater efforts, fully supporting the construction of an energy powerhouse.

Strengthen multi-level grid coordination and mutual support, consolidate the foundation of safety and reliability. Coordinate and optimize the planning layout and structure upgrading of the main grid, distribution grid, and microgrid, build a new coordinated development pattern with strong wide-area allocation, reliable regional carrying capacity, and efficient local autonomy. Build a flexible interconnected backbone grid framework. Actively integrate into the national power productivity layout, strengthen inter-regional and inter-provincial grid interconnection capacity, enhance the flexible interconnection function of the AC/DC integrated large grid, fully promote the construction of cross-provincial and cross-regional transmission channels such as the Tibet-Guangdong DC and Qinghai-Guangxi DC, as well as flexible inter-provincial power mutual support projects such as Hunan-Guizhou, Hunan-Guangdong, Chongqing-Guizhou, and Hainan-Guangdong, creating a main grid form with reasonable partitioning, flexible interconnection, safety and controllability, and open mutual support. Iteratively upgrade the new distribution system. Adapt to the needs of large-scale access and efficient interaction of sources and loads, accelerate the digital, intelligent, and flexible transformation and upgrading of the distribution system, build a high-reliability, high-carrying, high-resilience distribution grid. Continuously improve the power supply reliability of megacities and key industrial clusters, accelerate the filling of local distribution grid weaknesses in rural areas and urban villages. Promote the transparent construction of low-voltage grids, enhance state perception and operation regulation capabilities, build an energy aggregation network carrying massive distributed resources. Build intelligent microgrids according to local conditions. Give full play to the resource optimization allocation and flexible control capabilities of microgrids at the end of the grid. For diverse scenarios such as the ends of large grids, urban core areas, counties with high-proportion new energy, and offshore islands, plan and build intelligent microgrids, enhance the level of coordinated regulation and linkage matching of internal source-grid-load-storage, form the ability for unit self-balancing, self-regulation, and self-safety operation. Accelerate exploration of grid applications of future energy sources such as ocean energy, geothermal energy, and fusion energy.

Support the efficient development and utilization of clean energy, thicken the green and low-carbon background. Closely follow the dual carbon (双碳) strategic goal, coordinate the linkage of power source side, grid side, and load side resources, promote the comprehensive construction of green production and lifestyle. Strengthen clean energy supply. Actively serve the layout of national clean energy bases such as northwest "sandy, Gobi, barren" new energy, southwest hydropower, and offshore wind power. Adhere to the concurrent development of centralized and distributed, onshore and offshore, local consumption and delivery consumption. Promote the construction of system-friendly new energy power stations. Promote the integrated and convergent development of new energy. Serve the new energy installed capacity in the southern region exceeding 450 million kilowatts during the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五) period. Improve the market and price mechanism adapted to high-proportion new energy, continuously deepen the construction of the green electricity and green certificate trading market, scientifically reflect the environmental value of new energy. Optimize system regulation efficiency. Fully explore various adjustable resources, develop super scenarios for large power grids, build a giant system of new energy storage, promote the application of artificial intelligence technology in the aggregation and control of flexible regulation resources, rely on virtual power plant platforms to aggregate dispersed adjustable resources, release the regulation potential of multiple resources. Improve the power market trading mechanism, fully mobilize flexible resources to participate in system regulation, form flexible regulation capabilities coordinated across multiple time scales and multiple application scenarios. Deepen the transformation of low-carbon energy use. Focus on key areas and critical industries, continuously expand the breadth and depth of electricity substitution, tap the potential of electricity substitution in industries such as industry, transportation, and construction, promote energy saving and efficiency improvement in key areas such as industry, achieve that by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五) period, the proportion of electricity in terminal energy consumption in the southern region exceeds 38%. Precisely match the low-carbon energy use needs of various business entities, improve the supply of green energy services such as energy consumption and carbon emission monitoring, energy saving and carbon reduction, promote the clean, low-carbon, and intelligent transformation of the energy consumption structure.

Improve the multi-dimensional risk prevention and control system, enhance the level of strength and resilience. Coordinate and enhance the grid’s survivability, resistance, and recoverability in the face of system shocks, ensure power supply security and grid operation safety under extreme and critical conditions. Strengthen power supply resilience. Scientifically build a power supply adequacy target system and early warning mechanism, strengthen the capacity for cross-regional, cross-period, and cross-variety energy complementarity, explore the establishment of a market-based capacity compensation mechanism, ensure that the grid’s reliable capacity is reasonably sufficient. Strengthen the grid-related performance of new energy, raise the level of reliable substitution of new energy. Promote the acceleration of emergency backup power construction. Strengthen grid defense resilience. Integrate and enhance the grid’s disaster reduction prevention, disaster resistance fortification, and disaster relief guarantee capabilities, strengthen disaster monitoring, early warning and risk assessment, reasonably raise the protection standards for grid facilities in disaster-prone areas, deepen the construction of strong local power grids, coordinate the promotion of grid wind prevention, ice prevention, flood prevention, and earthquake resistance projects, optimize the layout of emergency resources, fully pre-position emergency forces, enhance the grid’s ability to withstand major disasters and extreme events. Strengthen industrial system resilience. Focus on key scenarios such as large grid security, new energy consumption, and new business development, strengthen research in areas such as DC grids, complex system control, and "AI+", promote breakthroughs in key materials, core devices, basic software and high-end equipment technologies, improve the safety and stability, network security, and self-controllability of the industrial chain and supply chain. Forward-looking deploy future energy technologies and industries, build a number of scientific experimental projects, scientific and technological innovation projects, and large scientific devices with leading and demonstration roles.

Deepen digital-intelligent and integrated development, stimulate intelligent and flexible efficiency. Promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence into all aspects of grid production and operation, enhance the grid's holographic perception of state, intelligent coordinated dispatching, and flexible resource interaction capabilities, support multi-energy coordinated complementarity, source-grid-load-storage interaction, and multi-network integration and interconnection. Upgrade the digital grid foundation. Accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation and upgrading of the power grid, use the Electric Harmony IoT Operating System (电鸿物联操作系统) as a unified foundation, realize flexible access of massive heterogeneous subjects, build a digital grid twin platform covering all links of generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, and consumption, build a digital grid with extensive connection, digital-intelligent drive, and open sharing. Upgrade the new dispatching system. Build a new dispatching system with grid-source operation coordination, active security defense, resource market allocation, and digital-intelligent technology empowerment, create a new generation of intelligent dispatching operation platform with comprehensive intelligent perception, centralized analysis and decision-making, distributed monitoring and control, and cloud-edge efficient collaboration, enhance the panoramic observability and controllability of sources, grids, loads, and storage at all levels of dispatching, realize coordinated and optimized dispatching of multiple and massive resources. Upgrade the multi-network coordination ecosystem. Focus on multi-network characteristics and integration needs, deeply explore the cross-field scenarios of the "six networks" (六网), guide the layout and construction of water-wind-solar multi-energy complementarity, deepen the coordination of electricity and computing in planning, construction, dispatching, and trading, create innovative models such as "multi-station integration" intelligent substations, expand and cultivate new business forms, new scenarios, and new services such as electricity-carbon-computing coordination and vehicle-grid interaction, build a multi-level, three-dimensional "energy + infrastructure" ecological system, fully release the value of multi-network integration.

Building an energy powerhouse, the energy front shoulders heavy responsibilities and a glorious mission. China Southern Power Grid Company will resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, promote the construction of a new power system and a new energy system through the construction of a new power grid, go all out to forge energy heavy equipment for the Party and the country, turn the grand blueprint of an energy powerhouse step by step into a beautiful reality, and lay a more solid foundation for building a modern socialist powerhouse.

(The author is Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd.)

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Important Remarks

105 years of unremitting struggle have demonstrated the strong vitality of Marxism. Our Party has persisted in integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s concrete realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture, continuously advancing the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, giving rise to Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, greatly enriching and developing Marxism. Today, the vigorous vitality and robust dynamism of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics have fully tested the scientific nature and truth of Marxism, fully demonstrated the people-centered nature and practical nature of Marxism, and fully manifested the openness and contemporary relevance of Marxism.

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This Issue’s Guide

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The Chinese nation catches up with the times in reform and opening up

By: 曹普

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: “Over the past 105 years, our Party has always adhered to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, deeply observed the trends of world development, accurately grasped the changes in the principal social contradictions in each historical period, united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country in unremitting struggle, created the great achievements of the new democratic revolution, socialist revolution and construction, reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and written the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of history of the Chinese nation.” The new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization is an extremely important period in the Party’s 105-year history. In this period, our Party firmly shouldered the heavy responsibility entrusted by history and the people, made the historic decision to shift the focus of the Party and state work to economic construction and implement reform and opening up, successfully opened up and adhered to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, created great achievements in reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and in the great reform and opening up, the Chinese nation took big strides to catch up with the times.

Following the trend of development, realizing a great turning point of far-reaching significance in the Party’s history since the founding of New China

Our Party is a Party that “follows the trend of development and always walks at the forefront of the times.” After the end of the “Cultural Revolution,” the Party and the state faced a major historical juncture of where to go. At that time, the world economy was developing rapidly, scientific and technological progress was changing with each passing day, yet the ten years of internal chaos had brought our country’s economy to the brink of collapse, the people’s food and clothing were a problem, and national construction was a hundred things waiting to be done. Our Party observed the trend, followed the trend, accurately grasped the principal social contradictions of our country and the aspirations of the Party, the military, and the people, made political decisions and strategic choices on a series of major policies concerning the future and destiny of the Party and the state, and pushed the Party and the state to rise again from crisis.

In response to the ideological shackles of the “two whatevers,” in May 1978, the internal publication of the Central Party School, Theoretical Trends, published an article “Practice Is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth,” and Guangming Daily subsequently published it publicly under the name of a special commentator, provoking strong reactions and triggering a great discussion on the criterion of truth. This discussion promoted the great ideological liberation of the entire Party and the whole society, and became the ideological precursor for 正本清源 (zhèng běn qīng yuán – “rectify the root and clear the source,” to fundamentally reform), 拨乱反正 (bō luàn fǎn zhèng – “reverse chaos and return to order,” to bring order out of chaos) and reform and opening up. Catching up with the times was the goal to be achieved by reform. Deng Xiaoping was a vigorous advocate of reform and opening up. He pointed out that independence does not mean closing the country to international intercourse, and self-reliance does not mean blind opposition to everything foreign; every nation and every country needs to learn the strengths of other nations and other countries, and learn their advanced science and technology. At the Central Work Conference that prepared for the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party, he delivered an important speech titled “Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, and Unite as One in Looking to the Future,” profoundly expounding the great significance of “emancipating the mind” and “implementing reform,” emphasizing that “if reform is not implemented now, our modernization cause and our socialist cause will be buried.” This speech was a declaration that opened a new period and a new path at the major historical juncture of where China was to go after the end of the “Cultural Revolution.”

The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party, convened in December 1978, thoroughly negated the erroneous policy of the “two whatevers,” re-established the Party’s ideological line of seeking truth from facts; stopped using the slogan “take class struggle as the key link,” and decided that from 1979 on, the focus of the entire Party’s work and the attention of the people of the whole country should be shifted to socialist modernization. The plenary session put forward the task of reform and opening up, emphasizing the adoption of a series of new major economic measures, undertaking serious reform of the economic management system and management methods, and on the basis of self-reliance, actively developing equal and mutually beneficial economic cooperation with countries around the world; emphasizing the need to fully promote democracy, strengthen the socialist legal system, and make democracy institutionalized and legalized; proposing to correctly treat Mao Zedong’s historical status and the scientific system of Mao Zedong Thought, pointing out the direction for adhering to and developing Mao Zedong Thought. The plenary session elected additional members of the central leading bodies. After this plenary session, in terms of embodying the Party’s correct guiding ideology and deciding the major policies for reform and opening up and socialist modernization, Deng Xiaoping had in fact become the core of the Party’s central leading collective.

The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party re-established the Marxist ideological line, political line, and organizational line, realizing a great turning point of far-reaching significance in the Party’s history since the founding of New China. From then on, Chinese Communists with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their main representative, upholding a high degree of historical self-awareness and a broad world vision, led the country and the nation to advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the current of the times, embarking on the great journey of creating and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in reform and opening up.

Unswervingly “walk our own path,” successfully creating socialism with Chinese characteristics in reform and opening up

The path determines destiny. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that our Party, “through 105 years of unremitting struggle, has opened up the correct path to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” This correct path is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Socialism with Chinese characteristics did not fall from the sky; it is a fundamental achievement obtained by the Party and the people through countless hardships and various sacrifices, and was created and developed in the new period of reform and opening up on the basis of the arduous exploration and enormous achievements of our predecessors.

After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party, reform first achieved a breakthrough in the countryside. In the winter of 1978, 18 peasant households in Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Anhui Province, “staking their lives and families,” pressed their fingerprints on a contract for the “big contracting” (household output responsibility system). General Secretary Xi Jinping later evaluated this as “a thunderclap of China’s reform, becoming a symbol of China’s reform.” Rural reform had far-reaching influence and enormous results, and was promoted across the country with overwhelming momentum. Opening up to the outside world, marked by the establishment of special economic zones, took important steps. In April 1979, at the Central Work Conference, Xi Zhongxun, First Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, proposed that the central authorities delegate certain powers, allowing the establishment of export processing zones in Shenzhen and Zhuhai, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, and in Shantou, a hometown of overseas Chinese. The Fujian Provincial Party Committee also proposed similar ideas. Deng Xiaoping gave strong support to the establishment of special zones. In July 1979, the Party Central Committee and the State Council approved and transmitted the reports of Guangdong and Fujian provinces on implementing special policies and flexible measures for foreign economic activities, deciding to delineate parts of Shenzhen and Zhuhai for trial establishment of export special zones (later named “special economic zones”). Establishing special economic zones was a major decision by the Party and the state to promote our country’s reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and was a great pioneering initiative by the Party and the people in exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

From the very beginning, China’s reform and opening up had a direction, a stance, and principles, namely that it must ideologically and politically adhere to the four fundamental principles: the socialist road, the people’s democratic dictatorship (proletarian dictatorship), the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. Deng Xiaoping emphasized that “the core of the four adherences is adherence to Party leadership.” Precisely because the correct direction, stance, and principles were adhered to, reform and opening up became an important magic weapon for the Party and the people to take big strides to catch up with the times, and ensured that reform and opening up, in carrying forward the cause and forging ahead into the future, and in upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, truly achieved “not fearing that floating clouds might block our sight, riding the wind and waves without losing the course,” always being a reform and opening up that promotes the self-improvement and self-development of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

On the basis of important progress in reform and opening up and the victorious completion of the Party’s correction of errors in guiding ideology, in September 1982, Deng Xiaoping, in his opening speech at the 12th National Congress of the Party, issued the resounding call: “Combine the universal truth of Marxism with the concrete reality of our country, walk our own path, and build socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The proposition of “building socialism with Chinese characteristics” clearly answered the most important question of concern to the entire Party and the people of the whole country — what path should the Party lead the Chinese people on after entering the new period of reform and opening up — and became the banner guiding reform and opening up and socialist modernization.

After the 12th National Congress of the Party, various reforms deepened continuously, with the main task in the countryside being to stabilize and perfect the household contract responsibility system with remuneration linked to output, and in the cities focusing on reforming the tax system. The areas opened to the outside expanded further. The individual economy, private economy, and foreign-invested enterprises developed rapidly. In October 1984, the Third Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee of the Party reviewed and adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Reform of the Economic System,” profoundly elucidating a series of major theoretical and practical issues in economic system reform. Thereafter, economic system reform focusing on the cities unfolded comprehensively, reforms of the science and technology system and the education system were placed on the agenda, democratic and legal construction was solidly advanced, Party leadership and Party building were further strengthened, the building of socialist spiritual civilization was incorporated into the overall layout of socialist modernization, the national defense strategy and foreign policy were adjusted accordingly, and all work of the Party and the state advanced rapidly.

The continuous deepening of reform and opening up urgently required the Party, on the basis of summing up practical experience, to provide further clear answers to the fundamental questions of what socialism is and how to build it, to the basic national conditions of our country, to what basic line should be followed and what goals should be set for reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. In October 1987, the 13th National Congress of the Party was convened. The congress systematically expounded the theory of the primary stage of socialism, clearly summarized the Party’s basic line of “one center, two basic points” in the primary stage of socialism, and formulated a three-step development strategy to basically achieve socialist modernization by the middle of the 21st century. The congress declared that, through exploration since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party, our Party had “begun to find a path for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, opening a new phase of socialist construction.” The congress summarized, from 12 aspects, the content of the new “scientific theoretical views” formed by the Party in the process of re-understanding socialism that embodied this new path, emphasizing that “these views constitute the outline of the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, preliminarily answering basic questions such as the stage, tasks, driving forces, conditions, overall layout, and international environment of our country’s socialist construction.”

After the 13th National Congress of the Party, reform and opening up continued to deepen. Just as the Party and the state were beginning “rectification and consolidation” to address deep-seated contradictions and problems exposed in reform and development, creating better conditions for further deepening reform and expanding opening up, a serious political disturbance occurred domestically, and Western countries imposed so-called “sanctions” on China; internationally, major events such as the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, the collapse of the Soviet Communist Party, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred successively, the Cold War pattern ended, causing serious shocks and interference to our country’s reform and opening up and the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the cause of the Party and the state faced severe tests.

Enduring severe tests, accelerating reform and opening up, successfully pushing socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century

Our Party is a Party that “dares and is good at struggle, and always maintains firm confidence in victory.” General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Our Party adheres to and promotes the spirit of fearing no sacrifice and engaging in heroic struggle. For the people, the country, the nation, and for ideals and beliefs, it cuts through thorns and brambles, forges ahead despite difficulties. No matter how strong the enemy, how dangerous the path, or how severe the challenge, it is always fearless, never retreats, and with the iron will of ‘let the wind and rain come, I stand firm as a mountain,’ inspires the people of the whole country to continuously march from victory to victory.”

Facing the political disturbance, our Party firmly relied on the people, with firm will and historical responsibility, took decisive measures, won this struggle concerning the life and death of the Party and the state, and withstood the pressure from Western countries, ensuring the correct course of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the correct direction of reform and development. After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee of the Party in June 1989, the new central leading collective with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core resolutely and comprehensively implemented the Party’s basic line, grasping on the one hand rectification and consolidation and deepening reform, and on the other hand Party building, building of spiritual civilization, and ideological and political work; the national political situation quickly stabilized, the economic situation gradually improved, and a new turning point emerged in the ideological front. Facing the rapid changes in the international situation, the Party Central Committee firmly safeguarded China’s image of independence, not believing in evil spirits or fearing ghosts, did not make deals with national dignity and core interests, and finally broke the “sanctions.” Regarding the newly established countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, we insisted on calmly developing relations with them, including political relations, on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, without engaging in ideological debates. The Party united and led the people to withstand pressure, maintain strategic composure, “firmly grasp the leadership and initiative in the development of the cause,” and in the face of severe tests such as the extremely complex domestic and international situation and the serious setbacks of world socialism, adhered to and defended socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The world socialist movement fell into a low tide, and the development of our country’s socialist cause faced severe challenges. Some people thus lacked confidence in the future of socialism, some doubted reform and opening up, raising questions about whether it was “socialist” or “capitalist.” At a critical juncture in the historical development of the Party and the state, from January to February 1992, Deng Xiaoping inspected Wuchang, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shanghai and other places and delivered important speeches, with a series of eye-opening and strongly targeted new views and new judgments, profoundly answering from a theoretical perspective many major questions that had long troubled and bound people’s thinking, dispelling the fog in people’s minds. In October, the 14th National Congress of the Party made three major decisions of far-reaching significance: first, seize the opportunity, accelerate development, and concentrate efforts on economic construction; second, determine that the goal of our country’s economic system reform is to establish a socialist market economy system; third, propose arming the entire Party with the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. The congress summarized the main content of the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics from nine aspects — development path, development stage, fundamental task, development driving force, external conditions, political guarantee, strategic steps, leading force and relying force, and reunification of the motherland — emphasizing that this theory “for the first time systematically and preliminarily answered a series of basic questions about how a country like China, relatively backward economically and culturally, can build socialism, how to consolidate and develop socialism, inheriting and developing Marxism with new ideas and viewpoints.” Marked by Deng Xiaoping’s southern talks and the 14th National Congress of the Party, our country’s reform and opening up and socialist modernization cause entered a new stage of accelerated progress.

After the 14th National Congress of the Party, and through the 15th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee planned and deployed a series of major tasks concerning reform, development and stability, domestic and foreign affairs, national defense, and the governance of the Party, the state, and the military, successfully pushing socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century. By 2000, our country had victoriously completed the goals and tasks of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, realized the second-step strategic goal of socialist modernization, and the people’s living standards had reached a moderately prosperous level on the whole, a new milestone in the history of the Chinese nation’s development. In the process of advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great new project of Party building, Chinese Communists with Comrade Jiang Zemin as their main representative adhered to emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, and advancing with the times, continuously guiding new practice with new theory, forming the important thought of the “Three Represents,” which became a powerful theoretical weapon for strengthening and improving Party building and promoting the self-improvement and self-development of our country’s socialism.

Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in the course of scientific development, successfully adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics under new circumstances

In November 2002, the 16th National Congress of the Party systematically summarized the 13 years of struggle and basic experience since the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee of the Party. The congress emphasized that the first two decades of the 21st century are, for our country, an important period of strategic opportunity that must be firmly grasped and in which great achievements can be made; in these two decades, we must concentrate our efforts to build a moderately prosperous society of a higher level that benefits more than one billion people; after this stage of construction, continue to strive for several more decades, and basically achieve modernization by the middle of the century. The congress set forth goals for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in terms of economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological environment, proposing that the gross domestic product should be quadrupled by 2020 compared to 2000.

After the 16th National Congress of the Party, Chinese Communists with Comrade Hu Jintao as their main representative seized the important period of strategic opportunity, concentrated on construction, single-mindedly sought development, and in the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, boldly advanced practical innovation, theoretical innovation, and institutional innovation in socialism with Chinese characteristics, turning in a new excellent answer sheet for opening up a new situation in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the first half of 2003, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, our country achieved victory in the fight against SARS, and in the course of deeply contemplating the major theoretical and practical question of “what kind of development to achieve and how to achieve development,” put forward the Scientific Outlook on Development that is people-oriented, comprehensive, balanced, and sustainable. The Party led the perfection of the socialist market economy system, promoted sound and rapid economic development; proposed the strategic goal of building a socialist harmonious society, expanding the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics to “four in one”; while deeply implementing the western development strategy, made major decisions such as revitalizing old industrial bases in the northeast and promoting the rise of the central region; proposed the major strategic task of building a new socialist countryside, abolishing the agricultural tax that had existed for more than 2,600 years.

The 17th National Congress of the Party creatively put forward and deeply expounded the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, including Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of the “Three Represents,” and the Scientific Outlook on Development. After 2008, the Party Central Committee led the people to effectively respond to the impact of the international financial crisis; achieved major victories in fighting the Wenchuan earthquake and other natural disasters; successfully hosted the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo; properly handled a series of major emergencies; accelerated the transformation of the economic development model, deepened reforms in important fields such as finance, taxation, finance, culture, medical and health; accelerated the construction of social construction focusing on improving people’s livelihood, promoting social fairness and justice; promoted the building of an innovative country, implemented the innovation-driven development strategy, and achieved a number of major independent innovation results or new major breakthroughs in important disciplinary frontiers and strategic necessities such as manned spaceflight, lunar exploration projects, and supercomputers. Actively and steadily promoted the construction of democracy and the rule of law, promoted the great development and flourishing of socialist culture. Increased efforts in environmental protection, elevated “ecological civilization construction” to a major national strategy, expanding the overall layout of socialism with Chinese characteristics from “four in one” to “five in one.” Advanced the practice of “one country, two systems” and the cause of peaceful reunification of the motherland. Promoted the building of a “harmonious world,” put forward the overall diplomatic layout of “major countries are key, neighboring countries are primary, developing countries are the foundation, and multilateral arenas are important stages.” Vigorously strengthened the Party’s governance capacity and advanced nature, improved the scientific level of Party building, and so on. In extremely complex domestic and international situations, the Party led the people to successfully adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics under new circumstances.

Reform and opening up and socialist modernization achieved great successes, the Chinese nation “took big strides to catch up with the times”

Socialism has always advanced through pioneering. In the more than 30 years of consistent relay exploration after reform and opening up, our Party “bravely undertook historical missions, always grasping strategic initiative,” united and led the Chinese people to successfully create and adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, finding this historical inevitable path to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; “unceasingly pursued truth, always keeping the course of advance,” insisted on combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific reality and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, continuously advanced the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, formed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, greatly enriching and developing Marxism; led the establishment of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, providing fundamental institutional guarantees for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, our Party clearly recognized that to forge iron, one must be strong itself, was good at examining itself with the requirements of the times, alerting itself with a strong sense of urgency, and perfecting itself with the spirit of self-reform, “focusing on strengthening itself, always full of vitality and vigor”; adhered to building the Party for the public good and exercising governance for the people, consciously practiced the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, “deeply rooted among the people, always having a solid foundation.” Socialism with Chinese characteristics, with the leadership of the Communist Party of China as its most essential feature, both adheres to the basic principles of scientific socialism and endows it with distinct Chinese characteristics according to the conditions of the times, systematically answering from the combination of theory and practice the fundamental question of what kind of socialism to build and how to build socialism in a large Eastern country with a large population and a weak economic foundation. Facts fully prove that socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental direction for the progress and development of contemporary China; only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Under the guidance of the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, from the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party to the 18th National Congress of the Party, our Party adhered to unifying long-term goals and stage goals, clearly grasped China’s national conditions and the themes of the times, formulated and implemented correct lines, policies, and measures, made far-sighted scientific deployments to advance reform and opening up and socialist modernization, continuously promoted reform and opening up, and realized the historic transformation from a highly centralized planned economy to a vibrant socialist market economy, and from a closed and semi-closed state to all-round opening up. Concentrated on development with undivided attention, greatly elevated economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and comprehensive national power. The total economic volume increased from 149.5 billion US dollars in 1978 to 8.5 trillion US dollars in 2012, successively surpassing France, Britain, Germany, and Japan; per capita GDP reached 6,300 US dollars; international competitiveness and international influence significantly enhanced, realizing the historic leap from a relatively backward productive force to the world’s second largest economy, and the historic leap of the people’s living standards from inadequate food and clothing to a moderate standard of living on the whole and towards a moderately prosperous society in all respects, advancing the great leap of the Chinese nation from standing up to becoming prosperous. China “took only a few decades to complete the industrialization process that took developed countries several hundred years, creating two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.” The face of China, the face of the Chinese nation, the face of the Chinese people, and the face of the Communist Party of China have undergone profound, lasting, and all-around changes. The Chinese nation has taken big strides to catch up with the times.

[The author is former director of the Department of Teaching and Research on Scientific Socialism, Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）科学社会主义教研部).]

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Upholding Full and Rigorous Party Governance

By: 陶元浩

Persevering in comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is the third of the "Fourteen Perseverances" of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, and also the last of the "Fourteen Perseverances" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. As an important part that runs through Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and its chapter on Party building, persevering in comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is the strategic policy of Party building in the new era and occupies a particularly important position in Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is a theoretical summary of the practical experience of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline in the new era; it is rooted in the great practice of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline in the new era, and will inevitably be further enriched and developed in the practice of guiding and promoting the comprehensive strict governance of the Party in the new era. "Persevering in comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline," as an important part of the "Fourteen Perseverances," is the concentrated embodiment of the unity of this theoretical logic and practical logic.

The Distinctive Theme and Strategic Policy of Party Building in the New Era

To govern the country, the Party must first be governed well; to govern the Party well, it must be governed strictly. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, facing the arduous mission of the great social revolution in the new era and facing the various prominent problems that once existed within the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on the far-reaching consideration of the long-term governance of a century-old major party, resolutely embarked on the great journey of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and in the practice of advancing the governance and strict management of the Party, continuously deepened the understanding of the laws of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline.

Only when the Party governs itself can it govern the Party well; only when the Party is governed strictly can it be governed well. Less than a month after the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee broke ground by formulating and implementing the Central Eight-Point Regulation, releasing a strong signal of strict Party governance. In October 2014, at the summary conference of the Party's mass line education and practice activities, General Secretary Xi Jinping raised three questions in succession when discussing Party building work, put forward the "Eight Requirements" for adhering to strict Party governance under the new situation, and emphasized that "to govern the Party strictly, one must enhance the awareness of governing and managing the Party and implement the responsibility of governing and managing the Party." In December of the same year, during an inspection in Jiangsu, General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly proposed "comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline." Shortly thereafter, comprehensive strict governance of the Party was formally incorporated into the strategic layout of the "Four Comprehensives." In January 2016, at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping defined the connotation of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline: "The core of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is to strengthen the Party's leadership, the foundation lies in comprehensiveness, the key lies in strictness, and the crux lies in governance." In October of the same year, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Party specially studied the issue of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is the distinctive theme of the Party Central Committee's Party building work since the 18th National Congress." With the development of the practice of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, our Party's understanding of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline has also been continuously deepened. In October 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Party put forward the general requirements for Party building in the new era, clarifying the guiding policy of Party building of "persisting in the Party governing itself and comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline." The third historical resolution adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Party proposed "clarifying the strategic policy of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline." Facing the practical need to systematically and institutionally advance the comprehensive strict governance of the Party, the 20th National Congress of the Party put forward the major proposition of "perfecting the system of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline," placing greater emphasis on using the concept of governance, systematic thinking, and dialectical thinking to govern, manage, and build the Party, promoting the continuous deepening and expansion of comprehensive strict governance of the Party.

All practice since the 18th National Congress of the Party has proven that only by persisting in comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, advancing the governance and strict management of the Party to achieve full coverage of content, full coverage of objects, a full chain of responsibilities, and full penetration of systems, and persistently maintaining the strict tone, strict measures, and strict atmosphere for a long time, can the Party be built into a long-term governing Marxist political party that always walks in the forefront of the times, is sincerely supported by the people, is brave in self-revolution, can withstand various tests of wind and waves, and is full of vitality.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized, "Make comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline the distinctive theme of Party building in the new era." A distinctive theme means that it is the most prominent and distinctive feature that distinguishes Party building in the new era from previous Party building; all work and all deployments of Party building revolve around it. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building clarifies that "persevering in comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is the strategic policy of Party building in the new era." A strategic policy means elevating comprehensive strict governance of the Party to a top-level strategic arrangement that guides the overall situation of Party building in the new era, a general starting point that governs the long term, the overall situation, and the fundamentals. The distinctive theme focuses on clarifying the purpose and establishing the guiding principles; the strategic policy focuses on overall planning and deployment. The two complement each other and are internally unified, jointly answering the fundamental questions of "what to grasp" and "how to grasp" in Party building in the new era, pointing out the direction and path for deeply advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era.

Historic Achievements and Changes of Comprehensive Strict Governance of the Party since the 18th National Congress

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We unswervingly advance the comprehensive strict governance of the Party, achieve a series of theoretical innovations, practical innovations, and institutional innovations, build a system of comprehensive strict governance of the Party, and open up a new realm of self-revolution for the century-old major party." The achievements in theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation collectively demonstrate the historic achievements and historic changes of comprehensive strict governance of the Party in the new era, injecting strong confidence and strength for unswervingly advancing comprehensive strict governance of the Party on the new journey of the new era.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, facing the prominent problems that existed within the Party for a period, with a high degree of historical initiative and a strong sense of mission and responsibility, made the strategic deployment of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and in the great practice of leading and advancing the comprehensive strict governance of the Party, put forward a series of new ideas, new thoughts, and new strategies for governing, managing, revitalizing, and strengthening the Party, forming Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is a systematic summary and theoretical sublimation of the practical experience of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline in the new era. It scientifically answers the major epochal questions of what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build a long-term governing Marxist political party, elevating our Party's understanding of the laws of Marxist political party building and the laws of communist party governance to a new height, making major original contributions to enriching and developing Marxist theory of Party building.

The practical innovation achievements of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline in the new era are concentratedly reflected in persisting in and strengthening the Party's overall leadership and the centralized unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, implementing the general requirements of Party building in the new era, comprehensively advancing the Party's political construction, ideological construction, organizational construction, work style construction, and discipline construction, integrating institutional construction throughout, deeply advancing the fight against corruption, and continuously improving the quality and scientific level of Party building. Through the revolutionary forging of comprehensive strict governance of the Party in the new era, the Party's leadership has become stronger and more effective, the common ideological foundation for the entire Party's unity and struggle has become more consolidated, the Party's organizational system has become more rigorous, the Party's work style and government conduct have taken on a new look, discipline and rules have taken root in people's hearts, the fight against corruption has achieved an overwhelming victory and is comprehensively consolidated, the Party's creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness have continuously increased, providing a strong political guarantee for the development of the Party and the country's cause.

Governing the Party by institutions and by regulations is a long-term strategy for comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and historic achievements have been made in the construction of the Party's internal regulations system in the new era. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee has adhered to the simultaneous abolition, revision, and establishment of regulations; the internal Party regulations formulated and revised account for more than 70% of the total currently effective internal Party regulations; it has continuously promoted the reform of the Party building system, adhered to the Party Constitution as the fundamental and democratic centralism as the core, and gradually improved and perfected the system of internal Party regulations composed of Party organizational regulations, Party leadership regulations, Party self-building regulations, and Party supervision and guarantee regulations, which is scientific in content, strict in procedure, complete in supporting measures, and effective in operation, continuously raising the level of institutionalization, standardization, and scientization of governing and managing the Party, promoting the deep and practical implementation of comprehensive strict governance of the Party on the track of regulations and institutions.

Persistently Advancing the Comprehensive Strict Governance of the Party to Deeper Levels

To the extent that the times develop, the governance and management of the Party must keep pace. The new era and new journey entrust our Party with new missions and tasks, imposing higher requirements on governing, managing, revitalizing, and strengthening the Party. Party building in the new era is a systematic project with the Party's political construction as the leading factor and various constructions of the Party exerting force in the same direction and in a coordinated manner. It is necessary to adhere to the system concept, strengthen overall planning and coordinated advancement, further perfect the system of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and persistently advance the comprehensive strict governance of the Party to deeper levels.

Improve the organizational system that is connected from top to bottom and has strong execution. The Party is "the sum of organizations"; a rigorous organizational system is the Party's advantage and strength. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly vividly pointed out that the Party's leadership should be "like the body commanding the arms, and the arms commanding the fingers," and this relies on a rigorous organizational system. Our Party is a unified whole organized according to the principle of democratic centralism, possessing a rigorous organizational system that no other political party in the world can match, providing a solid organizational foundation for realizing the thorough connection of the Party's leadership. On the new journey of the new era, to ensure the effective implementation of the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, it is necessary to break the "middle blockage" and open up the "last mile," effectively transforming the advantages of the organizational system into governance efficiency.

Improve the education system that 固本培元 (gù běn péi yuán - "consolidate the foundation and cultivate the core," strengthen the base and nurture the essence) and gathers hearts and casts souls (凝心铸魂). Ideological construction is the fundamental construction of the Party. Only by mastering scientific theory and consolidating the ideological foundation can comprehensive strict governance of the Party have solid support. On the new journey of the new era, it is necessary to grasp this foundation of ideological construction, unremittingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to gather hearts and cast souls, continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of centralized intra-Party education, and lay a firm foundation for political unity and consistency in action through ideological unity; it is necessary to make Party spirit education a compulsory course for Communists to cultivate their character, guide Party members and cadres to build a solid foundation of faith, replenish the calcium of the spirit, and steady the rudder of thought, and continuously improve political judgment, political understanding, and political execution ability in the integration of learning, thinking, and use and the unity of knowledge, faith, and action.

Improve the supervision and regulation system that exerts precise force and 标本兼治 (biāo běn jiān zhì - "treat both the symptoms and root causes," addressing both surface issues and underlying problems). Our Party exercises overall leadership and long-term governance, and the greatest challenge it faces is the supervision of power. How to govern power? The key is a supervision and regulation system that exerts precise force and treats both symptoms and root causes. So-called exerting precise force means adhering to a problem-oriented approach, striking precisely, managing key people, controlling key matters, and supervising at key times; so-called treating both symptoms and root causes means adhering to the simultaneous grasping of Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline, combining comprehensive management with regular supervision, and integratively advancing the mechanisms of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt. It is necessary to both treat the symptoms and cure the root causes, truly regulate the operation of power, and answer the "Goldbach's conjecture" of state governance that is self-supervision under the conditions of long-term governance.

Improve the institutional system that is scientifically complete, effective, and practical. Institutions are not about quantity, but about being refined, practical, and effective. Strengthening the construction of the institutional system must not fall into the "institutional trap" that the more regulations and the denser the provisions, the better; instead, it must be scientifically complete, effective, and practical. It is necessary to strengthen system integration, so that various institutions form an organic whole, adapt to the needs of governing and managing the Party, and match the various constructions of the Party. The vitality of institutions lies in their implementation. It is necessary to strengthen institutional awareness and enhance institutional consciousness, guide Party members and cadres to strictly perform duties according to institutions, handle matters according to institutions, and exercise power according to institutions, effectively safeguard the seriousness and authority of institutions, and better transform institutional advantages into the effectiveness of governing and managing the Party.

Improve the responsibility system with clear subjects and clear requirements. Comprehensive strict governance of the Party is the common responsibility of the entire Party and must be achieved through the joint efforts of the entire Party. It is necessary to firmly grasp the "ox nose" of the responsibility system, establish and perfect the responsibility system layer by layer and by category, clarify the main responsibility of Party committees (Party leadership groups) for comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, clarify the supervision responsibility of discipline inspection commissions at all levels, clarify the first responsibility of secretaries of Party committees (Party leadership groups), clarify the "dual responsibility" of other members of the leading group, and clarify the responsibilities of grassroots Party organizations and all Party members. At the same time, perfect a scientific and precise accountability mechanism, adhere to the principle that those who lose responsibility must be held accountable, and accountability must be strict, and by ensuring that responsible subjects are in place, responsibility requirements are in place, and assessment and accountability are in place, promote the implementation of the responsibility of governing and managing the Party in depth and in practice.

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Adhere to the Unity of Governing the Party by Regulations and by Virtue

By: 刘志新

In the new era, to advance comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in depth, we must adhere to the unity of governing the Party by regulations and governing the Party by virtue, and combine high standards with holding the bottom line. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “To comprehensively and strictly govern the Party, we must both focus on standardizing punishment and enforcing strict discipline bottom lines, and even more guide people toward goodness and upward striving, giving play to the leading role of ideals and beliefs and moral sentiment.” Accurately grasping the connotation and logical relationship of the two is of great and far-reaching significance for forever maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity.

Governing the Party by regulations: rigid constraints and institutional safeguards. Adhering to governing the Party by regulations is a fine tradition and political advantage forged by the Party in its long-term struggle. Since its founding, our Party has attached great importance to strengthening the construction of intra-Party laws and regulations, focusing on using intra-Party laws and regulations to manage and govern the Party and improve the Party’s governing capacity and leadership level. From the “Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention” in the period of the New Democratic Revolution to the exploration and establishment of an intra-Party laws and regulations system suited to the governing position during the period of Socialist Revolution and Construction, and then to the continuous improvement of institutional norms and the guarantee of career development during the period of Reform and Opening Up and Socialist Modernization, governing the Party by institutions and governing the Party by regulations has always run through the entire process of Party building. Entering the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed the construction of the intra-Party laws and regulations system in a more prominent position, strengthened top-level design and planning, systematically advanced formulation, revision, abolition, and interpretation work, and revised and issued a number of landmark and key regulations. The intensity of advancing the construction of the intra-Party laws and regulations system and the remarkable results achieved are unprecedented, providing solid institutional guarantees for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party.

Adhering to governing the Party by regulations is an inevitable requirement for advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era. We must place institutional construction in an important position in Party building, use institutional construction to consolidate the results of ideological construction, organizational construction, work style construction, and anti-corruption and integrity construction, strengthen the construction of institutional implementation capacity, and provide strong institutional guarantees for the Party’s long-term stability. Entering the new era, profound changes have taken place in global conditions, national conditions, and Party conditions, and the governing environment and governing conditions faced by the Party have also undergone great changes. The “four major tests” and “four dangers” faced by the Party are long-term, complex, and severe. To resolve the prominent contradictions and problems within the Party and effectively defuse the major challenges and dangers facing the Party, the most important thing is to perfect norms, improve institutions, tighten the institutional cage, and push the management and governance of the Party fully onto the track of standardization and institutionalization.

Adhering to governing the Party by regulations means fully giving play to the role of laws and regulations in clarifying bottom lines, imposing strict constraints, and creating strong deterrence, and ensuring the Party’s long-term stability through rigid constraints and institutional safeguards. The significant meaning of governing the Party by regulations lies in, through rigid institutional norms, clarifying the red lines that Party members and cadres must not cross and the bottom lines they must not break, strictly defining the boundaries of power operation, and preventing the abuse of public power from the institutional level. Strict constraints and strong deterrence are the life of laws and regulations and the key to ensuring the Party’s purity. Practice has fully proven that only by strengthening rigid constraints and ensuring that regulations must be followed, enforcement must be strict, and violations must be investigated, can laws and regulations truly exert force and prohibitions truly show authority.

Governing the Party by virtue: ideological guidance and inner self-consciousness. Adhering to governing the Party by virtue requires first of all firming up ideals and beliefs and replenishing the calcium of the spirit. Ideals and beliefs are the political soul of Communists, the essential requirement of the original aspiration of Communists, and the foundation for Party members and cadres to cultivate themselves and establish virtue. Firm ideals and beliefs can fundamentally build up the moral bottom line of Party members and cadres and guide them to consciously resist the erosion of erroneous ideas. To advance governing the Party by virtue, we must continuously strengthen theoretical armed force, deeply study and thoroughly understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, educate and guide Party members and cadres to remember the original aspiration and mission, inherit the red gene, solve the fundamental questions of “who am I, for whom, and rely on whom” from the depths of thought, and always maintain the political character of Communists.

Adhering to governing the Party by virtue cannot be separated from cultivating fine Party conduct and government conduct. The Party’s work style is the Party’s image, related to the support of the people, and related to the Party’s survival or extinction. Since its founding, our Party has always attached great importance to strengthening work style construction, and in long-term practice has cultivated and carried forward fine work styles such as integrating theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, and criticism and self-criticism. This is a concentrated manifestation of the Party’s moral advantage. To advance governing the Party by virtue in the new era, we must vigorously promote fine Party and government conduct such as seeking truth and being pragmatic, hard work and plain living, integrity and honesty, resolutely correct formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism, and extravagance, improve ideological style, work style, leadership style, and lifestyle, drive continuous improvement of social atmosphere with fine Party conduct, and gather strong strength for the development of the Party’s cause.

Adhering to governing the Party by virtue must strengthen the awareness of purpose and service. Serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of the Party and also the value orientation of governing the Party by virtue. The ultimate goal of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is to better fulfill the Party’s purpose and safeguard the fundamental interests of the people. Governing the Party by virtue means guiding Party members and cadres to remember the Party’s purpose, always place the people in the highest position in their hearts, establish a correct view of power, view of performance, and view of career, understand that power is entrusted by the people and can only be used to serve the people, not to seek personal gain. Party members and cadres must always stand firm on the people’s position, go deep into the grassroots and the masses, listen to the voices of the masses, respond to the concerns of the masses, focus on solving the urgent, difficult, anxious, and anticipated problems of the masses, always maintain flesh-and-blood ties with the masses, win the trust and support of the masses with concrete actions, and inject solid mass foundation and inner motivation into comprehensively and strictly governing the Party.

Adhering to governing the Party by virtue must strictly constrain personal conduct and behavior. The conduct and behavior of Party members and cadres directly bear on the Party’s image and prestige, and are also a concrete manifestation of governing the Party by virtue. The broad masses of Party members and cadres must consciously use social morality, professional ethics, and family virtues to regulate their own behavior, take the lead in promoting the core socialist values, constantly introspect, examine, caution, and encourage themselves, be cautious when alone, at the start, in small matters, and in friendships, consciously resist erroneous trends of thought such as money worship, hedonism, and extreme individualism, and have reverence in the heart, restraint in speech, and limits in action. By strictly constraining their own conduct and behavior, with noble moral sentiment and good style image, they promote the depth development of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and provide solid behavioral guarantees for Party building.

The organic unity of governing the Party by regulations and governing the Party by virtue: the inherent requirement of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Governing the Party by regulations is the strong backing and institutional guarantee for governing the Party by virtue, providing institutionalized and rigid support for moral construction. On the one hand, strict Party rules and disciplines draw the bottom line for governing the Party by virtue, clarifying which behaviors are “high-voltage lines” that cannot be touched, enabling Party members and cadres to have rules to follow and regulations to rely on in moral practice. On the other hand, governing the Party by regulations, through strict enforcement and accountability, forces Party members and cadres to hold fast to the moral bottom line. The serious investigation and punishment of violations of Party rules and disciplines is not only a direct correction of the violations but also a powerful maintenance of moral norms, making Party members and cadres deeply realize that violating moral requirements will not only incur condemnation but also bear disciplinary consequences, thereby enhancing the consciousness of practicing moral standards.

Governing the Party by virtue is the premise and foundation of governing the Party by regulations, injecting ideological impetus and value guidance into the implementation of institutions. On the one hand, governing the Party by virtue can firm up the ideals and beliefs of Party members and cadres, building the awareness of abiding by rules and disciplines from the ideological source. By strengthening theoretical study, Party nature education, and moral cultivation, Party members and cadres are guided to firm up their belief in Marxism, the lofty ideal of communism, and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and to establish a correct worldview, outlook on life, and value system. When Party members and cadres internally identify with the Party’s purpose and disciplinary requirements, they will actively internalize Party rules and disciplines in the heart and externalize them in action, reducing resistance to institutional implementation. On the other hand, moral cultivation can enhance the professional quality and responsibility of Party members and cadres, making institutional implementation more warm and forceful. Governing the Party by regulations solves the problem of “cannot,” while governing the Party by virtue solves the problem of “do not wish to.” Positive moral influence will guide Party members and cadres to consciously practice the Party’s purpose, fulfill their duties with a high sense of responsibility, and not discount or distort in implementing institutions, ensuring that Party rules and disciplines are strictly implemented.

Governing the Party by regulations and governing the Party by virtue are dialectically unified and inseparable, united in the great practice of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. To advance the great new project of Party building in the new era, we must adhere to promoting both in coordination and exerting force as one. We must both tighten the institutional cage, continuously improve the intra-Party laws and regulations system, and strengthen the rigid constraints of governing the Party by regulations; and strengthen ideological and moral construction, firm up ideals and beliefs, deepen theoretical armed force and Party nature cultivation, and consolidate the ideological foundation of governing the Party by virtue. Through the organic combination of governing the Party by regulations and governing the Party by virtue, Party members and cadres are promoted to both abide by rules and disciplines, not cross the red line, and also revere virtue and pursue goodness, cultivate the original aspiration, thereby continuously enhancing the Party’s cohesion, combat effectiveness, leadership, and appeal.

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Take more concrete measures to advance full and rigorous Party governance

By: 赵刚印

Incorporating persisting in comprehensively enforcing strict party governance (坚持全面从严治党) into Xi Jinping’s thought on party building as one of the “Fourteen Persistences” (十四个坚持) and elevating it to a strategic guideline that is overarching, commanding, and long-term – this positioning represents a systematic summation of more than a century’s experience in governing and managing the party and a theoretical distillation of party-building practice in the new era, profoundly revealing the inherent laws governing the construction of a Marxist ruling party. Persisting in comprehensively enforcing strict party governance is a strategic guarantee for building a strong party leadership and safeguarding the development of the cause; it is by no means a phased, partial, or general work requirement, but a strategic guideline that runs through the entire process of party building in the new era and covers all domains of party governance and management. Practice has fully proven that whether party leadership is strong and effective and whether the party’s cause can 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - “walk steadily to reach far,” to proceed steadily for long-term success) fundamentally depends on the results achieved in comprehensively enforcing strict party governance. Once work on party governance and management is weakened, the party’s overall leadership is prone to problems such as idling, deviation, and dislocation.

To advance comprehensively enforcing strict party governance, “being strict” is the foundational requirement, and “grasping with substance” is the core key. Implementing this strategic guideline for comprehensively enforcing strict party governance cannot stop at abstract theoretical exposition and superficial logical deduction; it must be precisely targeted on the character “real” (实), using accurate and pragmatic measures to ensure that all requirements of comprehensively enforcing strict party governance 落地生根 (luò dì shēng gēn - “land on the ground and take root,” to become firmly established) and 见行见效 (jiàn xíng jiàn xiào - “see action see effect,” to produce tangible results).

Thought is the precursor of action; cognitive deviation will inevitably lead to action going astray. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, through long-term and continuous promotion, comprehensively enforcing strict party governance has been deepening, and the political ecosystem within the party has been continuously improving. However, measured against the high standards and strict requirements of governing and managing the party, some party members and cadres still harbor cognitive deviations. These vague understandings and erroneous mindsets cause the various measures of comprehensively enforcing strict party governance to be progressively weakened in their execution at each level. This requires that in advancing comprehensively enforcing strict party governance, we must dispel the fog of thought, clarify cognitive misunderstandings, tighten the master switch (总开关) of party members’ and cadres’ thinking, resolutely put an end to slack, weary, and negative emotions, and thereby lay a solid ideological foundation and clear cognitive obstacles for strictly governing and managing the party.

For comprehensively enforcing strict party governance, responsibility implementation is fundamental. Only by firmly compressing and tightening political responsibilities can we build an important support for the sustained deepening of comprehensively enforcing strict party governance. To solve the problem of responsibility implementation, we must exert force in both directions, apply precise policies, further clarify powers and responsibilities, refine the scope of duties for party organizations at all levels and for party members and cadres, formulate clear and operable duty lists, eradicate the maladies of fuzzy power-responsibility definitions and vague work requirements, and make the performance of duties have standards, detailed rules, and something to follow. Actively unblock the obstacles in responsibility transmission, precisely rectify and correct formalist ills such as “hot at top, warm in middle, cold at bottom” (上热中温下冷), prioritizing arrangements over implementation, prioritizing ledgers over real performance, and guide the vast number of party members and cadres to achieve a dual transformation in thought and action – changing from passive coping to active action, from performing duties on paper through following procedures and filling out materials to performing duties substantively through 动真碰硬 (dòng zhēn pèng yìng - “engage the real, confront the hard,” to take real action and tackle tough problems) and strictly governing and managing the party, truly forming a closed-loop responsibility chain in which one level grasps the next, one link connects to another, and each level ensures implementation, and using rigid responsibilities to promote comprehensively enforcing strict party governance to become 常态长效 (cháng tài cháng xiào - “normal state long-term effect,” sustained and effective) and 走深走实 (zǒu shēn zǒu shí - “go deep go solid,” to deepen and solidify).

Governing the party with institutions and in accordance with regulations is the long-term and fundamental measure for comprehensively enforcing strict party governance. To advance comprehensively enforcing strict party governance with more solid measures, strengthening institutional implementation must be made the top priority. In particular, we must closely focus on prominent shortcomings such as vague and fuzzy institutions, excessive implementation flexibility, and lack of supervision in implementation, strengthen the rigid constraint of institutions, strictly investigate and punish behaviors that evade, selectively implement, or discount institutional provisions, and promote the transformation of all party governance and management institutions from paper provisions into rigid norms and daily regulations, thereby building a solid line of defense for comprehensively enforcing strict party governance through strict and solid institutional implementation.

Comprehensively enforcing strict party governance is always on the way, and the party’s self-reform never stops. We must always advance the party’s self-reform with a strict tone, solid measures, and strong institutions, continuously improve the system for comprehensively enforcing strict party governance that is all-encompassing in content, covers all targets, has a complete chain of responsibilities, and ensures full institutional integration, and persistently forge a strong and powerful Marxist ruling party.

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How the Party Mobilized the Masses During the New Democratic Revolution

By: 李俊伟

In the course of their struggle to seize state power by leading the masses of the people, the Chinese Communist Party has always stood at the overall height of the national and ethnic cause, taking the achievement of national independence and the liberation of the people as its fundamental driving force, widely propagating the Party’s theory, line, principles and policies, turning the Party’s propositions into the conscious action of hundreds of millions of people, and leading the masses of the people to advance courageously toward the common goal of building a new China. The Party’s propaganda and ideological work has played a uniquely distinctive political advantage in propagating among the masses, organizing the masses, and educating the masses.

Arousing the millions of workers and peasants to work together with one heart

The Chinese Communist Party is the vanguard of the working class; all its activities seek the interests of the working class and the masses of the people. For this reason, the Resolution on the Organizational Charter of the Communist Party (关于共产党的组织章程决议案) adopted at the Party’s Second National Congress made clear: since we are a party striving for the proletarian masses, we must “go among the masses” to form a great “mass party.” The Chinese Communist Party placed the linking and uniting of the masses of workers and peasants above all other work, clearly demonstrating its unique advantage in being adept at propagating among and organizing the masses.

The Communist Party was born from the combination of Marxist theory and the working class, and it gradually became known and supported by the masses through propagating among them. During the New Culture Movement, a group of advanced elements familiar with Marxist theory played the role of 中流砥柱 (zhōng liú dǐ zhù – “the pillar in the midst of the current,” a person who serves as a mainstay in a critical situation). They launched the workers’ movement, the youth movement, the peasant movement, and the women’s movement, becoming agitators, propagandists, and commanders who used Marxism to guide practice. Immediately after its founding, the Party carried out active and effective propaganda work, so that the Party’s ideological propositions, principles and policies were widely disseminated and 家喻户晓 (jiā yù hù xiǎo – “every family knows, every household understands,” known to everyone). Qu Qiubai once warmly eulogized the great role played by the Party’s propaganda among the masses during the Great Revolution: “After May 30, the development of the mass movement spread even to remote villages and backward areas; even in places like Taiyuan in Shanxi, trade unions were established; in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, even small towns and villages such as Shuanglin (双林) and Yiwu (义乌) rose up in response. On the streets and alleyways of Shanghai, ordinary small shopkeepers and thirteen- or fourteen-year-old children vied to write and post slogans like ‘Down with imperialism, abolish unequal treaties,’ and competed to sing folk songs and mountain ditties about the bloodshed of May 30. Is this not clear proof that the revolutionary movement had penetrated deeply and extensively among the masses of the people!”

Fully developing the peasant movement and actively promoting propaganda and education in the countryside was another great advantage of the Party. In his Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan, Mao Zedong systematically demonstrated the important role of propaganda and education in dispelling ideological fog and mobilizing revolutionary forces. For example, the Party’s political slogans, after being popularized by the peasant associations, “truly 不翼而飞 (bù yì ér fēi – “without wings they fly,” to spread quickly and unexpectedly), flying before the faces of countless young adults, strong men, old folks, little children, and women in countless villages, and then drilling straight into their brains, and from their brains flowing onto their lips.” Thus he affirmed the role of the Communist Party and the peasant associations: “The popularization of political propaganda in the countryside is entirely the achievement of the Communist Party and the peasant associations. Some very simple slogans, pictures, and speeches made the peasants feel as if each of them had attended a political school, and the effect was extremely broad and rapid.”

During the period of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, the Communist Party kindly pointed out that “the Kuomintang often had two erroneous concepts,” one of which was: concentrating all its efforts on military action while neglecting political propaganda among the people. Sun Yat-sen accepted the proposal of the Chinese Communist Party for reorganization, and the three major slogans put forward by the Communist Party – “continue the democratic revolution,” “down with imperialism,” and “down with the warlords” – gradually became the common understanding of the Chinese people. The Communist Party actively organized the masses to protect and promote the Eastern Expedition and the Northern Expedition. Among these, the Guangdong District Committee of the CPC (中共广东区委) led the organization of a 3,000-strong transport team, propaganda team, and medical team from the Guangdong-Hong Kong Strike Committee to accompany the army northward. When the Northern Expeditionary Army advanced towards Changsha, the Hunan District Committee of the CPC (中共湖南区委) mobilized workers and peasants to participate in guiding, delivering letters, reconnaissance, transport, and other work. The Chinese Communist Party’s work of propagating among and organizing the masses played a major role in the victory of the Great Revolution.

Taking the unbridled mobilization and winning over of the masses as the primary task

The Party’s Sixth National Congress made the realization of armed workers and peasants its struggle goal and established engaging in long-term mass work and winning over the masses as the primary task. To achieve armed separate rule by workers and peasants, uniting and mobilizing the masses for support was the foundational work. In comparison with the Kuomintang, our Party realized even more clearly that only by persuading the masses could it lead the masses, and only by persuading the masses could it win the masses.

The fundamental problem of the Chinese revolution was the peasant problem, and the fundamental problem of the peasant problem was the land problem. Therefore the agrarian revolution was the great activity of the Party to propagate and mobilize the broad masses of peasants to fight for their fundamental interests of “overthrowing the local tyrants and dividing up the land.” With the establishment and development of the Red Army and the rural revolutionary base areas, the agrarian revolution and its propaganda work were carried out extensively. In 1930, Mao Zedong in his Xingguo Survey (兴国调查) listed the benefits obtained by the poor peasants in twelve respects; the most important was that they had gained political power, the poor peasants “had become the leading class in the countryside,” and the middle peasants also “had a say together with the poor peasants and farm laborers.” The political and economic emancipation of the broad masses of peasants greatly stimulated their zeal to join the revolution. Taking Xingguo County (兴国县) as an example, peasants between the ages of 23 and 50 who had been liberated basically all joined the Red Guards, those between 16 and 23 joined the Young Pioneers, and children between 8 and 15 joined the Labor Children’s Corps (劳动童子团), whose tasks were “keeping watch” and “checking for opium and gambling,” etc. In 1936, when Mao Zedong met Edgar Snow, he said: Whoever wins the peasants will win China; whoever solves the land problem will win the peasants.

The main role of the Red Army was to mobilize the masses; fighting was merely a means. At the beginning of the establishment of the revolutionary base areas, Mao Zedong made clear that “the Red Army is an armed group that carries out the political tasks of the revolution” and “it does not fight purely for the sake of fighting, but to propagate among the masses, organize the masses, arm the masses, and help the masses build revolutionary political power.” He emphasized that the Red Army’s “main role is to mobilize the masses; fighting is merely a means. Moreover, the time spent fighting and the time spent doing mass work is in a ratio of one to ten.” The Gutian Congress Resolution clarified the important role of propagating among the masses, namely that “the Red Army’s propaganda work is the first major task of the Red Army.” The resolution specified concrete propaganda content and propaganda techniques: propaganda must suit the masses’ fighting mood; it must carry out deep and extensive propaganda directed at the urban poor, working women, youth, vagrants, militia members, and other masses; it must be adapted to different localities and, according to different times, produce different propaganda and agitation slogans. Extensive and deep propaganda and education enabled more and more people to realize that the Red Army was the army of the toiling masses themselves. In 1932, the General Political Department of the Red Army issued a Directive on Expanding the Red Army during the Red May, pointing out that the political departments at all levels of the Red Army should, through extensive propaganda, recruit impoverished workers and peasants to join the Red Army, emphasizing that “expanding the Red Army must become a mass movement; a warm atmosphere of ‘Join the Red Army!’ must be created among the masses.”

Relying on active propaganda and mobilization, the Red Army soldiers made the Long March into “a great expedition to awaken the people.” During the Long March, the Party Central Committee and the Red Army’s Political Department promptly issued directives, proclamations, and propaganda materials to mobilize the masses. They also specially issued an Order for All Units to Immediately Mobilize to Write Slogans Everywhere. During the Long March, Red Army soldiers used methods such as posting proclamations, distributing leaflets, sticking up slogans, performing programs, and convening mass meetings to broadly spread the Party’s mass policies and the nature of the Red Army, deeply implanting them in the hearts of the people. According to Chen Yun’s account in his Report on the Red Army’s Long March and the Zunyi Conference: during the Long March, many soldiers stayed in the homes of the masses, and the soldiers “would convene a family meeting together with the head of the household, explain the nature of the Red Army and its struggle goals to that family, and strive to make his propaganda spread among the common people. Every Red Army soldier carried a piece of chalk with him, and he had to write at least three slogans every day in the places he passed.” The propaganda effect was very remarkable. For example, in just over ten days while the Red Army was in Zunyi, they established revolutionary committees in Zunyi, Meitan (湄潭), Tongzi (桐梓) and other counties, organized various mass groups such as Red Trade Unions, Peasant Associations, Anti-Levy Associations, Anti-Imperialist Associations, and Friends of the Red Army, and organized more than 4,000 ordinary people to volunteer to join the Red Army ranks.

Propaganda and mobilization of the masses to create a vast ocean in which the enemy is engulfed and destroyed

After the Japanese imperialist invasion of China, national contradiction became the principal contradiction in the country. From the very beginning of the September 18 Incident, the Chinese Communist Party stood at the level of national survival, awakened the national conscience of all sides, propagated among and organized all sections of the masses, and always marched at the very front of the War of Resistance Against Japan. From the Declaration of the Chinese Communist Party on the Violent Occupation of the Three Eastern Provinces by Japanese Imperialism, the Declaration of War Against Japan, the Declaration of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army on Marching North to Resist Japan, to the August First Declaration (八一宣言) , our Party, with the soberest judgment and the most resolute attitude, kindled the patriotic fervor of the broad masses of the people to defend their homes and country. In September 1937, Mao Zedong published Urgent Tasks Following the Establishment of Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation and called out: The Anti-Japanese National United Front is a united front of all parties, all groups, all circles, and all armies; it is a united front of all patriotic compatriots – workers, peasants, merchants, students, and soldiers. Therefore, the only road to save the crisis is to carry out Sun Yat-sen’s last words, namely the four characters: “Arise the masses” (“唤起民众”).

At the critical moment when the entire nation was fighting bloodily for the survival of the Chinese nation, the arduousness of the revolutionary task and the revolutionary situation caused mistaken ideas such as the “theory of national subjugation” and the “theory of quick victory” to spread widely. At this crucial juncture, Mao Zedong, in his On Protracted War, using the scientific thesis that “the soldiers and the people are the foundation of victory,” pointed out the prospect that the war of resistance against aggression could only be won through protracted war, and put forward a series of methods for mobilizing the masses of the people, gradually weakening the enemy’s advantages in a protracted war, and growing one’s own strength to achieve final victory. “The War of Resistance Against Japan is a protracted war” and “the final victory will be China’s” caused a great stir throughout the country. Not only did it unify the revolutionary thought and faith of the whole Party, it also had a positive guiding significance for all strata of the country, raising the confidence of the whole nation in persisting in the war of resistance. In Shanghai, then under Kuomintang rule, the Daily Translation News (每日译报) recorded: “The publication of On Protracted War was a major victory for propaganda work, greatly strengthening the confidence of the 3 million citizens and the masses of the people in areas reached by newspapers in and around Shanghai in the final victory.”

The Communist Party deeply understood that “mobilizing the entire nation’s common people creates a vast ocean in which the enemy is engulfed and destroyed, creates the conditions to compensate for deficiencies in weapons and other things, and creates the prerequisites for overcoming all difficulties of war.” Under the banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front advocated by the Communist Party, regardless of north or south, regardless of age, the entire nation threw itself into the struggle against the Japanese aggressors without hesitation. In many base areas behind enemy lines, men and women, old and young, were all “liaison officers” for the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army; the masses set up various signals on mountain peaks and between villages to report enemy movements; the village self-defense corps and children’s corps organized the transmission of urgent letters such as “chicken-feather letters.” In April 1938, the Communist Party led a large-scale anti-Japanese propaganda campaign in the areas under Kuomintang rule. Zhou Enlai led and promoted propaganda activities, going deep into the working classes, to the factories and villages, to the front lines, to the trenches, to strengthen the anti-war consciousness of the vast numbers of workers and peasants and to encourage and inspire the soldiers’ fighting spirit; written propaganda strove to be concrete, accessible and vivid; oral propaganda strove to be universal, accessible and concise; artistic propaganda was even more universal, profound and stirring, moving those who watched plays or listened to songs to tears on the spot and exciting them to swear revenge. On the first day of the propaganda week, news of the great victory at Taierzhuang happened to arrive, and the three towns of Wuhan held a torch parade of 100,000 people. Dozens of drama troupes and hundreds of oral propaganda teams went deep into the streets and alleys, factories, docks, and suburban villages of Wuhan to carry out anti-Japanese propaganda. The extensive development of anti-Japanese propaganda activities awakened the national consciousness of the masses and strengthened their confidence in defeating the Japanese aggressors.

As the Party’s theoretical construction matured, the Party gained a regular understanding of how to effectively advance mass propaganda work. Party leaders such as Mao Zedong summarized the experience of mobilizing the masses from a philosophical height, enriching and developing the basic concepts and scientific methods of propaganda work. In June 1941, the Central Propaganda Department issued the Outline on the Party’s Propaganda and Agitation Work (关于党的宣传鼓动工作提纲) , expounding the tasks, scope, characteristics, basic principles, and methods of propaganda and agitation work, proposing that “running newspapers, running periodicals, and publishing books should become the most important tasks in the Party’s propaganda and agitation work,” and that “the propaganda and agitation work of the whole Party must be unified under the leadership of the Central Committee’s overall propaganda policy.”

Strive to build a new democratic China

The Party’s Seventh National Congress put forward the goal of building a new democratic China. The War of Liberation was a great struggle carried out by the Chinese Communist Party to tell the masses about the bright future, to unbridle the masses and strengthen the people’s forces, and to achieve national independence and people’s liberation.

During the War of Liberation period, the Party Central Committee took solving the land problem in the liberated areas as the most fundamental link in all work, emphasizing that “we must, with the greatest determination and effort, unbridle and lead the masses to complete this historical task.” In 1946, the Party Central Committee issued the May Fourth Directive (五四指示) on land reform, emphasizing resolute support for all just claims and righteous actions of the peasants, that is, the realization of “land to the tiller.” It immediately issued a directive on propaganda work, emphasizing that “newspapers everywhere should find more stories like The White-Haired Girl and publish them continuously; the typical and moving experiences of grievance and suffering from grievance meetings everywhere should be published.” Mao Zedong demanded timely summing up of typical experience emerging from land reform, and emphasized that it should be printed into booklets and distributed to every village cadre. He pointed out that the responsibility of leaders is not only to point out the direction of struggle and define the tasks of struggle, but also to sum up concrete experience and rapidly disseminate that experience to the masses, so that correct practices can be popularized and mistaken ones not repeated. This 疾风暴雨 (jí fēng bào yǔ – “swift wind and violent rain,” a stormy and fierce situation) land reform, with the force of 雷霆万钧 (léi tíng wàn jūn – “thunder and lightning with the weight of ten thousand jun,” overwhelming power), fundamentally destroyed the roots of China’s feudal system, completely changed the old relations of production in the countryside, and the hundreds of millions of liberated peasants burst forth with incalculable revolutionary enthusiasm and construction drive.

After the full-scale outbreak of the civil war, the Party strengthened propaganda work in the Kuomintang-controlled areas, propagating the Party’s principles and policies, with good results. At that time, many people in the Kuomintang-controlled areas said: “Hearing the voice of Yan’an is like seeing light in the pitch-black night.” During the War of Liberation, an acute struggle broke out in the Kuomintang-controlled areas between the great and just student movement and Chiang Kai-shek’s reactionary government. The slogans of the student movement were “demand food,” “demand peace,” and “demand freedom.” The Chinese Communist Party firmly supported and protected the student movement. Mao Zedong believed: “The student movement is a part of the whole people’s movement. The upsurge of the student movement will inevitably promote the upsurge of the whole people’s movement.” In the major and medium-sized cities in the areas under Kuomintang rule, among workers, peasants, merchants, students, soldiers, ethnic minorities, and democratic personages, the Communist Party was active, and the Party’s voice and the Party’s policies were constantly delivered to the side of the masses through multiple channels. Chiang Kai-shek admitted: “What I regret now is that some of the personnel within our government have been influenced by the Communist Party’s malicious propaganda, and as a result, their morale has wavered and they have almost lost self-confidence.”

The Chinese revolution achieved victory through the broad participation of the Chinese people. This is the process of the Chinese Communist Party’s effort to propagate among and unite the broad masses of the people to build a country where the people are the masters. The precious experience gained therein has become the theoretical foundation and practical method for the Party to lead the masses of the people to achieve new victories.

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Building an Unbreakable Lifeline

By: 王浩

In August 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during an inspection in Anhui: "The broad masses of cadres and people, the People's Liberation Army, and the armed police officers and soldiers resolutely responded to the call of the Party and the government, carried forward the spirit and will to fear neither exhaustion nor hardship, neither fatigue nor sacrifice, held fast on the front line of flood prevention, flood fighting, and disaster relief, and many advanced models and moving deeds emerged, demonstrating the heroic spirit of the Chinese people of 万众一心 (wàn zhòng yī xīn - "ten thousand hearts with one mind," united as one), 众志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng - "unity of will is an impregnable fortress," unity is strength), tenacious struggle, and the courage to triumph, and writing the great love of humanity where the flood is merciless but people have compassion." On February 20, 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the Party History Study and Education Mobilization Conference that in the hundred years of extraordinary struggle, generation after generation of Chinese Communists have tenaciously struggled and unremittingly striven, and a large number of revolutionary martyrs who 视死如归 (shì sǐ rú guī - "look upon death as going home," face death unflinchingly), a large number of heroic figures who tenaciously struggled, and a large number of advanced models who selflessly dedicated themselves have emerged, forming great spirits including the spirit of flood fighting, and constructing the spiritual pedigree of the Chinese Communists. In November 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during an inspection in Hubei that the spirit of flood fighting should be vigorously promoted. These important expositions profoundly clarify the historical status, scientific connotation, and contemporary value of the spirit of flood fighting, injecting powerful spiritual strength into deepening the Party's work style construction under the new situation.

The spirit of flood fighting was born in the life-and-death struggle of millions of people united as one against the flood. In the summer of 1998, the climate was abnormal, rainstorms were frequent, and after the flood season began, the Yangtze River, Nen River, and Songhua River basins successively suffered another major flood disaster since 1954: the Yangtze River experienced a whole-basin major flood, with eight consecutive flood peaks; the Nen River and Songhua River basins experienced a super-record major flood, and the Xijiang River of the Pearl River basin and the Minjiang River of Fujian also experienced major floods. At the critical moment, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the entire Party, the entire military, and the entire people took emergency action. Broad masses of Party members and cadres and the people, together with People's Liberation Army commanders and fighters and armed police officers and soldiers, united and fought hard, strove to turn the tide, and engaged in a soul-stirring life-and-death struggle against the flood, ultimately achieving a great victory in flood fighting and emergency rescue, ensuring the safety of the Yangtze River, Nen River, and Songhua River levees, ensuring the safety of important cities and transportation arteries along the rivers, and ensuring the safety of people's lives and property, composing a magnificent chapter of humanity overcoming natural disasters. What is especially valuable is that in this great flood-fighting and rescue struggle, the great spirit of flood fighting of "万众一心 (wàn zhòng yī xīn), 众志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng), 不怕困难 (bù pà kùn nán - "fear no difficulty," undaunted by hardship), 顽强拼搏 (wán qiáng pīn bó - "tenacious struggle," fight tenaciously), 坚韧不拔 (jiān rèn bù bá - "firm and unyielding," persevering), and 敢于胜利 (gǎn yú shèng lì - "dare to triumph," have the courage to win)" was formed, becoming a precious spiritual treasure of the Chinese people.

万众一心 (wàn zhòng yī xīn) and 众志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng) embody the strong cohesion of the Chinese people. The Party's heart is closely linked to the hearts of the military and the people; the flood is merciless but people have compassion. Facing the test of a major disaster, the entire Party, the entire military, and the entire people took emergency action. In particular, the broad masses of cadres and people in the affected provinces, together with the People's Liberation Army commanders and fighters and armed police officers and soldiers who came to support, engaged in a life-and-death struggle against the flood. More than 300,000 People's Liberation Army and armed police force officers and soldiers, and more than 8 million cadres and people fought on the front line of flood fighting, and more than 2 million people directly served flood fighting and rescue. The number of people in various departments and regions who paid attention to and supported flood fighting and rescue in different ways is even incalculable. The people of the whole country united as one to fight the flood disaster, minimizing the losses from this extraordinary natural disaster. In the face of the extraordinary flood, the cohesion of the Chinese nation was tempered. From the thousand-mile levees to the capital Beijing, from north and south of the Yangtze River to inside and outside the Great Wall, from coastal provinces and cities to border ethnic regions, the entire nation worked together with one heart, uniting all forces that could be united, mobilizing all positive factors that could be mobilized, and drawing the largest concentric circle. The struggle of flood fighting and rescue touched the hearts of countless Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad, and attracted widespread attention from the international community. People from all walks of life in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao compatriots, Taiwan compatriots, overseas Chinese, and Chinese nationals supported flood fighting and disaster relief by donating money and goods or through charity performances. Many foreign leaders, governments, political parties, social organizations, and embassies in China, relevant United Nations organizations and some international institutions, foreign-invested enterprises, and international friends also expressed sympathy and support for the Chinese people in different ways. These facts vividly embody the concern, understanding, and support of the people of the world for the cause of Chinese-style modernization, and also demonstrate our strong cohesion from a broader perspective. With this cohesion, we can always remain invincible.

不怕困难 (bù pà kùn nán) and 顽强拼搏 (wán qiáng pīn bó) embody the revolutionary heroism of the Chinese people. When the raging flood struck, it could swallow vast tracts of farmland, houses, and even human lives in an instant, showing the powerful force of nature. At the critical moment, the broad masses of officers and soldiers, with great fearless revolutionary heroism and firm perseverance, fought bravely on the front line of flood fighting, overcoming the flood peaks time and again. In this great struggle, many heroes who 舍生忘死 (shě shēng wàng sǐ - "sacrifice life and forget death," risk their lives) emerged. When the Paizhouwan polder (簰洲湾民垸) in Jiayu County, Hubei Province suddenly burst, and giant waves carrying sand and mud surged like mountains and seas, Gao Jiancheng (高建成), political instructor of the 1st Company of an Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of the Air Force, commanded his company in a life-and-death struggle against the flood. After rescuing an elderly person and several comrades who were floundering in the flood, Gao Jiancheng eventually died heroically due to exhaustion. Facing the critical moment of the flood's assault, Li Xiangqun (李向群), a soldier of the 9th Company of the Tashan Garrison Hero Regiment of the Guangzhou Military Region, voluntarily signed up for the unit's emergency rescue突击队. He fought tenaciously despite illness, collapsing on the levee four times. After being sent to the hospital for rescue and waking up, he pulled out the IV needle and returned to the levee to fight, eventually dying heroically from overwork. Also Wu Liangzhu, Li Changzhi, Yang Xiaofei, Hu Jicheng, Wang Zhancheng... Behind each name is a heroic story of charging forward for the people, fearing no difficulty, and tenaciously struggling. "When one hero falls, thousands of heroes rise. This kind of 慷慨赴难 (kāng kǎi fù nàn - "generously go to adversity," bravely face danger) and spirit of facing death unflinchingly moves heaven and earth and earns the admiration of the world." This kind of lofty sentiment of sacrificing life and forgetting death is a profound interpretation of the spirit of fearing no difficulty and tenaciously struggling with life and faith.

坚韧不拔 (jiān rèn bù bá) and 敢于胜利 (gǎn yú shèng lì) manifest the firm belief and strong determination to overcome all difficulties. The rivers and mountains are the people, and the people are the rivers and mountains. The Chinese Communist Party is rooted in the people, its blood flows in the people, and its strength comes from the people. The masses of the people are the main force and true heroes in winning the victory in flood fighting and rescue. In all areas threatened and attacked by the flood, the masses of the people did not panic in the face of the merciless flood, nor did they become pessimistic and dejected when they lost their homes and relatives. They endured their grief and faced the flood with even higher morale. They sacrificed their small families for the larger family, sacrificed the part for the whole, demonstrating lofty ideological awareness and noble sentiments. Party members and cadres are always the vanguard who step forward first at critical moments. The Party flag flying high on the flood prevention front line is the banner of faith, the banner of strength, and the banner of victory. Tens of millions of Party members, with their own flesh and blood, built a safe dam to block the flood, building a solid defense line for the lives of the disaster-stricken people. "For every foot the flood rises, our fighting spirit rises ten feet. The more critical the situation, the more the broad masses of soldiers and civilians are indomitable, showing extraordinary courage and amazing perseverance. With the overwhelming force formed by this courage and perseverance, what difficulty or danger cannot be overcome!" The reason why the Chinese Communist Party is "capable" is that the Chinese people, from the unremitting struggle of the Chinese Communists, see the Party's people-oriented sentiment and see the bright future represented by the Party. The spiritual pedigree of the Chinese Communists has forged the soul of the Party, the soul of the nation, and the soul of the people. The spirit of flood fighting is an important component of the spiritual pedigree of the Chinese Communists, deeply integrated into the blood and soul of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese nation, becoming a powerful driving force for us to overcome natural disasters and all difficulties and obstacles on the way forward, and to realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must pass it on and carry it forward.

Currently, it is the season of concentrated precipitation and frequent occurrence of flood disasters. Many places have suffered disasters due to rainfall and strong winds, and the situation of flood fighting and rescue is severe. Before the great test of flood prevention, responsibility is the most solid levee; the more turbulent the wind and waves, the more we must layer and consolidate disaster relief responsibilities, vigorously promote the spirit of flood fighting, effectively shoulder the main responsibility, have the courage to take charge, command from the front, play the vanguard and exemplary role of Party members, go against the danger, take the lead, respond to the most urgent calls of the masses with actions, and write a qualified answer sheet amid the stormy waves.

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Full and rigorous Party governance is always on the way.

By: 宋学勤

"Unswervingly Exercise Full and Rigorous Governance over the Party and Deepen the Great New Project of Party Building in the New Era" is included in the second volume of Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Party Building, and is part of the report "Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects" delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Party's 20th National Congress on October 16, 2022. It is an independent chapter of the report specifically discussing Party building. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Party devotes a dedicated section to systematically elaborating on full and rigorous governance over the Party and the great new project of Party building in the new era. It is based on the grand historical orientation of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, closely follows the actual conditions of our Party's long-term governance, scientifically judges the new situation of governing and managing the Party in the new era, clearly puts forward the major thesis that "full and rigorous governance over the Party is always on the way, and the Party's self-revolution is always on the way," and from seven aspects — political construction, ideological construction, institutional construction, cadre team building, primary-level Party organization building, work style building, and the anti-corruption struggle — systematically deploys the key tasks of Party building in the new era, strives to improve the system for full and rigorous governance over the Party, and consolidates the foundation of our Party's governance of the country. This important document is the most basic and most important classic text for us to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping's thought on Party building.

Grasp the dialectical relationship between full and rigorous governance over the Party and the building of a strong country and national rejuvenation

This important document 开宗明义 (kāi zōng míng yì - "state the purpose from the outset") points out the dialectical relationship between full and rigorous governance over the Party and the building of a strong country and national rejuvenation. At the very beginning, it directly makes a comprehensive and fundamental major judgment: "The key to comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation lies in the Party." This important thesis places Party building at the core of the overall situation of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, clearly defining the intrinsic relationship between the Party and the cause of the country and the destiny of the nation. Behind the grand goals lie arduous and heavy tasks of reform and construction. Such as high-quality economic development, the promotion of common prosperity, the construction of an ecological civilization, the improvement of the national security system, the great cause of national reunification, and international competition and cooperation — each task cannot be separated from strong and capable Party leadership.

The four characters "key lies in the Party" demonstrate the profound truth that to govern the country, one must first govern the Party, and only when the Party thrives can the country be strong. Looking back at the Party's century-long history, our Party has attached great importance to its own construction since its birth. From the Gutian Conference establishing the principles of building the Party ideologically and building the army politically, to the Yan'an Rectification Movement eliminating subjectivism and sectarianism; from advancing the construction of Party conduct and clean government after reform and opening up, to initiating the great transformation of full and rigorous governance over the Party in the new era — the history of the Party is a history of continuous self-revolution and strict governance of the Party.

In this important document, General Secretary Xi Jinping elucidates the supporting relationship between Party building and the modernization cause. Continuously advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era can continuously enhance the Party's leadership ability and governance level, ensure that Chinese-style modernization always advances along the correct socialist direction, guarantee that the road to rejuvenation does not deviate or stop, and provide fundamental political guarantees for achieving national rejuvenation. From the perspective of the Party's size and governing position, the Communist Party of China is the largest Marxist ruling party in the world, bearing the trust of over 1.4 billion people. Today, the Party leads the people in advancing Chinese-style modernization, creating a new form of human civilization and expanding the path for developing countries to achieve modernization.

This important document also clarifies the overall goals of Party building work, emphasizes the implementation of the general requirements for Party building in the new era, improves the system for full and rigorous governance over the Party, comprehensively advances the Party's self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation, and self-enhancement, adheres to the Party's original aspiration and mission, consolidates the foundation of the Party's leadership, and always maintains the Party's position as the strong leading core of the socialist cause with Chinese characteristics.

Understand the contemporary connotation of "full and rigorous governance over the Party is always on the way, and the Party's self-revolution is always on the way"

This important document objectively assesses that our Party, in its long-term governance, will face the long-term existence of the "four tests" — the test of governance, the test of reform and opening up, the test of the market economy, and the test of the external environment — and the long-term existence of the "four dangers" — the danger of mental slackness, the danger of insufficient capability, the danger of becoming divorced from the masses, and the danger of passive corruption. It creatively puts forward the major thesis that "full and rigorous governance over the Party is always on the way, and the Party's self-revolution is always on the way." This is both a systematic summary of the great transformation of full and rigorous governance over the Party in the ten years since the 18th National Congress and an action program for governing and managing the Party, strengthening the Party, and rejuvenating the country on the new journey. This important document does not evade issues within the Party, faces the reality of the long-term existence of the "four tests" and "four dangers," reflecting the Party Central Committee's governing confidence in seeking truth from facts, facing problems directly, and not avoiding shortcomings. At the same time, it clearly points out that the only path to solve the difficulties is through full and rigorous governance over the Party, through normalized self-revolution, continuously removing impurities within the Party, tempering the Party spirit of Party members, achieving a virtuous cycle of governance of a large party, and enriching and developing the theoretical treasure house of Marxist ruling party building.

Long-term governance is a characteristic that distinguishes our Party from other political parties in the world, and long-term governance inevitably brings unique governance challenges. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that for the Party to always win the support of the people and consolidate its long-term ruling position, it must always maintain the sobriety and firmness to solve the unique problems of a large party. This important discussion views the work of governing and managing the Party from the height of the foundation of governance, the will of the people, and the continuation of political power, establishing the irreplaceable strategic position of the great new project of Party building in the new era. Since the 18th National Congress, full and rigorous governance over the Party has been advanced in depth, many stubborn and deep-seated problems within the Party have been effectively rectified, and the Party's conduct and political ecology have achieved a fundamental improvement. However, problems such as corruption, work style, and capability have strong stubbornness and recurrence; governance of a large party is itself a long-term project. For a ruling party with over a hundred million members, the risks of ideological divergence, lax work style, and alienation of power always exist; external ideological penetration and the temptations of market economy interests always exist; self-revolution has no end point, and strict governance of the Party has no rest. "Always on the way" breaks the thinking of phased and campaign-style governance, establishing a new concept of normalized and long-term effective governance and management of the Party, requiring the entire Party to discard the negative mentality of taking a break and relaxing, establish a strategic thinking of long-term struggle and 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist for a long time to achieve success"), and providing theoretical guidance for the long-term and stable purification of the Party's internal ecology.

"Full and rigorous governance over the Party is always on the way, and the Party's self-revolution is always on the way" is a new scientific summary of the laws governing the governance and management of the Party. This major thesis elevates the governance and management of the Party from a phased special work to a basic and regular work that runs through the entire governing career of the Party, persistently advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era.

Build a comprehensive and full-coverage system for full and rigorous governance over the Party

In this important document, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically deploys the key work of Party building in the new era from seven aspects, covering the entire process and all areas of governing and managing the Party, with clear rights and responsibilities and pragmatic measures. First, uphold and strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee — Party leadership is comprehensive, systematic, and holistic, and must be implemented in all respects and at all levels to consolidate the foundation of political construction; second, unremittingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era to solidify the soul and consolidate the foundation of ideological construction; third, improve the institutional and normative system for the Party's self-revolution, adhere to governing the Party with institutions and regulations, to consolidate the foundation of institutional construction; fourth, build a high-quality cadre team capable of shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation, guide cadres to establish and practice a correct view of performance, and consolidate the foundation of cadre team building; fifth, enhance the political function and organizational function of Party organizations, build a strict organizational system, to consolidate the foundation of organizational construction; sixth, adhere to the strict tone to strengthen work style and discipline — work style issues concern the survival or death of the ruling party, and Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline should be grasped together, to consolidate the foundation of work style construction; seventh, resolutely win the tough battle and protracted battle of the anti-corruption struggle, and advance the integrated efforts to ensure that officials do not dare to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt, and do not want to be corrupt.

The seven aspects are laid out in a progressive and 环环相扣 (huán huán xiāng kòu - "each link connects with the next," closely interlinked) manner, constructing a comprehensive and full-coverage system for full and rigorous governance over the Party. Political construction is the fundamental construction of the Party, controlling the direction, ensuring that the entire Party maintains a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path; ideological construction is the foundational construction of the Party, gathering consensus, arming the entire Party with the Party's innovative theory; institutional construction consolidates the long-term baseline, placing power in the cage of institutions; cadre team building strengthens the main body of work, cultivating a cadre team that is politically competent, meets the requirements of the new era, and possesses the ability to lead modernization; the organizational system construction reaches the grassroots terminals, uniting the masses in all fields; work style construction maintains the Party-mass relationship, focusing on correcting formalism and bureaucracy; anti-corruption is the most thorough self-revolution, removing the tumors of the body and holding the bottom line of governance. The seven aspects 相辅相成 (xiāng fǔ xiāng chéng - "complement each other"), taking into account comprehensive construction in ideology, team, organization, etc., building a systematic and holistic system for full and rigorous governance over the Party, and perfecting the theory of Marxist ruling party building in the new era. These seven aspects not only put forward top-level governance concepts but also detail implementation measures, with rigorous logic, profound connotation, and strong guidance.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Communist Party of China focuses on strengthening itself and is always full of vitality and vigor. Our Party is soberly aware that to forge iron, one must be strong oneself, is good at examining itself with the requirements of the times, alerting itself with a strong sense of urgency, perfecting itself with the spirit of self-revolution, attaches great importance to its own construction, resolutely eliminates all factors that damage the Party's advanced nature and integrity, removes all viruses that erode the Party's healthy body, and becomes stronger and more powerful through revolutionary tempering.

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Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building: Original Contributions to Marxist Party Building Theory

By: 季正聚

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, centering on the major epochal question of what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build a long-term governing Marxist political party, has put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies, forming Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is the section on Party building of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing the fundamental guidance and action guide for deeply advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era. As the latest achievement in the sinicization and modernization of Marxist Party-building doctrine, Xi Jinping's thought on Party building distinctly puts forward the "Fourteen Perseverances (十四个坚持)," with rich connotations and a tight system, demonstrating firm ideals and convictions, high historical initiative, clear problem orientation, strong mission responsibility, deep affection for the people, and scientific thinking methods, clarifying the substance and applying it, integrating substance and application, with distinct theoretical character. The "Fourteen Perseverances" both adhere to the most basic and core content of Marxist Party-building doctrine and, in studying new situations and solving new problems, uphold integrity and innovate, return to the source and open up the new, and 推陈出新 (tuī chén chū xīn — "push out the old, bring forth the new," to innovate), scientifically answering major theoretical and practical questions of Party building in the new era, enriching and developing Marxist Party-building doctrine with a series of original achievements, opening up a new realm of Marxist Party-building doctrine.

A historic answer that successfully responds to the epochal question: what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build a long-term governing Marxist political party

The classical Marxist writers mainly answered the fundamental question of "how to build a revolutionary proletarian political party." Marx and Engels, in the Communist Manifesto, expounded the nature, mission, and strategic principles of the proletarian party; Lenin, in works such as What Is to Be Done? and One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, systematically discussed the organizational principles and party-building principles of the new-type proletarian party. These theoretical achievements provided scientific theoretical guidance for the founding and revolutionary struggle of the proletarian party.

After a Marxist political party seizes power, how to govern long-term and how to ensure that it does not deteriorate in quality, change color, or change flavor—although the classical writers had principled discussions, they did not fully elaborate and systematically answer. The original contribution of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is first manifested in closely centering on the major epochal question of "what kind of long-term governing Marxist political party to build and how to build a long-term governing Marxist political party" to carry out theoretical innovation, advancing Marxist Party-building doctrine to the logic of long-term governance, achieving a historic leap in theoretical focus. From the height of scientifically grasping the laws of building a governing Marxist party, it profoundly elucidates and answers fundamental questions such as how our Party consolidates its long-term governing position, how to forever maintain its revolutionary nature, advanced nature, and purity, how to continuously improve governance capability, how to prevent governance risks, and how to break out of the historical cycle of rise and fall.

Xi Jinping's thought on Party building deeply grasps this historic transformation. Each of the "Fourteen Perseverances" examines and plans Party building from the height of long-term governance. For example, upholding Party leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics—this is a thesis based on the fundamental prerequisite of governance; upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee—this is a thesis based on the fundamental guarantee of governance; upholding full and strict governance over the Party—this is a thesis based on the fundamental path of governance; upholding never forgetting the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind (不忘初心、牢记使命)—this is a thesis based on the fundamental driving force of governance. This kind of systematic thinking from the logic of long-term governance is a major theoretical breakthrough of Marxist Party-building doctrine in the new era.

First, from letting the people supervise the government to the Party's self-revolution (自我革命), a scientific answer to ensure that the Party never deteriorates in quality, changes color, or changes flavor. One of the most original contributions of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is that it proposes "self-revolution" as the scientific answer to break out of the historical cycle. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC that after unremitting efforts, the Party has found self-revolution as the second answer to break out of the historical cycle of order and chaos and rise and fall, ensuring that the Party never deteriorates in quality, changes color, or changes flavor.

In 1945, Mao Zedong gave a profound answer to breaking out of the historical cycle in a cave in Yan'an—letting the people supervise the government. After more than a hundred years of struggle, especially the new practice since the 18th National Congress, our Party has put forward a scientific answer to breaking out of the historical cycle—self-revolution. This answer fully demonstrates the firm determination of Chinese Communists to 锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě — "to carve without stopping," to persevere) advance the Party's self-construction and ensure that it never deteriorates in quality, changes color, or changes flavor, marking that the century-old Party has reached a new height in understanding the laws of building a long-term governing Marxist political party.

This major thesis of "self-revolution" both adheres to the people-oriented nature of the Marxist political party—people's supervision reflects the people's attribute of power—and profoundly reveals the unique advantage of the Marxist political party's self-construction—self-revolution reflects the Party's self-consciousness, initiative, and creativity. This major theoretical innovation has elevated the Marxist requirements for the Party's self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation, and self-enhancement to a new height.

Second, strategic thinking and deployment from "major party, major country governance" to "strong party, strong country governance." Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, becoming prosperous, to becoming strong. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is exactly a major theoretical innovation carried out under this historical orientation, organically linking Party leadership with upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, building a modern socialist strong country, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, advancing Party building from the height of matters concerning the Party's long-term governance.

The "Fourteen Perseverances" deeply grasp the inner connection between managing and governing the Party, invigorating and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation. This formulation scientifically and systematically integrates the three levels of managing and governing the Party, invigorating and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation, revealing the inner logical relationship between Party building and the development of the Party and the national cause. Party building is not building for the sake of building, but to ensure that the Party always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to ensure that the Party can lead the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. This theoretical perspective of planning and advancing Party building within the overall situation of strengthening the country and national rejuvenation is the innovative development of Marxist Party-building doctrine in the new era.

Deeply grasping the changes in the world situation, national conditions, and Party conditions, and the historic transformation of the epochal question, is the logical starting point of the original development of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building to Marxist Party-building doctrine, and the logic of Party building in the context of long-term governance and building a strong country, laying a theoretical foundation for the unfolding of all the contents of the "Fourteen Perseverances."

Systematic innovation in the core content of Party building: the theoretical framework and original contributions of the "Fourteen Perseverances"

If the transformation of the epochal question is the logical starting point of the original development of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, then the "Fourteen Perseverances" are the core content of this original development. The "Fourteen Perseverances" are a concentrated summary of General Secretary Xi Jinping's new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies that are symbolic and leading for Party building in the new era, profoundly elucidating the highest principles, strategic guidelines, value pursuit, work layout, and method paths of Party building, and profoundly revealing the inner laws of the century-old Marxist party forever maintaining vitality and strong combat effectiveness. From a logical structure perspective, the "Fourteen Perseverances" can be divided into three levels: the first four are general theses, embodying the highest principles, strategic guidelines, and value pursuit of Party building; the fifth to the thirteenth are specific theses, mainly expounding the key tasks of political construction, ideological construction, organizational construction, work style construction, discipline construction, anti-corruption struggle, and institutional construction; the last one also governs the overall situation and is a strong guarantee.

Upholding Party leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This thesis is the first of the "Fourteen Perseverances" and also the red thread running through all the "Fourteen Perseverances." General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership concerns the future and destiny of the Party and the country; all our undertakings are built on this foundation and rooted in this most essential feature and greatest advantage. This original thesis elevates the understanding of Party leadership from "political principle" to "essential feature"; Party leadership is not externally attached, but inherent in the prescriptiveness of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics; it is not optional, but indispensable; it is not temporary, but runs through the entire process. This achieves a new theoretical breakthrough based on the Marxist theory of the relationship between the party and the state; the Communist Party of China not only leads the state but also constitutes the essential attribute of the state system.

Upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. This is the highest principle of Party leadership. "Upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the highest political principle"—this thesis clarifies that Party leadership is not decentralized or pluralistic, but centralized and unified; not formal or symbolic, but substantive and comprehensive. In the history of Marxist Party-building doctrine, although Lenin emphasized democratic centralism, making the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee clear as the "highest political principle" and taking it as the core requirement of the Party's political construction is an important theoretical innovation of the new era.

Upholding full and strict governance over the Party. Full and strict governance over the Party is the distinct theme of Party building in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that we must have the courage to advance the Party's self-revolution, unswervingly promote full and strict governance over the Party, always maintain the Party's advanced nature and purity, and ensure that the Party always becomes the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core incorporated full and strict governance over the Party into the "Four Comprehensive (四个全面)" strategic layout, which is unprecedented in the history of Marxist party building. It shows that Party building is not an isolated departmental work, but a strategic project related to the overall situation of the Party and the national cause.

Upholding never forgetting the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind. This is the eternal question of Communists. The proposal of "never forgetting the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind" implements the value pursuit of the Marxist political party from the abstract principle level to the concrete practice level. The answer to the fundamental question of what the Communist Party of China is and what it wants to do constitutes the value cornerstone of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. Anchoring "the people's aspiration for a better life is our goal of struggle" requires the whole Party to always place the people in the highest position in their hearts and take benefiting the people as the most important political achievement. This is both an adherence to the Marxist view of the people and a theoretical deepening under the conditions of the new era.

Upholding the political construction of the Party as the overarching guide. This is one of the most original contributions of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed that the Party's political construction is the fundamental construction of the Party, for the first time incorporating political construction into the overall layout of Party building, requiring the leading role of political construction. The important thesis of "upholding the political construction of the Party as the overarching guide" elevates the Party's political construction to a commanding height, anchors the fundamental focal point of managing and governing the Party in the new era, and is a major original contribution of our Party to Marxist Party-building doctrine, for the first time clearly taking political construction as the overarching guide of Party building. This thesis grasps the fundamental and overall issues of managing and governing the Party. Political construction is the "outline," other constructions are the "meshes"; when the outline is lifted, the meshes open (纲举目张, gāng jǔ mù zhāng — "when the main rope of a net is lifted, the meshes open," to grasp the key and everything else falls into place). This theoretical innovation fundamentally changes the logical structure of Party building: it is not that the various constructions are parallel, but that political construction commands everything.

Upholding the use of the Party's innovative theory to cohere hearts and forge the soul. This is the fundamental task of the Party's ideological construction. Taking the use of the Party's innovative theory to cohere hearts and forge the soul as the fundamental task of the Party's ideological construction, and taking tempering Party spirit and raising ideological awareness as a lifelong question. This thesis elevates theoretical arming from a general "learning requirement" to the height of "cohering hearts and forging the soul"; "cohering hearts" solves the problem of building consensus, "forging the soul" solves the problem of shaping the soul. This expression profoundly reveals that theoretical arming is not just the acquisition of knowledge, but also the shaping of faith, the steadfastness of belief, and the forging of the soul.

Upholding the tempering of strong Party spirit. Party spirit is the essential attribute of a Marxist political party. General Secretary Xi Jinping figuratively pointed out that ideal and belief are the "calcium" in the spirit of Communists; without ideal and belief, or if ideal and belief are not firm, the spirit will be "calcium-deficient" and will suffer from "osteomalacia." Party members and cadres should regard firming up their ideals and beliefs as a lifelong question, believe in them for a lifetime, and keep them for a lifetime. The use of the word "tempering" gives Party spirit construction a dynamic and processual connotation. Party spirit is not something that can be achieved 一劳永逸 (yī láo yǒng yì — "one labor, eternal ease," to solve once and for all); it requires strict thought tempering, political training, practical exercise, and professional training, and manifests strict Party spirit in the face of urgent, difficult, dangerous, and heavy tasks and temptations of interests.

Upholding the improvement of an organizational system that is connected up and down and has strong execution. "Connected up and down, strong execution"—these eight words precisely summarize the essential requirement of the Marxist political party's organizational system, emphasizing both the "completeness" of the organizational system and the "effectiveness" of the organizational system. If a party's organizational system is complete but lacks execution, it is 一盘散沙 (yī pán sǎn shā — "a plate of loose sand," a state of disunity and lack of cohesion). This thesis elevates organizational construction from "building organizations" to "strengthening effectiveness."

Upholding the building of a high-quality cadre team capable of shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation. After the political line is determined, cadres are the decisive factor. Cadres are the backbone of the Party and the national cause. The expression "capable of shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation" elevates the goal of cadre team building from the general "having both ability and moral integrity" (德才兼备, dé cái jiān bèi — "have both virtue and talent," having both moral integrity and professional competence) to the strategic height of "shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation." This, on the basis of Marxist cadre theory, endows cadre team building with distinct epochal connotation and historical mission.

Upholding the promotion of normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style construction. Work style construction is the eternal theme of Party building. The proposal of "normalization and long-term effectiveness" profoundly reveals the law-based understanding of work style construction: work style construction is not a gust of wind, not a campaign-style governance, but requires persistent and unremitting effort over a long period. Since the new era, our Party has started the breakthrough by formulating and implementing the eight-point regulation (中央八项规定) of the Central Committee, rectified the "four forms of decadence (四风)" with the spirit of driving a nail, and won the trust and support of the people with a new atmosphere in work style construction.

Upholding the management and governance of the entire Party with strict discipline. Strict discipline is a distinct feature of a Marxist political party. General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed that strengthening discipline construction is the fundamental policy to cure the root cause of full and strict governance over the Party, elevating discipline construction from "one aspect" of Party building to the height of "fundamental policy to cure the root cause." "Fundamental policy to cure the root cause" means that discipline is not only the "rule" for managing people, but also the "foundation" for managing the Party; without strict discipline, there is no unity and solidarity of the Party.

Upholding the integrated advancement of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt. This is the basic policy of the anti-corruption struggle. "Integrated advancement of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt" organically unifies the three dimensions of punishment, institution, and education. "Not daring to be corrupt" solves the "dare not" problem, relying on severe punishment to form deterrence; "not being able to be corrupt" solves the "cannot" problem, relying on institutional construction to tighten the cage; "not wanting to be corrupt" solves the "do not want" problem, relying on education and guidance to cultivate culture. The three are not isolated, but an organic whole advanced in an integrated and coordinated manner. This theoretical innovation expands Marxist thinking on clean governance from a single dimension to multi-dimensional coordination, achieving a systematic breakthrough in anti-corruption theory.

Upholding the governance of the Party by institutions and by rules. This is the long-term policy and fundamental policy of full and strict governance over the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that strengthening the construction of inner-Party laws and regulations is the long-term policy and fundamental policy of full and strict governance over the Party. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has insisted on the integrated construction of law-based governance of the country and governance of the Party by institutions and by rules, promoting the inner-Party laws and regulations to become more mature and finalized. Upholding the governance of the Party by institutions and by rules is an important content of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, proposing "governance of the Party by institutions" and "governance of the Party by rules" side by side, forming a dual normative system of "institution + rule of law." "Governance of the Party by institutions" emphasizes the sufficiency of institutional supply; "governance of the Party by rules" emphasizes the rigidity of institutional implementation. The combination of the two constitutes the complete institutional logic of managing and governing the Party.

Upholding the implementation of political responsibility for managing and governing the Party. This is the "ox nose" that needs to be firmly grasped in full and strict governance over the Party. Full and strict governance over the Party: the key is in "comprehensive," the crux is in "strict," and the core is in "govern." Who is the subject of "govern"? It is Party organizations at all levels and leading Party cadres. "Upholding the implementation of political responsibility for managing and governing the Party" clearly answers the question of "who governs," transforming managing and governing the Party from "organizational behavior" into "political responsibility"—it is not optional but mandatory; not soft but rigid. The four words "political responsibility" endow managing and governing the Party with political seriousness and responsibility compulsion.

As an organic whole, the original contributions of the "Fourteen Perseverances" are not only reflected in the specific content of each item, but also in the organic connection and coupling of the overall structure. First, adhere to systems theory, coordinating Party leadership and Party building. The "Fourteen Perseverances" include both the content of "upholding Party leadership" and the content of "Party building." This coordinated arrangement reveals the inherent unified relationship between Party leadership and Party building: Party leadership is the value orientation of Party building, and Party building is the organizational guarantee of Party leadership. Second, adhere to the organic unity of comprehensive theory and key theory. The "Fourteen Perseverances" comprehensively cover all aspects of Party building while highlighting the key points; placing political construction in the first place, taking full and strict governance over the Party as the main line. This theoretical framework that is both comprehensive and focused reflects the methodological consciousness of dialectical materialism. Third, clarify the substance and apply it, integrating substance and application. The "Fourteen Perseverances" are both epistemology and methodology; this theoretical character of integrating substance and application makes Xi Jinping's thought on Party building both theoretically profound and practically guiding. Fourth, adhere to the unity of means and ends, deeply grasping the inner connection between managing and governing the Party, invigorating and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation. The "Fourteen Perseverances" position and plan Party building within the overall situation of the development of the Party and the national cause, revealing the inner logic that managing and governing the Party is the means, invigorating and strengthening the Party is the goal, and strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation is the destination. This broad theoretical perspective is a major development of Marxist Party-building doctrine in the new era.

Innovative transformation in methodology: a model of Party building in the "two combines (两个结合)"

The original development of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building to Marxist Party-building doctrine is not only reflected in the transformation of epochal questions and the innovation of core content, but also in the innovative transformation of methodology. Combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture—the creative application of the "two combines" in the field of Party building constitutes the original contribution at the methodological level of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building.

Combining with China's specific realities, taking root in the great practice of full and strict governance over the Party in the new era. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building originates from Marxist scientific theory, is rooted in the best of traditional Chinese culture, and is nurtured in the great practice of full and strict governance over the Party in the new era. This thought is not a general summary of Party building experience, but a systematic integration and original development of Marxist Party-building doctrine by the Communist Party of China under the historical orientation of long-term governance.

Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has advanced full and strict governance over the Party with the momentum of 雷霆万钧 (léi tíng wàn jūn — "thunderbolt and ten thousand jun," overwhelming force or momentum). Starting with the breakthrough of formulating and implementing the eight-point regulation of the Central Committee, using political construction to lead all work of Party building, systematically building a system for full and strict governance over the Party. From the 19th National Congress distinctly proposing the general requirements for Party building in the new era, to the 20th National Congress systematically drawing up a sound system for full and strict governance over the Party, to the National Forum on Party building work formally proposing Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, a clear upward trajectory from practice to theory and then from theory guiding practice is clearly visible. Behind this is our Party's grand exploration of systematically promoting managing and governing the Party, invigorating and strengthening the Party in the historical depth of long-term governance, building a strong country, and national rejuvenation.

The practical foundation of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building originates from the fresh experience of strengthening Party building since the 18th National Congress. The unremitting practice of managing and governing the Party in the new era has faced and solved many deep-seated problems, summing up a series of Party building experiences that have withstood practical testing. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is precisely the systematic sorting, law refinement, and theoretical sublimation of this series of practical achievements. This theoretical generation logic of coming from practice and going to practice ensures that Xi Jinping's thought on Party building has both theoretical height, historical depth, practical strength, and warmth of people's sentiment.

Combining with the best of traditional Chinese culture, drawing on the rich nourishment of more than 5,000 years of civilization. A series of original and iconic major concepts put forward by Xi Jinping's thought on Party building are rooted not only in Marxist classical expositions but also absorbed the essence of the best of traditional Chinese culture, presenting a distinct Chinese character, Chinese style, and Chinese manner.

More than 5,000 years of civilization history of the Chinese nation has nurtured 博大精深 (bó dà jīng shēn — "broad, great, profound and deep," extensive and profound) cultural resources and governance wisdom, providing abundant cultural nourishment for Party building in the new era. The people-oriented thought of "the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is solid, the state is tranquil" is inherently consistent with the fundamental purpose of our Party of serving the people wholeheartedly; the way of governance of "government is uprightness" and "cultivate oneself and establish virtue" has become a cultural resource for Party members and cadres to temper Party spirit and strictly observe conduct; the governance wisdom of "orders are carried out and prohibitions are observed (令行禁止, lìng xíng jìn zhǐ — "orders are carried out, prohibitions are observed," strict enforcement of orders), the superiors and subordinates are of one mind" is infiltrated into the organizational system that is connected up and down and has strong execution; the tradition of managing officials of "draining the turbid and raising the clear (激浊扬清, jī zhuó yáng qīng — "drain the turbid, raise the clear," eliminate the evil and promote the good), rectifying discipline and law" provides a historical mirror for work style construction and anti-corruption work. This cultural root and soul makes Xi Jinping's thought on Party building have both the truth power of Marxism and the profound heritage of Chinese culture.

The creative application of the "two combines" in the field of Party building has far-reaching methodological significance. First, it solves the problem of the path of sinicization and modernization of Marxist Party-building doctrine. The dissemination and landing of Marxist Party-building doctrine around the world has a problem of localization; how to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in China? The "two combines" provides a scientific answer: it must be combined with China's specific realities, so that theory is tested and developed in practice, and combined with the best of traditional Chinese culture, so that theory is nourished and sublimated in culture. Second, it achieves the dialectical unity of upholding fundamental principles and innovation. Xi Jinping's thought on Party building adheres to the most basic and core content of Marxist Party-building doctrine, and is skilled in using materialist dialectics to uphold fundamental principles and innovate, and to push out the old and bring forth the new while studying new situations and solving new problems. This methodology of upholding fundamental principles and innovation ensures that theoretical innovation does not deviate from the correct direction and always maintains the vitality of 与时俱进 (yǔ shí jù jìn — "advance with the times," keep up with the times). Third, it demonstrates deep cultural confidence and historical self-consciousness. Incorporating the best of traditional Chinese culture into the resource pool of Party building theoretical innovation itself reflects a high degree of cultural confidence. It is not simply borrowing traditional cultural concepts, but carrying out creative transformation and innovative development, so that the excellent elements of traditional culture become an organic part of the Party building theory of the new era.

In summary, Xi Jinping's thought on Party building is the latest theoretical form of Marxist Party-building doctrine under the conditions of long-term governance, enriching and perfecting the treasure trove of Marxist Party-building doctrine, filling the theoretical gap in promoting the construction of a long-term governing Marxist political party with a systematic concept, opening up a new realm of sinicization and modernization of Marxist Party-building doctrine, systematically revealing the inner laws of the century-old party forever maintaining vitality, and has milestone significance in the history of Marxist party theory development and the over 100-year history of Party building of the Communist Party of China. At the same time, the powerful truth power and practical force of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building have been fully tested and demonstrated in practice. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party has become stronger and more powerful through revolutionary tempering, providing a fundamental guarantee for the Party and the national cause to achieve historic achievements and undergo historic changes. On the new journey of the new era, the tasks of reform, development, and stability are heavy, and the contradictions, risks, and challenges are unprecedented. The more complex the situation, the more arduous the task, the more we must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, build our Party well and strong, ensure that the Party always walks at the forefront of the times in the historical process of profound changes in the world situation, and always become the strong leading core in the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

(The author is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee (中央党史和文献研究院).)

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Light and Heavy Aspects of Youth Socializing in the Digital Age

By: 殷乐

How many steps does it take to get to know a person? The previous generation might say: meeting face-to-face, writing letters, making phone calls, sending emails, chatting, spending time together. This generation of youth might answer: swiping through three short videos, scrolling across two comments, receiving a sticker, opening an AI dialog box. Social interaction has never been so diverse and so light, so light that a single tap on the screen can complete an interaction. But the other side of lightness is: the screen is full of bustle, yet the moments when one is truly "understood" are 屈指可数 (qū zhǐ kě shǔ - "can be counted on one's fingers," very few). This is precisely one of the paradoxes that has emerged after the deep penetration of digital intelligence technology. Algorithmic recommendation has transcended the category of tool and become a structural force shaping youth cognition and social interaction. Social media makes cross-domain and cross-class connections 触手可及 (chù shǒu kě jí - "within reach of the hand," easily accessible), and generative AI makes creation and companionship 前所未有 (qián suǒ wèi yǒu - "never before existed," unprecedented) convenient. Contemporary youth enjoy unprecedented abundance of connection, yet walk somewhat lonely in the dense forest of connections.

Thus the problem arises: when connection becomes 轻而易举 (qīng ér yì jǔ - "light and easy to lift," very easy), why is understanding still 断断续续 (duàn duàn xù xù - "intermittent," broken and discontinuous)? Between the "lightness" enabled by technology and the "heaviness" of emotional needs, what exactly lies 横亘 (héng gèn - "lies across," stretches between)?

The ongoing digital-intelligence migration

The digital-intelligence migration is a key entry point for understanding the transformation of contemporary youth's social interaction forms. It is stressed as ongoing because this transformation has not yet taken final shape. We can observe what is meant by digital-intelligence migration from three dimensions: place, relationship, and object.

First, look at changes in the venue of social interaction. Multiple surveys in recent years have shown that youth online time continues to lengthen, and social media and search engines have become "infrastructure" of daily life; permanent connection, permanent online are becoming concrete. At the same time, this migration is not a one-way movement from offline to online, but a two-way interaction in which virtual space and physical space inter-embed and nourish each other. Short-video and live-streaming e-commerce formats cover users in the hundreds of millions; over 80% of traditional occupations have begun a video-based transformation; one-person companies (OPC) are growing rapidly; a large number of practitioners have found real-world jobs from the digital-intelligence world. The boundary between online and offline is increasingly blurred; the venue of social interaction has moved from fixed spaces to fluid scenes. For youth who are digital natives, this state of existence where the virtual and real intermingle is not a new environment to which they must adapt, but the natural air they breathe as they grow.

Second, look at changes in relationship forms. Algorithmic recommendation has completed its transformation from auxiliary function to the norm of information consumption; over 60% of respondents are exposed to algorithm-recommended information for more than half an hour daily, and over one-third of youth take it as their primary channel for news. This means that algorithms have to some degree taken over the traditional information "gatekeeper" function, and the relationship between people and information has been redefined. At the same time, the great broadening of expression channels has also changed the way people connect with each other. A word, a sticker, can reach a massive crowd in an instant through social media and intelligent algorithm distribution. The flames surrounding the "explosive" character on trending searches have become a concrete symbol of attention in this era. The scattered fine voices that once fell in every corner now have the possibility of 聚沙成塔 (jù shā chéng tǎ - "gather sand into a tower," many a little makes a mickle). From this we see the shining or awkward moments of ordinary people, and the breakout of things like the "hands-behind-the-back possum" and "sauce-preserved duck." But this also brings a lasting contradiction between information overload and attention scarcity; when the threshold for expression is lowered to the minimum, the competition to be heard becomes unprecedentedly fierce.

Finally, look at changes in interaction objects. The youth group is the most active adopter and practitioner of intelligent media technology. The explosive development of generative AI has turned human-machine communication from science fiction fantasy into daily practice. More and more youth are pouring out their troubles to AI, seeking advice, and even building long-term emotional companionship relationships. The object of social interaction is shifting from real individuals to human-machine hybrids, adding a new variable to the evolution of social interaction forms.

Light social interaction and heavy longing

The digital-intelligence migration does not bring about the disappearance of traditional interpersonal social interaction, but a systematic reshaping of social interaction forms. The most intuitive manifestation of this is the rise of "light social interaction." After "buddy socializing" comes "group-buy socializing": group-buy marriage outings, group-buy cake-sharing, blind-box dinner parties… new forms emerge 层出不穷 (céng chū bù qióng - "emerge one after another without end," in endless succession). They precisely correspond to the functional needs of specific scenarios, emphasizing vertical companionship, no boundary-crossing, and freedom to come and go. Various kinds of labels, hot words, and hot memes keep emerging: "I-person," "E-person," "P-person," "intense person," "mild person" – all seeking fast classification and precise interaction in a measurable way. These forms satisfy the need for instant companionship at a low emotional cost, making social interaction light and efficient. "Emotional value" has become a high-frequency term of the era; our survey also found that over 90% of youth recognize its importance, and nearly 60% are willing to spend money for it. These changes show that youth are seeking emotional response and self-affirmation through technological platforms.

However, the lightness of form does not equate to the satisfaction of need. Beneath the surface of lightweight, a deep longing for deep connection surges. The fact that "living-person feel" has become a hot term also confirms this. This pursuit of "living-person feel" is precisely a rebellion against human-machine-like, NPC-style social interaction, pointing toward real life traces full of contingency and imperfection. Multiple surveys show that over 80% of youth believe maintaining deep social interaction is necessary, but more than 70% admit it has become harder to maintain deep social relationships now. When they need to confide or seek help, the vast majority of youth can contact no more than six people. Between "people I can contact" and "people I can open my heart to" lies a wide gap. Over 70% of single youth long for romantic relationships, but a narrow social circle, difficulty meeting someone with compatible values, and lack of skill in communicating with the opposite sex constitute a triple barrier between longing and action. Light social interaction is both an efficient option driven by technology and a rational calculation of youth actively drawing boundaries, as well as an adaptive strategy for a highly mobile society, but it solves the problem of "having someone to accompany you," yet does not solve the problem of "having someone who understands you."

Even more thought-provoking is the emergence of substitute solutions. Nearly half of youth tell their worries to "fixed chat" netizens online, a proportion even higher than for real-life lovers or partners. These substitute solutions satisfy part of the desire to confide and the need for a response at extremely low social cost, yet cannot provide mutual understanding in the true sense. Youth are using light social interaction in a roundabout way to seek the possibility of deep connection. It is not that they do not need deep relationships; quite the opposite, the longing to "be understood" has never faded. The philosopher Martin Buber wrote in I and Thou: "All real life is meeting." And true meeting is precisely the domain that algorithmic recommendation and AI simulation find hard to reach; it occurs within understanding and resonance that algorithms cannot truly calculate, within that part of reality between two people that cannot be datafied. Yet in the social ecology mediated by algorithms, this longing is often broken down into fragmented interactions, transferred to lightweight relationships, and compensated for by consumerized emotional products. This crack between light and heavy is precisely the key to understanding the social interaction predicament of contemporary youth.

Invisible shaping and not-easily-perceived risks

If the popularity of light social interaction and the difficulty of deep relationships are the explicit manifestations of the digital-intelligence migration at the level of social interaction, then we must further ask: does digital intelligence technology also create more hidden obstacles at the deep structural level, exacerbating the imbalance between light and heavy at an even deeper level? The reason these obstacles are "invisible" and "not easily perceived" is precisely that they hide behind the smooth front-end experience.

The primary problem is the deep rupture of the algorithmic "black box" and technical blind spots. In our survey, we found that youth are highly dependent on the information flow provided by algorithms on the front end, yet know almost nothing about their filtering logic and potential biases; over 80% of respondents explicitly said they "know very little" about how algorithmic mechanisms operate. This state of "knowing it is so but not knowing why it is so" means that seemingly autonomous value judgments may be invisibly shaped by structural forces. When a person's information environment, cognitive agenda, and even emotional rhythm are implicitly shaped by algorithms, the mutual "seeing" between him and others no longer occurs in a neutral field, but in pre-coded channels. Risks such as information cocoons, group polarization, and cognitive narrowing grow precisely in this soil of cognitive dissociation. It is worth noting that youth have a low understanding of recommendation algorithms, yet they already know quite a bit about generative AI tools. This stratification also reminds us that public literacy improvement must distinguish between implicit intelligent technology and explicit intelligent technology, and adopt separate strategies.

The amplification effect of value differences in digital interaction further exacerbates the imbalance between light and heavy. When the maintenance of intimate relationships increasingly takes place online, value expressions in Moments, stance differences on public issues, and cognitive differences shaped by algorithms are all repeatedly triggered and amplified in daily interaction. Differences that could originally be negotiated through face-to-face communication may be rapidly made explicit and labeled in digital scenarios. Surveys show that value differences have leaped to become the primary cause of intimate relationship breakdown, accounting for over 40%. Understanding the relationship dilemmas of youth can no longer be separated from the digital information environment in which they are embedded.

At the same time, the boundary of human-machine relationships is being redefined. Global downloads of AI companionship applications continue to hit new highs. As a new type of connection featuring low reciprocity requirements, high accessibility, and customizability, the "hyper-social relationship" brought by AI is becoming a social experiment involving hundreds of millions of people. The phenomenon of youth pouring out troubles to AI and seeking emotional companionship is increasingly common; the convenience is real, but the cost is equally real: when AI can always provide unconditional positive responses, real interpersonal relationships that require adaptation and tolerance of misunderstanding appear high in cost. Over half of youth worry that "over-reliance leads to ability degradation" – this is a clear awareness of this potential cost. When the need to "be understood" can be simulated and satisfied by AI, the motivation to turn toward a real person may be imperceptibly weakened. However, the other side of the coin is that AI's unconditional instant response, to some extent, constitutes a low-risk "social practice ground." If guided well, helping socially anxious or highly sensitive youth rebuild conversational confidence and learn expression rhythms through AI companionship could also become a transitional step toward interpersonal interaction.

Overall, in the face of this profound and complex digital-intelligence migration, the attitude of contemporary youth presents a unique three-dimensional picture: they are both rational users, efficient and prudent, and at the same time clear-eyed reflectors, alert to degradation and demanding regulation. This pragmatic embrace provides a solid social psychological foundation for technological governance.

At present, the reorganization of youth social interaction in the digital-intelligence era continues. The balance between light and heavy is both a technological proposition and a social proposition. The way to address it lies in two-way efforts: first, strengthen "informed prudence," cultivate critical literacy toward algorithms, extend scrutiny from individual cognition to platform governance, promote the establishment of explainable algorithmic transparency mechanisms and anti-cocoon recommendation options, so that youth can see the shaping forces hidden behind the smooth front-end experience; second, add curricula on intimate relationships and value practice in education, while advocating that society create more low-threshold, low-competition real public social spaces, guiding youth to transform macro-level value identification into micro-level communication skills and a way of handling things that accommodates differences, thus providing capacity support for building deep relationships.

One background worth noting is that contemporary youth have grown up in a period of continuous rise in national comprehensive strength, and mainstream values have a solid foundation of identification among the youth group. Mobility has never cut the thread between them and the era; it has only changed the way it exists. Only when algorithms return to their tool nature and social interaction returns to the true essence of meeting, can youth find that real and resilient self between light and heavy. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has hoped, the broad masses of youth "strive to be good young people of the new era who have ideals, dare to take responsibility, can endure hardship, and are willing to struggle," writing their own youth chapter in the tide of the digital-intelligence era. This is precisely the most cherished constant beneath all change.

(The author is Vice Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

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Applied universities must ensure their talent cultivation meets market demand.

By: 王成军

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Cultivating talent is the fundamental function of education, and whether it can meet the needs of economic and social development is an important criterion for measuring the effectiveness of talent cultivation." The Education Strong Country Construction Plan Outline (2024–2035) clearly states the need to "improve the mechanism for aligning talent cultivation with the needs of economic and social development." This requires application-oriented universities to strive for "marketable products" in their talent cultivation. At present, China's higher education is in a critical period of connotative development, yet the problem of mismatch between talent cultivation and the supply and demand of economic and social development remains relatively prominent, especially in the fields of strategic emerging industries and future industries, where the talent gap is large and the capacity for independent cultivation needs improvement. Application-oriented universities account for the highest proportion of all universities in China. Their core mission is to supply a large number of high-quality applied talents for regional industrial development, and the quality of talent cultivation is directly related to the effectiveness of industrial transformation and upgrading as well as innovation-driven development. However, the structural contradiction between the supply side of talent cultivation and the demand side of industry remains pronounced. Under the in-depth implementation of the strategy of strengthening the nation through talent and the urgent need to develop new quality productive forces, deepening industry-education integration and promoting the alignment of talent cultivation supply and demand is the only way to resolve the structural contradiction and achieve the high-quality development of application-oriented universities.

There is an obvious tension between the supply and demand of talent cultivation in application-oriented universities. The problem of supply-demand mismatch is concentrated at four levels: macro, process, mechanism, and guarantee. The phenomenon of industry-education integration being "integrated but not deep" has become a major bottleneck restricting high-quality development.

Specialty offerings are disconnected from industrial布局 (bù jú - layout/arrangement). The specialty settings of application-oriented universities mostly follow traditional evaluation mechanisms and lack the ability to respond quickly to regional industrial development. Strategic emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and the low-altitude economy are developing rapidly, with a surge in talent demand, but the adjustment of university specialty layouts lags behind, making it difficult to achieve "forward-looking布局 (bù jú - layout)." Some traditional specialties suffer from severe homogenization, and enrollment is disconnected from employment, leading to an imbalance between the "talent structure" of cultivation and the "market structure" of regional economic and social development.

Curriculum systems are disconnected from professional competency needs. The update of course content lags behind the pace of industrial technology iteration, making it difficult to systematically integrate enterprises' real technical standards and project cases into teaching. Traditional teaching methods still mainly rely on knowledge灌输 (guàn shū - instilling/indoctrination). Practice-oriented teaching methods such as project-based learning and case-based teaching are insufficiently applied. Students' ability to solve complex engineering problems and their innovative thinking are relatively weak, forming a "knowledge gap" and "skill differential."

School-enterprise collaboration is disconnected from the education process. Industry-education integration is "integrated but not deep," and the "fireplace phenomenon" in school-enterprise cooperation is widespread. Enterprise participation in talent cultivation mostly remains at a shallow level of cooperation, failing to be deeply embedded in the entire process of talent cultivation plan formulation, curriculum development, practice guidance, and quality evaluation, resulting in "two separate skins" between the education process and industrial practice.

Teacher capabilities are disconnected from cultivation requirements. Teachers in local application-oriented universities, to varying degrees, experience the phenomenon of "from school gate to school gate," lacking frontline engineering experience in enterprises. At the same time, the teacher evaluation system "values papers over teaching, values research over application," leading to insufficient endogenous motivation for teachers to engage in industry-education integration, and a shortage of high-level "dual-qualified" teachers.

To solve the problem of supply-demand mismatch, it is necessary to systematically implement measures in areas such as mechanism construction, platform support, curriculum载体 (zài tǐ - carriers/vehicles), and teacher incentives, using industry-education integration as the driving force to build a complete closed loop where talent supply and industrial demand are dynamically aligned.

Establish a multi-stakeholder collaborative governance framework. Build a governance mechanism for university talent cultivation that is government-led, industry-guided, and enterprise-participated, making the degree of talent cultivation alignment an important basis for university performance assessment and resource allocation. Promote the deep involvement of industry associations in the formulation of talent cultivation standards. Rely on leading enterprises in the industry to jointly formulate professional teaching standards, internship and training standards, and teacher competency standards, forming an industry standard system covering the entire process of talent cultivation.

Build digital-intelligent management platforms. Construct a three-tier interconnected big data platform for talent supply and demand at the national, provincial, and university levels. Integrate data from education, human resources and social security, statistics, and other departments. Dynamically publish directories of talent demand in key regional industries, providing data support for university specialty adjustments and enrollment plan formulation. Build a digital-intelligent platform integrating full-process management of talent cultivation, industry-education collaborative education practice, and teaching quality monitoring and evaluation, forming a closed-loop management system of "monitoring — evaluation — feedback — improvement."

Construct a demand-oriented flexible education system. Fully implement flexible cultivation forms such as "micro-majors" and "micro-courses," forming a three-dimensional talent cultivation system of "major + minor + micro-major." Promote the three-tier progressive model of "industry college — micro-major — named class," using the industry college as the core platform, expanding composite capabilities through micro-majors, and achieving precise employment through enterprise-named classes.

Construct a competency-oriented evaluation system. Reform the teacher evaluation mechanism, making industry-education integration achievements an important basis for teacher职称 (zhí chēng - professional title) review, position appointment, and performance distribution. Reform the student evaluation mechanism. Incorporate enterprise practice and professional qualification certifications into the credit system, establishing competency-oriented academic evaluation standards.

Construct a dynamic alignment mechanism. Improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism for specialties. Rely on the digital-intelligent management platform to collect employment market data in real time, establish a specialty early warning and dynamic adjustment mechanism, realizing a transformation from "static evaluation" to "dynamic response." Promote the upgrading of courses and teaching content, increasing the proportion of real enterprise project cases and practice hours in the curriculum.

Increase policy support and investment in industry-education integration. Implement the national combined incentive policies of "finance + fiscal + land + credit" for industry-education integration enterprises to stimulate the endogenous motivation of enterprises to participate in talent cultivation. Establish a diversified investment mechanism of "government guidance, school leadership, enterprise participation, and social support," set up special funds for industry-education integration, and ensure the effective implementation of key reform tasks.

Application-oriented universities are an important force serving regional economic and social development. At present, the reform of the talent cultivation supply-demand alignment mechanism has entered a critical攻坚 (gōng jiān - assault fortified positions) period. It is urgent to adhere to problem orientation, systematic design, digital-intelligent empowerment, and evaluation牵引 (qiān yǐn - pulling/driving), so as to fundamentally resolve the structural contradiction. Application-oriented universities should firmly grasp the reform opportunity, take the lead in breaking through in key links such as industry-education integration mechanism construction, digital-intelligent platform building, and "dual-qualified" teacher team cultivation, forming a batch of replicable and scalable institutional achievements and practical experiences, providing solid support for building a high-quality higher education system and serving the national innovation-driven development strategy, thereby turning "marketable products" from theory into practice, and making application-oriented universities truly become the "living water of talent" and "innovation engine" for regional development. (The author is from Anhui University of Engineering (安徽工程大学).)

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Why Does a Man of Virtue Remain in Poverty?

By: 兰峻

The Analects (Wei Ling Gong chapter) records that when faced with the question, “Does the gentleman also encounter adversity?” Confucius firmly replied: “The gentleman is steadfast in adversity (jūn zǐ gù qióng - “the gentleman is steadfast in poverty,” to maintain integrity in hardship); the petty person, when in adversity, becomes wanton.” “Being steadfast in adversity” (固穷) is the proper attitude of the gentleman when facing material poverty, and even more so a guide for cultivating oneself when facing life’s hardships.

In literal terms, “adversity” (穷) is often understood as material lack and life’s hardship, as in the case Confucius encountered: “In Chen they ran out of food; his followers fell ill and could not rise.” But in the Confucian context it also points to states of adverse circumstances such as ill fortune (时运不济 shí yùn bù jì - “time and luck not favorable,” unlucky) and unrealized aspirations caused by “the Way not being practiced” or “insufficient strength” — early in his life Guan Zhong wandered and suffered displacement (颠沛流离 diān pèi liú lí - “to be tossed about and drift,” to lead a vagrant life), and Baili Xi fed his ox before becoming prime minister — these all belong to this category. This kind of “adversity” is the “walking to where the waters end” (行到水穷处) in life’s encounters, a collision of morality and ideals before the barriers of reality. And “difficulty is the test of virtue” (困，德之辨也). Whether in poverty one can preserve one’s own integrity (独善其身 dú shàn qí shēn - “to look after one’s own moral perfection,” to maintain one’s character), and steadfastly hold to one’s original intention, becomes the touchstone of the gentleman’s character. If life were smooth sailing everywhere, how could one in the complex human world distinguish between the gentleman who truly upholds righteousness and the petty person who seizes opportunities and seeks clever shortcuts (投机取巧 tóu jī qǔ qiǎo - “to seize opportunities and seek clever tricks,” to be opportunistic)?

Then, how does the gentleman treat wealth and nobility? Confucius gave the answer: “Wealth and nobility are what men desire; if not obtained in the proper way, do not accept them. Poverty and lowliness are what men hate; if not shed in the proper way, do not avoid them.” This shows that the gentleman does not detest wealth and nobility, nor does he steadfastly cling to poverty itself; the key is to obtain them through the Way. Cheng Yi further explained: “The gentleman does not not desire profit, but if he devotes his mind solely to profit, there is harm. Only with benevolence and righteousness does one not seek profit yet never be without profit.” The Way and righteousness are not as incompatible as fire and water (水火不容 shuǐ huǒ bù róng - “fire and water cannot coexist,” mutually exclusive); the gentleman may seek profit, but the Way and righteousness are the higher standard, and the gentleman should not abandon his adherence to the Way and righteousness for the sake of obtaining profit or changing poverty. The so-called “steadfastness” (固) is the adherence to the Way and righteousness in adverse and difficult circumstances after establishing the Way and righteousness as the foundation for settling oneself and establishing one’s destiny (安身立命 ān shēn lì mìng - “to settle one’s body and establish one’s fate,” to find one’s place in life and secure one’s purpose). It is the unshakable principle that “even in haste [he must act accordingly], even in distress [he must act accordingly]” (造次必于是，颠沛必于是).

The reason the gentleman can stand firm in adversity is rooted in a heart-mind filled with pursuits that transcend material circumstances. Confucius said of himself: “Eating coarse rice, drinking water, and bending my arm to use as a pillow — joy is also to be found therein.” His disciple Yan Hui went further: “A single bamboo bowl of rice, a single gourd of drink, living in a mean alley — others could not endure the worry, yet Hui did not change his joy.” This “joy” does not come from poverty, but from the aspiration to “pursue the Way, not pursue food” and “worry about the Way, not worry about poverty,” from the deep satisfaction of not changing one’s resolve nor losing one’s Way even while in a state of poverty. Xunzi further expounded: “The gentleman’s learning is not for success; it is so that in poverty he is not beleaguered, and in worry his spirit does not decline.” When facing adversity, the gentleman continuously absorbs learning, cultivates his heart-mind and virtue, his inner being increasingly abundant, and thus he can calmly deal with material lack. The pursuit of the “Way” and “learning” constructs a spiritual fortress for the gentleman to settle his body and mind and resist adversity.

In explaining the code of conduct for the gentleman in adversity, Confucius used “the petty person, when in adversity, becomes wanton” as a stark opposite to depict it. “Wanton” (滥) means like water overflowing; the petty person often loses principles in hardship, and to extricate himself from difficulty he will not hesitate to breach the bottom line or even take desperate risks (铤而走险 tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn - “to rush into danger,” to take a desperate risk). Conversely, the gentleman can act or refrain from acting as appropriate.

“Having things to do” (有所为) requires being steady and still, calm and self-possessed. The Doctrine of the Mean says: “The gentleman acts according to his station and does not desire anything beyond… The gentleman finds himself in no position in which he is not at ease with himself.” No matter how the external environment changes, the gentleman can always size up the situation (审时度势 shěn shí duó shì - “to examine the times and assess the situation,” to evaluate circumstances), face the real situation with a correct and positive attitude, and find the appropriate way to conduct oneself in society (立身处世 lì shēn chǔ shì - “to set oneself up and conduct oneself in the world,” one’s approach to life). “Acting according to one’s station” is not about separating oneself from life or passively resigning to fate, but about, in different circumstances, both dealing calmly (泰然处之 tài rán chǔ zhī - “to handle with equanimity,” to deal with calmly) with the actual conditions one has assessed, and also capturing the opportunities implicit in them to achieve something. How to act? “The gentleman seeks within himself” — looking at the inner through the outer, looking at oneself through others, actively reflecting on one’s own deficiencies in moral conduct, vision, ability, and so on. This inward reflection is the path by which the gentleman hones his cognitive ability, seeks inner transcendence, and thereby breaks through difficult situations. As it is said, “stirring the mind and enduring in one’s nature (动心忍性 dòng xīn rěn xìng - “to shake the heart and harden the nature,” to strengthen one’s resolve), thereby increasing what one cannot do” — in self-cultivation he continuously creates and accumulates the conditions for “acting” (行).

“Having things not to do” (有所不为) requires upholding integrity and observing propriety, and in poverty not losing righteousness (穷不失义 qióng bù shī yì - “in poverty not to lose righteousness,” to maintain one’s moral principles). Difficult circumstances best test a person’s moral integrity. The gentleman “cannot be moved by poverty and lowliness”; he does not abandon his bottom line for survival. First, “no flattery.” Unlike the petty person who flatters and fawns on the powerful to escape difficulty, the gentleman is able to “be poor yet not flatter” and even “be poor yet joyful,” peacefully accepting poverty under special circumstances, and resisting “riches and honors obtained through unrighteous means,” as Tao Yuanming “would not bow for five measures of rice.” Second, “no resentment.” Confucius once said: “To be poor without resentment is difficult; to be rich without arrogance is easy.” Being in poverty tests a person’s character more than being in wealth. The gentleman does not harbor resentment or blame heaven and others (怨天尤人 yuàn tiān yóu rén - “to blame heaven and blame others,” to complain about everything), but can maintain inner understanding and calm. Third, “no slackness.” He does not become discouraged and lazy because of difficult circumstances, but instead takes the opportunity to bide his time (遵养时晦 zūn yǎng shí huì - “to follow and nurture, biding the dark times,” to wait patiently for the right moment) and accumulate strength, preparing for future extrication and ascent. As it is said: “In difficulty yet not losing what makes him prosperous — is this not the gentleman?”

In modern society, where material abundance is increasing, the wisdom of “the gentleman is steadfast in adversity” still has practical significance. Specifically, in economic activities, we advocate “upon seeing gain to think of righteousness (见得思义 jiàn dé sī yì - “upon seeing gain to think of righteousness,” to consider what is right before taking profit),” encouraging the creation and acquisition of wealth through honest labor and lawful operation. In personal life, we pursue “being rich yet fond of propriety (富而好礼 fù ér hào lǐ - “rich yet fond of propriety,” to be wealthy but still observe rites),” balancing material and spiritual consumption, continuously pursuing spiritual richness while materially abundant. In social practice, we strive to “in poverty not lose righteousness,” standing with firm and resolute spine when encountering difficulties and challenges, nurturing broad and open feelings, settling body and mind, and forging ahead with determination.

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Tempering the "Seven Roles" to Activate "Operational Capacity"

By: 孙燕

In recent years, the Jinan Municipal Party Committee Organization Department (济南市委组织部), taking the overall situation of building a "strong provincial capital" (强省会) as its foundation, has innovatively implemented the "Haiyou Elite Training Project" (海右菁英培训工程), making concerted efforts to solve bottleneck problems such as "one-way knowledge indoctrination" and "theory-practice disconnection" that exist in traditional off-site cadre training. With the core concept of "immersive, task-based, and result-oriented," this project, by clarifying the role positioning of the "seven roles" (七大员), has constructed a full-cycle closed-loop management mechanism of "responsibility assignment before training, practical combat during training, and transformation after training." It has successfully explored a new path for cadre practical combat training that yields "training for a period, innovation for a lifetime," achieving a resonance in which cadre capability improvement and service to local development operate at the same frequency.

Role Reshaping: From "Passive Training Participation" to "Multi-Dimensional Empowerment"

Jinan breaks the single identity cognition of cadres as "pure learners" in traditional off-site training, deeply binds the improvement of履职能力 (performance capability) with the city's development strategy, and endows participating cadres with the practical combat missions of the "seven roles," realizing a transformation from "bystanders" to "builders."

First, it is necessary to strengthen internal skills based on one's own duties, enabling cadres to serve as "goalkeepers" who strictly observe discipline and rules and as "good students" who enhance their performance capability. Through pre-departure mobilization, signing of the "Class Responsibility Letter" (《班级责任书》) and the "Discipline Commitment Letter" (《纪律承诺书》), political training and professional training are strengthened. Systematic study and research are conducted around core areas such as state-owned enterprise reform, the digital economy, and intelligent manufacturing, to consolidate theoretical foundations. The trainees put down their airs, maintain an "empty cup mentality," and truly achieve that "learning leads to thinking, thinking leads to insight, and insight leads to gain."

Second, it is necessary to expand resources through cross-departmental performance, enabling cadres to transform into "recruiters," "information officers," "promoters," and "expanders." Trainees, carrying the Jinan key industry demand list and the talent policy "double 30 articles" (双30条), go to other localities, making high-frequency contact with stationed universities, research institutes, and leading enterprises. They are not only learners but also spokespersons for the Spring City (泉城). Relying on various platforms, they actively promote Jinan's talent policies, industrial advantages, and urban charm, tell the Spring City story of "I feel just right in Jinan" (我在济南刚刚好), proactively connect with high-end talent and innovation resources, and strive to facilitate more industry-university-research cooperation projects to land in Jinan.

Third, it is necessary to offer suggestions and act as senior advisors, enabling cadres to serve as "staff officers" for cadre education and training. Adhering to a problem-oriented approach, trainees are required to conduct in-depth research during the training period on pain points and difficulties that constrain development. By holding discussion brands such as the "Haiyou Boya Salon" (海右博雅沙龙) and "Zhijiang Night Talk" (之江夜话), cutting-edge ideas are gathered. The trainees transform what they have learned and gained into motivation for advancing reform and development, earnestly write high-quality research reports, bring back advanced concepts, bring in high-quality resources, and convert learning outcomes into "golden keys" for solving development problems.

Mechanism Reshaping: From "Phased Training" to "Closed-Loop Management"

To ensure that the responsibilities of the "seven roles" are implemented and effective, the Jinan Municipal Party Committee Organization Department has constructed a rigorous organizational guarantee and a whole-chain tracking and evaluation mechanism for the Elite Training Project, ensuring that training outcomes are quantifiable and transformable.

First, adhere to the principle of "coming with problems, returning with results" throughout the entire learning process. Each training class signs a "Class Responsibility Letter," clarifying the class's research topics. A full-cycle tracking mechanism of "one enterprise one file, one person one responsibility" (一企一档、一人一责) is established, turning the research site into an "investment promotion examination room." In immersive on-the-job training, trainees write their "homework" in the results of project implementation, broaden their horizons during field visits, and increase their capabilities during on-the-job practice.

Second, promote school-local cooperation from "short-term docking" to "long-term linkage." By establishing normalized resource docking platforms such as the "Haiyou Boya Base" (海右博雅基地), the regional collaborative innovation network is densified, effectively promoting the transformation of innovation resources into real productivity. At the same time, a refined management system of "pre-training research + in-training management + post-training evaluation" is established, implementing a two-way scoring mechanism between "trainees and teachers" and a closed-loop implementation mechanism, encouraging classes to learn from each other, surpass each other, and compete for development.

Third, establish a tracking cultivation mechanism that closely integrates "selection, cultivation, management, and utilization." The effectiveness of training is closely linked with the selection and appointment of cadres. Cadres who have performed outstandingly in training and achieved significant results in talent recruitment and intelligence introduction are given priority consideration for promotion and appointment. At the same time, a "mentor assistance" (导师帮带) system is implemented, and a "growth mentor bank" is established, to build a platform and guide the way for the rapid growth of young cadres, accumulating strength and empowering them.

Efficiency Reshaping: From "Learning Outcomes" to "Development Advantages"

Through the "seven roles" practical combat drill, the "Haiyou Elite Training Project" has successfully opened up the integration channel of "talent chain – innovation chain – industry chain," achieving significant economic and social benefits.

First, precise talent recruitment and intelligence introduction, building a talent highland. Relying on the role of trainees as "recruiters," Jinan has successfully built a bridge linking high-end elements such as the capital, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta. During the period of the Peking University state-owned enterprise class in Beijing alone, 24 high-level talents were successfully introduced to sign contracts with Jinan, significantly enhancing the city's visibility and attractiveness among high-end talent and industry circles.

Second, promote project implementation, empowering industrial upgrading. Trainees accurately capture industrial trends and transform learning outcomes into tangible development results. Among them, trainees from Hefei University of Technology, who keenly captured the dynamics of the humanoid robot industry, facilitated the landing of the largest-scale embodied intelligent robot data training center (具身智能机器人数据训练中心) in Shandong Province.

Third, deepen industry-university-research collaboration, creating Jinan experience. Through the "Haiyou Elite Training Project," Jinan has created a long-term cooperation mechanism of "academic think tank + industrial practice," leveraging over 200 million yuan in social capital in strategic emerging industries. This "immersive, task-based, result-oriented" cadre practical training model has not only forged a high-quality professionalized cadre contingent but also provided powerful impetus for promoting high-quality regional economic development. In the future, this model will continue to be deepened, providing a more solid talent guarantee and intellectual support for Jinan's construction of a new-era socialist modernized "strong provincial capital."

(Sun Yan)

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Build an integrated system for medical talent cultivation that advances education, science and technology, and human resources.

By: 孙国贵

The "15th Five-Year Plan" outline clearly includes the "basic formation of an integrated development pattern for education, science and technology, and talent" among the main objectives of economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and makes strategic deployments, pointing the way forward for high-quality development of higher education in the new era. Medical education is an important component of the higher education system and a key support for building a Healthy China (健康中国), safeguarding people's life and health, and advancing Chinese-style modernization. North China University of Science and Technology has always been guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, firmly grasping the political attribute, the people's attribute, and the strategic attribute of education. Based on the overall situation of coordinated medical and healthcare development in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, it deeply aligns medical talent cultivation with national strategies, people's livelihood guarantees, and technology upgrade needs. Adhering to the fundamental task of 立德树人 (lì dé shù rén - "establish virtue and nurture people," fostering virtue and cultivating talent), with interdisciplinary integration as the engine, science-education integration as the path, and industry adaptability as the orientation, it systematically addresses the structural shortcomings of traditional medical education, striving to build a "three-in-one" (三位一体) modern education system integrating education, science and technology, and talent, laying a solid talent foundation for the high-quality development of regional health and healthcare undertakings.

Ideological and political education nurtures people, deeply cultivating the 医者仁心 (yī zhě rén xīn - "doctor's benevolent heart," compassion of a healer) as the foundation of medical practitioners. Fostering virtue and nurturing people is the fundamental task of education, and it is even more so the foundation upon which medical education stands. The medical undertaking concerns matters of life and death and the well-being of the people; the professional ethics, humanistic literacy, and value convictions of medical practitioners directly determine the warmth of medical services and the quality of public health guarantees. Medical education in the new era must adhere to the orientation of prioritizing moral education, emphasizing competence, and pursuing all-round development, embedding medical ethics cultivation, feelings for the family and the country, and the original aspiration of serving the people throughout the entire cycle of talent cultivation.

North China University of Science and Technology rejects fragmented and formalistic modes of Course-based Ideological and Political Education (课程思政) construction and instead builds a systematic, normalized, and immersive medical ideological and political education system, promoting the transformation and upgrading of ideological and political education from "classroom embedding" to "system integration" and from "knowledge indoctrination" to "value shaping," firmly grasping the correct political direction for cultivating medical talent in the new era. It innovatively creates a "Case Library of Medical Scientists' Spirit of Serving the Country," deeply excavating the advanced deeds of great medical scientists such as Wu Mengchao in serving the country through medical practice, 攻坚克难 (gōng jiān kè nán - "storm fortresses and overcome difficulties," tackling tough challenges), and 济世为民 (jì shì wèi mín - "save the world and serve the people," benefiting society and the masses). It integrates the doctor's benevolent heart, scholarly spirit, and sense of responsibility into teaching at all stages, establishing 5 provincial-level course-based ideological and political demonstration courses, achieving full coverage of ideological and political elements in professional courses, allowing students to cultivate their mission as medical practitioners while studying medical skills. It implements a dual-tutor system of "professional tutor + moral education tutor," relying on affiliated hospitals to create immersive medical ethics cultivation scenarios, and routinely organizes students to participate in critical case debriefings and narrative medicine practices for end-of-life care, allowing students to comprehend the principle of 人民至上、生命至上 (rén mín zhì shàng, shēng mìng zhì shàng - "putting the people first and life first") while facing life and protecting health. At the same time, it organizes faculty and students to go down to the grassroots to carry out health education and free clinic services, selects outstanding medical talent to provide medical assistance at home and abroad, cultivates and promotes exemplary practical figures, uses stories from around them to influence those around them, and continuously cultivates medical workers of the new era who are noble in medical ethics, bear great love, and are willing to contribute.

Interdisciplinary empowerment forges hard-core innovative talent. The construction of New Medicine (新医科), as an important lever for medical education reform, has as its core essence the deep integration of disciplines to crack the prominent problems of traditional medical talent such as narrow knowledge scope, weak innovation, and insufficient adaptability to cutting-edge industries. The university consciously embraces the 国之大者 (guó zhī dà zhě - "the great concerns of the nation," matters of national significance). Relying on its distinctive background of medicine and engineering sharing the same origin, and leveraging the multidisciplinary synergy advantages of a comprehensive university, it builds a "Medicine+" interdisciplinary integration education framework, thoroughly breaking traditional disciplinary barriers, promoting the transformation of medical education from a single clinical orientation to a brand-new education pattern of diversified synergy among innovative thinking and professional competence, and cultivating in a targeted manner composite talents that precisely align with the national future health industry layout.

Focusing on core areas such as the domestic production of high-end medical equipment, iteration of intelligent diagnosis and treatment technologies, and biomedical innovation, the university innovatively implements a collaborative education model of "clinical physician + engineering expert," offering distinctive interdisciplinary courses around cutting-edge directions such as medical artificial intelligence, innovation in medical materials, and application of medical data, guiding students to conduct innovative research based on clinical pain points and establish the medical practitioner's responsibility of serving the country through science and technology. To make up for the shortcomings in cutting-edge teaching, the university organizes key faculty to compile distinctive series textbooks such as Clinical Applications of Intelligent Medical Engineering and Mathematical Medicine, builds digital smart laboratories integrating medicine and engineering, guides students to base their efforts on domestic scientific research and keep an eye on international health cooperation, and helps students grow into innovative talents needed by the country in the new era. In 2025, the university organized 13 interdisciplinary scientific research projects in the form of 揭榜挂帅 (jiē bǎng guà shuài - "announce the list and appoint the commander," a competitive project selection system where challenges are announced and candidates step forward to take charge), obtained 1 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Collaborative Innovation Special Project for 2025, established the Hebei Provincial Engineering Center for Tumor Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Technology and Equipment, and had 3 projects — the head-section gamma-ray stereotactic radiotherapy system, the promotion and application of typical scenarios in digital operating rooms, and the full-laboratory intelligent assembly line — successfully selected for the 2025 High-End Medical Equipment Promotion and Application Project List. A positive nurturing ecology of "scientific research driving teaching, innovation driving growth" has been formed.

Industry and education as dual drivers consolidate the capabilities of professional talent. To focus on the innovation of medical education models and nurturing mechanisms, it is necessary to deepen the integration of science and education and the integration of industry and education, break through the barriers separating talent cultivation, scientific research innovation, and clinical application, and achieve the integration of learning and application, using application to promote learning, and the mutual growth of knowledge and action. The university launches a series of distinctive and innovative measures that fit the needs of new-era medical development and the laws of talent growth, constructing an all-round, three-dimensional, and smart practical nurturing system, efficiently realizing the comprehensive transformation of medical students into professional medical practitioners.

In terms of teaching models, the university breaks the traditional rigid model of "classroom lecture as the mainstay" and innovatively implements a fusion-style teaching reform of "online-offline mixing, in-class and extra-curricular linkage, and scientific research-practice interconnection." Relying on the rich clinical resources of the affiliated hospitals as provincial-level regional medical centers, it vigorously promotes problem-oriented teaching and case-based seminar teaching, optimizes the teaching format of clinical medicine courses, making fragmented knowledge points systematic, theoretical, and scenario-based. It routinely carries out clinical skills competitions and diagnosis-and-treatment practical contests, using competitions to promote learning, using competitions to promote practice, and using competitions to promote excellence. It builds a systematic clinical thinking training system and innovatively constructs a "three-dimensional capability assessment model" covering diagnosis and treatment technology, service literacy, and professional responsibility, changing the previous single model of evaluating student ability based solely on examination scores, achieving a whole-process, scientific, and dynamic assessment of medical students' clinical thinking, practical ability, humanistic literacy, and professional ethics, making up for the evaluation shortcomings of traditional teaching that emphasizes results over process and skills over literacy.

In terms of teaching empowerment, the university actively embraces the smart education transformation. Relying on virtual simulation platforms, it carries out cutting-edge technology training. It is the first in the province to conduct surgical robot remote teaching ward rounds, breaking the limitations of time and space, integrating cutting-edge diagnosis and treatment concepts into daily teaching in real time, allowing students to access top-tier industry diagnosis and treatment technologies while still at school and broaden their clinical horizons. At the same time, the university builds the first Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei medical-engineering integration teaching research and industrial transformation platform in the province, implements a student technology manager cultivation model, guides students to participate in the entire process of new technology implementation and transformation practice, and focuses on cultivating students' scientific research innovation thinking, cross-border integration capability, and cutting-edge technology application ability.

Taking root at the grassroots to build a solid health talent team. Serving society and protecting grassroots people's livelihoods are the value destinations of medical education. In response to the prominent shortcomings currently constraining balanced regional medical development, such as a shortage of grassroots medical talent, weak technology, and lagging echelon construction, the university, while increasing multi-level medical talent cultivation, takes multiple measures simultaneously to build for the grassroots a local medical team that cannot be taken away, can be retained, and can be effectively used.

The university focuses on the practical needs of implementing hierarchical diagnosis and treatment and improving grassroots medical quality. It organizes faculty and students to deeply participate in special work such as grassroots medical collaboration, remote diagnosis and treatment coordination, standardized management of chronic diseases, and construction of grassroots health systems, allowing medical students to confront the real problems of uneven distribution of grassroots medical resources and inconvenience for the masses in seeking medical treatment, and to deeply understand the significance of the era of high-quality medical resources moving downward. In the process of deep participation in grassroots medical services, faculty and students firmly establish the professional conviction of "serving the grassroots and taking root among the people," truly transforming the great love of medical practitioners cultivated in the classroom into the conscious action of proactively taking responsibility and bending down to serve.

The university insists on promoting construction through assistance, building a full-coverage, long-term grassroots medical talent cultivation system. While regularly sending key personnel down to provide support, it relies on the digital platform of the internet hospital of the affiliated hospital to regularly carry out remote consultations, teaching ward rounds, case discussions, and scientific research collaboration. In 2025, it has cumulatively carried out 73 remote teaching sessions and thousands of remote diagnosis and treatment services of various types; over three years, it has cumulatively trained nearly 10,000 grassroots medical staff and management personnel.

On the new journey of the new era, North China University of Science and Technology always adheres to its original aspiration and mission, deeply cultivates the fertile soil of New Medicine construction, continuously perfects the all-directional nurturing system for the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent, and forms a replicable and promotable paradigm for medical talent cultivation in local universities. In the future, the university will continue to benchmark against national strategic needs, deeply cultivate medical education innovation, steadily improve the quality of independent cultivation of outstanding medical talents, support the high-quality development of regional medical and health undertakings with high-quality talent supply, and demonstrate the mission and responsibility of higher education institutions in the practice of serving Healthy China construction.

(The author is a Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of North China University of Science and Technology, and from the affiliated hospital...)

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Chess Moves to Break the Stalemate, Strategic Moves to Improve Quality

By: 李宁宁 沈爱如

Managing an enterprise is like playing chess; the move reveals the true skill. The Huaibei Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau (Company) of Anhui Province (安徽省淮北市烟草专卖局（公司）) (hereinafter referred to as Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company)) uses exquisite chess-playing thinking to break the situation and open the way, deeply cultivating reform. A comprehensive, deep-level reform and innovation practice is advancing in depth and achieving tangible results within the enterprise.

Since 2025, the Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) has closely adhered to the industry's high-quality development goals and modernization construction deployment, upholding the chess-playing logic of planning the overall situation, placing the pieces, tackling tough problems, and consolidating the foundation. It uses self-reform that turns the blade inward to break through development bottlenecks and reshape the enterprise governance system, driving the enterprise to accumulate momentum and radiate new vitality while upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, steadily taking solid steps of high-quality development.

Planning the overall situation: precisely mapping out, consolidating the foundation of the reform "whole-board chess."

One who is good at chess must first plan the momentum; one who is good at governance must first set the strategy. To break through in reform, the primary task is to find the right direction and clarify the path, so that one can plan thoroughly before acting, and act steadfastly to reach far.

"Reform is a compulsory question for high-quality development of the enterprise; it is by no means a superficial showpiece. Only by precisely exerting force to break blockages and targeting policies to solve problems can we stabilize the development foundation and activate development potential," pointed out the main responsible person of the Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company).

At the beginning of 2025, the leadership team of Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) took the lead in going down to the grassroots front line, delving deep into the business front end, carrying out full-coverage investigation visits, listening face-to-face to employees' voices, doing solid work to identify development bottlenecks, and sorting out work blockages. After systematic research and precise judgment, they ultimately locked onto four core reform tracks: institutional construction, management efficiency improvement, procurement innovation, and talent cultivation. They scientifically mapped out the blueprint for reform and development, carefully deployed the "first move" of reform and innovation, and built a reform roadmap with clear rights and responsibilities, precise targeting, and practical feasibility, ensuring that each reform measure lands precisely and achieves tangible results.

Placing the pieces: precisely implementing policies, taking the "key steps" of reform.

Only after planning the whole situation does one place pieces; only with precise steps does one break the situation. The Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) innovatively applies chess thinking, using the solid "standard move" to consolidate the foundation, the "brilliant move" to break through and unblock bottlenecks, and the "skillful move" to optimize operations. These three steps advance progressively, empowering layer by layer, comprehensively consolidating the core foundation of the enterprise's reform and development.

Using the standard digital "standard move" to consolidate the foundation and strengthen the base. The Bureau takes the construction of a standardization system and deep digital transformation as its core foundation, comprehensively iterating and reconstructing the enterprise's institutional system, implementing full-dimensional standards and norms, and successfully being rated as an AAA-level standardization good-behavior enterprise, pushing institutional standards from "paper texts" to "practical operation guidelines." Focusing on core business segments such as marketing, monopoly, logistics, and finance, it accelerates the building of digital application scenarios, breaks through the three barriers of standards, processes, and data, and solves the development problems of disconnection between standards and digitalization, and fragmentation between business and data.

Using the delegation of power and burden reduction "brilliant move" to unblock and empower. Scientifically delineate the boundaries of administrative powers between the city and county levels, precisely delegate autonomous authority such as grassroots approval and evaluation and commendation, clarify the list of rights and responsibilities, straighten out the performance mechanisms, grant grassroots sufficient space for autonomous decision-making and autonomous development, effectively loosen the bonds and reduce the burden on the grassroots, empower and increase efficiency. After the delegation of power and burden reduction is implemented, the grassroots break free from trivial affairs, focus on core business, have a stronger momentum for undertaking and starting undertakings, and achieve dual improvement in market service precision and market supervision efficiency.

Using mechanism optimization "skillful move" to improve quality and increase efficiency. Continuously optimize the enterprise's operation and management mechanisms, streamline approval processes, optimize the assessment system, strictly control meetings and documents, promote combined meetings, streamlined documents, and pragmatic handling of affairs, pushing administrative affairs to comprehensively "slim down and improve quality." Simultaneously build a "decision-making – execution – evaluation – assessment" fully closed-loop management system, relying on a digital platform for government supervision, achieving full tracking of key work, closed-loop supervision, and implementation effectiveness, ensuring that each decision and deployment takes root and is executed powerfully.

Tackling tough problems: gathering strength to break barriers, playing the "tough-problem piece" of reform.

One who is good at chess plans the overall momentum; one who is good at governance solves difficult problems. The Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) focuses on key areas and crucial links of reform, concentrates superior forces to gnaw hard bones and break through heavy and difficult points, releases the multiplier effect of reform through precise tackling, and activates new momentum for enterprise development.

Procurement reform took the lead in breaking out, with highlights becoming prominent. It successfully obtained approval as a pilot unit for non-commissioned tender procurement from the Anhui Provincial Bureau (Company) (安徽省局（公司）), independently built an intelligent procurement price comparison platform, integrated full-channel cost data resources, and constructed a new procurement ecology of "open competition on the platform, centralized bargaining at scale," effectively compressing procurement costs, standardizing procurement procedures, and improving procurement quality and efficiency, achieving a three-dimensional breakthrough of cost reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement in procurement work.

Innovation tackling exerts force at multiple points and advances in depth. Centering on business pain points, development difficulties, and governance blockages, it fully implements the "step forward and take on challenges" innovation tackling model, encouraging employees to base themselves on their posts, give full play to their expertise, form teams autonomously, and target tough problems. It devotes great effort to building a "1+4" innovation work platform, gathering talent and pooling wisdom through innovation carriers.

Now, the Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) has cross-departmental coordination and linkage, gathering wisdom and strength; the entire chessboard momentum is alive, and innovation effectiveness multiplies. Mechanism innovation has thoroughly broken down departmental barriers, allowing efficient integration of innovation resources and rapid transformation of innovation achievements.

Consolidating the foundation: strengthening the base and casting the soul, building a solid "ballast stone" for reform.

The key to winning a chess game lies in the pieces; the foundation of an enterprise's prosperity lies in people. The Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) adheres to the strategy of strengthening the enterprise with talent, using a steady "steady move" to cultivate talent, optimize mechanisms, and gather synergy, building a solid talent foundation and institutional ballast stone for the deepening of reform and the long-term development of the enterprise.

Improve the talent cultivation and incentive system, consolidate the foundation of talent development. Establish a dynamic backbone talent reserve pool, improve the mechanism of cadres' multi-post training and grassroots front-line tempering, regularly select young employees to go down to the grassroots and deeply engage in the front line, assisting youth to mature and grow. Unblock the "dual-channel" promotion path of management and technology, improve the post-skill evaluation system, deeply link innovation tackling results, vocational skill levels, and performance achievements with promotion evaluation and incentive rewards, truly establishing a clear orientation that "those who have achievements have positions, those who are capable shine, and those who work hard benefit."

Optimize the talent training and cultivation model, enhance the comprehensive quality of the team. Upgrade the training overall management mechanism, closely follow post needs and align with business realities to customize differentiated and precise training courses, establish a full-cycle training evaluation system, eliminate formalistic and ineffective training, and effectively improve training quality and efficiency. Deepen the school-enterprise strategic cooperation with Huaibei Normal University (淮北师范大学), promote two-way sharing and complementary advantages of teaching staff, courses, and resources, broaden talent cultivation channels, enrich talent training models, and forge a high-quality professional cadre and talent team in all aspects.

The comprehensive cultivation and incentive system has fully mobilized the entire staff's enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity for undertaking and starting undertakings, gathering strong talent synergy for the enterprise's high-quality development. Now, the Huaibei Municipal Bureau (Company) has efficiently implemented and deeply advanced various key tasks of reform and innovation; the standard system is fully covered, management efficiency is steadily rising, procurement reform has broken through and achieved results, talent vitality is fully unleashed, and the foundation for the enterprise's high-quality development is increasingly solid, with the trend continuing to improve.

(Li Ningning (李宁宁) and Shen Airu (沈爱如))

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Bataan Death March: Japanese Army’s Atrocity of Prisoner Abuse in the Philippines

By: 陈伟

On April 9, 1942, the combined American-Philippine forces defending the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines were forced to surrender to the Japanese army. The Japanese then marched nearly 80,000 prisoners from the combined American-Philippine forces approximately 120 kilometers to Camp O'Donnell (奥德内尔战俘营). Along the way, the Japanese army subjected the prisoners to large-scale abuse and killing, an event known in history as the Bataan Death March. This incident was one of the large-scale war atrocities committed by the Japanese army during World War II that shocked the world, and together with the Nanjing Massacre and the Burma-Thailand Railway incident, it is called one of the "three major massacre incidents" of the Far Eastern theater during World War II.

The combined American-Philippine forces were forced to surrender because they were isolated and without reinforcements. On January 2, 1942, after the Japanese occupied Manila, the main force of U.S. forces in the Philippines under General MacArthur withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula, numbering nearly 80,000 troops. Because the defenders lacked military supplies and food, and the air and sea transport lines were under Japanese control, they were in a situation of being isolated and without reinforcements. On January 5, MacArthur ordered that food rations for non-combat personnel be halved. In addition, medicine was also extremely scarce, and non-combat attrition caused by malaria and tropical diseases was greater than combat attrition. From January 9 to February 15, the Japanese 14th Army launched a first offensive against the Bataan Peninsula, but met with stubborn resistance from the combined American-Philippine forces and ended in failure. Thereafter, the Japanese successively sent reinforcements to the Bataan Peninsula, and on March 12 formulated an offensive plan, preparing for a second attack. On the same day, MacArthur was ordered to go to Australia, and Wainwright succeeded him as commander of U.S. forces in the Philippines. At the end of March, fewer than one-quarter of the 80,000 defenders were still capable of combat; most were sick or half-starved. Every day, thousands contracted malaria. Food supplies were so deficient that they could only meet half of the normal ration, and were constantly decreasing. On April 3, the Japanese launched a general offensive. The next day, facing the frenzied fire of Japanese tanks and infantry, the exhausted and ammunition-starved combined American-Philippine forces were clearly at a disadvantage. Wainwright ordered frontline commander Major General Edward King to launch an immediate counterattack. At dusk on April 8, Major General Edward King's forward command post was destroyed by Japanese artillery fire. At midnight, Major General Edward King held his final meeting, and in order to save the lives of more soldiers, decided to cease resistance and surrender his forces. On April 9, Major General Edward King led the remaining 75,000 men on the Bataan Peninsula to lay down their arms and surrender to the Japanese.

During the negotiations on the surrender, Major General Edward King repeatedly demanded that the Japanese stop unnecessary bloodshed, treat the soldiers who had laid down their arms well, and handle the prisoners of war in accordance with international law. But in the view of the Japanese fascist soldiers, the 1929 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which provided for the good treatment of captives, was merely a scrap of paper; a soldier who was defeated in battle could only die in battle or undergo gyokusai (玉碎 - "shattered jewel," an honorable death), and surrender was a shameful act. Additionally, during the surrender negotiations, Major General Edward King indicated to the Japanese that if the Japanese needed to transport prisoners of war, the U.S. forces had enough trucks and drivers. This was because, after deciding to surrender, although he had ordered the destruction of most weapons and equipment, he had preserved all the trucks and left two oil depots, precisely to ensure the Japanese had enough vehicles to transport the prisoners, but the Japanese did not heed his suggestion.

The Japanese abuses and killings turned the march route into a road of death. After occupying the Bataan Peninsula, Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the 14th Army, ordered the 75,000 prisoners from the combined American-Philippine forces to be marched to Camp O'Donnell, about 120 kilometers away, and also ordered the execution of those who could not persist in walking to the prisoner camp. On April 9, 1942, under the blazing tropical sun and the bayonets of the Japanese, 75,000 prisoners, suffering from hunger and disease, were first marched roughly 60 kilometers on foot from the southern part of the Bataan Peninsula to San Fernando in Pampanga Province, then took a three-hour rail journey in boxcars to Capas (卡帕斯镇) in Tarlac Province, and finally marched another 11 kilometers to Camp O'Donnell. Although the marching distance and time were not long, the mortality rate during the march was shockingly high. This was mainly because, during the transfer of prisoners, the Japanese guards subjected them to cruel abuse and killing.

From the start of the march, the Japanese never stopped abusing and killing the prisoners. The cruel methods of abuse used by the Japanese mainly included the following: First, no food supply. The Japanese not only failed to provide food on time, but also forbade the prisoners from obtaining food on their own, keeping the prisoners in a prolonged state of hunger. This was one of the important reasons for the increase in the number of prisoner deaths. Most of the prisoners who obtained food on their own were cruelly killed by the Japanese. Before surrendering, the prisoners on Bataan had already been hungry for a long time, and after the surrender, all military supplies were also taken over by the Japanese and were not distributed to the prisoners. As the prisoners marched on foot under the blazing sun, hunger-induced dizziness caused them to fall behind. Throughout the entire march, the Japanese provided supplies only twice, and in very small amounts. Under these conditions, the Japanese instead demanded that the prisoners accelerate their pace; if a prisoner fell behind or walked too slowly, they would be stabbed with a bayonet to make them go faster. Many prisoners, too weak from hunger and Japanese brutality to walk, were stabbed to death on the spot. This inhuman method of prisoner abuse greatly increased the number of prisoner deaths. Second, no drinking water supply. The 1929 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War clearly stipulates that "sufficient water shall be supplied to prisoners of war," but the Japanese did not observe this basic rule for treating prisoners. Because the Philippines is in the tropics with harsh natural conditions, under the scorching sun the prisoners were extremely dehydrated, but the Japanese refused to let them drink water. Dehydration caused some prisoners to hallucinate; ignoring the Japanese threats, they rushed out of the column toward water sources, with the consequence of being brutally killed by the Japanese. Third, beatings. The prisoners in the camp were frequently beaten, causing numerous casualties. Fourth, live burial. This was one of the 令人发指 (lìng rén fà zhǐ - "makes one's hair stand on end," shocking and outrageous) atrocities of the Bataan Death March. During the march, the most serious disease afflicting the prisoners was malaria. After a prisoner fell ill, the Japanese did not try to treat them, but instead ordered fellow prisoners to bury their comrades alive. When the prisoners refused, the Japanese shot them and buried them together. Fifth, psychological abuse. In addition to physical abuse, the Japanese also subjected the prisoners to psychological abuse. When they beat or killed a prisoner, they forced the other prisoners to watch. Sixth, abuse due to unsuccessful escape attempts. On one occasion, Japanese soldiers, in a frenzy of bestial cruelty, used bayonets to disembowel about 300 prisoners alive.

The abuse and killing carried out by the Japanese turned the approximately 120-kilometer escort route into a road of death paved with bones. Driven on cruelly by the Japanese, the first group of American-Philippine prisoners arrived at San Fernando on April 13; the remaining prisoners arrived over the following two weeks. The Japanese crammed 80 to 100 prisoners into each boxcar. Because the space inside the boxcars was small, the prisoners could only stand. Coupled with exhaustion and insufficient ventilation, many prisoners died of suffocation. After five hours of jolting, the surviving prisoners finally reached their destination — Camp O'Donnell.

The war crimes of the Japanese army finally received the judgment of law and justice. According to statistics, at the start of the march the number of prisoners from the combined American-Philippine forces was 75,000, but only 60,000 people survived to reach Camp O'Donnell; as many as 15,000 perished along the march due to hunger, disease, beatings, and shootings, and more than 20,000 survivors died after arriving at the prisoner camp. The Bataan Death March was the war atrocity most emphasized by the United States after World War II. The trial of Homma Masaharu by the Manila Military Tribunal established in 1945 was the first post-war trial of war criminals related to the atrocities of the Bataan Death March. Although the location of the trial was the Philippines, it was led by the United States. The Manila Military Tribunal found that the 14th Army under Homma Masaharu was guilty of a total of 47 war crimes, among which the 13th was the prisoner abuse atrocity of the Bataan Death March. This crime included 11 specific prisoner abuse atrocities during the Bataan Death March, among which counts 14, 15, and 17 charged Homma Masaharu with responsibility for the abuse suffered by prisoners after they reached the camp following the Bataan Death March atrocities. During the trial, in addition to testimony from American prisoners of war, Japanese soldiers also acknowledged the real existence of the atrocities. The tribunal ultimately sentenced Homma Masaharu to death.

The Bataan Death March, as one of the organized large-scale war atrocities committed by the Japanese army against prisoners of war during World War II, fully exposed the brutal nature of Japanese militarism, which ignored the conventions of war and trampled on human conscience. This tragedy not only cruelly deprived tens of thousands of prisoners of their lives, but also brought endless pain to later generations, leaving indelible scars in the hearts of survivors. More than 80 years have passed since the Bataan Death March, but to this day Japan is still unwilling to face the historical truth, deliberately downplays its aggressive atrocities, and shamelessly emphasizes its own role as a victim in the war. In order to prevent the tragedy from recurring, Japan can only truly achieve lasting peace in the world by facing history squarely, deeply reflecting on its war crimes, and facing up to its war responsibilities. (The author is a researcher at the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院世界历史研究所).)

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Building a Strong Energy Nation with a New-Type Power Grid

By: 钱朝阳

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to deeply advance the energy revolution and accelerate the construction of an energy-strong country. From the 2021 Central Economic Work Conference putting forward the goal of “accelerating the construction of an energy-strong country,” to “building an energy-strong country” being written into the “15th Five-Year Plan” outline, this is a major strategic deployment made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on the global energy transformation trend and China’s energy development stage, focusing on the overall situation of building a modern socialist power, and pointing out the direction and providing fundamental guidance for promoting high-quality energy development in the new era. As a central energy enterprise, China Southern Power Grid Company (南方电网公司) always keeps in mind the “great affairs of the state,” deeply implements the new national energy security strategy, firmly takes on the role of the main force in building an energy-strong country, accelerates the construction of a new-type power grid, promotes the construction of a new-type power system and a new-type energy system, and contributes energy strength to the comprehensive advancement of Chinese-style modernization.

Grasp the path of building an energy-strong country, firmly shoulder the mission and responsibility of the power grid. Energy development level is an important indicator of a country’s modernization degree, and an energy-strong country is an important foundation for a modern socialist power. Building a new-type energy system, a new-type power system, and a new-type power grid constitutes a practical system of interlocking rings and advancing layer by layer in building an energy-strong country, and is the concentrated embodiment of the energy development path with Chinese characteristics.

The new-type energy system is the main path for building an energy-strong country. The new-type energy system is a systemic transformation covering the entire chain of energy production, supply, and consumption as well as all aspects of energy governance, technological innovation, security guarantee, and international cooperation, promoting reliable energy supply to become a solid foundation for ensuring economic growth and improving people’s livelihood, green energy transformation to become an important engine driving the “dual carbon” process, energy industry upgrading to become the main battlefield for developing new quality productive forces, and comprehensive energy strength to become a key force shaping new advantages in international competition and cooperation, supporting the energy-strong country to demonstrate strong independent guarantee capability, resource allocation capability, green development capability, innovation driving capability, industrial competitiveness, governance leading capability, and rule-shaping capability, and consolidating the energy foundation for modernization.

The new-type power system is the key support for building a new-type energy system. Electric power is an important strategic advantage for China to win in global competition in the new era. China has built the world’s largest power supply system and clean power generation system. In 2025, the whole society’s electricity consumption historically exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, electricity accounts for over 30% of terminal energy consumption, and electric power is gradually becoming the dominant form of energy utilization, restructuring the energy ecological pattern. The new-type power system connects energy production and consumption, occupies a central position in the energy supply system, promotes clean and efficient energy production through power source structure reform, promotes green and low-carbon energy consumption through source-grid-load-storage interaction, promotes coordinated and efficient energy governance through price and standard systems, promotes self-reliance and self-strengthening in energy science and technology through cross-domain integration and innovation, promotes energy security, stability, and reliability through ample power security, and promotes open and win-win energy cooperation through power interconnection, strongly supporting the construction of a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient new-type energy system.

The new-type power grid is the core hub for building a new-type power system. The power grid is the platform carrier for the convergence and circulation of energy flow, information flow, and value flow. China’s power grid has become the world’s largest extra-large power grid with the strongest transmission capacity, the highest operating voltage level, the largest scale of new energy grid connection, and the longest safe operation record, and the grid’s resource optimization allocation capability is world-leading. Building a new-type power grid, promoting the reshaping of grid layout, structure, and function, will comprehensively enhance the power system’s ability to accept, allocate, and regulate, better meet the diverse and high-quality electricity needs of the people, better support the large-scale and high-proportion development of new energy, better ensure the safe and stable operation of the power system, better carry the vigorous development of regulation resources and emerging business forms, better serve the construction of a unified national market, and comprehensively promote the wide-area, free, and efficient flow of energy factor resources.

The new-type power grid is essentially a new form of modern power grid that reflects the goals and requirements of an energy-strong country and adapts to the construction needs of a new-type energy system and new-type power system. It is a deep-level transformation and systemic reshaping of grid layout, structure, function, technology, mode, and form. It is necessary to adhere to systems thinking, market thinking, transformation thinking, and ecological thinking, and comprehensively promote the construction of a new-type power grid.

The newness in layout lies in overall coordination. Optimize power flow direction and grid layout with a national chessboard perspective, coordinate inter-provincial and inter-regional channels with hierarchical and zonal grid structures, coordinate clean energy base development and external transmission with distributed energy local consumption, coordinate power source development with energy-consuming industries, coordinate the coordinated development of AC/DC and sending/receiving end grids, and explore planning and construction models such as sea-land integration and air-ground integration according to local conditions, achieving wider-range optimal allocation of energy resources.

The newness in structure lies in multi-level coordination. Optimize the coordinated development pattern of main, distribution, and micro grids. The main grid strengthens flexible configuration capability, supports wide-area allocation of energy resources, and consolidates the physical foundation of the national unified market; the distribution grid strengthens resilience and interaction capability, supports high-level consumption and allocation of new energy, and consolidates the foundation for safe and reliable power supply; the micro grid strengthens elastic balancing capability, supports efficient energy use combinations for end users, and enhances terminal autonomy and self-governance. The main, distribution, and micro grids form an organic whole with clear interfaces, complete functions, intelligent operation, and efficient interaction.

The newness in function lies in comprehensive carrying capacity. Give full play to the core value of the grid platform in connecting, integrating, and empowering, carrying high-penetration grid connection and high-level consumption of centralized and distributed new energy, carrying open access and two-way interaction of flexible regulation resources such as new-type energy storage, adjustable loads, and virtual power plants, carrying the healthy and orderly development of new business forms such as source-grid-load-storage integration, direct green electricity connection, and zero-carbon parks, and carrying high-quality and green energy use for new quality productive forces such as computing power facilities, charging facilities, and advanced manufacturing, becoming a comprehensive hub that efficiently carries various new elements, new resources, and new business forms.

The newness in technology lies in digital and intelligent empowerment. With digital and intelligent technology as the core, build a new-generation digital power grid, promote the deep application of artificial intelligence in core scenarios such as grid planning and construction, equipment management, dispatching operation, power supply service, and security defense, promote the deep integration of core elements such as electricity, data, computing power, models, and scenarios, promote the deep upgrading of core capabilities such as full-domain perception, intelligent analysis, accurate prediction, and automatic control of the grid, and drive two-way empowerment between artificial intelligence and the energy power industry.

The newness in mode lies in efficient adaptation. Adapt to new trends in energy transformation, new variables in market development, and new challenges in system security. Build a new-type power dispatching system that adapts to multiple grid forms, multiple dispatching objects, and multiple business modes, improve a high-standard power market system with multi-level market architecture, multi-category market products, and multi-functional market mechanisms, build a systematic, collaborative, and proactive grid security defense system, and comprehensively enhance system adaptation capability under complex scenarios.

The newness in form lies in multi-network integration. The grid form becomes more open and flexible, with multi-level network integration, multi-business integration, and multi-type facility integration. It interconnects with water networks, computing power networks, new-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks, logistics networks, and other elements, with resource co-building and sharing, and functional coordination and linkage. Use smart dispatching to lead grid and water network coordination, use energy saving and carbon reduction to lead grid and computing power network coordination, use digital interaction to lead grid and communication network coordination, use urban renewal to lead grid and underground pipeline network coordination, use transportation-energy integration to lead grid and logistics network coordination, and rely on underlying resource circulation, functional complementarity, value transmission, and technology support to drive system integration and convergence.

The “15th Five-Year Plan” period is a critical period for building an energy-strong country. China Southern Power Grid Company will, with a higher position, more practical measures, and greater efforts, build a safe, reliable, green, low-carbon, strong, resilient, intelligent, and flexible new-type power grid, fully supporting the construction of an energy-strong country.

Strengthen multi-level grid coordination and mutual support, solidify the safe and reliable foundation. Coordinate and optimize the planning layout and structure upgrade of main, distribution, and micro grids, build a new coordinated development pattern with strong wide-area allocation, reliable regional carrying capacity, and efficient local autonomy. Build a flexible interconnected backbone grid. Actively integrate into the national power productivity layout, strengthen inter-regional and inter-provincial grid interconnection capabilities, enhance the flexible interconnection function of the AC/DC hybrid large power grid, fully promote the construction of inter-provincial and inter-regional transmission channels such as the Tibet-Guangdong DC, Qinghai-Guangxi DC, and inter-provincial power flexible mutual assistance projects such as Hunan-Guizhou, Hunan-Guangdong, Chongqing-Guangxi, Hainan-Guangdong, etc., creating a main grid form with reasonable zoning, flexible interconnection, safe controllability, and open mutual assistance. Iteratively upgrade new-type power distribution systems. Adapt to the needs of large-scale source-load access and efficient interaction, accelerate the digital, intelligent, and flexible transformation and upgrade of the distribution system, build a high-reliability, high-capacity, high-resilience distribution grid. Continuously improve the power supply reliability of megacities and key industrial clusters, accelerate the reinforcement of local distribution grid weaknesses in rural areas and urban villages. Promote transparent construction of low-voltage grids, enhance status awareness and operation regulation capabilities, and build an energy aggregation network that carries massive distributed resources. Build smart micro grids according to local conditions. Give full play to the resource optimization allocation and flexible control capabilities of micro grids at the end of the grid, deploy and build smart micro grids for diverse scenarios such as the end of the large grid, urban core areas, counties with high-proportion new energy, and offshore islands, improve the level of coordinated regulation and linkage matching of internal source-grid-load-storage, forming unit self-balancing, self-regulation, and self-safe operation capabilities. Accelerate exploration of grid applications of future energy such as ocean energy, geothermal energy, and fusion energy.

Support efficient development and utilization of clean energy, thicken the green and low-carbon background. Closely adhere to the “dual carbon” strategic goals, coordinate the linkage of power source side, grid side, and load side resources, and promote the all-round construction of green production and lifestyle. Strengthen clean energy supply. Actively serve the layout of national clean energy bases such as northwest “sand, desert, and Gobi” new energy, southwest hydropower, and offshore wind power, adhere to simultaneous development of centralized and distributed, onshore and offshore, local consumption and external transmission consumption, promote the construction of system-friendly new energy power stations, promote the integrated development of new energy, and serve the southern region’s new energy installed capacity exceeding 450 million kilowatts during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period. Improve the market and price mechanism adapted to high-proportion new energy, continuously deepen the construction of the green electricity and green certificate trading market, scientifically reflect the environmental value of new energy. Optimize system regulation effectiveness. Fully tap various adjustable resources, develop large grid super scenarios, build a new-type energy storage mega-system, promote the application of artificial intelligence technology in the aggregation and control of flexible regulation resources, rely on virtual power plant platforms to aggregate dispersed adjustable resources, release the regulation potential of multiple resources. Improve the power market trading mechanism, fully mobilize flexible resources to participate in system regulation, forming flexible regulation capabilities coordinated across multiple time scales and multiple application scenarios. Deepen low-carbon energy use transformation. Focus on key areas and key industries, continuously expand the breadth and depth of electricity substitution, tap the potential of electricity substitution in industries such as industry, transportation, and construction, promote energy saving and efficiency improvement in key areas such as industry, achieve a proportion of electricity to terminal energy consumption in the southern region exceeding 38% by the end of the “15th Five-Year Plan” period. Precisely match the low-carbon energy needs of various business entities, improve the supply of green energy services such as energy consumption and carbon emission monitoring, energy saving and carbon reduction, promote the clean, low-carbon, and intelligent transformation of energy consumption structure.

Improve the multi-dimensional risk prevention and control system, enhance the level of strength and resilience. Comprehensively improve the grid’s survivability, resistance, and recovery ability in response to system impacts, ensure power supply security and grid operation safety under extreme and limit conditions. Strengthen power supply resilience. Scientifically build a power supply adequacy target system and early warning mechanism, strengthen the construction of cross-regional, cross-time, cross-category energy complementarity capabilities, explore the establishment of a market-oriented capacity compensation mechanism, ensure reliable capacity of the grid is reasonably adequate. Strengthen the grid-connected performance of new energy, improve the reliable replacement level of new energy. Promote the acceleration of emergency reserve power source construction. Strengthen grid defense resilience. Integrate and enhance grid disaster reduction prevention, disaster resistance fortification, and disaster relief guarantee capabilities, strengthen disaster monitoring, early warning, and risk assessment, reasonably raise the protection standards for grid facilities in disaster-prone areas, deepen the construction of strong local power grids, comprehensively promote grid windproof, iceproof, floodproof, and earthquake-resistant projects, optimize emergency resource layout, fully pre-position emergency forces, and enhance the grid’s ability to withstand major disasters and extreme events. Strengthen industrial system resilience. Focus on key scenarios such as large grid security, new energy consumption, and new business development, strengthen research in areas such as DC grids, complex system control, and “artificial intelligence+”, promote breakthroughs in key materials, core devices, basic software, and high-end equipment technology, and improve the security, stability, network security, and autonomous controllability of the industrial chain and supply chain. Forward-deploy future energy technologies and industries, build a batch of scientific experiment projects, scientific and technological innovation projects, and large scientific devices with leading and demonstration roles.

Deepen digital and intelligent integration development, stimulate intelligent and flexible efficiency. Promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence into all aspects of grid production and operation, enhance the grid’s ability for holographic perception, intelligent collaborative dispatch, and flexible resource interaction, support multi-energy collaborative complementarity, source-grid-load-storage interaction, and multi-network integration and interconnection. Upgrade the digital grid foundation. Accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation and upgrade of the power grid, use the Electric Harmony IoT operating system (电鸿物联操作系统) as the unified foundation, achieve flexible access for massive heterogeneous entities, build a digital grid twin platform covering all links of power generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, and consumption, and build a digital grid with extensive connection, digital and intelligent drive, and open sharing. Upgrade the new-type dispatching system. Build a new-type dispatching system with network-source operation coordination, active security defense, resource market allocation, and digital and intelligent technology empowerment, create a new-generation intelligent dispatching and operation platform with comprehensive intelligent perception, centralized analysis and decision-making, distributed monitoring and control, and cloud-edge efficient collaboration, enhance the panoramic observability and controllability of source-grid-load-storage at all levels of dispatch, and achieve collaborative optimization dispatch of multiple massive resources. Upgrade the multi-network collaborative ecosystem. Focus on multi-network characteristics and integration needs, deeply explore cross-domain scenarios of “six networks,” guide the layout and construction of water-wind-solar multi-energy complementarity, deepen the coordination of electricity and computing in planning, construction, dispatch, and trading, create innovative models such as “multi-station integration” intelligent substations, expand and cultivate new business forms, new scenarios, and new services such as electricity-carbon-computing collaboration and vehicle-grid interaction, build a multi-level, three-dimensional “energy+infrastructure” ecosystem, and fully release the value of multi-network integration.

Building an energy-strong country, the energy front bears heavy responsibility and glorious mission. China Southern Power Grid Company will resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, use new-type power grid construction to promote the construction of a new-type power system and a new-type energy system, fully forge energy great instruments for the Party and the country, turn the grand blueprint of an energy-strong country into a beautiful reality step by step, and lay a more solid foundation for building a modern socialist power. (The author is the Party Secretary and Chairman of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd.)

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Why Zichan Did Not Abolish the Village School

By: 白立超

Zichan (子产) was a man of the Zheng state during the Spring and Autumn period. His clan name was Ji, his lineage name was Zheng, his personal name was Qiao, his style name was Zichan, and he also had the alternate style name Zimei. He was a grandson of Duke Mu of Zheng, and historical records also refer to him as Gongsun Qiao. Because Zichan belonged to the Guo lineage among the "Seven Mu" (七穆) of Zheng, he was also called Guo Qiao. The so-called "Seven Mu" lineages refer to the seven exceptionally capable sons of Duke Mu of Zheng. All seven sons held ministerial rank, and the families they founded eventually became the great hereditary houses of the Zheng state, forming a crucial political force after Duke Mu. The basic system for selecting officials during the Spring and Autumn period was still hereditary nobility and hereditary emoluments. Therefore, Zichan's noble birth was the prerequisite for his ability to serve as the chief executive of Zheng, becoming the highest administrative officer below the ruler of Zheng. However, unlike other nobles, Zichan was a very enlightened politician.

Zichan first emerged as a notable figure during the "Western Palace Incident" (西宫之难) in Zheng. The Western Palace Incident was a rebellion jointly launched in 563 BCE by five clans of Zheng—the Wei, Si, Hou, Du, and Zishi clans—also known as the "Five-Clan Rebellion" (五族之乱), named for its origin in the western palace. At that time, Zichan, only 21 years old, led the military forces of his fief, amounting to seventeen chariots, to suppress the rebellion. Faced with his father's murder, he remained extraordinarily calm and successfully rescued the seven-year-old Duke Jian of Zheng from the northern palace. In 543 BCE, with the support of the "Seven Mu" nobles, Zichan became the chief executive of Zheng. In Zichan's life, the event of not destroying the village school (乡校) is the most famous. For thousands of years, later generations have 津津乐道 (jīn jīn lè dào - "to talk about with great relish," to take keen delight in discussing it). It is largely because of this matter that Zichan won the recognition and admiration of many thinkers and statesmen.

After Zichan assumed the post of chief executive, the guoren (国人, the free populace residing in and around the capital of Zheng) and some nobles did not fully agree with his political views and had opinions about certain policies. At that time, there was a fixed venue for discussing state affairs, called the xiangxiao (乡校, village school). The village school was a school established at the township-level administrative organs since the Western Zhou period. The Western Zhou local system implemented the xiangsui (乡遂, township-and-suburb) system. The xiang (township) was a grassroots organization where the commoners of the ruling clan's own lineage lived, and they enjoyed the rights to discuss politics, recommend talents, and serve in the military. Therefore, each township set up a village school. The village school was both an educational institution and a place where the guoren discussed politics, administered by a designated xiangzheng (乡正, township overseer) or xiangliangren (乡良人, township worthy).

Institutions like the village school and their functions had been formed over a long historical period. The guoren of Zheng discussed the governance and administration of Zheng at this village school, often offering critical opinions. They not only criticized the administration of Zheng but may also have voiced some disapproval of Zichan himself. In the early period of Zichan's administration, he implemented the reform of "establishing boundary ditches and fields" (作封洫), whose core measure was to demarcate field boundaries and recognize private land ownership. This reform, because it broke the established pattern of interests and traditional production and living habits, provoked fierce opposition and even curses from the common people. The people of Zheng circulated the saying: "They take our clothes and put them in storage; they take our fields and reorganize them. Who will kill Zichan? I will join him!" However, after only three years of implementing the policy, the common people had already reaped benefits from the new policies and gave Zichan a diametrically opposite and highly favorable evaluation. At that time, a new folk rhyme spread among the Zheng populace: "We have children and younger brothers; Zichan educates them. We have fields and land; Zichan makes them productive. If Zichan dies, who will succeed him?"

Faced with such a situation, the Zheng grandee Ranming (然明) sought out Zichan and suggested that he destroy the village school, arguing that these people often talked nonsense and confused public opinion. Zichan asked Ranming in reply: "Why do that? These people come and go after their daily work, strolling about and discussing whether the government is good or bad. What they praise, we put into practice; what they dislike, we reform. They are our teachers. How could we destroy it? I have heard of using loyalty and goodness to reduce resentment, not of using authority to prevent resentment. Could it be that [suppressing them] would immediately stop it?" The core meaning of Zichan's words was opposition to destroying the village school. He believed it was necessary to keep the village school so that the guoren could offer opinions and suggestions. If there were good points, adopt them; if not, reflect on them. These people who cared about state affairs were all teachers for the rulers.

Zichan then spoke a very famous passage: "Yet it is like damming a river. When the main breach occurs, those harmed must be many, and I cannot rescue them. It is better to make a small opening to let the water flow; it is better to let me hear [their criticisms] and take them as medicine." Zichan used the metaphor of water control to argue that blocking the channels of opinion is like blocking a river. It may temporarily prevent flooding, but when accumulated to a certain degree, it will inevitably cause a breach in the riverbank, leading to many disasters and harming many people, making rescue impossible. It is better to always keep a small opening, continuously guiding the flow of the river, and there will surely be no flooding. Although the guoren raised many sharp opinions, these opinions were just like the problems that emerged in the course of governing. When problems appeared, they could be remedied in time. Upon hearing this, Ranming felt very ashamed and said: "Mie (Ranming's personal name) from now on knows that you, sir, are truly worthy of serving. I am indeed petty and without talent. If this is really carried out, our Zheng state will truly rely on it; how could it benefit only a few ministers?" From then on, Ranming realized the error of his idea to destroy the village school and was convinced by Zichan's enlightenment in opening up the channels of opinion and his breadth of mind that embraced all rivers.

When Confucius learned of the conversation between Ranming and Zichan, he lamented greatly, saying: "Judging from this, people say Zichan is not benevolent—I do not believe it." Later, when Zichan died, Confucius wept bitterly and said that Zichan was "a surviving love from antiquity" (古之遗爱), meaning that Zichan's governing style had much of the ancient spirit, had the demeanor of a gentleman, and was a true inheritor and promoter of the ancient tradition of benevolent love. Because of this, Zichan has always been venerated by Confucianism in history.

A thousand years later, the great Tang literary figure Han Yu, upon reading about Zichan not destroying the village school, was deeply moved and wrote the famous "Eulogy on Zichan Not Destroying the Village School" (子产不毁乡校颂). One line reads: "This Zichan is the model for governing. But unfortunately he met with no great occasion, so his transformation only reached one state. If indeed he had followed this principle as prime minister to the Son of Heaven under Heaven, it would have flowed forth freely and reached to all without limit." Han Yu believed that on the matter of not destroying the village school alone, Zichan was a model and benchmark for later rulers. At the same time, he lamented that Zichan's talents did not find a larger platform to be displayed, and that he could only exercise his abilities in such a small state as Zheng—truly a pity. The Qing dynasty thinker Wang Yuan highly praised Zichan: "The Zuo Commentary records the words and deeds of many famous ministers of the various states, but none are as detailed as those of Zichan. Zichan was the foremost figure of the entire Spring and Autumn period, and also the first man that Zuo Qiuming admired from the heart." The famous Qing dynasty scholar and official Zhao Qingli, in his Reading the Zuo Commentary with a Personal View (读左管窥), also praised: "Zichan of Zheng was the foremost figure of the Spring and Autumn period; his virtues are too numerous to recount."

Zichan's decision not to destroy the village school earned him the love of the common people and the trust of the officials, enabling smooth implementation of decrees and unity of purpose from top to bottom, finally achieving the revival of the Zheng state. And his people-oriented thought of opening up the channels of opinion and asking the people about governance earned him a place in the annals of history, and his name will be remembered for eternity.

(The author is a faculty member of the School of History, Northwest University.)

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Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) Holds Seminar on Xi Jinping’s Thought on Party Building

News report: On July 6, the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）) held a seminar on Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想). Executive Vice President (Vice President in charge of daily work) Xie Chuntao (谢春涛) attended and delivered a speech. Vice President Li Yi (李毅) presided over the symposium. Vice President Li Wentang (李文堂), and members of the School (Academy) Affairs Committee Feng Pengzhi (冯鹏志) and Wang Yang (王洋) attended the symposium. Xie Chuntao pointed out that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is the fundamental guidance for strengthening Party building in the new era. Deeply studying and thoroughly implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is of great practical significance and long-term guiding significance for building the Party to be stronger and more powerful, consolidating the Party's long-term ruling position, and ensuring the enduring prosperity of the Party and the people's cause. The Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), as the highest institution of learning of the Party, is the main channel for education and training of cadres and Party members, and an important position for the Party's ideological and theoretical construction. It bears a glorious mission in studying well and implementing well Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. We must take Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building as a key course in the education and training of the Party School, focusing on explaining it deeply and thoroughly from multiple dimensions such as political stance, problem orientation, theoretical contribution, practical value, and world significance; further improve the textbook system, advance discipline construction, and conscientiously compile specialized textbooks on Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building; vigorously carry out organized scientific research, deeply study and elucidate the original and principled contributions, emblematic concepts, etc., of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, and conduct prospective, policy-oriented, and applied research around real issues of Party building; do a good job in international communication, actively promote Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to the outside world, and tell the story of the Communist Party of China in the new era well. At the same time, we must grasp the implementation of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building and ensure that strict governance of the school is implemented effectively.

At the seminar, 14 comrades from relevant teaching and research departments gave speeches and exchanged views on the theme of the "Fourteen Perseverances" (十四个坚持) of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. The participants unanimously agreed that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and has made major original contributions to the development of Marxist theory on party building. This thought distinctly puts forward the "Fourteen Perseverances," manifesting firm ideals and convictions, a high degree of historical initiative, a clear problem orientation, a strong sense of mission and responsibility, profound feelings for the people, and scientific methods of thinking. It is 明体达用 (míng tǐ dá yòng - "understand the substance and achieve the application," to grasp the essence and apply it effectively) and 体用贯通 (tǐ yòng guàn tōng - "substance and application interpenetrate," to have essence and function seamlessly integrated), possessing a distinctive theoretical character. The symposium was hosted by the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心) of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Members of the leadership teams of various departments of the School (Academy), some teacher representatives, and representatives from central media, totaling more than 130 people, attended the meeting.

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Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) Holds National Party School (Academy of Governance) Collective Lesson Preparation Meeting on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building

Newspaper dispatch. To deeply study and comprehend Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想) and raise the teaching level of special courses on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building in Party schools (schools of administration) nationwide, the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）) held a national collective lesson preparation meeting on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building from June 29 to July 2. A total of 365 teachers from Party schools (schools of administration) of provincial and municipal Party committees, the Railway Party School (铁道党校), the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (中国浦东干部学院), the China Executive Leadership Academy Jinggangshan (中国井冈山干部学院), and the China Executive Leadership Academy Yan’an (中国延安干部学院), as well as branch schools of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), participated in the collective lesson preparation meeting.

At the lesson preparation meeting, Xie Chuntao (谢春涛), executive vice president (vice president in charge of daily work) of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), taught the general course on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, delivering an in-depth explanation of the great significance, scientific connotation, theoretical character, practical foundation, and theoretical origins of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. Fourteen backbone teachers of the school (academy) focused on the scientific connotation of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and gave special lectures on each of the “Fourteen Persistences” (十四个坚持) one by one, striving to be comprehensive and accurate, deep and thorough.

Students generally reflected that this collective lesson preparation meeting was held very timely and highly targeted; the classroom lectures of the teaching faculty had a complete system, prominent key points, and thorough explanations, helping everyone further deepen their understanding and grasp of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, and effectively promoting the high-quality implementation of education and training work on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building in Party schools (schools of administration) nationwide.

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Joint Report by Central Party School and Xinhua Think Tanks Released on Xi Jinping’s Thought on Party Building

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 2 — The National High-End Think Tank of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance) (中共中央党校（国家行政学院）) and the National High-End Think Tank of Xinhua News Agency jointly released on July 2 the think tank report The Epochal Characteristics and Global Significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building (《习近平党建思想的时代特质与世界意义》), which deeply expounds the excellent characteristics and key code that enable the Communist Party of China to continuously forge brilliance.

The full report is approximately 30,000 characters, systematically elucidating the generation context, essential meaning, theoretical character, and global significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想), deeply decoding the fundamental key to the century-old party’s enduring prosperity and continuous growth and expansion.

The report points out that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, focusing on the major epochal課題 of what kind of long-term governing Marxist party to build and how to build a long-term governing Marxist party, has put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies for governing and managing the party, and for revitalizing and strengthening the party, forming Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building originates from Marxist scientific theory, takes root in fine traditional Chinese culture, is gestated in the great practice of comprehensively and strictly governing the party in the new era, and centrally reflects the achievements of theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation in party building in the new era.

The report holds that Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building has profoundly answered the major theoretical and practical questions of party building in the new era, and has enriched and developed Marxist party-building theory with a series of original achievements. The Fourteen Perseverances (十四个坚持) are a concentrated summation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies that are emblematic and guiding for party building in the new era.

The report says that Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building guides great practice with firm ideals and convictions, discerns risks and challenges with a high degree of historical initiative, leads the journey of rejuvenation with a strong sense of mission and responsibility, adheres to the fundamental stance with deep feelings for the people, and solves development problems with scientific methods of thinking, manifesting its unique theoretical character.

The report emphasizes 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 great harmony for the world. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, standing at the height of the development of human political civilization, based on thinking about the present and future world and on summarizing the practice of the Communist Party of China, has provided important public thought products for the construction of political parties in countries around the world, especially in Global South countries.

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2026 National Conference of Party Schools (Academies of Governance) on Collaborative Emergency Management Teaching, Research, and Consulting Convened

Our report
On July 2, the Institute of Emergency Management Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）应急管理研究院), jointly with the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee Party School (School of Administration) (江西省委党校（行政学院）), held the "National Party Schools (Schools of Administration) Joint Meeting on Emergency Management Teaching, Research, and Consulting Collaboration" in Nanchang. Gong Weibin (龚维斌), Vice President of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), and Zhuang Zhaolin (庄兆林), Member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Organization Department, and President of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee Party School (School of Administration), attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Gong Weibin pointed out that emergency management is a distinctive and advantageous discipline of the Party Schools (Schools of Administration) and an important field for practicing the original aspiration of the Party School: "cultivating talents for the Party and offering counsel for the Party" (为党育才、为党献策). It is necessary to leverage the Party Schools' (Schools of Administration') own political advantages, their advantages of being close to the practical work of Party committees and governments, and their advantages of coordination and collaboration; to take General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on emergency management as the fundamental guideline for constructing an independent knowledge system of emergency management; to use the vivid practices of China's emergency management as the source of vitality; and through mechanisms such as the national Party school system's "organized scientific research" (有组织科研) and "integration of teaching, research, and consulting" (教研咨一体化), to provide strong support and play a greater role in constructing an independent knowledge system of emergency management.

Zhuang Zhaolin introduced the practical achievements of Jiangxi Province's emergency management work, as well as the outcomes of the construction of the emergency management research platform of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee Party School (School of Administration). He stated that the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee Party School (School of Administration) will take this joint meeting as an opportunity, focus on constructing an independent knowledge system for China's emergency management, fully implement the requirements of basic training, vigorously conduct case-based and simulation-based teaching, deepen theoretical research and interpretation in areas such as public safety and grassroots emergency response, further smooth the channels for matching consulting supply and demand, and promote the integrated development of teaching, research, and consulting. It will proactively integrate into the national Party school (School of Administration) collaboration network, strengthen cross-regional and cross-disciplinary collaborative research, build an open, shared, and interconnected academic exchange platform, and join efforts to construct China's independent emergency management knowledge system.

This meeting set up a main forum keynote report and four group discussion sessions. Participants, based on their own work practices, exchanged experiences in emergency management teaching, research, and consulting work, and discussed ideas and approaches for the construction of the emergency management discipline in Party Schools (Schools of Administration) during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. Members of the leadership team of the Institute of Emergency Management Research of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) and relevant teaching and research personnel, as well as representatives of teachers and practitioners in the field of emergency management from Party Committees of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, Party Schools (Schools of Administration) of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Party Committee, Party Schools (Schools of Administration) of sub-provincial city Party committees, and Party Schools (Schools of Administration) of city Party committees at the prefecture level within the provinces (including those with districts), attended the meeting.

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Henan Provincial Party School holds "July 1" Commendation Conference and Special Party Lecture

By: 宋超营

News report. On July 1, the Henan Provincial Party School (Administration College) (河南省委党校（行政学院）) held a "Celebrating July 1" Commendation Conference to mark the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and to commend the advanced collectives and individuals that emerged in various work in 2025. Executive Vice President (of the School/College) Lu Yun (路云) attended and delivered a special party lecture.

The meeting pointed out that Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building (习近平党建思想) conforms to the overall situation and major trends, conforms to the party's heart and the people's will, conforms to the laws of party building development; it is a major achievement in upholding the "Two Combines" (两个结合) to advance theoretical innovation in the field of party building; it constitutes the "Party Building Chapter" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想); and it has opened up a new realm of Marxist party building theory. It is necessary to deeply recognize that grasping party building well is the greatest political achievement, consciously use Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building to plan and advance the construction of the party school, organically integrate it with the study and education of establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, and fully carry out all work such as learning and training, propaganda and interpretation, and implementation and application of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.

The meeting emphasized that, as people of the party school, we must forever preserve the political essence of the party school's nature being the party. Clarify the direction and original aspiration of "for the party," always adhere to the party school's nature being the party as the historical origin that defines the attribution of political achievements and calibrates the direction of performing duties; identify the value and advantage of "cultivating talent," cultivate and bring forth more pillars of talent who are absolutely loyal to the party, can be put to great use, and can shoulder heavy responsibilities; keep in mind the duty and mission of "offering counsel," uphold the positioning of the party school, give full play to the role of research institutions and important think tanks, and offer good strategies for serving the overall situation. We must strive to create political achievements that can stand the test. Take the Jiao Yulu Spirit (焦裕禄精神) as a mirror, and take sharing the party's worries and adding luster to the party as the pursuit of political achievements; take General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during his inspection of Henan as the guideline, and take serving the overall situation and doing solid work as the responsibility for political achievements; take negative examples as a warning, and firmly grasp the direction of political achievements for party school people. We must do a good job of transmitting the Way, imparting knowledge, and resolving doubts in the new era. Implement building the school politically into studying well and teaching well the party's innovative theories, persist in truly learning and truly believing, thoroughly explaining and thoroughly expounding, and frequently teaching with novelty; implement establishing the school by quality throughout the entire process of teaching, research, and consultation work, and make efforts in high-quality talent cultivation, high-level scientific research, and high-standard management; implement strictly governing the school into cultivating a good school spirit, study atmosphere, and teaching style, persist in strict governance to establish school spirit, strict discipline in teaching to correct teaching style, and strict discipline in learning to optimize study atmosphere; implement strengthening the school by talent into cultivating famous teachers and renowned experts, precisely attract talent, carefully nurture talent, and boldly use talent.

All faculty and staff of the school, representatives of retired party members, and representatives of the temporary party branch committees of the main training classes attended the meeting.

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Hubei Provincial Party School Organizes Viewing of Celebration of the 105th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China

By: 楚晓轩

News dispatch
On the morning of July 1, the Hubei Provincial Party Committee Party School (Administration College) (湖北省委党校（行政学院）) organized its students and faculty to watch the live broadcast of the celebration gathering marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping sparked warm反响 among the students and faculty.

Tang Lan (唐岚), Deputy Principal (Vice President) of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee Party School (Administration College), believes that our Party has always adhered to building the Party ideologically and strengthening the Party theoretically, and has always used Marxist scientific theory to guide practice and lead development. This is the fundamental reason why our Party firmly believes in its faith and firmly grasps the historical initiative. As Party school educators, we will transform the profound study and understanding of the spirit of the conference into concrete actions to uphold and practice the original aspiration of the Party school of "educating talents for the Party and offering counsel for the Party," focus on the main responsibility and main business of cadre education and training, give full play to the main channel role of the Party school in cadre education and training, continuously use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to consolidate the soul and strengthen the Party, and demonstrate the Party school's responsibility and contribute the Party school's strength in the learning, education, and publicity of the Party's innovative theory.

He Deping (何德平), full-time Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee Party School (Administration College), stated that by watching General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, everyone received a profound spiritual baptism and gained a clearer understanding of the mission and tasks shouldered by Party school Party affairs workers. In the next step, we will firmly grasp theoretical soul-forging, incorporate the study and implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech and Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building into the "three meetings and one lecture" (三会一课) and the study content of the Party Day theme, organize special exchange and discussion, guide all Party members to thoroughly understand the spirit and build a solid foundation of loyalty. We will consolidate branch construction, activate the vanguard role of Party members, innovate Party building activity carriers around the main responsibilities of teaching, scientific research, and policy advisory, guide all Party school members to take the initiative in optimizing training quality and efficiency, improving the school's operational level, strive for excellence, and use Party building to lead the improvement of quality and efficiency in all Party school undertakings.

Jiang Xiaoyan (江小燕), Associate Professor of the Teaching and Research Department of CPC History and Party Building at the Hubei Provincial Party Committee Party School (Administration College), believes that the fundamental reason why the Communist Party of China has been able to continuously create brilliance in its 105-year struggle is that our Party possesses excellent qualities unmatched by other political parties and political forces: unswervingly pursuing truth, always keeping the correct direction of progress; deeply rooted among the people, always having a solid foundation; bravely undertaking historical missions, always mastering strategic initiative; conforming to the trend of development, always walking in the forefront of the times; daring and adept at struggle, always maintaining confidence in victory; focusing on strengthening itself, always full of vitality. These excellent qualities are the key code to why the Communist Party of China can succeed. On the new journey, we must draw the power of thought, the power of faith, and the power of practice from General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, continuously carry forward and develop the Party's excellent qualities, make contributions in the new era, and strive to create new historical brilliance.

Zhou Xiaoda (周晓达), a student in the Party Building class, member of the Party Working Committee of the Huangshi Economic Development Zone, member of the Standing Committee of the Tieshan District Committee, and head of the Publicity Department, said that at the gathering, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically reviewed the 105-year glorious history and historical experience of our Party, providing fundamental guidance for the great new project of Party building in the new era. As a Party member cadre on the propaganda and ideological front, we will use Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building as the "golden key," use cultural province-building to lead high-quality development. We will deeply explore Jingchu culture (荆楚文化), Yangtze River culture, intangible cultural heritage traditions, etc., so that "old cultural veins" can stimulate new vitality; we will deeply cultivate the cultural life needs of the people, create more and better literary and artistic works, and improve the quality of the people's spiritual and cultural life; we will create more cultural industries of content + brand + innovation, enhance the influence and reputation of Jingchu culture, use cultural confidence to assist pivot construction (支点建设), and make contributions to writing the Hubei chapter of Chinese-style modernization (中国式现代化).

Xiong Haoyu (熊浩宇), a student in the Township Party Secretary class, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Longquan Subdistrict in the East Lake High-tech Zone of Wuhan, believes that the grassroots level is the foundation of the Party's governance, and the masses are our source of strength. As a grassroots worker, we will deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, deepen the construction of the "red grid" (红色网格), consolidate the grassroots red governance阵地, promote branches to take root in residential communities, have Party members sink into building units, absorb retired Party members and grassroots mediators to enrich grid strength, and resolve mass conflicts on the spot; build a platform for mass consultation and deliberation, focus on practical matters concerning people's livelihood such as collective economy, land acquisition guarantees, and property governance, and act with real effort, so that the masses can truly feel the warmth of the Party organization; when facing difficulties in grassroots governance, dare to confront and take tough measures, strictly manage the team of cadres, strictly adhere to the bottom line of discipline, and submit a qualified answer sheet with the actual effectiveness of grassroots governance.

Everyone expressed that they will take the study and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the celebration gathering of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China as an important current political task, integrate it with Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building for unified study, comprehension, implementation, and implementation, consciously inherit the red gene, draw strength for endeavor, firmly establish and practice the correct view of performance, and effectively transform the learning results into concrete actions for running the school, governing the school, and serving the province's development, contributing wisdom and strength to Hubei's acceleration of building an important strategic pivot for the rise of the central region.

(Chu Xiaoxuan)

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Yunnan Provincial Party School Holds Collective Lesson Preparation Meeting on Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building

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In order to deeply implement and carry out the spirit of the "Notice on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building" issued by the Central Leading Group for Party Building Work (中央党的建设工作领导小组), and to effectively grasp the three key links of study and training, publicity and interpretation, and implementation and application, ensuring that Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building takes root and produces results, the Yunnan Provincial Party School (Administrative College) (云南省委党校（行政学院）) recently held a collective lesson preparation meeting on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. Responsible persons from the Office of Academic Affairs, the Teaching and Research Department of Philosophy, the Teaching and Research Department of Scientific Socialism, the Teaching and Research Department of Party History, and the Teaching and Research Department of Party Building, as well as teachers of relevant courses, attended the meeting.
The meeting studied the work plan for the organization and development of specialized courses on Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, deployed the formation of collective lesson preparation teams and the course development work, and clarified the key points of lesson preparation. The meeting pointed out that it is necessary to speak well on the great significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, deeply grasping the era background, important status, and far-reaching significance of the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building from the perspectives of adhering to the "Two Integrations" (两个结合) and the "Three Favorables" (三个有利于); to speak well on the scientific connotation of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, deeply grasping the scientific positioning and profound connotation of the "Fourteen Upholds" (十四个坚持), and systematically, theoretically, and holistically grasping the scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building; to speak well on the theoretical character of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, deeply grasping the firm ideals and convictions, high degree of historical initiative, clear problem orientation, strong sense of mission and responsibility, profound feelings for the people, and scientific thinking methods contained in Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building; to speak well on the practical foundation and theoretical origins of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, deeply grasping its summarization and refinement of the practical experience of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline in the new era, its inheritance and development of Marxist party-building theory, its inheritance and transformation of fine traditional Chinese culture, and its summarization and mirroring of the experience and lessons of Marxist political parties.
The meeting required that the sense of mission and urgency be effectively enhanced, and that in strict accordance with the work deployment and requirements, efforts be concentrated on "speaking fully, speaking accurately, speaking deeply, and speaking thoroughly." Course preparations should be accelerated, specialized courses should be completed as soon as possible, and they should be promptly incorporated into the teaching of relevant sessions in July, with full coverage of main training sessions achieved by the autumn semester. Demonstration and leadership should be strengthened; through collective lesson preparation across the three-level Party school (Administrative College) system of the province, using key points to drive the entire area, systematically promote the development of relevant specialized courses and the overall improvement of teaching quality.
(Qiu Yue (邱月))

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Zhejiang Provincial Party School Holds Provincial Party School Party Spirit Education Teacher Training Course

News Report. Recently, the Zhejiang Provincial Party School (浙江省委党校) held a training class for teachers of party spirit education for Zhejiang Provincial Party Schools in Jingning She Autonomous County (景宁畲族自治县). Liu Jinqiang (刘进强), Deputy Principal of the Zhejiang Provincial Party School, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

This training coordinated teaching resources, innovated teaching models, highlighted distinctive empowerment, and presented many highlights. First, the curriculum system was systematic and complete, with deep integration of theory and practice. Relying on the "Online Party School" platform of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）), the training class organized trainees to centrally study video courses such as "In-depth Study of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements" and offered six special guidance sessions. The content closely adhered to key directions such as the Party's innovative theory, tempering of party spirit cultivation, improvement of work style construction, and polishing of high-quality courses, with a complete structure, rich connotation, and strong guiding significance, combining theoretical height and practical value, providing a good platform for participating trainees to learn and improve. Second, the teaching forms were flexible and diverse, helping to deeply enhance teaching ability. This training comprehensively utilized multiple teaching carriers such as video teaching, special guidance, on-site teaching, and micro-party classes, fully mobilizing the enthusiasm of both teachers and students, achieving mutual improvement between teaching and learning and mutual improvement among learners. Each special guidance session not only fully presented the teaching content but also simultaneously shared lesson preparation ideas, course structure, and teaching design, sharing the methodological reflection on "why it is taught this way," guiding trainees to precisely grasp the internal logic of party spirit education and the laws of classroom teaching. Participating trainees, centering on "how to teach a good party spirit education class," organized in-depth discussions and mutual learning and exchange. Third, ethnic and regional characteristics were integrated to enrich party spirit education scenes. The training was based on the regional advantages of Jingning She Autonomous County, deeply integrating ethnic culture with party spirit education. Teachers from the Jingning She Autonomous County Party School (景宁畲族自治县委党校) combined grassroots practice to teach vivid cases of rural revitalization and common prosperity construction in ethnic regions; organized the viewing of the ethnic opera "She Mountain Dawn" (《畲山黎明》), which reproduced the revolutionary struggle course of the She masses through artistic forms, allowing trainees to temper their party spirit and draw strength in an immersive cultural experience.

Participating trainees expressed that through this training, they not only deepened their understanding of the laws of party spirit education but also learned methods and approaches for polishing high-quality courses, benefiting greatly. In the future, they must fully recognize the importance of teaching party spirit education courses well, deeply study the laws of party spirit education, strive to transform the training outcomes into solid skills for teaching party spirit education courses well, always adhere to the original aspiration of the Party school of "cultivating talent for the Party, offering counsel for the Party" (为党育才、为党献策), and contribute wisdom and strength to accelerating the construction of a high-level modern red academic institution model party school.

A total of 52 backbone teachers of party spirit education from various levels of Party schools in Zhejiang Province and from counterpart support areas—the Aksu Prefecture Party School of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区阿克苏地委党校), the Party School of the Party Committee of the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Aral City (新疆生产建设兵团第一师阿拉尔市党委党校)—participated in the training.
(Zhang Guangying (张光赢) and Tao Yilin (陶意琳))

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Solidly Advance the Standardized Development of Township Party Schools

By: 黄力 仇白云

Township party schools (乡镇党校) bear the important task of breaking through the last kilometer of rural party member education and training, consolidating the construction of grassroots party organizations, and advancing the modernization of grassroots governance. In recent years, some progress has been made in the construction of township party schools, but problems still exist such as inconsistent construction standards, insufficient resource integration, and unsmooth guarantee mechanisms. In light of the newly revised Work Regulations of the Party Schools (Schools of Administration) of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党党校（行政学院）工作条例, hereinafter referred to as the Regulations), all localities urgently need to combine their local advantages to promote the standardized construction of township party schools.

Consolidate the foundation and strengthen the base, promote the standardization of the organizational system. The Regulations clearly state that party committees (working committees) of townships (subdistricts) with the conditions may establish party schools. This provision means that the establishment of township party schools still needs to be continuously promoted, and it is necessary to ensure that already established township party schools operate effectively and truly play their role. Since 2019, many localities in our country have established township party schools and put them into actual operation in accordance with the work deployments of the central, provincial, and municipal levels. However, there are still many townships with conditions that are in a wait-and-see state, either not implementing or falling far short of standardized construction. In response to this, first, consolidate the main responsibility for running schools. The Regulations clearly point out that party committees at all levels are the main bodies that run party schools (schools of administration), manage party schools (schools of administration), and build party schools (schools of administration); the party committee secretary is the first responsible person, and the party committee leading comrade who concurrently serves as the president (principal) of the party school (school of administration) is the main responsible person. Incorporate the construction of township party schools into the work agenda of the township party committee, and make the situation of party school construction an important part of the township party committee secretary's performance evaluation report on grasping grassroots party building. Second, optimize the setting of training institutions. In accordance with the six have (六有) construction standard of having organizational structure, having training venues, having a teaching staff, having training plans, having management systems, and having funding guarantees, establish an organizational structure where the township party committee secretary serves as the principal, the deputy secretary or organization committee member serves as the vice principal, and full-time and part-time staff are responsible for daily teaching management. According to the functional needs of teaching, research, administration, etc., reasonably set up internal departments such as teaching and research, academic affairs, and office, clarify the responsibilities and division of labor of each department, and ensure that work such as teaching organization, student management, and logistical support are carried out in an orderly manner. Third, promote the intensive use of hardware resources. At present, most township party schools do not have professional training classrooms, discussion rooms, and practical training rooms, and some party members live in remote areas, making it inconvenient to participate in training. To avoid insufficient funds or duplicate investment, the principle of one venue for multiple uses, compound functions can be followed, integrating township conference rooms, party-mass service centers, new era civilization practice centers (新时代文明实践中心), idle school buildings, etc., to run schools, and on the basis of combining reality, carry out on-site quality improvement and renovation.

Promote strengths and compensate for weaknesses, realize the scientific management of teaching. Township party schools are closer to county-level party schools (administrative schools) in terms of discipline setting, training targets, student management, etc. The provisions of the Regulations regarding basic training classes, academic systems, etc., and how they apply to township party schools, still need to be further explored in actual work. At present, township party schools generally still face difficulties at the teaching management level such as non-standard training content, relatively weak teaching staff, and dispersed and fragmented course resources, but they also have the natural advantage of being close to the front line and convenient for on-site practical training. To fully leverage strengths and compensate for weaknesses, we can start from systematically integrating existing resources and promote the optimization and upgrading of teaching management. First, based on central tasks, reasonably set teaching content. Centering on central tasks such as grassroots party building, rural revitalization, collective economy, and social governance, with party theory education and party spirit education as the core, set annual training plans flexibly according to local conditions. Precisely target key training objects such as township cadres, village two committees cadres, grassroots party members, party activists, and development targets, highlight political nature and focus on practicality in content setting, and effectively solve the difficult, painful, and blocking points in grassroots work. Second, be good at leveraging advantages to achieve sharing of teaching resources. The Regulations on Cadre Education and Training Work (干部教育培训工作条例) stipulate that various cadre education and training institutions should strengthen exchange and cooperation, and promote optimal allocation of resources through joint school-running and other methods. It is possible to actively coordinate with the local party committee and government, business departments, superior party schools, and sister party schools, expand the channels for teacher sources, and actively build a resource sharing mechanism for teachers and courses across levels and fields. Use digital means to solve problems such as the scattered training locations and high personnel mobility of some grassroots party members, further extend the reach of resources, and expand the coverage of training. Third, deeply cultivate local characteristics to enhance the overall effectiveness of training. Deeply integrate local characteristic culture, and form a teaching staff that is good at being close to the ground and can speak the language of the masses from technical experts, local specialists, field scholars, and leaders in getting rich, telling grassroots stories in the language of the masses. Explore the classroom + base training model, relying on local red education resources, rural industry development demonstration bases, etc., to create characteristic on-site teaching points. Offer characteristic field classrooms related to the industrial chain, achieving enter the door and it is a classroom, step out the door and it is the site, so that cadre education and training directly serve industrial development.

Improve quality and increase efficiency, boost the long-term mechanism of guarantee. In response to the phenomena of superficiality, meeting-ization, and marginalization existing in the training of most township party schools. First, innovate the training management mechanism. Establish and improve various systems such as training management systems, teacher management systems, and student management systems, ensuring that every link has rules to follow. Strengthen the leadership of the party committee, government, and relevant organizational departments over the standardized construction of township party schools, and strengthen the professional guidance of county-level party schools (administrative schools) over township party schools. Implement funding guarantees, and promote the normalized, standardized, and star-rated construction of township party schools. Second, innovate the resource integration mechanism. Relying on local red resources, rural revitalization and other characteristics, actively undertake external training business, maximize the utilization efficiency of party school resources while promoting the increase of village-level collective economy income. Make flexible use of the township party school positions, and coordinate the carrying out of party member learning and training, party organization activities, party representative contact and service to the masses, and other work. Third, innovate the incentive and constraint mechanism. On the one hand, commend township party schools that take the lead in piloting, and reward township party schools with innovative measures, such as adding points in assessments, priority in evaluating various honors, etc. Include outstanding teachers in the cadre reserve pool, link training results with party member evaluation and cadre promotion, and stimulate the intrinsic motivation of teachers and students. On the other hand, adhere to strict governance of the school, strict governance of teaching, and strict governance of learning. Party committees and governments at all levels should establish a scientific assessment and evaluation system, conduct regular assessment and evaluation of the standardized construction of township party schools, and use the assessment results as an important basis for evaluating the work of party committees and governments at all levels.

(Author's affiliation: Hunan Provincial Party Committee Party School)

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Advancing the "Red Soul-Forging Project" to Empower Cadre Education and Training

By: 张选民

The Working Regulations of the Party Schools (Schools of Administration) of the Communist Party of China clearly stipulate that Party Schools (Schools of Administration) are the main channel for the Party to train leading cadres at all levels and theoretical backbone, and are an important front for the Party's ideological and theoretical construction. Xi'an Municipal Party Committee Party School (西安市委党校) thoroughly implements the requirements of the Regulations, steadfastly adheres to the original aspiration of the Party School of "cultivating talent for the Party and offering counsel for the Party," fully leverages the main channel role of the Party School in training cadres and Party members and its important front role in the Party's ideological and theoretical construction, and launches the "Red Soul-Casting Project" (红色铸魂工程) to strengthen foundations through Party history study and education, consolidate fundamentals through Party spirit tempering, and empower through red fronts, thereby promoting the quality and efficiency of cadre education and training.

Deeply cultivate Xi'an Party history, continue the red bloodline. Persist in placing Party history study and education as the top priority in the teaching layout, and construct a three-in-one Party history teaching system of "thematic lectures + on-site teaching + seminar exchanges."

In terms of thematic lectures, in accordance with the requirements of the basic training catalog of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), organize backbone teachers to meticulously polish courses on the "Five Histories" such as "The Victory of the New Democratic Revolution Across the Country" and "Exploration of the Path of Socialist Revolution and Construction." In thematic lectures on Party history, adhere to the teaching philosophy of "taking Party history as the main line and local history as a supplement," organically integrate content on Xi'an's local revolutionary history, closely combine the revolutionary course of the Party in Xi'an with the grand narrative of national Party history, thereby not only helping students grasp the laws of historical development from a macro perspective, but also enhancing their emotional identification with the revolutionary tradition of their hometown from a micro perspective, making thematic lectures on Party history more deeply enter the mind and heart (入脑入心) and produce visible results in action (见行见效).

In terms of on-site teaching, deeply tap local red resources, move the classroom to red education sites, allowing students to comprehend their original aspiration and mission in walking Party lessons. Based on this red hot land of Xi'an, meticulously create teaching sites with Xi'an local characteristics, transforming the thick revolutionary history of the ancient city Xi'an into vivid Party history teaching materials.

In terms of seminar exchanges, through interactive teaching activities such as "Student Forums," "Reading Sharing Sessions," and "Seminar Exchanges," guide students to transform from "audience" to "main lecturer," achieving mutual improvement between teaching and learning and mutual improvement among students through the collision of ideas. At the same time, equip each student dormitory and classroom with Party history-related books, organize students to conduct collective seminars and individual self-study, original text reading and exchange and mutual learning during evening hours, promoting the integration of Party history study and education into daily life and normalization.

Strengthen Party spirit tempering, forge excellent abilities. Construct a "six major modules" of Party spirit education with theoretical education, Party history and national history education, Party Constitution, Party regulations, and Party discipline education, purpose awareness education, clean government education, and fine conduct education as the main content, develop 79 related courses, ensuring that Party spirit education courses account for more than 50% of total class hours in main training classes. Guide students to further deeply understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments" (两个确立) and resolutely achieve the "Two Upholds" (两个维护).

First, create a "cloud + on-site" dual classroom to extend the chain of Party spirit education. Form a collaborative development model of "expert leadership + young teachers + technical team," record a series of micro-courses and micro-videos such as "Old Revolutionaries in Xi'an," and through multiple narrative techniques such as scene reproduction, cultural relic displays, and expert interpretations, centrally display the development process of local Party organizations and the heroic deeds of revolutionary martyrs. Rely on the smart campus platform and WeChat public account, simultaneously publish and push on platforms such as "Study Power" (学习强国), forming a communication pattern of "one-end publication, multi-platform linkage."

Second, construct a multi-level on-site teaching matrix to temper strong Party spirit. Build a teaching system of four interconnected levels: on-site teaching within the campus, on-site teaching within the city, on-site teaching in surrounding cities and counties, and on-site teaching in out-of-province remote training. Rely on the on-campus Xi'an Party History Exhibition Room to create a Party spirit classroom at the doorstep, deeply develop red resources within the city, proactively connect with Party schools in cities surrounding Xi'an, share teaching bases, jointly build teaching courses, create multiple excellent routes, and organize students to go to revolutionary holy sites, frontiers of reform and opening up, and typical areas with advanced experience for remote training, enhancing students' Party spirit cultivation in benchmarking against advanced models.

Polish the brand of the Grand Forum, empower Party spirit cultivation. Establish the "Party School Grand Forum" (党校大讲堂), holding nearly 70 sessions annually, inviting leading cadres at all levels, experts and scholars, grassroots workers, corporate representatives, and other representatives from all walks of life to take the podium, covering more than 3,000 students per year, constructing a diversified teacher structure of "leading cadres talk about policy, experts and scholars talk about theory, grassroots representatives talk about practice, and model figures talk about spirit." All types of speakers use their personal experiences to interpret original aspiration and mission, use vivid stories to convey the power of faith, transforming Party spirit education from "theoretical indoctrination" to "emotional resonance," allowing students to examine themselves and 见贤思齐 (jiàn xián sī qí - "see the worthy and think to equal them," to emulate the virtuous) while benchmarking against advanced models. Each lecture sets up segments such as on-site Q&A, student comments, and after-class seminars, achieving "one person speaks, many receive education, all resonate." Students generally report that they "can listen in, remember, and apply," forming a healthy atmosphere of "benchmark against advanced to find gaps, 见贤思齐 to promote improvement." Multiple students, deeply inspired, voluntarily applied for temporary assignments to frontline positions such as rural revitalization, petition stability maintenance, and major projects, realizing "moved in the classroom, acting after class." This makes the "Party School Grand Forum" an important platform for students to temper Party spirit cultivation, hone political character, and stimulate enthusiasm for work.

[The author is the Executive Vice President (Vice Dean) of Xi'an Municipal Party Committee Party School (School of Administration).]

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Innovating the "Five Lines in One" Teaching Method to Improve the Quality and Effectiveness of Education and Training for SOE Cadres

By: 郑园 海斌 高琳彤

为党育才、为党献策是党校不变的初心。中国电信集团有限公司党组党校立足国企干部队伍实际，紧扣国企发展特点创新“五线合一”教学模式，严格学员管理、抓实教学提质，为新时代国企干部教育培训提质增效提供有益参考。

始终坚持党校姓党，锚定干部教育培训政治方向。国企党校必须把理论教育和党性教育摆在主业主课位置。中国电信党校严格落实《中国共产党党校（行政学院）工作条例》要求，保证党的理论教育和党性教育课程的占比不低于70%，其中党性教育课时超20%。局处级干部进修班以学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为主题主线，分六大单元系统化设置课程，依托上海红色资源开展本地现场教学，组织局级干部进修班学员赴延安感悟延安精神，处级干部进修班学员赴遵义感悟遵义会议精神，在现场教学中锤炼党性；紧扣树立和践行正确政绩观开展专题授课与警示教育，从源头夯实领导干部的思想根基，确保干部教育培训始终沿着正确政治方向推进。

创新教学方式，破解学用脱节难题。区别于传统“满堂灌”式授课，中国电信党校进修班构建理论提升、党性锤炼、企业特色、能力发展、学以致用五条教学主线，贯穿培训全过程。构建“理论提升线”，形成“前测——读书自学——面授精讲——小组研讨——后测——单元作业”闭环，以入学考、单元测、结业考倒逼深学细悟，开展读书日活动，帮助学员进一步读原著、学原文、悟原理。构建“党性锤炼线”，结合“面授精讲——现场教学——廉洁教育——党性分析”，支部生活贯穿全过程，班级管理全面从严。构建“企业特色线”，突出国企办学优势，邀请集团高管讲授发展战略、行业前沿，运用改革实例开展案例式教学。构建“能力发展线”，对标领导干部必备的治企能力，通过多维度的测评与反馈帮助学员成长发展。构建“学以致用线”，以个人论文、小组课题、学员论坛为抓手，围绕国企改革、人工智能等开展课题研究，将优秀调研成果转化为企业发展智库建议。同时，组织学员走进杭州科创企业开展现场教学，把课堂搬到产业一线，真正实现理论学习对接企业发展、能力提升贴合岗位需要。

严抓学风建设，以精细化制度管理保障培训实效。好成效离不开严管理。培训班落实中组部干部学员管理各项规定，着力推动参训干部实现从领导到学员、从工作到学习、从居家到集体生活的“三个转变”。一方面推行积分量化考评，个人考勤、考试成绩、作业质量、小组活动全部量化计分，考勤精确到时段，迟到缺勤、违规使用电子设备等明确扣分标准，考核结果作为优秀学员、优秀论文评选重要依据。另一方面严明培训纪律，落实禁酒、禁烟、禁牌“三禁”规定，细化课堂入校、设备携带、外出报备管理制度。同时依托“临时党支部+轮值”等模式，由学员轮流负责班级日常管理。畅通线上“码上办”诉求反馈渠道，构建组织引领、学员轮值、校方监管的立体化管理体系，从制度上严格培训纪律。

（作者单位：中国电信集团有限公司党组党校）

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To cultivate talents for the Party and to offer counsel for the Party is the unchanged original aspiration of Party schools. The Party School of the CPC Committee of China Telecom Group Co., Ltd. (中国电信集团有限公司党组党校), based on the actual conditions of the cadre contingent in state-owned enterprises and closely following the characteristics of state-owned enterprise development, has innovated the five-line integration (五线合一) teaching model, strictly manages trainees, and solidly improves teaching quality, providing a useful reference for improving the quality and efficiency of education and training for cadres in state-owned enterprises in the new era.

Always adhere to the principle that the Party school is run by the Party, and anchor the political direction of cadre education and training. Party schools in state-owned enterprises must place theoretical education and Party spirit education in the position of main responsibility and main course. The China Telecom Party School strictly implements the requirements of the Regulations on the Work of Party Schools (Academies of Administration) of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党党校（行政学院）工作条例), ensuring that the proportion of courses in Party theoretical education and Party spirit education is not less than 70%, of which Party spirit education class hours exceed 20%. The advanced training class for bureau- and division-level cadres takes studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its theme and main line, sets up courses systematically in six major units, relies on Shanghai's red resources to conduct local on-site teaching, organizes trainees of the bureau-level cadre advanced training class to go to Yan'an to perceive the Yan'an spirit, and organizes trainees of the division-level cadre advanced training class to go to Zunyi to perceive the Zunyi Conference spirit, tempering Party spirit through on-site teaching; closely focusing on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, it carries out special lectures and warning education, consolidates the ideological foundation of leading cadres from the source, and ensures that cadre education and training always advances along the correct political direction.

Innovate teaching methods to solve the problem of disconnection between learning and application. Different from the traditional "full-hall pouring" style of teaching, the China Telecom Party School's advanced training class constructs five teaching main lines — theoretical improvement, Party spirit tempering, enterprise characteristics, capability development, and applying what is learned — running through the entire training process. It constructs a "theoretical improvement line," forming a closed loop of "pre-test, reading self-study, intensive face-to-face lectures, group discussion, post-test, unit assignments," using entrance exams, unit tests, and graduation exams to force deep study and careful understanding, and carries out reading day activities to help trainees further read original works, study original texts, and comprehend principles. It constructs a "Party spirit tempering line," combining "intensive face-to-face lectures, on-site teaching, integrity education, and Party spirit analysis," with Party branch life activities running through the entire process and class management being comprehensively strict. It constructs an "enterprise characteristics line," highlighting the advantages of a state-owned enterprise running a school, inviting group senior executives to teach development strategies and industry frontiers, and using reform examples to conduct case-based teaching. It constructs a "capability development line," benchmarking the management capabilities necessary for leading cadres, helping trainees grow and develop through multi-dimensional assessment and feedback. It constructs an "applying what is learned line," using individual papers, group topics, and trainee forums as starting points, carrying out topic research around state-owned enterprise reform, artificial intelligence, etc., transforming excellent research results into enterprise development think tank recommendations. At the same time, it organizes trainees to go into Hangzhou science and technology innovation enterprises to conduct on-site teaching, moving the classroom to the front line of industry, truly achieving the connection of theoretical learning with enterprise development and the alignment of capability improvement with post needs.

Strictly enforce the construction of academic style, and ensure training effectiveness with refined institutional management. Good results cannot be achieved without strict management. The training class implements various regulations of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on the management of cadre trainees, and strives to promote the "three transformations" of participating cadres: from leader to trainee, from work to study, and from home life to collective life. On the one hand, it implements a quantitative evaluation system based on points; individual attendance, exam scores, assignment quality, and group activities are all quantified and scored; attendance is precise to the time period; clear deduction standards are set for lateness, absenteeism, and unauthorized use of electronic devices; assessment results serve as an important basis for selecting outstanding trainees and outstanding papers. On the other hand, it strictly enforces training discipline, implements the "three prohibitions" regulations of prohibiting alcohol, smoking, and card games, and refines the management systems for entering the school, carrying equipment, and reporting for outings. At the same time, relying on models such as "temporary Party branch + rotating duty," trainees take turns being responsible for the daily management of the class. It smoothes the online "code-based handling" (码上办) channel for feedback on demands, and builds a three-dimensional management system of organizational leadership, trainee rotating duty, and school supervision, strictly enforcing training discipline from the institutional level.

(Author's affiliation: Party School of the CPC Committee of China Telecom Group Co., Ltd.)

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Guiding High-Quality Development of Party Schools with a Correct View of Political Achievements

By: 王筱武

The view on political performance is the "master switch" for Party cadres in governing, planning affairs, and undertaking endeavors. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "What plays a decisive role in establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance is Party spirit." As a "crucible" for leading cadres to temper Party spirit, Party schools must take the lead and set an example in establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance. Party school personnel should consciously integrate the general requirements of "establishing the Party for the public good, seeking benefits for the people, making scientific decisions, and grasping firmly and doing solid work" into the entire process of running the school and administering education, using the correct view on political performance to calibrate value coordinates and lead the high-quality development of Party school undertakings.

Deeply understand the great significance of establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance for the development of Party school undertakings. First, ensure the correct political direction in running the school and administering education. As the Party's political organ and political school, political nature is the primary attribute of Party schools. Establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance is the ideological foundation for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and promoting the high-quality development of Party school undertakings. Deviation in the view on political performance will inevitably lead to deviation in the direction of running the school, ultimately shaking the foundation of Party school operations. Therefore, we must bear in mind that Party schools are for the Party, integrate taking a clear stand on politics into all aspects and the entire process of running the school and administering education, and ensure that Party school operations always maintain the correct political direction.

Second, ensure the constant practice of the original aspiration of Party schools. The unchanging original aspiration of Party schools is "to cultivate talents for the Party and to offer advice for the Party." To measure the political performance of Party school work, we must not simply look at "visible indicators" such as how many classes have been run or how many articles have been published. More importantly, we must look at whether a large number of loyal, clean, and responsible backbone forces have been cultivated for the Party and the state, and whether sound policies and good strategies that have stood the test of practice have been provided for Party committees and governments. Only by establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance can we uphold the original aspiration of Party schools and highlight their unique value.

Third, ensure the long-term development of Party school undertakings. The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a critical period for Party schools to closely follow the development pace of the Party and the state and accelerate the modernization of school operation and administration. Facing new situations and new tasks, only by establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance, properly handling the relationship between "visible performance" and "latent performance," and eliminating the tendency of 急功近利 (jí gōng jìn lì - "eager for quick success and instant benefit, hasty and short-sighted") and the style of impetuousness, boastfulness, and exaggeration, can we guide all faculty and staff to focus on their main responsibilities and main businesses, grasp firmly and do solid work, 久久为功 (jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist for a long time to achieve success," make sustained efforts), and continuously write new chapters in the development of Party school undertakings.

Accurately grasp the practical requirements for Party school work posed by establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance. First, adhere to establishing the Party for the public good, forging the soul of political loyalty. Establishing the Party for the public good is the concentrated embodiment of the principle of Party spirit. Party school personnel must bear in mind the "greatest concerns of the state," act with public-mindedness in all matters, and achieve 大公无私 (dà gōng wú sī - "perfectly selfless, with no thought of self") and a clear distinction between public and private. They must integrate loyalty to the Party into their blood, consciously align and compare themselves with the spirit of the Party Central Committee, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development concept, and ensure that Party schools play an important role in advancing the Party's cause and Party building.

Second, adhere to seeking benefits for the people, and grasp the measure of value pursuit. Seeking benefits for the people is the greatest political performance. What plays a decisive role in establishing and practicing a correct view on political performance is Party spirit. Adhering to the principle that Party schools are for the Party, and bearing in mind the original aspiration of Party schools, requires Party schools to take teaching as the center, cultivate tens of thousands of governing backbones who have the people in their hearts and bear responsibilities on their shoulders; adhere to being guided by the decision-making needs of Party committees and governments, closely focus on people's livelihood concerns, and produce real measures and practical policies to solve people's livelihood problems and promote economic and social development; adhere to "running Party schools with an open door," follow the Party's mass line in the new era, listen to the suggestions of the masses, respond to their concerns, improve their own work, and take firm social responsibility.

Third, adhere to scientific decision-making, and lay the foundation of seeking truth and being pragmatic. Scientific decision-making is the prerequisite. When Party schools plan work and promote reforms, they must proceed from reality, follow the laws of Party school education and the laws of cadre growth. Conduct in-depth investigation and research, ascertain the actual situation, and ensure that the ideas and plans proposed conform to the actual conditions, objective laws, and scientific spirit. Resolutely prevent decision-making by patting the head (i.e., arbitrary decision-making) and blind and reckless action.

Fourth, adhere to grasping firmly and doing solid work, and walk the path of fulfilling duties and responsibilities. Grasping firmly and doing solid work is the key. We must carry forward the spirit of driving nails, achieve practical results with practical efforts, take practical measures, and seek practical effects, and resolutely oppose slogan-style, statement-style, and packaging-style implementation. We must dare to break through, boldly innovate, remove obstacles in systems and mechanisms, propose new ideas and new methods, and use solid work to solve development difficulties and improve work quality and efficiency.

Implement the establishment and practice of a correct view on political performance throughout the entire process of running Party schools and administering education. First, focus on main responsibilities and main businesses, and seek practical results in teaching and training. Adhere to making Party theory education and Party spirit education the main courses and main subjects, closely focus on the implementation of major national strategies and the needs of local central work to do a good job in training for performance of duties. Strengthen the systematic design, high-level supply, and deep-level improvement of cadre education and training, improve the basic training mechanism, perfect the curriculum system, improve the quality of courses, innovate teaching methods and approaches, promote the integration of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into teaching materials, classrooms, and minds, and continuously enhance the Marxist theoretical literacy, Party spirit cultivation, and performance ability of Party cadres.

Second, serve the central overall situation, and offer practical strategies in scientific research and policy consultation. Improve the organized scientific research mechanism, closely focus on major national strategies and the central work of Party committees and governments, carry out forward-looking, targeted, and reserve-oriented policy research, continuously produce high-quality results that serve development and decision-making, and contribute Party school strength to the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. Strengthen departmental consultation, promote system-wide linkage, facilitate the transformation of achievements, and advance the coordinated development of teaching, research, and consultation.

Third, implement the strategy of strengthening the school with talents, and emphasize practice in team building. Gather efforts in introduction, cultivation, management, and utilization, deeply implement the famous teacher project, increase the intensity of introducing high-level talents and cultivating young and middle-aged backbone teachers, improve the mechanisms for professional title evaluation and job appointment, and build a new pattern of team building with a reasonable scale, sufficient reserves, optimized structure, and complete mechanisms. Improve the performance appraisal system, increase the incentive weight of high-quality teaching, research, and decision-making consultation achievements, deepen the application of appraisal results, precisely link appraisal results with promotion, professional title evaluation, salary incentives, and training resources, and deeply stimulate the endogenous motivation of teachers to undertake endeavors and start businesses.

Fourth, adhere to putting strictness first, and achieve practical results in management and service. Continuously improve various work mechanisms, increase the perfection and enforcement of rules and regulations, and comprehensively enhance the efficiency of administrative operations. Regularly carry out Party spirit education, discipline education, warning education, and incorruptibility education, formulate and strictly implement codes of conduct for trainees and faculty and staff, and deeply advance strict governance of the school, strict governance of teaching, and strict governance of learning.

Fifth, establish a systematic concept, and take practical measures in grassroots guidance. Strengthen exchanges and cooperation within the Party school system, guide grassroots Party schools to scientifically and pragmatically carry out categorized construction, and promote the realization of shared resources, co-construction of courses, shared topics, joint cultivation of talents, co-hosting of training, and joint creation of first-class undertakings. Continuously promote relatively unified school-running standards within the Party school system, overall improvement of teaching quality, and complementary development of characteristic advantages.

Sixth, temper the original aspiration and mission, and create real achievements in career development. Every Party school member must deeply understand the lofty significance of Party school work, and shoulder the lofty mission of "cultivating talents for the Party and offering advice for the Party." Devote oneself to study, be willing to be a "paving stone," be willing to be a "human ladder," and strengthen the sense of responsibility that "success need not be in my tenure, but success must have my contribution." Enhance the awareness of competition, innovation, pioneering, and hard work, and use excellent work style to implement tasks, solve difficulties, and promote development. Strive to ensure that every task handled is implemented, every trainee cultivated becomes a talent, every research topic is useful, and create extraordinary achievements in ordinary posts.

(The author is the Deputy Director in charge of daily work of the Wuhan Municipal Party School of the CPC (武汉市委党校))

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Play the Combination of Moves to Transform the Advantages of Party Schools in State-Owned Enterprises

By: 洪雄

State-owned enterprise party schools are the main channel for education and training of cadres and party members of state-owned enterprises, and an important stronghold for the party’s ideological and theoretical construction. State-owned enterprise party schools possess both the political advantages of ordinary party schools in theoretical education and party spirit education, and the practical advantages of being close to enterprise realities, tightly linked to the industrial frontier, and deeply rooted in the grassroots frontline. The core of improving the quality of running state-owned enterprise party schools lies in enhancing the pertinence and effectiveness of education and training, linking together the party’s theoretical education, party spirit education, and performance capacity training, and striving to transform the advantages of running state-owned enterprise party schools into advantages for cadre team building and advantages for enterprise reform and development.

Use theoretical armament to build a solid ideological foundation. Party schools are established because of the party; party schools belong to the party; this is the fundamental principle of party school work. Firmness in politics stems from sobriety in theory; the elevation of political capacity cannot be separated from systematic and in-depth theoretical study. State-owned enterprise party schools must take studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary political task, take the party’s theoretical education and party spirit education as the main business and main course, carry out tiered and categorized thematic training, and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of the study and education of the party’s innovative theory. Pay attention to extending theoretical armament to the grassroots, organize propaganda forces to go deep into factories, mines, workshops, and work teams, carry out targeted and segmented publicity and interpretation, promote the party’s innovative theory to enter the brain and enter the heart, and continuously consolidate the ideological foundation of party members and cadres for undertaking work and starting enterprises. Persist in integrating party constitution, party regulations, party discipline education, and work style education with the practice of state-owned enterprise reform and development, guide party members and cadres to continuously improve political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, and implement the profound understanding of the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments” (两个确立) and the firm achievement of the “Two Upholds” (两个维护) throughout the entire process of running the school and governing the institution and fulfilling duties and responsibilities. At the same time, strengthen grassroots party affairs backbone training in light of enterprise realities, continuously cultivate a 风清气正 (fēng qīng qì zhèng – “wind clear, air righteous,” clean and upright political environment) political ecosystem, and serve high-quality enterprise development with high-quality cadre education and training.

Use precise training to improve training quality. The key to improving the quality of running state-owned enterprise party schools lies in continuously deepening research on the laws of party school education and the laws of cadre growth, establishing reform and innovation on the basis of main responsibilities and main businesses, and unifying open school-running, teaching reform, and digital construction into serving the overall situation of enterprise reform and development. Adhering to open school-running is an important path for integrating high-quality resources and improving school-running quality. It is necessary to improve the normalized cooperation mechanism with superior party schools, universities, research institutes, and industry training institutions, carry out thematic seminars, joint lesson preparation, and collaborative research on key tasks such as deepening and upgrading SOE reform, scientific and technological innovation, safety production, and risk prevention and control, promote the organic integration of external high-quality resources with enterprise practice scenarios, and form a training chain that links demand research, project design, joint teaching, and effect evaluation. Deepening teaching reform must highlight the dominant position of the party’s theoretical education, party spirit education, and performance capacity training in the curriculum system. Set up courses comprehensively according to the three modules of “theoretical education, party spirit education, performance capacity training”, and develop basic courses, specialized courses, and practical courses in a categorized manner for cadres at different levels and different positions. Promote the mutual integration of policy interpretation, typical cases, post practice, and investigation and research, so that trainees come with problems and return with methods. Promoting digital construction focuses on expanding training coverage and improving training effectiveness, and must not stop at platform stacking. Rely on the “Smart Party Building” (智慧党建) platform to improve functions such as online party schools, course resource libraries, learning archives, online tests, and training management, implement a model combining centralized training with daily self-study, live broadcast teaching with recorded playback review, and unified courses with post-selected learning. Through digital construction, optimize and reorganize training processes, make training resources more conveniently reach the grassroots frontline, solve practical problems such as uneven distribution and insufficient coverage of grassroots cadre education and training resources, and channel learning data into training evaluation and achievement transformation links.

Use standardized management to guarantee training effectiveness. Strictly governing the school is the basic policy for running party schools, and also an important guarantee for improving the quality of cadre education and training. Align with the requirements of the “Regulations on the Work of Party Schools (Administrative Academies) of the Communist Party of China”, establish a whole-process management mechanism for education and training, improve system rules, strictly select training targets, standardize teaching implementation, and strictly control quality gates. Implement full-process recording and evaluation of training, conduct dynamic tracking of the training process and outcomes, promote a two-way evaluation model combining theoretical study and assessment, link training effects with cadre assessment and selection, continuously strictly enforce training discipline, and cultivate a good academic atmosphere. Strictly implement relevant regulations on the construction of party school teacher teams, implement the principle of combining full-time and part-time, continuously strengthen the political quality and professional ability of party school teachers. Deeply implement the famous teacher project, improve teacher selection and training mechanisms, strengthen the cultivation and practical training of young teachers, hire leading cadres and experts with good political quality and rich practical experience as part-time teachers, strive to build a teaching team with strong politics, firm convictions, refined professional skills, and good style, to provide solid support for high-quality cadre education and training. At the same time, adhere to full coverage of training, sink high-quality training resources to the grassroots and extend them to posts, promote normalization of education and training and full-staff training, forming a long-term mechanism for the development of party school operation.

Use achievement transformation to serve the overall development situation. Adhere to taking serving the reform and development of state-owned enterprises as the starting point, closely focus on the key points of SOE party building and development, fully utilize the main channel role of party schools in cadre education and training and the function of decision-making consultation. Promote the Marxist style of study that links theory with practice, focus on strengthening theoretical armament, enhancing party spirit cultivation, and increasing performance capabilities, base on the main line of enterprise reform, carry out training around key areas such as industrial structure adjustment, scientific and technological innovation, and safety production, and effectively transform learning outcomes into the ability to promote high-quality development of enterprises. Through integrating online learning with offline practice, on-campus training with on-site teaching, and other methods, create a multi-level training system. Adhere to a problem-oriented approach, scientifically set course content, continuously optimize training models, strengthen school-enterprise cooperation, encourage cadres to go deep into the frontline for investigation and research, combine theoretical study with post practice, promote timely reflection and resolution of work problems. Promote cadre capacity improvement through high-quality party school construction, transform the party’s political advantages into development advantages, provide strong organizational guarantees and talent support for promoting the reform and development of state-owned enterprises. Extend the end point of training to the work site, through follow-up visits, effect evaluation, and other methods, promote the transformation of learning outcomes into practical results, truly achieve 学以致用 (xué yǐ zhì yòng – “learn to apply,” to put learning into practice), and use application to promote learning, so that the advantages of running party schools are fully tested in the effectiveness of high-quality enterprise development.

(The author is the Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Party Committee and Executive Vice Principal of the Party School of China Pingmei Shenma Group (中国平煤神马集团).)

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Promote integrated development of city and county Party schools through full-region coordination

By: 葛斐

The General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China's "Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of County-Level Party Schools (Administrative Schools)" requires that higher-level party schools (administrative colleges) strengthen their professional guidance efforts and enhance the co-construction and sharing of high-quality resources between the city and county levels. In recent years, the Party School of the Shaoxing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China in Zhejiang Province has, based on the systematic thinking of "full-region coordination, integrated advance (全域协同、一体共进)", strengthened top-level design, promoted resource interchange, complementary advantages, and achievement sharing among party schools at all levels in the city in areas such as teaching, research, and policy advisory, and explored a practical path for systematically promoting the integrated high-quality development of city and county party schools.

Strengthen top-level design and enhance the effectiveness of professional guidance. Build an organizational system and working mechanism that is connected from top to bottom and executed with strength. On the one hand, clarify the development direction of integrated advance. Issue implementation opinions on the integrated advance of the city's party schools to promote high-quality development, break the traditional simple stacking of "1 municipal party school + 6 county-level party schools," strengthen the concept that "7 party schools are 1 organic whole," focus on the 四个一体化 (sì gè yītǐ huà - "four integrations") of teaching and training, research and policy advisory, faculty team, and management services, unify planning and promote simultaneously, and build a new pattern of high-quality development of the city's party schools characterized by 特质优势彰显、资源禀赋贯通、一体共进跃升 (tè zhì yōu shì zhāng xiǎn, zī yuán bǐng fù guàn tōng, yī tǐ gòng jìn yuè shēng - "manifestation of characteristic advantages, connection of resource endowments, and leapfrog of integrated advance"). On the other hand, strengthen the organizational guarantee for coordination and linkage. The municipal party school plays the role of the "main engine" of integrated advance, implements a "1+5" long-term liaison mechanism for members of the school committee leadership, with each school committee leadership member designated to contact one county-level party school, and uses a "5 ones (五个一)" annual responsibility list as a grip to strengthen normalized and precise guidance. Establish and improve the joint meeting system of the city's party schools, implement simultaneous transmission of major decisions, simultaneous implementation of political requirements, and simultaneous deployment of important tasks, transform the overall concept of "7 is 1 (7即1)" into the organizational support for coordination and linkage, and promote party schools at all levels in the city to resonate at the same frequency and exert force in the same direction.

Deeply cultivate main responsibilities and main businesses, enhance the quality and effectiveness of basic training. Promote the co-construction and sharing of teaching resources. On the one hand, ensure the scientific standardization of basic training. Formulate a series of systems to comprehensively make basic training solid and excellent, increase the coordination of county-level party schools' training classes, courses, faculty, etc., and, around the requirements of "5-year full coverage (5年全覆盖)" and the training hour indicators for party members and cadres, push party members and cadres to enter party schools for training in batches by stages. In 2025, the city's party schools held a total of 214 basic training classes, training 16,900 trainees. On the other hand, optimize the teaching resource supply system. Formulate implementation plans for the development and cultivation of the city's basic courses, characteristic courses, and high-quality courses, and advance the construction of the course system as a whole. Innovatively implement the collaborative development, use, and cultivation mechanism of basic courses for city and county party schools, including joint course research, co-teaching of the same course, and joint cultivation of high-quality courses, and build a "four-in-one (四位一体)" sharing system of courses, faculty, textbooks, and on-site teaching points, effectively solving the difficulties in developing basic courses at county-level party schools. Over the past two years, more than 20 local characteristic case courses have been jointly developed by the city and counties, entering the municipal party school class schedule more than 40 times. Taking the city's party school high-quality course incubation training camp as a grip, strengthen the cultivation of high-quality courses; one city-county cooperative course was rated as an "Selected Course" in the National College of Socialism Good Course Joint Evaluation and Exhibition activity, and two city-county cooperative courses were selected as provincial good courses for cadre education and training. The city's party schools have compiled and published 14 local textbooks in total, built a matrix of on-site teaching points for 循迹溯源学思想促践行 (xún jì sù yuán xué sī xiǎng cù jiàn xíng - "follow the tracks, trace the origins, learn the thought, promote practice"), and built more than 10 provincial-level demonstration teaching bases.

Consolidate the foundation of scientific research, strengthen support for serving the overall situation. Strengthen the organized coordination and precise service of scientific research activities. On the one hand, use research projects as a traction to strengthen the joint research of results. Take school-level research projects as a grip, mobilize the scientific research strength of the city's party schools, cooperate in research project collaboration, submission of policy advisory results, etc., to jointly create high-quality results with Shaoxing recognition. Over the past two years, teachers from city and county party schools have cooperated to complete 27 school-level special projects integrating teaching, research, and policy advisory, cooperatively published 15 policy advisory results on various platforms at all levels, received 1 affirmative instruction from provincial leaders and 8 affirmative instructions from main municipal leaders. On the other hand, use platforms as carriers to strengthen academic exchanges. Fully leverage the aggregation role of platforms such as the city's party school large academic groups, teaching and research innovation teams, and national project breakthrough groups, and carry out academic exchanges and grassroots research through city-county linkage. Actively host academic exchange activities such as the national symposium on "Urban Governance and the Fengqiao Experience (枫桥经验) in the New Era", realizing that high-end academic resources are "hosted by one place, shared by the whole city". Closely align with the central work of the party committee and government, jointly conduct immersive and follow-up research, laying a solid foundation for the stable output of high-quality teaching, research, and policy advisory results.

Build a strong talent team, release the momentum of coordinated development. Construct an open, flowing, co-cultivated and shared talent introduction and cultivation mechanism, cultivate a good talent ecology, and stimulate talent development vitality. On the one hand, construct a shared talent introduction mechanism. Innovate by using talents to attract talents, expand the source of talent introduction, dynamically establish a high-level talent information database, and explore joint recruitment by city and county party schools; improve the expert resource database, flexibly introduce well-known experts from inside and outside the system to participate in teaching, research, and policy advisory activities, forming an open and collaborative talent development pattern. County-level party schools have successfully broken through the bottleneck of introducing doctoral talents, introducing 4 doctors, and the city's party schools have formed a considerable team of visiting professors and think tank experts. On the other hand, optimize the co-cultivation talent empowerment platform. Institutionalize the two-way study and exercise of outstanding teachers from city and county party schools, jointly recommend outstanding teachers from the city's party schools to visit and study at higher-level party schools, and innovatively carry out cross-school 师徒结对 (shī tú jié duì - "master-apprentice pairing"). Over the past two years, the city and county party schools have cumulatively exchanged 10 outstanding teachers to carry out teaching assistance and guidance and job shadowing, and carried out 2 pairs of master-apprentice pairing, achieving a transformation from normalized professional guidance to embedded interactive help and promotion. Hold an annual city-wide party school teacher capacity improvement training class, invite well-known national experts and scholars to provide professional guidance, and have held more than 60 sessions over the past two years, helping county-level party school teachers rapidly improve their teaching, research, and policy advisory capabilities.

(The author is the Education Director of the Party School of the Shaoxing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zhejiang Province)

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Enhancing the Effectiveness of Party Spirit Education through Experiential Teaching

By: 李佳璠

Party spirit education (党性教育) is an important component of cadre education and training. The newly revised Regulations on the Work of the Party Schools (Academies of Governance) of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党党校（行政学院）工作条例) clearly states that Party school (academy of governance) teaching should highlight the principal and primary course status of Party theory education and party spirit education, and strengthen training in performance capabilities. In recent years, the Yunnan Yangshandang Cadre Academy (云南杨善洲干部学院) has relied on experiential teaching, moving classrooms into the mountains and integrating teaching into practice, allowing trainees to deeply comprehend party spirit through "seeing with their own eyes, hearing with their own ears, doing with their own hands, and realizing with their own bodies" (亲眼看、亲耳听、亲手做、亲身悟), thereby enhancing educational effectiveness.

Deeply excavate red resources, construct realistic-scenario experience classrooms. First, intensively cultivate core on-site points. Relying on the Shanzhou Forest Farm (善洲林场) as a "natural classroom," carefully build multiple core on-site experience points such as the old hut, the old farm headquarters, and the deeds exhibition hall, enabling trainees to deeply understand Yang Shanzhou's (杨善洲) entrepreneurial process of afforestation under extremely harsh conditions and to profoundly comprehend his clean and honest nature. Second, expand the full-region teaching loop. Closely following the requirements of study and education on establishing and practicing the correct view on performance (正确政绩观), extend the teaching reach to counties and districts such as Tengchong (腾冲), Longyang (隆阳), and Shidian (施甸), linking red teaching points such as the Shuichang Township Rice Mother Base (水长乡稻母基地) to form an "patriotism education" (爱国主义教育) loop and a "correct view on performance" characteristic teaching route covering Baoshan City, connecting points into lines, providing a broad realistic-scenario space for conducting experiential teaching.

Innovate teaching models, create a three-dimensional teaching closed loop. First, develop teaching modules. Develop the "Recalling Shanzhou · Thinking of the Virtuous and Aligning with Them" (忆善洲·思贤齐) interview-style teaching and a series of music Party lessons on the "correct view on performance." On-site, invite Yang Shanzhou's relatives and colleagues to recount in detail stories such as "the old secretary's walking stick" and "a hoe." In addition, develop scenario-based teaching lessons such as "The Power of Faith," "Great Love," and "Relay." Second, innovate teaching segments. Highlight the key points of experiential teaching, design a series of "Being a Forest Farm Person for a Day" experience activities: organize trainees to split firewood, light fires, pick tea leaves, and process tea, experiencing the difficulty of pioneering through labor and realizing the dedicated spirit of 前人栽树、后人乘凉 (qián rén zāi shù, hòu rén chéng liáng - "the predecessors plant trees, the later generations enjoy the shade," a metaphor for benefiting from the labor of predecessors); hold "fireside meetings" (火塘会议), gathering around the fire for evening talks in the hut classroom without walls, reliving the mass line. Third, improve teaching effectiveness. After each experience, immediately conduct "micro-forums" (微论坛) and "reflection evening talks," guiding trainees to elevate emotional impressions into rational thinking and examine their own gaps in purpose consciousness and work style.

Perfect the teaching system, promote standardized and long-term development. First, promote the integration of teaching models. Insist on deeply integrating experiential teaching with thematic lectures and interactive discussions, forming a complete teaching chain of "on-site experience leading the way — thematic lectures resolving doubts — interactive discussions elevating." Second, promote the development of specialized courses. Addressing issues such as political virtue (政德) and public servant consciousness, develop specialized courses such as "The Connotation and Contemporary Value of the Yangshandang Spirit (杨善洲精神)" and "Establishing and Practicing the Correct View on Performance, Becoming a Good Party Member and Good Cadre of the Yangshandang Type." Third, promote teaching standardization and quality improvement. Formulate and improve the Management Measures for On-site Teaching Points (现场教学点管理办法) and experiential teaching process standards, ensuring that experiential teaching is carried out rigorously and in an orderly manner. Explore extending experiential teaching to Party affairs work simulations, conducting simulated exercises such as organizational life meetings in realistic settings, allowing trainees to master standards and temper abilities through "doing."

Strengthen tracking and feedback, promote the transformation of learning into application. First, perfect the quality evaluation closed loop. Build a smart educational affairs system, collect trainees' real-time scores and opinions on all teaching segments, regularly analyze experiential teaching data, and dynamically optimize teaching modules and processes based on feedback. Second, establish a post-training practice tracking mechanism. Guide trainees to formulate specific action plans for establishing and practicing the correct view on performance before returning to their posts, regularly collect cases of learning-application transformation, compile them into booklets, and organize exchanges, promoting the transformation of learning experiences into conscious action. Let experiential teaching deepen into a practical cultivation system for establishing and practicing the correct view on performance, continuously building a party spirit education practice high ground based in Yunnan and radiating nationwide.

(Author unit: Yunnan Yangshandang Cadre Academy)

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Emphasize Enhancing Strategic Thinking Capability

By: 杨春贵

Our Party has always attached importance to strategic thinking. General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “Strategic issues are fundamental issues for a political party and a country. If strategic judgments are accurate, strategic planning is scientific, and strategic initiative is gained, the cause of the Party and the people will have great hope.” In the more than one hundred years of struggle since the founding of the Party, our Party has accumulated rich experience in strategic thinking, and has formed and developed the Marxist strategic thinking theory and method with the characteristics of Chinese Communists. This is an extremely valuable political and spiritual asset. For this asset, we must doubly cherish it, earnestly study it, and carry it forward in new practice, strive to enhance the consciousness of strategic thinking, scientifically grasp the theory and method of strategic thinking, effectively improve strategic thinking ability, and continuously grow strategic wisdom.

Strategic thinking is holistic thinking about practical activities. Its essence is to achieve the best overall and long-term effect of practice, i.e., the best holistic effect, by correctly handling the relationships among various aspects and stages in practical activities. In popular terms, strategic thinking tells people how to do holistic work well.

One must have holistic planning for work, and must not fall into routinism. The ancients said, “One who does not plan for the whole is inadequate to plan for a part; one who does not plan for the long term is inadequate to plan for the moment.” A military man who ignores the overall situation, even if he can capture one city or one area, or even several cities or several areas, will ultimately inevitably be completely defeated, just as a chess player who ignores the overall situation, even if he can capture one piece or one point, or even several pieces or several points, will ultimately inevitably lose the entire game. So-called holistic planning means being good at thinking, especially good at thinking in three aspects.

First, be good at elevating specific issues to principles for thinking, do not discuss phenomena on the level of phenomena alone. Phenomena are endless; even if you do not sleep day and night, you cannot discuss them all or grasp them all. Moreover, discussing phenomena as phenomena may easily “prop up the east and topple the west,” 挂一漏万 (guà yī lòu wàn - “hang one, omit ten thousand,” to be incomplete). If one elevates phenomena to essence, to laws, to principles, the situation is very different. Faced with the numerous and complex problems of the contemporary world, Deng Xiaoping said, they are nothing but the problem of peace and the problem of development. The peace problem is the East-West problem, the development problem is the North-South problem, summed up as the “East-West-North-South” problem. Four characters grasp the root, grasp the whole. After the end of the “Cultural Revolution,” problems piled up like mountains, work was tangled in a thousand threads; how to grasp it? Deng Xiaoping first grasped the 拨乱反正 (bō luàn fǎn zhèng - “clear up chaos and return to order,” to set things right) of the ideological line, then promoted rectification on all fronts, establishing the basic line of “one center, two basic points”; in this way, he grasped the overall situation. The third generation of the Party’s central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core, combining China’s new development at the turn of the century and the world’s new changes, put forward the twelve major relationships to be correctly handled in socialist modernization and the important thought of “Three Represents,” grasping the overall situation of reform, development, and stability and the overall situation of Party building. Entering the 21st century, the problems China faced were also very complex, such as resource and environmental issues, the wealth gap, unbalanced development, anti-corruption, education, healthcare, social security, public order, lack of credibility, and so on. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary elevated these problems to principles for analysis, finally summing them up as nothing but eight big characters: the issues of “scientific development” and “social harmony.” Grasping these eight characters grasps the root, grasps the whole. China’s development has entered the decisive stage of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, reform has entered the critical stage of comprehensive deepening. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core put forward the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout, namely comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively governing the country according to law, and comprehensively strictly governing the Party. The four aspects are coordinated and advanced, including both development goals and the driving mechanism, legal guarantee, and political guarantee of development, reflecting the unity of goals and measures, comprehensiveness and key points. So-called elevating to principles for thinking, in the final analysis, means thinking about work in terms of laws.

Second, be good at placing partial problems within the whole for thinking, do not 只见树木、不见森林 (zhǐ jiàn shù mù, bù jiàn sēn lín - “see only the trees, not the forest,” focus on details while missing the big picture). The world is universally connected; nothing exists in absolute isolation. We must learn to 统筹兼顾 (tǒng chóu jiān gù - “overall planning and all-round consideration,” take all factors into account). Today, with socio-economic components, organizational forms, interest distribution, employment methods, etc., becoming more and more diversified, overall planning and all-round consideration become even more important. Only with overall planning and all-round consideration can there be scientific development, fairness and justice, social harmony, and can the enthusiasm of all sides be mobilized most extensively. So-called holistic thinking is systematic thinking, thinking in universal connections. Do not view problems in isolation, do not do piecemeal work, do not 攻其一点，不及其余 (gōng qí yī diǎn, bù jí qí yú - “attack one point without regard for the rest,” focus on one aspect to the exclusion of others). When talking about ecological construction, General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “Mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, and lakes are a life community. The lifeline of people is in farmland, the lifeline of farmland is in water, the lifeline of water is in mountains, the lifeline of mountains is in soil, the lifeline of soil is in trees. Use control and ecological restoration must follow natural laws. If tree planters only care about planting trees, water managers only care about managing water, farmland protectors only care about protecting farmland, it is very easy to 顾此失彼 (gù cǐ shī bǐ - “attend to one thing and lose sight of another,” fail to manage all aspects), ultimately causing systemic damage to the ecology.” When talking about comprehensively deepening reform, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to “strengthen research on the interconnectedness, systematics, and feasibility of various reforms” and “Reforms in the fields of economy, politics, culture, society, ecological civilization, and Party building are closely linked and interwoven. Reform in any field will affect other fields and also needs close coordination with reforms in other fields. If reforms in various fields are not coordinated, and reform measures in various aspects pull against each other, comprehensively deepening reform will be difficult to advance. Even if forcefully advanced, the effect will be greatly diminished.”

Third, be good at placing current problems within the process for thinking, do not be 急功近利 (jí gōng jìn lì - “eager for quick success and instant benefit,” seek short-term gains), do not be 鼠目寸光 (shǔ mù cùn guāng - “mouse eyes see only an inch of light,” shortsighted). Things must be seen farther. So-called 远见卓识 (yuǎn jiàn zhuó shí - “far sight and outstanding insight,” farsighted and insightful) — only with farsightedness can there be insight; without farsightedness, how can there be insight! Marx’s conclusion of the “two inevitables” is farsightedness and insight. Mao Zedong’s prediction that “a single spark can start a prairie fire” is farsightedness and insight. Deng Xiaoping said: “Some countries have experienced serious twists and turns, socialism seems to have been weakened, but the people have undergone tempering and drawn lessons from them, which will promote socialism to develop in a healthier direction. Therefore, do not panic, do not think that Marxism has disappeared, is useless, has failed. How could that be!” This is also farsightedness and insight. Jiang Zemin said: “We must not only arrange current development well, but also think for future generations. We must never eat the meal of ancestors and cut off the road of descendants, taking the path of wasting resources and polluting first, cleaning up later.” Hu Jintao said: “We cannot exchange short-term economic growth at the cost of the environment, cannot harm long-term interests for immediate development, cannot harm overall interests for partial development.” All these are called farsightedness and insight. This kind of thinking is forward-looking thinking. General Secretary Xi Jinping said, “We must enhance political ability, be good at thinking about problems, making decisions, and handling affairs from the standpoint of the Party and the people, from the overall work of the Party and the state. Be good at grasping the regularity of things from complex problems, discovering the trend of things from budding problems, and recognizing the inevitability of things from accidental problems.”

In short, strategic thinking requires us to attach importance to thinking about regularity, systematics, and foresight in work, to attach importance to thinking about big issues and planning for the whole, and to strive to be 高瞻远瞩 (gāo zhān yuǎn zhǔ - “stand high and see far,” farsighted). Thus, we must oppose routinism. So-called routinism means lacking holistic planning for work, being busy all day with specific affairs, busy with mountains of documents and seas of meetings, busy with receiving and seeing off guests, not distinguishing priorities in work, treating the head when the head aches and treating the foot when the foot hurts, managing many things that should not be managed, cannot be managed well, or cannot be managed at all, resulting in picking up sesame seeds but losing the watermelon. This makes it difficult to achieve great things.

Now there is a popular saying, called “details determine success or failure.” We must have a correct understanding of this saying. We must prevent routinism, prevent 日计有余、岁计不足 (rì jì yǒu yú, suì jì bù zú - “daily calculations have surplus, yearly calculations are insufficient,” focus on short-term gains while neglecting long-term). Of course we should value details. Mao Zedong said, work must be done meticulously, not 粗枝大叶 (cū zhī dà yè - “thick branches and big leaves,” crude and careless). But we cannot one-sidedly exaggerate the role of details, cannot unconditionally say that details determine everything. If there is a problem in strategy, details have no meaning, or only the opposite meaning, just as 南其辕而北其辙 (nán qí yuán ér běi qí zhé - “its shafts point south but its tracks go north,” actions contradict goals). The finer the details, the worse the result. We cannot direct people’s attention to details without analysis. For leaders and managers, the first priority is strategy. Detail errors are always difficult to completely avoid; it can be said they are made almost every day. But strategic errors should not be made even once, because one strategic error will lead to the complete destruction of the entire army, the utter defeat of an enterprise, and the overall failure of work. Mao Zedong said: “The most important thing for a person commanding the overall situation is to place his attention on taking care of the overall situation of the war. … If he abandons this and busies himself with secondary issues, he will inevitably suffer losses.” Deng Xiaoping said: “Whether about the present or the future, what I say is not from a small angle, but from the overall situation.” Chen Yun advocated “pacing with measured steps,” saying: “Among old merchants in the past, there was a kind who wore a melon-skin cap and held a water pipe, and they specialized in considering ‘strategic issues,’ such as what goods were in short supply and when to stock what goods. The managers of our county stores are busy to death all day and still have to do accounts until midnight, and when goods are needed, they burn the midnight oil to improvise. It seems that our county stores should also have people who pace with measured steps and specialize in considering ‘strategic issues.’” All these emphasize that one must have holistic planning for work.

The essential requirement of strategic thinking is to focus on the overall situation in everything, that is, to take the overall situation as the starting point and end point for considering all problems, to take the overall interest as the highest value pursuit, and on major principled issues concerning the overall situation, always maintain strategic resolve, keep a clear head, a firm stance, and a clear-cut position.

(The author is a former vice president of the Central Party School)

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The Wisdom of Tao Yuanming's Life

By: 张立敏

Tao Yuanming is a poet of profound influence in the history of Chinese literature. He founded the pastoral poetry school (田园诗派 – tián yuán shī pài, pastoral poetry school), opening up a new domain for the development of Chinese poetry; he is the first reclusive poet in the history of Chinese literature; he inherited the plain and natural poetic style of the Jian'an period at the end of the Han dynasty and elevated it to an unprecedented height; the earthly paradise he imagined became the spiritual homeland of the ancients.

Tao Yuanming, given name Qian, courtesy name Yuanliang, and self-styled Master Five Willows. His great-grandfather Tao Kan (陶侃) once served as Grand Marshal of the Eastern Jin, and his grandfather served as a Grand Administrator, but he lost his father in childhood, and the family fortunes declined. Tao Yuanming lived from the end of the Eastern Jin to the beginning of the Liu Song dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, a period that coincided with the dynastic transition from Jin to Song, featuring complex political circumstances and social upheaval. His life experience was quite fraught; he held official posts five times in his life, ultimately resigning from office and returning to the countryside, where he found a path in life that suited his natural disposition, interests, talents, and strengths—a life of poetry, books, plowing, and reading.

Resigning from office and retreating into seclusion was the most important choice in Tao Yuanming's life. According to the Jin Shu (Book of Jin), Biography of Tao Qian, in the first year of the Yixi reign of Emperor An of Jin (405 AD), at age 41, Tao Yuanming, persuaded by a friend, took the post of magistrate of Pengze County (彭泽县) – this was his last time in office. After 81 days in the post, Xunyang Commandery dispatched a supervisor to Pengze County for inspection; this supervisor was notorious for being fierce and corrupt, often extorting bribes from the counties under his jurisdiction. The county clerk reminded Tao Yuanming that when meeting the supervisor he should dress neatly and fasten his sash to show respect. Tao Yuanming had always despised the powerful and refused to 趋炎附势 (qū yán fù shì – "hasten to the flame, attach to the powerful," toady to those in power and fawn on the influential). He loudly declared, "How could I bow my waist to a village petty man for five bushels of rice!" Immediately he resigned and went into seclusion.

This story is recorded in historical texts, vividly recreating the scene of Tao Yuanming's resignation and sculpting his distinct image of not toadying to the powerful and of proud, unbending integrity. On the surface, Tao Yuanming's resignation seemed to be triggered by the accidental event of a superior official's inspection, but in fact his reclusion had a deeper motivation. Before serving as Pengze county magistrate, Tao Yuanming had already had four experiences in office. His first official post was as Libationer of Jiangzhou (江州), from which he soon resigned; the second was joining the military staff of Huan Xuan (桓玄), later resigning due to his mother's death in accordance with ritual to observe mourning; the third was responding to a summons to join the staff of Liu Yu (刘裕) as a military aide, which he resigned after a short tenure; the fourth was as aide to General of Established Might Liu Jingxuan (刘敬宣), who was forced out due to political infighting, and Tao Yuanming returned home with him. In traditional ancient society, "he who excels in learning can be an official" (学而优则仕 – xué ér yōu zé shì, "learning well then becoming an official," the idea that academic excellence leads to officialdom); engaging in government was an important means to realize one's ideals and personal value. Tao Yuanming was deeply influenced by Confucian thought from childhood: "In youth I seldom mixed with men, / My pleasures were in the Six Classics." He studied the Confucian classics from childhood and "heard the Way as a child," and even as a youth he had great aspirations. "I recall my young and vigorous days, / I had no cares but was light-hearted. / My fierce ambition soared across the four seas, / Spreading wings I longed to fly far." These lines fully reveal his optimism, confidence, and lofty aspirations in youth, and his desire to spread his wings and achieve great things like an eagle. It was precisely with these grand ambitions that he chose government service at the beginning of his life, which was also the conventional path for scholars deeply influenced by Confucian thought in that era.

His five experiences in government were not a sign of disgust with officialdom; quite the opposite, they embodied his persistent pursuit of realizing personal value through official service. However, in feudal society, being an official required handling complex interpersonal relationships and responding to complex social phenomena, especially in the turbulent times in which he lived. By nature he loved tranquility and had a fondness for literature and art: "In my youth I studied the lute and books, and sometimes loved quiet and leisure; when I opened a book and found something, I would happily forget to eat. Seeing trees intertwine their shade and the birds' songs change with the season, I also felt joyful and delighted." He loved natural landscapes and valued spiritual life. Compared with handling public affairs, his talents and strengths were more manifested in moral cultivation, poetry, and music, especially poetic creation. After five stints in office, he finally clearly realized that government service was not suited to him. Hence in his poem "Returning to Dwell in Fields and Gardens," he wrote profoundly: "In youth I was out of tune with the common world, / My nature by nature loved the hills and mountains. / By mistake I fell into the dusty net, / And was gone for thirty years. / The caged bird longs for its old forest, / The pond fish yearns for its former deeps." This makes clear that his resignation and reclusion were dictated by his nature—by the gap between him and worldly life and his love for natural landscapes.

In ancient times, compared with intellectuals, farmers engaged in physical labor had a relatively low social status. As early as the pre-Qin period, there were views such as "the superior man works with his mind, the petty man works with his strength" and "those who work with their minds rule others; those who work with their strength are ruled by others." In Tao Yuanming's time, a scholar returning home to farm could be said to be unprecedented. On the surface, he seemed to have abandoned officialdom and chosen hard labor. "To be cultivated by others was never my hope; / What I engage in is farming and mulberry." This completely overturned the traditional scholar's value system, showing his determination to engage in farming and his inner equanimity. Yet Tao Yuanming's life plan was not simply to become a farmer; rather, it was "Now that I have plowed and sown, / From time to time I read my books." While farming, he gave play to his own strengths, strengthened his moral cultivation, and engaged in poetic creation, embarking on a new path in life—the path of the reclusive poet. Hence he was praised by Zhong Rong (钟嵘) of the Southern Dynasties as "the ancestor of reclusive poets past and present."

Tao Yuanming's life was composed, free and easy, not trapped by difficulties, fully embodying his life wisdom, and his optimistic attitude toward life was also deeply praised by many later scholars.

First, optimism and self-confidence. Besides having great ambition and aspirations, Tao Yuanming was by nature optimistic and self-confident. In his poems he wrote: "Quietly I think how good the gardens are; / This human world can indeed be left behind." He loved life at all times and always maintained an open-minded attitude when facing difficulties. "Ride the waves in the great transformation, / Neither pleased nor afraid. / When it's time to end, let it end; / No need for much worry." This reflects his composed attitude toward life. "I sow beans beneath the southern hill; / Grass grows thick, bean seedlings are sparse. / I rise at dawn to clear the weeds, / And return with the moon, carrying my hoe." This depicts his scene when facing overgrown weeds and sparse bean seedlings—he calmly accepts the difficulty and works hard, without any trace of sorrow or anxiety.

Second, valuing moral cultivation. Chinese Confucian thought emphasizes self-cultivation, as the Great Learning says: "From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must take self-cultivation as the root." Tao Yuanming studied the Confucian classics from childhood, always believed in Confucian thought, and even in his later reclusive life he never forgot Confucian teachings. He said, "The Master's bequeathed instructions—how could I let them fall?" and "The Master left a behest: worry about the Way, not about poverty." It was under the influence of Confucian thought that he continuously improved his personal cultivation, forming the idea of 安贫乐道 (ān pín lè dào – "content in poverty and joyful in the Way," to be content with poverty and delight in the Way) and putting it into practice. After choosing rural life, he did not consider farming a hardship, but often encouraged peasants to farm actively: "Holding the plow, I delight in the season's tasks; / With a smile I urge the farmers on." This expresses his heartfelt love for the farming life.

Third, thirst for knowledge. Tao Yuanming was a lifelong practitioner of reading and learning. In texts such as his "Self-Elegy" and "Biography of Master Five Willows," he mentions, "Spring and autumn pass in turn; / There are tasks in the central garden. / Now weeding, now covering seeds; / So we nurture and multiply. / I take joy in plain bamboo slips, / And harmonize with the seven strings." This indicates that he took pleasure in reading during breaks from farming. "To know events a thousand years past, / I rely on the books of the ancients." Reading broadened his horizons, breaking through the limits of time and space and connecting with history and culture. "I have perused a thousand years of books, / And from time to time see the vestiges of the martyrs." From books he learned the deeds of ancient sages, boosting his spirits. "I delight in reading books but do not seek a thorough understanding; whenever I grasp the meaning, I happily forget to eat." This describes his love of wide reading and his studious attitude of enjoying the pleasure of books. "Poetry and books nurture my old tastes; / The garden grove has no worldly ways." It shows that reading and writing poetry allowed his nature to be released and his heart to be joyful.

Fourth, enterprising spirit. Some consider Tao Yuanming's reclusion to be passive avoidance, but in fact it was not; it was his carefully considered life choice. He was an enterprising poet. "In youth I was strong and fierce, / Grasping my sword I traveled alone." This shows his heroic spirit of traveling far with a sword in youth; in his later years, he also constantly urged himself to cherish time: "Prime years do not come again; / One day cannot have two dawns. / Seize the time and strive, / For the years do not wait for people."

It was precisely because he was diligent and fond of learning, ambitious and optimistic, positive yet resilient, valued spiritual life, loved nature, and constantly improved himself that Tao Yuanming was able to make a suitable life choice in a complex social environment and, working tirelessly, became the poet who founded a school and established a tradition in the history of Chinese poetry.

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Long Years in Hometown

By: 张勋祥

In the small village of southwest Anhui where I was born, looking west from the old house, fields fill the view — that is the original scenery of hometown as in poetry and song. The big pond beside the old house — as soon as it got hot, I would dive in and swim freely from south to north and north to south; that was the joy of my youth. All the village children soaked in the pond all summer. We could feel out long and fat yellow catfish in the pond.

In childhood, the embankments of our hometown were covered with sorghum. On misty autumn and winter mornings, when I went to the embankment to graze cattle and pigs, I would hear the rough Huangmei tune (黄梅调) of an old man on the embankment across the river — only the voice could be heard, not the person, as if in a fairyland.

Nights when there was a movie were our festival. My eldest brother often took me, together with neighbors much older than him, to run to the brigade headquarters a few li away, sometimes even to another brigade seven or eight li away. On an open patch of ground, two big wooden poles were planted, a white screen with black borders was pulled taut with ropes, a big black loudspeaker was hung on one of the poles, a large table was placed about one hundred meters from the big screen, with the projector on the table and a generator under the table. Everyone held their breath, watching the projectionist focus, position, and start the film.

Open-air movies brought me endless joy. On movie nights, children sometimes would go watch without even eating dinner. Usually before the screening, the film titles would be announced to the audience. The projectionist’s voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, produced a distinctive sense of hollowness, and the whole excited crowd instantly fell silent. Sometimes between two films, village cadres would speak, explaining the reason for showing the movie. When the movie ended, the sound of adults calling children mingled with children calling adults, a cacophony, and flashlight beams flickered everywhere on the field paths. Sometimes news was misreported and everyone made a wasted trip, which we jokingly called “heroes running a blank road.” I still remember the films I watched as a child — Battle of Shanghai, White Lotus, Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp — they all ended as I wished, with the good guys winning and the bad guys losing. Sometimes, when a movie was at its most exciting, rain would start, but people still enjoyed themselves; open-air movies were a cultural feast for the farmers.

At that time, the village did not yet have electricity. Summer nights were hot, so people would carry bamboo beds to the pond embankment to enjoy the cool, sitting in a row on the bamboo beds. Neighbors would talk 海阔天空 (hǎi kuò tiān kōng - “sea wide, sky empty,” free and unrestrained talk) until late at night before dispersing.

When the spring tide rose, as soon as it rained, you could see crucian carp swimming upstream in the ditch in front of the house, splashing water. After the early rice seedlings were transplanted, once the seedlings had taken root, the paddy fields were full of eels and loaches at night. We made torches from old cotton wadding, filled glass bottles with diesel or kerosene, and went shining in the transplanted paddy fields. Every night we would come back with a fish basket full of eels and loaches. Clusters of torches roamed across the dark night sky in the fields, surrounded by the chirping of crickets.

When the early rice ripened, the women in the production team cut the rice with grass sickles. The children gathered the cut rice into bundles and handed them to the male laborers. The adults threshed the bundles on wooden barrels, and the golden rice grains fell into the barrels. When about a basketful of rice had accumulated in the barrel, a board scoop was used to take the rice out of the barrel and carry it to the drying ground to be sun-dried. When the rice was being taken out, the children had no work and could go play freely. The male laborers back then were really strong — a load of nearly two hundred jin of rice could be carried easily on a forked wooden stick to the drying ground.

After the late rice seedlings were transplanted, the eels and loaches became plump. Before I started school, I often followed my eldest brother carrying a fish basket. He would walk along the embankments of the transplanted fields and find the holes where eels and loaches hid. Usually eels have two holes, one in front and one behind, just like 狡兔三窟 (jiǎo tù sān kū - “a cunning rabbit has three burrows,” having multiple escape plans) to facilitate escape. My eldest brother had experience: he would find the front hole, then find the back hole, block both holes, and then the eel became a 瓮中之鳖 (wèng zhōng zhī biē - “turtle in a jar,” trapped without escape). He would hook the eel with his index finger and catch it onto the embankment. Usually, in less than an hour, he could catch half a basket of large, thick eels. If we hadn’t brought a fish basket, my eldest brother would break off a poplar branch, strip the bark, thread it through the eels’ gills, string them together, and I would follow behind carrying the string. When the river rose or fell, my elder sister or eldest brother would get up early and use a drag net to catch shrimp (弯子) in the big river outside the embankment. One drag of the net usually covered a distance of about one hundred meters. They would empty the netted shrimp onto the riverbank, and I would follow behind picking them up. When the river receded, “maohua” would also appear — a kind of small fish as thin as cicada wings — piled together, and people would scoop them up in big handfuls with nets.

The happiest time for me was going to the market with my grandfather. On Qilin Street (其林街) in my hometown, there were fried dough twists, “court memorial tablet” flatbread, fried dough sticks, and sugarcane. The street always had endless fun. On the third, sixth, and ninth days of the lunar month, the street was 人声鼎沸 (rén shēng dǐng fèi - “people's voices like a boiling cauldron,” hubbub). Farmers loved to gather at Old Yang’s Teahouse on the street to drink tea. As the year-end approached, the street was lined with fish, as well as ginger, garlic, and scallions. The ground stalls were filled with fireworks and firecrackers, and my younger brothers used them to make the New Year 其乐无穷 (qí lè wú qióng - “its joy is endless”).

In 1982, the harvest was good. My grandfather, who was in the cattle trade, gave me one yuan. I spent four jiao to buy a Wu Song Fights the Tiger New Year picture and a Mu Guiying Takes Command New Year picture, and on lunar New Year’s Eve I pasted them on the mud wall in the middle of the main hall — I thought it was beautiful.

To this day, whenever I return home, I have a preference for getting off at Kongcheng (孔城). Setting foot on the ancient, charming bluestone slabs of Kongcheng Old Street, I instantly travel back to the times before the New Year when my grandfather took us five brothers to the old street bathhouse for a bath. I love the small river on the south side of the old street and the long field path from the old street to Fanwei (范圩). The river on the south side was so clear that it made one feel 情不自禁 (qíng bù zì jīn - “feelings cannot restrain oneself,” cannot help wanting to jump in. The spring breeze quietly awakened the branches and buds; the newly green reeds in the river swayed and rippled in the breeze, with an occasional small fish leaping out of the water. On both sides of the little path to Fanwei were green waves of spring wheat and golden billows of rapeseed flowers, and the air was filled with the fresh earth smell of newly plowed paddy fields for spring plowing.

Two years ago, returning from a meal in Kongcheng, I sat on a tricycle with my second brother, while my eldest brother drove the tricycle at high speed along the left bank of the Kongcheng River, enjoying the scenery all the way. When we got home, I turned on the door light of the old house. The big pond at the entrance shimmered with 波光粼粼 (bō guāng lín lín - “wave light shimmering”), a peaceful rural night scene. Just like when I was young and lived with my father in a shed — when I blew out the reading lamp, my whole body was covered in moonlight.

Since the Jianghuai Canal opened, modern transportation has extended to every corner of my hometown. Modern civilization has frozen many memories, and the remembrance is long. In Caizi Lake (菜子湖), fish still read the moon in the deep night. My longing for my hometown began the moment I left, year after year of attachment, year after year of deep affection.

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