Commentator for "Qiushi" Magazine: How the Eight-point Regulation Changed China
Why has a political party with a history of over a century remained full of vitality? How can a major party with over 99 million members maintain close unity? The Party's style of work [1] serves as an important vantage point and a crucial entry point for decoding the governance of China in the New Era.
On December 4, 2012, less than a month after the closing of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The meeting reviewed and approved the Eight-Point Regulations of the 18th CPC Central Committee Political Bureau on Improving Work Style and Maintaining Close Ties with the Masses. Covering areas such as improving field research, streamlining meetings and activities, simplifying documents and briefings, standardizing overseas visits, improving security work, refining news reports, strictly regulating the publication of manuscripts, and practicing strict economy—the Eight-Point Regulations, totaling just over 600 characters, established iron rules and hard benchmarks for work style construction [2]. This launched a new journey for the CPC to clear the air and rectify its internal conduct.
Work style construction is a never-ending journey; the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations has no "stop button." Recently, the Party Central Committee decided to conduct a Party-wide study and education program on the in-depth implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations from the conclusion of the National Two Sessions [3] through July. This is a significant measure to consolidate and deepen the achievements of previous thematic education and Party discipline study initiatives for the profound advancement of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. It is a necessary requirement for bringing the Party closer to the masses and the cadres closer to the masses, thereby consolidating the Party’s foundation of governance and providing a strong guarantee for promoting Chinese-path modernization.
Establishing Credibility through Practical Implementation
In November 2012, the 18th CPC National Congress concluded successfully, passing the relay baton of history to the Chinese communists with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative. While the cause of the Party and the state had achieved great success since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, the Party also soberly recognized that due to a period of laxity in Party management and governance, some Party members and cadres experienced a serious crisis of political faith. In some localities and departments, the atmosphere for selecting and appointing personnel was distorted. Formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance (the "Four Winds") were rampant, and a culture of excessive wining and dining among some leading cadres drew heavy public criticism. These issues seriously affected the Party's image and prestige, and deeply damaged the relationship between the Party and the masses, and between cadres and the masses. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out solemnly: "Problems in work style are by no means trivial matters. If we do not resolutely correct bad habits and allow them to develop, they will act like an invisible wall separating our Party from the people; our Party will lose its foundation, its lifeblood, and its strength."
"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself" [4]. Faced with new situations and tasks, how should Party building be grasped? Where should work style construction begin? How to solve the problem of "a tiger trying to eat the sky with no place to bite"? General Secretary Xi Jinping noted that the Party Central Committee "decided to start with the Eight-Point Regulations; we must take that bite, swallow it, and digest it."
Why start with the Eight-Point Regulations? Could we persist and achieve results? At that time, doubts existed among some cadres and the masses. Some citizens noted that in the past, "a hundred documents couldn't control a single mouth" [5], fearing the Eight-Point Regulations would be a "passing breeze." Some Party members and cadres remained indifferent, thinking the "storm would soon pass."
Faced with those waiting to see if there would be a "shift in the wind" and the pressure of a possible rebound of old habits, General Secretary Xi Jinping proceeded from the strategic height of promoting the Party’s self-revolution and ensuring the Party remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He delivered a series of important discourses, pointing the way toward continuously reinforcing the "dam" of the Eight-Point Regulations and making work style construction a normalized and long-term endeavor.
Regarding the necessity of the Eight-Point Regulations, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Our focus on rectifying the 'Four Winds' is to play the role of 'moving the pole to establish trust' [6]. When we grasp it, we must truly grasp it and see it through to the end." He added: "To grasp the 'Four Winds,' we must first grasp the Eight-Point Regulations; to grasp Party building, we must start with the 'Four Winds.' Do one thing well before moving to the next, so everyone feels we are capable of getting things done and are serious about it. Only then can we win the trust of the people and the whole Party."
Regarding the significance of the Eight-Point Regulations, he emphasized: "The Eight-Point Regulations are neither the highest standard nor the final goal; they are merely the first step in improving our work style and a basic requirement for us as communists." He noted: "Regulations are regulations. The word 'trial' was not added to show a resolute attitude—to show these regulations are rigid... They are not for five or ten years, but are iron rules and hard benchmarks that are effective long-term."
Regarding implementation, he emphasized: "The most important thing is implementation—words must be matched by deeds and actions must produce results." He asked: "If we cannot even handle or persist with the Eight-Point Regulations, why talk about eighteen or twenty-eight regulations?" He concluded: "We must persist over the long term; if ten years is not enough, then twenty years; if twenty years is not enough, then thirty years, until they truly transform conduct into custom [7]."
A small entry point yielding great results. With the Eight-Point Regulations as the entry point and mobilization order, a series of hard-hitting measures targeting work style defects were launched in rapid succession. This "combination punch" [8] aimed at work style construction achieved unprecedented results. The formulation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations became the CPC’s act of "moving the pole to establish trust" in the New Era, allowing the masses to see tangible results and changes.
Leading by Example: From Party Style to Social Conduct
At the end of 2024, at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, the annual Democratic Life Meeting [9] of the Political Bureau was held. A key item on the agenda was hearing the report on the implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations by the Political Bureau in 2024.
The Political Bureau of the 18th Central Committee used the Eight-Point Regulations as an entry point to break the deadlock in work style construction. The first meetings of the Political Bureaus of the 19th and 20th Central Committees both studied work style construction in further depth and detail. Key meetings held annually—including Central Committee Plenary Sessions, Plenary Sessions of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), and Political Bureau Democratic Life Meetings—all made specific deployments and requirements for implementing the Eight-Point Regulations. Since the 18th National Congress, all centralized study and education programs conducted throughout the Party have included improving work style and maintaining close ties with the masses as core content, continuously improving the systems and mechanisms for the Party's work style construction.
At the start of the regulations' implementation, General Secretary Xi Jinping began with the Political Bureau: "Improving Party conduct and building a clean government must start with leading cadres, and leading cadres must start with the central leadership." He noted, "He who is good at prohibiting must first prohibit himself before prohibiting others" [10], and "Comrades of the Political Bureau shall start with me personally."
Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has traveled deep into the grassroots and to the front lines, leaving footprints across the length and breadth of the country, always remaining among the people. Wherever he goes, the General Secretary strictly adheres to the Eight-Point Regulations, traveling with a small entourage, practicing economy, and leading by example. From his first inspection tour to Guangdong after the 18th Congress—where there were no cleared roads, no closures, and no red carpets—to inspecting military units where he dined in a sailors' canteen, queuing for food with soldiers and eating at the same table; from the dinner menu in Fuping County, Hebei in 2012, to the meal receipts in Lankao County, Henan in 2014, and his visits to all 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty... The General Secretary has set a benchmark for the entire Party through practical action.
When the superior acts, the subordinate follows. This has effectively driven the entire Party to implement the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations. Practice has shown that our Party means what it says. What is said must be done; what is promised must be fulfilled. Starting by correcting areas where the masses were most dissatisfied, the Party resolutely opposed the "Four Winds," washing away the "dust of thought," the "defects of style," and the "filth of behavior." It rectified "waste on the tip of the tongue" (extravagant banquets), "warp in the clubs" (illicit activities in private clubs), and "extravagance on wheels" (misuse of official vehicles). It cleaned up over-standard office space and the use of public funds for dining and travel. It strictly investigated and publicized cases of leading cadres violating regulations regarding banquets and drinking, halting some unhealthy tendencies that had persisted for years and curing chronic ailments.
Starting with the things the masses most hoped for, the Party carried out special rectifications against "half-finished projects," "vanity projects," and issues of shirking responsibility or acting arbitrarily. There are now fewer instances of extortion, laziness, and "hands-off managers," and more instances of simplicity, service-mindedness, and seeking truth from facts. The vast majority of Party members and cadres have boosted their morale for entrepreneurship, focusing single-mindedly on development and solving problems for the people, continuously advancing the cause of public welfare.
"One move with the Eight-Point Regulations has brought the entire game of work style construction to life; they have become a landmark measure changing the political ecosystem and the face of society." The style of the Party and government has been refreshed, and social customs continue to improve. The Party has won the trust and support of the masses through a new atmosphere of work style construction. A 2024 National Bureau of Statistics survey showed that 94.9% of respondents approved of the results of the Eight-Point Regulations. "The doors are easier to enter," "Smiles greet us, and attitudes are better," "Procedures are simplified and business is handled faster," "Cadres have spirit, and we have a core to rely on"... The masses have offered heartfelt praise: "The Eight-Point Regulations have changed China!"
Consistent Persistence to Transform Conduct into Custom
In June 2021, on the eve of the Party's centenary, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Exhibition of the History of the Communist Party of China.
Standing before the display on the Eight-Point Regulations, he stopped to look closely: "Now these eight items—streamlining meetings, improving security, improving news reports, practicing strict economy—have been done well, but we must still emphasize them repeatedly and grasp them repeatedly..." The General Secretary said firmly: "The Eight-Point Regulations must be implemented consistently."
This year marks the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and a critical year for further comprehensively deepening reform. This places new and higher requirements on Party organizations at all levels to correctly judge the situation, scientifically plan reforms, and pool strength to ensure implementation. It also demands more from the mental state, ideology, and capabilities of Party members and cadres. The heavier the task, the more we must strengthen work style construction, using good conduct to boost spirit, stimulate combativeness, establish a positive image, and win the hearts of the people. This ensures the Party remains the strong leadership core that the people sincerely support and trust, leading the people to new and greater victories.
It is based on this that the Party Central Committee decided to conduct this Party-wide study and education program. General Secretary Xi Jinping personally planned and determined the theme, delivering important speeches and instructions to guide the program. During his inspections in Guizhou and Yunnan from March 17 to 20, the General Secretary spoke many times about the considerations behind this decision: "In recent years, the Eight-Point Regulations have indeed driven fundamental changes... most of the deeply rooted phenomena of the past are gone. At the same time, we must see that slackening has occurred in some places, blind spots still exist, and some bad habits have rebounded. Like driving a nail (dìng dīng zi), we must hit it a few more times, persist over the long term, and transform conduct into custom." He specifically urged: "Party organizations at all levels must profoundly understand the significance of this decision, focus on the theme, and organize the education in a simple and pragmatic manner. Do not engage in formalism—formalism itself is what the Eight-Point Regulations oppose." The entire Party must align its thoughts and actions with the decision of the Central Committee and effectively implement all tasks.
We must consciously enhance the sense of responsibility and urgency for this study and education, linking it to the specific practices of work style construction in our own regions and departments. We must deeply study General Secretary Xi Jinping’s discourses on work style and the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, mastering relevant disciplinary regulations to lay a solid ideological foundation for identifying problems and carrying out centralized rectification.
We must focus on the theme, remain simple and pragmatic, and integrate "learning, inspecting, and rectifying" into daily routines. We must conduct thorough searches for problems in implementing the regulations, strengthen warning education (jǐng shì jiào yù) through real cases, temper Party spirit, and improve ideological awareness to ensure quality in learning and effectiveness in rectification.
We must persist in simultaneously grasping Party spirit, work style, and Party discipline. We must link the strengthening of Party spirit with strict discipline and the tempering of work style, encouraging Party members to build their resolve, develop good habits, and establish a new atmosphere of pragmatism and responsibility.
With a fair wind, the sails are set for a journey of ten thousand miles. Along the way, the Eight-Point Regulations have cleared the air and achieved greatness through the accumulation of small steps. This small entry point has leveraged grand transformations and changed China in the New Era. On the new journey, unremittingly implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and deepening work style construction will surely provide a strong guarantee for the advancement of Chinese-path modernization.