Zheng Han and Zhang Pengqi: Continuously Strengthening the Levee of the Central Eight-Point Regulations [1]
Proceeding from the improvement of work styles to advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party is an important experience of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era. The Party’s work style is its public image; it concerns the orientation of the people's support [1] and determines the success or failure of the cause of the Party and the state. The Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Supervisory Commission of Changchun, Jilin Province, have conscientiously studied and grasped General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on strengthening the Party's work style construction. They have solidly advanced the study and education for the thorough implementation of the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations, fully recognized the achievements and experiences of such implementation, and accurately grasped the situation facing work style construction. Adhering to a problem-oriented approach and integrating local conditions, they have identified the prominent manifestations, new circumstances, and new trends of work style problems. With the "nail-driving" spirit [2], they have corrected the "Four Winds," deepened systemic governance as well as the treatment of both symptoms and root causes, and continuously strengthened the embankment of the central Eight-Point Regulations, thereby promoting a continuous improvement in the Party’s style and the political conduct of the government.
Emphasizing the Tone of Strictness and Tightening the Chain of Responsibility. The Changchun Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission has integrated strict requirements throughout the entire process of work style construction—achieving true management and strictness, daring to manage and be strict, and persisting in management and strictness. They long-term maintain the tone of strictness, measures of strictness, and atmosphere of strictness, exerting full effort to rectify the chronic maladies of the "Four Winds," while resolutely preventing a rebound or resurgence, invisible mutations, and "fatigue and war-weariness" [3]. By firmly grasping the "ox’s nose" [4] of primary responsibility, they have continuously pressed and solidified the political responsibility for work style construction, forming a working pattern where one level leads the next and each level supervises implementation. They persist in taking the "number one" [5] and members of the leadership teams as the focus, seizing the "key minority" [6] to lead by example. They treat the implementation of the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations as a key content of supervisory talks and research-based supervision, urging "number ones" to resolutely shoulder the responsibility as the first person responsible for work style construction. These leaders are expected to be strict with themselves, strictly bear their responsibilities, and strictly manage their jurisdictions—taking the lead in integrity and self-discipline while strengthening the education, management, and supervision of Party members and cadres. This ensures that political responsibilities are pressed tight and disciplinary requirements are reminded in place, effectively fulfilling the leadership responsibility for managing the team, leading the ranks, and rectifying the atmosphere. Furthermore, work style construction is treated as a major component of leadership team evaluations and the "reporting on responsibility and integrity" [7] by "number ones." They have solidly advanced the study and education for implementing the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations, integrally promoting "learning, inspecting, and rectifying" to resolutely overcome the mindset of "slacking off" or "just trying to get through the pass" [8], preventing a "tiger's head with a snake's tail" [9] or merely "going through the motions." Benchmarking against standards, they look deep for problems, deepening the concentrated rectification of misconduct and corruption occurring "at the masses' side" [10]. They seriously investigate and handle acts of ignoring, detaching from, or harming the interests of the masses. Focusing on disorder within specific industries, they carry out concentrated governance, pushing industry departments to identify prominent problems in the implementation of responsibility, work style, and service to the masses, plugging regulatory loopholes and effectively resolving the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems of the masses. They have continuously improved the mechanism for public exposure. Since December 2024, they have publicly exposed 10 cases of hedonism and extravagance, 5 cases of harming the interests of the masses, and 3 cases of formalism and bureaucratism, continuously releasing a strong signal of being "strictly comprehensive and strict to the end." They strictly pursue accountability, having researched and formulated the Guidelines for Further Standardizing Accountability Work for Disciplinary Inspection and Supervisory Organs in Changchun. Adhering to the principle that "responsibility must be borne, negligence must be questioned, and accountability must be strict," they have effectively created a powerful deterrent. For those with lax work style construction and prominent "Four Winds" problems, they pursue the responsibility of both the individual involved and the relevant leadership.
Grasping the Focus of Supervision and Targeted Rectification of Chronic Maladies. Grasping the regional, industrial, and phased characteristics of work style construction, the Changchun Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission persists in strict long-term management of old problems while focusing on discovering new trends in "invisible mutations." They "catch the buds" and "nip problems in the bud" [11] for nascent issues and carry out in-depth rectification of prevalent and recurring problems. Since the beginning of this year, the city has investigated and handled 486 cases of violations of the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations, with 622 people criticized, educated, or processed, and 597 people receiving Party or administrative disciplinary sanctions. As misconduct and corruption are intertwined—acting as the "inside and outside" of each other—the Changchun Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission has deeply studied the characteristic laws of the "integration of wind and corruption" [12] and their common origin. In the process of case investigation, they thoroughly investigate the misconduct exposed by corruption and dig deep into the solicitation of favors and the transfer of interests behind the misconduct. They ensure that both the "Four Winds" problems of the subject under investigation and the "Four Winds" problems involving other public officials—such as illegal dining and drinking—are cleared. This achieves "digging for corruption through the wind" by following the clues in rectifying the "Four Winds," and "rectifying wind through corruption" by making dual breakthroughs during case investigations, cutting off the evolution from misconduct to corruption through the integration of investigation and governance. They assisted the Changchun Municipal Party Committee in carrying out key rectifications of discipline and work style centered on safe development, the business environment, people’s livelihoods, reducing burdens at the grassroots level, taking initiative and action, and fostering a "new wind" of integrity. Together with the Supervision Office and Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee, they formed seven inspection teams to focus on in-depth investigations of typical problems such as the illegal creation of demonstration, appraisal, and commendation programs, continuously promoting the work of reducing burdens at the grassroots level. Closely watching important nodes such as New Year's Day, the Spring Festival, May Day, and the Dragon Boat Festival, they have applied targeted force to prominent problems such as the illegal issuance of subsidies, travel using public funds, private use of public vehicles, and "space-distanced gift-giving" via express delivery. Since the beginning of this year, they have conducted 6 supervisory inspections and investigated or urged the rectification of 77 problems. Meanwhile, they carried out concentrated rectification across the city for problems such as illegal dining and drinking, illegal acceptance of gifts and money, and travel using public funds under the guise of research or training. As of now, they have handled 159 problem clues and filed 166 cases.
Persisting in Simultaneous Rectification and Cultivation to Vigorously Promote a New Atmosphere. The Changchun Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission has promptly summarized the achievements and practices of work style construction, urging functional departments to improve related systems and regulations to build a long-term mechanism for work style construction and continuously transform institutional results into governance efficacy. By deeply analyzing case resources, they have assessed new trends in work style problems from the "Four Winds" and corruption cases investigated, compiling and distributing the Typical Cases of Violating the Spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations and Their Implementation Rules throughout the city. They fully utilize typical cases to deeply carry out "rectification and governance prompted by cases," pushing the involved units to plug loopholes and mend shortcomings, and urging the broad masses of Party members and cadres to "draw inferences from one instance" [13] and take warning. Based on the actual state of work style construction in the city, they have summarized and categorized 15 types and 100 items of common violations of discipline and regulations, forming a "negative list" for the implementation of the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations to guide Party members and cadres to internalize discipline in the heart and externalize it in action. Taking typical cases of violating the central Eight-Point Regulations found in the city as prototypes, they adopted the "case + explanation" format to film the "Small Discipline and Law Classroom" video series, organizing Party members and cadres across the city to study, using cases to speak on virtue, discipline, law, and responsibility. They assisted the Municipal Party Committee in holding a city-wide warning education conference to report on typical cases of violating the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations handled by the city's disciplinary inspection and supervisory organs since the 20th National Congress of the CPC. They produced a warning education documentary, deeply analyzing the painful lessons of violating the central Eight-Point Regulations and the transition "from wind to corruption," educating and guiding the broad masses of Party members and cadres to "constantly ring the alarm bell" in their minds and tighten the strings of discipline and rules. Adhering to the combination of positive guidance and negative warnings, they have strengthened the construction of family, education, and family traditions. Focusing on traditional festivals and other key nodes, they produced themed public service posters and videos to create a strong atmosphere of a "clean festival." They educate and guide Party members, cadres, and their families to place family tradition construction in an important position, cultivating themselves and managing their families with integrity. They have seriously investigated and handled acts of false accusation and framing, clarifying the names of Party members and cadres who were subject to false reports, and providing support and encouragement for those who "dare to work and create." Since the beginning of this year, the city's disciplinary inspection and supervisory organs have clarified the names of 24 Party members and cadres who received false reports, effectively stimulating the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the broad masses of Party members and cadres.
Source: China Discipline Inspection and Supervision News, July 23, 2025, Page 7. Web Editor: Tongxin