China Care for the Next Generation Working Committee: Contributing "Silver Power" to the Advancement of Chinese Modernization
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core attaches great importance to the work of caring for the next generation, prioritizing the advantageous roles of the "Five Olds" (veteran cadres, veteran soldiers, veteran experts, veteran teachers, and veteran model workers) and the Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation (hereafter referred to as "the Working Committee"). General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to promote the spirit of the "Five Olds," respecting, cherishing, learning from, and placing importance on their roles to promote the better development of the cause of caring for the next generation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has encouraged elderly volunteers to contribute "silver-haired strength" to the advancement of Chinese-path modernization. The General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Work of the Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation in the New Era, requiring that the Working Committee be built into an important stage for the elderly to remain active, an important classroom for the elderly to continue learning, and an important front for veteran comrades to serve the development of the cause of the Party and the state.
The year 2025 marks the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the planning of the 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as the 35th anniversary of the founding of the China Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation. Deeply studying and grasping General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the work of caring for the next generation and the decision-making deployments of the CPC Central Committee is of great significance for the Working Committee to better unite and lead the "Five Olds" in devoting themselves to this cause.
Deeply Study and Grasp General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Expositions on the Work of Caring for the Next Generation
Continuing the great undertaking requires prioritizing the cultivation of people. Since its founding, our Party has always regarded the cultivation of people as a strategic plan for passing the torch of the Party's cause and ensuring the long-term peace and stability of the country. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued important instructions on many occasions regarding the work of caring for the next generation, pointing the way and providing a framework for the Working Committee to broadly gather "silver-haired strength" to participate in this work on the new journey.
Profoundly grasp the cultivation of successors as a matter of fundamental importance [1]. The century-long history of our Party's struggle is both a history of practice in revolution, construction, and reform, and a history of cultivating successors with a view toward passing the torch of our cause. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Cultivating and bringing up the younger generation into socialist builders and successors with all-round development in ethics, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor is a major strategic task concerning the future and destiny of the Party and the state, and is the common political responsibility of the whole Party." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress: "Succeed in the matter of fundamental importance: cultivating successors." These important expositions have clearly defined the positioning of the Working Committee’s efforts.
Profoundly grasp the implementation of "fostering virtue through education" [2] as the fundamental task. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that as our Party aspires to the eternal greatness of the Chinese nation, we must cultivate generation after generation of useful talents who support the leadership of the CPC and our country’s socialist system, and who are determined to struggle for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for life. He emphasized that on this fundamental issue, we must be clear-cut and unequivocal. We must educate and guide young students to strengthen their faith in Marxism, their belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; they must establish great aspirations to serve and strengthen the country and become strivers who shoulder responsibilities. We must focus on cultivating socialist builders and successors with all-round development. We must unremittingly use the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to cast souls and cultivate people [3], and implement the "Fostering Virtue through Education Project in the New Era." He pointed out that the "Five Olds" are a precious wealth of the Party and the state and an important force for strengthening the ideological and political work of youth. These important expositions provide an important basis for the Working Committee to implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education.
Profoundly grasp "silver-haired strength" as an important resource. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that old age is an important stage of human life—a stage where one can still achieve, progress, and find happiness. He noted that we should leverage the subtle influence of the elderly's fine character in family education and their role in teaching by word and example to members of society; leverage their advantages of experience and prestige in resolving social contradictions and maintaining social stability; and leverage their role in mentoring and guiding the young. He pointed out that veteran cadres are an important resource for the Party’s governance and national rejuvenation, and an important force in advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. As early as 2011, Comrade Xi Jinping emphasized that cherishing veteran cadres is cherishing the Party's precious wealth; learning from veteran cadres is learning from the Party's fine traditions and style of work; and attaching importance to the role of veteran cadres is attaching importance to the Party’s important political resources. General Secretary Xi Jinping expressed his hope that elderly friends would maintain a healthy mindset and enterprising spirit—like an old steed in the stable still aspiring to gallop a thousand miles [4]—ensuring they are not only provided for and happy in their old age but also active, contributing "silver-haired strength" to the advancement of Chinese-path modernization. These important expositions provide powerful internal drive for encouraging veteran comrades to participate in the work of caring for the next generation.
Profoundly grasp the establishment of the Working Committee as an institutional arrangement. The establishment of the Working Committee is an innovative achievement and institutional arrangement formed by the Party in the great practice of advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics; it is an innovative move by our Party to gather "silver-haired strength" to strengthen the ideological and political work of youth. In 1990, the CPC Central Committee approved the establishment of the Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation, with Comrades Xi Zhongxun and Wang Renzhong serving as honorary directors and Comrade Kang Shi'en as director. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has shown great concern for the development of the Working Committee, issuing important instructions twice on the occasions of the 25th and 30th anniversaries of its founding. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the China Working Committee "unites and leads the vast numbers of retired veteran comrades, including veteran cadres, soldiers, experts, teachers, and model workers, to remain true to their original aspiration and founding mission, playing an important role in promoting the healthy growth of youth." To better leverage its role, the General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Work of the Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation in the New Era. In practice, Working Committees at all levels have remained mindful of their mission and entrusted responsibility, uniting and leading the "Five Olds" to actively participate in this work. Currently, more than 1.07 million Working Committee organizations, over 13 million "Five Olds," 70,000 "Five Olds" studios, and 424,000 "Five Olds" off-campus counselors are active on the front lines of caring for the next generation.
Continuously Deepen the Regular Understanding of the Working Committee’s Activities on the New Journey of the New Era
The cause of caring for the next generation is an important component of the Party's cause, and the Working Committee organization is the important organizational support for carrying out this work. In advancing Chinese-path modernization, we must better grasp the political nature and regularity of the Working Committee’s work, and more fully demonstrate its contemporary relevance and practical nature.
Uphold the leadership of the Party and persist in using Party building to drive the development of the Working Committee. We must persist in cultivating people for the Party and talents for the state, carrying out various forms of political and ideological guidance to educate the next generation to feel gratitude toward the Party, listen to the Party, and follow the Party. We must strengthen the construction of the Working Committee under the leadership of the Party: wherever there are Party organizations and youth, we must strive to carry out the work of caring for the next generation; wherever conditions permit the establishment of a Working Committee organization, we must strive to make its work active.
Focus on fostering virtue through education and concentrate efforts on "casting souls" [i.e., ideological formation]. We must persist in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to cast souls and cultivate people, profoundly grasping the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthening the Four Consciousnesses, firming up the Four Confidences, and achieving the Two Upholds. We must focus on cultivating and practicing the socialist core values, strive to pass on "red genes" [5], promote patriotic traditions, sing the "main melody," and spread positive energy.
Always center on the core and consciously serve the overall situation. We must persist in "responding to what the Party and government urgently require, thinking of what youth need, and doing what the Working Committee is capable of." We must improve the linkage mechanisms and service platforms of the Working Committee in the process of "all-process" and "all-round" education, focusing on key points of integration and effort. We must persist in adapting to local conditions, using the veteran comrades’ former workplaces or their places of residence after retirement as important platforms. We should organize capable veteran comrades to participate in their former units and mobilize others to work in their neighborhoods, striving to strengthen the organizational and work coverage of the Working Committee in places where the "Five Olds" and youth are concentrated, achieving linkage of strength, joint organization of activities, joint use of resources, and coordinated development.
Leverage unique advantages and persist in advancing with the times. We must broadly gather the unique advantages and rich resources of veteran comrades represented by the "Five Olds" in educating, guiding, caring for, and protecting youth. We should use the cause to unite the "Five Olds," use mechanisms to motivate them, use kinship/affection to care for them, and use services to provide for them, allowing the "Five Olds" to remain active and "emit light and heat" on the vast stage of caring for the next generation. We must deeply study the characteristics and laws of the Working Committee's work on the new journey of the New Era, focusing on promoting innovation in work and striving to achieve high-quality development of the Working Committee’s efforts.
Promote the High-Quality Development of the Working Committee's Work with a Spirit of Reform and Innovation, Contributing "Silver-Haired Strength" to the Advancement of Chinese-Path Modernization
Deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions and central deployments, more broadly gather "silver-haired strength" in the advancement of Chinese-path modernization, and more fully demonstrate the responsibility and commitment of the Working Committee.
Uphold the leadership of the Party, broadly gathering and contributing "silver-haired strength" in the implementation of the "Fostering Virtue through Education Project in the New Era." We must persist in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to condense souls, using socialist core values to lead and cultivate people, and using the historical mission of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation to inspire people, contributing "silver-haired strength" to cultivate socialist builders and successors. We must effectively play an advantageous role in the "Fostering Virtue through Education Project," contributing the wisdom of the "Five Olds" to push Xi Jinping Thought into textbooks, classrooms, and minds; building "Five Olds" brands in the mechanism of all-process and all-round education; leveraging the "Five Olds" advantage in excavating, integrating, and utilizing successful cases of the "great changes in the New Era" and "red resources" for education; and demonstrating "Five Olds" strength in inheriting and developing the fine traditional culture of the Chinese nation and promoting the common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups.
Demonstrate responsibility and commitment, broadly gathering and contributing "silver-haired strength" in the implementation of the "Five Olds Caring for the Next Generation Project." We must continuously carry out education on the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, and the history of socialist development, deepening educational practices and using the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists [6] to educate and unite youth. We must actively guide youth to establish correct worldviews, outlooks on life, and values. We must forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. We must vigorously promote fine Chinese traditional culture. We must continue the "Caring for Tomorrow, Prioritizing the Rule of Law" legal education activities for youth, strengthening the consciousness of respecting, studying, observing, and applying the law. We must focus on doing practical and good deeds and solving difficult problems, deepening care-based scholarship programs, and coordinating care services for "left-behind children" and migrant children. We must leverage the service and promotional roles of the "Five Olds" in comprehensive rural revitalization, helping to cultivate new types of young rural talents who have ideals and understand technology, management, and operations. We must vigorously promote the spirit of model workers, the spirit of labor, and the spirit of craftsmanship, helping to cultivate a team of young industrial workers who have ideals and convictions, understand technology and innovation, and dare to take responsibility and contribute.
Persist in advancing with the times, broadly gathering and contributing "silver-haired strength" in promoting the high-quality development of the Working Committee’s work. We must persist in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to strengthen the ideological, political, and duty-performing capacity building of the Working Committee. We must persist in using Party building to drive the construction of the Working Committee, continuously expanding its organizational and work coverage, striving to make the communication between Working Committee organizations and youth tighter. We must improve the linkage mechanism of member units, more effectively achieving linkage in work, joint construction of fronts, joint organization of activities, joint use of resources, and union of forces. We must continuously improve the service capacity of the Working Committee, cultivating more influential service fronts and activity brands. We must continue to deepen theoretical and work research to provide support for the high-quality development of the Working Committee’s work.
Source: People's Daily, September 11, 2025, Page 13.