Marxism Research Network
Unofficial English Translation

Cai Zhiqiang and Xiao Ruining: The Theoretical Significance, Institutional Innovation, and Practical Path of "How the Eight-point Regulation Changed China"

Modern Chinese History

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken the formulation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations as its starting point and breakthrough. Correcting the "Four Winds" with the "spirit of driving a nail," [1] and employing the New Era's equivalent of "moving the pole to establish trust" [2] to create a "golden business card" for governing the Party, the Central Committee has provided a strong guarantee through work styles to promote "immense changes in contemporary China across politics, economy, society, culture, and national governance." Inheriting the fine traditions and glorious legacy of the Communist Party of China, the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules have used specific behavioral prohibitions as a "small incision" to promote the reshaping of the institutional framework and the development of the essential connotations of the Party's work style construction in the New Era. This has achieved a synergistic effect between ideological Party building and institutional Party governance, initiated a new journey for the CPC to "cleanse the murky and bring forth the clear" [3] in its work styles, and created a vivid situation where the "placement of a single chess piece" (the Eight-Point Regulations) has "enlivened the entire board" of Party building.

I. Manifesting New Results of the Sinicization and Modernization of Marxist Party-Building Theory through Revolutionary Practice

The Eight-Point Regulations represent a major pioneering feat by the CPC in using Sinicized and modernized Marxist party-building theory to advance work style construction. They serve as a landmark measure for governing the Party in the New Era, embodying a high degree of unity between Party spirit and the people-centered nature.

1. Strengthening the People-Centered Nature of the Marxist Political Party in Terms of Value Orientation

Political parties are important carriers and components of modern politics, and party politics is the basic form of expression of modern democratic politics. Unlike Western bourgeois parties, the proletarian party is marked by the distinct characteristics of class nature, revolutionary spirit, and its people-centered nature. Marx and Engels pointed out in the Manifesto of the Communist Party: "The Communists, therefore, are on the one hand, practically, the most advanced and resolute section of the working-class parties of every country, that section which pushes forward all others; on the other hand, theoretically, they have over the great mass of the proletariat the advantage of clearly understanding the line of march, the conditions, and the ultimate general results of the proletarian movement." The essence of the proletarian movement—namely, that the proletariat can only achieve its own liberation by liberating all of humanity—on one hand confirms the class nature of the proletarian party, and on the other hand clarifies that it must possess the ability to lead the masses in struggle. Thus, being people-centered is the essential attribute of the proletarian party; the interests of the people are its fundamental interests. Once separated from the masses, the proletarian party would become "water without a source, or a tree without roots."

As a Marxist party, from the day of its birth, the CPC has taken the fundamental interests of the proletariat and the broad masses as its own interests, forging the political value of "people first" in the midst of great struggle. Relying on ideals, beliefs, political character, and work styles and discipline that distinguish it from other party organizations, the CPC has relied on the support of the broadest masses to achieve great victories in revolution, construction, and reform and opening up. Historically, the "flesh-and-blood ties" between the Party and the masses have always been the "magic weapon" [4] for the Party to advance its cause. Mao Zedong pointed out: "At no time and in no circumstances should a Communist place his personal interests first; he should, instead, subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses." General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted: "At all times and under all circumstances, the position of sharing the same breath and destiny with the people must not change; the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly must not be forgotten; the historical materialist viewpoint that the masses are the true heroes must not be discarded; and we must always persist in establishing a party for the public and exercising power for the people."

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, in the face of prominent problems existing in the construction of the Party and the state, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has adhered to the Marxist worldview and methodology. Starting from the people-centered nature and the "people first" value position of the proletarian party, it has continuously improved Party-mass relations and cadre-mass relations by focusing on the Party's work style construction, thereby closing the flesh-and-blood ties with the people and continuously consolidating the Party's foundation for governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Central Committee's proposal to grasp work style construction and oppose formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance is to propose a focal point for the construction of anti-corruption and integrity, and to propose a breakthrough point for solidifying the mass foundation of the Party's governance." Whether it is improving investigation and research, the style of writing and meetings, or regulating overseas visits and security work, or strictly practicing thrift, the relevant requirements of the Eight-Point Regulations all focus on improving the Party's work style. They aim to further solidify the people-centered stance, oppose "privilege-seeking" mentality and phenomena, protect and develop the fundamental interests of the people, and solidify the Party's ruling foundation. To implement the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules, one must, on one hand, always adhere to the practical requirements of "top-down" implementation and "turning the blade inward" [5]; on the other hand, one must expand and integrate these into every aspect of the daily work and social interactions of Party members and cadres. This further strengthens the political character and essential attributes of the Marxist party in a practical form, manifesting the nature and purpose of the CPC as a concrete embodiment of "people first" in the New Era.

2. Expanding the Path of the Party's Self-Revolution in the Methodological Dimension

The Party's work style is the Party's image and is also a powerful driving force for the Party’s self-revolution. How to escape the "historical cycle" [6] of rise and fall, order and chaos, has always been the fundamental question the CPC has sought to solve. In the "Cave Dwelling Dialogue" [7] with Huang Yanpei, Mao Zedong pointed out: "We have found a new path; we can break free of this cycle. The south path is called democracy. As long as the people have the right to supervise the government, the government will not dare to be lax. If everyone takes responsibility, then the governance will not cease when the leader dies." In the 80 years since the "Cave Dwelling Dialogue," the CPC has formed whole-process people's democracy through practical exploration, continuously improving the Party and state supervision system, and proposed "self-revolution" as the "second answer" [8] to escaping the historical cycle, forming a "China solution" for the problem. In practice, the "two answers" share the same origin, are interdependent, and together provide a solid guarantee for advancing the "new great project of Party building" in the New Era. The spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules constitute an important part of these "two answers," containing historical experiences such as "democracy" and "people's supervision," while further enriching and expanding the path of the Party's self-revolution.

On the basis of a profound analysis of national history, Marx and Engels put forth the viewpoint of the "alienation of power," emphasizing the need to prevent the state from transforming from a "servant of society" into a "master of society," thus forming Marxist thought on the supervision of power. Over a century of struggle, Chinese Communists have adhered to and continuously developed Marxist party-building theory and power supervision thought, consistently strengthening the Party's discipline and work style construction. Multiple "rectification" movements have been carried out in the Party's history, all treating bureaucratism, privilege-seeking mentality, and corrupt behavior as focal points for governance. As early as 1933, in his work Smash the Fifth "Encirclement" and the Tasks of Soviet Economic Construction, Mao Zedong warned of the emergence of "bureaucratism." At the Second Session of the 8th National Congress of the CPC, he warned the entire Party: "Some of our cadres act as if they are 'the greatest under heaven' [9]; they look down on others, rely on their seniority, and once they become officials—especially high-ranking ones—they are unwilling to appear in the posture of an ordinary laborer. This is a very foul phenomenon." After the founding of the People's Republic, facing the transition in its status as a ruling party, the Party continuously strengthened its self-construction, especially emphasizing style and discipline. Today, the Party has led the people to create "two great miracles" [10] and possesses better conditions to serve the people, yet there remains an underlying risk of the alienation of public power, accompanied by the prominence of the "Four Winds" and the danger of becoming "detached from the masses."

Starting with work style to promote comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is an important experience of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era. Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly observed the issues of "Party spirit" reflected behind work style problems, as well as the shortfalls and defects in the supervision and restraint of power. He put forward the important judgment that "work style problems are, in essence, problems of Party spirit," elevating work style construction to the height of the Party's essential attributes. Taking the Eight-Point Regulations as the "rallying cry" and "breakthrough point," a new path for the Party's self-revolution in the New Era has been opened through comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. On one hand, the Party persists in self-revolution, solving existing problems by improving internal Party regulations and strengthening ideological education to maintain the Party's advanced nature and purity. On the other hand, it fully mobilizes the masses, publicizing the specific requirements of the Eight-Point Regulations to ordinary citizens in the form of a "political manifesto," enhancing the masses' awareness and ability to supervise, and placing Party members and public officials under the supervision of the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "We have issued an 'announcement to the people'; it has been made public, and we must rely on everyone's supervision. This also shows we are taking real action, not just talking. We also hope to lead by example, playing a leading role and starting from the top down." As a political practice that integrates the "two answers"—the Party's self-revolution and the people's supervision of the government—the Eight-Point Regulations combine intra-Party supervision with supervision by the people. They focus on utilizing the "sentinel" role of mass supervision and media supervision, while also promoting the coordination and integration of various supervision systems. This forms a closed-loop mechanism of "the Political Bureau taking the lead—pressing responsibilities level by level—and the masses participating in supervision," strengthening the sustained governance of the "Four Winds" and promoting the development of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party through new achievements in work style.

3. Innovating the Paradigm of Political Party Construction in Terms of its System and Content

The CPC was born in an era when the nation suffered humiliation, the people suffered hardship, and civilization was shrouded in dust. Only after arduous struggles did it grow into a long-term ruling Marxist party with more than 100 million members. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Starting from the 'great struggle' with many new historical characteristics, [11] we must summarize and apply the rich experience of the Party in successfully responding to risks and challenges in different historical periods, prepare ideologically and professionally for a relatively long period of responding to changes in the external environment, continuously enhance the awareness of struggle, enrich the experience of struggle, improve the ability to struggle, and continuously improve the level and capability of governing the country."

From the perspective of the historical process, the Party's development has generally undergone a shift from "external risks coexist with internal risks, with external risks being primary" to "external risks coexist with internal risks, with internal risks being primary." After the reform and opening up, although attacks by external hostile forces against the Party and state never weakened and attempts at "color revolutions" and "peaceful evolution" [12] never ceased, the greater risks and challenges come from the Party itself "changing its quality, its color, or its flavor." Deng Xiaoping once warned the whole Party: "If any problem occurs in China, it will originate from within the Communist Party. We must remain sober on this issue." General Secretary Xi Jinping also pointed out: "The greatest risk our Party faces is internal degeneration, changing color or flavor, losing the political character of a Marxist party, and alienating itself from the purpose of the Party, thereby losing the support and endorsement of the broadest masses." It is precisely due to seeing the weaknesses and gaps in Party building, and the hidden risks within the Party, that the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has constructed the overall layout for Party building in the New Era from the political height of the future and destiny of the Party and the state. By promulgating and implementing the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules, it has turned the "hard requirements" of Party style and discipline into "hard measures," letting "iron rules grow iron teeth" to ensure rigid operation and persistence over the long term. This demonstrates the CPC's political responsibility, genetic endowment, and sense of mission as the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, committed to self-revolution and maintaining its advanced nature and purity.

From the perspective of political construction, the enactment and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations is both an innovative development of the Party's work style construction in the New Era and an important component of the Party's political construction, reflecting our Party's political correctness, firmness, sobriety, and persistence. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always adhered to leading development with a correct political line, remaining highly alert to and promptly correcting problems and deviations in Party building. One successful experience in implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations is starting from the Political Bureau and driving it top-down, with central leaders setting an example and leading from the top, guiding the whole Party to incorporate political standards throughout the entire process of work style construction. This makes the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations a political test of firmly upholding the "Two Establishments" and resolutely achieving the "Two Upholds." From the perspective of organizational construction, the organization is the foundation of the Party's total combat effectiveness. Implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and making it a common behavioral norm for the entire Party reflects and maintains our Party's powerful capacity for mobilization, organization, and cohesion. The Eight-Point Regulations...

"A single move on the chessboard" [13]—at the command, Party organizations at all levels and the entire membership rose in action. Orders were executed and prohibitions were respected, ensuring that the whole Party marched in lockstep and the central leadership’s decrees were unimpeded. Simultaneously, this strengthened the masses’ awareness of supervision and their capacity for rule-of-law-based oversight, winning over the hearts and minds of both the Party and the people. From the perspective of discipline building, the Central Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules constitute an essential component of disciplinary construction; they are concrete norms that all Party members and cadres must observe. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Eight-Point Regulations "are neither the highest standard nor the ultimate goal; they are merely the first step in improving our work style and the basic requirement of what we, as Communists, ought to do." At the same time, they represent discipline that every Party member must obey. The newly revised Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Action incorporate relevant contents of the Eight-Point Regulations into the Party's "Six Disciplines" [14] as intra-Party regulations. By formalizing them in institutional form, the Party has pointed out the "high line" of values while drawing the "red line" of discipline. This creates an "inter-embedding" and a "closed loop" between disciplinary constraints and work style requirements, jointly facilitating the formation of "iron discipline," "conscious discipline," and an excellent work style. This reflects the inherent unity between firming up ideals and beliefs and strict discipline, between discipline and supervision, and between the compulsory and conscious nature of discipline.

Regarding anti-corruption, although the anti-corruption struggle has achieved an overwhelming victory and been fully consolidated, the situation remains grave and complex. The task of eradicating the soil and conditions that breed corruption remains arduous, and greater efforts are needed to integratedly promote the mechanism of "not daring, not being able, and not wanting to be corrupt" [15]. Implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations clarifies, through the logic of discipline, philosophy, and practice, the revolutionary and scientific nature of grasping Party spirit, work style, and discipline together, and of integrating the rectification of work style, the enforcement of discipline, and the fight against corruption. The spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations does not only target issues of work style; it concerns the very issue of Party spirit. For a governing party, both work style and corruption are fundamental issues concerning the Party's life or death. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The intertwining of unhealthy tendencies and corruption is a prominent problem that must be focused on in the current building of Party conduct, clean government, and the anti-corruption struggle." In practice, corruption often lurks behind style issues, and corruption frequently begins with the degeneration of one's work style. In recent years, most of the corrupt elements investigated and punished were found to have violated the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, exhibiting the characteristic of "the integration of [unhealthy] winds and corruption" (feng-fu yi-ti). Therefore, the Party Central Committee began its grasp with the Eight-Point Regulations and work style issues, continuously increasing the intensity of simultaneous investigations into "winds" and corruption. This involves both rectifying style based on corruption cases and investigating corruption through style leads—digging deep into the corruption behind unhealthy tendencies, such as the exchange of interests. This deepens the integrated mechanism of ensuring officials "do not dare, are not able, and do not want to be corrupt," sending a signal to the whole Party of "strictness to the end without yielding an inch," thereby creating a deterrent effect.

It must be recognized that whether it is the vigorous rectification of illicit banqueting and the illicit receiving or sending of gifts and cash, or changing the problems of lack of accountability and inaction, all aim to lead the social and folk customs toward goodness and improvement by refining the Party’s work style. This creates a favorable social environment and continuously eradicates the soil and conditions for the growth of corruption. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "Since the 18th National Congress, we have confronted various problems and malpractices within the Party, breaking ground with the formulation and execution of the Eight-Point Regulations. We solved the problem of what to grasp and how to grasp it in work style construction under the new situation, promoting the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and the improvement of the conduct of the Party, the government, and society." The formulation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations mark a shift in Marxist party-building from an external risk-control paradigm—mainly resisting "color revolutions"—to a self-revolution paradigm focused on the construction of subjective reflexivity. Through the "three-in-one" mechanism of "punishment, supervision, and education," the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules has escaped the "campaign-style" governance model. It has opened a path of institutional innovation where systematized measures are embedded within the overall framework of Party building.

II. The Revolutionary Creation of Party Governance and State Governance in the New Era

The promulgation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations have historically changed China, becoming the "Golden Business Card" for managing the Party in the New Era. This landmark measure is rooted in the profound historical experience and requirements of Party spirit accumulated through the Party’s long struggle. It focuses on the centralized and unified leadership of the Party and the people's yearning for a better life in the New Era and on the new journey, powerfully promoting the Party's revolutionary forging through institutional innovation and forming a new pattern of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party.

1. The spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations inherits and develops the Party’s glorious traditions and fine work style

An excellent work style is a salient hallmark distinguishing the Communist Party of China from any other political party. Throughout its century-long struggle, the CPC has always paid close attention to the construction of work style, enriching and standardizing it as a vital component of Party building. This has yielded valuable experience and provided the historical foundation for implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations.

Focusing on leading work style construction through ideals and beliefs to fundamentally improve ideological understanding. Whether it was the critique of "anarchism" and other erroneous thoughts at the First National Congress, the clearing away of "Leftist" errors after the Great Revolution, or the rectification of subjectivism, sectarianism, and dogmatism during the Yan’an Rectification Movement [16], all demonstrate that the prerequisite for work style construction is clearing the mist of ideological confusion and firming up correct ideals and beliefs. In the Resolutions of the Gutian Conference [17], Mao Zedong profoundly criticized the harm of subjectivism to revolutionary work, emphasizing the necessity of adhering to the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method to analyze and guide work, and strengthening investigation and research to master actual conditions. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the important concept that "belief is the root, and work style is the manifestation," clarifying that the path to strengthening work style construction must "prioritize firming up ideals and beliefs, practicing the fundamental purpose, and strengthening moral cultivation." When the root is upright, the form is gathered; when the root is not upright, the form is scattered. The depth of ideological understanding and the purity of ideals and beliefs directly determine the strength of the work style. Only by relying on the power of truth and the support of ideals and beliefs can the Party’s work style construction consistently develop toward the good and the right, providing a guarantee for the development of the Party's cause.

Focusing on leading from the top to drive the transformation of work style, emphasizing the "key few" leading the "vast majority." From the story of "Zhu De’s carrying pole" [18] during the Jinggangshan period to Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and others growing vegetables and spinning cloth alongside the masses in Yan’an, vivid historical examples show that the "Yan’an Style" defeated the "Xi’an Style" [19] only because the leading comrades of the Party Central Committee took the lead and set an example. Entering the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Leading cadres at all levels must lead by example and set a standard—what is said must be done, and what is promised must be fulfilled; for the comrades of the Central Politburo, it starts with me." Starting work style construction with leading cadres—from the top down—reflects the requirements for the Party’s advanced nature and purity. It reflects the arduous struggle necessary to realize great and common ideals, and the unity of Party spirit and people-centeredness, where Party spirit expels negative elements in human nature. With the political character of self-revolution, the CPC drives leading cadres at all levels to grasp the requirements of work style refinement, gaining inexhaustible momentum for the Party's cause by maintaining close ties with the masses.

Focusing on seeking truth from facts to promote the continuous improvement of work style and resolutely opposing formalism. Seeking truth from facts is the fundamental viewpoint and method of Marxism. For Chinese Communists, it is the fundamental requirement for knowing and transforming the world. In terms of work style, this is centrally manifested in conducting in-depth investigation and research and always remaining realistic and pragmatic. As early as the New Democratic Revolution period, Mao Zedong advocated for a great surge in investigation and research to provide a basis for finding the correct revolutionary path and formulating effective struggle strategies, thus promoting the Sinicization of Marxism. While working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping proposed the "Four Down to the Grassroots" [20] work method, advocating for going deep into the grassroots, reality, and the masses to understand the situation. Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized adhering to seeking truth from facts in investigations, vigorously promoting the spirit of being realistic and pragmatic, and establishing a correct view of development and political achievement. By insisting on proceeding from reality in all things, speaking the truth, and taking practical measures, the pragmatic style has been integrated into every task, further improving the Party's image.

From the Yan’an Rectification Movement to the "Two Musts" [21]; from the emphasis on preventing the Party’s corruption in the early PRC period to "grasping with both hands" and the "three-pattern anti-corruption framework"; and from the 15th Central Committee’s Sixth Plenary Session proposing the "Eight Adherences and Eight Oppositions" to the 17th Central Committee’s Fourth Plenary Session emphasizing "promoting the styles of close ties with the masses, seeking truth from facts, arduous struggle, and criticism and self-criticism"—it is precisely because of this accumulation of historical experience that the Eight-Point Regulations have been able to present the Party’s glorious traditions and fine work style in a concrete institutional form. They have become the "iron rules" and "hard constraints" of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, constructing an integrated institutional vehicle for Party spirit, work style, and discipline.

2. Implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules has promoted the continuous improvement of the system for comprehensive and strict Party governance and the system of national governance

The implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules has further shaped the Party's political character, improved its work style, sharpened its discipline, and enhanced its capabilities. It has provided the guarantee for leading a great social revolution through a great self-revolution.

The institutional breakthroughs of the Eight-Point Regulations and their spirit are mainly reflected in three dimensions: First, in terms of institutional form, they achieved a leap from temporary policy requirements to a normalized institutional system. Through the dynamic revision of implementation rules, a closed-loop mechanism of "formulation—supervision—accountability/rectification—improvement" was formed, breaking the limitations of traditional campaign-style governance and creating a new paradigm of normalized, long-term, and institutionalized governance. Second, in terms of institutional efficacy, they built a three-dimensional execution framework: the "key few" provide a demonstration, the "vast majority" follow suit, and the masses supervise extensively. Through the standardized application of "The Eight-Point Regulations," "The Implementation Rules," and "The Spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations" to different subjects, the code of conduct for the Central Politburo was transformed into universal value standards and norms for the entire Party, reflecting the organic unity of institutional authority and the demonstration effect. Finally, in the logic of institutional innovation, they pioneered a governance path of "regulation through a small opening—incremental reform—systemic reshaping." Using eight specific requirements as the entry point, they "grasped the key link to govern the whole" (zhua-gang-dai-mu), embedding the fundamental principles of work style construction into the process, and using "the small to see the big" to promote the systemic reshaping of Party and government conduct and the overall reconstruction of the intra-Party political ecosystem. These regulations and rules not only inherit the fine tradition of strict Party governance but also develop Marxist party-building theory, consolidating the populist foundation for the Party's long-term governance.

The "Propagating Trust by Moving the Pole" [22] role of political swearing-in. At the Politburo meeting in 2012 that deliberated on the Eight-Point Regulations, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s words were forceful: "A regulation is a regulation. We didn't add the word 'trial' (shichang), and that is to show a firm attitude—that this regulation is rigid." "We did not make this regulation for a show or for fame; we must carry it out honestly." From General Secretary Xi Jinping and central leading comrades taking the lead, to local cadres and members following strictly, the Eight-Point Regulations spread across the Party and the nation in the form of a political vow, creating a "ripple effect" that turned into a "surge effect." This pragmatic move—characterized by "leaving a mark on the stone and a footprint on the iron"—allowed the masses to personally feel the profound transformation of the times. It demonstrated the political style and fine character of Chinese Communists—disciplining oneself before others—and reshaped the people’s perception of the Party's image in the New Era.

The "Simultaneous Destruction and Construction" (po-li-bing-ju) role in party governance. The Eight-Point Regulations may seem like small matters, but they reflect the Party's spirit of self-revolution and the situational requirements for pushing comprehensive and strict Party governance to a deeper level. For a long time, the Party had formed many good practices in work style building, presented through ideological education. However, the process of solidifying these into institutions and ensuring their rigid operation was once relatively loose. Coupled with a lack of supervision, work style construction became distorted, leading to a "broken windows effect" regarding institutional constraints. Seeing these prominent problems in practice, General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee began with the reform of the system of Party building, integrating the requirements of Party spirit into the Party's construction and discipline through specific institutions. This achieved a re-creation of institutional authority by "breaking hidden rules and establishing explicit rules." In terms of "breaking" (po), the Party used thunderous force to systematically rectify long-standing malpractices from the top down; in terms of "building" (li), it adhered to the principle that "it takes a good blacksmith to make good steel" [23]...

The political self-awareness of the Party, the construction of long-term mechanisms for conduct building, and the continuous cultivation of a new breeze of integrity [24] drive the entire Party to undergo revolutionary forging with one heart and mind. This ensures the Party consistently maintains its advanced nature and purity, significantly enhancing its cohesion and combat effectiveness. This major practice has achieved institutional breakthroughs via "small incisions" while simultaneously driving the reshaping of the political ecosystem in "great depth." It both inherits Marxist theory on party building and integrates it with fine traditional Chinese culture and contemporary political practice. This has formed a new path for party governance characterized by "grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together" [25] with Chinese characteristics, providing important experience for advancing the Great New Project of Party Building in the New Era.

The role of "politics of the people's hearts" in long-term governance. The Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules are not merely institutional norms for constraining Party members and cadres; they are also an important institutional bridge for maintaining the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the masses. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Some conduct issues that people consider commonplace are often those that bring fatal damage to the Party's credibility and image. Conduct issues are by no means trivial; once they become a trend, the harm is immense." For a period, "corruption on the tip of the tongue" and "privileges on wheels" [26] gradually became habitual social phenomena. Erroneous concepts, such as the "theory that eating and drinking are minor matters" and the "theory of industry exceptionalism," eroded the thinking of Party members and cadres, causing the masses' perception of the Party's image to deviate. The spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations begins with the "small matters" that concern the masses and affect their sense of happiness and gain. It resolutely curbs the winds of feasting, extravagance, and bureaucratism, as well as the wind of infringing upon the interests of the masses, transforming the abstract nature and purpose of the political party into concrete institutional norms that are supervisable, perceptible, and tangible. At the same time, public participation has made the connection between improving the Party's conduct and consolidating the foundation of governance more direct, concrete, and close. Through the rectification of the Four Winds, Party-mass relations have been reshaped, the connotation of the mass line in the New Era has been enriched, and the momentum for self-revolution—unifying intra-Party supervision with supervision by the people—has been enhanced. This has established a new governance paradigm where the Party's conduct building and social governance are co-constructed.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The formulation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations is an act of 'establishing trust by moving the wood' [27] for our Party in the New Era. We must grasp it unremittingly and persist over the long term; if ten years is not enough, then twenty; if twenty is not enough, then thirty, until it truly transforms into a custom and guides social and folk customs through excellent Party conduct." The implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules has, on the one hand, severed the erosion of political power by capital in the form of a "disciplinary red line," leading comrades within the Party to further "disenchant" themselves with capital and returning public power to the correct track of "seeking interests for the vast majority." On the other hand, through the unremitting improvement of conduct to maintain close ties with the masses, the relationship of unity between the Party and the people has been reconstructed. This further confirms the truth that "the people are the creators of history" and that "the Communist Party of China is always the most reliable pillar of support for all people when storms strike."

III. New Paths for Implementing the Spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and Their Implementation Rules on the New Journey of the New Era

The implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations has provided a solid guarantee of conduct for the Party and the state to achieve historic achievements and undergo historic changes, gathering powerful positive energy for Chinese-path modernization. On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and facing the current complex and volatile domestic and international environment as well as arduous tasks of reform, development, and stability, the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations must be advanced in a more systematic, precise, and long-term manner.

  1. Fortifying the ideological foundation through the normalization of study and education

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Promoting the entire Party to solve prominent problems in Party conduct through concentrated education and the spirit of self-revolution is an important historical experience." Since the 18th Party Congress, every concentrated intra-Party educational campaign has conducted centralized rectification of chronic ailments in conduct, greatly tempering Party spirit, improving conduct, and strictifying discipline. On the new journey of the New Era, implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules must strengthen ideological arming and construct normalized, long-term learning mechanisms. First, we must persist in the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary political task. In particular, we should focus on studying Xi Jinping's important thoughts on Party building, his important thoughts on the Party's self-revolution, and his important expositions on conduct building. This anchors the value coordinates and Party spirit requirements for members to conduct normalized study, continuously enhancing the political judgment, political understanding, and political execution of Party members and cadres. Second, we must persist in advancing with the times and integrating our studies. The spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations and its practical achievements are an important component of the Great New Project of Party Building in the New Era, closely linked to the Party's political, ideological, organizational, conduct, disciplinary, and institutional building, as well as anti-corruption work. Currently, the entire Party is carrying out study and education on deeply implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, which must be integrated with the previously conducted thematic education on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the study of Party discipline. This is both a requirement for a scientific understanding of the laws of development and a requirement of the systems theory of Party building. Through integrated study and realization, we can achieve a spiral rise in theoretical cognition from "political identification" to "value internalization" and then to "action consciousness," thereby enhancing the political, ideological, and active consciousness of upholding the Two Establishments and achieving the Two Upholds, promoting high-quality development. Third, we must persist in innovating study and education methods, continuously breaking through the path dependence of traditional learning models, and continuously optimizing the synergistic operation of institutional supply, organizational form innovation, and effect evaluation feedback for education. Recently, on the basis of having sent eight Central Guidance Groups to regions and units with ineffective study and education efforts or prominent key problems, the Central Committee dispatched three additional Central Guidance Groups to carry out guidance and supervision. This, on the one hand, reflects the Central Committee's firm determination to promote study and education toward greater depth and substance with strict standards and practical measures. On the other hand, through the organizational form of Central Guidance Groups, it ensures the leap from "tangible coverage" to "effective coverage" at the levels of pressure transmission and professional guidance, highlighting the unique political advantage of intra-Party study and education. Finally, we must persist in the organic unity of ideological arming and practical transformation, establishing a virtuous cycle where study and application reinforce each other. Party organizations at all levels must continuously improve their ability to discover and solve problems through systematic study, while simultaneously testing the results of study and education in practice, forming a closed-loop management of conduct tempering and Party spirit cultivation. Strengthening study and education and always persisting in implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations is essentially an important part of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era. We must effectively integrate the soul-casting of political building, the soul-gathering of ideological building, the foundation-fixing of disciplinary building, and the protection of institutional building through normalized and long-term education mechanisms. Ultimately, we must achieve a deep transformation from "I am required to learn" to "I want to learn," and from "passive correction" to "proactive governance," ensuring firm ideals and convictions, forging absolute loyalty to the Party, purifying moral quality, and maintaining integrity and uprightness.

  1. Solvng problems solidly through modernized and precise special rectifications

Problems are the voice of the times and the orientation of our work. The purpose of all top-level design, institutional supply, and mechanism construction is to promote the resolution of problems. Conduct issues are stubborn, complex, and long-term; we must always persist in problem-orientation, dare to face problems head-on, and crack chronic conduct ailments with precise measures to ensure rectification is in place. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "To solve the 'Four Winds' problem, we must focus the lens, find the pressure points, and grasp the essentials; we cannot 'let our minds wander' or 'lose focus'." At the beginning of the implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations, the Party kept a close watch on the Four Winds, persisting over the long term and focusing on solving prominent problems such as banqueting with public funds, private use of public vehicles, extravagant ceremonies, and extortion. After more than a decade of continuous rectification, Four Winds problems have significantly decreased, but at the same time, problems such as "stealthy mutations" and "rebranding into new forms" have emerged. For example, illegal eating and drinking have put on a "cloak of invisibility," public-funded tourism has put on a "disguise," and gift money and red envelopes have moved into "electronic accounts." These new situations and problems have placed higher demands on supervision and discipline enforcement and posed greater challenges to systemic governance. Recently, the Special Working Group on Deeply Implementing the Spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations at the central level and the General Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection jointly reported multiple typical cases of violating the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations. This indicates that conduct malaise is recurrent and stubborn; we must maintain a high-pressure posture with the sobriety and firmness of "always being on the road," going where the problems are and fixing what we see. Regarding methods, we must both utilize the "probe" role of mass supervision and use modern technological means such as big data to improve the penetration and effectiveness of supervision. By using big data to compare and analyze catering invoices and public vehicle trajectories, we can leave stealthy mutations with nowhere to hide. Regarding the focus of problems, we must target and launch special governance around "prominent problems strongly reflected by the masses," "excessive burdens on the grassroots," "lack of responsibility and inaction," "illegal eating and drinking," and "illegal acceptance and sending of gifts and money." Regarding the supervision of power, we must standardize the boundaries of power operation, continuously improve the Party and state supervision systems, prevent the abuse and spillover of power, and block the path of mutual agitation between conduct and corruption. In 2024, in accordance with the deployment of the Party Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection carried out special governance on corruption and misconduct in the immediate vicinity of the masses, which received a warm response. We must combine the implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations with the continuous rectification of infringements on the interests of the masses, severely punishing "fly-like and ant-like corruption" [28] to form a powerful deterrent. We must strictly implement the Certain Provisions on Rectifying Formalism to Reduce Burdens on the Grassroots, breaking "formalism on the fingertips" [29] so that grassroots cadres have more energy to serve the masses. Deepening special rectification also requires vigilance against "rebound" phenomena. We must form effective mechanisms for discovering, rectifying, and preventing the rebound of problems by establishing an "one case, three investigations" responsibility system and a "looking back" evaluation system for rectification effectiveness. Of particular note is that in circumstances where the principle of equivalent exchange in a market economy may erode intra-Party political life, we must resolutely prevent "bringing the principle of commodity exchange into the Party," strictly investigate hedonism and extravagance, and implement the newly revised Regulations of Party and Government Organs on Practicing Thrift and Opposing Waste, allowing the fine style of hard work and plain living to be continuously carried forward in the New Era.

  1. Improving the governance framework through a long-term institutional system

Transforming the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations into long-term effective institutional arrangements is key to consolidating the achievements of conduct building. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must closely and meticulously grasp the follow-up work of study and education in deeply implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations; the investigation of problems must be true, and the rectification measures must be solid, to ensure real results are achieved. We must timely summarize the effects and experiences of study and education, and improve the normalized and long-term institutional mechanisms for conduct building." On the new journey of the New Era, promoting the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations requires constructing a system that is comprehensive, scientifically standardized, and effective in operation, achieving a deepening from "treating the symptoms" to "treating the root cause." First, the establishment of a responsibility system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the foundation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The main responsibility for governing the Party, the supervision responsibility, the responsibility of the person in primary charge, and the 'one post, two responsibilities' [30] constitute a complete chain of responsibility, and every kind of responsibility must be strictly implemented." By constructing a responsibility system, we can press down leadership responsibilities layer by layer and transmit pressure, carrying the Central Committee's determination and attitude regarding comprehensively and strictly governing the Party to the very bottom and the very edges. Leading cadres at all levels must resolutely discard the "onlooker" mentality and understand conduct building and the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations from the perspective of the Party's survival and success. With political loyalty characterized by loving, worrying about, protecting, and revitalizing the Party, they must fulfill the main responsibility, supervision responsibility, and related responsibilities of functional departments without reservation, ensuring that the responsibility system for the Party Central Committee's decision-making and deployment functions effectively. Second, refining the implementation of specific systems is key. All regions and departments need to formulate differentiated implementation measures based on their actual conditions, transforming principled requirements into specific norms that are operable and assessable, and improving the focus and effectiveness of institutional operation through categorized policies. In the process of execution, we must strictly prevent engaging in formalism, going through the motions, or adopting a "one size fits all" approach, or even—

"Faking compliance while acting in opposition" [31], and engaging in "low-level redness and high-level blackness," [32] while resolutely preventing behaviors such as "rectifying illicit banqueting" morphing into "prohibiting normal dining consumption." Third, the focus is on forming a closed-loop supervisory system. This involves keeping a close eye on key objects and key matters, perfecting institutional mechanisms that unify the delegation, exercise, and restriction of power with clarity, transparency, and traceability, thereby truly "confining power within the cage of regulations." By establishing a mechanism of "reporting typical cases—warning education—rectification follow-ups," we combine the investigation of individual cases with systemic governance. Furthermore, by systematically organizing and summarizing the results of case investigations and elevating them into institutional experience, we achieve the effect of "investigating one case, warning a whole group, and governing an entire field." Fourth, leveraging technology to enhance governance effects is the prevailing trend. We must actively employ modern technological means, exploring the establishment of blockchain evidence storage systems for official consumption, designing and developing early-warning index models for "Four Winds" issues, and promoting "QR code supervision" public reporting platforms. This constructs a smart supervision system that combines online and offline efforts, increasing supervisory efficiency while guiding the masses to participate and raising supervisory awareness. This ensures that conduct construction truly becomes a collective action for the entire Party and society, realizing the goal of "transforming moral conduct into social custom" [33]. Fifth, strengthening cultural leadership and cultivating a new atmosphere of integrity provides the necessary support. While perfecting "hard" constraints, emphasis must be placed on cultivating an intra-Party political culture of "seeking truth, being pragmatic, and maintaining integrity," as well as a social culture of "revering integrity and advocating frugality," thereby constructing a "pro-integrity and clean" [34] relationship between government and business. Through media publicity and the demonstration of role models, the culture of integrity should be integrated into community governance and the construction of rural civility, pushing the Party's fine conduct to radiate into the social level. This creates a vivid situation of healthy interaction between the Party's conduct/government style and social/folk customs. Education must be intensified from both positive and negative sides, utilizing advanced models as guides while maintaining the deterrent force of warning education, ensuring that "high-line" guidance and "bottom-line" constraints are given equal weight.

4. Utilizing systemic thinking to promote collaborative governance through integration

Conduct construction involves multiple factors such as ideological concepts, behavioral habits, and institutional mechanisms; it is a systemic project that must be planned and advanced collaboratively using systemic thinking. On the New Journey in the New Era, implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations cannot involve treating conduct in isolation. Instead, it should be grasped within the overall situation of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and linked with the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. This ensures the unification of deep study and understanding with resolute practice, the unification of identifying problems with creating a "strict" atmosphere, and the unification of immediate rectification with long-term effectiveness, forming a favorable trend of holistic advancement.

From the dimension of national governance, implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations is an important yardstick for testing the "Two Upholds." Through institutionalized implementation rules, common, prone, and frequent violations of discipline and law are brought within the scope of rectification. This connects with the construction of a long-term mechanism to ensure that officials "do not dare, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt," forming a systemic mechanism for the supervision and restraint of power. From the perspective of social governance, the grassroots is the "last kilometer" in contacting and serving the masses; the quality of conduct directly affects the effectiveness of policy execution and the Party's image. Conduct construction must be deeply integrated into grassroots governance, using the implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations to continuously regulate the operation of grassroots "micro-power," resolutely rectifying behaviors that infringe upon the interests of the masses, and solidifying the mass foundation of the Party's governance. From the perspective of corruption governance, undesirable styles of work provide the breeding ground for corruption; behind corruption problems, there are often conduct issues, showing a clear characteristic of "integration of style and corruption" (风腐一体). We must adhere to strict standards, increase the intensity of joint investigations into style and corruption, dig deep into the ideological perceptions and conduct issues at the root of corruption, establish mechanisms to block the transition from poor style to corruption, and prevent degeneration from small matters of conduct into the abyss of corrupt crimes.

Furthermore, we must grasp the relationship between punishment and prevention, conduct and discipline, and education and rectification from a holistic perspective, coordinating the combination of the specific point of the Eight-Point Regulations with the broader surface of conduct construction. Conduct construction is characterized by longevity and complexity; it must be implemented comprehensively and persist over the long term. Only by combining focused phase-based progress with continuous normalcy and long-term effectiveness can we avoid "wind-like" (transient) governance and ensure that the results of conduct construction can withstand the test of practice and history.

As the "political code that changed China," the vitality of the Eight-Point Regulations lies in continuous innovation and practice, enhancing Party spirit and continuously promoting the Party's self-revolution. Practice has fully proven that the Eight-Point Regulations are a major measure for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and a strategic arrangement for purifying the political ecosystem. They profoundly influence the development of all undertakings of the Party and the state, with a significance far exceeding conduct construction itself. Standing at a new historical starting point, the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations has entered a new stage of systemic integration and collaborative efficiency. Facing the future, on the New Journey, we must always maintain the sobriety and determination of "going for an exam" [35]. We must adhere to the guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on the Party's self-revolution. With more scientific methods, stricter conduct, and more powerful measures, we will continue to deepen the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, persist with a "strict" tone over the long term, and improve the normalized and long-term mechanisms for conduct construction. By integrating these into the process of Chinese-path modernization, we will better lead the great social revolution through the Party's self-revolution.

(The authors are respectively a Professor at the Beidaihe Campus of the China Institute of Discipline Inspection and Supervision; and an Assistant Researcher at the China Institute of Discipline Inspection and Supervision) Source: Ideological and Theoretical Education (思想理论教育), Issue 8, 2025. Web Editor: Ma Jingren