Liu Feiying: Promoting the "Flight" of the Party's Innovative Theories into the Homes of Ordinary People
Every step forward in theoretical innovation must be followed by a step forward in theoretical enrichment. At the working conference for the thematic education campaign on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to persist in using intra-Party education to guide and drive the study of the whole of society, allowing the Party's innovative theories to "fly into the homes of ordinary people" [1]. Promoting the entry of the Party's innovative theories into the homes of ordinary people is both an inherent requirement of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and an inevitable demand for consolidating the common ideological foundation upon which the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country unite and strive. It is the unshirkable duty and mission of the propaganda, ideological, and cultural front on the new journey in the New Era.
Integrating the commitment to "taking a clear-cut political stand" throughout the entire process of theoretical propaganda and preaching
Taking a clear-cut political stand is a prominent characteristic of a Marxist party and a consistent political advantage of the Communist Party of China. Only by adhering to a clear-cut political stand can we ensure that the Party's innovative theories "fly into the homes of ordinary people" under the premise of maintaining the correct political direction, keep pace with the Party’s theoretical innovations, remain steadfast to the fundamental mission of propaganda, ideological, and cultural work under new circumstances, and form a synergistic force that "lifts the net by its headrope" [2] while connecting the higher and lower levels.
Integrating the commitment to "taking a clear-cut political stand" throughout theoretical propaganda and preaching means that—whether in setting goals and content or in selecting modes and methods—we must always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. We must resolutely respond to what the Central Committee advocates, resolutely act upon what the Central Committee decides, and resolutely refrain from what the Central Committee prohibits. It means keeping the "top priorities of the nation" [3] in mind, submitting to and serving the Party’s political line, and promptly aligning and calibrating [4] every specific task of theoretical propaganda and preaching with the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies. It means adhering to the principle of the Party managing propaganda and ideologies, always centering on the mission, tasks, and core links of the Party’s propaganda, ideological, and cultural work, and putting effort into arming the whole Party and educating the people with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, while continuously improving the quality and standard of our work.
Driving innovation in the content of theoretical propaganda and preaching through a problem-oriented approach
Problems are the voice of the times. Persisting in a problem-oriented approach is an important position, viewpoint, and method running through Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; it is the inexhaustible engine for driving innovation in theoretical propaganda and preaching and the essential requirement for pushing the Party's innovative theories into the homes of ordinary people. We must take the people as our focus, practice as our focus, and the thoughts, feelings, urgent needs, and expectations of the broad masses as our focus. We must face problems squarely, confront them directly, and resolve them to ensure that "ordinary people" are interested in, willing to, and capable of absorbing the Party's innovative theories.
Facing problems squarely is the basic prerequisite for a problem-oriented approach. This requires that in our theoretical propaganda work, we take the scientific worldview of Marxism as our guide, establish a "problem consciousness," and acknowledge the objective and universal existence of problems without denying or avoiding them. We must be adept at discovering problems, focusing on new problems encountered in practice, deep-seated problems in reform, development, and stability, the urgent anxieties and expectations of the people, major issues in the changing international landscape, and prominent problems facing Party building. Furthermore, we must center our work on what the grassroots think, what the masses feel, and what the people hope for. We must respond to the concerns of the people, concretizing "great national affairs" into the "small matters at one's side," and using those "small matters" to gain perspective on "great national affairs."
Confronting problems directly is the key link in adhering to a problem-oriented approach. This requires that in theoretical propaganda, we respond to the concerns of the masses with thorough theoretical analysis. The viewpoints, examples, and conclusions of our preaching must withstand the repeated questioning of "why" and "how" from the masses. We must continuously burnish the theoretical character of propaganda, treating science with a scientific attitude and pursuing truth in a spirit of truth. We must persist in using thorough ideological theory to convince the masses and the powerful force of truth to guide them. We must clarify the scientific connotation of the Party’s innovative theories, the historical lineage of Sinicized and modernized Marxism, the small stories involved in every "great principle," and the "great principle" behind every small story, providing targeted and persuasive innovative interpretations of the Party's theories.
Resolving ideological problems is the ultimate goal of theoretical propaganda and preaching. This requires that we seize upon the blind spots in the existing concepts of Party members and the masses, delivering the Party’s innovative theories as completely and systematically as possible to avoid cognitive misunderstandings caused by "not knowing" or "not understanding." We must seize upon the doubts in the minds of Party members and the masses, using thorough theory to answer their questions and eliminate confusion. We must seize upon the difficult points in their learning process, integrating theory with practice to explain matters from multiple angles and perspectives. We must seize upon the "hot topics" [5] of concern to the masses, using the Party's innovative theories to guide and explain these topics as they form and spread, thereby achieving greater unity in the ideological concepts of Party members and the masses.
Leading innovation in the forms of theoretical propaganda and preaching through popularization and massification
Leading innovation in the forms of theoretical propaganda through popularization and massification is the basic path for pushing the Party’s innovative theories into the homes of ordinary people. We must grasp the pulse of the times, align with the preferences of the masses, and actively explore the integration of diverse genres, the use of vivid and rich discourse, and the coordination of varied media to ensure that "ordinary people" love to listen to and are energized by the Party's innovative theories.
We should actively explore the diversification of genres for theoretical preaching. We must leverage the strengths of "lecture-style" preaching—which bridges the past and present, is systematic and comprehensive, and provides penetrating analysis—to present facts clearly and explain principles thoroughly. We must leverage the strengths of "narrative-style" grassroots preaching—which uses local people to tell local stories, sees the big in the small, and moves people with emotion—using small topics to carry grand themes and small stories to carry feelings of home and country. We must leverage the strengths of "performative" artistic preaching—which blends logic into narrative and emotion into scenery—using the power of art to trigger resonance. While maintaining "speaking" as the core, we should explore the mutual learning and integration of various genres, carefully designing "micro-preachings" and "theory + masses + art" hybrid styles to create innovative formats that better suit the tastes and preferences of the people, allowing varied forms of preaching to "let a hundred flowers bloom."
Discourse is a direct reflection of thoughts and feelings, carrying the ideological connotation and emotional attitude of theoretical propaganda. General Secretary Xi Jinping is highly adept at using vivid discourse to explain profound principles, such as "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and "this country is its people; the people are the country." We must always integrate with the people in thought and emotion, proactively learning and using the language of the masses. We must transform abstract and difficult theoretical jargon into "grounded," "steaming-hot," and "spirited" [6] popular discourse, making theoretical preaching more relatable, vivid, and easy to understand. Special attention should be paid to identifying and developing "new terminology of the era" from currently popular internet slang—terms that can accurately express the ideological essence of the Party's innovative theories while intuitively reflecting the life experiences and insights of the people. Using this language—which is healthy, uplifting, and reaches the soul—we can better build a bridge for the Party's innovative theories to reach the homes of ordinary people.
We should actively explore innovations in the channels of dissemination and modes of presentation, building an all-encompassing, multi-level, three-dimensional, and collaborative media communication landscape. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "We must scientifically understand the laws of network communication, improve our ability to use and govern the internet, and turn the internet—this 'greatest variable'—into the 'greatest increment' for the development of our cause." We must use technological innovation to force innovation in content, increasing the production and dissemination of high-quality original "converged media" content to enhance the attractiveness of theory to the masses. We must promote the normalization and long-term efficacy of "classrooms in the air" and "cloud preaching," ensuring that wherever the audience is, the preaching follows, thereby improving accessibility and convenience. We must strive to build new highland for online preaching, using clustering and branding to amplify the volume, attract traffic, and gather "positive energy," enhancing the influence and guiding power of theoretical propaganda.
Persisting over the long term to deeply grasp the laws governing theoretical propaganda and preaching
Promoting the entry of the Party's innovative theories into the homes of ordinary people is a vital link in propaganda, ideological, and cultural work under new circumstances; it is the "last mile" of ensuring that the Party's theories take root at the grassroots. We must not only focus on practical exploration—taking a clear-cut political stand and driving innovation through a problem-oriented approach and popularization—but also focus on the sublimation of experience, persisting over the long term to deeply grasp the laws of this work.
First, we must maintain the unity of theoretical research/interpretation and propaganda/education. Conducting research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories from the perspective of philosophy and social sciences is an important foundation for theoretical preaching. We must accelerate the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, continuously advancing innovation in knowledge, theory, and methods. We must strengthen the transformation of academic research results into accessible material, exploring a work pattern where research and education support one another, facilitating the deep integration of philosophy and social science with theoretical preaching.
Second, we must maintain the unity of theoretical demand and practical creation. Doing the work of theoretical preaching is fundamentally about satisfying the needs of the masses to arm their minds, guide their practice, and promote their work with the Party's innovative theories. The vivid practices of the masses and the material and spiritual wealth they create are the "source of living water" [7] for our Party’s continuous theoretical innovation. We must not only aim our efforts at the theoretical needs of the masses like "shooting an arrow at a target" [8], but also respect the principal status and pioneering spirit of the people. We must pay attention to what kind of theory is needed by grassroots practice on the New Journey, how the people as the subjects of practice accept theory, and how theory takes root to drive practice. Simultaneously, we must attend to the fresh creations of the grassroots in the generation of culture, the sublimation of spiritual beliefs, and the accumulation of experience in their endeavors.
Third, we must persist in the integration of study, thought, and application, and the unity of knowledge, belief, and action. Taking the study of the Party's innovative theories as the basic task, we must broadcast the theoretical achievements of Sinicized and modernized Marxism across the land of China. With the goal of value guidance and "soul-molding," we must guide the cadres and the masses to strengthen their faith in Marxism, their belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Taking the promotion of practice as the fundamental objective, we must ensure that the effects of propaganda and preaching are tangibly reflected in the actions of the cadres and masses as they resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee.