Han Qiang and Ma Jingming: Basic Experience of the Communist Party of China's Education on Party Spirit
Party spirit [1] is the concentrated expression of class character; it is the sum total of the stance, worldview, style, and image manifested by Party members in their thoughts, work, and lives. Party spirit education is the general term for the various educational activities carried out within the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Party members and cadres to consolidate the Party’s nature as the vanguard of the Chinese working class, as well as the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. The content of Party spirit education covers all aspects of the Party’s politics, ideology, organization, conduct, discipline, and institutions. Its subjects are all Party members, with a focus on leading cadres at all levels.
The "Regulations on the Work of Cadre Education and Training," newly revised by the CPC Central Committee in 2023, clearly state: "Party spirit education should focus on education in ideals and convictions, the Party’s purpose, revolutionary traditions, and Party style and clean government. It must highlight education in the study of the Party Constitution, Party rules, and Party discipline; strengthen education in political loyalty; strengthen education in political discipline and political rules; strengthen the cultivation of the spirit of struggle and the ability to struggle; and conduct in-depth education in the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of the development of socialism, and the history of the development of the Chinese nation. It must persist in educating cadres with the spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists, which has the Great Founding Spirit of the Party [2] as its source; strengthen education on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation; carry out education on core socialist values, excellent traditional Chinese culture, and the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation; and conduct education in political morality and warning education. This guides Party members and cadres to raise their ideological awareness, spiritual realm, and moral cultivation; to establish correct views on power, performance, and career; to remain loyal to the Party, personal integrity, and courageous in shoulder responsibilities; and to forever preserve the political character of Communists."
In December 2024, while presiding over a democratic life meeting [3] of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Leading cadres must regard tempering their Party spirit and improving their ideological awareness as a lifelong task—to live, learn, and cultivate oneself until old age. Political cultivation must be placed at the head of Party spirit cultivation; Party spirit nourishment must be drawn from the Party’s innovative theories; and the study, observance, and implementation of the Party Constitution, Party rules, and Party discipline must be treated as important contents of Party spirit cultivation." This is both a requirement for the Party spirit education of cadres and a reflection of the requirements for all Party members.
Placing political cultivation at the head of Party spirit cultivation is an inevitable requirement for strengthening the Party’s political building and promoting the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era. Only by placing political cultivation at the head can cultivation in other areas have a command and a foundation. Therefore, strengthening the political cultivation of Party members is the primary task and inherent meaning of Party spirit education. The CPC has always attached importance to strengthening Party spirit education, enriching its content, innovating its forms, strengthening institutional guarantees, and enhancing its effectiveness. On the basis of persisting with political cultivation as the lead, the Party has continuously improved members' theoretical, behavioral, disciplinary, and moral cultivation. This has formed a situation where formal education is combined with spare-time education, Party spirit education with other forms of education, universal education with education for key targets, and routine education with intensive [集中性] education. The Party's ability for self-purification, self-perfection, self-innovation, and self-improvement has been continuously enhanced, and the fine tradition of Party spirit education has been further promoted.
However, due to the constant changes in the world, the country, and the Party, as well as the continuous growth of the Party member ranks, Party spirit education also faces new tests. Data released in early 2025 by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS) regarding the oversight, inspection, review, and investigation by national disciplinary inspection and supervision organs in 2024 showed that these organs filed a total of 877,000 cases. Among these, cases were filed against 73 cadres at or above the provincial and ministerial level, 4,348 cadres at the departmental/bureau level, 35,000 cadres at the county/division level, and 121,000 cadres at the township/section level. Additionally, cases were filed against 104,000 current or former village Party branch secretaries or village committee directors. National disciplinary inspection and supervision organs utilized the "Four Forms" [4] to criticize, educate, and handle 2.148 million people. Among these, the First Form was used for 1.248 million people (58.1% of the total); the Second Form for 756,000 people (35.2%); the Third Form for 72,000 people (3.3%); and the Fourth Form for 73,000 people (3.4%). These figures indicate that the situation of the anti-corruption struggle remains very grim, and Party spirit education is "always on the road." To enhance the effectiveness of Party spirit education, we must review historical experience, grasp the laws of Party spirit education, and "examine the past to know the present; look to history to create the new" [鉴往知今、向史而新]. Summarizing the experience of the CPC’s Party spirit education over the past century, we can draw the following conclusions:
I. Always regard firming up ideals and convictions as the fundamental aspect of Party spirit education
Clarity in politics stems from firmness in theory. Strengthening political cultivation requires not only deep study of the Party's innovative theories to consolidate the foundation, but also reliance on firm ideals and convictions to forge an indestructible political resolve [政治定力] for Party members and cadres. Ideals and convictions are the "spiritual calcium" of Communists and the root of Party spirit education. The CPC is an advanced political party of the Chinese working class with lofty ideals and a glorious mission; the Party's highest ideal and ultimate goal is the realization of communism. It is precisely because of these lofty ideals that generations of Chinese Communists have been able to stay true to their original aspiration and founding mission, striving tirelessly for the liberation of the proletariat and humanity and for the realization of communism. Many have sacrificed their precious lives. According to incomplete statistics, from the founding of the CPC in 1921 to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more than 3.7 million revolutionary martyrs whose names can be verified sacrificed their lives nationwide. During the periods of socialist revolution and construction, the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a large number of outstanding Party members have still braved sacrifice for their ideals and convictions. On the "New Long March" of the fight against poverty alone, more than 1,800 people sacrificed their lives on the frontline of poverty alleviation, their lives forever fixed on that battlefield. It is the successive struggles of generations of Party members that have written the century-long history of the CPC’s unremitting struggle and fearlessness for its ideals.
The Party spirit of a member is not innate but is realized through continuous education. "Ideals and convictions cannot emerge out of thin air, nor can they be held onto easily." Only by continuously strengthening theoretical arming, Party spirit education, and practical tempering—improving one’s theoretical level and practical ability—can one firm up ideals and convictions, avoid erosion by various non-proletarian ideologies, and play the vanguard and exemplary role of a Party member. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Party spirit and moral level of cadres will not naturally improve with the growth of Party seniority or years of service, nor will they naturally improve with the promotion of positions; one must strengthen self-cultivation, self-restraint, and self-transformation." Therefore, our Party has always taken the education of ideals and convictions as the core, strengthening the arming of Marxist theory, conducting education in the innovative theoretical achievements of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and establishing a sound Party spirit education system with Party schools (academies of governance) and cadre colleges as the main body. We conduct intensive Party spirit education, normalize intra-Party political life, and have created effective methods represented by the Yan'an Rectification Movement [5]. Because of this fruitful Party spirit education, our Party has been able to remain firm in its ideals and convictions, find the correct direction and path, and lead the people to great victories in revolution, construction, and reform.
At present, China's reform has entered a "hard-bones" phase [6] and "deep-water zone," and development has entered a critical period. Various concepts and trends of thought emerge one after another, creating an impact on the ideals and convictions of Party members and cadres. Although the vast majority of Party members and cadres actively devote themselves to the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation and have made outstanding achievements, some members' ideals and convictions are wavering. They lack confidence in whether communism can be realized, even believing the "theory of its vagueness" [渺茫论]; they are unwilling to take responsibility, following the philosophy of "doing more leads to more mistakes, doing less leads to fewer mistakes, and doing nothing leads to no mistakes"; they possess serious individualistic tendencies, considering only personal gain and loss and becoming "exquisite egoists" [7]; and their spirit of arduous struggle has declined, as they pursue sensory stimulation and treat carpe diem as their life pursuit. All these various phenomena pose a severe test to the Party's education of ideals and convictions.
In response, our Party firmly inherits and promotes its fine traditions, guiding Party members and cadres to cast a solid foundation of ideals and convictions. In particular, we have strengthened the arming of the Party's innovative theories to promote political firmness through theoretical clarity, using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to "congeal the soul" [凝心铸魂]. We have strengthened Party history study and education, taking the centenary of the founding of the CPC as an opportunity to guide the whole Party in establishing a correct view of Party history—ensuring they "understand principles, enhance credit, respect morality, and practice diligently" [8] through the study of history, and feel the power of faith from the Party’s century of struggle. We have innovated the content and forms of education in ideals, combining the focus on "moving someone for a moment" with "serving them for a lifetime." It is through this effective Party spirit education that the Party spirit of the majority of members and cadres has been continuously strengthened, their conduct improved, and their political judgment, political understanding, and political execution continuously enhanced. The awareness of political discipline and political rules has been further strengthened, and the whole Party has become increasingly unified in thought and action. This has laid a solid political foundation and injected powerful spiritual impetus for achieving the Second Centenary Goal.
II. Always firmly uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee
To manage China's affairs well, the key lies in the Party, in persisting with the Party's leadership, and fundamentally in upholding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Upholding and improving the Party's leadership is where the foundation and lifeblood of the Party and the country lie, and where the interests and happiness of the people of all ethnic groups in the country reside." Forming a high degree of identification with and conscious adherence to the Party's leadership—especially the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee—is the primary task of Party spirit education. In every period of revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has always attached great importance to persisting in its leadership, exploring the laws of leadership, improving the leadership system, enhancing leadership capacity, and strengthening education in leadership. We have cultivated a positive and correct leadership style, making persistence in the Party's leadership a common ideological consensus and conscious action of the whole Party. The history of the Party proves that whenever we correctly understand the Party's leadership, form a stable central leadership collective, and formulate a correct line, principles, and policies, the whole Party can unite as one and strive together, and the Party's cause can develop relatively quickly. Conversely, the Party's organization and cause inevitably encounter setbacks.
After experiencing various "Left" and Right errors in the early stages, the Party's leadership returned to the correct track starting from the Zunyi Conference [9]. The reason the Zunyi Conference was recorded in history as a meeting of great historical turning-point significance was that it established the correct political and military lines and established Mao Zedong's position as the de facto core of leadership in the Party Central Committee and the Red Army. It rescued our Party from the erroneous lines of the past and began to form the first generation of the central leadership collective with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core, opening a new stage in which the CPC solved the practical problems of the Chinese revolution independently. By the Seventh National Congress of the Party, Mao Zedong was formally established as the core of this leadership collective, and Mao Zedong Thought was established as the guiding ideology of the whole Party. Under the strong leadership of the first generation of the leadership collective, the New Democratic Revolution advanced along the correct path and finally achieved national victory. Subsequently, under the leadership of this collective, China achieved great successes in socialist revolution and construction.
Since the beginning of reform and opening up, our Party has shifted the focus of all work, established the basic line of "one center, two basic points" [10], and made a series of major decisions. Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee, it achieved great successes in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has formed a series of new and important understandings of persisting in and strengthening the Party's leadership. It has made the major judgment that persisting in and strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Party is the highest political leadership force, and the Party's leadership is the highest political principle. The Party's leadership is comprehensive, systematic, and holistic, and must be implemented comprehensively, systematically, and holistically. The primary task of persisting in and strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership is to uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. We must innovate and improve leadership methods and enhance the Party's ability to set the direction, manage the overall situation, formulate policies, and promote reform. We must persist in and improve the system of Party leadership and improve the level of the Party's scientific, democratic, and law-based governance. Comprehensive implementation of these requirements has become the most important criterion for measuring the Party spirit of a member.
The fundamental reason our Party has been able to lead the way to victory in revolution, construction, and reform lies in its consistent adherence to and strengthening of Party leadership. The Party has not only continuously deepened its understanding and enhanced its capacities in practice but has also used party-spirit education to reinforce the entire Party’s profound understanding of and high identification with upholding Party leadership, thereby increasing the consciousness of the entire Party in this regard. Regarding the issue of Party leadership, our Party has always viewed leadership from a political height, taking the upholding of Party leadership as the primary condition for "stressing politics." We have consistently made safeguarding the authority of the Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership our primary task. In the New Era, we particularly emphasize enhancing the "Four Consciousnesses," strengthening the "Four Confidences," and achieving the "Two Upholds." We have always stressed adhering to the Party's political leadership while continuously improving our capacity to set directions, manage the big picture, formulate policies, and promote reform. We have consistently maintained and improved the Party's political discipline and political rules, issuing internal Party regulations and systems such as the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening the Party's Political Construction and the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action, thereby creating a clear political orientation and providing strong institutional guarantees. We have always focused on improving intra-Party political life, enhancing its political nature, contemporary significance, principled character, and combative spirit. We have continuously carried out concentrated intra-Party education to normalize party-spirit education. We must resolutely adhere to and apply these precious practices of firmly safeguarding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee.
From a practical perspective, regarding the resolute maintenance of the Central Committee’s authority and centralized, unified leadership, some Party members and officials still harbor many ideological and political problems. Some are not adept at integrating the Party’s line, principles, and policies or the instructions of higher authorities with the actual conditions of their own localities or units, resulting in slow development. Others are simply responsible to their superiors but not to their subordinates, leading to prominent formalism and bureaucratism [11] and generating significant public dissatisfaction. Still others equate Party leadership with individual leadership, violating the principle of democratic centralism [12], with styles of individual arbitrariness seeing a resurgence. To address this, we must strengthen party-spirit education from the height of "stressing politics," educating and guiding Party members and officials to correctly understand the necessity of upholding and strengthening Party leadership—particularly the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. We must guide them to accurately grasp the scientific connotation of Party leadership, use its methods and approaches correctly, cultivate a fine work style for upholding and strengthening Party leadership, and continuously improve their leadership and governing expertise to provide a strong political and organizational guarantee for the Party’s leadership of the cause of socialist modernization.
III. Always Focusing on Tempering Party-Spirit within Great Practice
The perspective of practice is the primary and basic perspective of Marxism, as practice is the foundation of knowledge, the sole criterion for testing truth, and the purpose and destination of knowledge. It is in this sense that Marxism is a theory of practice, guiding the actions of the people in transforming the world. The liberation of the proletariat and humanity is the greatest practice initiated under the guidance of Marxism. Guided by Marxist theory, the Communist Party has led the most magnificent proletarian liberation movement in human history, turning socialism from theory into reality, expanding it from one country to many, and gradually leading it out of the low point of the late 1980s and early 1990s. As the world's largest Marxist governing party today, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has made its own indelible contributions to the international communist movement.
The CPC has always kept in mind the two great historical tasks—national independence and people's liberation, along with national prosperity and the people's well-being—and has taken the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its goal. After 28 years of arduous struggle, the Party established New China [13] and embarked on a new journey of uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups to achieve national prosperity and people's well-being. Through long-term and unremitting efforts, the Party led the people to achieve the First Centenary Goal [14] and began the new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal. This ushered in a great leap from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong. China has successfully developed into the world's largest manufacturing power and the second-largest economy, with its comprehensive national strength rising to unprecedented levels and possessing extensive global influence. The Chinese nation has never been closer to achieving the goal of great rejuvenation than it is now. The fundamental reason the CPC has been able to achieve such historic successes is that, in the great practice of leading China’s revolution, construction, and reform, it has forged a Party that stands at the forefront of the times. For over a century, the Party has adhered to its nature and purpose, remained firm in its ideals and convictions, stayed true to its original aspiration and founding mission, and had the courage for self-revolution. It has withstood various risks and tests and made enormous sacrifices during life-and-death struggles and arduous endeavors. Through this, it tempered a distinct political character and formed a spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists rooted in the Great Founding Spirit of the Party [15]. It maintained the Party’s advanced nature and purity, continuously improved its governing capacity and leadership level, and led the Chinese people in creating the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process, and the Party's leadership and governing status have been increasingly consolidated. Similarly, the vast number of Party members and officials have been tested and have continuously grown through great practice. From its founding with only 50-plus members, the Party has grown today into the world's largest governing party with over 100 million members, leading a major country of over 1.4 billion people and possessing significant international influence. The vast number of Party members and officials have fought on the front lines of practice, uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups to be "brave in struggle and brave in winning," creating miracles on earth. Their party-spirit has been tempered and sublimated, and they are worthy of the glorious title of Communist Party Member.
Practice is the touchstone of party-spirit. In the early period of reform and opening up, Comrade Deng Xiaoping cautioned the entire Party: "Everything in the world is achieved through doing; without doing, there is no Marxism to speak of." In his important speech at the 2023 Spring Festival greeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping also pointed out: "We relied on solid work to create a glorious past, and we must still rely on solid work to create an even better future." "Whether one dares to take responsibility and is brave enough to show enterprise is the best way to see a cadre’s party-spirit and work style." Whether a person is a true Communist depends on whether they can actively throw themselves into great practice, being "recognizable in ordinary times, standing out at critical moments, and risking everything in times of crisis." Our Party has always focused on tempering the party-spirit of members within great practice. During the period of democratic revolution, the primary standard for measuring whether a member was loyal to the Party was whether they could charge forward and disregard their own safety for the cause of the Party and the people. This inspired the vast number of members to throw themselves into the torrent of the Great Revolution [16], the battlefields of the Agrarian Revolution, the front lines of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the decisive battles of the War of Liberation. These members were tempered in the great revolutionary wars. After the founding of New China, the fiery practice of socialist revolution and construction refined a group of outstanding Communists such as Wang Jinxi, Lei Feng, Wang Jie, and Jiao Yulu [17], who became models of the era. Since reform and opening up, and particularly since socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, wave after wave of Communists have stood at the forefront of the tide of reform, daring to explore and innovate, becoming leaders in various industries and making outstanding contributions to the cause of reform and development. On December 18, 2018, at the conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, the Party Central Committee and the State Council awarded the title of "Reform Pioneer" to 100 comrades, including Yu Min. They made outstanding contributions to promoting reform and opening up, played a prominent exemplary and leading role, and are excellent representatives of Party members and the masses.
Focusing on tempering and observing members in practice, cultivating cadres, stimulating enthusiasm for enterprise, and giving play to the vanguard and exemplary role of members—this is precisely the important successful experience of our Party in conducting party-spirit education and the driving force behind the flourishing development of the Party’s cause. Currently, the great practice of achieving the Second Centenary Goal is in full swing. The entire Party must more actively guide Party members and officials to throw themselves into this great practice, performing meritorious deeds and tempering their party-spirit in the process of further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization.
IV. Always Focusing on Unleashing the Initiative and Creativity of the Entire Party and Guaranteeing its Unity and Unification
Unity is strength. The Party’s cause is a great cause that can only be realized by mobilizing the initiative of the entire Party and uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups to struggle together. Therefore, the Party's unity is its lifeblood. Safeguarding the Party’s unity and unification is the concentrated expression of a Communist’s party-spirit, while undermining unity essentially aids the enemy. The Party’s strength lies in its organization. Our Party is a large party organized according to the principle of democratic centralism, possessing a rigorous organizational system, strict organizational discipline, and powerful combat effectiveness. This is our Party’s organizational advantage; by utilizing this advantage well, our Party can be invincible. To leverage this advantage, we must focus on mobilizing the initiative and creativity of the entire Party, consolidating its unity and unification, and achieving a high degree of consistency in the Party’s ideology, will, and action. This is the concentrated expression of party-spirit and an important task of party-spirit education. The fundamental reason the CPC has achieved great historic success is that it has always regarded unity and unification as its lifeblood, using a high degree of consciousness and strict discipline to ensure the Party acts in unison, while also fully unleashing the initiative and creativity of the entire Party. This Party unity has driven the achievement of unity between the Party and the people, and the great unity of all ethnic groups. Many political parties in the world have seen their strength weakened, lost power, or even disappeared due to splits; a fundamental reason is the difficulty in achieving unity and unification within the party. It is precisely because of this that General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the historical topic of "problems unique to a large party," citing the challenge of how to consistently unify thinking, will, and action as one of the most important difficulties.
The CPC has effectively solved the problem of maintaining unity and mobilizing the whole Party's initiative through party-spirit education. Our Party has also faced ideological differences, line struggles, and organizational splits on many occasions. However, by enhancing the party-spirit of its members, the Party has overcome various hardships and guaranteed its unity and unification. The methods used have been innovative: adhering to the "two integrations" (combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and its fine traditional culture); promoting the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism; and arming the entire Party and educating the people with the Party’s theoretical innovations. By formulating correct lines, principles, and policies, the Party ensures it acts in unison. By forming historical resolutions [18] on major Party historical issues, it unifies the Party’s thinking with a correct view of Party history. By convening National Congresses and Plenary Sessions of the Central Committee, it leverages the role of the National Congress and the Central Committee as the highest leading organs to guarantee unity politically, ideologically, and organizationally. Taking political leadership as the foundation, it reinforces the institutional guarantees for unity by improving the leadership systems and mechanisms. It improves internal Party regulations and discipline to ensure unity from a disciplinary standpoint. Through concentrated study and education, it promotes ideological unification. By utilizing the role of Party Schools (academies of governance) and cadre academies, it uses the unification of cadre thinking to drive the ideological unification of the whole Party. On this basis, with party-spirit education as the core, the Party has constructed a distinctive and organically linked training system for Party members and officials. Within this system, cadre party-spirit education emphasizes more solid and effective political training, stronger party-spirit, more hardened work styles, and the continuous improvement of "political judgment, political understanding, and political execution." It further enhances awareness of political discipline and political rules, ensuring cadres consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core regarding political stance, direction, principles, and path. This system provides a powerful guarantee for the core status of party-spirit education.
Precisely because the entire Party possesses firm ideals and convictions, the confidence to win, and the courage to face difficulties and sacrifice, it can think with one mind and work toward a single goal. Under the correct leadership of the Central Committee and Party organizations at all levels, by fully unleashing the initiative and creativity of the vast number of Party members and officials, we can overcome various difficulties and achieve a series of victories. Our Party has relied on unity to reach the present, and it will surely rely on unity to win the future. As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report to the 20th Party Congress: "Striving in unity is the only way for the Chinese people to create great historical achievements." The unity of the whole Party, the unity between the Party and the people, and the great unity of all ethnic groups are our greatest sources of confidence for achieving our goals.
V. Always Persisting in the Use of Scientific Methods Based on Reality
Party-spirit education is essentially a process of persuading and educating people. Whether one can truly convince people through reason depends on whether one has mastered and is adept at using scientific methods. Method solves the problem of "the bridge and the boat" for crossing the river. With the correct method, one achieves twice the result with half the effort; with the wrong method, one gets half the result with twice the effort, or even moves in the opposite direction. The most fundamental method of party-spirit education is to conduct persuasive education in a "seeking truth from facts" [19] and targeted manner—that is, presenting facts, explaining reasoning, convincing people through logic, moving them through emotion, and inspiring them through virtue. This is a scientific method and a clear expression of party-spirit. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out:
"Adhering to proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts is not only a matter of ideological method but also a matter of whether Party spirit is strong. Judging from the current reality of the cadre ranks, the issue of Party spirit is exactly what most needs to be resolved in adhering to seeking truth from facts. ... Whether a cadre seeks truth from facts can be viewed from many aspects; fundamentally, it depends on whether they speak the truth and the facts, and whether they perform practical deeds and strive for practical results." [29]
Our Party has always emphasized upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground in methods of Party spirit education, constantly reflecting on the experiences and lessons of Party spirit education according to new situations and tasks, and innovating the modes and methods of Party spirit education. On the issue of methods for Party spirit education, our Party also once committed errors of one-sidedness, simplification, and extremism. During the Democratic Revolution period, errors occurred where the differing opinions of others were treated as "struggles over the political line," [20] resulting in the expansion of struggle [21]. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, errors such as the expansion of the Anti-Rightist Struggle caused a large number of unjust, false, and wrongful convictions, seriously damaging the Party's unity and its cause. In response, our Party conducted a profound reflection and summarized the formula of "unity—criticism—unity," which means "starting from the desire for unity, resolving contradictions through criticism or struggle, and arriving at a new unity on a new basis." We proposed the basic policy of "learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the sickness to save the patient" [22]. "Unity—criticism—unity" and "learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the sickness to save the patient" are concrete applications and vivid manifestations of dialectical materialism, as well as effective paths for Party spirit education.
Summarizing our Party's history, the scientific and effective methods of Party spirit education we have formed are too numerous to mention individually. Examples include: guiding the innovation of methods while upholding fundamentals under the guidance of a scientific worldview and methodology; adhering to seeking truth from facts while emphasizing investigation and research to clarify the ideological reality of Party members, ensuring Party spirit education hits its mark; conducting criticism and self-criticism to achieve the goals of recognizing errors and uniting comrades; treating Party spirit education as a basic function of Party organizations and leveraging the role of Party organizations at all levels; treating ideological and political work as the lifeblood of all work, and further organizing, mobilizing, educating, and serving the masses through in-depth and meticulous ideological and political work; and conducting active ideological struggle against various erroneous ideas to improve ideological awareness, among others.
Today, many new changes have occurred in the situation and tasks facing Party spirit education. In particular, the development of the market economy has greatly enhanced the sense of self-interest among Party members and cadres, while collectivism, the spirit of hard struggle, and core socialist values have been affected to a certain extent. Networking, informatization, and intelligent technologies have made it easier for Party members and cadres to be disturbed by various trends of thought, resulting in a constant stream of ideological confusion. Profound changes in the global situation are also reflected in the ideological understanding of Party members and cadres. How to effectively utilize methods of concentrated study and education while also adhering to the combination of self-study and practical tempering for Party members and cadres has become increasingly important for enhancing the effectiveness of Party spirit education. Currently, concentrated study and education have increasingly become an important mode of Party spirit education. Since the start of the New Era, our Party has organized and carried out several rounds of concentrated study and education within the Party, which have played an important role in enhancing the Party spirit of members and cadres and promoting the Party's unity and solidarity.
In February 2024, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the National Plan for Party Member Education and Training (2024–2028), which put forward clear requirements for enriching the methods of Party member education and training. It required the earnest implementation of Theoretical Learning Center Groups [23] of Party committees (Party leadership groups), "Three Meetings and One Lesson," [24] and Theme Party Days; the regular holding of special lectures and report sessions; and the strict implementation of systems such as democratic life meetings, organizational life meetings, democratic appraisal of Party members, and heart-to-heart talks. It also required the standardization of off-the-job training, the flexible use of methods such as case discussions, interactive exchanges, and on-site experiences, as well as an emphasis on improving basic training and using methods such as concentrated video training to continuously enhance effectiveness. [30]
In October 2023, the National Plan for Cadre Education and Training (2023–2027) issued by the CPC Central Committee also emphasized improving methods, "encouraging the strengthening of innovation in cadre education and training methods," [27] to make training methods more targeted and effective, and pointed out a series of specific methods for strengthening cadre education and training. These two training plans are of great guiding significance for carrying out Party spirit education. Their requirements for innovating methods are both a summary of past successful experiences and a basic framework for future work.
VI. Always emphasizing the improvement of institutional guarantees
Without rules, there is no order. Institutional issues are more fundamental, global, stable, and long-term. Party spirit education must strengthen institutional guarantees and follow a path of institutionalization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, "the key is to seize the 'key minority' [25] of leading cadres, adhere to the close combination of ideological Party building and institutional Party governance, tighten the institutional cage in an all-around way, and use institutions more to govern the Party, manage power, and manage officials." [31] As an important component of Party building, Party spirit education must have institutional building run through it from beginning to end. Looking at the century-long journey of Party spirit education, our Party has always attached great importance to the institutional construction of Party spirit education, ensuring the implementation of education and the development of work through a perfected system. This has formed a clear path of focusing on institutional construction and strengthening institutional guarantees, while accumulating important experience.
During the New Democratic Revolution period, our Party provided the fundamental guarantee for strengthening Party spirit education by formulating and amending the Party Constitution. By proposing the concept of "internal Party regulations," we enhanced the institutional awareness of the entire Party. We formulated a series of specific systems for strengthening Party leadership, Party organization, Party building, and internal Party supervision, laying the institutional foundation for maintaining the Party's advanced nature and exercising the Party's role as the core of leadership. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, internal Party institutional construction further advanced to adapt to the needs of Party building under ruling conditions. Since the Reform and Opening-up, the Party's institutional construction has moved onto a regular track, and the entire Party has entered a new period of institutional Party governance. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, the Party's institutional construction also entered a new stage of the systematic construction of internal Party regulations. Our Party adheres to governing the Party in accordance with regulations, forming a relatively complete system of internal Party regulations, and significantly improving the scientific, systematic, and standardized level of Party governance. As an important field of Party building, institutional construction has always run through Party spirit education. The CPC Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Education and Management of Communist Party of China Members in May 2019 and revised the Regulations on Cadre Education and Training in 2023. On the basis of revising the Regulations on the Work of Party Schools of the Communist Party of China, the Regulations on the Work of Party Schools (Administrative Institutes) of the Communist Party of China were issued in October 2019. The release of these foundational and pillar internal Party regulations provided the basic framework and institutional guarantee for further strengthening the Party spirit education of members and cadres. The acceleration of the institutionalization of Party spirit education is an inevitable result of institutional Party governance and a scientific summary of the laws of Party spirit education, reflecting the organic unity of ideological Party building and institutional Party governance.
It is particularly worth noting that Party spirit education in the New Era adheres to systems thinking, making historical progress in overall planning and systematic implementation. Our Party has successively issued three "National Five-Year Plans for Party Member Education and Training" and "National Five-Year Plans for Cadre Education and Training." These are the National Plan for Party Member Education and Training (2014–2018), the National Plan for Party Member Education and Training (2019–2023), the National Plan for Party Member Education and Training (2024–2028), and the 2013–2017 National Plan for Cadre Education and Training, the 2018–2022 National Plan for Cadre Education and Training, and the National Plan for Cadre Education and Training (2023–2027). Among them, the Party member education and training plans emphasize taking the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary political task. They focus on strengthening faith, enhancing Party spirit, and improving quality; adhere to ideological Party building, strengthening the Party through theory, and governing the Party strictly; revolve around the center and serve the overall situation; adhere to classified guidance and teaching according to needs; combine theory with practice and inherit while innovating; and ensure methods are simple, easy to implement, pragmatic, and effective, while continuously enhancing targeting and effectiveness. This guides Party members to enhance the "Four Consciousnesses," [26] strengthen the "Four Confidences," [27] and achieve the "Two Upholds," striving to build a contingent of Party members who are qualified politically, qualified in terms of discipline, qualified in morality, and qualified in playing their role. [32]P203
The cadre education and training plans focus on taking the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the thematic main line. They require unremitting efforts to use the Party’s innovative theories to coalesce the soul and strengthen the foundation. They require adhering to the integration of political training throughout the entire life cycle of a cadre’s growth, educating and guiding cadres to establish a correct view of power, performance, and career, and improving cadres' political judgment, political understanding, and political execution. Centering on the implementation of the major strategic deployments made by the 20th CPC National Congress, they carry out job-performance training across different levels, fields, and specialties to improve cadres' ability to promote high-quality development, serve the masses, and prevent and resolve risks. They vigorously carry out the Marxist academic style of linking theory with practice, strictly avoid formalism, run schools with thrift and standardization, and strive to create an atmosphere of learning, simplicity, and uprightness. [31] These five-year plans follow one another in an organic connection, taking Party spirit education as the focus and reflecting the overall strategy of advancing Party member education and cadre education in an integrated manner. They have played an important guiding and promoting role for the development of Party spirit education throughout the Party.
VII. Always emphasizing the conduct of Party spirit education around resolving the tasks of the times
Problems are the precursor of the times, and solving problems is the fundamental path for promoting the development of the times. Similarly, facing major global problems in Party spirit education is an important path for conducting in-depth Party spirit education, reflecting a scientific worldview and methodology. For a long time, Chinese Communists have adhered to being armed with Marxist theory, excelling at discovering problems, daring to face them directly, calmly analyzing them, and scientifically solving them. By finding solutions, seeking opportunities, and pursuing breakthroughs amidst problems, they have both promoted the resolution of problems and pushed forward the flexible application and innovative development of Marxism in China, tempering and enhancing the ability and level of the entire Party in mastering and applying Marxism.
Solving major tasks of the times is an important mission of Party spirit education. If consensus cannot be reached on several major issues of the Party, ideological confusion and organizational splitting will occur, and Party spirit will lose its support. As early as the Democratic Revolution period, serious differences emerged within the Party regarding the nature of the Chinese revolution and the path to be taken, leading to a series of...
"Left" and Right opportunist errors caused severe losses to the Chinese Revolution; consequently, correctly understanding the nature and path of the revolution became the concentrated expression of the Party spirit of Chinese Communists. With Comrade Mao Zedong as their chief representative, Chinese Communists persisted in proceeding from the reality of the revolution and successfully explored a correct path of encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing political power through armed force, eventually leading the revolution to victory. The reflection upon and resolution of the fundamental questions of the Chinese Revolution fully embodied the advanced nature of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Similarly, during the period of socialist revolution and construction, we faced the problem of how to move beyond the rote copying of the Soviet model to find a path for socialist revolution and construction suited to China's realities. To this end, Mao Zedong proposed the era-defining task of achieving the "second combination" [28] of Marxism with Chinese reality. Through works such as On the Ten Major Relationships and On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People, he provided preliminary answers to this question. Since the reform and opening up, the CPC has successively faced a series of era-defining tasks: what is socialism and how to build it; what kind of Party to build and how to build it; and what kind of development to achieve and how to achieve it. With a high sense of historical responsibility and commitment to the era, Chinese Communists persisted in combining Marxism with Chinese reality, conducted deep theoretical and practical explorations, and created theoretical innovation achievements such as Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development. This pushed Marxism to continuously achieve new leaps in Sinicization and modernization, further strengthening the Party spirit of the CPC.
As Chinese socialism entered the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping conducted profound reflection and scientific judgment on a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning the development of the Party and the state. Regarding major era-defining tasks—such as what kind of Chinese socialism to uphold and develop in the New Era and how to uphold and develop it; what kind of great modern socialist country to build and how to build it; and what kind of Marxist party to build for long-term governance and how to build it—he proposed a series of original new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies for governance, and created Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. As the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in our times, and as contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism, this Thought has achieved a new leap in the Sinicization of Marxism. It is precisely by continuously answering the questions of the era, of history, and of the people that our Party has resolved a series of major strategic issues regarding the governance of the Party and the country and overall development. This has promoted the combination of theory and practice, advanced the Party's theoretical innovation and undertaking, and further highlighted the CPC's nature as the vanguard of the Chinese working class and simultaneously the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. This has led the cause of the Party and the state to achieve historical achievements and undergo historical transformations, demonstrating the powerful vitality of Chinese socialism, and unprecedentedly coalescing and inspiring the wills of the Party, the military, and the people. It has provided a more complete institutional guarantee, a more solid material foundation, and a more proactive spiritual force for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Currently, in its Party spirit education, our Party is increasingly focusing on forming scientific understandings and achieving ideological unity on fundamental issues, while also uniting thought on major problems and specific decisions. It unites thought through a correct view of Party history [29] in the historical dimension, as well as on major decisions, important meetings, and key events. It unites thought not only within the Party as a whole but also within specific Party organizations. Consequently, by achieving ideological unity, the Party attains a high degree of consistency in will and action across the entire Party, achieving the goal of tempering Party spirit. This is precisely the root of our Party’s continuous growth through hardships and setbacks, and it constitutes a tremendous advantage for our Party.
VIII. Always focusing on the role of Party schools (academies of governance), cadre academies, and other educational subjects
Party spirit education is carried out by Party organizations at all levels under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, in which educational subjects such as Party schools (academies of governance) [30] and cadre academies play an irreplaceable role. From its inception, our Party focused on using Party schools as an important platform for Party spirit education. As early as the Great Revolution period [31], the Party established its first two Party schools—the Anyuan Party School and the Beijing Party School. They offered courses related to Party building, and instructors focused heavily on "instilling the basic principles of Communism" into students, cultivating a group of backbone leaders for the workers' and peasants' movements. During the Central Soviet period, to meet the needs of the revolutionary war and Soviet construction, the CPC Central Committee founded the Marxist-Communist School, the predecessor of the Central Party School. The school primarily offered courses on the history of the CPC and the history of the Chinese Soviet movement, often taught by Party leaders, training a group of communist fighters with firm convictions. During the Yan'an period, the Party founded cadre education institutions such as the CPC Central Party School and the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University (Kangda) to strengthen Marxist-Leninist education for Party cadres. A key task of these institutions was to offer Party spirit education courses, mainly focused on studying the basic theories of Marxism-Leninism and the Party's line, principles, and policies. Additionally, these schools frequently invited central leaders and responsible comrades from relevant departments to give reports. For instance, Chen Yun gave a report at Kangda titled "How to be a Communist Party Member," and Liu Shaoqi gave a report at the Institute of Marxism-Leninism titled "How to be a Good Communist" [32]. These reports serve as classic documents of Party spirit education and played a vital role in enhancing the Party spirit of members.
After the founding of New China, to meet the needs of large-scale cadre training, the Party established Party schools at all levels. Although operations were suspended during the "Cultural Revolution," they were quickly restored after the smashing of the "Gang of Four." The Central Senior Party School resumed operations in October 1977 and was named the CPC Central Party School. Represented by the Central Party School, schools at all levels did significant work in promoting the re-establishment of the ideological line of seeking truth from facts and the "rectification of chaos and return to normalcy" (boluan fanzheng) [33] in the Party's guiding ideology. They played an important role in building a cadre force that is revolutionary, young, knowledgeable, and professional. Since the reform and opening up, Party schools at all levels have adhered to the principle that "the Party school is surnamed 'Party'" [34] and governed the schools with strictness, gradually moving toward regularized development and making important contributions to the Party's theoretical innovation, Party spirit education, and cadre cultivation.
Building on the implementation of the Provisional Regulations on the Work of Party Schools of the CPC, the Central Committee issued the formal Regulations on the Work of Party Schools of the CPC in October 2008. This defined the core functional positioning of Party schools as "three bases and one furnace": bases for the training and rotation of leading cadres, for fostering theoretical teams, and for studying, researching, and publicizing major strategic thoughts such as Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development; and a furnace for cadres to strengthen their tempering of Party spirit. This promoted the further normalization, institutionalization, and legalization of Party school work. On December 9, 2015, the Central Committee issued the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening and Improving Party School Work under New Circumstances, clarifying the fundamental principle that the "Party school is surnamed 'Party'." It stipulated: "Marxist theoretical education and Party spirit education are the main courses of the Party school and its most important tasks... These two categories of courses shall not be lower than 70% of the total teaching hours in the Central Party School and provincial and municipal Party schools." Within this, Party spirit education courses must not be less than 20% of total hours. The main task of these courses is to deeply conduct education on ideals and beliefs, the Party's purpose, Party and national history, revolutionary traditions, moral conduct, legal thinking, and anti-corruption and integrity. This guides students to improve their political, moral, legal, and stylistic cultivation, to take the lead in practicing core socialist values, to inherit "red genes," and to maintain the political character of Communists.
In March 2018, after the integration of the responsibilities of the Central Party School and the China National Academy of Governance, the new Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) was formed, operating as one institution with two names. As an institution directly under the Party Central Committee, its functional positioning is "one school, one base, one institution, and one think tank." In 2019, the Political Bureau and the Central Committee approved and released the Regulations on the Work of Party Schools (Academies of Governance) of the CPC. This was further revised in July 2025 and released on August 3, 2025. The formulation and implementation of these Regulations are of great significance for strengthening the Party's leadership over Party school work, giving full play to their role as the "main channel" for cadre training, ideological guidance, theoretical construction, and decision-making consultation, and for cultivating a high-quality, professional cadre force that is "loyal, clean, and responsible."
In September 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on Party school work, fully affirming the new progress and achievements made since the 18th Party Congress. He emphasized that on the "new journey," Party schools at all levels must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, persist in the principle that the Party school is surnamed "Party," and keep the original aspiration of the Party school in mind: to better cultivate talent for the Party and offer advice to the Party. They must deepen teaching reforms, highlighting theoretical education, Party spirit education, and competency training. They must strengthen the systematic and academic research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories and perform well as think tanks. They must persist in governing the school with strictness and establishing the school through quality, strengthening the management and supervision of students.
In addition to the main channel role of Party schools, other cadre academies are irreplaceable. For example, the three national-level cadre training institutions—the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), the China Executive Leadership Academy Jinggangshan (CELAJ), and the China Executive Leadership Academy Yan'an (CELAY)—conduct diverse Party spirit education for cadres nationwide. Their classroom and practical teaching combined with "red resources" [35] are highly distinctive. Additionally, many local Party organizations have established local cadre training academies, such as the Yimong Cadre Academy and the Zhejiang Red Boat Cadre Academy. These have become important fronts for Party spirit education.
Because these various educational subjects have fully functioned as bastions of Party spirit education, our Party's cadre education and training system has become more robust. The ideals, beliefs, and political stance of the vast number of Party members have become firmer, their original aspiration and founding mission more secure, and their discipline and style more rigorous. The Party's creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness have been continuously enhanced.
As an important "magic weapon" [36] for the CPC to maintain its advanced nature and purity, Party spirit education has played a vital role in the Party's century-long struggle. In the New Era, we must continue to uphold and inherit the fine traditions and valuable experiences of Party spirit education, further expanding the content, innovating the forms, and improving the effectiveness of education. We must focus on the real-world problems of cadre Party spirit and resolutely change the issues of superficiality and formalism. We must ensure that Party spirit education does not just "move" a cadre for a moment, but "serves" them for a lifetime. By consolidating the multi-subject, multi-channel, and multi-form linkage pattern and building long-term mechanisms, the fine tradition of our Party's Party spirit education will be further carried forward.