Xi Jinping: On Investigation and Research
Investigation and research [1] is a fundamental skill for conducting leadership work, and the capacity for investigation and research is an integral part of the overall quality and ability of leading cadres. Those attending study and training at the Central Party School are all leading cadres who are Party members at or above the county level, and many classes at the Party School include teaching arrangements for specialized investigation and research. As we now approach the end of the year, all regions and departments must summarize this year's work and plan for the next; thus, strengthening investigation and research is highly necessary.
I. Investigation and research is not only a work method, but a major issue concerning the success or failure of the cause of the Party and the people
Attaching importance to investigation and research is an important "heirloom" [2] of our Party in performing leadership work well throughout the various historical periods of revolution, construction, and reform. The worldviews and methodologies of Marxist dialectical materialism and historical materialism, the Party's ideological line of seeking truth from facts, and the Party's fundamental work line of "from the masses, to the masses" [3] all require that our leadership work and our leading cadres must always persist in and continuously strengthen investigation and research. Only by doing so can we truly ensure that everything proceeds from reality, that theory is integrated with practice, and that we seek truth from facts. Only then can we truly maintain close ties between the Party and the masses, fundamentally guarantee the correct formulation and implementation of the Party's line, principles, policies, and various decisions, and ensure that we prevent and reduce errors as much as possible in our work—or, should errors occur, that they are promptly corrected so we may continue to advance victoriously. Looking back at the developmental course of our Party, it is clear to see that whenever the entire Party, from top to bottom, valued, persisted in, and strengthened investigation and research, the Party's work decisions and guiding principles conformed to objective reality and the Party's cause developed smoothly. Conversely, neglecting investigation and research or conducting it insufficiently often led to subjective cognitions becoming detached from objective reality and the will of the leadership becoming detached from the wishes of the masses, thereby resulting in decision-making errors and causing losses to the Party's cause.
The process of investigation and research is a process for leading cadres to improve their capacities for cognition, judgment, and work. Frequently stepping out of leading organs to go deep into reality, into the grassroots, and among the masses to conduct various forms and types of investigation and research is extremely beneficial. It helps leading cadres correctly understand the objective world and transform their subjective worlds, change their work styles, and enhance their feelings for the masses. it is beneficial for gaining a profound understanding of the needs, aspirations, creative spirit, and practical experiences of the masses. Today, means of transportation and communication are increasingly developed, and channels for acquiring information are more numerous than ever, yet none of these can replace leading cadres personally conducting investigation and research. This is because direct contact with grassroots cadres and the masses—understanding situations and discussing problems face-to-face—has a different effect on a leading cadre's cognition and perception than indirectly listening to briefings or reading materials. By delving into practical investigation and research, and by processing a vast amount of fragmented material through thinking, analysis, and synthesis—discarding the dross and selecting the essential, eliminating the false and retaining the true, proceeding from one point to another, and going from the surface to the interior—one can systematize and organize information. This allows one to grasp the essence of things through a complex web of phenomena and find their inherent laws, causing perceptual knowledge to rise to the level of rational knowledge. Making correct decisions on this basis is itself an important reflection of a leading cadre's ability to analyze and solve problems, as well as an important reflection of their ideological, theoretical, and professional level. Regardless of how rich their experience is or what kind of work they are engaged in, leading cadres should always persist in and continuously strengthen investigation and research.
Why must we emphasize "always persisting" and "continuously strengthening" investigation and research for leading cadres? First, because the tasks we shoulder are constantly changing; when original tasks are completed, new ones are placed before us, requiring renewed learning, investigation, and research. Second, because our Party's leading cadres undergo constant succession between old and new and regular rotations of work positions; as veteran cadres leave leadership posts and a new cohort steps up, the experience of the veterans in learning and investigation can serve as a reference, but it cannot replace the learning and research of the newcomers. When a leading cadre moves from one region or department to another, they must conduct investigation and research. Even if they return to a familiar post or environment, they cannot "carve a mark on the boat to find a sword" [4]; they still need to re-investigate to understand new circumstances. Third, objective things are in a state of constant flux; new contradictions and problems emerge every day and every hour. This is especially true under the current situation where the cause of socialist modernization in contemporary China is flourishing, and under the conditions of deepening global multi-polarization, economic globalization, and rapid progress in science and technology. This, too, requires leading cadres to persevere unremittingly in conducting and strengthening investigation and research.
It must be observed that among current leading cadres, the problems of not valuing or not being good at investigation and research still exist. Some cannot escape the "mountains of documents and seas of meetings" [5], emphasizing how busy they are while rarely going down to conduct research. Some are satisfied with reading materials, listening to briefings, or going online, rather than delving into practical life; they sit in their offices behind closed doors to make decisions. Some believe themselves to be familiar with the situation in their own region or department and are thus not sensitive to the endless stream of new circumstances and problems; they are ineffective in responding to the new topics and challenges posed by a developing and changing situation. They fail to see that the development of things is a process of quantitative change leading to qualitative change; instead, they act based on mere experience and make decisions by "patting their heads" [6] (acting on whim). Some conduct research as a mere formality, looking only at "potted-landscape style" [7] models, satisfied with just listening, walking around, and looking—like a "dragonfly skimming the water" [8], touching on the surface without going deep. All such behaviors seriously affect the scientific nature of decision-making, hinder the implementation of the Party's line, principles, and policies, and damage the image of leading organs and cadres.
At the Sixth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee, Comrade Hu Jintao [9] once again explicitly required that Party committees at all levels must base themselves on the basic national condition of our country being in the primary stage of socialism, observe the world with a broad vision, organize forces to carry out investigation and research, and strive to answer major questions of a global and strategic nature regarding China’s economic and social development. Leading cadres at all levels must fully recognize the importance of investigation and research and strengthen and improve this work in accordance with the requirements proposed by Comrade Hu Jintao.
II. Study and master correct methods; strive to improve the level and effectiveness of investigation and research
To do a good job in investigation and research under the new circumstances, we must adhere to the guidance of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must focus closely on the implementation of the Party's line, principles, policies, and the major decision-making arrangements of the Central Committee. We must persist in liberating the mind, seeking truth from facts, and advancing with the times. We must deeply study the prominent problems that affect and restrict scientific development; deeply study the "hot" and difficult issues that the masses feel strongly about; deeply study the major theoretical and practical problems facing Party building; deeply study key issues concerning the overall situation of reform, development, and stability; and deeply study major issues in fields such as global politics and economics. We must comprehensively understand all kinds of new situations, earnestly summarize the new experiences created by the masses, strive to explore the regularities inherent in all walks of life, and actively provide corresponding countermeasures. This ensures that investigation and research work is closely integrated with central work and decision-making needs, better serving the scientific decision-making of Party committees and governments at all levels, and serving the improvement of the Party's level of leadership and governance.
Investigation and research consist of investigating the objective reality to understand it and then analyzing and studying it. The goal is to investigate the truth and the full picture of a matter clearly, grasp the essence and laws of the problem accurately, and research the ideas and countermeasures for solving the problem thoroughly. This necessitates going deep into reality, the grassroots, and the masses to investigate and understand the situation from multiple levels, directions, and channels. We must investigate not only the organs but also the grassroots; not only the cadres but also the masses. We must both "dissect the sparrow" [10] (analyze typical cases) and understand the overall situation. We should go both to places where work is going well and that are advanced to summarize experience, and to places with many difficulties, complex situations, and sharp contradictions to study problems. The grassroots, the masses, important typical cases, and difficult places should be the focus of research; more time should be spent understanding and studying them. Only by conducting investigation and research in this way can we obtain new information that is difficult to hear, not easy to see, and unexpected in an office, and find new perspectives, ideas, and countermeasures for solving problems. When leading cadres conduct research, they must have a clear purpose, go down with specific questions, and try their best to maintain the initiative in research activities. While there may be "stipulated routes" during research, there should also be "self-selected actions"—visiting places that were not prepared, and conducting some random research without prior notification or arrangement. We must strive to understand the situation accurately, comprehensively, and deeply, avoiding the phenomenon of "being researched" and preventing investigation and research from becoming a mere formality. The "Decision" of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee explicitly stipulates: "When leading cadres go to the grassroots for investigation and research, they should travel with a small entourage and without pomp [11], not disturb the people, not have layer-upon-layer accompaniment, and not organize the masses to welcome or see them off." Leading cadres at all levels must earnestly implement this requirement.
To do a good job in investigation and research, one must follow the mass line of "from the masses, to the masses" and extensively listen to the opinions of the masses. The social practice of the masses is the source of correct cognition and the fundamental basis for testing and deepening our understanding. The quality of research results and the correctness of the opinions formed must ultimately be tested by the practice of the masses. In 1930, when Comrade Mao Zedong [12] conducted his investigation in Xunwu County, he held fact-finding meetings directly with people from all walks of life and grasped a vast amount of first-hand material—such as the output and prices of various local products, the number and proportion of personnel in various industries in the county seat, the types of goods and income of various shops, how much land farmers in various places had been allotted and what their income was, and the political attitudes of various groups. He made all of this crystal clear. This deep and truth-seeking style deserves our study. When leading cadres conduct investigation and research, they must "put aside their airs and lower their bodies" [13], going deep into fields, mines, and workshops to discuss problems with the masses, listen to their voices, observe their moods, feel their hardships, summarize their experiences, and draw from their wisdom. We must listen to both the "pleasant words" and the "unpleasant truths" from the masses; we must let the masses report on the situation and also invite them to offer their opinions. In particular, we must take the initiative to conduct research on the problems the masses most anticipate, are most anxious about, worry about most, and complain about most, and we must grip these issues without letting go. Only in this way can we truly hear the truth, observe the real situation, obtain true knowledge, and achieve real results.
Investigation and research must adhere to the principle of seeking truth from facts, establish a style of being pragmatic, and possess the courage to pursue truth and correct errors. Nowadays, some cadres are skilled at "observing words and expressions" [14]; they prepare "several pockets" (pre-packaged answers) and try to guess the intentions of their superiors or leaders when providing materials. Clearly, such investigations cannot see the real situation, obtain true knowledge, or produce correct conclusions. Investigation and research must proceed from objective reality; one cannot go down with a pre-set "tone" [15]. Instead, one must insist that conclusions are produced after investigation and research and are built on the basis of scientific demonstration. Regarding the true situations and various problems discovered, we must persist in calling a spade a spade ("one is one, and two is two"), reporting both the good news and the bad, and "not following books, not following superiors, but only following facts" [16]. Some cadres do not lack an understanding of the situation or an ability to see problems, but rather they are unwilling to face reality and dare not speak the truth, reporting only the good and concealing the bad. These phenomena violate the principle of seeking truth from facts. Whether one can and dares to seek truth from facts in investigation and research is not just a question of the level of one's cognition, but a question of Party spirit. Only by being selfless and putting the interests of the Party and the people first can one truly seek truth from facts. Within leading organs and among leading cadres, we must further create and maintain a favorable atmosphere of speaking the truth, telling the facts, and speaking from the heart. We should encourage the factual reporting of situations and the proposal of differing opinions, actively carry out criticism and self-criticism, and resolutely oppose sycophancy and mutual flattery between superiors and subordinates or among cadres, resolutely opposing the vulgarization of inner-Party life.
Investigation and research consist of two links: investigation and research (analysis). The measure of whether investigation and research are done well is not the scale or duration of the activity, nor merely how well the research report is written. The key lies in the actual effectiveness of the investigation and research, the application of the results, and whether problems can be solved effectively. Looking at the actual situation of investigation and research conducted by leading cadres at present, there are problems of insufficient investigation and also problems of insufficient research/analysis—and the latter may be more prominent. Some comrades go down for investigation but do not analyze; they pack a bag full of materials, come back, give a briefing, write a report, and that is it. Some leading cadres do not even listen to briefings or read the research materials. This kind of investigation—more data-gathering than analysis, more facts than interpretation—does not solve any problems and results in "half the result with twice the effort." We must fully realize that the fundamental purpose of investigation and research is to solve problems. After the investigation is over, one must conduct deep and meticulous thinking, performing the work of "exchange, comparison, and repetition" [17]. This involves systematizing fragmented perceptions and deepening shallow understandings until the essential laws of things are found and the correct methods for solving problems are discovered.
Methods for investigation and research must also advance with the times. While employing the effective methods accumulated by our Party through long-term practice, we must adapt to new situations and circumstances—particularly the characteristics of today’s networked information society. We must further expand the channels of investigation, enrich the tools of research, and innovate our modes of inquiry. We must learn, master, and apply the investigative methods of modern science and technology, such as questionnaires, statistical surveys, sampling, expert inquiries, and online surveys. We should progressively introduce modern information technology into the field of investigation to improve its efficiency and scientific rigor.
III. Establish and Improve Systems to Ensure the Regularization of Investigation and Research
Our Party possesses a fine tradition of valuing investigation and research, which must be vigorously promoted under the new conditions. Regarding the adherence to and strengthening of investigation and research, our Party has successively formulated a series of effective systems. These must be continuously refined in practice and earnestly implemented to ensure that investigation and research truly become a conscious, regular activity for leading cadres at all levels.
We must adhere to and improve the system of research-based demonstration prior to decision-making. Comrade Chen Yun [18] once said: "When leading organs formulate policies, they should spend over ninety percent of their time on investigation and research; in the end, less than ten percent of the time is sufficient for discussion and making the decision." This is very well-reasoned. Decision-making is a process of raising, analyzing, and solving problems. To prevent and overcome arbitrariness and the resulting errors in decision-making, and to improve the scientific level of our decisions, investigation and research must permeate the entire decision-making process and become a mandatory procedure. For matters that require specific investigative procedures, those procedures must be strictly executed; one cannot find them troublesome or seek shortcuts. For issues concerning the overall situation of reform, development, and stability in one's own region or department, we must insist on no decision without investigation, and investigation before decision. Important decision-making proposals submitted for discussion should be formed through in-depth investigation and research, and some should include different options for comparison. In particular, when major policies and measures involving the immediate interests of the masses are introduced, forms such as hearings and demonstration meetings should be adopted to listen extensively to the opinions of the masses. We must make substantive progress in establishing and improving risk assessment mechanisms for major projects and decisions, so that our work truly wins the understanding and support of the masses and prevents conflicts and disputes at the source.
We must adhere to and improve the work systems of investigation and research for leading organs and leading cadres. Leading cadres should take the lead in investigation and research, dedicating a certain amount of time to going deep into the grassroots. In particular, principal responsible persons must personally preside over research on major topics and produce research reports that play an important guiding role for the overall work. Why do we emphasize that the principal responsible persons of leading organs at all levels must personally go down to conduct investigations and preside over major research topics? Because for decisions on various issues, especially major ones, the principal responsible person ultimately needs to concentrate opinions from all sides for the collective leadership to decide. When the principal responsible person has personally conducted investigation and research and shares the same deep feelings and experiences as everyone else, it is easier to reach a unified understanding and consensus within the leadership collective, making it easier to reach a decision. In the early 1960s, in order to overcome the severe difficulties facing the national economy at the time [19], comrades across the Party simultaneously conducted research on several major issues. In particular, the principal responsible persons of leading organs at all levels participated in the research. As a result, correct decisions were quickly formed to solve a series of major economic and social problems, and the difficult situation was rapidly turned around. That Great Investigation [20] across the whole Party left us with precious experience. The "Opinions on Promoting the Construction of a Learning-Oriented Party Organization" issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee last year explicitly required: "Establish and improve the system of investigation and research; leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial levels should spend no less than 30 days a year investigating at the grassroots, while those at the municipal and county levels should spend no less than 60 days. Leading cadres should write 1 to 2 research reports annually." Leading cadres at all levels must earnestly implement these requirements, and leading organs at all levels must regularly urge their fulfillment.
We must adhere to and improve the system of "contact points" (liánxìdiǎn) for leading cadres. Establishing contact points for leading cadres is an important means of preventing them from becoming detached from the masses and an effective way to discover and solve problems. Leading cadres at all levels must persist in this system, summarize their experiences, and continuously improve it. Principal leading cadres in the Party and government should lead by example and set a standard. They must not only "physically enter" the grassroots but also "bring their hearts" to the grassroots, always caring for their contact points and the people there. When conducting investigation and research at a contact point, one must sincerely make friends and "pull home talk" (lā jiācháng) [21]. Through face-to-face communication, one can directly understand what grassroots cadres and the masses are thinking, what they are anxious about, and what they hope for. At the same time, "squatting at a point" (dūn diǎn) [22] research can be carried out selectively. Squatting at a point to "dissect the sparrow" [23] was a commonly used method in the past and remains effective in the information age. Care should be taken to select grassroots units—such as villages, communities, or enterprises—where problems are numerous, difficulties are great, and contradictions are concentrated, especially those closely related to one's own responsibilities. Conduct research there, listen to the voices of the masses, and pinpoint the crux of the problems.
In recent years, some leading cadres, including those at the provincial and ministerial levels, have gone directly into the grassroots and among the masses to conduct research without giving prior notice or requiring accompaniment—"plunging the pole all the way to the bottom" [24]. Some provinces, municipalities, and central departments have launched activities such as "Leading Cadres Going to the Grassroots" and "Entering a Thousand Villages and Ten Thousand Households," arranging for a group of cadres to "squat" in villages, towns, communities, and other grassroots units every year. Over the past two years, the Central Organization Department has organized the "Ten Thousand Organization Department Heads to the Grassroots" activity, pushing heads of organization departments at all levels to go deep into the front lines, have "zero-distance" contact with the masses, and engage in face-to-face communication with cadres. This allowed them to inspect grassroots economic and social development and Party building on the ground, solving a number of prominent problems that influenced and restricted local scientific development [25]. They discovered and summarized many new experiences in grassroots Party building, made friends with ordinary people, and drew the relationships between the Party and the masses, and between cadres and the masses, closer together, while also identifying a group of outstanding talents.
Since August this year, five departments including the Central Publicity Department, the State Council Information Office, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, the General Administration of Press and Publication, and the All-China Journalists Association have launched the "Go to the Grassroots, Transform Style, and Change the Writing Style" activity across the news frontline. Large numbers of editors and reporters have gone deep into the grassroots for research, interviews, and writing. The news reports they have produced are refreshing; they have made positive progress in understanding grassroots realities, reflecting the will of the masses, establishing a good image, and promoting specific work, receiving widespread praise from cadres and the masses. Since 2008, Jiashan County in Zhejiang Province has selected nearly 200 middle-level departmental cadres in batches each year to conduct three-month "squatting" research at grassroots units. They adopted forms such as "menu-style topic selection," "commitment-style squatting," and "full-process horizontal linking" to organize office cadres to concentrate on providing services and conducting research at the grassroots. Over the past three years, the participating cadres have proposed a batch of good work suggestions annually, solved a number of prominent problems for the grassroots and the masses, and performed many practical deeds. The masses have praised that "the Party's good traditions and good style have returned." There are many such examples in central organs and local governments. All these practices help in understanding the actual situation, listening to the opinions of the masses, discovering and solving problems, and tightening the relationship between the Party and the masses. They are worthy of study and emulation.