Solidly Advance the Study and Education of Party History
On May 13, Li Jie, the former president of the Qiushi journal agency and president of the Association of Chinese Historians, was invited to deliver a specialized report titled "Examining a Century of Party History Through Five Threads" to all comrades of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). This report constituted the third session of the "21st Century Marxism Grand Lecture Hall" organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies. The meeting was chaired by Xin Xiangyang, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS.
Li Jie comprehensively reviewed the century-long history of our Party's struggle across five dimensions: the history of path exploration, the history of ideological development, the history of self-construction, the history of national rejuvenation, and the history of engaging with the world. He pointed out that these five threads form concentric circles, tightly revolving around a single center. This center is what General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke of at the Mobilization Meeting for Party History Learning and Education: the hundred years of our Party are a hundred years of dedicated practice of our original aspiration and founding mission; a hundred years of laying foundations and establishing an undertaking through arduous effort [1]; and a hundred years of creating brilliance and opening up the future. The century of Party history stands upon the millennial cause of national rejuvenation, with the original aspiration and founding mission consistently maintained throughout.
Li Jie noted that regarding the path of the Chinese revolution, the path of construction, the path of reform and opening up, and the path of national prosperity, national rejuvenation, and people’s happiness in the New Era, the core issue is what serves as the starting point for exploration—whether to proceed from theory or from reality. Our Party has closely integrated the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the practice of China's revolution, construction, and reform, continuously advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. It has successively established Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, realizing the Party’s guiding ideology’s capacity to advance with the times. Our Party promotes social revolution through self-revolution, ensuring the Party does not become detached from the masses and ensuring the Party’s leadership over all work. Through the "one fundamental," "two major advantages," "three major guarantees," and "six pillars of construction" [2], the Party continuously strengthens its self-construction. Maintaining a clear political stance and ensuring the Party's unity and centralized unification are the lifeblood of the Party; they are the keys to our Party being able to become a century-old major party and create the achievements of the century. Our Party has led the people through a history of national rejuvenation, progressing from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong [3]. The history of national rejuvenation is also a history of modernization and a history of the Party practicing its original aspiration and founding mission.
The Party’s history is also a history of China going out into the world. The first stage was China’s realization of national independence and the liberation of the people, a time when national independence and liberation movements were surging worldwide. The second stage was China breaking through Western blockades and containment, a time when the influence of developing countries rose globally and the trend toward multipolarity appeared. The third stage was China implementing reform and opening up and catching up with the times in [great] strides, a time when peace and development became the two major themes worldwide, alongside political multipolarity and economic globalization. The fourth stage is the rapid elevation of China’s comprehensive national strength and international influence, where the general trend of becoming strong is unstoppable, and the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century [4].
Li Jie emphasized that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era originates from the New Era, belongs to the New Era, and leads the New Era, guiding us in opening up the New Era and directing us toward the continuous realization of the goal of a great modern socialist country. From the perspective of the century of Party history, the prominent characteristic of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is that it both manifests a "synthesis of great achievements" and possesses immense "originality." He suggested that everyone should read Party history with a broad vision, multi-dimensional thinking, and rich emotion.
In his concluding remarks, Xin Xiangyang spoke highly of Li Jie’s report. Xin Xiangyang held that the historical threads of this report were exceptionally clear and possessed high academic value, summarizing the Chinese Communist Party’s century of struggle from five dimensions. He expressed hope that all comrades would profoundly recognize the importance of Party history learning, establish a correct view of Party history, draw wisdom and strength from it, and successfully walk the path of struggle for the Chinese Communist Party’s own second centenary.