[Original] Jiang Dujun and Shi Meng: "People First" Is the Value Pursuit of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "the people are the creators of history and the fundamental force that determines the future and destiny of the Party and the country." Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, bearing the mission of "I will forgo my self for the sake of the people," has consistently upheld the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, firmly standing on the side of the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "Marxism is a theory of the people; it established for the first time an ideological system for the people to achieve their own liberation." Our Party's foundation, lifeblood, and strength reside in the people; in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s heart, the word "people" carries the greatest weight. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is Sinicized and modernized Marxism. On the New Journey, we must unswervingly adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, firmly grasp the fundamental political stance of putting the people first, focus on the immediate interests and major concerns of the masses, and continuously promote economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress to meet the people's aspirations for a better life.
I. Putting the People First is the Fundamental Compliance for Economic Construction of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
Adhering to the concept of putting the people first means living up to the people's expectations. This adherence is both a profound summation of the CPC's precious experience over the past century and a deep grasp of opening new frontiers in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Looking back at the Party's century-long history, every victory we have achieved is inseparable from the power of the people. The people are the subjects of social history and the creators of history; the progress of social history cannot occur without them. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has consistently adhered to the "people first" concept, thinking what the people think and feeling the urgency of their needs. They have insisted on making the interests of the people the fundamental starting point and ultimate goal of the Party's leadership in economic work, emphasizing that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people. There is an emphasis on guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods during development, continuously enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, thereby demonstrating a fundamental value orientation that is people-centered and puts the people first. During the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, China consistently prioritized the people and their lives, responding to extraordinary challenges with scientific strategies, and uniting hundreds of millions of people to fight the battle of coordinating pandemic control with economic and social development. Putting the people first is the fundamental stance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the fundamental starting point for advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. The report to the 20th National Congress identified "putting the people first" as the first of the "Six Must-Upholds" [1], highlighting the Party's fundamental purpose and sincere affection for the people, and serving as an important political declaration for continuing to promote this concept on the New Journey of the New Era. Adhering to the people-centered development philosophy guides China's economic development to truly benefit the people, steering the great ship of the Chinese economy to sail steadily and break through the waves.
Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all. Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and embodies the CPC's original aspiration and founding mission to seek well-being for all people. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "All the Party's work must take the fundamental interests of the broadest possible majority of the people as its highest standard." Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken the enhancement of people's well-being, the promotion of well-rounded human development, and steady progress toward common prosperity as the starting point and ultimate goal of economic development, placing the gradual realization of common prosperity for all in an even more prominent position. Winning the battle against poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects have significantly enhanced the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, creating favorable conditions for promoting common prosperity. Common prosperity reflects the goal requirements and realization path of the new journey of Chinese-path modernization; the two are complementary and interdependent. On one hand, common prosperity for all is an essential requirement and major feature of Chinese-path modernization; on the other hand, achieving common prosperity for all is inseparable from the path of Chinese-path modernization. The two are connected in terms of objectives, subjects, and connotations. The report to the 20th National Congress profoundly expounded that Chinese-path modernization is "the modernization of common prosperity for all," fully demonstrating our Party's consistent and in-depth commitment to promoting common prosperity. In the new stage of development, we must adhere to the basic economic system, continuously improve the distribution system, and facilitate more equitable access to the fruits of reform and development for all people, pushing for more tangible and substantial progress in achieving common prosperity for all.
II. Putting the People First is the Concentrated Expression of Political Construction of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
"Governance has its constants, but benefiting the people is the fundamental" [2]. Seeking welfare for the people is the essential requirement of the Party's commitment to serving the public good and exercising power for the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report to the 20th National Congress: "We must stand firmly on the side of the people, grasp their aspirations, respect their creativity, and pool their wisdom, so as to develop theories that are loved, recognized, and owned by the people, making them a powerful ideological weapon for the people to understand and transform the world." Stance determines direction, and direction determines the path. From the ground-breaking [3] founding of the Party, to the earth-shaking founding of the New China, to the world-shaking Reform and Opening-up, and to the historic achievements and changes in the cause of the Party and the country since the 18th National Congress, our Party's pace in seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation has never ceased, and its stance on the people has never changed. The Communist Party of China comes from the people, is rooted in the people, was born for the people, and thrives because of the people. It consistently adheres to the principal status of the people and places the people's power in a position of supreme importance. People's democracy is the banner our Party has always held high, and the people being masters of the country is the essence and core of socialist democratic politics. The report to the 20th National Congress pointed out: "We have remained committed to the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics and developed whole-process people's democracy. Whole-process people's democracy is the defining feature of socialist democracy; it is democracy in its broadest, most genuine, and most effective form." The CPC is committed to the great cause of the Chinese nation for a thousand years to come, and the essence of the Party's long-term governance is to support and ensure that the people are the masters of the country. History shows that only by consistently putting the people first and standing firmly on their side can we continuously consolidate the class and mass foundations of the Party's long-term governance, achieve long-term rule, escape the historical cycle [4], and win historical initiative.
The mass line is the lifeblood of our Party. The "people's character" is the essential attribute of Marxism. Staying with the people and struggling for their interests is the fundamental difference between a Marxist party and other political parties. The CPC is a governing party born for the people and flourishing because of them; the nature of the Party dictates that the Party must do whatever the people aspire to. The report to the 20th National Congress pointed out: "The whole Party must uphold the fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, strengthen the mass viewpoint, and implement the mass line." Adhering to the mass line is the fundamental working method our Party has always maintained and is the "right path of the human world" [5] for pursuing our cause. We must recognize the importance of maintaining close ties with the masses from a political height. At no time and under no circumstances can the stance of sharing the same breath and destiny with the people be changed, the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly be forgotten, or the historical materialist view that the masses are the true heroes be lost. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must remain highly alert and always maintain the sobriety and caution of 'performing for an exam' [6], unswervingly advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, so that the century-old Party continues to radiate vigorous vitality through self-revolution." Standing at a new historical starting point, to stand firmly on the side of the people, we must continuously strengthen ideological education, ensuring that Party members and cadres keep in mind the Party's purpose and its governing philosophy of serving the public good and exercising power for the people. This requires solving the fundamental question of "for whom" deep in our thoughts, adhering to our original aspiration for the people, and solidifying our sentiments toward them.
III. Putting the People First is the Main Value Thread of Cultural Construction of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
A country prospers when its culture prospers; a nation is strong when its culture is strong. The excellent traditional Chinese "people as the foundation" (minben) thought provides cultural nourishment for putting the people first and points the way forward. The report to the 20th National Congress profoundly elucidated the status and role of culture in the New Era and the New Journey, clarifying the major task of "promoting cultural confidence and strength, and creating new brilliance for socialist culture." To adhere to the "people's character" of socialist cultural construction with Chinese characteristics, we must firmly grasp the people-centered orientation of creation. We must always remember that the country is the people and the people are the country, adhering to the fundamental direction of culture serving the people and socialism. As the people's needs for material life are continuously met, their needs for spiritual life have become increasingly prominent. Meeting the people's growing spiritual and cultural needs and achieving common prosperity in their spiritual lives is the value orientation of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics. As a spiritual force, culture can be transformed into a material force in the process of people's understanding and transformation of the world, exerting a profound influence on social development. To develop socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, we must take the people's interests, will, and voice as the value orientation of our own development. We must adhere to the principles of "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend" [7] and promote creative transformation and innovative development to satisfy the people's cultural needs and strengthen their spiritual power.
Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of coordination between material and spiritual civilizations. The rejuvenation of a nation requires both strong material and spiritual strength. The coordinated development of these "two civilizations" is the unremitting goal of our Party and a fundamental requirement of socialist modernization. Material poverty is not socialism, and spiritual poverty is not socialism either. The needs of the people for a better life are comprehensive and multi-layered; they not only place higher demands on material life but also show an increasing demand for spiritual aspects. This dictates that only the coordinated development of material and spiritual civilizations can meet the people's aspirations for a better life. We must grasp material civilization with one hand and spiritual civilization with the other, making both hands strong; we cannot prioritize one while neglecting the other. On the path of Chinese-path modernization, we must promote the organic unity of comprehensive material abundance and well-rounded human development. Practice has proved and will continue to prove that only when both material and spiritual civilizations are well-developed, when both the country's material and spiritual strengths are enhanced, and when the material and spiritual lives of all ethnic groups across the country are improved, can the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics advance smoothly.
IV. Putting the People First is the Source of Strength for Social Construction of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
The country is the people, and the people are the country. In the long river of human history, the people have always occupied the principal position and are the main force promoting social and historical development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The reason why Marxism has influence across countries and eras is that it is rooted in the people and points out the right path for relying on the people to push history forward." As the world's largest Marxist governing party, the CPC's foundation and lifeblood are in the people. Our Party integrates the people-centered development philosophy throughout the entire process of social construction, taking the promotion of social fairness and justice and the enhancement of people's well-being as the starting point and ultimate goal of social construction. By focusing on guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods, we have sustained efforts in social governance and the reform of social systems and mechanisms, exploring the construction of a beautiful society of common prosperity and comprehensively carrying out social construction. Since the 18th National Congress, social construction in our country has been comprehensively strengthened, people's lives have improved in all aspects, and the level of social governance has significantly increased, consolidating the favorable situation where people live and work in peace and the society is stable and orderly. This has continued the miracle of long-term social stability and development. The practice, achievements, and experience of social construction in the New Era fully demonstrate the value orientation of putting the people first. Both history and reality tell us that only by relying on the people in everything, doing everything for the people, listening to their voices, drawing on their wisdom, and taking their satisfaction as the fundamental standard for measuring the success or failure of all work, can we overcome various risks and challenges on the road ahead.
The masses are the decisive force in social transformation. Our Party comes from the people; its foundations and its lifeblood are found in the people. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that "to build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must fully bring into play the great creative power of the millions upon millions of our people." The people are the creators of history and the fundamental force that determines the future and destiny of the Party and the state. Relying on the people to create great historical undertakings has always been the fundamental guarantee for the CPC to overcome enemies and achieve victory. That the masses are the creators of history is a basic tenet of the Marxist materialist conception of history, scientifically revealing the status and role of the masses in the development of social history. In the production of material goods, as the subjects of social practice, the masses not only create the material means of subsistence necessary for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, but also the material prerequisites necessary for spiritual life, while directly participating in the creation of social spiritual wealth. As the creators of social wealth, the masses are also the decisive force in social change. The people deserve the credit for China's long-term maintenance of social harmony and stability. On the new journey toward becoming a great modern socialist country, we must better mobilize the people's participation, consolidate the strength of the broad masses, promote the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan, implement the Four Comprehensives strategic layout, and aggregate the majestic power of forging ahead in the New Era to safeguard the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
V. People-First is the Goal of Building a Socialist Ecological Civilization with Chinese Characteristics
The construction of an ecological civilization relates to the well-being of the people and the future of the nation. A sound ecological environment is the most universal benefit to the people’s wellbeing. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is the fundamental guideline for building a Beautiful China; it profoundly answers major theoretical and practical questions such as why we must build an ecological civilization, what kind of ecological civilization to build, and how to build it, pointing the way forward for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has integrated ecological civilization construction into the national development overall layout, persisting in protecting the environment during development and developing through protection. The construction of ecological civilization has yielded fruitful results; the skies in our people's homeland are bluer, the mountains greener, and the water clearer. After the completion of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the masses have higher expectations for a beautiful environment and lower tolerance for ecological problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th National Congress: "Nature is the basic condition for human survival and development. Respecting, conforming to, and protecting nature are inherent requirements for building a modern socialist country in all respects. We must firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and plan development from the perspective of harmonious coexistence between man and nature." Ecological civilization is built by all and shared by all. To protect lucid waters and lush mountains, we must also define bottom lines and "red lines" [8]. Building a beautiful home with blue skies, green land, and clear water requires nurturing generation after generation of "new people of the era" who possess ecological literacy.
Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Chinese-path modernization treats ecological civilization construction as a systemic project that permeates the economic, political, cultural, and social spheres, which together constitute the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated: "The modernization we aim for is one of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. We must not only create more material and spiritual wealth to meet the people's growing needs for a better life but also provide more high-quality ecological products to meet the people's growing needs for a beautiful environment." The key to managing China's affairs well lies in the Party. Strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership over ecological civilization construction and placing it in a prominent position within the overall layout of Chinese-path modernization fully demonstrates China's determination and confidence in green development. To realize the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, we must profoundly and accurately understand the rich connotations and practical paths of this modernization route, thereby promoting the construction of a Beautiful China, consolidating the green foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and achieving the nation’s sustainable development. By implementing the New Development Philosophy and adhering to green, circular, and low-carbon development, the road of Chinese-path modernization characterized by harmony between man and nature will broaden, and the blueprint for a Beautiful China will become a reality.
The times are the paper-setter, we are the examinees, and the people are the markers [9]. On the "new journey to face the tests" [10], we must profoundly grasp the essence and core meaning of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, strictly abide by the "people-first" concept, always "sit firmly on the side of the common people" [11], and always remain the most reliable and strongest backbone for the Chinese people. We must rely closely on the people, stay heart-to-heart with them, breathe the same air, and share the same fate. "On the road ahead, whether there are high winds and surging waves or even perilous storms, the people will always be our most solid support and our greatest source of confidence." General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized: "As long as we always persist in acting for the people and relying on the people, respecting the people's status as subjects and their pioneering spirit, and fully stimulating the wisdom and strength inherent in the masses, we will surely be able to continuously create more world-shaking miracles!"