Ni Bangwen: Deeply Understanding the Logical Connotation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Exposition on the Theme of the Era of the Chinese Youth Movement
Youth is the future of the motherland and the hope of the nation; it is also the future and hope of our Party. The Chinese youth movement is an organized, themed, goal-oriented, and large-scale social movement led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Under specific economic, political, cultural, and social conditions, it takes the Party’s youth organizations as its core force and the broad masses of youth as its main body. It is carried out to strive for national independence and the liberation of the people, to achieve national prosperity and people’s happiness, and to promote social progress and youth development. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to youth work, viewing the relationship between the Chinese youth movement and the cause of building a powerful country and national rejuvenation from a strategic height. He has emphasized that "striving to realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the theme of the era for the Chinese youth movement," that "making the Party’s central task the theme and direction of the youth movement and youth work is a basic experience of the Chinese youth movement and youth work over the past century," and that we must "make the realization of national rejuvenation the consistent and magnificent mainstream of the Chinese youth movement." These important expositions by General Secretary Xi Jinping inherit, enrich, and develop the Marxist view of youth, profoundly revealing the important principle of the Party managing youth work. They serve as a summary of the experience of the Chinese youth movement and youth work over the past century, pointing out the way forward and providing the fundamental follows-up for the Chinese youth movement in the New Era, containing an internal logic that spans from theory to practice and from history to reality.
Theoretical Logic: Inheriting, Enriching, and Developing the Marxist View of Youth
The Marxist view of youth is a concise summary of a series of theoretical viewpoints and ideological working methods concerning the understanding of and approach to youth and youth work. It reflects the Marxist scientific understanding of the general laws of youth work. Since the start of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed a series of major theoretical viewpoints and strategic ideas centered on the theme of the era for the Chinese youth movement. This has elevated our Party’s understanding of the laws governing youth work to a new height and opened up a new realm for the Marxist view of youth.
Marxism has always turned its gaze toward the youth and the future, emphasizing the need to value, care for, and rely on young people. In guiding the practice of the workers' movement, Marx and Engels attached great importance to the prominent role of youth in the proletarian revolution, praising youth as members of the decisive "shock brigades" [1] of the international proletarian army. Marx pointed out: "The more enlightened part of the working class fully understands that the future of its class, and, therefore, of mankind, altogether depends upon the formation of the rising working generation." Facing the socio-historical conditions of the 18th and 19th centuries, characterized by the rapid development of capitalist productive forces and the surging proletarian revolutionary movement, Marx and Engels fully recognized the significance of the growth and development of the younger generation. They clearly affirmed the social status and historical role of youth, treating them as the reserve force for production and the successors of the revolution, noting that youth are the hope for the revolutionary cause and the future of humanity. In leading the practice of the Russian revolution and construction, Lenin emphasized that "the task of truly building a communist society will fall to the youth," fully affirming the position and role of youth in the proletarian movement. He attached great importance to the construction of youth organizations and the specialization of youth work, proposing the idea of establishing youth leagues and communist youth leagues and implementing this in practice. Classical Marxist writers attached great importance to incorporating the youth movement and youth work into the sphere of work of the Marxist political party.
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the theme of the era for the Chinese youth movement inherit, enrich, and develop the Marxist view of youth. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Representing the broad masses of youth, winning over the broad masses of youth, and relying on the broad masses of youth is an important guarantee for our Party to continuously move from victory to victory." Representing the broad masses of youth means proceeding from the fundamental interests of the youth; winning them over means gaining their support and following; and relying on them means giving full play to their role as a new force and shock brigade, pooling youthful strength to achieve the Party’s goals. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse not only deepens the thinking of Marx and Engels regarding youth as "shock brigades" but also demonstrates that youth work is a foundational and strategic task for the Party. Effectively handling the fundamental plan of ensuring there are successors to our cause [2] and striving to cultivate builders and successors of socialism is an important guarantee for the continuous victory of the Party’s cause. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Under the banner of the Communist Party of China, generations of Chinese youth have integrated their youthful struggle into the cause of the Party and the people, becoming a vanguard force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." This profoundly reveals the close relationship between a Marxist political party and the youth, and is also the key essence and internal logic of the CPC representing, winning over, and relying on the youth.
Political Logic: Profoundly Revealing the Political Significance of the Party Managing Youth Work
Our Party has always valued the important role of youth and scientifically recognized the close relationship between youth and the development of the cause of the Party and the people. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has viewed youth and youth work from the strategic height of ensuring that the Party’s cause is passed from one generation to the next [3] and that the Chinese nation achieves sustainable development. It has successively proposed the principle of "the Party managing youth" and the principle of "the Party managing youth work," emphasizing that "in the past, present, and future, youth work is a strategic task within the Party’s work." This inherits and carries forward the fine tradition of the Party always representing, winning over, and relying on the broad masses of youth, ensuring the correct political direction of the Chinese youth movement in the New Era.
In its early period, our Party pointed out: "The youth movement is an important part of the communist movement; since the Communist Party is the general commander of this general communist movement, it is beyond doubt that the youth movement must be under the guidance of the Communist Party." It is precisely under the Party's leadership that generations of youth have shed their blood and sacrificed their lives, performing immortal feats for national independence and the liberation of the people. Shortly after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Comrade Mao Zedong twice presided over meetings of the CPC Central Committee to discuss the work of the Youth League, requesting that everyone study two issues: how the Party committees should lead the Youth League and how the Youth League should work. He proposed that "the work of the Youth League must take into account the characteristics of youth." These were new requirements for youth work proposed by our Party after it took power, in response to new changes in social development, reflecting the transformation in our Party’s concepts, ideas, and methods for leading youth work.
Entering the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has elevated youth work to the height of the overall strategic planning for the Party’s governance of the country. In 2017, the "Middle- and Long-Term Youth Development Plan (2016–2025)" issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council explicitly proposed "adhering to the principle of the Party managing youth." In 2023, during a collective talk with members of the new leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "adhere to the principle of the Party managing youth work." This marks the rise of our Party’s strategic understanding and overall grasp of youth work to a new height. The principle of the Party managing youth work is an important manifestation of the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics in youth work. It emphasizes the distinct political attributes of youth work, meaning that youth work is not a general administrative task, but a major political task related to the future and destiny of the Party and the country and the sustainable development of the Chinese nation; it is a strategic task that the Party must handle personally. General Secretary Xi Jinping has always linked youth with the noble mission shouldered by our Party, pointing out that "realizing the Chinese Dream is a historical relay race, and contemporary youth must strive to be first on the track of realizing national rejuvenation." He emphasized that "on the new journey, how to better unite, organize, and mobilize youth to strive for the realization of the Second Centenary Goal and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a major issue that the Chinese youth movement and youth work in the New Era must answer." Leading the Chinese youth movement and youth work with an eye toward the grand goals of building a powerful country and achieving national rejuvenation, so that the theme and direction of the youth movement and youth work are always aligned with the Party's goals, is the political logic of our Party’s leadership in this area.
Historical Logic: Scientifically Summarizing the Experience and Laws of the Party Leading the Chinese Youth Movement and Youth Work over the Past Century
The Chinese youth movement has always been a part of the cause of Chinese revolution, construction, and reform; the future and destiny of the youth have always been closely linked with the future and destiny of the country and the nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on the theme of the era for the Chinese youth movement scientifically summarizes the experience and laws of the Party leading the Chinese youth movement and youth work over the past hundred-plus years. The Chinese youth movement has always taken the Party’s guiding ideology as its guide for action, the Party’s political program as its mission, and the Party’s central task as its goal. In different historical periods, our Party has scientifically analyzed the situations it faced, accurately grasped internal and external conditions, and formulated practical goals, tasks, policies, and paths, providing the correct direction, advanced ideological guidance, and powerful strength for the Chinese youth movement.
During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese youth movement fully stimulated the enormous energy for social progress latent within the youth population. The broad masses of youth leapingly joined the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal workers' movement, peasant movement, and student movement, actively participated in the armed revolution led by the Party, and charged forward in the great struggles to strike down the warlords, resist Japanese aggression for national salvation, and overthrow the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang [4], demonstrating a spirit of sacrifice and bloody struggle.
During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the theme of social development shifted from "destroying the old world" to "building a new world." The broad masses of youth actively participated in the most extensive and profound social transformation in the history of the Chinese nation, consciously integrating themselves into the social movements led by the Party. They formed youth shock brigades, youth land reclamation teams, and youth literacy teams, and carried out "Learn from Lei Feng" activities [5]. They stimulated a passion "daring to command the sun and moon to bring a new day" [6], shouted the resonant slogan "dedicate youth to the motherland," and marched toward science, toward difficulties, and toward the wilderness, demonstrating a spirit of daring to struggle and working diligently.
During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Communist Youth League adapted to the strategic shift in the focus of the work of the Party and the state. It liberated the mind and blazed new trails, extensively carrying out a large number of creative activities imbued with the breath of youth, such as striving to be a "Shock Worker of the New Long March," the "Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves" [7], Project Hope [8], Youth Volunteers, Youth Civilization Clusters, and Protecting the Mother River. The broad masses of youth sent out the strong voice of the era—"unite to revitalize China"—and stood at the forefront of all fronts of socialist modernization, demonstrating a spirit of daring to break through, daring to act, and leading the fashion of the times.
Entering the New Era, Chinese youth have closely followed the Party in immersing themselves in the great practice of finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and building a modern socialist country in all respects, and have struggled in unity during the historical process of comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese-path modernization. The broad masses of youth have actively jumped into the magnificent practice of the Great Struggle, Great Project, Great Cause, and Great Dream [9]. They have striven to be the vanguard and the new force in various fields such as economic construction, technological innovation, poverty alleviation, green development, pandemic prevention and control, volunteer service, and defending the borders. At the moments when the Party and the people needed them most, they charged forward and held the line, demonstrating a spirit of self-confidence, self-improvement, and vigorous action.
Over the past hundred years, the Chinese youth movement has always taken the Party’s banner as its banner and the Party’s mission as its mission, making the Party’s central task its theme and direction. The broad masses of youth have always been of one heart with the Party and struggled alongside it, writing their loyalty into the cause of the Party and the people and sowing their youth on the journey of national rejuvenation. From the magnificent journey of the Party leading the Chinese youth movement and youth work, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarized the precious historical experience that "the Party’s central task is the theme and direction of the Chinese youth movement and youth work," which fully demonstrates the essential characteristics of the Party’s leadership and profoundly reflects the theme and direction of the movement.
Practical Logic: Pointing out the Forward Direction for the Chinese Youth Movement in the New Era
Theory is the precursor to action, and history is a reference for reality. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The theme of the Chinese youth movement in the New Era, the direction of the Chinese youth movement in the New Era, and the mission of Chinese youth in the New Era is to uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China and work with the people to strive for the realization of the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." This important discourse not only profoundly reveals the glorious tradition of the Chinese youth movement but also clearly points out the mission and tasks of the movement and youth work in the New Era, providing the direction and fundamental follows-up for the Party’s youth work.
This provides a precise historical coordinate for the Chinese youth movement in the New Era. Currently, changes in the world, the times, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways, while the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world’s profound changes unseen in a century [10] are intertwined and oscillating. On the New Journey, the Party's central task is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and achieving the Second Centenary Goal [11], thereby advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese-path modernization. At this historical coordinate, we must firmly grasp the theme and direction of the Chinese youth movement and youth work, ensuring they align with the Party’s central task to successfully realize the goals and missions defined by our Party. The entire Party must treat youth work as a strategic undertaking, arming youth with the Party's scientific theories, inspiring them with the Party's original aspiration and founding mission, and serving as confidants to young friends, enthusiasts for youth work, and guides for the youthful masses. The Communist Youth League must conduct its work by centering closely on the Party's central task for the New Era and the New Journey as determined by the 20th CPC National Congress, maintaining its direction and acting with enterprise. Placing the strengthening of political guidance for League members and youth at the forefront, it must strive to cultivate builders and successors of socialism, providing a steady stream of healthy and vibrant "fresh blood" for the Party. By holding fast to the theme of youth work in the New Era, we must unite, organize, and mobilize youth to the widest extent possible, encouraging the broad masses of young people to enhance their sense of historical responsibility and mission. We must stimulate the youthful passion of "The Powerhouse Country has Me" [12], urging them to act as the vanguard and commando forces in the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
This serves as a rudder for the growth and development of Chinese youth in the New Era. Youth are the principal force of the youth movement. Only when young people possess ideals, dare to take on responsibilities, can endure hardships, and are willing to struggle, will Chinese youth have strength and the cause of the Party and the State be filled with hope. Realizing the grand goals of building a strong country and national rejuvenation requires the broad masses of youth to stand in unity with the people of the whole country, going all out to climb slopes and cross ridges [13], and to tackle the toughest challenges. Currently, our country’s development has entered a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and where uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. The risks and challenges to be addressed and the contradictions and problems to be resolved are more severe and complex than before, requiring, in particular, the pooling of strength from all sides to boost development confidence. Clarifying the theme of the Chinese youth movement in the New Era points the way forward for the growth and development of the youth. Chinese youth in the New Era must unswervingly listen to and follow the Party, taking the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as their individual responsibility. They must enhance their ambition, backbone, and confidence (zhiqi, guqi, diqi) as Chinese people, carry forward the spirit of historical initiative, and strike out proactively in the face of opportunities without hesitation or waiting. In the face of risks, they must respond actively without shrinking or dodging. With the mettle of "the brave prevail when meeting on a narrow path" [14], they must dare to struggle and be adept at struggle, winning dignity and the initiative, and effectively safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests. The broad masses of youth should carry forward the spirit of struggle, striving to lead and set examples in all types of work, and tempering their growth on the front lines of the most arduous and difficult tasks. They must proactively align themselves with major national strategies and missions, keep the "top priorities of the nation" [15] in mind, remain grounded in their professional roles, and actively devote themselves to the construction of Chinese-path modernization. They should step forward to take on responsibilities (tingying dandang) [16] in all fields and aspects of work, demonstrating the vitality and sharpness of youth, and contributing their youth, wisdom, and strength to the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
(The author is a Professor at the China Youth University of Political Studies (Central School of the Communist Youth League))
Network Editor: Tongxin
Source: People's Daily (April 25, 2025, Page 9)