Kang Xiaoqiang: The Theoretical Connotation and Practical Requirements of "Historical Patience"
"Historical patience" is a landmark concept proposed by Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, employing a macro-perspective on history [1]. It reflects a scientific grasp of the laws governing Communist Party governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of the development of human society. A profound understanding of the theoretical connotations and practical requirements of "historical patience" provides important academic support and a methodological foundation for resolving deep-seated problems in the process of Chinese-path modernization.
1. Major Development Strategies are the Basic Practical Domain for Maintaining "Historical Patience"
On December 12, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the Central Urbanization Work Conference: "On the issue of population urbanization, we must have sufficient historical patience." Subsequently, he mentioned and explained this concept on many occasions, reflecting it in discourses concerning rural reform, rural revitalization, major regional strategies, and Chinese-path modernization. It is evident that major development strategies constitute the basic practical domain for maintaining "historical patience."
Since the start of the New Era, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made systematic plans and strategic deployments targeting issues of overall and long-term importance. It has implemented or continued to advance a series of major development strategies, such as rural revitalization, coordinated regional development, and new-type urbanization, which have had a profound impact on China's economic development. Under normal circumstances, simple problems can be resolved quickly in a short period; the true value of patience is often fully manifested in the domain of addressing complex problems. The complexity of major development strategies is primarily reflected in their being a "totality of processes," requiring a developmental process from proposal to realization. From a temporal dimension, the duration of these processes varies—some lasting decades or a century, others lasting centuries or a millennium—and the intervals between stages also vary in scale. From a spatial dimension, some are limited to specific regions or fields, while others involve vast territories and affect various scales of population. Whether it is the rural revitalization strategy serving as the general pivot for "Three Rural" [2] work on the new journey of the New Era, or the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt involving 11 provinces and municipalities and covering nearly half the national population, or Chinese-path modernization benefiting the comprehensive development of over 1.4 billion people—none of these are development goals that can be achieved overnight. They require continuous accumulation bit by bit and incremental progress, taking one step at a time.
2. The Theoretical Connotations of "Historical Patience"
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on "historical patience" contain rich and vivid scientific connotations and profound, weighty essentials. They possess distinct theoretical characteristics and a solid academic foundation.
First, adhering to the dialectical unity of following the laws of historical movement and exerting historical initiative. The fundamental reason why historical materialism was able to achieve a revolutionary transformation and creative breakthrough in the history of human thought is that it profoundly revealed the objective laws of historical movement hidden behind complex historical phenomena. In this sense, following the laws of historical movement is the basis, the source of confidence, and the essence of maintaining historical patience. At the same time, maintaining historical patience does not mean that humans should passively wait or do nothing in the face of historical laws. Humans are the subjects of historical movement; historical laws are both generated within and realized through human social practice. The generation and realization of any historical law are inseparable from conscious and purposeful human social practice. This is also the fundamental difference between historical laws and natural laws. As Engels stated, "In nature... there are only blind, unconscious agencies acting upon one another... In the history of society, on the contrary, the actors are all endowed with consciousness, are men acting with deliberation or passion, working towards definite goals." Following the laws of historical movement and exerting historical initiative are two sides of the same historical process; this is the very essence of maintaining historical patience. One cannot negate the latter with the former, nor the former with the latter. It requires the spiritual realm of "success does not have to be attributed to me" [3] and the sense of historical responsibility that "success must include my contribution" [4]. For example, with the improvement of means of production and the development of science and technology, large-scale operations will become an important trend in modern agricultural development; this is the inherent logic of the development of historical movement. However, one must also soberly realize that changing dispersed and extensive agricultural management methods is a long historical process that requires time and conditions; one must not act with undue haste. This fully embodies the dialectical unity of following the laws of historical movement and exerting historical initiative.
Second, adhering to the dialectical unity of quantitative change and qualitative change. Maintaining historical patience embodies the dialectical unity of quantitative and qualitative change. On one hand, quantitative change is the prerequisite and realistic foundation for qualitative change. Without a certain accumulation of quantity, qualitative change cannot occur. This provides an important methodological enlightenment for the advancement of major strategies: the eventual generation of an overall qualitative change in major strategic goals can only be achieved through the solid accumulation of a large amount of work and on the basis of phased and partial qualitative changes. Whether it is the new-type urbanization strategy, the rural revitalization strategy, or the coordinated regional development strategy, it is necessary to maintain the strategic resolve of "drawing one blueprint to the end" and to carry forward the spirit of historical responsibility of "acting generation after generation," fostering the conditions for qualitative change through the continuous accumulation of quantitative change. For a good blueprint, as long as it is scientific, realistic, and in line with the people’s wishes, everyone must work on it generation after generation. On the other hand, qualitative change consolidates the results of quantitative change and triggers new quantitative change on that basis. Qualitative change is the "node" and "hub" where a thing shifts from an old quality to a new one; it is both the end of the quantitative change of the old quality in the previous stage and the opening of a space of possibility and a brand-new interface for new quantitative change of the new quality at a higher level in a new stage of development. The initiation and completion of a series of major development strategies—rural revitalization, coordinated regional development, new-type urbanization—are both the current goals of the Communist Party of China and necessary links in the progress toward the ultimate realization of the lofty goal of Communism. The Party Constitution explicitly states that the Party’s highest ideal and ultimate goal is the realization of Communism. The Party Constitution also clarifies that the highest ideal of Communism pursued by Chinese Communists can only be realized on the basis of the full development and high advancement of socialist society. It must be recognized that the realization of Communism is an extremely long historical process. We must base ourselves on the Party's goals for the current stage and advance our cause in a down-to-earth manner. Therefore, the political significance of maintaining "historical patience" should be profoundly understood from the height of realizing the lofty ideal of Communism.
Third, adhering to the dialectical unity of strategy and tactics. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must always be prepared for long-term concerns, remain alert to dangers even in times of peace, maintain strategic resolve and patience, and 'aim for the great while addressing the minute' [5]." If "aiming for the great" emphasizes examining strategic issues from the height of the overall, long-term, and trend-oriented situation, then "addressing the minute" focuses on the importance of implementing tactics through specific operational details. Whether strategies and tactics are correct directly relates to the rise or fall, success or failure, of the socialist cause. Strategy and tactics are dialectically unified: a long-term strategy requires flexible tactics to be implemented and ultimately realized; a strategy without tactics will inevitably descend into utopia or "armchair theorizing" [6]. Strategy provides the direction and goal for tactics; tactics that depart from strategic guidance will lose their way, or even "a miss is as good as a mile." Maintaining historical patience embodies the dialectical unity of strategy and tactics. From a temporal dimension, maintaining historical patience requires balancing the present and the long term. On one hand, current interests are determined by and serve long-term interests; this is a prominent feature and an essential requirement of major development strategies. Major development strategies possess the essential attribute of being based on the long term: they serve contemporary development needs while focusing more on long-term growth value, striving to ensure that development dividends benefit future generations. On the other hand, the realization of a strategy requires a continuous and successive historical process. In this process, if the immediate interests of the masses are ignored, it will be impossible to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties. From a spatial dimension, major strategies are complex systems engineering involving multiple fields, dimensions, and levels. This determines that their implementation cannot be limited to a single field, dimension, or level; they must be planned holistically and advanced continuously. For example, increasing the urbanization rate of the permanent population requires the coordinated deployment of household registration [7] system reform, land policy, and the public service supply policy system. The coordinated regional development strategy requires the cross-regional allocation of productive factors coordinated with ecological compensation mechanisms and public service system construction. Realizing common prosperity for all people requires the coordinated advancement of cultivating economic growth drivers, optimizing wealth distribution mechanisms, and improving the social security system. All of these must focus on the overall situation, proceed step by step, and maintain historical patience while solving systemic problems.
3. Practical Requirements of "Historical Patience"
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on "historical patience" not only highlight profound theoretical characteristics but also contain rich methodology and targeted practical requirements.
First, establishing a macro-perspective on history. The epistemological prerequisite for maintaining historical patience lies in establishing a macro-perspective on history, "analyzing evolution mechanisms and exploring historical laws from the long river of history, the tides of the times, and global winds and clouds." The so-called macro-perspective on history means not being limited to a single moment, event, region, or segment, but rather examining specific historical events and their revealed historical significance from a broad vision—long-term, long-cycle, wide-field, and all-dimensional. To establish a macro-perspective on history, one must not only base oneself on the current international and domestic situation but also look back at the past to discover the logic of historical evolution and look forward to the future to grasp the trends of historical progress. One must not only grasp the essence and the overall situation amidst a multitude of diverse and changing phenomena but also seize the primary contradiction and the primary aspect of the contradiction. Only by proceeding from a macro-perspective on history can one grasp the laws of historical development and, on the basis of scientifically grasping historical laws, actively adapt to the long-term, complex, and staged requirements of the historical process, thereby realizing the dialectical unity of following objective laws and exerting subjective initiative.
Second, precisely grasping historical opportunities. Precisely grasping historical opportunities is a key measure for maintaining historical patience. At the critical moment when a historical opportunity appears, social subjects must be able to make scientific judgments and precise grasps so as not to miss the chance. Reviewing the struggle of over a hundred years, "Our Party has always used the basic principles of Marxism to analyze and grasp historical trends, correctly handled the relationship between China and the world, and been good at seizing and making good use of various historical opportunities," laying a solid foundation for moving from victory to new victory. Chinese Communists actively accumulate developmental potential energy when historical opportunities are not yet ripe, and once the timing is right, they seize the initiative with boldness and proactivity to drive the cause toward breakthrough progress. It is worth noting that historical opportunities are often fleeting; one must always maintain sharp insight and timely decisiveness. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized grasping historical opportunities, stating "the key lies in timing and decision-making." As long as we grasp the laws and trends of historical development, seize the opportunity of historical change, go with the flow, and act with vigor, we will be able to advance better. The precise grasp of historical opportunities requires both the strategic sensitivity to identify windows of opportunity and strong strategic resolve to eliminate various interference factors, finding the primary contradiction and dominant force amidst complex variables and making decisive decisions.
Third, strictly avoiding two erroneous tendencies. It is necessary to effectively prevent two erroneous tendencies: one is "quick victory-ism," either hoping to "finish the task in one stroke" [8] through a year or two of concentrated efforts, or attempting to root out the source of an illness and solve all existing problems through one "strong medicine" or a single concentrated treatment. The other is "inaction-ism," which is the belief that because realizing development strategies requires a long duration, cycle, and process, one should adopt a passive posture of doing nothing. In short, when we think about problems, make decisions, and handle affairs, we should neither be overly ambitious and unrealistic nor be stuck in old ways. We must maintain historical patience, adhere to the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability and proceeding step by step, and comprehensively advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization.
(Author: Kang Xiaoqiang, Researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Professor at the Department of Scientific Socialism, Central Party School [National Academy of Governance])
Source: Guangming Daily (October 23, 2025) Web Editor: Huihui