Xu Xiaoming: Establishing a Correct Outlook on Political Achievements by "Looking Upward" and "Looking Downward"
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Our Party exists to serve the people. The consideration of the Central Committee is to do things for the people. Cadres at all levels must not always have their eyes fixed only upward. In everything, one must ‘look upward’ and ‘look downward.’" He emphasized: "We must frequently ask ourselves: Are we busy with things entirely unrelated to the Party’s fundamental purpose? Are we wholeheartedly doing things for the common people? Are we working around the central tasks of the Party and the state?" "Looking upward" embodies the political consciousness of anchoring oneself to the correct political direction and grasping the overall situation and general trends; "looking downward" highlights the persistence of the original aspiration and founding mission of taking root among the masses while seeking truth from facts. In establishing and practicing a correct conception of political achievement [1], Party members and cadres should constantly interrogate their original aspirations and examine their words and deeds, strengthening their ideals and convictions through "looking upward" and cultivating deep-seated feelings for the people through "looking downward," striving to create actual achievements that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history.
"Looking upward" means looking at the direction, the overall situation, and the will of the Party. Only by frequently looking upward can one clarify the direction, recognize the overall situation, see standards and requirements clearly, and consciously consider problems and handle affairs from the overall perspective of the development of the Party and the state. For Party members and cadres to establish and practice a correct conception of political achievement, the key lies in consciously positioning, planning, and advancing the work of their own regions and departments within the overall development of the cause of the Party and the state. Only by keeping the whole picture in mind and focusing on the long term can one maintain strategic resolve in the face of complex contradictions and challenges, effectively making the improvement of the quality and efficiency of development the ultimate goal. "Looking downward" means looking at the will of the people, the actual situation, and the foundation. Only by frequently looking downward can one regard benefiting the people as the greatest political achievement and interpret the "major issues" of the people's hearts from seemingly trivial matters of their livelihoods. Only then can one discover new situations, study new problems, and summarize new experiences—seeing through the reality behind a multitude of phenomena to grasp their laws and find effective paths for resolving difficult problems.
Persisting in both "looking upward" and "looking downward" fundamentally means unifying accountability to one's superiors with accountability to the people. If one's eyes are only fixed upward while neglecting to "look downward," it is easy to fall into the quagmire of formalism and bureaucratism (two of the "Four Winds"). In fact, even the best policies will become mere scraps of paper that are difficult to implement if the execution of higher-level policies is decoupled from the realities of one's own region or department, or if one is numb and indifferent to the "urgent, difficult, and anxious" [2] problems of the masses. Conversely, if one only "looks downward" without "looking upward," accountability to subordinates easily devolves into departmentalism, focusing only on immediate and local interests or "calculating on one's own small plot of land" [3]. Due to a shallow understanding or inaccurate grasp of the major policies and principles of the Party Central Committee, such work will lack foresight and systematicity.
A correct conception of political achievement is formed precisely in the unification of "looking upward" and "looking downward." Only by thoroughly digesting the spirit of the Party Central Committee and comprehensively and accurately understanding the global considerations and long-term planning of its decision-making and deployments can one find the "main cable" (gang) for guiding work. Only by persisting in "looking downward" and gaining an in-depth understanding of grassroots realities and the demands of the masses can one find the "mesh-holes" (mu) for implementing the spirit of the Party Central Committee. By "lifting the main cable so that the mesh-holes open" [4], one's undertakings can both "connect to the antenna" and "stick to the ground" [5].
Persisting in both "looking upward" and "looking downward" requires Party members and cadres to both keep the big picture in mind and stay grounded. They must consciously calibrate their ideological compasses and pull their "action-bows" to the full. They must solidify their faith and refine their direction through "looking upward," and cultivate their sentiments while drawing strength through "looking downward." They should transform the results of studying and grasping the spirit of the Party Central Committee into pragmatic measures for serving the grassroots and the masses, and sublimate the problems discovered in grassroots research into decision-making references for improving top-level design. They must be "clear-headed people" [6] whom the Party Central Committee can trust and "intimate friends" of the masses, writing their true achievements and real political contributions into the overall cause of the Party and the state, and into the hearts of the people.