Qu Qingshan: Always Maintain Sobriety and Determination in Solving the Unique Challenges of a Large Party
As a massive Marxist governing party, the largest in the world, our Party is unique and unprecedented in terms of its organizational scale and the size of its membership. Viewed dialectically, being "large" brings advantages but also specific difficulties. If the Party is governed and managed with vigor, converging into a majestic force, our Party will be invincible, capable of accomplishing great tasks, building great undertakings, and creating miracles; otherwise, it will achieve nothing. In the report to the 20th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must always remain clear-headed and determined in addressing the unique challenges a large party faces." Maintaining this clarity and determination is a matter of life and death for the Party, a matter of its rise or fall, and a question that the Party must answer and solve effectively on the new journey of the New Era. So, what "unique challenges" does our Party face, and how should they be resolved? At the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech and formulated the significant discourse of the "Six Always," providing the direction for action and the fundamental compliance for the entire Party to maintain clarity and determination in solving these unique challenges.
First, we must always remain true to our original aspiration and founding mission. This is the first issue General Secretary Xi Jinping expounded upon regarding the unique challenges of a large party, emphasizing "how to always remain true to our original aspiration and founding mission." The reason General Secretary Xi Jinping raised this issue is to remind the entire Party not to forget the fundamental questions: what is the CPC, what does it do, who are we, for whom do we work, and upon whom do we rely? The Party's original aspiration and founding mission are the concentrated expression of its nature, purpose, ideals, convictions, and goals. This issue concerns the fundamental root of establishing, flourishing, and strengthening the Party; it is the source and foundation, the spiritual pillar, and the political soul of Chinese Communists.
From the day of its birth, our Party took seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission. It has always persisted in the ideal of communism and the conviction of socialism, consistently manifesting these in all the Party’s struggles. For over 100 years, the Party has led the people through bloody battles and indomitable struggle to create the great achievements of the New Democratic Revolution; through self-reliance and arduous effort to create the great achievements of socialist revolution and construction; through emancipating the mind and forging ahead with determination to create the great achievements of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization; and through self-confidence, self-improvement, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground to create the great achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. What did we rely on to write the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of the Chinese nation's history? We relied on our Party’s lofty ideals and noble pursuits, and on the consistent adherence to the original aspiration and founding mission by the vast ranks of Chinese Communists. History and reality have repeatedly proven that only when a political party has lofty ideals and noble pursuits, along with a firm original aspiration and founding mission, will it be strong, vigorous, and invincible. If a Party member or cadre always remains true to the original aspiration and founding mission, they can straighten their spiritual backbone as a Communist and remain steadfast "no matter which way the wind blows" [1].
On the new journey of the New Era, the goals are more grand, the tasks more heavy, and the challenges increasingly severe, necessitating that all comrades in the Party must remain true to the original aspiration and founding mission. We must persevere in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to solidify the soul and forge the spirit, always staying firm in the faith in Marxism and the conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics and communism, thereby "tempering an indestructible golden body" [2]. We must always put the people first, take the heart of the people as our own heart, breathe the same air as the people, share the same fate, and be of one heart with them. We must maintain the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the masses and preserve the Party’s advanced nature and purity.
Second, we must always maintain unity of thought, unity of will, and unity of action. This is the second issue expounded by General Secretary Xi Jinping, emphasizing "how to always maintain unity of thought, unity of will, and unity of action." The reason General Secretary Xi Jinping raised this issue is to remind the entire Party that in governing such a large party and large country, nothing can be accomplished without the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, or without the unity of thought and synchronized pace of the whole Party and nation. This is by no means a general issue or a personal matter; it is a question of direction, principle, and foundation, concerning the future and destiny of the Party and the state, and the fundamental interests of the people.
From the history of the Party, whenever our Party maintained solidarity and unity, our cause achieved victory; whenever the Party’s solidarity and unity were undermined, our cause suffered setbacks. Before the Zunyi Meeting [3], because our Party had not formed a mature Central Committee or achieved the solidarity and unity of the whole Party, the cause of the Party and the people suffered multiple setbacks. The Zunyi Meeting began to establish the leadership position of the correct Marxist line, represented primarily by Comrade Mao Zedong, in the Party Central Committee, and began to form the first generation of the Party's central leadership collective with Comrade Mao Zedong at the core. It opened a new stage where the Party independently solved the practical problems of the Chinese revolution, saving the Party, the Red Army, and the Chinese revolution at the most critical moment. Furthermore, it enabled the Party thereafter to defeat the splittism of Zhang Guotao [4], victoriously complete the Long March, and open a new phase for the Chinese revolution. From then on, our Party continuously marched from victory to victory. Since the dawn of reform and opening up, the Party has made continuous efforts to strengthen and improve Party leadership, providing a fundamental political guarantee for the development of the cause of the Party and the state. At the same time, there were many problems within the Party such as blurred understanding and weak action regarding the persistence of Party leadership, as well as the weakening, hollowing out, dilution, and marginalization of the implementation of Party leadership. In particular, there was ineffective execution of the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments; some practiced the "policies from above, countermeasures from below" [5] approach, or even said one thing while doing another and acting willfully, which seriously affected the Party's image and prestige and severely damaged the exercise of the Party’s leadership role. History and reality prove that only when the Central Committee has authority can it firmly unite the whole Party, and in turn, closely unite the people of all ethnic groups across the country to form a majestic force of one heart and one mind that is invincible. The Party’s solidarity and unity are where the future and destiny of the Party and the people lie, and where the fundamental interests of the people of all ethnic groups are found. Ensuring the Party’s solidarity and centralized, unified leadership is vital; safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee is vital. This must not be ambiguous or wavering at any time or under any circumstances.
On the new journey of the New Era, to unify thought, will, and action, we must profoundly grasp the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, enhance the Four Consciousnesses, firm up the Four Confidences, and achieve the Two Upholds. We must persist in and strengthen the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, improve the system of Party leadership institutions, refine the mechanism for implementing the Central Committee's major decisions and deployments, and ensure that the entire Party maintains a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in political stance, political direction, political principles, and the political path. The whole Party must always think in one direction and exert effort in one direction in the face of major issues and dire situations, moving forward in solidarity.
Third, we must always possess strong governing capacity and leadership skills. This is the third issue expounded by General Secretary Xi Jinping, emphasizing "how to always possess strong governing capacity and leadership skills." The reason General Secretary Xi Jinping raised this issue is to remind the entire Party that a party governing a large country of over 1.4 billion people over the long term, facing the world’s changes unseen in a century and the critical period of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, cannot lead the people to complete the missions and tasks of the new journey in the New Era if it suffers from insufficient capacity and weak skills. This issue is the key to strengthening and improving Party leadership; it is of great significance and determines the overall situation.
Throughout its journey, the Party has grown from weak to strong, and from partial governance to national governance. In establishing the New China, carrying out socialist revolution and construction, and implementing reform and opening up, the Party has always attached great importance to the study and capacity building of the whole Party, especially its leading cadres. As early as the Yan'an period, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "There is a kind of panic in our ranks, not an economic panic or a political panic, but a 'competence panic' (本领恐慌)." Comrade Mao Zedong required the whole Party to "learn while doing, learn war through war, and grow talent through practice—this is the dialectics of us Communists!" At the beginning of reform and opening up, Comrade Deng Xiaoping emphasized the need to value and study the issue of the Party’s governing capacity: "If we do not study this issue well and do not solve it, we cannot persist in Party leadership and cannot improve the Party's prestige." Comrade Deng Xiaoping called on the whole Party: "We must engage in a new round of study." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must enhance our ability to learn, create a strong atmosphere for learning and practice throughout the Party, build a Marxist learning-style party, and promote the building of a great learning nation." Reviewing the century of struggle, our Party has relied on learning to get to where it is today and relied on learning to create great undertakings. A short rope cannot draw water from a deep well; shallow water cannot carry a large ship. The more the cause of the Party and the state develops, the higher the capacity requirements for leading cadres. Facing new situations and problems, some cadres find that "new methods cannot be used, old methods do not work, hard methods are not dared to be used, and soft methods are ineffective." They lack knowledge and skills, violate objective laws, and act blindly or recklessly, bringing serious losses to the cause of the Party and state. History and reality fully prove that our Party must be both politically sound and highly competent; it must have both "broad shoulders" for responsibility and "real skills" for getting things done.
On the new journey of the New Era, to improve the Party’s governing capacity and leadership level, we must enhance our capacity to promote high-quality development, serve the masses, and prevent and resolve risks, while improving our ability to face risks, meet challenges, and resist pressure. We must be diligent and adept at learning—learning from books, from practice, and from the people. We must regard investigation and research as a fundamental skill, vigorously promoting a culture of investigation and research, going deep into the grassroots, among the masses, and into reality to "seek policy from the people, seek wisdom from the people, and seek strategy from the people." We must continuously improve the level of scientific governance, democratic governance, and law-based governance. We must strengthen ideological tempering, political training, practical exercise, and professional training, constantly honing and improving our capacity and level in major struggles to shoulder the historical responsibility of national rejuvenation.
Fourth, we must always maintain a vigorous spirit for entrepreneurship and action. This is the fourth issue expounded by General Secretary Xi Jinping, emphasizing "how to always maintain a vigorous spirit for entrepreneurship and action." The reason General Secretary Xi Jinping raised this issue is to remind the entire Party that a large party in power for a long time, during long periods of peace, can easily pursue ease and pleasure, leading to spiritual slackness, a waning of will, and a lack of motivation. Without spirit, a person cannot stand; without spirit, a nation cannot be strong. This issue concerns whether the Party can forever preserve its revolutionary spirit and firm revolutionary fighting will, carry forward the spiritual lineage of Communists, and drum up the energy to forge ahead on the new journey and achieve success in the New Era, thereby walking the "New Test Road" [6] well.
Wherever history began, spirit was produced. Throughout our Party’s journey, generation after generation of Chinese Communists have struggled tenaciously and fought unceasingly, forming a spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists with the Great Founding Spirit of the Party as its source. This includes the Jinggangshan Spirit, the Soviet Area Spirit, the Long March Spirit, the Zunyi Meeting Spirit, the Yan'an Spirit, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Spirit, the Hongyan Spirit, the Xibaipo Spirit, the Zhaojin Spirit, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army Spirit, the Nanniwan Spirit, the Taihang Spirit (Luliang Spirit), the Dabie Mountains Spirit, the Yimeng Spirit, the Old Revolutionary Base Area Spirit, and the Zhang Side Spirit; the Spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" Spirit, the Lei Feng Spirit, the Jiao Yulu Spirit, the Daqing Spirit (Iron Man Spirit), the Hongqiqu Spirit, the Beidahuang Spirit, the Saihanba Spirit, the "Two Roads" Spirit, the Old Tibet Spirit (Kong Fansen Spirit), the Westward Relocation Spirit, and the Wang Jie Spirit; the Reform and Opening-up Spirit, the Special Economic Zone Spirit, the Flood Control Spirit, the Anti-SARS Spirit, the Earthquake Relief Spirit, the Manned Spaceflight Spirit, the Model Worker Spirit (Labor Spirit, Craftsman Spirit), the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Spirit, and the Women's Volleyball Spirit; the Poverty Alleviation Spirit, the Anti-epidemic Spirit, the "Three Oxen" Spirit, the Scientists' Spirit, the Entrepreneurs' Spirit, the Lunar Exploration Spirit, the New Era Beidou Spirit, and the Silk Road Spirit. These have become the integrated manifestation of the Chinese Communists' ideals, political character, sense of purpose, willpower, and mental outlook, providing rich nourishment for establishing, flourishing, and strengthening our Party. The century of the Party’s struggle shows that only a party with a great spirit can lead the people to win great struggles and open up great causes. Li Dazhao once said: "The path of history is not entirely flat; sometimes it reaches a realm of difficulties and obstacles, and it entirely depends on a robust spirit to push through." The great achievements of the New Era were fought for, worked for, and struggled for by the Party and the people together. History enlightens us: a person must have some spirit; a political party that possesses both a revolutionary and a "life-risking" spirit will be invincible.
On the new journey of the New Era, to always maintain a vigorous spirit for entrepreneurship and action, we must promote the Great Founding Spirit of the Party, pass on the "red gene," and carry forward the "red lineage." We must dare to struggle and be good at struggling, relying on tenacious struggle to open up new horizons for the development of our cause. We must carry forward the great spirit of historical initiative, have the courage to take responsibility and act, and forge ahead while meeting challenges and overcoming difficulties.
Fifth, we must always be able to discover and solve our own problems in a timely manner.
This is the fifth problem General Secretary Xi Jinping expounded regarding the resolution of the unique challenges facing a large party, emphasizing "how to remain consistently capable of discovering and resolving one's own existing problems in a timely manner." The reason General Secretary Xi Jinping raised this issue is to remind the entire Party that it must have the courage to persist in the truth and correct its errors. This issue concerns whether the Party can break through the global dilemma of "it being easier to revolutionize others than to revolutionize oneself," and whether it can maintain its youthful vitality and endure forever by facing problems head-on and overcoming deficiencies.
Carrying out revolution, construction, and reform in a large country like China, and advancing the great historical cause of national rejuvenation, is a great undertaking without precedent; it is inevitable that lapses or even errors occur during the exploration process. However, supported by the people and relying on its own strength, our Party has overcome difficulties, corrected errors, and moved toward the light, experiencing several instances of "finding a way out of a desperate situation" [7] and "seeing the bright blossoms after the dark willows" [8]. It is precisely through this process of being tempered a thousand times over that our Party has become increasingly strong and mature. History and reality prove that the greatness of the Party does not lie in never making mistakes, but in never "hiding sickness for fear of treatment" [9], actively carrying out criticism and self-criticism, daring to face problems directly, and having the courage for self-revolution.
On the new journey of the New Era, to remain consistently capable of discovering and resolving one's own problems in a timely manner, we must persist in liberating the mind, seeking truth from facts, advancing with the times, and being realistic and pragmatic. We must persist in carrying forward the spirit of self-revolution, continuously eliminating all factors that undermine the Party's advanced nature and purity, continuously clearing away all viruses that erode the Party's healthy organism, and building the Party into a vibrant Marxist governing party that always stands at the forefront of the times, enjoys the heartfelt support of the people, has the courage for self-revolution, and can withstand the test of all kinds of storms.
We Must Always Maintain a Clean and Upright Political Ecosystem
This is the sixth problem General Secretary Xi Jinping expounded regarding the resolution of the unique challenges facing a large party, emphasizing "how to always maintain a clean and upright political ecosystem." The reason General Secretary Xi Jinping raised this issue is to remind the entire Party that the political ecosystem is like a natural ecosystem; if one is slightly careless, it is easily polluted, and once problems emerge, the cost of restoration is very high. This issue concerns the health of the Party's organism, whether our Party can gather the powerful positive energy to "clear the turbid and promote the pure" [10], and whether our Party can ensure it "never changes its quality, its nature, or its character."
Our Party is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, and at the same time, the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. It does not have any special interests of its own and has never represented any interest group, any power bloc, or any privileged stratum. Within the Party, no interest groups of any form are permitted to exist, nor is it permitted to form cliques for private gain. Conducting serious and earnest intra-Party political life and creating a favorable political ecosystem are fine traditions and political advantages of our Party. The Gutian Conference [11] proposed the principles of building the Party ideologically and building the military politically, emphasizing that the thinking of Party members and life within the Party must be politicized and scientific. The reason the Zunyi Meeting [12] was held so well and successfully was that it restored democratic centralism, active ideological struggle was carried out within the Party, and normal intra-Party life was established. After the Yan’an Rectification Movement [13], our Party gradually formed basic norms for intra-Party political life through long-term practice—with seeking truth from facts, integrating theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, criticism and self-criticism, democratic centralism, and strict Party discipline as the main content—ensuring the Party is full of vigor and vitality. Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has led by example and set a standard, firmly advancing the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. It has persisted in the close integration of ideological Party building and institutional Party governance, concentrated on rectifying the Party's conduct, severely punished corruption, and purified the intra-Party political ecosystem. Intra-Party political life has taken on a new look, winning the hearts of the Party, the military, and the people. History and reality fully prove that whenever the political ecosystem is good, the people's hearts are at ease and integrity is abundant; whenever the political ecosystem is poor, the people's hearts will be scattered and many ills will arise.
On the new journey of the New Era, to consistently maintain a clean and upright political ecosystem, we must strictly manage intra-Party political life and cultivate a positive and healthy intra-Party political culture. We must promote and practice values such as loyalty and honesty, impartiality and uprightness, seeking truth from facts, and integrity. We should advocate for "clean and refreshing" [14] relations between comrades, "orderly and regulated" relations between superiors and subordinates, and "pro-business yet clean" [15] relations between government and business. We must persist in strengthening the rectification of conduct and discipline with a strict tone, and resolutely oppose corruption with the determination and will to "always blow the charge" [16]. We must persist in the correct orientation in official appointments, selecting and using good officials, promoting the capable, demoting the mediocre, and weeding out the inferior. Through the powerful positive energy of the whole Party, we shall converge into a majestic force for building a modern socialist country in all respects and comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
(The author is the President of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee)