Qu Qingshan: Investigation and Research are the Heirloom of Our Party
The in-depth launch of the thematic education campaign [1] to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era throughout the entire Party is a major deployment made by the Party Central Committee to fully implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, and to mobilize all Party comrades to unite and strive toward completing the Party's central tasks. It is a significant deployment for further advancing the New Great Project of Party Building in the New Era. At the working conference for this thematic education, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, profoundly elucidating the great significance, objectives, and requirements of the campaign, making comprehensive arrangements for all aspects of the work, and providing the fundamental follows-up [2] for the Party's conduct of this education. In his speech, the General Secretary emphasized the need to "act according to the Party Central Committee’s work plan for vigorously promoting investigation and research [3] throughout the Party," and to "solve development problems through the deepening of investigation and research." Investigation and research is a fine tradition of our Party, a core component of this thematic education, and a consistent requirement of the General Secretary for all Party comrades. He has repeatedly stressed its extreme importance, pointing out: "Investigation and research is our Party’s heirloom and the basic skill for doing all work well." Understanding this heirloom and mastering this basic skill is a crucial task for studying the spirit of the General Secretary’s speech, implementing the Central Committee’s decisions, and carrying out the thematic education in depth.
Investigation and research is the concentrated embodiment of the Marxist worldview and methodology, and an internal requirement of the Party’s ideological line and mass line
Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology for establishing and strengthening our Party and country; dialectical materialism and historical materialism constitute the Marxist worldview and methodology. The extreme importance of investigation and research must first be profoundly grasped from the height of the Marxist worldview and methodology, and from the level of the Party's ideological line and mass line.
Investigation and research is an internal requirement of Marxist epistemology and the Party’s ideological line. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "seeking truth from facts is a core component of our Party's ideological line," and "to understand reality, one must master the basic skill of investigation and research." Our Party's ideological line—"Proceeding from reality in all things, integrating theory with practice, seeking truth from facts, and testing and developing truth through practice"—is a highly condensed summary of the Marxist worldview and methodology in Sinicized language and a concentrated expression of Marxist epistemology.
Comrade Mao Zedong once provided an incisive explanation of Marxist epistemology: "Discover the truth through practice, and again through practice verify and develop the truth. Start from perceptual knowledge and actively develop it into rational knowledge; then start from rational knowledge and actively guide revolutionary practice to transform both the subjective and the objective world. Practice, knowledge, again practice, and again knowledge. This form repeats itself in endless cycles, and with each cycle the content of practice and knowledge rises to a higher level. Such is the whole of the dialectical-materialist theory of knowledge, and such is the dialectical-materialist theory of the unity of knowing and doing." Whether it is "discovering truth through practice" or "verifying and developing truth through practice," neither can be separated from the in-depth investigation and systematic study of objective reality. The assertion that investigation and research is the basic skill for understanding reality and doing work well is an objective conclusion derived from applying Marxist epistemology to practical work.
Investigation and research is an internal requirement of the Marxist mass viewpoint and the Party's mass line. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Carrying out investigation and research is practicing the mass line." Our Party's mass line—"Everything for the masses, everything relying on the masses, from the masses and to the masses, turning the Party's correct propositions into the conscious action of the masses"—is the concentrated embodiment of the Party's nature and purpose, and of the Marxist mass viewpoint.
The Party's mass line and its ideological line complement each other; they are completely unified in their essential requirements. The ideological line points out the process of cognizing and transforming the world, yet this process must be realized through the method of "from the masses, to the masses"—which is to say, it must be realized through investigation and research that goes deep among the masses. General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted: "The Party's theories come from the people, are for the people, and benefit the people; the people’s creative practice is the inexhaustible source of theoretical innovation." Only through investigation and research deep among the people—"truly discovering the problems the masses face, reflecting their opinions, and summarizing the experience they create"—can we obtain the truthful knowledge that correctly reflects objective laws and formulate scientific decisions that align with them. Only by enabling the masses to master this truthful knowledge and these scientific decisions can we "turn the Party's correct propositions into the conscious action of the masses," thereby achieving the ultimate goal of transforming the world.
Investigation and research is an internal requirement for advancing the Party's theoretical innovation and strengthening its theoretical arming [4]. The Party's theoretical innovation is a dialectical movement from practice to knowledge—from matter to spirit; the Party's theoretical arming is a dialectical movement from knowledge back to practice—from spirit to matter. Advancing theoretical innovation is inseparable from investigation and research. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era emerged precisely from the great practice of the New Era; it is the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people. We must consistently persist in and strengthen investigation and research, "ensuring the process of research becomes a process of deepening our grasp of the Party's innovative theories, a process of maintaining flesh-and-blood ties with the people, and a process of promoting the development of our cause." Only then can we comprehensively and systematically master the basic viewpoints and scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, enhancing political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification with the Party's innovative theories, and continually writing new chapters in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.
Strengthening the Party’s theoretical arming likewise cannot be separated from investigation and research. The ultimate goal of studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era lies entirely in guiding practice. Only by grasping the worldview and methodology of this Thought, and adhering to and applying the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods that permeate it—consciously applying the Party's innovative theories to guide research and using the "Six Must-Adheres" [5] as a framework for thinking—can we continuously study new situations, solve new problems, summarize new experiences, and explore new laws. Only thus can Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era become a powerful ideological weapon for transforming both the subjective and objective world.
Investigation and research is a major issue concerning the success or failure of the cause of the Party and the people; it is our Party’s heirloom
History and practice have fully proven that whenever the whole Party attaches importance to investigation and research, the cause of the Party and the people develops smoothly; whenever it slights or neglects it, the cause suffers setbacks and losses. For over a century, from Comrade Mao Zedong’s momentous proposition that "no investigation, no right to speak," to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s profound judgment that "investigation and research is our Party’s heirloom and the basic skill for doing all work well," through the Party's vigorous advocacy and the exemplary leadership of its officials, valuing investigation and research has become a fine tradition and a style of work for the Party. Vigorously promoting investigation and research has become an important "magic weapon" [6] for our Party in creating a century of great achievements.
Investigation and research was an important magic weapon for our Party in creating the great achievements of the New Democratic Revolution [7]. Comrade Mao Zedong initiated the trend of valuing investigation and research in our Party. The process of his conducting research was precisely the process of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with the concrete reality of the Chinese revolution. "Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society," the opening piece of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, was the first to pose and answer the "primary question of the revolution"—"Who are our enemies? Who are our friends?"—based on investigation and research. The famous "Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan" was written only after Comrade Mao Zedong personally conducted 32 days of field research. Leading the Red Army across the country, he always squeezed out time for social investigation wherever they went, such as the famous Xunwu and Xingguo investigations. Comrade Mao Zedong placed great importance on this work, later remarking: "It was only after the Xunwu investigation that I clarified the issues of the rich peasants and landlords and proposed measures to solve the rich peasant problem," and "the issues of poor peasants and farm laborers were only clarified after the Xingguo investigation."
During the Yanan period, Comrade Mao Zedong "felt a pained sense of the necessity for meticulous study of Chinese and international affairs." To "help comrades find a method for studying problems," he personally compiled his past research manuscripts into the book Rural Surveys, writing a preface and postscript for it, and drafted the "Decision on Investigation and Research" for the Party Central Committee. This preface and the "Decision" were later listed as mandatory reading for the Yanan Rectification Movement [8], enabling comrades to master the truth that "no investigation, no right to speak" and learn the basic methods of research. This made the vigorous promotion of investigation and research a common practice throughout the Party, playing an extremely important role in transforming the Party's style of work, strengthening Party building, and accelerating the victory of the Chinese revolution.
Investigation and research was an important magic weapon for our Party in creating the great achievements of socialist revolution and construction. During this period, the Party conducted two large-scale investigation and research campaigns. The first was in 1956. To prepare for the 8th CPC National Congress, Comrade Mao Zedong "spent a month and a half in Beijing, talking with comrades from 34 departments, one department each day." He would begin listening to reports as soon as he woke up, often for four or five hours at a time, moving "from bed to floor, and floor to bed." Comrade Zhou Enlai attended almost all these briefing sessions, and Comrades Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yu occasionally participated; this effectively became a collective research activity of the central leadership. The direct result of this investigation was the famous "On the Ten Major Relationships," which marked the beginning of our Party’s exploration of a path for socialist construction suited to China's conditions and enriched Mao Zedong Thought.
The other large-scale investigation occurred in the early 1960s. During a period of severe economic hardship for the country, Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized that "it is quite dangerous to lack investigation and research." He called on the whole Party to vigorously promote investigation and research, proposing that 1961 be made a "year of seeking truth from facts" and a "year of investigation." Comrade Mao Zedong personally organized three investigation teams to conduct rural research in Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangdong. Other central leaders also went deep into the grass roots, spending considerable time on the front lines to understand the actual situation. On this basis, the Party Central Committee formulated a series of concrete policies suited to the actual situation, such as the "Sixty Articles on Agriculture" and the "Seventy Articles on Industry," creating important conditions for implementing the policy of national economic adjustment and overcoming severe economic difficulties.
Investigation and research was an important magic weapon for our Party in creating the great achievements of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. More than 40 years ago, our Party made the historic decision to shift the focus of the Party and state's work to economic construction and to implement reform and opening up; this, too, was inseparable from investigation and research that proceeded from reality. In September 1978, Comrade Deng Xiaoping inspected Northeast China. He observed and listened to reports along the way, "saying everywhere in the three northeast provinces that we must focus single-mindedly on construction," sounding the clarion call to "rapidly and resolutely shift the focal point of work to economic construction." Comrade Deng Xiaoping repeatedly emphasized: "Seeking truth from facts is the essence of Marxism. We must advocate this, not the worship of books. The success of our reform and opening up did not rely on books, but on practice and seeking truth from facts." This itself contained a profound grasp of the extreme importance of investigation and research.
The third generation of the Party's central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core and the Party Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary both attached great importance to investigation and research. Comrade Jiang Zemin pointed out that the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s concrete reality "has always had investigation and research as its premise and basis." He required leading comrades at or above the county level, especially those in primary responsibility, to "spend at least one or two months each year going deep into the grass roots for investigation and research." Comrade Hu Jintao pointed out that investigation and research is "an important way to enhance the consciousness and initiative of doing work well," emphasizing the need to "constantly grasp the initiative in scientific development" through in-depth research. The cause of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization was pushed forward step by step precisely by persisting in and strengthening investigation and research.
Investigation and research are essential talismans for our Party in creating the great achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to investigation and research. General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important expositions, instructions, and directives on this subject, emphasizing that investigation and research are the foundation of planning and the path to success. He has pointed out that without investigation there is no right to speak, and without investigation there is no right to make decisions; just as correct decision-making is inseparable from investigation and research, so too is correct implementation. Investigation and research are the "source of living water" [9] for obtaining genuine insights and represent the "basic skill" for performing work well. He has called for the widespread promotion of investigation and research throughout the Party. From the Educational Practice Activities of the Party's Mass Line to the "Three Stricts and Three Honests" [10] special education, from the "Two Studies, One Action" [11] learning and education to the "staying true to our original aspiration and founding mission" thematic education, from the study of Party history to the current thematic education on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era—every round of intra-Party education has set clear requirements for investigation and research, making it a vital component of such education.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has not only made these requirements of the whole Party but has also led by example, setting a brilliant model through his personal actions. Since the 18th National Congress, the General Secretary has focused on major strategies and decisions, going deep into the grassroots and among the masses; his investigative footsteps have reached every corner of the country. The General Secretary once said: "The reason I proposed the Targeted Poverty Alleviation strategy was that it was based on in-depth investigation and research." He chaired seven successive central symposiums on poverty alleviation, conducted more than 50 investigations into poverty alleviation work, and visited all 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty. He went year after year, frequently returning, eventually leading the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups to win the battle against poverty. The major strategic task of constructing the "dual circulation" development pattern was also proposed by the General Secretary after in-depth investigation and research. Regarding the proposal of this new pattern, he remarked: "During my inspection in Zhejiang, I discovered that under the impact of the pandemic, global industrial and supply chains had partially broken down, directly affecting our domestic economic cycle. Many local enterprises could not import raw materials, overseas personnel could not arrive, and goods could not be exported, forcing them to suspend production. I felt that the current situation was already very different; the environment and conditions for 'large-scale imports and exports' had changed, and we must propose new ideas to lead development based on the new situation." Shortly after returning to Beijing from this Zhejiang inspection, on April 10, 2020, the General Secretary proposed at the seventh meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission that we should "construct a new development pattern in which the domestic macro-circulation is the mainstay and the domestic and international dual circulations promote each other." It can be said that the series of strategic measures adopted, the transformative practices advanced, the breakthrough progress achieved, and the landmark results obtained in the New Era all embody the painstaking efforts and wisdom gained from the General Secretary taking the lead in conducting investigation and research time and again.
Investigation and research are key components of thematic education and the basic skill for doing all work well
At the start of this thematic education, the Party Central Committee decided to vigorously promote investigation and research throughout the Party as a major component of the program. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "This thematic education does not divide stages or segments; we must connect theoretical study, investigation and research, promoting development, and inspection and rectification, integrating them organically and advancing them as a whole." He required us to "follow the Work Plan of the Party Central Committee on Vigorously Promoting Investigation and Research Throughout the Party, organizing the vast numbers of Party members and cadres, especially leading cadres at all levels, to 'throw themselves down' [12] and sink into the front lines. They should go deep into grassroots units such as villages, communities, enterprises, hospitals, schools, and 'two new' organizations [13] to 'feel the pulse and diagnose the illness' and 'dissect the sparrow' [14], sorting through problems, troubleshooting difficulties, and applying the Party’s innovative theories to study new situations and solve new problems." Mastering this basic skill of investigation and research is a vital part of implementing the spirit of the General Secretary’s important speeches and successfully carrying out the thematic education.
Investigation and research must adhere to being problem-oriented and goal-oriented. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must educate and guide Party organizations at all levels and the vast numbers of Party members and cadres to highlight a problem-oriented approach," and "integrate the rectification of problems throughout the entire process of thematic education." Comrade Mao Zedong once vividly said: "Investigation is like the 'ten months of pregnancy,' and solving the problem is like the 'day of birth.' To investigate is to solve the problem." This requires us to take the resolution of practical problems as the starting point and the ultimate goal of investigation and research. Problems are the slogans of the times, the voice of the times; every era has its own problems. Currently, the strategic changes unseen in a century are accelerating, with increasing uncertain and unpredictable factors. Domestically, reform, development, and stability face many deep-seated contradictions that cannot be dodged or bypassed. Various risks, challenges, and difficulties are more severe and complex than before. In conducting investigation and research, we must focus on new problems encountered in practice, deep-seated problems in reform, development, and stability, the "urgent, difficult, and anxious" [15] problems of the masses, major problems in the international landscape, and prominent problems in Party building. Specifically, we should focus on the six aspects of problems to be addressed in this thematic education and the 12 key areas listed in the Work Plan for Vigorously Promoting Investigation and Research Throughout the Party, constantly proposing new concepts, new ideas, and new methods that truly solve problems.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "This thematic education must firmly grasp the general requirements of 'studying thought, strengthening Party spirit, emphasizing practice, and building new merits.'" He stated that the "fundamental task is to persist in the integration of 'study, thought, and utility' and the unity of 'knowledge, belief, and action,' transforming Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into a powerful force for firming up ideals, tempering Party spirit, guiding practice, and promoting work." This aims to ensure the whole Party maintains unified thinking, firm will, coordinated action, and strong combat effectiveness, striving for tangible results in "shaping the soul through study, increasing intelligence through study, improving conduct through study, and promoting action through study." He also clearly put forward five specific goals. This one general requirement, one fundamental task, and five specific goals constitute the objectives of this thematic education. Adhering to a goal-oriented approach means that throughout the process of thematic education, we must constantly align ourselves with the objectives proposed by the General Secretary. We must conduct in-depth strategic research concerning the overall situation, policy-oriented research to crack complex puzzles, forward-looking research on new situations in the New Era, tracking-style research on major projects, dissecting-style research on typical cases, and supervisory research to promote implementation.
Investigation and research must adhere to a correct attitude and scientific methods. Attitude and methods directly determine the effectiveness of investigation and research. Regarding the correct attitude, two points are most important: first, to seek truth from facts; second, to "look downward." An attitude of seeking truth from facts means adhering to the Party's ideological line: "upholding the principles of Party spirit, proceeding from reality in everything, integrating theory with practice, listening to the truth, observing the actual situation, persisting in truth, and correcting errors. We must call a spade a spade, report both good news and bad news, and adhere to reality over books or the whims of superiors." We must truly put effort into proposing practical moves, doing practical things, and seeking practical results. "Looking downward" means adhering to the Party's mass line, with full enthusiasm consciously seeking advice from the people and asking them about their needs. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out that to do investigation well, "the first thing is to look downward, rather than just holding one's head high and gazing at the sky. Without the interest and determination to look downward, one will never truly understand China's affairs in a lifetime." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must take the people as our teachers, learn from them, drop our airs, throw ourselves down, 'connect with the soil' [16], and understand the conditions of the people. We must not only 'enter' in body but also 'arrive' in heart." We must "grasp the problems that the people are most anxious, worried, and resentful about, and resolve the most direct and realistic interest issues that the people care about most." Only such an attitude is the correct one for investigation and research.
Our Party has accumulated many effective investigative methods through long-term practice, which we must inherit and carry forward under the new situation. Investigation and research consist of two links: investigation and research. In the investigation link, one must be good at grasping typical examples. Comrade Mao Zedong famously compared investigation and research to "dissecting a sparrow." He said: "There are two methods of investigation: one is 'looking at flowers from horseback' [17], and the other is 'dismounting to look at flowers.' Looking from horseback is not in-depth because there are so many flowers." Therefore, "one must use the second method... analyzing one 'flower' and dissecting one 'sparrow.' Although there are many sparrows, there is no need to analyze every one; dissecting one or two is enough." This speaks to the value of typicality. To grasp typical examples well, we must follow General Secretary Xi Jinping’s requirement: "Go not only to places where work is going well and the situation is advanced to summarize experience, but also to places where the masses have many complaints, where work is done poorly, and where difficulties are numerous, the situation is complex, and contradictions are sharp." In the research link, one must be good at grasping laws. Regarding the materials obtained, one must perform the work of analysis and synthesis—systematizing scattered perceptions and deepening superficial understandings until the essence and laws of things are found, and the correct way to solve the problem is discovered. Traditional investigative methods our Party has used long-term—such as "dissecting the sparrow," "squatting at a point" [18] for investigation, and holding investigative meetings—remain effective in the New Era and should be maintained. At the same time, we must adapt to the characteristics of contemporary social development, expanding channels, enriching tools, and innovating methods of investigation. We should adapt to local conditions and synthetically use symposiums, interviews, random visits, questionnaires, expert surveys, sampling, and statistical analysis. We should fully utilize modern information technologies such as the internet and big data to improve the scientific nature and effectiveness of investigation and research.
Investigation and research must be made regular and institutionalized. There is no end to the development of practice, and thus no end to investigation and research. Comrade Mao Zedong said: "Things are in motion, changing, and progressing. Therefore, our investigation is also long-term. We need investigation today, and our children and grandchildren will need to do it in the future... investigation and research will still be needed in ten thousand years." Currently, China's development is in a new historical position, the domestic and international environments are undergoing profound and complex changes, and the tasks of reform, development, and stability are myriad. we face new tests in understanding and transforming the world. This requires us to be good at constantly relearning and constantly conducting new investigation and research.
To make investigation and research regular, the key is to establish and improve relevant systems. General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward clear requirements for regularizing and institutionalizing investigation and research, and Party statutes, regulations, and disciplines have laid out clear provisions. The Constitution of the Communist Party of China stipulates that a basic requirement for leading cadres at all levels is to: "persist in liberating the mind, seeking truth from facts, advancing with the times, pioneering and innovating, conscientiously conducting investigation and research, and being able to integrate the Party's principles and policies with the reality of their own regions and departments... telling the truth, doing practical things, and seeking practical results." The Certain Norms Regarding Intra-Party Political Life Under the New Situation stipulates: "Persist in the systems of leading cadres conducting investigation and research, regularly receiving mass visits, having heart-to-heart talks with cadres and the masses, and conducting mass satisfaction evaluations." It further states: "When the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, and Party committees at all levels make major decisions and deployments, they must conduct in-depth investigation and research, listen broadly to opinions and suggestions from all sides... ensuring scientific, democratic, and law-based decision-making." The very first article of the Eight-Point Regulations puts forward requirements for improving investigation and research. It is evident that investigation and research are not only inherent requirements of the Party's ideological and mass lines but also important tasks for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and governing the Party through regulations. It is a political responsibility shouldered by all comrades in the Party, especially leading cadres.
This year is the starting year for fully implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC. China's development faces new strategic opportunities, tasks, stages, requirements, and environments. Deeply carrying out the thematic education on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and vigorously promoting investigation and research will surely educate all Party comrades to further and deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses," [19] firm up the "Four Confidences," [20] and achieve the "Two Upholds." This will inject powerful momentum into realizing the grand goals of building a strong nation and national rejuvenation.