Combine the Reading of "Books with Words" and "Books without Words"
At present, study and education regarding the establishment and practice of a correct outlook on political achievements is being solidly carried out throughout the entire Party. Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on political achievements requires Party members and cadres to persist in seeking truth from facts and consciously act in accordance with objective laws. This necessitates both a profound grasp of the spirit of the Party Central Committee’s major policy decisions and deployments, as well as a thorough understanding of actual conditions, in order to ensure that these major decisions and deployments are implemented effectively. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that we "must combine the reading of 'books with words' and 'books without words,'" providing important methodological guidance for Party members and cadres to establish and practice a correct outlook on political achievements, continuously improve their learning and professional capabilities, proceed from reality, and act according to objective laws.
In the face of rapid technological innovation and broad, profound social transformations, and confronted with the "epochal question" of how to view and execute the 15th Five-Year Plan [1], some Party members and cadres have become detached from reality and failed to act according to objective laws, leading to the problem of "acting blindly and headstrong." The reason for this often lies in an unwillingness or inability to learn. Some cadres use being busy with work as an excuse and are unwilling to calm their minds for deep study; others have encountered problems with their learning methods, severing the relationship between theory and reality, or between study and application. Combining the reading of "books with words" and "books without words" is precisely the key to solving these problems.
Reading "books with words" well allows one to grasp laws and clarify direction. "Books with words" are the vehicles for classical Marxist doctrines, the Party's innovative theories, and various types of professional knowledge; they are the sublimation of experience, the crystallization of thought, and the synthesis of objective laws. Reading "books with words" well is essential for Party members and cadres to continuously improve their political capacity, enhance their strategic thinking, and firmly establish a correct outlook on political achievements. For example, the Recommendations of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [2] draw a blueprint for China's economic and social development over the next five years and demonstrate the significant advantages of the Chinese system. If one does not delve deep into this "book with words," one cannot thoroughly understand the Party Central Committee’s major principles and policy deployments. In one's work, this leads to a lack of macroscopic vision and an inability to properly handle the relationships between the local and the global, the present and the long-term, and the key points and the general situation. Only by comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately grasping the spirit of this "book with words" can one always remain anchored to the correct course and scientifically plan various tasks for reform, development, and stability.
Reading "books without words" well allows one to summarize experience and draw upon wisdom. Some Party members and cadres can speak of "books with words" as if enumerating family treasures [3], yet when implementing policies, they resort to "one size fits all" [4] approaches, causing good policies to "suffer from maladaptation" [5] at the grassroots level. The root of this problem lies in failing to read "books without words" well. "Books without words" are the concrete and vivid social realities—the passionate practices and innovative wisdom of the masses—written across the vast land and on the front lines of reform and development. The smooth implementation of 165 major engineering projects during the 13th Five-Year Plan and 102 projects during the 14th Five-Year Plan was backed by the power of the "books with words" found in successive planning, but also by the merit of practical exploration at the grassroots front lines. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Learn experience from successful explorations and learn wisdom from the masses." Only by going deep into the grassroots, walking among the masses, connecting with the "earthly qi" [6] in streets, alleys, and fields, and gaining a clear understanding of the situation below to read the pain points and difficulties of reform and development, can one hit the "target" of the era with the "arrow" of theory [7]. Only then can the policy measures in "books with words" be transformed into precise strategies tailored to local conditions.
Reading "books with words" is for the purpose of better guiding the reading of "books without words," while reading "books without words" continuously enriches and deepens the understanding of "books with words." Integrating "books with words" and "books without words" essentially means skillfully applying the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, transforming theoretical armament into a material force for transforming the objective world. Chinese-path modernization is an unprecedented and pioneering undertaking. To solve the many issues on the road ahead, one cannot find ready-made answers solely by studying professional books, nor can one grasp the overall situation solely by observing practices in certain locales. One must closely integrate theoretical knowledge, principles, and policies with the concrete practice of Chinese-path modernization. To solve the "epochal questions," one must keep the "two overall situations" [8] in mind, profoundly grasp the strategic guiding role of national development plans, and establish macro-strategic coordinates. Simultaneously, one must seek breakthroughs in economic and social development and find the pressure points for reform within the pain points and difficulties faced by the masses and enterprises. Based on a grasp of actual conditions, one must adapt measures to local conditions, categorize policies, and creatively implement the major policy decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee.
For Party members and cadres to establish and practice a correct outlook on political achievements, they must combine the reading of "books with words" and "books without words." In doing so, they will be able to have a firm foundation, a clear understanding of the situation, and effective methods when facing complex circumstances. By accumulating small victories to achieve a great victory, they will drive the continuous development of the cause of the Party and the state.