Zhang Hao: The People-Centered Logic of Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements
The concept of performance [1] is a fundamental view and general perception of political achievement. It is a concrete manifestation of one's worldview, outlook on life, and values within the context of political conduct, involving a series of basic questions such as for whom performance is established, what kind of performance should be established, and how such performance is created. Whether a concept of performance is correct or not not only affects the healthy growth of individual cadres but, more importantly, bears upon the development of the cause of the Party and the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to "firmly establish a concept of performance that benefits the people" and "persist in producing achievements for the people." This profoundly elucidates the people-centered logic of establishing and practicing a correct concept of performance, providing the fundamental follow-through [2] for Party members and cadres in the New Era to firmly establish a correct concept of performance and create real results that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history.
Persist in producing achievements for the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We Communists undertake causes and create achievements for the sake of benefiting the people, not for personal promotion or individual gain." This clarifies the fundamental position and starting point for creating performance, profoundly answering the question: "For whom is performance established?" The people are the root of the nation and the greatest concern of the state. The Communist Party of China (CPC) comes from the people, is rooted in the people, and serves the people. The nature and mission of the Party determine that it must always adhere to doing everything for the people, taking the welfare and interests of the people as the fundamental starting point for creating performance.
Persisting in producing achievements for the people vividly reflects the unchanging original aspiration of Chinese Communists. Whether in wageing revolution, engaging in construction, or pursuing reform—or in saving, reviving, and strengthening the nation—every task undertaken by Chinese Communists has been for the people. From Gu Wenchang, who "led the revolution without selfishness and served the people with one mind," to Jiao Yulu [3], who "held all the people in his heart but never himself," to Yang Shanzhou, who declared "as long as life does not end, service to the people does not stop," to Liao Junbo, who was "sitting on the same bench as the common people," countless Communists have fully interpreted through their advanced deeds that all our Party's efforts are for the people and all its struggles aim to benefit the people. They find sweetness even in a thousand hardships and ten thousand bitters, fully demonstrating a concept of performance passed down through a continuous lineage.
Persisting in producing achievements for the people clarifies that the starting point and ultimate goal for Party members and cadres in pursuing performance can only be seeking benefits for the people, rather than seeking private gain for oneself. If the creation of performance stems from selfishness, intended to make a name for oneself or claim credit, it will inevitably lead to a distorted concept of performance and cause a series of serious consequences in practice. For instance, some Party members and cadres, either to build their own image or to pave the way for their own promotion, engage in "vanity projects" [4] that are all show and no substance, or "performance projects" [5] that labor the people and drain the treasury. This not only wastes precious resources but also damages the Party's image and prestige, undermines Party-mass and cadre-mass relations, and erodes the Party's foundation for governance. It is evident that at all times, one must grasp the starting point of creating performance. Only by adhering to the people’s standpoint, serving the people wholeheartedly, always placing the people in the highest position in one’s heart, and effectively mapping performance onto the coordinates of serving the people can we ensure that the direction does not deviate and the focus does not shift.
To benefit the people is the greatest performance. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that Communists must keep in mind that benefiting the people is the greatest performance. This important discourse profoundly answers the question of "what kind of performance to establish" and clarifies that the fundamental goal of creating performance is to let the people live a good life, continuously meet the people's aspirations for a better life, and bring tangible benefits to the masses. Specifically, taking the benefit of the people as the greatest performance means persisting in "asking the people about their needs," truly prioritizing the interests of the people and keeping their expectations in mind. It means sincerely listening to the voices of the masses, truly reflecting their wishes, genuinely caring about their hardships, doing more of what the masses urgently need and benefit from, and effectively achieving an understanding of the people’s situation, following their will, resolving their worries, and warming their hearts.
Taking the benefit of the people as the greatest performance is a firm vow and, even more so, a vivid practice. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has closely focused on the most immediate, direct, and realistic interests of the people. It has consistently treated the protection and improvement of people’s livelihoods as the starting point and ultimate goal of economic development. It has historically resolved the problem of absolute poverty on Chinese soil, achieved the grand goal of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society [6] as scheduled, solidly promoted the construction of a Healthy China and a leading nation in education, and wove a tight social security safety net, driving a tangible improvement in the quality of life for the broad masses of the people. Every breakthrough and landmark achievement made by our Party in the New Era testifies to that grand yet simple goal—to let the common people live a better life.
As we forge ahead into the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [7], benefiting the people remains the unchanging goal of our struggle. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee listed "the continuous improvement of the people’s quality of life" as one of the main goals for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan." In the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," we must both enhance the sense of urgency in benefiting the people—maintaining a "constant sense of responsibility" [8] and always keeping the safety and well-being of the masses in our hearts—and engage in true, practical work. We must effectively achieve the standard of "investigating the real situation, proposing real measures, and seeking real effects" in doing things for the people, implementing the benefit of the people step by step, so that the fruits of modernization benefit the masses more broadly and fairly.
Rely closely on the people to create performance. The masses are the creators of history and the source of strength for leading cadres to create performance. The principle that we "must closely rely on the people to create history" profoundly answers the question of "how to establish performance." It clarifies that creating performance must rely closely on the people, always trusting the masses, maintaining close ties with them, respecting the people’s principal status, and giving play to the people’s pioneering spirit.
Relying closely on the people to create performance requires persisting in "asking the people for their advice and strategies." The masses possess rich wisdom and infinite creativity. Soliciting suggestions through "open-door" policy-making, pooling the wisdom of the masses, and "taking the people as our teachers" [9] has always been a fine tradition of our Party as well as an important working method. "Those who live under the eaves know the roof leaks; those who live in the wild know the government's failings" [10]; the masses have the greatest right to speak on how to create performance. The broad ranks of Party members and cadres must set aside their airs, immerse themselves at the grassroots, and regularly go to the front lines—into the fields, workshops, communities, and streets. They must communicate face-to-face and heart-to-heart with the masses, digging out and utilizing the good experiences and practices hidden among the people, effectively transforming the "golden ideas" of the masses into "golden keys" for solving problems, promoting reform, and facilitating development.
Relying closely on the people to create performance requires being skilled at scientifically mobilizing and organizing the masses. Creating performance should not be a "solo act" by Party members and cadres; rather, it should involve the broad masses in a "grand chorus." Within the masses lies inexhaustible creative potential, as well as immense enthusiasm and intelligence for promoting social progress. We must extensively mobilize, organize, and unite the masses, fully stimulating their initiative, proactivity, and creativity, to better aggregate the wisdom and strength of the people into the cause of the Party and the people.
Let the people evaluate performance. The praise of the common people is worth more than any gold or silver trophy. Whether performance is good or not should let the masses be the "exam-graders" and be judged by them. The people are the subjects of performance evaluation. In judging the merits of a policy or measuring the gains and losses of work, the feelings of the masses are the most persuasive evidence. The "true color" [11] of performance, in the final analysis, must be judged by the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Whether life is happy or not should be evaluated by the common people themselves. If we speak with great excitement while the common people feel nothing, that won't do; it shows we haven't hit the right spot." The applause of the masses is an encouragement and, even more, a motivation; the criticism of the masses is a form of supervision and, even more, a direction. Regarding the evaluation of the masses, one cannot remain indifferent after hearing it; rather, the complaints from the masses’ "bench meetings" [12] and the opinions in public surveys must be transformed into entry points for improving work.
The evaluation of the masses must be incorporated into the performance appraisal system for cadres. The common people have the greatest right to speak on whether a cadre is performing well. The appraisal and appointment of cadres must involve close-range inspection, multi-angle analysis, and specific evaluation, but it must also listen more to the opinions of the masses, using the reputation among the people to test the actual results of reform. This reinforces the people-centered orientation of the concept of performance. Consideration can be given to establishing an appraisal system that combines quantitative and qualitative evaluation with public opinion surveys, incorporating democratic testing and mass satisfaction, so as to fully reflect the feelings and evaluations of the masses in performance appraisals.