Gai Yixin: Integrating Party History Learning and Education into the Teaching of Ideological and Political Courses in Universities
In February 2024, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued the Regulations on Work Concerning the Study and Education of Party History (hereafter referred to as the "Regulations"). The formulation and implementation of the Regulations are of great significance for promoting the normalization and long-term effectiveness of Party history study and education; for encouraging the entire Party and society to study and utilize Party history effectively; for drawing wisdom and strength from the Party's history; and for ensuring that individuals "clarify principles through history, enhance confidence through history, honor virtue through history, and practice through history" [1]. The Regulations explicitly state the need to "make good use of the channel of ideological and political theory courses (sz-courses) in schools, promote the integrated construction of ideological and political education in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, advance the entry of Party history into textbooks, classrooms, and minds, and leverage the important role of Party history in fostering virtue and nurturing people." The Party's history is the most vivid and persuasive textbook for university sz-courses. To achieve the educational goals of sz-courses—communicating with souls, enlightening wisdom, nurturing the heart, and inspiring fighting spirit—one must utilize this textbook of Party history and integrate Party history study and education into university sz-course teaching.
Establishing a Macro-Perspective on History and the Era
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "We must establish a macro-perspective on history and the era. With a vision that encompasses a thousand rivers and a chest that holds a million soldiers [2], we must grasp the historical process and the general trends of the era, reflect the millennial changes of the Chinese nation, reveal the correct path for China over the past century, promote the national spirit centered on patriotism and the spirit of the era centered on reform and innovation, carry forward the Great Founding Spirit of the Party, and strike a high-spirited keynote for the era." The Regulations note that we must "seek experience, find laws, and gain wisdom from history, strengthen confidence in the Party's leadership, resolutely implement the Party's innovative theories, and unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics." Party history contains rich pedagogical resources for sz-courses. Integrating Party history study and education into the teaching of ideological and political theory courses helps students fully recognize the historic achievements of the CPC in profoundly changing the destiny of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. It helps them understand the milestone significance of the CPC's century of struggle, thereby enhancing the ideological and theoretical depth of the curriculum and fortifying the primary front of education in ideals and convictions.
During the New Democratic Revolution period [3], our Party established courses such as "History of the Chinese Revolutionary Movement" and "Party Building" in schools like Shaanxi Northern Public School and North China United University, guiding students to recognize the basic laws of the War of Resistance and the concept of "Protracted War." After the founding of New China, courses like "History of the Chinese Revolution," "Foundations of Marxism-Leninism," and "Political Economy" were offered in universities to arm the youth with Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, helping generations of young people comprehend "where we come from" and "where we should go." Entering the New Era, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the construction of sz-courses, emphasizing the need to make good use of the "Grand sz-course" [4]. To conduct university sz-course teaching well, we must bridge the past, present, and future, linking the spatio-temporal dialogue between New Era sz-course teaching and Party history education through a macro-perspective on history and the era. We must design courses and content around the central work of the Party and the state, combined with social practice and ideological reality, drawing wisdom and strength from the Party's history to master historical initiative through deep reflection.
Currently, transformations in science and technology are driving the development of educational digitalization, providing new opportunities for university sz-courses. We should fully leverage the educational role of "red" Party history resources and digital pedagogical resources, utilizing VR, AR, and other digital and new media technologies to showcase the great victories achieved by the CPC in uniting and leading the Chinese people over the past century. By merging history with reality, we can enhance the contemporary relevance and appeal of the courses, guiding students to correctly recognize and profoundly understand the great achievements made since the New Era began, expanding their historical horizons, strengthening historical cognition, and firming up historical confidence.
Upholding the Unity of Theory and Practice
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "We must persist in the unity of theory and practice, nurturing people with scientific theory while emphasizing the practical nature of sz-courses, combining the 'small classroom' of sz-courses with the 'grand classroom' of society." The history of the CPC is a history of continuously advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and a history of continuously advancing practical and theoretical innovation. University sz-courses should help young students deeply understand the logic that "the CPC is capable, socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, and ultimately, it is because Marxism works—specifically, Marxism that has been Sinicized and modernized." This should be achieved through the "Eight Unities" [5]: the unity of politics and academic rigor, value-orientation and knowledge-imparting, constructiveness and critical thinking, theory and practice, uniformity and diversity, dominance (of the teacher) and subjectivity (of the student), indoctrination and inspiration, and explicit and implicit education. This will lead them to consciously devote themselves to the great practice of Chinese-path modernization.
Deep interaction with social practice. For young students to grow into the pillars of the nation, they must both "read ten thousand books"—fully utilizing the small sz-classroom to learn knowledge—and "travel ten thousand miles"—increasing their practical abilities in the grand classroom of society. Integrating Party history study and education into university sz-courses requires bridging these "two classrooms" to construct "Grand sz-courses." The Regulations require "studying Party history through forms such as reading Party history works, conducting seminars and exchanges, participating in educational training, visiting 'red' venues, and taking part in practical activities." Social practice is an important channel for students to understand national conditions, recognize society, and research problems; it is a "great furnace" for tempering formidable skills. We must emphasize "practice-based education," adhering to the combination of education and social practice. By widely carrying out various social practices and integrating Party history education into sz-practical courses, we persist in combining fostering virtue with the unity of knowledge and action. Our goal is to cultivate builders and successors of the socialist cause who are well-developed in ethics, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor. We use "interactive" teaching to create "Grand sz-courses" that carry the "scent of the soil" and "warmth of life," enabling young students to grasp from vivid practice the solid material power, foundational institutional power, and confident spiritual power accumulated through the Party's century of struggle for national rejuvenation, guiding them to comprehend the Party's original aspiration and founding mission from their study of history.
Resonating with the pulse of the era. Carefully constructing the "Grand sz" educational system and weaving a tight educational network will guide students to recognize national conditions and understand society through social practice, thereby receiving education and growing their talents. The great changes of the first decade of the New Era hold milestone significance in the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of the development of socialism, and the history of the development of the Chinese nation. We must lead students into the "second classroom," closely integrating Party history education with production and daily life. This inspires students to sense social development and the changes of the era through social practice, experiencing firsthand the series of strategic measures, transformative practices, breakthrough developments, and landmark achievements the Party has undertaken since entering the New Era. University sz-courses should proceed from the overall situation of the causes of the Party and the state, placing the Party's history within the frameworks of theory and practice, as well as domestic and international contexts. This helps students enhance their sense of positioning and mission within the process of historical development. Through studying history, they can clarify the principles of self-cultivation, the truth of "isms" (doctrines), and the path of scholarship, helping university students establish correct ideological concepts. It encourages them to effectively link self-value with social value, combine personal goals with national construction needs, and closely tie their personal ideals and future to the destiny of the nation and the people, gathering the wisdom and strength of youth for the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Explaining Principles Deeply, Thoroughly, and Vividly
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The essence of the sz-course is to explain principles," emphasizing the need to "explain principles deeply, thoroughly, and vividly." Explaining principles in university sz-courses requires leveraging the important role of Party history in fostering virtue, being adept at using historical thinking, grasping historical laws, discerning historical changes, and analyzing historical positioning. In pedagogical practice, we must use the Party's history to educate, enlighten, move, and inspire people.
Explaining principles through storytelling. The Regulations require "educating and guiding Party members to strengthen their faith in Marxism and communism, their conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." University students are in a critical period for the formation of their worldviews, outlooks on life, and values. Only by accurately grasping their ideological and psychological states and their cognitive patterns can ideological and political theory education become more targeted and the quality of teaching be continuously improved. We should make good use of the "red" historical resources around us, especially "small stories," "small figures," and "small changes." With heart and emotion, we should explain thorough theories thoroughly and explain vivid ideas vividly, building a consensus on values and fostering national pride, so that "listening to the Party and following the Party" becomes a conscious practice for young students.
Explaining "grand principles" through "small principles." Integrating Party history education into university sz-courses requires being adept at using the "big picture" as the starting and ending point for observing and handling problems. We must deconstruct "grand principles" into "small principles," following the cognitive laws of students. By "gazing at the large and acting on the small," we focus on the details of Party history that are close to students' lives and studies. This guides students to grasp the historical, social, and ideological roots of Party history events, understand the great achievements and historical experience of the Party's century of struggle, and carry forward the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists—with the Great Founding Spirit of the Party as its source—providing solid support for the growth of the "newcomers of the era" [6].
Explaining principles through practical experience. We must innovate the pedagogical content and methods of Party history education within university sz-courses, effectively integrating the Party's theory and practice into the teaching process while deeply mining the pedagogical resources inherent in the century-long history of the Party. Through the reform of practical teaching, university students' vacation "return-to-hometown" practice activities can be given credit within the sz-course practical component. This encourages students to utilize local historical resources, participate in volunteer activities at "red" exhibition halls, and transform "passive listening" into "active speaking" and "classroom learning" into "practical application." In various vivid scenarios, they can effectively deepen their understanding and grasp of the Party's history, further strengthening their sense of mission and responsibility.