Hu Changsheng: Promote Ideological and Political Work in Daily Life and at the Primary Level
Ideological and political work is a fine tradition, a distinctive feature, and a prominent political advantage of our Party; it is the lifeline of all work. Our Party has always attached great importance to ideological and political work. Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important speeches and issued a series of important instructions and directives, profoundly addressing the directional, fundamental, and overall issues of ideological and political work, driving it to showcase a new look and achieve new milestones.
In September 2021 [1], the Party Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Ideological and Political Work of the Communist Party of China (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations), further clarifying the institutional mechanisms, work responsibilities, content, methods, goals, and tasks of ideological and political work in the form of intra-Party regulations. This provides an important institutional guarantee for conducting ideological and political work under the new situation. We must profoundly recognize the extreme importance of this work, thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on ideological and political work, and closely integrate the study and implementation of the Regulations with the fulfillment of the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We must persist in a problem-oriented approach, improve work measures, and ensure that ideological and political work is integrated into daily life and takes root at the grassroots.
Explaining Vivid Ideas Vivedly
Ideology is the precursor to action. Without ideological unity, there can be no political solidarity or unity of action. Grassroots theoretical preaching [2] is a key grasp for clearing the "fog of thought" and consolidating ideological consensus. Currently, there is still room for improvement in the effectiveness of the Party's innovative theories reaching the grassroots level. For example, the integration of theoretical propaganda with practice is not tight enough, the use of new technologies and methods is insufficient, and expression styles are not sufficiently "grounded" [3]. The masses sometimes feel that "what is said is not understood, and what is heard is not remembered," suggesting that the infectiousness and attractiveness of theoretical propaganda need strengthening. How to better use scientific theory to guide, inspire, unite, and shape people—and to unify the thoughts and actions of the vast cadres and masses with the decision-making and deployments of the Party Central Committee—is a major subject in ideological and political work that urgently requires in-depth research and resolution.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to effectively explain vivid ideas vividly and explain thorough theories thoroughly, vigorously promoting the Party’s innovative theories so they penetrate deep into people's hearts. To explain vividly means to stay close to reality, close to life, and close to the masses, using vivid cases, popular language, and lively forms of expression so that theory has warmth and can be felt. To explain thoroughly means to deeply explicate the core essence, logical thread, and practical foundation of the theory, clearly explaining "what it is, why it is so, how to do it, and what the result should be," so that theory has depth and is convincing. Penetrating deep into people's hearts means achieving precision in communication and transformation into practice, so that theory integrates into the depths of thought and soul, becoming the proactive consciousness and voluntary compliance of the masses.
In recent years, Gansu Province has coordinated preaching resources and expanded communication channels, focusing on building the "New Thoughts in Longyuan" [4] preaching brand. In terms of enhancing attractiveness, it has integrated themes such as high-quality development, ecological civilization construction, cultural inheritance and innovation, ethnic unity and progress, and comprehensive social governance with issues of concern to the common people. It utilizes forms popular with the masses, such as talk shows, kuaiban [5], and sanjuban [6], to transform theoretical discourse into the language of the masses and theoretical viewpoints into simple truths. In terms of improving pertinence, it has organized backbone preachers to go deep into government agencies, urban and rural communities, schools, and enterprises to carry out targeted, segmented, and interactive preaching, resolving doubts face-to-face and exchanging ideas heart-to-heart. In terms of achieving normalization, it has established a long-term mechanism of "one theme per quarter, one training per quarter, one investigation per quarter, and one tour per quarter" to ensure that grassroots theoretical preaching remains fresh. Practice has proven that as long as the content is substantive, logical, and interesting, the Party's innovative theories can burst with vitality at the grassroots and naturally enter the hearts of the people.
The Regulations propose giving top priority to promoting the use of the Party's innovative theories to arm the mind, unify thought, consolidate consensus, and guide practice. To study and implement the Regulations, we must focus on soul-building and exert great effort in the propaganda and popularization of innovative theories to make ideas "come alive." In terms of content, we must stay close to life, focus on current key tasks, and integrate changes that the masses feel deeply—such as industrial development, employment and income growth, and infrastructure improvements. We must see the big picture through small details and interpret things from the nuances, turning what we want to say into what the people want to hear, shifting from "one-way instillation" to "two-way resonance," and leading the masses to promote all undertakings with one heart and one mind. In terms of language, it must be vivid and fresh. We should make good use of platforms such as preaching competitions and organize characteristic groups like the "Model Workers and Artisans Preaching Team," the "Horseback Preaching Team," and the "Potato Scent Sisters Preaching Team." These teams go deep into factory workshops, fields, and street alleys, using language that "carries the soil, bears the dewdrops, and radiates the heat of life" [7] to promote the vivid practice of the Party’s innovative theories in the land of Longyuan, ensuring that theoretical propaganda is grounded and gathers popularity. In terms of form, it must be diverse and flexible, strengthening the empowerment of AI, using short videos and interactive Q&A, and continuously launching media convergence products that the people enjoy. We should expand grassroots preaching models such as "on-site stays" and "live-streaming" to enhance the interactivity and infectiousness of theoretical propaganda.
Focusing on the Concerns of the Masses
The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is solid, the state is at peace [8]. Ideological and political workers must bow down to listen to the people’s voice and calm their hearts to solve the people’s worries, transforming what the people hope for into the direction of action. In reality, some ideological and political workers still do not communicate face-to-face frequently enough, and their understanding of grassroots realities and the demands of the masses remains shallow. There are few ideas or methods for helping the masses untie "ideological knots" or solve difficult problems through ideological and political work, and the effectiveness of mass work is sometimes unsatisfactory. How to focus on people, take people as the starting point, combine the resolution of ideological problems with the resolution of real-life difficulties, and achieve the organic unity of ideological guidance and serving the masses is a practical test facing ideological and political work.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we must take the people's yearning for a better life as our goal, solving both practical problems and ideological problems to better strengthen confidence, gather the people's hearts, warm the people's hearts, and build a common heart. To solve practical problems, we must focus on what the people hope for and worry about, do good deeds for their livelihood, and step-by-step turn the people's yearning for a better life into reality. To solve ideological problems, we must analyze events to clarify principles, clearly explain the Party's policies, and untie the "ideological knots" of the masses. Ideological problems are closely related to practical problems. To solve cognitive problems at the ideological level, we must anchor our efforts on practical problems, increasing trust through practical solutions and consolidating consensus through clear reasoning.
To solve the practical difficulties of the masses, we must enhance our service consciousness and innovate service methods. For three consecutive years, we have implemented the "Pairing Assistance · Loving Gansu" project, organizing 251,000 Party members and cadres across the province to "pair up as relatives" with 267,000 orphans, persons with severe disabilities in difficulty, and people in special hardship. They conduct regular visits, inspections, and communication, adhering to the principle that "one must arrive if there is hospitalization for serious illness, if children drop out of school or are unemployed, if there is an accidental disaster, or if a family member passes away." They have helped handle over 600,000 practical matters, ensuring that the weak are supported, the distressed are helped, the difficult are relieved, and the confused are enlightened. The Lanzhou Petrochemical Company has actively explored "small, fast, and agile" mass work methods, innovatively launching a "five-step method": observing the subtle to know the prominent, heart-to-heart disclosure, knowing the roots and bottom line, visiting the difficult to relieve distress, and clearing the warehouse to see the bottom. This achieves a high degree of coupling between the "ideological guidance chain" and the "business development chain," enhancing the efficacy of ideological and political work in empowering high-quality development. Practice has proven that as long as we keep the joys, sorrows, food, and warmth of the people in our hearts, treat the people's affairs as our own, and trade our heart for theirs, the masses will consciously feel the Party’s grace, listen to the Party, and follow the Party.
Doing a good job in ideological and political work requires focusing on humanistic care, promoting problem-solving, and doing more practical and good deeds that win, warm, and stabilize people's hearts. The Regulations propose adhering to the people's standpoint and being people-oriented. To study and implement the Regulations, we must firmly establish a view of performance centered on benefiting the people and exert great effort in focusing on the concerns of the masses and warming their hearts. We must maintain close ties with the masses, utilize the "four visits to the grassroots" [9] experience, conduct in-depth investigations and research, and persist in asking the people about governance, their needs, and their wisdom. Regarding decisions concerning livelihood development and the interests of the masses, we must extensively solicit opinions and draw upon the wisdom of the masses, stimulating and mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity hidden among the people. We must actively respond to the masses, providing "one-stop" acceptance, "one-package" mediation, and "whole-chain" resolution for various contradictions, disputes, and interest demands. We should improve the normalized "Express Train for Online Public Opinion" mechanism, focusing on coordinated governance online and offline, so that more services that reflect public opinion, respond to the people's voice, and relieve their distress are accepted online and resolved offline, turning the "maximum variable" of the internet into the "maximum increment" for the development of our cause. We must serve the masses with emotion, reflecting our concern for the people in every aspect of our duties. We should improve normalized assistance mechanisms that are face-to-face, hand-in-hand, and heart-to-heart, exerting force to resolve the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems in areas such as employment, education, medical care, and social security. We should also improve the service and guarantee systems for groups such as "empty-nest" elderly, children in distress, and the disabled, warming hearts with concrete measures.
Expanding the Path of Practical Education
Young people are a key group that must be focused on in ideological and political work. Practical education, as a key link in fulfilling the fundamental task of "fostering virtue through education" (lǐdé shùrén) and an important part of school ideological and political work, is becoming increasingly prominent in the current context of accelerating the integration of ideological and political education across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Currently, problems remain prominent, such as the mismatch between the supply of "Si-Zheng" [10] course content and student needs, insufficient excavation of ideological elements in educational venues, a lack of synergy among educational subjects, poor classroom interaction, and low "head-up rates" [11]. How to solve these problems, effectively revitalize resources, innovate carriers, and tangibly improve the effectiveness of practical education is a focus of current school ideological and political work.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to effectively integrate the "small classroom" of ideological and political education with the "large classroom" of society, making moral education more precise and effective. The "small classroom" is the main channel and position, while the "large classroom" of society encompasses social life and practical activities containing ideological and political education content and functions. Only by organically combining systematic theoretical teaching with vivid social practice can we better construct an educational system that unifies cognition, emotion, will, and action, creating a favorable environment for educating everyone, throughout the entire process, and in all rounds.
Gansu actively explores its rich cultural resources to establish a "Great Si-Zheng Course" [12] practical education pattern characterized by multi-party synergy and deep integration. For example, focusing on enhancing educational effectiveness, it has innovatively created large-scale immersive public "Si-Zheng" classes that run across online and offline platforms, such as "Will Never Forget" and "Longyuan Pride Si-Zheng Classroom." Taking the Party's innovative theories as the main theme and thread, these integrate revolutionary tradition education and the inspiration of role models into practical teaching. By comprehensively using images, videos, songs, "bullet chats" (dànmù), and role-playing, they construct a multi-dimensional narrative structure, breaking the boundaries between podium and stage, teacher and host, and student and audience, allowing young students to receive ideological baptism and solidify the foundation of their faith through emotional resonance. Practice has proven that only by synchronously promoting the construction of "Si-Zheng" courses and the arming of minds with the Party's innovative theories—integrating theoretical education with practical training, and aligning teaching methods with the lifestyle and thinking habits of young people—can the Great Si-Zheng Course be truly made vivid, thorough, and effective.
The Regulations propose persisting in educating for the Party and the country. To study and implement the Regulations, we must focus on the fundamental question of "whom to cultivate, how to cultivate, and for whom to cultivate," make good use of the successful cases of the Great Change of the New Era, uphold the fundamentals and break new ground to promote the connotative development of "Si-Zheng" course construction, and exert great effort in expanding the path of practical education and making the classroom "ignite." We must improve the practical education system, refine the synergistic mechanism between propaganda, education, culture, and tourism departments, and implement the integrated practical education plan for all levels of schooling. Practical education effectiveness should be included in the school evaluation system to build a new pattern of provincial-level synergy, all-stage continuity, and all-element guarantee. We must innovate practical education carriers, systematically integrating high-quality resources from science and technology, culture, and reform and development practices. Tailored to the characteristics of students at different stages, we should use heuristic, case-based, and experiential teaching methods to create "Si-Zheng courses on the move," "Si-Zheng courses in the fields," and "Si-Zheng courses in museums," transforming resource advantages into educational advantages. We should broaden the field of practical education, continuously building practical education circles and teaching sites themed around Yellow River culture, Dunhuang culture, "Red" [13] culture, ecological civilization, the consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation, technological innovation, and "harmonious and beautiful countryside." We encourage schools to deeply embed practical teaching into community governance, rural revitalization, and industrial development to fully activate the potential of practical education.
Making Responsibility Substantive
To govern a country one relies on standards, and to bring peace to the nation one relies on benchmarks [14]. Ideological and political work serves as the engine driving the development of the Party’s various undertakings; to ensure its continuous and efficient operation, it is necessary to tighten every screw on the chain of responsibility through scientific evaluation and supervision. In practical work, the boundaries of responsibility for ideological and political work are often blurred. There is a lack of clear definition regarding what responsibilities should be borne and what specific work should be performed by everyone from the Party committees (Party leadership groups) down to primary-level Party organizations and ordinary Party members. Evaluation standards remain imperfect—it is unclear who should evaluate and how, and there is a lack of an objective yardstick to measure whether work is performed well or poorly. Supervision mechanisms are weak, often remaining "suspended in the air" and difficult to implement. Constructing an evaluation system with comprehensive content, rational indicators, and scientific methods, while clarifying standards and strengthening supervision, has become an urgent priority for grasping ideological and political work firmly and effectively.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued important instructions and clear requirements on many occasions regarding the "baton" role [15] played by evaluation in fields such as Party building, science and technology, education, and personnel talent, promoting the use of evaluation to foster construction, reform, and effectiveness. This is precisely the "golden key" to solving these difficult problems. Promoting construction through evaluation aims to consolidate primary responsibility [16] through scientific assessment, stimulating endogenous motivation and ensuring that ideological and political work is further grounded, detailed, and implemented. Promoting reform through evaluation emphasizes adhering to a problem-oriented approach, focusing on the issues and weaknesses discovered during evaluation, and applying targeted policies and precise efforts to achieve improvement and elevation. Promoting effectiveness through evaluation involves using assessment to compare strengths and weaknesses, summarizing experience, and driving the transformation of ideological and political work from "whether it exists" to "whether it is excellent."
In recent years, Gansu has focused on the questions of "what to evaluate, who evaluates, how to evaluate, and how to use the results," establishing an evaluation system for ideological and political work that covers all regions and fields across the province. By focusing on the implementation of responsibility, we have clarified the duties of local Party committees, publicity departments, leading departments of various professional sectors, and mass organizations such as the Trade Unions, the Communist Youth League, and the Women's Federation, forming a responsibility network with a clear division of labor and distinct powers and duties. Focusing on scientific evaluation, we have formulated evaluation standards based on the characteristics of different fields. Led respectively by provincial departments such as Publicity, the Work Committee of the Provincial Organs, Education, and State-Owned Assets, we conduct regular evaluations of ideological and political work in municipalities and prefectures, provincial-level organs, provincial universities, and provincial state-owned enterprises. Focusing on the application of results, we have incorporated evaluation findings into supervision and inspection, disciplinary inspections and "look-backs" [17], and the comprehensive assessment of Party and government leadership teams and officials. We reward the excellent and penalize the inferior, supervise rectifications, and form a closed institutional loop for discovering, reporting, and solving problems. Practice has proved that only by improving the evaluation system and consolidating the chain of responsibility can we ensure the high-quality development of ideological and political work.
The Regulations [18] emphasize the improvement of mechanisms for assessment and evaluation, incentives and guarantees, and supervision and management. To study and implement the Regulations, we must focus on improving the system of ideological and political work and exert great effort in strengthening evaluation and supervision and implementing responsibilities. We must strengthen the top-level design for ideological and political work, formulate responsibility lists, and urge all departments to earnestly fulfill their functions in "position construction" [19], personnel cultivation, and supporting resources, providing coordinated guidance to ensure all levels truly shoulder their primary responsibility for ideological and political work. Adapting to the evolution of the situation, we must enrich and innovate appraisal methods and optimize appraisal indicators. We should include ideological and political work in communities, rural areas, the internet, and emerging sectors into the relevant appraisal systems, strengthen the comprehensive appraisal of how mass organizations leverage their advantages in ideological and political work, and continuously improve the scientific and precise nature of appraisals. We must carry out supervision and inspection on a normalized basis, promptly discovering problems and urging rectification through random checks, research interviews, and public opinion surveys, while strictly holding those who fail in their duties accountable.