Ideological Front | Grasp the Characteristics of the Era, Carry Forward Glorious Traditions

Grasp the Characteristics of the Era, Carry Forward Glorious Traditions

■ Lu Jinwei

Glorious traditions are not memories sealed away in dust, but a spiritual torrent surging forth from the depths of history. Chairman Xi has pointed out: "We must take the lead in studying traditions, cherishing traditions, and speaking about traditions, and drive the officers and soldiers of our units to carry forward the red genes and preserve the character of the old Red Army." Under new historical conditions, how to properly carry forward the glorious traditions of our Party and our military, and allow the character of the old Red Army to radiate even more brilliant light, is an important question of the era that we must answer well.

Closely align with young officers and soldiers, and strive to manifest the characteristics of the era in glorious tradition education. Young officers and soldiers are the internet-native generation; only by dressing glorious traditions in "new clothes of the era," giving them a strong sense of contemporaneity and inspirational power, can we win over the officers and soldiers. Persist in precise drip irrigation (精准滴灌), and abandon the preachiness of "flood irrigation" (大水漫灌). Officers and soldiers of the new era have active minds and distinct personalities; it is necessary to adapt to the era's characteristics of officers and soldiers, focus on real-world problems of ideology and conduct, and carry out glorious tradition education in a targeted manner—extending classroom education into training intervals and frontline duty posts, transforming "force-feeding" into "interactive" methods, and allowing officers and soldiers to receive edification through precise drip irrigation. Persist in equality and mutual trust, and cultivate a new type of officer-soldier relationship. The officer-soldier relationship in the new era faces erosion from unhealthy social tendencies; it is essential to strengthen the concept of putting the grassroots first and soldiers first, resolutely eliminate official-rank-centered thinking (官本位思想), open up democratic channels, allow soldiers to dare to speak their minds and dare to report their difficulties, and continuously consolidate internal relations that are united, friendly, harmonious, and pure. Persist in rule-of-law thinking, and leave behind the inertia of "rule by man." Under new historical conditions, the traditional "strict compliance with orders" (令行禁止) requires rule-of-law thinking as its guarantee. We must educate and guide officers and soldiers to improve their ability to use rule-of-law thinking and rule-of-law methods to carry out work and resolve problems, and continuously strengthen the awareness of handling affairs according to law, turning to law when matters arise, using law to resolve problems, and relying on law to defuse contradictions.

Closely align with the development of the era, and expand the methods and pathways for carrying forward glorious traditions. If one cannot pass the test of the internet, one cannot pass the test of the era. If glorious tradition education remains only in the display boards of honor rooms and the text of company history books, it will be difficult to reach the hearts of officers and soldiers. We must persist in upholding the correct course while innovating (守正创新), carry forward glorious traditions in ways that officers and soldiers enjoy and welcome, make sealed-away memories "come alive," and make the echoes of history "ignite." Emphasize immersive experience, and build red cloud classrooms. Use modern technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) to recreate historical scenes, and through role-playing, scene reenactment, and other methods, allow officers and soldiers to feel as though they are present, entering the battlefields of the past—cultivating loyalty and martial spirit (忠诚血性) by performing as heroes and learning from heroes, and receiving spiritual baptism through dialogues that transcend time and space, achieving the effect of education penetrating the mind and heart. Expand the new-media matrix, and occupy the main position on the internet. In response to the reality of officers and soldiers each having "one person, one device, one world," micro-videos, micro-films, comics, and other means can be used to bring glorious tradition education into public accounts, short-video platforms, and military camp broadcasts—using positive energy to leverage large traffic flows, allowing glorious traditions to flood the "Moments" feed, and achieving viral dissemination (裂变式传播) through "likes" and "shares." Strengthen ceremonial education, and provide edification in a way that moistens things silently (润物无声). Improve methods of ceremonial education; for example, at rank-conferral ceremonies and oath-taking rallies, multimedia technology can be used to present the glorious combat history of the company, tempering the resolve and courage of officers and soldiers to dare to fight and be certain of victory. At the same time, persist in integrating the study, recounting, and application of traditions into daily life; through building sculptures of heroes and models, walls of honor, and similar measures, regularly organize officers and soldiers to carry out activities such as studying heroes and models and selecting advanced exemplars, so that officers and soldiers, in a way that moistens things silently, externalize glorious traditions into conscious action.

Closely align with the mission and tasks, and put glorious traditions into concrete action. Glorious traditions are precious spiritual wealth formed under specific historical conditions; their vitality lies in resonating in step with the era. Only by closely combining the spiritual core of glorious traditions with the mission and tasks of the people's military in the new era can we resolve the practical problems faced in carrying forward glorious traditions in the new era. Manifest the political consciousness of ready compliance with orders (听令景从). Loyalty to the Party is the unshakable political conviction of revolutionary soldiers; we must make officers and soldiers understand that loyalty in the new era is reflected not only in political steadfastness when confronting ideological struggles, but also in the conscious action of firmly upholding the "Two Establishments" (两个确立) and resolutely achieving the "Two Safeguards" (两个维护). Manifest the sense of mission and responsibility to safeguard social peace and order. From the "Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention" (三大纪律八项注意) of the wartime era to supporting the government and cherishing the people in peacetime, serving the people wholeheartedly has always been the fundamental purpose of our military; today, the connotation of this tradition has been concretized as the mission and responsibility to safeguard social peace and order. We must make officers and soldiers understand that patrolling and guarding the borders when ten thousand families are reunited, and stepping forward during disaster relief operations, are all writing the new era's "bond between the military and the people" (军民鱼水情). Manifest the dedication and perseverance of finding joy in hardship (以苦为乐). Living conditions in the military have greatly improved, but the spirit of hard struggle must not be abandoned. We must make officers and soldiers understand that the more favorable the conditions, the more vigilant one must be against ideological laxity; maintaining a mental state of finding joy in hardship and always preserving one's true character in the face of various temptations of material interests—this is hard struggle in the new era.

(Author's unit: People's Armed Police Beijing General Corps)