Nuclear Political Work

Rocket Force Makes Full Use of Red Resources to Establish Ideals and Convictions Education Bases

火箭军充分运用红色资源设立理想信念教育基地

PLA Daily (解放军报) 12 August 2026

Summary

The PLA Rocket Force has established more than one hundred ideals and convictions education bases — branded internally as 砺剑铸魂课堂 ('Sword-Tempering, Soul-Forging Classrooms') — at revolutionary sites including Gutian, Yan'an, and the Qian Xuesen Memorial Hall, and has extended them to online platforms using VR and big data to reach personnel stationed in underground facilities year-round. The article documents the institutional architecture of Rocket Force political work: mandatory red education is tied to specific personnel lifecycle events (enlistment, discharge, promotion, oath-taking) and operational triggers (pre-exercise, pre-mission), with 'mobile classrooms' that follow units during garrison training. The framing of this year's 60th anniversary of the strategic missile force as a motivational hook, and the explicit linkage of ideological education to a completed 'multi-wave fire strike exercise,' points to how the Rocket Force uses political work infrastructure to reinforce operational readiness narratives — though the article provides no independent evidence of the exercise's scope or outcome.

Translation

Rocket Force Makes Full Use of Red Resources to Establish Ideals and Convictions Education Bases; More Than One Hundred "Sword-Tempering, Soul-Forging Classrooms (砺剑铸魂课堂)" Spread Across Offline and Online Platforms

Editor's Note: Chairman Xi has emphasized: "The reason the Communist Party of China has been able to forge one glory after another across 105 years of struggle, and the reason history and the people chose the Communist Party of China, lies fundamentally in the fact that our Party possesses outstanding qualities that no other party or political force can match." As an important carrier and testament to the Party's outstanding qualities, red resources play an irreplaceable role in educating and guiding officers and soldiers to cultivate loyal character, strengthen a sense of responsibility and commitment, and inspire the drive to build a stronger military. The Rocket Force attaches importance to combining the realities of its units with the advantages of their garrison locations, mining and utilizing red resources, and has successively established more than one hundred ideals and convictions education bases, building them into "Sword-Tempering, Soul-Forging Classrooms." Their approach is worth learning from.

PLA Daily Report by Zheng Zijian and special correspondent Li Bingfeng: In Gutian Township, western Fujian, treading through old sites to seek roots and asking after the original aspiration and mission; at the Qian Xuesen Memorial Hall, experiencing the spirit of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite (两弹一星)," and steeling one's conviction to devote oneself to the missile cause; at Yan'an's Pagoda Hill, listening to stories of revolutionary forebears and drawing strength for struggle and hard fighting… In recent days, officers and soldiers of Rocket Force units have entered ideals and convictions education bases across the length and breadth of the country, and in tracing red footprints, experiencing red history, and inheriting red genes, have cleansed body and mind, "replenished calcium and forged the soul (补钙铸魂)," and ignited the enthusiasm and drive to temper the sword and build a stronger military.

Red resources are an important carrier and testament to the Party's outstanding qualities. The Rocket Force Party Committee attaches importance to bringing the educational role of red resources into play. In accordance with the principles of closely linking to the theme of building a strong nation and strong military, bearing major historical significance, and being conducive to organizing and carrying out education, it has joined with relevant military and civilian departments to select red sites such as revolutionary sacred lands and former battle sites, and has successively established more than one hundred ideals and convictions education bases. In recent years, keeping pace with evolving circumstances and expanding in close alignment with the mission and tasks, they have jointly participated in the maintenance and utilization of red sites, worked together to mine and refine their contemporary value, routinely established educational cooperative relationships, and have progressively built these ideals and convictions education bases into "Sword-Tempering, Soul-Forging Classrooms."

Whenever new soldiers enter the barracks, veteran soldiers are discharged, or officers are promoted; whenever Party members take their oaths, major exercises and training events are held, or units depart on missions — Rocket Force units at all levels adapt to local conditions and rely on ideals and convictions education bases to organize and carry out red education, guiding officers and soldiers to cultivate loyal character, strengthen a sense of responsibility and commitment, and inspire the drive to build a stronger military.

Under a blazing sun, officers and soldiers of a Rocket Force brigade on garrison training visited a revolutionary memorial hall to receive an ideological baptism. "This is the fourth ideals and convictions education base I have visited this year; each one is like a quenching furnace, and every time I am immersed in one I am deeply educated," said Staff Sergeant Xia, a third-grade sergeant major of the brigade. He said that this year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March, and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the strategic missile force. Looking back on the journey of advance and paying tribute to revolutionary martyrs in this special year, we truly feel the weight of our responsibility.

The brigade's leadership introduced that, in order to better bring the soul-forging and personnel-cultivating role of the ideals and convictions education bases into play, Rocket Force headquarters organs have required units at all levels to proceed from their own realities, carefully design red routes, and tailor-make "education packages." Through innovative methods and means, they enable officers and soldiers to raise their political consciousness and strengthen their sense of responsibility and commitment through immersive experiences. In the study and education campaign on establishing and practicing a correct view of achievements (政绩观), they established "mobile classrooms (流动课堂)" at multiple ideals and convictions education bases, ensuring that wherever units relocate during exercises and training, revolutionary tradition education follows.

Beyond this, the Rocket Force has also moved the red resources of the ideals and convictions education bases online. Units across the board have widely collected, organized, filmed, and produced red audiovisual materials and other educational products, and leveraging big data, virtual reality, and other technological means, have built online platforms such as digital venues, digital cultural relics, and panoramic tours, flexibly carrying out activities such as "cloud check-ins (云打卡)" and "cloud sharing (云分享)." After Chairman Xi delivered an important speech at the ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, they focused on the key to why the Communist Party of China can succeed, opened dedicated columns and special topics, strengthened interpretation and elaboration, and further steeled officers and soldiers' faith and conviction to heed the Party's words and follow the Party's lead.

A reporter entering a certain site of a missile engineering unit observed that officers and soldiers need only tap a multimedia screen to access more than one hundred digital red venues, and under video and audio guidance, visit former sites and ruins and browse historical materials and cultural relics as if present in person. "Although everyone is stationed year-round in an 'underground dragon palace,' they can access high-quality educational resources at any time and receive educational influence," said the site's officer in charge.

Driving ideals and convictions education to reach the last-mile (末端) and extend to the combat positions (战位), solidifying the ideological foundation for officers and soldiers to heed the Party's command and temper the sword to serve the nation. Not long ago, before departing to carry out a major mission, officers and soldiers of a Rocket Force unit came to an ideals and convictions education base to review the deeds of martyrs and listen to stories of struggle. This special "pre-battle mobilization (战前动员)" quickly proved its effect during the mission: facing extreme heat and complex special situations (复杂特情), officers and soldiers maintained vigorous fighting spirit throughout, fought continuously day and night, and completed multi-wave fire strike exercises to a high standard.

Original Chinese

火箭军充分运用红色资源设立理想信念教育基地百余个“砺剑铸魂课堂”遍及线下云上编者按习主席强调：“中国共产党之所以能够在105年奋斗中不断铸就辉煌，历史和人民之所以选择中国共产党，根本在于我们党具有其他政党和政治力量无可比拟的优秀特质。”作为党的优秀特质的重要载体和见证，红色资源对教育引导官兵培塑忠诚品格、强化责任担当、激发强军动力具有不可替代的作用。火箭军注重结合部队实际和发挥驻地优势，挖掘运用红色资源，先后设立百余个理想信念教育基地，将其打造成“砺剑铸魂课堂”。他们的做法值得借鉴。解放军报讯郑子剑、特约记者李兵峰报道：在闽西古田镇，踏访旧址寻根，叩问初心使命；在钱学森纪念馆，感悟“两弹一星”精神，坚定投身导弹事业信念；在延安宝塔山，聆听革命先辈故事，汲取奋斗攻坚力量……近日，火箭军部队官兵走进大江南北的座座理想信念教育基地，在追寻红色足迹、感悟红色历史、传承红色基因中，涤荡身心、补钙铸魂，激发砺剑强军的热情动力。红色资源是党的优秀特质的重要载体和见证。火箭军党委重视发挥红色资源教育作用，按照紧扣强国强军主题、具有重大历史意义、便于组织开展教育等原则，联合军地有关部门，遴选革命圣地、战斗旧址等红色场所，先后设立百余个理想信念教育基地。近年来，他们紧跟形势发展变化、紧贴使命任务拓展，共同参与红色场所维护利用，携手挖掘提炼时代价值，常态建立教育协作关系，把这些理想信念教育基地逐步打造成“砺剑铸魂课堂”。每当新兵入营、老兵退伍、干部晋升，每逢党员宣誓、重大演训、任务出征，火箭军各部队都会因地制宜，依托理想信念教育基地组织开展红色教育，引导官兵培塑忠诚品格、强化责任担当、激发强军动力。炎炎烈日下，火箭军某旅驻训官兵来到某革命纪念馆，接受思想洗礼。“这是我今年踏访的第4个理想信念教育基地，每一个都像淬火的熔炉，每一次置身其中都深受教育。”该旅三级军士长夏班长说，今年是中国共产党成立105周年、红军长征胜利90周年，也是战略导弹部队组建60周年，在这个特殊年份回望奋进征程、缅怀革命先烈，我们真切感受到了沉甸甸的责任。该旅领导介绍，为更好发挥理想信念教育基地铸魂育人作用，火箭军机关要求各级立足自身实际，精心设计红色路线，量身制作“教育套餐”，通过创新方法手段，让官兵在沉浸式体验中提高政治觉悟，强化责任担当。在树立和践行正确政绩观学习教育中，他们在多个理想信念教育基地设立“流动课堂”，确保部队演训转场到哪里，革命传统教育就跟进到哪里。不仅如此，火箭军还把理想信念教育基地的红色资源搬到网上。各部队广泛收集整理、拍摄制作红色视听资料等教育产品，借助大数据、虚拟现实等技术手段，打造数字场馆、数字文物、全景漫游等网络载体，灵活开展“云打卡”“云分享”等活动。习主席在庆祝中国共产党成立105周年大会上发表重要讲话后，他们重点围绕中国共产党为什么能的关键密码，开设专栏专题，加强解读阐释，进一步坚定官兵听党话、跟党走的信仰信念。记者走进导弹工程部队某点位看到，官兵只需点击多媒体屏幕，就可进入百余个数字红色场馆，在视频、语音引导下，身临其境般参观一处处旧址遗迹、浏览一件件史料文物。“大家虽然常年身处‘地下龙宫’，但随时可以利用优质教育资源，接受教育熏陶。”该点位负责人说。推动理想信念教育向末端覆盖、向战位延伸，筑牢官兵听党指挥、砺剑报国的思想根基。前不久，执行某重大任务出发前，火箭军某部官兵来到理想信念教育基地重温先烈事迹、聆听奋斗故事。这场特殊的“战前动员”，很快在任务中发挥作用：面对高温酷暑和复杂特情，官兵始终保持旺盛斗志，昼夜连续奋战，高标准完成多波次火力突击演练。