Persisting in Using the Party's Innovative Theory to Consolidate Foundations and Cultivate Vitality (固本培元) — Studying and Implementing the Spirit of Chairman Xi's Important Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the All-Military Senior Cadre Training Course
Persisting in Using the Party's Innovative Theory to Consolidate Foundations and Cultivate Vitality (固本培元) — Studying and Implementing the Spirit of Chairman Xi's Important Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the All-Military Senior Cadre Training Course
■ Hu Yuxuan
Editor's Note: "We must earnestly study the Party's innovative theory, master the Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods that run throughout it, and use theoretical clarity to guarantee political firmness." Not long ago, at the opening ceremony of the all-military senior cadre training course, Chairman Xi profoundly expounded on the extreme importance of theoretical arming (理论武装), further pointing the way and providing guidance for carrying out ideological rectification (思想整风) and deepening political consolidation training (政治整训) on the new journey. We must study and comprehend this deeply, resolutely implement it, and persistently use the Party's innovative theory to consolidate foundations and cultivate vitality, driving the People's Army to greet the centenary of the founding of the armed forces with a wholly new political bearing.
A political party that wishes to stand at the forefront of the era cannot for a single moment do without theoretical innovation; an armed force that wishes to advance toward world-class status cannot for a single moment relax theoretical arming. Since its founding, the People's Army has always persisted, under the Party's leadership, in using advanced theory to clarify direction, consolidate will, and unite strength, thereby advancing continuously from victory to victory. Forging ahead on the new journey, confronting the grand blueprint of a strong nation and strong military and the tests of high winds and surging waves (风高浪急), there is even greater need to persistently use the Party's innovative theory to consolidate foundations and cultivate vitality, to use theoretical clarity to guarantee political firmness, and to provide a firm ideological guarantee for achieving the centenary of the founding of the armed forces struggle objectives on schedule and for high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization.
I
Thought is the vanguard of action; theory is the guide to practice. Persisting in using the Party's innovative theory to consolidate foundations and cultivate vitality is a precious experience of our Party in building and governing the military, and also an important magic weapon (法宝) for the People's Army's development and growth and for defeating the enemy.
An inevitable requirement for forging political loyalty. "Theoretical cultivation is the core of a cadre's overall quality; theoretical maturity is the foundation of political maturity; political firmness stems from theoretical clarity." During the Yan'an period, the broad ranks of Party members, cadres, and revolutionary soldiers relied precisely on the drive to "eat millet and storm the mountain of theory," studying Marxism-Leninism hungrily and thirstily under arduous conditions, and thereby steadfastly maintained the correct political direction without wavering, laying a solid foundation for seizing final victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Chinese revolution. History and practice have proven that theoretical clarity enables political firmness, and that "those without theory are easily 'captured.'" At present, the struggle in the ideological domain is sharp and complex; the contest between consolidating roots and destroying roots, between forging the soul and corroding the soul (铸魂与蛀魂), has not ceased for a single moment. We must persistently strengthen the arming of Party innovative theory, guide military Party members and cadres to consciously become firm believers in and faithful practitioners of the Party's innovative theory, continuously consolidate the foundation of faith, replenish the calcium of the spirit (补足精神之钙), and steady the helm of thought, ensuring that the People's Army at any time and under any circumstances listens to the Party and follows the Party.
An inevitable requirement for forging war-winning capability. Theory is the weapon of thought and bears on the building of combat effectiveness. Comrade Mao Zedong once pointed out: "If our Party has one hundred to two hundred comrades who have systematically and not fragmentarily, practically and not emptily mastered Marxism-Leninism, the combat strength of our Party will be greatly elevated." Historically, one very important reason why our military has always been able to maintain powerful combat effectiveness is that it has at all times paid close attention to the infusion of progressive thought and the arming of scientific theory. During the War of Liberation, our military carried out the army rectification movement (整军运动) centered on the "speak bitterness" (诉苦) campaign and the "three investigations" (三查), guiding officers and soldiers to strengthen theoretical study and ideological remolding, enabling large numbers of "liberated soldiers" (解放战士) to overcome non-proletarian thinking, thereby effectively uniting, purifying, and consolidating the troops and substantially raising their combat effectiveness. History and practice have eloquently proven that only by persistently using the Party's innovative theory to consolidate foundations and cultivate vitality, educating and guiding military Party members and cadres to master the military outlook and methodology that runs throughout it, can we provide fundamental ideological leadership and powerful spiritual motivation for being able to fight and to win, ensuring that the troops respond to the call, fight upon arrival, and win every battle (召之即来、来之能战、战之必胜).
An inevitable requirement for eternally preserving purity and glory. The Party's innovative theory is permeated with the fundamental requirements for a Communist's worldview, outlook on life, and values, as well as Party character cultivation, and is a powerful weapon for military Party members and cadres to temper their Party character and purify their souls. On the eve of the liberation of Shanghai, our Party and military conducted consolidation training (整训) at Danyang; the core content of the training was to strengthen work style and discipline through studying the policy for entering the city. Through this consolidation training, the troops strictly observed the discipline for entering the city; the scene of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers sleeping in the streets without disturbing the citizens shook the world and won the hearts of the people, achieving the dual victory of "military entry into the city" and "political entry into the city." This fully confirms that strict discipline and an excellent work style stem from sustained ideological education and theoretical nourishment. Using the ideological weapon of the Party's innovative theory helps military Party members and cadres uphold great virtue (明大德), observe public virtue (守公德), and be strict with private virtue (严私德), deeply investigating and correcting problems at their ideological roots, and eternally preserving the nature and purpose (性质宗旨) of the People's Army.
II
Studying the Party's innovative theory is not hollow or abstract, but concrete and practical. Only by distinguishing right from wrong in the process of measuring against the standard (对标对表), unifying thought in the process of clearing away the turbid and elevating the pure (激浊扬清), and avoiding rigidity in the process of upholding the correct while innovating (守正创新), can we truly achieve the consolidation of foundations and cultivation of vitality.
Distinguishing right from wrong, refuting erroneous statements. The history of our Party and military is a history of continuously struggling against all manner of erroneous thinking. During the Yan'an Rectification Movement, it was precisely through systematic study of theory that subjectivism, sectarianism, and Party formalism (党八股) and other erroneous thinking were thoroughly settled accounts with, achieving unprecedented unity of the entire Party in thought, politics, and organization. Since the new era, each successive concentrated intra-Party education campaign has also been permeated with the main thread of using the Party's innovative theory to clear away ideological fog and refute erroneous trends of thought, powerfully guiding officers and soldiers to resolutely resist and oppose such erroneous political viewpoints as "depoliticization of the military" (军队非党化、非政治化) and "nationalization of the military" (军队国家化). On the road ahead, only by continuously arming the mind with the Party's innovative theory can we keenly perceive the political essence of all manner of erroneous trends of thought and resolutely struggle against them with no compromise in actual action, thereby ensuring that the People's Army does not change its nature, does not change its color, and does not change its character (不变质、不变色、不变味).
Eliminating interference, unifying thought and understanding. Thought is the vanguard of action; unifying thought is the prerequisite for unifying action. At the time, after the Three Great Campaigns achieved victory, the Kuomintang reactionaries, in order to gain time to catch their breath, launched a "peace offensive," and some cadres in our Party and military began to waver over whether to cross the river. In response to this phenomenon, Comrade Mao Zedong wrote a New Year's message titled "Carry the Revolution Through to the End," drawing a clear line between revolution and compromise, and pointing out that it was necessary to "carry the great People's War of Liberation through to the end." After the article was published, troops, factories, and enterprises organized study sessions one after another, laying a solid ideological foundation for seizing comprehensive victory in the War of Liberation. At present, achieving the centenary of the founding of the armed forces struggle objectives has entered a critical period of breaking through passes and seizing strongholds (闯关夺隘), a fortified-position period of strenuous effort (吃劲奋斗), and a sprint period of adding fuel and pressure (加油加压), with a complex situation and arduous tasks. Only by unremittingly strengthening the arming of the Party's innovative theory can we clarify muddled understanding on key questions, eliminate all manner of interference before fortified-position tasks, and thereby gather the powerful force of united advance.
Upholding the correct while innovating, avoiding rigidity and dogmatism. Marxism is a theory of development and innovation; its powerful vitality lies precisely in its creativity. However, in reality some people, in the process of studying theory, have failed to grasp the dialectical relationship between upholding the correct (守正) and innovation, falling into the predicament of rigidity and dogmatism. Historically, Wang Ming's "Left" adventurism brought catastrophic losses to the cause of the Chinese revolution; the root of its error lay in divorcing itself from the reality of the Chinese revolution and mechanically applying Marxism, engaging in dogmatism. This lesson profoundly warns us that in persisting in using the Party's innovative theory to consolidate foundations and cultivate vitality, we must absolutely never merely know how to one-sidedly cite individual words and phrases, but must grasp the theoretical character of Marxism's keeping pace with the times (与时俱进), and learn to use the Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods to concretely analyze and resolve real-world problems.
III
The Way cannot be discussed while seated; principles cannot be talked about in empty terms. In persisting in using the Party's innovative theory to consolidate foundations and cultivate vitality, military Party members and cadres must achieve conscientious and proactive study, timely follow-up study, study linked to reality, and study with firm belief and firm practice (笃信笃行), striving to become models of diligent study and good thinking, models of emancipating the mind and keeping pace with the times, and models of applying what is learned and achieving results through application.
Study conscientiously and proactively. Those who know it are not as good as those who love it; those who love it are not as good as those who delight in it. For theoretical study to achieve real results, it is necessary to stimulate intrinsic enthusiasm for learning, transforming "I am made to study" into "I want to study." Military Party members and cadres must profoundly recognize the extreme importance of theoretical study, establish lofty aspirations in theoretical study, endure the cold and the loneliness, calm the mind to read thoroughly and study diligently, firm up the will to study, strengthen the determination to study, and intensify the consciousness of study, truly treating study as a political responsibility, a spiritual pursuit, and a way of life.
Study with timely follow-up. Marxism is an open theoretical system that continuously develops with the development of the era and practice; in studying Marxist theory, one should ensure that every step forward in the Party's theoretical innovation is matched by a step forward in theoretical arming. Therefore, military Party members and cadres must achieve timely follow-up study, view theoretical study with a connected and developmental perspective, persist in studying the latest achievements of the Party's innovative theory at the first opportunity, proactively keep pace with the rhythm of theoretical innovation, not allow "blank periods" in theoretical study or "time lags" (时间差) in ideological understanding, thereby always maintaining political acuity, theoretical systematicity, and ideological advancement.
Study linked to reality. Practicality is a distinctive characteristic of Marxism. In the Party's history, whenever the principle of linking theory with practice has been upheld well, the cause of the Party and the people has been able to continuously achieve victory. Military Party members and cadres studying the Party's innovative theory must vigorously promote the Marxist study style of linking theory with practice, link it to the contradictions and problems encountered in troop building, reform, and preparation for war and fighting, link it to personal ideological reality and work reality, study with problems in mind, think against problems, and analyze toward problems, genuinely transforming the fruits of study into ideas for planning work, methods for resolving difficult problems, and measures for driving development.
Study with firm belief and firm practice (笃信笃行). The key to improving the quality of theoretical study lies in believing through study and acting through study. Only by continuously strengthening political identification, ideological identification, theoretical identification, and emotional identification with the Party's innovative theory can one truly achieve the integration of study, thought, and application, and the unity of knowledge, belief, and action (知信行统一). Military Party members and cadres must, from the historic achievements and historic transformations achieved by the Party and the people's cause since the new era, profoundly perceive the truth appeal and practical power of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, transform the fruits of study into firm ideals and convictions, strong political capability, a powerful sense of mission and responsibility, and an excellent work style, and use new elevations in theoretical study to open up new vistas in all work.
(Author's unit: National University of Defense Technology)