In December 2024, while presiding over the democratic life meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Leading cadres must regard cultivating Party spirit and enhancing ideological awareness as a lifelong task—continuously learning, refining oneself, and striving for self-improvement throughout one’s entire life. They should place political cultivation at the forefront of Party spirit cultivation, draw nourishment for their Party spirit from the Party’s innovative theories, and regard studying, observing, and implementing the Party Constitution, Party rules, and Party discipline as essential components of Party spirit cultivation.” This important statement profoundly elucidates the significance of political cultivation, clearly outlines approaches and paths for strengthening it, further deepens our understanding of the underlying principles governing Party spirit cultivation, and provides a fundamental guideline for Party members and cadres in the new era to further enhance their political cultivation and forge strong Party spirit.

I. Deeply recognize the significant importance of placing political cultivation at the forefront of Party spirit cultivation.

Party spirit cultivation is the cornerstone for Party members and cadres to establish themselves, build their careers, articulate their views, and uphold moral integrity; it encompasses many aspects, including political awareness, theoretical understanding, work style, and discipline. Among these, political cultivation ranks first in party spirit cultivation and plays a pivotal, overarching role in strengthening it.

An inevitable requirement for strengthening the Party’s political development in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Every political party has a political nature and carries its own political mission, political goals, and political aspirations. Marxist political parties possess lofty political ideals, noble political pursuits, pure political qualities, and strict political discipline.” The political nature is the primary attribute of a political party; it embodies the essential distinction among political parties and determines their future and destiny. Attaching great importance to political development has been an excellent tradition and valuable experience in our Party’s governance and management of the Party. At the 19th National Congress of the CPC, for the first time, political development of the Party was incorporated into the overall framework of Party building, emphasizing that political development should be placed at the forefront and used to guide all aspects of Party building. This represents a major decision made from a strategic and holistic perspective. Only by continuously strengthening political cultivation can Party members and cadres further deepen their understanding of the Party’s political development, enhance their consciousness and determination in promoting it, resolutely correct political deviations, promptly eliminate political risks, and thereby fundamentally address issues such as ideological impurity, political impurity, organizational impurity, and style impurity within the Party, ensuring that our Party always retains its true character as a Marxist political party.

An inevitable requirement for advancing the Party’s self-revolution in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “the courage to carry out self-revolution is the most distinctive trait and greatest advantage of our Party,” and that “we must summon the courage to turn the knife inward, promptly eliminate all negative influences, and ensure that the Party always remains full of vigor and vitality.” Under conditions of long-term governance, various factors that weaken the Party’s advanced nature and compromise its purity are ever-present. As the situation, tasks, external environment, and the Party membership itself evolve, internal contradictions and problems are inevitable. The “four major tests” and “four dangers” facing the Party are both long-term and severe. Only by continuously strengthening political cultivation can Party members and cadres truly enhance their consciousness and thoroughness in ideological transformation, remain constantly aware that comprehensive and strict Party governance is an ongoing journey, and maintain a constant awareness that the Party’s self-revolution is also an ongoing process. They must constantly examine themselves in light of the demands of the times, remain alert with a strong sense of crisis, and forge themselves with the spirit of self-revolution—always summoning the courage to turn the knife inward, continually purging themselves, perfecting themselves, innovating themselves, and elevating themselves. In this way, we can continuously remove all factors that undermine the Party’s advanced nature and purity, eradicate all viruses that erode the Party’s healthy body, and ensure that the Party never degenerates, loses its color, or changes its character, thus enabling our Party to remain the strong and decisive leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

An inevitable requirement for conducting great struggles in the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Today, the gravity of the missions and tasks we shoulder, the severity of the risks and challenges we face, and the complexity of the great struggles we are engaged in—all these are unprecedented.” At present, the international situation is intricate and complex; domestically, the tasks of reform and development are arduous and heavy. Various ideological trends are fiercely clashing with one another, and all kinds of temptations and interests are constantly emerging. The number of unstable and uncertain factors is on the rise. As a result, the risks and tests confronting our Party are becoming increasingly complex. Strengthening Party spirit cultivation is therefore an essential requirement for waging great struggles and effectively addressing risks and challenges. A country without a strong military and advanced science and technology will often find itself “crumbling at the first attack” when confronted by external enemies. But if a country’s political parties and members lack firm political convictions, they will often “collapse without being attacked” when facing external threats. Only by continuously strengthening political cultivation can Party members and cadres steadily consolidate the foundation of their Party spirit, further enhance their political capabilities, consistently maintain political sensitivity and discernment, and better assess situations and analyze problems from a political perspective—thus ensuring that they remain clear-headed and politically astute when confronted with major right-and-wrong issues. Only then can they possess firm ideals and convictions and display the revolutionary spirit of daring to struggle, remaining fearless in the face of storms and trials and steadfast in the face of temptations and interests. With such strong political resolve, they can effectively respond to both foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges along the path forward, thereby continually achieving new victories.

II. Deeply Understand the Fundamental Requirements for Strengthening Political Cultivation

Political cultivation ranks first among the various aspects of Party spirit cultivation; it is the most fundamental, most central, and most critical component of Party spirit cultivation, determining both the direction and effectiveness of such cultivation. In this new era and on this new journey, we must deeply grasp the fundamental requirements for strengthening political cultivation and persistently and unremittingly enhance our political修养.

Be absolutely loyal to the Party. Loyalty to the Party is the paramount political quality of communists and also the most important political cultivation for Party members and cadres. To strengthen political cultivation, the most fundamental requirement is to demonstrate absolute loyalty to the Party—loyalty that is “sole, thorough, unconditional, free from any impurities, and utterly genuine.” Loyalty to the Party is not abstract but concrete; it is not conditional but unconditional. It must be embodied in loyalty to the Party’s beliefs, loyalty to Party organizations, and loyalty to the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies. In the new era and on the new journey, to further strengthen political cultivation, we must deeply grasp the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,” steadfastly uphold the Party’s supreme political principle and fundamental political norm of “Two Safeguards,” and resolutely safeguard the central authority of the Party Central Committee—the authority that settles all matters once and for all. We must always hold high the Party’s banner as our own banner, follow the Party’s direction as our own direction, and align our will with the Party’s will. We must always speak for the Party, worry about the Party, and act for the Party, remaining wholeheartedly united with the Party at all times.

We must clearly and firmly uphold political principles. Upholding clear political principles is a fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist political party, a consistently maintained political advantage of ours, and an essential demand for Party members and cadres to strengthen their political cultivation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “As a Marxist political party, our Party must unambiguously uphold political principles,” and “upholding political principles is the fundamental guarantee for our Party to fortify its ‘calcium’ and strengthen its ‘bones,’ to enhance its overall vitality and robustness.” In the new era and on the new journey, to further strengthen political cultivation, we must transform the external requirement of clearly upholding political principles into an internal, proactive commitment. We must firmly establish distinct Marxist political viewpoints and principles, strictly abide by the Party’s political discipline and rules, and maintain high consistency with the Party Central Committee in terms of political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path. We must earnestly enhance our political capabilities, be adept at analyzing issues from a political perspective and resolving them politically, continuously improve our political discernment, political comprehension, and political execution, and ensure that we always maintain a clear and sober political mind when confronted with major right-and-wrong issues, steadfastly advancing along the correct political course.

We must firmly stand on the people’s side. The people-oriented nature is an essential attribute of Marxism, and putting the people first is the value stance of communists. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “At its core, Party spirit is a question of stance. Whether communists are thinking about issues, conducting research, making decisions, or carrying out tasks, they must always stand on the standpoint of both the Party and the people—and never put personal interests first.” Party spirit is embedded in the people-oriented nature; there can be no Party spirit divorced from the people’s orientation, nor can there be a people-oriented nature divorced from Party spirit. Whether or not we hold the people in the highest regard is the ‘touchstone’ for testing the political cultivation of Party members and cadres. In the new era and on the new journey, to further strengthen our political cultivation, we must uphold the unity of Party spirit and the people-oriented nature, firmly keep in mind the fundamental question of what the Communist Party of China is and what it aims to achieve, resolutely uphold the people’s standpoint, always place the interests of both the Party and the people first, and always share the same breath and destiny with the people, serving them wholeheartedly as their diligent servants. We must adhere to the historical materialist view that the people are the creators of history, respect the people’s pioneering spirit, persistently follow the Party’s mass line, and internalize the political cultivation of “everything for the people” into our hearts and translate it into concrete actions.

III. Fully Grasp the Practical Requirements for Strengthening Political Cultivation

The political cultivation of Party members and cadres is not innate; it does not naturally improve with the length of Party membership or work experience, nor does it automatically enhance as one’s official rank rises. Strengthening political cultivation is by no means a one-time achievement—it requires systematic, holistic improvement from within outward, and constant refinement through in-depth study, careful comprehension, and practical innovation. In this new era and on this new journey, we must fully grasp the practical requirements for enhancing political cultivation, deepen our theoretical understanding, strictly abide by the Party Constitution, Party rules, and Party discipline, and intensify our practical experience—all in order to truly elevate our political cultivation and ensure that we keep learning and cultivating ourselves throughout our lives.

Strengthen political cultivation by deepening theoretical education. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Political firmness and Party spirit firmness both hinge on theoretical firmness.” Faith in communism and conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics are the political soul of communists and the spiritual pillar that enables them to withstand any test. To strengthen political cultivation, the key is to persistently arm ourselves with the Party’s innovative theories, using them to guide our practice and advance our work. Marxism is the “true scripture” for communists; we must make reading Marxist classics and comprehending Marxist principles a part of our daily life and spiritual pursuit—using these classics to nurture integrity, refine our thinking, and elevate our moral standards. We must study earnestly Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, striving to master the underlying principles, doctrines, and philosophical insights it contains. We should deeply reflect on real-world issues, apply what we learn concretely to our work, and not only understand what is said but also grasp its deeper meaning; not only know why something is so, but also understand the underlying reasons behind it. In this way, we can continuously enhance our ability to observe, analyze, and solve problems from a scientific standpoint, viewpoint, and methodology, thereby solidifying the theoretical foundation for strengthening our political cultivation.

Strengthen political cultivation by strictly upholding the Party Constitution, Party rules, and Party discipline. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "studying and educating on the Party Constitution, Party rules, and Party discipline should be regarded as an important component of Party-building education, guiding and encouraging leading cadres to continuously enhance their ideological awareness, spiritual realm, and moral cultivation." The Party Constitution is the general charter for establishing, governing, and managing the Party; it enjoys the highest authority and greatest binding force within the Party. Discipline serves as the "measuring rod" for governing and managing the Party, with political discipline taking the lead and serving as the overarching principle. To strengthen political cultivation, we must earnestly study the Party Constitution and strictly abide by Party rules and discipline. We must deeply grasp the profound significance and key contents of the Party Constitution, constantly "scan" ourselves against it, frequently reflect upon ourselves and compare our actions with its standards, and continually ask ourselves: "Who am I? For whom do I serve? On whom do I rely?" Taking the Party Constitution as the fundamental benchmark, we must continuously strengthen our political cultivation, ensuring that we remain mentally clear and politically steadfast at all times. We must enhance our awareness of discipline and rules, firmly uphold the bottom line of discipline, internalize discipline and rules into our daily conduct without even noticing it, and always place upholding politics and observing political discipline and rules in the foremost position, keeping a sense of restraint in our hearts and acting accordingly.

Strengthen political cultivation through enhanced practical experience. Whether one’s political cultivation is strong or not hinges not only on one’s ideology but, more importantly, on one’s actions. Taking responsibility and tackling challenges head-on is both the duty and the very essence of a Communist Party member. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized “rolling up our sleeves and working hard,” pointing out that “the development of the Party and the country cannot do without the entire Party being down-to-earth and getting things done in a practical and diligent manner,” and that “speaking truthfully and doing real work are the best ways to test and hone one’s Party spirit.” To strengthen political cultivation, we must consciously integrate Party spirit training into our daily work and life, dare to take responsibility, bravely shoulder burdens, and get things done with genuine effort, continuously improving ourselves through intensified practical experience. We must roll up our sleeves and conduct our work cleanly and boldly, taking on the responsibilities that we should bear and shouldering the duties that we are called upon to shoulder, thereby reinforcing our sense of mission and responsibility in performing our duties and serving the people. We must uphold a correct view of political achievements, firmly resist formalism and bureaucracy, and insist on working in a pragmatic manner and pursuing tangible results. We must enhance our practical capabilities by proactively undergoing ideological refinement, political tempering, practical training, and professional development, comprehensively strengthening all the skills necessary for fulfilling our duties and responsibilities.