The Party’s work style is its image; it affects the hearts and minds of the people and determines the success or failure of the Party and the country’s undertakings. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Starting with improving work style to advance comprehensive and strict governance of the Party is an important lesson learned from the Party’s self-revolution in the new era.” Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has taken the formulation and implementation of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation as its starting point, adhering to a top-down approach and setting an example from the top down, thereby resolving the questions of what to focus on and how to carry out work style building under the new circumstances. With the implementation of the Eight-Point Regulation, the entire effort to improve work style has gained momentum, the Party’s conduct and government conduct have been completely renewed, and social ethos and public morale have continued to improve. By demonstrating a fresh look in work style building, our Party has won the trust and support of the people.

1. Understand the significance of strengthening work style.

“Luxury and extravagance mark the beginning of decline and eventual ruin.” The Party’s style of work is closely linked to its creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness, and it determines the success or failure of the Party and the country’s undertakings. One important reason why our Party has been able to achieve victory in the New Democratic Revolution and lead the people to establish a new China is that we have consistently maintained a close bond with the masses—“using the Yan’an style to defeat the Xi’an style.” The fine traditions our Party has cultivated and upheld over the long course of revolution, construction, and reform—such as linking theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, engaging in criticism and self-criticism, and pursuing hard work and seeking truth from facts—fully embody the Party’s nature and purpose, and also serve as a distinctive hallmark that sets the Communist Party of China apart from other political parties around the world. The longer the Party remains in power and the more profound the changes in both domestic and international environments become, the more complex the new manifestations of Party-style issues tend to be. If we fail to pay attention to Party-style building and allow unhealthy tendencies to erode the Party’s very core, the Party will run the risk of losing the support of the people and ultimately losing its governing position. Party-style building must serve the overall interests of the Party’s work; it should reflect the new requirements imposed by the Party’s new situation and new tasks on its style of work. Thus, the process of improving Party style should become a process of thoroughly implementing the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies, and a process of smoothly advancing reform and opening-up as well as socialist modernization.

The issue of work style is, at its core, a question of Party spirit. The Party’s work style reflects the Party’s image and the quality of its members; it embodies Party spirit, and ultimately, it is Party spirit that plays the decisive role. For Chinese Communists, the ability to properly address issues related to work style serves as a crucial yardstick for gauging the firmness of their faith in Marxism, their conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Party spirit education is an essential course for Communists to cultivate themselves and refine their character—it is also the “heart-learning” of Communists. Practice has proven that serious and earnest intra-Party political life is an important treasure that enables our Party to uphold its nature and purpose, maintain its advanced nature and purity; it is the “golden key” for resolving intra-Party contradictions and problems; it is the “great melting pot” where the vast number of Party members and cadres temper their Party spirit; and it is the “purifier” that cleanses and purifies the Party’s conduct. Among these efforts, the most critical aspect is to focus on upholding the Party’s political line, ideological line, organizational line, and mass line; to adhere to and improve the system of democratic centralism; and to strictly enforce intra-Party organizational life—concentrating on addressing prominent problems. We must place strengthening ideological and political development first, guiding Party members, especially leading cadres, to solidify their foundation of faith, replenish their spiritual calcium, and keep their ideological compass steady. We must unswervingly arm ourselves with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, using it to guide our practice and advance our work.

At the heart of issues concerning work style lies the relationship between the Party and the masses. From the very moment of its founding, our Party has taken wholehearted service to the people as its fundamental principle. The mass line is the Party’s lifeline and its fundamental working guideline; it is an invaluable legacy that enables the Party to remain youthful and vigorous and to maintain its fighting capacity. It is also a key factor behind the Party’s continuous growth and development. To successfully implement the Party’s mass line in the new era, we must continue to uphold the principle of everything for the masses and everything依靠 the masses—drawing inspiration from the masses and returning to them, transforming the Party’s correct propositions into the conscious actions of the masses, and integrating the mass line into every aspect of state governance and administration. We must genuinely feel affection for the people, truly regard ourselves as one of their own, and treat the people’s affairs as our own. As long as we adapt to the new characteristics and requirements of mass work under the new circumstances, carry out thorough efforts to organize, publicize, educate, and serve the masses, humbly learn from the masses, sincerely accept their supervision, and always remain firmly rooted among the people and work for their benefit, always staying closely connected with them, sharing their joys and sorrows, and standing together with them through thick and thin, the masses will treat us like family and wholeheartedly support and endorse us.

2. Grasp the methodological requirements for strengthening work style.

We must consistently integrate efforts to uphold upright conduct, enforce strict discipline, and combat corruption. Building a clean and honest Party and fighting corruption are crucial components of comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance. They represent an essential part of the great struggle with many new historical features under the new circumstances, and serve as a vital guarantee for the coordinated advancement of the “Four Comprehensive” strategic layout. Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline form an organic whole: Party spirit is the foundation, Party style is its manifestation, and Party discipline provides the safeguard. Only by simultaneously strengthening Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline, integrating efforts to uphold upright conduct, enforce strict discipline, and combat corruption, and deeply promoting joint investigation and treatment of both misconduct and corruption, can we consolidate our ideological foundations, enhance our awareness of Party spirit, and bolster our ability to resist corruption and prevent degeneration. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, confronted with the "Four Great Tests" and "Four Dangers," our Party has proposed that the Party must govern itself and comprehensively enforce strict Party governance, resolutely oppose the "Four Winds," insist on starting with leading cadres, uphold the principle of equality before discipline, and rigorously implement the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation and its detailed rules. With an unwavering determination—leaving marks like those left by hammering iron and leaving impressions where stones are trodden—we have persisted in regular, meticulous, and long-term efforts, placing discipline and rules at the forefront, emphasizing political discipline and political norms, and using strict discipline to safeguard the Party’s unity and solidarity, thus forging our Party into a solid piece of steel. Over the years, we have carried out across the Party a series of educational campaigns, including the practice campaign on the Party's mass line, the special education campaign on "Three Stricts and Three Honests," the study-and-education campaign on "Two Studies and One Action," the thematic education campaign on "Staying True to Our Original Aspiration and Keeping Our Mission Firmly in Mind," the Party history study campaign, the thematic education campaign on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Party discipline study-and-education campaign, and the in-depth study-and-education campaign on the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation—all aimed at improving work styles and strictly enforcing discipline.

Promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style development. Work style issues are stubborn and prone to recurrence; they cannot be resolved once and for all. What matters most is perseverance—focusing on regularity, attention to detail, and sustained effort, while adhering to a comprehensive approach that addresses both symptoms and root causes. We must not only tackle current, pressing problems that strongly resonate with the public but also look ahead to the long term by establishing and perfecting enduring mechanisms that encourage all Party members and cadres to remain committed to serving the people, being pragmatic, and maintaining integrity. Institutions are fundamental, overarching, stable, and long-term issues that bear on the development of the Party and the country. In addressing work style issues, we must fundamentally rely on institutional frameworks, emphasizing their targeted nature, guiding principles, and practical operability. To this end, we should improve the management mechanisms for Party members, establishing and refining a rigorous management system that covers ideological guidance, job performance, work style, and disciplinary compliance. We must also strengthen the regular mechanisms for rectifying conduct, enforcing discipline, and combating corruption, upholding the unity of setting high standards and safeguarding bottom lines, combining punishment with accountability, integrating problem identification with deepened reform, and aligning personnel selection and management with strict oversight. We need to refine the integrated mechanism for preventing corruption—ensuring that no one dares to corrupt, no one can corrupt, and no one wants to corrupt—and enforce stringent requirements at all levels of Party organizations and among all Party members. We must strictly implement the “three distinctions,” encouraging Party members and cadres at all levels to bravely shoulder responsibilities and take action. We must comprehensively strengthen the building of laws and regulations, guided by the principles of thoroughness in accordance with the law and simplicity in practice, reflecting the spirit of reform and rule-of-law thinking. We should establish a rigorous and comprehensive system of laws and regulations for work style development, ensuring that these systems are feasible, highly instructive, and capable of providing long-term guidance. Once established, these systems must be strictly observed and rigorously implemented, firmly upholding their seriousness and authority, so that they truly become binding constraints for Party members and cadres in connecting with and serving the masses.

We must use the fine conduct of the Party to inspire and guide social and public ethos toward upwardness and goodness. In strengthening Party conduct, we must educate and guide Party members and cadres at all levels to uphold and carry forward the Party’s fine traditions—cultivating self-discipline in personal conduct, exercising power with strictness, and holding oneself to high standards. We should strive to improve our ideological style, work style, leadership style, and lifestyle; as well as our approach to study, writing, and meetings. By doing so, we can ensure that the Party’s conduct becomes thoroughly pure and upright, thereby using its exemplary conduct to uplift and guide social and public ethos toward upwardness and goodness. The conduct of leading cadres directly affects the Party’s internal atmosphere and political ecology, influences public sentiment, and determines the Party’s mass base. Leading cadres at all levels—especially senior cadres—must uphold great morality, observe public ethics, and strictly practice personal integrity. They must adopt a correct view of political achievements, power, status, and interests; practice integrity in self-cultivation, family management, and the exercise of power; maintain noble moral character and healthy lifestyle interests; keep their minds steady, control their behavior, and safeguard their integrity. They must set strict standards for their children, handle family relationships with care, serve as role models in building family ethos, and strive to become moral exemplars for the entire society. They should take the lead in practicing socialist core values, demonstrating Party spirit, valuing moral integrity, and setting a good example. They should also take the initiative to pay attention to family matters, family education, and family ethos, maintaining the noble character and clean conduct expected of Communists, and through concrete actions, inspire the whole society to pursue virtue, do good deeds, respect the law, and abide by it.

3. Practical Approaches to Promoting Style of Work Development

The Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation serves as both an entry point and a rallying call for improving work styles. It is a long-term, ironclad rule—a firm and unwavering guideline—that reflects our Party’s constant awareness and determination to address the unique challenges faced by a large political party, as well as our Party’s steadfast confidence and courage in daring to carry out self-revolution. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “In building a clean and honest Party, we must start with leading cadres; and among leading cadres, we must start with the central leadership.” He emphasized: “A regulation is a regulation—without the addition of the word ‘trial’—and this is precisely to demonstrate our resolute stance and underscore that this regulation is rigid and binding.” “The Eight-Point Regulation is neither the highest standard nor the ultimate goal; rather, it is merely the first step in improving our work styles and represents the basic requirement that we communists should fulfill.” All localities and departments should strictly implement the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation and its detailed implementation rules, ensuring that all requirements are put into practice in daily work and at every single stage. We should widely solicit opinions and suggestions from the masses, consciously accept supervision and criticism from the people, and take the satisfaction of the people as the benchmark for measuring improvements in work styles. Leading cadres at all levels must set an example and take the lead, turning the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation into conscious actions, effectively addressing prominent problems in work styles, ensuring that each level takes responsibility and achieves tangible results, transforming good practices into widespread norms, and thus strengthening the Party’s work style.

We must continue to deepen efforts to address and rectify the “Four Winds.” The “Four Winds”—formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance—are fundamentally at odds with our Party’s fundamental principle of serving the people wholeheartedly and are a major root cause of damage to the relationships between the Party and the masses as well as between cadres and the masses. To tackle the “Four Winds,” we must focus on the key issues, pinpoint the critical areas, and grasp the crux of the problem. We must oppose formalism, paying particular attention to addressing the issue of superficial and insincere work; oppose bureaucratism, focusing on resolving the failure to safeguard and act in the interests of the people; oppose hedonism, striving to overcome the mindset of seeking instant gratification and phenomena of privilege; and oppose extravagance, making every effort to sternly curb the unhealthy trends of wasteful indulgence and extravagant luxury. At its core, the “Four Winds” reflect a loss of faith and spiritual disorientation—issues closely linked to wavering and unstable ideals and convictions. We should educate and guide all Party members and cadres to firmly remember the Party’s fundamental principle of serving the people wholeheartedly, uphold the spirit of enduring hardship before enjoying comfort, work diligently and honestly, consciously resist the erosion of all decadent ideas, fortify our ideological defenses, and forever preserve the political integrity of communists. We must consciously remain firm believers and loyal practitioners of both the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, the “Four Winds” represent persistent, long-term, and complex problems. We must remain highly vigilant against the “Four Winds” and their various mutated manifestations, continuously maintain a high-pressure stance, keep the pressure steadily applied, strike hard at the first sign of trouble, never yield an inch, and pursue these issues relentlessly until they are completely eradicated.

“Wind is generated above, and customs are shaped below.” Leading cadres at all levels must take the lead in changing work styles and thereby create a “leading goose effect.” Party organizations and leading cadres at all levels must firmly establish a view of political achievements centered on benefiting the people, adopting the mindset that “success need not be attributed to me, yet my contribution will surely be part of it.” They should take the lead in following the Party’s mass line for the new era, spearhead efforts to rectify conduct, enforce discipline, and combat corruption, resolutely address the persistent and deeply entrenched problems associated with the “Four Winds,” earnestly fulfill their primary responsibility for comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance, and actively foster a political environment characterized by integrity and uprightness. This will help cultivate clean and wholesome relationships among comrades and proper, rule-abiding relationships between superiors and subordinates. We must uphold a relationship between government and business that is both close and clean, and actively create a social environment that promotes positivity and moral excellence.