Merchants no longer have to play “hide-and-seek” with urban management officers. Today, in Fengxian District, Shanghai, street-side merchants can simply tap their fingertips to submit an application if they wish to set up outdoor stalls. Urban management officers will come to their doors to provide on-site assistance, helping them measure and plan their setups. Even routine supervision is infused with warmth: a smart system monitors conditions in real time, and if a merchant occasionally crosses the boundary, a gentle text message will gently remind them to stay within limits. Only when a merchant repeatedly fails to comply will the system issue a red alert.

Everything must have its proper method before it can succeed. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important discourses on strengthening the Party’s work style, addressing the questions of what to focus on and how to go about it in the new context. These discourses are imbued with profound ideological and working approaches. Scientifically grasping the methodology for strengthening the Party’s work style is of great significance for promoting, through new achievements in work-style building, the creation of a political environment characterized by integrity and honesty, as well as fostering a positive atmosphere conducive to getting things done and starting ventures. It also further enhances our consciousness and determination to continuously advance the Party’s work-style building on the new journey ahead.

Unifying the fight against the “Four Winds” with the establishment of a new ethos.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must uphold the dialectical unity of breaking and establishing—combining demolition with establishment, prioritizing establishment before demolition. We should proactively and actively establish what needs to be established, and promptly dismantle what needs to be dismantled on the basis of establishing. In the unified process of breaking and establishing, we can ensure that reform progresses steadily and swiftly.” In strengthening the Party’s work style, we must adhere to the unity of breaking and establishing: “establishing” refers to fostering a new atmosphere of health and positivity, while “breaking” means tackling and eliminating unhealthy practices.

The key to “breaking” lies in “establishing.” Our Party has always attached great importance to leveraging the exemplary and leading role of advanced models. By selecting and promoting role models and publicizing outstanding benchmarks, we have established clear value orientations for style-building, educating and guiding a broad contingent of Party members and cadres to clearly understand behavioral norms and continuously elevate the level of style-building to new heights. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has vigorously promoted the spiritual lineage of the Communist Party of China, originating from the great spirit of Party building, and has established and perfected a system of honors and awards for meritorious service to the Party and the country. The power of these role models continues to inspire all Party members and cadres to enhance their qualities by holding these role models as a mirror, to reform their work styles guided by their sense of mission, and to forge new achievements through relentless striving. This has created a positive situation in which sound Party and government conduct drives social and public ethos toward greater goodness and virtue, thereby gathering powerful spiritual impetus and moral support for advancing Chinese-style modernization.

The issue of work style is, at its core, a question of Party spirit. Only by daring to face problems head-on and bravely engaging in self-revolution—by tackling the deep-rooted “Four Winds”—can we ensure that efforts to improve work style yield tangible results. Since the advent of the new era, our Party has advanced the fight against corruption with the spirit of self-revolution, turning the blade inward. We have resolutely eradicated the malignant tumors that erode the Party’s healthy body, promptly identifying, promptly warning about, and promptly correcting any nascent or emerging signs of corruption and moral degeneration. We have also educated and guided all Party members and cadres to remain politically sober at all times, clearly understand the boundaries of their conduct, cultivate a sense of awe, maintain vigilance, and uphold bottom lines. With firm determination and strong measures, we are building an unshakable defense line for improving work style. We remain committed to purging the corrupt and promoting the upright, supporting what is right and eliminating what is wrong, earning the trust of the people through concrete achievements and uniting both Party members and the general public.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We must focus on establishing and perfecting systems, setting forth ‘clear rules’ and breaking down ‘unwritten rules.’ We should identify vulnerabilities and draw lessons from actual corruption cases.” Breaking and establishing are mutually complementary, mutually transformative, and dynamically evolving. Only by consistently integrating breaking with establishing—advocating both demolition and construction simultaneously and fostering a virtuous cycle—can we consolidate the achievements made in tackling the ‘Four Winds’ and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of conduct-building efforts. To this end, we must use the firm resolve of ‘breaking’ to spur the growth of ‘establishing,’ ensuring the continuity and effectiveness of conduct-building and thereby cultivating a new, positive social ethos.

Unifying the broad and the meticulous.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “In pursuing undertakings and carrying out work, we must ensure that the overall direction is correct, priorities are clearly defined, and strategies are well-chosen. At the same time, we must pay close attention to details, seamlessly integrating political and economic considerations, macro and micro perspectives, and strategic and tactical approaches—so that in our planning we can grasp the big picture while being meticulous and precise in execution.” To see both the “forest” and the “trees,” to understand both the “grand” and the “minute”—this principle of “achieving breadth while pursuing subtlety” embodies profound dialectical wisdom.

Grasping the overall situation and planning strategically is not only a matter of broad-mindedness and vision but also a way of thinking and a mindset. Only by taking a holistic perspective can we better understand the “form” of how things unfold and the “trend” of their development. Only then can we strategically position ourselves at the right junctures and make well-considered moves at critical moments, continuously enhancing our creativity in addressing specific areas while simultaneously contributing both to the prosperity of those areas and to the enrichment of the bigger picture. At the same time, great undertakings in the world always begin with meticulous attention to detail. High-level, visionary top-level design must be grounded in solid, down-to-earth implementation; grand, ambitious goals cannot be realized without painstaking, incremental progress. We must not only plan and lay out the framework for style-building from a holistic perspective but also carry out detailed, painstaking work—exercising the kind of “needlework” precision—to ensure that breakthroughs in key areas drive overall improvement.

The historic achievements made in Party conduct building in the new era—and the remarkable transformation of Party style, government conduct, and social ethos—can be attributed in no small measure to the integration of “reaching for the broadest horizons” with “attending to the minutest details.” Our Party is adept at employing a strategy that uses small matters to reveal larger truths, embedding a keen sense of problem awareness throughout the entire process of Party governance. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has taken the issuance of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation as a crucial entry point for strengthening Party conduct building, thereby effectively addressing the longstanding dilemma of “not knowing where to begin when tackling a major issue.” The Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation has served as a breakthrough in Party conduct building. By focusing on specific points to drive broader change and using small examples to illustrate larger principles, this approach has not only avoided treating symptoms rather than root causes but also prevented the unintended consequence of addressing one problem only to create another. As a result, Party governance has become more precise and more effective.

Problems with work style are closely linked to the hearts and minds of the people and to the very foundation of the Party’s governance. As a Marxist political party that has been in power for a long time in a large country with a population of over 1.4 billion, our Party remains constantly clear-headed and firm in addressing the unique challenges faced by a major political party. We never take even the slightest relaxation in our vigilance against problems related to work style. By focusing on “small entry points” in work-style development and seamlessly integrating broad strategic vision with meticulous tactical approaches, we continue to open up new horizons for comprehensively strengthening Party governance.

Unifying the prevention of disease with strengthening the root.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must focus on strengthening political discipline and organizational discipline, thereby driving stricter adherence to integrity discipline, mass discipline, work discipline, and lifestyle discipline. We must consistently engage in criticism and self-criticism, uphold the principle of learning from past mistakes to prevent future ones and treating illnesses to save people, and make good use of the ‘four forms’ of supervision and disciplinary enforcement—catching problems early, addressing minor issues promptly, and nipping potential problems in the bud.” This not only serves as an action guide for Party building in the new era but also embodies profound philosophical wisdom. Treating diseases before they manifest emphasizes prevention as the primary approach, focusing on proactively identifying and resolving problems at their source—a forward-looking mindset of “preventing trouble before it occurs.” Strengthening the foundations underscores the importance of solidifying the base, addressing deep-seated issues through institutional and mechanistic reforms—a fundamental measure of “getting to the root of the problem and clearing away the source.”

If we fail to nip problems in the bud, they will eventually crumble like a dam breached by an ant hole. In strengthening work style, we must embrace the concept of "treating diseases before they manifest," promptly identifying and addressing nascent or emerging issues. Only then can we prevent minor problems from escalating into major ones and create the necessary conditions for solidifying our foundations. To this end, we must adhere strictly to the principle of addressing issues early and at their smallest scale, taking timely measures whenever signs or tendencies of trouble appear among cadres, effectively resolving problems in their infancy and proactively guarding against small risks from turning into significant threats. Solidifying our foundations means firmly establishing both ideological and institutional underpinnings. By promoting廉洁 education and警示教育—making them deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of officials and truly effective—we can enhance the integrity and disciplinary awareness of Party members and cadres, thereby building a robust ideological and moral defense against corruption, preventing degeneration, and reinforcing our core values. We must also place great emphasis on institutional development and enforcement, comprehensively advancing efforts to ensure that officials dare not, cannot, and do not want to engage in corruption. We should establish and improve inspection and巡察 systems, strengthen daily oversight over Party organizations and cadres at all levels, and ensure that power operates transparently under public scrutiny. Focusing closely on key areas, breaking down data silos, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, we can build intelligent information management platforms that enable real-time monitoring and evaluation of Party member and cadre conduct, thus enhancing transparency and intensifying supervisory efforts.

As the ancients said, “Prevent troubles before they arise and treat illnesses before they manifest—do medicine when there is still time.” Treating illness before it occurs and strengthening the foundations represent a methodological approach that addresses both the symptoms and root causes of style-related issues. This approach embodies the systematic perspective in the Party’s efforts to improve its work style, emphasizing not only the treatment of symptoms but even more so the addressing of underlying causes. By promptly identifying and resolving emerging trends and potential problems, we can prevent illnesses from developing; meanwhile, by establishing sound rules and systems, we can consolidate the foundations and create a comprehensive effect of joint oversight and coordinated governance in style-building.

Unifying the clarification of direction with the implementation of concrete actions.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must embody the spirit of driving nails home. Driving a nail is seldom accomplished with just one hammer blow; rather, it requires repeated, persistent strikes—hammering away until the nail is firmly and securely driven in. After securing one nail, we move on to the next, continuing this process relentlessly, and only then can we achieve substantial results.” In the effort to strengthen work style, maintaining the unity of defining clear directions and ensuring effective implementation is, at its core, a dialectical unity between understanding the world and transforming it. Setting goals and clarifying directions represent a vivid application of the method of contradiction analysis, reflecting a keen awareness of problems and demanding that we identify the “bull’s-eye” precisely, thus avoiding aimless efforts. Driving nails and ensuring implementation follow the law of transformation from quantitative change to qualitative change, emphasizing the need for sustained, tenacious effort—“hammering away, stroke by stroke”—to turn goals into tangible outcomes, thereby demonstrating the continuity and steadfastness of work-style development. By both clearly defining “what needs to be changed” through setting clear directions and relying on effective implementation to determine “how to make the changes,” we move from precise targeting and sustained攻坚 to solidifying achievements, providing a scientific methodology for strengthening work style.

Clarifying the direction reflects a keen awareness of existing problems. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has taken the lead in setting rules and setting an example. It kicked off efforts by formulating and implementing the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation, closely focusing on the most pressing issues that the public deeply despises and strongly voices concerns about, tackling each issue thoroughly and relentlessly. The emphasis on implementation embodies both a sense of responsibility and the necessary competence and quality. “Improving work style is a journey that never ends and will never come to a halt.” In the new era, the Party Central Committee, with extraordinary perseverance and determination, continues to tackle the “Four Winds” problem, fully demonstrating a work ethic characterized by sustained effort and unwavering commitment. In 2024, disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies across the country investigated and dealt with a total of 118,000 cases involving hedonism and extravagance, criticizing, educating, and disciplining 157,000 individuals; they also investigated and dealt with 107,000 cases involving formalism and bureaucratism, criticizing, educating, and disciplining 156,000 individuals. By precisely addressing these prominent issues, we have effectively resolved the questions of what to focus on and how to carry out work style improvement under the new circumstances, continuously promoting positive changes in Party and government conduct. Improving work style is a protracted battle that cannot be accomplished overnight. We must remain clear-headed about our goals, ensuring that our efforts to govern and administer the Party become more precise and effective. At the same time, we must maintain the tenacity of “driving nails home,” persisting in sustained and long-term efforts to implement all requirements for improving work style down to every single step and every minute detail.

The building of a sound work style is an ongoing journey with no final destination. While we should recognize the cumulative effects of phased achievements in this effort, we must also remain acutely aware of its long-term nature and inherent complexity. We must adhere to precise targeting, adopt tailored strategies, and ensure continuous implementation—never adopting a piecemeal or haphazard approach. We need to clearly define our goals, tasks, and responsibilities, closely integrating institutional constraints with daily supervision. By establishing normalized mechanisms, perfecting institutional frameworks, and consolidating long-term results, we can seamlessly integrate the building of a sound work style into everyday practice and make it a regular part of our work. Only by persistently pursuing this endeavor with unrelenting tenacity and unwavering determination—leaving clear marks wherever we strike—can we ensure that a fine work style becomes the enduring foundation for the development of both the Party and the people’s cause, and guarantee that the Party will forever remain pure, unchanged in color, and true to its original character.