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 happens to cross the boundary, a gentle text message will gently remind them to comply. Only when a merchant repeatedly fails to rectify their behavior will the system issue a red alert.

In his book "Zhi Jiang Xin Yu," Comrade Xi Jinping has published a series of articles on pragmatic work, calling on leading cadres to reject superficiality and falsehoods in favor of practicality, improve their work style, and become truly pragmatic individuals. This provides us with important insights as we resolutely oppose and rectify formalism and bureaucratic practices. At its core, engaging in superficiality means pursuing actions that are inconsistent with reality, resorting to deception and falsification, and deceiving superiors while concealing the truth from subordinates. When serving as the leader of a local region, Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that pragmatic people do not heed empty rhetoric, ignore flashy but hollow techniques, eschew vain fame, and shun superficiality—“leading cadres must embody this very spirit of pragmatism.” Rejecting superficiality and embracing practicality is an excellent tradition of Chinese Communists; it is also an essential working method and leadership approach, and even more so, a fundamental requirement for Party members and cadres in the new era. The more daunting the tasks and the greater the challenges, the more crucial it becomes to adopt a work style characterized by rejecting superficiality and embracing practicality—stepping forward with courage, taking concrete actions, and ensuring effective implementation.

“Knowledge is the beginning of action; action completes knowledge.” The foundation of pragmatism lies in seeking truth. What kind of truth are we seeking? “We seek the truth of objective reality.” How do we seek this truth? “By deepening our theoretical education to grasp the essence of truth, and by conducting thorough investigations and studies to focus on practical realities.” This is the answer given by Comrade Xi Jinping in “New Words from Zhijiang.” Deepening our theoretical education to grasp the essence of truth means studying theory. Without scientific theories as our tools, without a correct worldview and methodology to guide us, we would be unable to see through appearances to the essence of things, unable to identify the underlying patterns amid complex issues, unable to detect trends from emerging signs, and unable to recognize the inevitability of things from accidental occurrences. As Mao Zedong pointed out: “Our vision is insufficient; we must rely on telescopes and microscopes. The Marxist method is precisely the telescope and microscope for politics and military affairs.” Entering a new era, we must arm ourselves with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, study with questions in mind, reflect deeply in light of practical situations, master the ‘golden key’ to seeking truth, and thereby guide practice and advance our work. Conducting thorough investigations and studies to focus on practical realities means engaging in research. Investigation and research are the cornerstone of planning and the path to success. Without investigation, we have no right to speak. Through investigation and research, we can gain a true understanding of the situation, pinpoint the crux of problems, and find solutions—this is an excellent tradition and style of our Party. Simply taking a quick ride around in a car or peering through glass windows won’t enable us to truly understand the people’s sentiments and aspirations. Only by keeping our eyes and feet firmly grounded, going among the masses and returning to them, and widely soliciting their opinions, can we genuinely hear the truth, perceive the real situation, acquire genuine insights, and achieve tangible results.

“Plan carefully before taking action; know when to stop, and you’ll gain something.” The practical starting point lies in careful planning. To ensure that our planning is truly pragmatic, we must ground it firmly in reality—planning our undertakings and tasks based on actual conditions, ensuring that our ideas, policies, and plans are consistent with the real situation, conform to objective laws, and reflect a scientific spirit. We should avoid setting goals that are too lofty or detached from reality. The key to pragmatic planning is first and foremost “being down-to-earth.” Planning is by no means mere armchair theorizing or working behind closed doors; rather, it requires us to be firmly rooted in reality, conduct thorough and meticulous research, keep our eyes firmly planted in the soil of actual circumstances, and precisely grasp objective laws and development trends. The essence of pragmatic planning lies in “seeking tangible results.” What’s truly practical must also yield real outcomes—and the greatest of these outcomes is to genuinely bring benefits and happiness to the broad masses of people. “Those who rejoice in the people’s joys will find their own joys shared by the people.” The ‘practicality’ here means taking the people’s voices as our benchmark and letting their evaluations serve as our guiding principle. Only by aligning the “compass” of our planning squarely with the needs of the masses and anchoring the “coordinate system” of policy design to the most pressing concerns of the people can we avoid the disconnect between officials’ actions and public indifference, and truly achieve resonance between “pragmatic planning” and “the people’s aspirations.” The difficulty in pragmatic planning lies in “risk prevention.” As the saying goes, “Preparation ensures success; lack of preparation leads to failure.” Pragmatic planning is never about making decisions on a whim or following trends blindly. Instead, it requires us to not only envision the long-term picture but also proactively identify and address potential risks. We must approach every step with the utmost caution, as if walking on thin ice, and prepare for every possible scenario with foolproof precision. In this way, we can ensure that development remains both dynamic and sustainable, steadily advancing all our endeavors through earnest and concrete efforts, and truly transforming our development blueprints into tangible, palpable realities that the people can feel and benefit from.

“To grasp without substance is tantamount to grasping in vain.” The key to being pragmatic lies in advancing work scientifically. Only when decisions and plans are put into practice can we achieve tangible results, and only through effective implementation can we see real benefits. In actual work, it’s often the case that efforts fall short of specificity, fail to reach the intended targets, or produce no meaningful outcomes—ultimately because we lack both a “genuine commitment” to tackling issues head-on and the “skillful methods” needed to do so effectively. In terms of understanding how to implement tasks, we must adopt a “profound” perspective. As the saying goes, “A nine-story tower begins with a single clod of earth.” No great undertaking ever succeeds without building on a foundation of practicality and forging ahead through hard work—every single one starts with down-to-earth, persistent effort. No matter how splendid the blueprint may be, if it isn’t put into action, it remains nothing but a castle in the air; no matter how scientifically sound the decision, if it doesn’t take root and bear fruit in reality, it’s merely empty rhetoric. In terms of implementing tasks, we must embrace a “fresh” approach. Implementation cannot simply involve mere copying or slavish imitation; instead, we must tailor our actions to local conditions and realities, integrating the guiding principles from higher authorities with the specific circumstances of our own region, balancing accountability to those above us with responsibility toward those below us, and creatively carrying out our work. It’s precisely through this integration that we can generate new ideas, develop distinctive features, and achieve concrete results. In terms of the steps involved in implementation, we must demonstrate “resilience.” We must stay committed to seeing things through to the end, persistently follow up on each task, ensure every item is carried out meticulously, and strive for visible results year after year. In terms of specific measures for implementation, we must be “practical.” Grasping implementation is like driving a nail—first, we must strike precisely at the right spot, focusing on key tasks that affect the whole picture. By starting with these critical points and expanding outward, we can drive progress across the board. Only by truly getting down to business and working diligently can we build achievements that stand the test of time.

“Words must be meaningful; skills must have a solid foundation; reputations must be well-earned; and undertakings must yield results.” The essence of pragmatism lies in having a down-to-earth work style. A work style is not only the “compass” guiding the development of our cause, but also the “touchstone” that reflects our original aspirations. Work style embodies both our image and our quality, deeply ingrained in the very marrow and veins of Party members and cadres, and evident in every single action they take. When our work style is genuine and practical, we can truly sink down to the grassroots level. The grassroots are the best classroom, and the masses are our true teachers. Whether the work style of Party members and cadres is solid hinges on their ability to step out of high-rise offices and grand compounds, to venture deep into fields and villages, to humbly learn from the people, and to willingly play the role of students. When our work style is genuine and practical, we can truly rise to the occasion. Faced with the “hard nuts” in reform and development, the real test of our work style lies in whether we choose to idly watch problems grow from small to large, or whether we bravely confront difficulties and shoulder responsibilities. In reality, some officials are reluctant to engage with the masses—fearing that contact with the people will bring them trouble, afraid that communicating with the masses will tie them down, or worried that serving the people will land them in endless complications. When confronted with conflicts, they pass the buck; when encountering difficulties, they retreat. At its core, this reflects an insincere work style and a lack of commitment. A genuine work style means possessing the spiritual realm of “achievements need not be attributed to me.” Leading cadres should strive for achievements—and indeed must pursue them—but the achievements of Communists are those that win the hearts, warm the hearts, and stabilize the hearts of the people. If a cadre seeks to build up his reputation merely to leave his mark or to curry favor for promotion, he simply cannot devote himself wholeheartedly to implementation nor can he truly be accountable to the people. Cadres engaged in work and entrepreneurship must cultivate a correct view of achievements, embracing the spiritual realm of “achievements need not be attributed to me,” while also bearing the historical responsibility of ensuring that “achievements will surely be attributed to me.” They must embody the spirit of driving nails home, working steadily and practically.