Tongfang Academy
Micro Party Class · Issue 346
Improving work style is an ongoing process with no end in sight.
“Theoretical cultivation is the core of the comprehensive quality of Party members and cadres. Theoretical maturity is the foundation for political maturity, and political steadfastness stems from theoretical clarity.” For Party members and cadres, fostering a fine academic style and strengthening theoretical education are both fundamental requirements for cultivating Party spirit and an inescapable political responsibility.
Tongfang Law Firm provides all its lawyers with learning opportunities in the form of micro-party classes, thereby enhancing their ideological and political awareness as well as their spirit of learning and inquiry. By establishing a long-term educational mechanism, the firm has created a new platform for self-education and self-improvement.
Improving work style is an ongoing journey with no final destination. The Party Central Committee has decided to launch in-depth study and education across the Party on the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation—this is a key task for Party building this year, sending a strong signal that we will continue to push forward with strict discipline and unwavering commitment. We must deeply recognize the profound significance and practical requirements of carrying out in-depth study and education on the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation (hereinafter referred to as “the Study and Education”). We should earnestly enhance our political, ideological, and practical awareness in ensuring the high-quality completion of the Study and Education tasks, thereby driving the improvement of work style to greater depth and effectiveness. By achieving new and tangible results in work-style development, we can further safeguard the Party’s advanced nature and purity, continuously win the trust and support of the people, and provide robust guarantees for deepening comprehensive reform and advancing Chinese-style modernization.
1. The Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation is a concentrated embodiment and continued promotion of the Party’s glorious traditions and fine style.
The Party’s work style is its very image; it affects the hearts and minds of the people and determines the Party’s life or death. Over the past century, our Party has remained vigorous and thriving, enduring countless hardships yet continually rejuvenating itself. From a small group of just over 50 members, it has grown into the world’s largest ruling party, with more than 99 million members, leading a country of over 1.4 billion people and wielding significant global influence. Running through all this is a clear, unbroken thread: relentlessly promoting the Party’s work style, ensuring that the Party never loses its nature, its color, or its flavor.
As early as the period of the Jinggangshan revolutionary struggle, Comrade Mao Zedong formulated for the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army the “Three Disciplines and Six Points of Attention.” These not only embodied the Party’s stringent disciplinary requirements for leading the people’s armed forces but also reflected the Party’s clear commitment to strengthening its own building. During the Yan'an Rectification Campaign, Comrade Mao Zedong profoundly elucidated the meaning of Party style and called upon the entire Party to “combat subjectivism to rectify academic style, combat sectarianism to rectify Party style, and combat ‘Party Eight-Character Style’ to rectify writing style.” At the Seventh National Congress of the Party, Comrade Mao Zedong summarized the fine styles that the Party had developed through its long-term struggles into three major styles: “the style of combining theory with practice, the style of closely linking with the masses, and the style of self-criticism.” During the Yan'an period, the Party put forward the “Ten No’s,” using the “Yan'an Style” to defeat the “Xi’an Style.” At the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee, Comrade Mao Zedong warned the entire Party that after seizing national power, it must withstand the test of governing. He urged the Party members to “continue to maintain a style of humility, prudence, modesty, and composure, and continue to uphold the spirit of hard work and struggle.” At this plenary session, at Comrade Mao Zedong’s suggestion, six regulations were adopted to prevent corruption by the bourgeoisie and to oppose the cult of personality. After the founding of New China, Comrade Mao Zedong consistently called on the entire Party to remain highly vigilant and make every effort to guard against the corruption and degeneration of Party members and cadres, resolutely punishing corruption. The Party subsequently launched campaigns such as the Rectification Movement, the “Three Anti” Campaign, and the “Five Anti” Campaign, thoroughly eliminating bad practices and preserving good ones. Through repeated revolutionary trials and tempering, the Party has continuously matured and grown stronger.
In the new era of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out that “to improve our Party’s conduct, military discipline, and public ethos, the key lies in improving the Party’s conduct itself.” He emphasized the need to “restore and carry forward Comrade Mao Zedong’s theories on Party building as well as the Party’s entire set of fine styles.” At the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, it was decided to strengthen the Party’s democratic centralism, improve Party rules and regulations, and strictly enforce Party discipline. At the 12th National Congress of the CPC, it was resolved that starting from the second half of 1983, a comprehensive rectification of the Party’s style and organizational structure would be carried out over a three-year period. The Decision adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee, “The CPC Central Committee’s Decision on Strengthening the Party’s Ties with the Masses,” stressed that the masses are the source of our Party’s strength and the foundation of our victories, and called for inheriting and carrying forward our Party’s fine tradition of maintaining close ties with the masses. At the 14th National Congress, the Party Constitution explicitly made the significant assertion that “the issue of Party conduct and the issue of the Party’s ties with the masses are matters of life and death for the Party.” The Decision adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the 15th CPC Central Committee, “The CPC Central Committee’s Decision on Strengthening and Improving the Party’s Conduct,” clearly stated that “the Party’s conduct as a ruling party is closely related to the Party’s image, determines whether the people support or oppose it, and affects the very survival of the Party, the state, and the nation.” It also elaborated on the “eight upholdings and eight oppositions” in strengthening the Party’s conduct. The Decision adopted by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee, “The CPC Central Committee’s Decision on Strengthening and Improving Party Building under New Circumstances,” proposed vigorously promoting the practice of maintaining close ties with the masses, pursuing truth and being pragmatic, practicing hard work and frugality, and engaging in criticism and self-criticism—using strong Party spirit to ensure the Party’s conduct is sound, using an excellent Party style to drive government conduct and influence public ethos, thereby forming a powerful force that unites both Party members and the people.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has carried forward and promoted the Party’s glorious traditions and fine work styles. Starting with the formulation and implementation of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation, the Party has consistently adopted a top-down approach, setting an example from the top down, thereby addressing the crucial questions of where to begin, what to focus on, and how to tackle Party style building under new circumstances. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out with great conviction: “Our responsibility is to join hands with all Party members in upholding the principle that the Party must govern itself and enforce strict governance over itself, effectively addressing the prominent problems within our own ranks, earnestly improving our work style, and strengthening our ties with the masses, so that our Party will always remain the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This not only fully demonstrates our firm commitment to carrying the Party’s self-revolution through to the end, but also clearly indicates that Party building must adhere to a problem-oriented approach and unswervingly promote comprehensive and strict governance over the Party by deepening efforts in style building. From improving investigation and research to streamlining meetings and enhancing meeting conduct; from reducing the number of documents and refining writing styles to standardizing overseas visits; from improving security arrangements to enhancing news reporting; from strictly regulating the publication of official documents to vigorously practicing thrift and opposing waste—the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation is concise yet clear, covering every aspect of Party and government work. All Party members have swiftly taken action to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation, firmly curbing unhealthy tendencies and malpractices, and reshaping the political environment. Today, Party and government conduct have been completely renewed, and social customs and public morale continue to improve. By using “small entry points” to trigger major transformations, the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation has profoundly changed the ways in which the entire Party and society think, work, and live—a profound “change for China” in terms of work style. The spirit of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation has increasingly resonated with both Party members and the general public. According to a 2024 survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, 94.9% of respondents expressed positive views on the effectiveness of implementing the spirit of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation. By achieving new momentum and tangible results in style building, our Party has won the trust and support of the people. The Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation—the Party’s “golden calling card” for style building—has become ever brighter as it continues to be polished and refined.
2. With a clear and firm resolve to address the unique challenges faced by large political parties, we will persistently and tirelessly implement the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation.
In the report to the 20th National Congress of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly cautioned the entire Party: “We must always remain clear-headed and firm in addressing the unique challenges faced by a major party.” Tackling these “unique challenges of a major party” around the “six ‘how to always’” is a systematic undertaking. At its root, this involves focusing on the crucial question of our times: What kind of long-term ruling Marxist party should we build, and how should we build it? It also calls for deepening the new great project of Party building in the new era. Promoting, through concentrated education, the Party’s spirit of self-revolution to address prominent issues in Party building has been an important historical experience. Since the 20th National Congress of the Party, our Party has successively carried out thematic education on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (hereinafter referred to as “Thematic Education”) and Party discipline study and education. The Thematic Education has emphasized strengthening the Party’s political and ideological development, while the Party discipline study and education has focused on reinforcing the Party’s disciplinary construction. This year’s planned study and education places particular emphasis on strengthening the Party’s work style. Conducting this study and education is aimed at further consolidating and expanding the achievements of the Thematic Education and solidifying and deepening the outcomes of the Party discipline study and education. We will persistently implement the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation, push forward comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in greater depth, continuously enhance the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness, and continually strengthen both the political and mass foundations upon which the Party relies for its governance.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Problems in work style are stubborn and recurrent; it is impossible to achieve lasting improvement in developing a good work style once and for all, nor is it possible to eradicate bad work styles overnight.” We must clearly recognize that the “Four Winds” problems exhibit strong mutability and contagiousness. Instances of Party members and cadres violating the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations and their detailed implementation rules continue to occur repeatedly. Formalism and bureaucratism remain prominent, hedonism and extravagance occasionally resurface, and hidden, disguised behaviors quietly take root and thrive. To address these work-style issues, we must persist in sustained efforts and maintain unwavering vigilance—implementing measures concretely rather than abstractly, and seriously rather than perfunctorily. This study and education campaign emphasizes adhering to a problem-oriented approach: addressing whatever problems exist, tackling those that are most prominent, drawing up lists of identified problems, and formulating targeted corrective measures for each one, thereby forcefully and decisively driving implementation. We must accurately grasp the patterns, characteristics, and work requirements for combating the “Four Winds” under the new circumstances, promoting learning, inspection, and rectification in an integrated manner. We should focus our efforts on consistency and long-term commitment, rigor and practicality, depth and meticulousness, and relentlessly implement the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations and their detailed implementation rules. We must firmly uphold the people-centered stance, closely maintain the flesh-and-blood bond between the Party and the masses, concentrate on resolving issues that directly affect the people’s interests, tackle unhealthy tendencies around the people, and ensure that the benefits are truly tangible and accessible to ordinary citizens. We must thoroughly investigate the deep-rooted causes behind these problems, making concerted efforts—from ideological beliefs and working procedures to institutional mechanisms—to curb unhealthy tendencies and achieve the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work-style building.
As the Party and the cause of the people advance to a certain stage, so too must the Party’s style of work be advanced accordingly. Fully promoting the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization is the central task of our Party in this new era and on this new journey. At present, the adverse impacts brought about by changes in the external environment have deepened, and China’s economic operation still faces numerous difficulties and challenges. To ensure that Chinese-style modernization proceeds steadily and far-reaching, we must make even greater efforts. The more severe the situation and the heavier the tasks, the more crucial it becomes to carry forward the “nailing-down” spirit and strengthen the Party’s style of work—using the Party’s fine conduct to unite hearts and gather strength, inspire fighting spirit, enhance the Party’s image, and win the support of the people. Not long ago, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Guizhou, Yunnan, and other regions for inspection, emphasizing the need to focus on the key themes and organize study and education in a concise and pragmatic manner. Speaking with great earnestness, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “To gauge whether the leadership and Party building in a particular region are effective, one important aspect is to assess whether its political ecology is sound. Leading cadres at all levels must earnestly fulfill their responsibilities for governing and managing the Party, maintain upright conduct, act with fairness and integrity, and set an example through their own exemplary behavior to continuously purify the political ecology.” Party organizations at all levels should consciously enhance their sense of political responsibility and urgency in carrying out study and education. They should closely link their efforts with the new situation, new tasks, and new requirements of comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance, as well as with the specific practices and successful experiences of their localities, departments, and units in strengthening the Party’s style of work. They should further thoroughly grasp the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation and its detailed implementation rules, consistently integrate efforts to rectify conduct, enforce discipline, and combat corruption, strictly investigate and punish issues involving both misconduct and corruption through “joint investigations,” and eliminate the common root causes of misconduct and corruption through “joint governance.” We must resolutely address corruption hidden behind unhealthy tendencies, thoroughly probe and uncover unhealthy trends underlying corruption cases, and educate and guide all Party members and cadres to boldly pursue their work and entrepreneurship on the premise of abiding by rules and regulations, maintaining integrity and honesty. Every measure taken in study and education must become an effective means of promoting central tasks and driving high-quality development. We must go all out to carry out study and education effectively and solidly complete all assigned tasks.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “The Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation is not a regulation valid for just five or ten years—it is a firm and unshakable rule that will remain effective in the long term.” On this new journey ahead, the entire Party must remain steadfast in our confidence and determination to “press forward all the more bravely in the face of adversity,” and maintain the resolve and perseverance to “hold fast to our goals without wavering.” We must be vigilant and self-critical, stay true to our original aspirations from beginning to end, uphold integrity while fostering innovation, and vigorously purge corruption and promote moral integrity. We must consistently govern and discipline the Party with a spirit of reform and stringent standards, firmly building a strong bulwark for implementing the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation and its detailed implementation rules. We must wage a sustained, tough, and heart-to-heart battle against unhealthy practices, continuously deepening efforts in style-of-work building, and relentlessly pursuing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to the very end. Through this ongoing process of self-revolution, we will enable our century-old Party to continually radiate vigorous vitality, and unite and lead the people of the whole country to compose an even more splendid chapter of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era!
Source | People's Daily Online, Official Website for Party History Study and Education
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