Not long ago, the “Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on Consolidating and Expanding the Achievements of the Thematic Education on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” clearly required that, “We must uphold the principle of using study to rectify conduct, and urge the entire Party to address prominent problems in Party conduct with a spirit of self-revolution.” Writing style is an important component of the work style of Marxist political parties; it reflects the quality of the Party’s conduct, affects the Party’s image, and determines the success or failure of our undertakings. To improve Party conduct, we must first improve writing style. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has regarded improving writing style as a key aspect of strengthening Party conduct. Vigorously correcting unhealthy writing styles and actively promoting high-quality writing styles are of great significance for strengthening and improving Party conduct under the new circumstances.

Our Party has always attached great importance to the issue of writing style. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out during the revolutionary war years that “both academic style and writing style are part of the Party’s style—and indeed, they are manifestations of the Party’s ethos.” Comrade Deng Xiaoping emphasized that rectifying the Party’s ethos must begin with straightening up the academic style; and rectifying the academic style, in turn, requires first putting right the writing style. Comrade Jiang Zemin clearly put forward the “Eight Upholds and Eight Opposes” as requirements for strengthening the Party’s work style, repeatedly stressing the need to correct unhealthy writing styles. Comrade Hu Jintao underscored the importance of vigorously promoting a spirit of seeking truth from facts and practicing realism throughout the Party, and called for “improving academic and writing styles, and streamlining meetings and documents.” Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has attached great importance to the issue of writing style, calling on all Party members to “make every effort to improve academic style, writing style, and meeting style.”

The historical experience of our Party has proven that improper writing styles can be extremely harmful. “Writing is an instrument for conveying the Way.” In terms of content, poor writing styles are characterized by a failure to address real-world issues, lack of original insights, and emptiness and vacuity; they also fail to respond to the concerns of the masses, offering no new solutions and consisting solely of empty rhetoric. From the perspective of expression, such poor writing styles manifest themselves as “one-size-fits-all” approaches, frequent indiscriminate use of “documentary” language, or closed-door “sentence-making” and the arbitrary concoction of “trendy phrases.” By striving to overcome these negative writing styles and actively promoting high-quality ones, we can save considerable time and energy, foster practical and effective work, enhance the effectiveness of governance, further strengthen the bonds between cadres and the masses, and ensure that the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies become attractive, inspiring, and approachable among the people.

To deeply explore the root causes of poor writing styles, we find that bureaucracy and formalism are at play behind the scenes. Poor writing styles are a manifestation of insufficient Party spirit and moral cultivation. When one casts aside the Party’s fundamental principle of “serving the people wholeheartedly,” instead of thinking critically and addressing issues based on fully listening to the masses’ opinions, one ends up alienating oneself from the people, habitually producing superficial, official-sounding documents, and merely concocting ideas and fabricating examples out of thin air while sitting in an office. Naturally, such writing cannot possibly resonate with the people or reflect real-life situations. Great writing flows from the heart—only by “traversing countless mountains and rivers, uttering countless words, exhausting every possible means, and enduring countless hardships” can one produce articles that directly hit the pain points and truly touch people’s hearts. The quality of one’s writing style is also closely linked to one’s personal qualities and scholarly background. If one’s mind lacks substance and one’s belly is empty of knowledge, the resulting writings will inevitably be dry, barren, hollow, and uninteresting. At the root of these phenomena lies the deeper issue of inadequate learning and insufficient skill development—a genuine “fear of incompetence.”

To improve writing style, we must produce more high-quality articles that are “short, practical, and innovative.” “Short” means concise and succinct—getting straight to the point without unnecessary elaboration, expressing ideas fully yet briefly, with clear-cut viewpoints and highlighted key points. “Practical” means speaking truthfully and realistically, avoiding empty rhetoric or theories that are far removed from reality; offering advice that is actionable rather than mere platitudes; sharing thoughts that reflect genuine personal reflection rather than simply reciting pre-written texts; expressing heartfelt insights rather than indulging in self-pitying complaints; and using language that is straightforward and easy to understand, rather than deliberately sounding profound and obscure. We should strive to explain profound theories in a way that is both deep and accessible, using simple, unadorned language. Our writing should be sincere and deeply felt, born from genuine emotion and conviction. “Innovative” means having profound and original ideas. The innovation referred to here encompasses not only new discoveries in exploring patterns and grasping truths, but also the ability to integrate the guiding principles of the central authorities and higher-level directives with the specific realities of our own region, department, or unit—yielding fresh perspectives, novel approaches, and innovative measures for solving problems. It also includes adopting new angles, using fresh materials, and employing novel linguistic expressions, as well as producing writing that is uniquely personal, distinctly characterized, and vividly engaging.

Improving writing style requires a multifaceted approach that addresses both the symptoms and root causes. First, the leading role of cadres at all levels is crucial to improving writing style. Practice has shown that only when leaders take the initiative to speak briefly, truthfully, and innovatively—and set a good example—can they foster a positive writing culture. Therefore, efforts to improve writing style must begin with leading bodies and cadres at all levels. Second, a good learning atmosphere is an essential prerequisite for good writing style. One who can offer others a cup of water must first have rivers in their heart. Only when a person has a solid theoretical foundation and abundant knowledge can they achieve profound insights, generate ideas as freely as a flowing spring, and write with remarkable fluency and inspiration. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening learning, calling on the entire Party to “persist in learning, keep learning, and keep learning again; persist in practice, keep practicing, and keep practicing again.” He stressed that theoretical study must “go deep, go practical, and go straight to the heart—placing oneself, one’s responsibilities, and one’s work squarely at the center, ensuring that learning, thinking, and application are seamlessly integrated and that knowledge, belief, and action are unified.” Third, investigation and research are the most critical steps in honing a good writing style. Only by thoroughly understanding the actual situation can we develop genuine insights and sound judgments. Leading cadres must leave their offices, immerse themselves in the frontline, and adopt flexible methods such as “observing, listening, asking, and diagnosing” to gain a deep understanding of the people’s voices, gather firsthand materials extensively, and ensure that their thoughts and writings reflect the demands of the times and accurately mirror reality. Fourth, enhancing Party spirit and moral cultivation is the ideological foundation for nurturing a good writing style. Only when one’s own moral character is noble and pure can one maintain consistency between words and deeds, between inner self and outer appearance, and can one’s writing truly reflect one’s personality vividly and authentically. For instance, some articles fail to mention problems at all but dwell at length on achievements—even exaggerating them arbitrarily—this is precisely a form of superficiality and insincerity stemming from an improper attitude. To improve writing style, we must enhance our Party spirit and moral cultivation. Only by clearly considering “why we write and for whom we write” before putting pen to paper can we ensure that “what we write and how we write” are done properly once we start drafting.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “We must change our work style and writing style—lower ourselves, calm our minds, seek the truth, speak the truth, and express genuine feelings. We should strive to produce works that are thoughtful, warm-hearted, and of high quality.” We must clearly recognize that improving our writing style is by no means a fleeting fad or an effortless task; rather, it is a profound exercise in Party spirit—a self-critical and inward-looking endeavor. Only when the conscious actions of every Party member and cadre come together to form a powerful, clear current can a writing style characterized by truthfulness, pragmatism, and simplicity truly become the norm.