Li Junru: Why do we still emphasize "reading the original works" when studying Marxism today?
Party building and governance
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Editor's note: As an advanced Marxist political party, the Communist Party of China has always attached importance to theoretical study. In the view of Li Junru, former vice president of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, there is no doubt that in our theoretical arming work, we must focus on what we are doing to learn, understand, and understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which is Marxism in contemporary China. But in order to really do this, we must make efforts to study the classics of our ancestors. The following is his speech at East China Normal University.
Today, the book "Reading Marxist Classics" has met with you, and soon "A Guide to the Original Works of Marxism in China" will also meet with you. Why do we commemorate Marx today? Why study Marxism? Why do we need to compile a study book of Marxism, including the original work of Marxism in China? To think about these "whys" is to make clear what we are doing now is the noble mission entrusted to us by the times.
"Tracing back to the roots", the next real effort
As everyone knows, Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology of our party, and the basic tenets of Marxism, as well as its stand, viewpoint, and method, are embodied in the original works of Marxism. At the conference to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth, General Secretary Xi Jinping once said: "Two centuries have passed, and great and profound changes have taken place in human society, but Marx's name is still respected by people all over the world, and Marx's doctrine still shines with dazzling truth." "Marx has a relationship with China, and when no one in China knows Marx, Marx was already concerned about the fate of Chinese and published more than a dozen articles on China. As soon as Marxism entered China, it quickly spread throughout China and became a sharp ideological weapon for the Chinese people to change the face of China. Marxism has thus become the scientific belief of the advanced Chinese. Today, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and in our theoretical arming work, there is no doubt that we must focus on what we are doing to learn, understand, and understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which is Marxism in contemporary China. But in order to really do this, we must make efforts to study the classics of our ancestors.
In this regard, General Secretary Xi Jinping made it very clear, he said: "While studying the theoretical works of contemporary Chinese Marxism, we must go back to the roots, conscientiously study the works of Marxist-Leninist classic writers, and conscientiously study the works of Comrade Mao Zedong." He used the words "tracing back to the roots" to clarify the relationship between studying contemporary Chinese Marxism and studying the original works of our ancestors. He then said: "To read Marxism-Leninism and Mao's works, we must be proficient, we must study them as they are, read them carefully and carefully, and make real efforts in the next time." To this end, he also told a story: "At the end of 1939, Comrade Mao Zedong said to a comrade who was studying at the Marxist-Leninist Institute in Yan'an: 'We should read Marxist-Leninist books often. I have read the Communist Manifesto more than 100 times, and when I encounter problems, I will flip through Marx's Communist Manifesto, sometimes only one or two paragraphs, sometimes read the whole text, and every time I read it, I have new inspirations. When I wrote "On New Democracy," I read the "Communist Manifesto" many times. Reading Marxist theory lies in application, and in order to apply it, it is necessary to read it frequently and emphatically. We must learn, understand, and understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and we must strengthen the study of Marxism, including the original works of Marxism in China.
Everyone must have noticed that General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized: "The reason why the Communist Party of China is able and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good is, in the final analysis, because Marxism works!" The four words "in the final analysis" emphasized here have the heaviest weight and the deepest meaning, which requires us to deeply understand and earnestly practice. As experts and scholars who have been engaged in the study and teaching of Marxism for a long time, they should shoulder the unshirkable responsibility and take it for granted to jointly undertake the lofty mission of promoting the study of the original Marxist works.
The original works should be selected, and they should be read intensively
To study the original works of Marxism-Leninism, we mainly rely on self-study and also rely on a certain amount of guidance. Self-study and tutoring should go hand in hand, and tutoring can promote self-learning. If you want tutoring, you need to have tutoring readings. What kind of tutorial is a good way to write? This is also a question for us to ponder. According to the teaching practice, we consider separating the Marxist classics from the Marxist classics in China, with the former focusing on comprehension and the latter on introductory reading. The overall requirement is intensive reading.
In his 1992 speech to the south, Deng Xiaoping famously said about how to study Marxism-Leninism well: "To study Marxism-Leninism, we must be refined and effective." "We still stick to that approach today. At the same time, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of what "fine" is. Deng Xiaoping raised this issue mainly in response to the formalism that had prevailed for many years. By "formalism" in study, he meant that he demanded that the masses "read all big books." At the same time, he is not a generalization, clearly pointing out that "long things are read by a small number of professional people". However, many of us only understand Deng Xiaoping's words in terms of quantity, and mistakenly think that "learning Marxism-Leninism is to be proficient" means that the original works should not be read too much, which is a kind of one-sidedness. When emphasizing this requirement put forward by Deng Xiaoping, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "to read Marxism-Leninism and Mao's works, we must be refined, we must study them as they are, read them carefully and carefully, and make real efforts." That is to say, "studying Marxism-Leninism must be refined" must not only have quantitative requirements, but also select the original works, and more importantly, have qualitative requirements, and the original works must be read intensively. Intensive reading means "to learn from the original and read carefully".
So, how do you do "intensive reading"? How to "learn the original and read carefully"?
-- In order to "read the original works of Marxism-Leninism" and "study them as they are, and read them carefully and carefully," it is better to comprehensively consider the historical background, cultural characteristics, and linguistic characteristics of the original works, as well as the intellectual background of today's young people. Teaching practice tells us that the advantage of the guide is to concisely grasp the main ideas of the original work, so that it is easy to understand and understand, but it is still unclear how the original work itself analyzes the problem and how these views are formed. Through the teacher's reading, I read the original work paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, and finally made an induction and refinement, which not only knew the main viewpoints, but also understood how Marx and Engels thought, analyzed, and answered major questions, which is conducive to grasping the logic of Marxist analysis of problems and its internal stand, viewpoint, and method.
-- With regard to the original works of the Sinicization of Marxism, it is necessary to "read intensively" and "study them as they are, and read them carefully and carefully." We can adopt the method of "guided reading," but we must still follow the logic of the original works themselves to guide the reading just as we read the original works of Marxism-Leninism, and at the same time consider that these works are easier for Chinese to read and understand, and focus on deepening them. In other words, the guide is not to pick a few main points to elaborate, but to follow the logic of the original work to guide the reading, and explain the truth clearly and thoroughly; At the same time, it is necessary to introduce more about the historical background of the formation of the original work, including the writing process, and introduce more about the major questions answered by the original work and what rights and wrongs are clarified in the original work.
It is not to read the original book out of reality, but to "use it for the sake of learning"
To promote the study of original works, there is a problem that needs to be dealt with. This is the problem of "linking theory with practice."
There is no doubt that in studying Marxism-Leninism, we must adhere to the principle of integrating theory with practice. This is an issue of study style, and it is also the fundamental experience of our party in being able to put forward and promote the Sinicization of Marxism. We also adhered to this principle when compiling the "Reading of Marxist Classics" and the "Guide to the Sinicization of Marxist Classics." First of all, we select some original works for reading and guide, and the principle followed by the selection is the principle of centering on what is being done, which is the need for practice. Secondly, the focus of our reading and introduction is also the issues that need to be understood in practice, or the issues that need to be clarified in practice. Thirdly, after reading and guiding the original work, we can make a little analysis of the theoretical points or practical issues that should be valued and paid attention to in connection with today's reality. In doing so, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of integrating theory with practice, but the form can be varied and the length must be grasped well, and the main topic should not be taken over. One point that needs to be emphasized is that in today's adherence to the principle of integrating theory with practice, the most important thing is to deeply understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era through the study of original works.
We know that linking theory with practice is a university question, and it is very difficult to really do it, but we will work hard for it. The focus of our compilation of the original reading and guide is to devote ourselves to "learning from the original and reading carefully" in accordance with the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping. Just as he quoted Mao Zedong when telling the story of the original book: "Reading Marxist theory lies in application, and in order to apply it, we must read it often and emphatically." In other words, we are not reading the original work in isolation from reality, but "for the sake of learning".
Learning is not only knowledge, but also the foundation of being a person and doing things
Conscientiously studying Marxist classics at the university level is particularly important for young students to form a correct world outlook, outlook on life, and values. After graduating from university, whether or not they continue to study for graduate school, our young students have begun or are about to begin to work and devote themselves directly to the cause of China's socialist modernization. They will face a society full of opportunities and challenges independently, and what they need most at this time is the faith and vision to be able to correctly grasp the direction of life, and the literacy and ability to correctly understand, analyze and solve problems. And such beliefs and visions, qualities and abilities should be cultivated at the stage of school education.
It is true that schools need to impart knowledge, which is basic work, but it is by no means limited to imparting knowledge. In today's information society, knowledge is updated at a rapid pace, and a large amount of new knowledge depends on young people to continue learning in the workplace. However, in the school learning stage, students can form the belief and vision to correctly grasp the direction of life, and cultivate the literacy and ability to correctly understand, analyze and solve problems, which will be useful for students for life. We attach importance to the study of Marxism and the study of Marxist classics, and what we learn is not only knowledge, but also the foundation of being a person and doing things. As the ancients said, "Ancient scholars must have teachers." Teacher, so preach and teach to solve doubts. As a teacher, "preaching" is the first task. The most important thing in today's "preaching" is to preach the "way" of Marxism, the "way" of the sinicization of Marxism, and the "way" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Although it is very important to study the original works of Marxism, including the Sinicization of Marxism, to a large extent, reading the original works is precisely the shortcoming of our school education for some time. In the past few years, from top to bottom, we have begun to attach importance to studying Marxism-Leninism and reading original works, but we have to admit that there have been deficiencies in this regard in the past period of time. As a teacher, everyone should have this feeling in the process of taking doctoral students in the past few years. Therefore, we must strengthen the teaching of original works, leading cadres should read original works, and college students should also read a little bit of original works.
To meticulously guide and cultivate young people, we must start with the basic project of reading the original works and understanding the principles
Cultivating people with virtue is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Our ancestors have long recognized that "tree people" is a lifelong plan for people and a long-term plan for the country. "Pipe" said: "A year's plan is like a tree valley; A ten-year plan is like a tree; A lifelong plan is as good as a tree. "How to build people? "Zuo Biography" emphasized: "There is virtue in the Tai, followed by meritorious service, followed by words, although it has not been abandoned for a long time, this is called immortal." The highest state of the "three immortals" is virtue. Cultivating people with virtue can be said to be a main line and fine tradition that has been constantly reforming the form of education in the mainland for thousands of years, while the theme of education has always remained the same.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) has always attached great importance to moral education. In the party's education policy, the goal of cultivating people has never been lacking, and it has always been listed in the first place, from emphasizing "all-round development of morality, intellect, physique, and beauty", to emphasizing "all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor" today. At the beginning of the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has proposed to "take the cultivation of virtue as the fundamental task of education". The 19th and 20th National Congresses of the Communist Party of China emphasized the need to "implement the fundamental task of establishing morality and cultivating people".
Today, when we study General Secretary Xi Jinping's thought on "implementing the fundamental task of establishing morality and cultivating people", we must deeply realize that "cultivating people with virtue" is not only a requirement for "moral education", but also a requirement for the entire grand cause of Chinese-style modernization. In other words, Chinese-style modernization should be realized by people who have the talent for modernization, and only those who have the talent for modernization should have virtue, not those who lack virtue or even lack virtue.
How to cultivate virtue and cultivate virtuous talents needed for Chinese-style modernization? General Secretary Xi Jinping said four words: "casting souls and educating people". On March 18, 2019, he clearly pointed out at the symposium of teachers of the school's ideological and political theory course that we should run socialist education with Chinese characteristics, which is to open ideological and political courses with confidence, use the socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics in the new era to cast the soul and educate people, guide students to enhance their self-confidence in the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, theoretical self-confidence, institutional self-confidence, and cultural self-confidence, cultivate patriotic feelings, and consciously integrate patriotism, national aspirations, and dedication to the country into adhering to and developing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, building a modern socialist power, and In the struggle to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Therefore, we can fully say that the key to cultivating morality is to cultivate people with souls, and the task of the school's ideological and political theory course is to cultivate people with virtue in cultivating people.
So, how to cast the soul and educate people?
General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that Marxism is our "soul". When expounding on the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, he clearly pointed out: "Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology for building the party and the country, and is the soul and banner of our party. At the same time, more importantly, General Secretary Xi Jinping's emphasis on "casting souls and educating people" contains rich connotations and requirements. When General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Guangdong, he had a profound and incisive exposition on what is "casting the soul with learning". He said: "To forge the soul with learning is to do a good job in studying and implementing the deepening, internalization, and transformation of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, to clarify the source and cultivate the yuan from the ideological perspective, to build a solid foundation of faith, to replenish the spiritual calcium, and to stabilize the rudder of thought." Although this is addressed to our party and its cadres, it is also of universal significance to us in cultivating new people of the era who will take on the great task of national rejuvenation, and for cultivating socialist builders and successors with all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor.
In the final analysis, it is necessary to do a good job in the deepening, internalization, and transformation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, build a solid foundation of faith, replenish spiritual calcium, and stabilize the rudder of thought. In a word, it is to firmly establish the scientific belief in Marxism and deeply understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This is the foundation of soul casting and educating people.
Thinking further, in the process of soul casting and educating people, how can we do a solid job in studying and implementing the deepening, internalization, and transformation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, build a solid foundation of faith, replenish spiritual calcium, and stabilize the rudder of thought? There is no doubt that firmly establishing the scientific belief in Marxism and deeply understanding Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a university question and a major project. However, basic engineering is reading the original book and understanding the principle.
Young people are the future of the motherland and the hope of the nation. Determined to achieve the great cause of the Chinese nation for a thousand years, our party must cultivate generation after generation of useful talents who support the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system on the mainland and are determined to fight for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for life. It is precisely for this fundamental purpose that we stress the need to strengthen the construction of ideological and political theory courses in schools. As General Secretary Xi Jinping said, the adolescent stage is the "jointing and booting period" of life, and it needs to be carefully guided and cultivated the most. The ideological and political theory course is a key course to implement the fundamental task of establishing morality and cultivating people. To meticulously guide and cultivate young people, it is necessary to start from the basic project of reading the original books and understanding the principles.
[Li Junru: Speaker of the Chang'an Street Reading Club, former vice president of the Central Party School]
Note: Authorized to publish, this article has been selected and included in the "Chang'an Street Reading Club" theoretical learning platform (People's Daily, People's Political Consultative Conference Daily, Beijing Daily, Chongqing Daily, Xinhuanet, CCTV, National Party Media Information Public Platform, Vision, Beijing Time, Surging Government Affairs, Phoenix News Client "Chang'an Street Reading Club" column synchronization), reprinting must be uniformly marked "Chang'an Street Reading Club" theoretical learning platform source and author.
Editor-in-charge: Qiu Shiyi; Preliminary review: Cheng Ziqian, Chen Jiani; Re-examiner: Li Yufan
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In order to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we are now jointly carrying out relevant party building reading and learning activities for the party schools (administrative colleges), cadre colleges, Marxist colleges, and new era civilization practice centers (institutes, stations) where the central and state organs, central enterprises, and provinces, cities, counties (districts) are located. Recently, with the approval of relevant departments, it has been officially agreed that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission, the Organization Department of the Central Committee, the Working Committee of the Central Committee and State Organs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and other designated units have joined the "Chang'an Street Reading Club" Party Building Reading Cooperation Mechanism, and jointly undertook the "Chang'an Street Reading Club" series of reading and learning activities.