Cultivating and selecting outstanding young cadres is the great plan of the party and the country, the great plan of a hundred years, and the grand plan of the millennium, and has a bearing on the fate of the party, the fate of the country, the fate of the nation, and the well-being of the people. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the cause of the party and the country has made historic achievements and undergone historic changes. We have achieved the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way on the land of China, and are embarking on a new journey of realizing the second centenary goal of comprehensively building a socialist modern power. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed at the opening ceremony of the training class for young and middle-aged cadres at the Central Party School (National Academy of Administration) in the autumn semester of 2021 that young cadres are born in the great era and are a new force for the development of the cause of the party and the country, and they must practice their internal skills, improve their self-cultivation, and strive to become talents who can be of great use and can shoulder heavy responsibilities. He explicitly pointed out that young cadres should be firm in their convictions, loyal to the party, pay attention to reality, seek truth from facts, have the courage to take responsibility, be good at acting, adhere to principles and dare to struggle, strictly abide by rules and regulations, not exceed the bottom line, study diligently and diligently, and enhance their skills. This is not only a requirement for young cadres to grow into talents, but also a path for young cadres to make meritorious achievements; only in this way can young cadres live up to the times, Shaohua, and the expectations and trust of the party and the people, and can our red rivers and mountains be passed down from generation to generation. General Secretary Xi Jinping's "48 characters" requirements are comprehensive and profound, of which firm faith and loyalty to the party are general and fundamental, and are the lifelong compulsory topics and primary political qualities of young cadres in the new era, and the two are closely linked, and only when ideals and beliefs are firm can they be absolutely loyal to the party, and absolute loyalty to the party is the best interpretation of firm ideals and beliefs.
I. Ideals and convictions are the spiritual pillar and political soul of Chinese communists, and strengthening ideals and convictions is a lifelong task that young cadres often practice and practice
The Communist Party of China is the vanguard of the Chinese working class and at the same time the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. This vanguard nature stems from the fact that the Communist Party of China has always been a party with lofty ideals and firm convictions in the hundred years since its founding. This vanguard nature determines that every Communist in this contingent must possess the political qualities of unswervingly upholding ideals and convictions and being infinitely loyal to the cause of the Party and the people. This ideal and belief is the common ideal of Marxist belief, the lofty ideal of communism, and socialism with Chinese characteristics. Long before the founding of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong pointed out that "doctrine is like a flag, and when the flag is erected, everyone can hope for it and know where it is going" (Central Literature Research Institute of the Communist Party of China: "Mao Zedong's Chronicle [1893-1949]", vol. 1, Central Literature Publishing House, 2013 edition, p. 70). After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong also pointed out: "The core force leading our cause is the Communist Party of China. The theoretical basis guiding our thinking is Marxism-Leninism. (Central Literature Research Institute of the Cpc Central Committee: "Mao Zedong's Annals [1949-1976]", vol. 2, Central Literature Publishing House, 2013 edition, page 283) General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth: "Marxism is broad and profound, and in the final analysis, it is a sentence to seek liberation for mankind. "The idea of the law of the development of human society is the most important content of Marxism. Marxist science reveals the inevitable trend of human society eventually moving towards communism. Marx and Engels pointed out that the future communist society "will be a union in which the free development of each individual is the condition for the free development of all" (The Collected Works of Marx and Engels, vol. 1, People's Publishing House, 1995, p. 273). The realization of the communist ideal is distant, but Marx and Engels firmly believed that as long as the people become their masters, the masters of society, and the masters of the development of human society, this ideal will certainly be able to become a reality step by step in the historical process of constantly changing the existing situation through one stage goal after another. Marxism has laid the theoretical foundation for communists to strengthen their ideals and convictions.
The most fundamental reason why our party has been able to continuously win victories in revolution, construction, and reform lies in its ability to use Marxist stands, viewpoints, and methods to correctly understand problems, scientifically analyze problems, and effectively solve problems, that is, to use the "arrow" of Marxism to shoot at the "arrows" of China's specific practice; it lies in always upholding the concept of "revolutionary ideals are higher than heaven" and thus bursting forth with powerful spiritual strength. Over the past 100 years, it is precisely because of our firm ideals and convictions that our party has been able to withstand all kinds of tests and setbacks, and has become rock-solid, strong and powerful, indestructible, invincible, and constantly advancing from victory to victory; it is precisely because of our firm ideals and convictions that our party members and cadres have been able to adhere to the correct political direction, have a broader vision, have a broader mind, and walk more steadily and farther. Li Dazhao, one of the earliest propagators of Marxism in China and one of the founders of the Communist Party of China, calmly and generously stated in the face of the enemy's gallows: "You cannot hang the great communism just because you hanged me today," and "We are convinced that communism is bound to win a glorious victory in the world and in China." "It doesn't matter if you behead, as long as the doctrine is true." Killed Xia Minghan, and later people. Xia Minghan's magnificent poem of "Just Righteousness" is a brilliant example of communists' firm ideals and convictions. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, groups of enthusiastic young people risked their lives to break through blockades and trek through mountains and rivers to the holy places in their hearts. "As long as there is still a breath, climb to Yan'an City", is a firm belief. History and reality have repeatedly proved that if ideals and convictions are firm, a political party will maintain its mighty strength; if its ideals and convictions are weak or lost, a political party will become a ragtag crowd or even disappear.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed many times: "The Communist Party of China is a political party armed with Marxism, and Marxism is the soul of the ideals and beliefs of Chinese communists." "Ideals and convictions are the spiritual pillar and political soul of Chinese communists, and they are also the ideological foundation for maintaining the unity and unity of the party." "Faith in Marxism, faith in socialism and communism, is the political soul of communists and the spiritual pillar for communists to withstand any test." Only those who have spiritual pillars can straighten their spiritual backbone and be selfless and fearless. People with political souls are people with flesh and blood capitalization, and only then can they sublimate the "small self" into a "big me", and then reach the realm of "forgetting myself" and "no self". The light of ideals does not extinguish, the light of faith does not extinguish. What we have to do now is to unify the lofty ideal of communism with the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthen self-confidence in the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, theoretical self-confidence, institutional self-confidence, and cultural self-confidence, adhere to the ideals and beliefs of communists, and fight for communism all their lives.
The Communist Party of China has always attached great importance to the building of the contingent of cadre Strengthening the building of the contingent of cadres is a strong political guarantee for the development of various undertakings of the party and the state. In June 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping first put forward the "five standards" for good cadres at the national organization work conference: "Good cadres must be firm in their convictions, serve the people, be diligent and pragmatic, dare to take responsibility, and be honest and clean." In December 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping demanded at the National Party School Work Conference that cadres must have "iron general belief, iron general belief, iron general discipline, and iron general responsibility." General Secretary Xi Jinping also attaches special importance to the requirements of ideals and beliefs, he pointed out: "Firm ideals and beliefs are the first criterion for good cadres. This requires cadres to arm their minds with the truth, strengthen the cultivation of party spirit, build a solid foundation of faith, replenish the calcium of the spirit, stabilize the rudder of the mind, truly achieve strong conviction, and take the lead in being firm believers and loyal practitioners of the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
"Ideals guide the direction of life, and faith determines the success or failure of careers." Whether our party is strong and powerful depends not only on whether the whole party is unswerving and tenacious in its ideals and convictions, but also on whether every party member is unswerving and tenacious in its ideals and convictions. Our party's cause is a relay race, one generation has a generation's long march, and one generation has a generation's mission, so it also depends on whether young cadres are unswerving, tenacious, and persistent in their ideals and convictions. Only with firm will and firm faith can we forge steel. In an important speech at the opening ceremony of the training class for young and middle-aged cadres at the Central Party School (National Academy of Administration) in the autumn semester of 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that young cadres should bear in mind that strengthening ideals and beliefs is a lifelong task, and it is necessary to practice frequently, believe in it for a lifetime, and keep it for a lifetime. This is not only a sincere entrustment, but also a clear requirement. Ideals are ideals because they are far-sighted, and beliefs are beliefs because they are persistent. The wavering of ideals and convictions is the most dangerous wavering, and the slippery slope of ideals and convictions is the most dangerous slippery slope. Without ideals and convictions, or if ideals and convictions are not firm, they will not be able to withstand the blows of the wind and waves, and at critical moments, they will be full of selfish thoughts and distractions, and even flee from the battlefield. Strengthening ideals and convictions is a comprehensive cultivation of the soul, will, party spirit, and behavior. Therefore, we must profoundly understand that firm ideals and convictions are not innate and arising out of thin air; the formation of firm ideals and convictions is neither achieved overnight nor once and for all, but must be constantly forged ahead and tested in the practice of struggle, especially in the practice of great struggles with many new historical characteristics in the new era, and dedicate all our own and even precious lives to the cause of the party and the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Strengthening ideals and beliefs and adhering to the spiritual pursuit of communists has always been the foundation for communists to settle down and establish their lives. "For the Chinese Communists, this is an indisputable truth.
Second, loyalty to the party is the primary political quality of Chinese communists, and listening to the party and following the party is the only way for young cadres to grow into talents
The key to judging whether cadres have ideals and convictions lies in whether they are loyal to the party. In an important speech at the opening ceremony of the training class for young and middle-aged cadres at the Central Party School (National Academy of Administration) in the autumn semester of 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed: "Firm ideals and beliefs and loyalty to the party are closely linked. Only by being firm in ideals and convictions can we be loyal to the party, and loyalty to the party is the best interpretation of firm ideals and convictions. "Loyalty to the Party is the primary political quality of Communists; loyalty to the Party is the obligation of Party members stipulated in the Party Constitution; and never betraying the Party is a solemn commitment made when taking the oath of membership in the Party." The Oath of Membership of the Communist Party of China has undergone many changes, but "never betray the Party" is a content that has not changed for a hundred years.
"There is no greater virtue under heaven than loyalty." Loyalty is a good character that communists must possess. "Stones can be broken, but they cannot be seized; Dan can be sharpened, but not red." In the 100 years since its founding, the Communist Party of China has experienced countless hardships and tribulations, but no difficulty has crushed us, and no enemy has been able to overthrow us, relying on the loyalty to the party interpreted by thousands of communists with their sweat, blood and lives. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "If there is no loyalty to the party as a political 'needle in the sea', it is likely to lose in the face of various tests." The great spirit of party building summarized by General Secretary Xi Jinping in his important speech at the conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, "loyalty to the party and living up to the people" is its important content and has profound connotations.
Loyalty to the Party is not abstract but concrete, not conditional but unconditional, and must be embodied in loyalty to the Party's beliefs, in loyalty to the Party organizations, and in loyalty to the Party's theories, lines, principles, and policies. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The key to absolute loyalty to the party lies in the two words 'absolute', that is, the only, thorough, unconditional, unadulterated, and waterless loyalty. And "loyalty to the party must begin with a single step." If we do not even do our own work well, do not take responsibility for inaction, and leave the 'field of responsibility' entrusted by the party organization deserted or even lost, then we will not be able to talk about 'two safeguards' at all! This requires not evading one's duties, not shirking one's responsibilities in righteousness, and upholding the supremacy of the cause of the party and the people above all else. Do everything that is beneficial to the party and the people resolutely and boldly. This is a concrete embodiment of loyalty to the party and an essential feature of the party spirit of Chinese communists.
To test whether party members and cadres are loyal to the party, in the revolutionary years, we must see whether they can charge into the battlefield for the cause of the party and the people and sacrifice their lives and forget their deaths. In the revolutionary years, joining the revolution meant possible sacrifices, and it was necessary to put life and death aside. New China is a country and mountains dyed red with the blood of tens of millions of martyrs, which can be described as "an inch of mountains and rivers and an inch of blood." In the revolutionary years, there were only 3.79 million Communists with names and surnames who died, not including the unknown martyrs. In April 1945, Mao Zedong emotionally pointed out in his report to the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China: "The Communist Party of China and the Chinese people have not been intimidated, conquered, or killed. They got up from the ground, wiped the blood off their bodies, buried the bodies of their companions, and they went on fighting. (The Collected Works of Mao Zedong, vol. 3, People's Publishing House, 1991, p. 1036) "Overpowering all enemies and never being subjugated by them" was the spirit of struggle of the Chinese Communists in the revolutionary years. "Throwing away one's head and spilling one's blood" is a true portrayal of the Chinese Communists in the revolutionary years. "Not afraid of sacrifice" and "never betray the party" are the touchstones for testing whether they are absolutely loyal to the party. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Red is the unique temperament born of our party, it means a kind of romance, a kind of romance of revolutionary idealists; it means a kind of sincerity, a kind of sincerity of the vanguard to the future and destiny of the nation; it means a kind of sacrifice, a kind of fearless sacrifice of communists." "Red is the color of sincerity, and this color cannot be diluted at any time.
General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed, "We select outstanding young cadres, thousands of articles, the first is to see whether they are loyal to the party; we cultivate outstanding young cadres, thousands of articles, the first is to educate them to be loyal to the party." There are also clear tests for testing whether party members and cadres are loyal to the party in peacetime. For example, whether we can uphold the party's leadership, resolutely safeguard the authority of the party central committee and centralized and unified leadership, and consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in ideological and political actions; whether we can resolutely implement the party's theory, line, principles, and policies, and implement the decision-making and deployment of the party central committee to the letter; whether we can strictly abide by the party's political discipline and political rules, and be a person who understands and is honest in politics; whether we can persist in putting the interests of the party and the people above all else, consciously implement organizational decisions, obey organizational arrangements, and so on. In the new era, loyalty to the party means resolutely implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, enhancing the "four consciousnesses", strengthening the "four self-confidences", achieving "two safeguards", keeping in mind the "great power of the country", young cadres should test themselves, compare themselves from time to time, practice it, always believe in the party and love the party, be loyal and clean, and strive to create achievements worthy of the party, the people, and the times. If young cadres lack loyalty to the party's cause and their political quality is not high, they will easily be led by erroneous ideas and vague understandings, and even if they are talented, they will be embarrassed and useful.
Strengthening our absolute loyalty to the party with firm ideals and convictions and releasing the tremendous power of ideals and convictions with absolute loyalty to the party is by no means an empty phrase, but should be the life creed of young cadres. In today's era, the world is experiencing major changes unprecedented in a century, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is in a critical period. Being good at cultivating opportunities in crises and opening up a new situation in the midst of changes is the basic skill that the vast number of leading cadres, including young cadres, must possess. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the knife should be sharpened on the stone, and people should be trained in things, and it is difficult to become a great instrument without weathering the wind and rain and not seeing the world. This is not only the wisdom and dialectic of life, but also the wisdom and dialectic of politics. The responsibility of officials is where the responsibility of cadres lies, and it is also the value of cadres, and it is also an important law for cadres, especially young cadres, to grow into talents. Responsibility and action are one, inaction is not responsibility, and there must be responsibility. Doing things is always risky. It is precisely because there is a risk that it needs to be taken responsibility. Practice produces true knowledge, and practice is long and true. It is precisely in this sense that young cadres must be determined to share worries for the party, fulfill their responsibilities for the country, and dedicate themselves to the people; in practice, they must endure the wind and rain and see the world, truly achieve consistency in appearance, unity of knowledge and action, and truly achieve firm conviction, "the wind and rain do not move like a mountain," do not bow their heads in the face of difficulties, do not shrink back in the face of difficulties, and do not slacken off in the face of heavy responsibilities, interpret their loyalty to the party with practical actions, work with the party with one heart and one mind, and be consistent, and constantly make new contributions and establish new undertakings where the party and the people need it most, and write worthy of the party in the great new era 3. Worthy of the wonderful chapter of the people.
(Author: Lin Jianhua, Vice President and Professor, Institute of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Source: China Party and Government Cadres Forum, No. 10, 2021)