The Historical Creation and Practical Achievements of "Combining Education with Productive Labor"

"Combining education with productive labor" is both an important component of Marxist educational theory and a consistent fine tradition of our Party. In September 2024, Xi Jinping emphasized at the Second National Education Conference that efforts should focus on "cultivating socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and in labor." This provides directional guidance and fundamental principles for developing "combining education with productive labor" in the New Era, where "physical" and "labor" also indicate that the Party and state leaders attach great importance to labor education. At present, artificial intelligence technology promotes the development of productive forces, but it also raises concerns about practical issues such as "the theory of labor education being outdated," "labor deskilling," and "technological unemployment," posing certain challenges to the practice of "combining education with productive labor." Therefore, examining the historical necessity of the proposal and development of "combining education with productive labor," summarizing its practical achievements, and deeply understanding the advanced nature of the Marxist thought on "combining education with productive labor" and the superiority of socialist education with Chinese characteristics hold important enlightening significance for better promoting the practice of "combining education with productive labor" in the New Era.

“教育与生产劳动相结合”既是马克思主义教育理论的重要组成部分，也是我们党一贯的优良传统。2024年9月，习近平在第二次全国教育大会上强调，要“着眼于培养德智体美劳全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人”。这为新时代发展“教育与生产劳动相结合”提供了方向指引和根本遵循，其中“体”和“劳”也说明党和国家领导人高度重视劳动教育。当下，人工智能技术促进生产力发展，但也引发对于“劳动教育过时论”“劳动去技能化”“技术性失业”等现实问题的担忧，使“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践面临一定挑战。因此，考察“教育与生产劳动相结合”提出和发展的历史必然，总结其实践成就，深刻认识马克思主义“教育与生产劳动相结合”思想的先进性和中国特色社会主义教育的优越性，对于在新时代更好推动“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践，具有重要启示意义。

I. The Necessity of the Proposal and Development of "Combining Education with Productive Labor"

一、“教育与生产劳动相结合”提出发展的必然性

The proposal and development of "combining education with productive labor" possess both historical inevitability and conform to the inevitable trend of social development. Looking back at history, the Chinese Communist Party's practice of "combining education with productive labor" solved four aspects of problems: promoting socio-economic development; overcoming the separation of cognition from practice and theory from reality; overcoming the separation of "mental labor" and "physical labor"; and advancing the realization of comprehensive human development.

“教育与生产劳动相结合”的提出发展既具有历史必然性，也符合社会发展必然趋势。回望历史，中国共产党开展“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践解决了四方面问题：促进社会经济发展；克服认识脱离实践、理论脱离实际；克服“劳心”和“劳力”相分离；推进实现人的全面发展。

(1) The Need for Actual Production and Construction to Promote Socio-Economic Development

（一）促进社会经济发展的实际生产建设需要

During the period of revolutionary war, our Party's base areas were located in impoverished rural regions, and all work had to be carried out on the premise of solving basic production problems. At the same time, the laboring masses in the countryside also needed education to raise their cultural level and escape ignorance, so as to undertake revolutionary and production tasks. Under these historical conditions, "combining education with productive labor" emerged as the times required. To run schools in the rural conditions of "poverty and blankness," it was necessary for teachers and students to dig cave dwellings, build auditoriums, reclaim wasteland and grow crops themselves. "The combination of education and productive labor implemented in the revolutionary base areas was linked to solving the material difficulties of running education."

革命战争时期，我们党的根据地位处贫困乡村地区，开展各项工作都须以解决基本的生产问题为前提，同时，农村劳苦大众也需要教育来提高文化水平、摆脱愚昧状态，以承担革命生产任务。在这一历史条件下，“教育与生产劳动相结合”应运而生。在农村“一穷二白”的条件下办学校，就需要老师和学生自己动手挖窑洞、盖礼堂、开荒种地等，“革命根据地实行的教育与生产劳动相结合，是同解决办教育的物质困难联系在一起的”。

During the period of the Comprehensive War of Resistance Against Japan, with the continuous influx of population, the finance and economy of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, which was originally sparsely populated, had barren land, and suffered frequent natural disasters, were extremely difficult. Especially when the War of Resistance entered the stalemate stage, the Kuomintang government stopped paying the salaries of the Eighth Route Army and the funds for the Border Region, and imposed a military blockade and economic blockade on the Border Region, further exacerbating this situation. "We once reached the point where we had almost no clothes to wear, no oil to eat, no paper, no vegetables, the soldiers had no shoes or socks, and the staff had no quilts in winter." "We must get food to eat, we must pay attention to economic work. To talk about education or schools while leaving aside economic work is nothing but superfluous empty talk." Precisely based on this, the Party Central Committee decided to call for production self-rescue, and the various organs, schools, factories, and troops in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region launched large-scale production campaigns to achieve self-reliance. "Some organs, schools, and troops must, under war conditions, strictly implement growing vegetables, raising pigs, chopping firewood, burning charcoal, developing handicrafts, and partially growing grain." In terms of cadre education, various educational models of "combining education with productive labor" were implemented. For example, the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University incorporated productive labor into the teaching plan, organizing all teachers and students to study on the one hand and participate in production campaigns on the other. The entire faculty and student body of the Northern Shaanxi Public School, in order to complete the task of reclaiming 2,100 mu of wasteland, organized youth突击 teams and launched labor competitions. The China Women's University both taught and produced, and scenes of listening to lectures while knitting were common, known as "balancing study and production without neglecting either." Overall, under the guidance of the Party's educational policy, the various educational units in the base areas vigorously carried out the practice of "combining education with productive labor," depicting a scene of educating people where learning and production advanced side by side, greatly helping to improve the material conditions of the base areas.

全面抗日战争时期，随着人口不断迁入，原本人烟稀少、土地贫瘠、自然灾害频发的陕甘宁边边区财政经济十分困难，尤其是抗日战争进入相持阶段，国民党政府停发八路军军饷和边区经费、对边区实行军事包围和经济封锁，更加剧了这一状况。“我们曾经弄到几乎没有衣穿，没有油吃，没有纸，没有菜，战士没有鞋袜，工作人员冬天没有被盖。”“我们必须弄饭吃，我们必须注意经济工作。离开经济工作而谈教育或学校，不过是多余的空话。”正基于此，中共中央决定号召生产自救，陕甘宁边区各机关、学校、工厂和部队开展大规模生产运动，以实现自力更生。“一些机关学校部队，必须于战争条件下厉行种菜、养猪、打柴、烧炭，发展手工业和部分种粮。”在干部教育方面，实施各种“教育与生产劳动相结合”的教育模式，如中国人民抗日红军大学将生产劳动纳入教学计划，组织全体师生一面学习，一面参加生产运动；陕北公学全体师生为完成2100亩的开荒生产任务，组织青年突击队，发起劳动竞赛；中国女子大学既教学，也生产，经常出现边听课边织衣的场景，被称为“学习生产两不误”。总体来看，当时根据地各教育单位在党的教育方针指引下，大力开展“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践，描绘出一幅学习与生产并进的育人场景，极大帮助改善了根据地的物质条件。

After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong pointed out: "Our country is still a very poor country, and it is impossible to fundamentally change this state in a short period of time. It depends entirely on the youth and the entire people to unite and struggle for several decades, using their own hands to create a prosperous and strong country." In response, Zhou Enlai called on the people at the First Session of the Fourth National People's Congress to "work hard and build the country through diligence and thrift." In response to this call, the education sector implemented "combining education with productive labor," and an educational ethos of "running schools diligently and thriftily, and working part-time while studying" gradually took shape. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Party Central Committee, the focus of the Party and state work shifted to economic construction. In 1978, Deng Xiaoping pointed out at the National Education Work Conference: "Only when workers possess a relatively high level of scientific and cultural knowledge, rich production experience, and advanced labor skills can they play a greater role in modern production." This required that "combining education with productive labor" adapt to the development of the times in terms of content and methods. Deng Xiaoping further pointed out: "If what students learn does not match the occupations they will engage in in the future, if they learn what they do not use and use what they have not learned, would that not fundamentally destroy the policy of combining education with productive labor?" Educational planning should consider the issue of employment "matching," which profoundly reveals that "combining education with productive labor" is also an economic development issue. Currently, China's economic development has shifted from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development. Whether innovation and creativity can be cultivated has become an important prerequisite for achieving high-quality development. In response, "combining education with productive labor" must serve innovative development, continuously enhance students' practical and innovative abilities, and empower innovation education through labor education.

新中国成立后，毛泽东指出：“我们的国家现在还是一个很穷的国家，并且不可能在短时间内根本改变这种状态，全靠青年和全体人民在几十年时间内，团结奋斗，用自己的双手创造出一个富强的国家。”对此，周恩来在四届全国人大一次会议上号召人民“艰苦奋斗，勤俭建国”。为响应这一号召，教育界实行“教育与生产劳动相结合”，“勤俭办学、勤工俭学”的教育风气逐渐形成。党的十一届三中全会后，党和国家的工作重心转移到经济建设上来。1978年，邓小平在全国教育工作会议上指出：“劳动者只有具备较高的科学文化水平，丰富的生产经验，先进的劳动技能，才能在现代化的生产中发挥更大的作用。”这就要求“教育与生产劳动相结合”在内容和方法上要适应时代发展。邓小平进一步指出：“学生学的和将来要从事的职业不相适应，学非所用，用非所学，岂不是从根本上破坏了教育与生产劳动相结合的方针？”教育规划应考虑就业“对口”问题，这深刻揭示了“教育与生产劳动相结合”也是经济发展问题。当前，我国经济发展已由高速增长阶段转向高质量发展阶段，能否培育创新、创造能力成为实现高质量发展的重要前提。对此，“教育与生产劳动相结合”要服务于创新发展，不断提升学生实践创新能力，以劳动教育赋能创新教育。

(2) The Need to Overcome the Separation of Cognition from Practice and Theory from Reality

（二）克服认识脱离实践、理论脱离实际的需要

During the revolutionary war years, a situation of separation between cognition and practice once appeared within our Party. Some Party members only buried their heads in reading books, despised practical struggle, and as a result turned Marxism into rigid dogma, committing the error of dogmatism; some Party members despised theoretical study, only focused on practical struggle, and as a result replaced scientific guidance with subjective experience, committing the error of empiricism. Where does human knowledge come from? In response, Mao Zedong pointed out: "There are two kinds of incomplete knowledge: one is the knowledge from ready-made books, and the other is knowledge that is biased towards the perceptual and the partial. Both have one-sidedness. Only by combining the two can relatively complete and good knowledge be produced." He further pointed out: "What is relatively complete knowledge? All relatively complete knowledge consists of two stages: the first stage is perceptual knowledge, and the second stage is rational knowledge. Rational knowledge is the advanced stage of development of perceptual knowledge." Relying solely on book knowledge or solely on subjective experience is one-sided; to obtain complete knowledge, one must master the dialectical materialist epistemology of "practice, cognition, re-practice, and re-cognition, this form repeating itself in endless cycles." Productive labor is the basic activity of human beings and also the basic way for humans to acquire knowledge and skills; around productive labor, humans can obtain perceptual knowledge and elevate it into scientific rational knowledge.

在革命战争年代，我们党内部一度出现认识与实践相脱离的情况。有些党员只顾埋头读书，轻视实践斗争，结果将马克思主义变为死板的教条，犯了教条主义错误；有些党员轻视理论学习，只注重实际斗争，结果以主观经验取代科学指导，犯了经验主义错误。人类的知识从哪里来？对此，毛泽东指出：“有两种不完全的知识，一种是现成书本上的知识，一种是偏于感性和局部的知识，这二者都有片面性，只有使二者互相结合，才会产生好的比较完全的知识。”他进一步指出：“什么是比较完全的知识呢？一切比较完全的知识都是由两个阶段构成的：第一阶段是感性知识，第二阶段是理性知识，理性知识是感性知识的高级发展阶段。”只凭书本知识和只凭主观经验，都是片面的；要获得完整的知识，就必须掌握“实践、认识、再实践、再认识，这种形式循环往复以至无穷”的辩证唯物主义认识论。生产劳动是人类的基本活动，也是人类获取知识技能的基本途径；围绕生产劳动，人类才可以获得感性认识并将之提升为科学的理性认识。

After the founding of New China, the field of education once saw theory divorced from practice, that is, campus learning disconnected from actual social needs. In 1965, Mao Zedong pointed out the need to reform school education and enable students to come into contact with social reality. He said: “I have serious doubts about the current education system. From primary school to university, it takes sixteen or seventeen years, over twenty years, without seeing rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, millet, or broomcorn millet, without seeing how workers do their jobs, without seeing how peasants till the fields, without seeing how commodities are exchanged, and even ruining one’s health—it really is deadly.” Mao Zedong suggested that liberal arts universities should have students engage in industry, agriculture, and commerce; science and engineering students should not only intern in factories and conduct experiments in laboratories but also appropriately come into contact with social reality; senior high school graduates should first do some practical work, such as going to the countryside, factories, shops, or military companies. During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, Jiang Zemin reaffirmed the need to enable students to participate in social practice through “combining education with productive labor.” He said: “If students are only made to study behind closed doors, without participating in labor, without coming into contact with social practice, without understanding how workers and peasants diligently create social wealth, and without cultivating feelings for the working people, it is not conducive to their healthy growth and comprehensive development.” Thus, “combining education with productive labor” is an important manifestation of integrating theory with practice in the field of education.

新中国成立后，教育领域一度出现理论脱离实际，即校园学习同实际社会需要脱节的情况。1965年，毛泽东指出要改造学校教育，让学生去接触社会实际。他说：“现在这种教育制度，我很怀疑，从小学到大学，一共十六七年，二十多年看不见稻、粱、菽、麦、黍、稷，看不见工人怎样做工，看不见农民怎样种田，看不见商品是怎样交换的，身体也搞坏了，真是害死人。”毛泽东建议，文科大学要让学生去搞工业、农业和商业；理工科的学生不仅去工厂实习，在实验室做实验，也要适当接触社会实际；高中毕业生先去做点实际工作，如下农村、下工厂、下商店、下连队等。在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，江泽民重申要通过“教育与生产劳动相结合”让学生去参加社会实践。他说：“如果只是让学生关起门来读书，不参加劳动，不接触社会实践，不了解工人农民是怎样辛勤创造社会财富的，不培养劳动人民感情，是不利于他们健康成长和全面发展的。”由此可见，“教育与生产劳动相结合”是理论联系实际在教育领域的重要体现。

(3) The need to overcome the separation of “mental labor” and “manual labor”

（三）克服“劳心”和“劳力”相分离的需要

In the old society, labor was a yoke for exploiting and oppressing the masses, while education was a “luxury” beyond the reach of the masses. The problem with education in old China was that it sequestered education and scholarship, failing to actively establish real connections with social life, turning schools of the time generally into “nurseries for bookworms of all sizes, monasteries for escaping the world and retiring from society.” [8]8 “大小书呆子的养成所，避世出世的修道院” – A phrase from the Chinese educator Tao Xingzhi (1891–1946), criticizing traditional schooling for producing bookworms detached from society. At the same time, the exploiters monopolized the right to education, using cultural knowledge as a tool to further exploit and oppress the working people, considering mental laborers superior, so that “those who labor with their minds govern others; those who labor with their strength are governed by others.” [9]9 “劳心者治人，劳力者治于人” – A classical saying from Mencius (4th century BCE), used here to critique the hierarchical division between mental and manual labor in old China. Whether in traditional academies or various schools, it was difficult for the masses to enter and pursue learning. To prevent scholarship from becoming a tool of domination for a few, and to avoid education “becoming increasingly alienated from civilian society, brewing a strange drama where the intellectual class enslaves the commoner class,” it was necessary to solve the chronic problem of the separation of mental laborers and manual laborers, that is, the separation of book education from productive labor. “Marxism holds that education, divorced from productive labor, cannot resolve the opposition between mental labor and physical labor.” [10]10 Quotation from a Chinese source summarizing a Marxist position; the original reference is not specified in the text. Precisely on this basis, the Communist Party of China began to lead the promotion of a new education linked to the people and society. On the one hand, it enabled the broad working masses to receive education; on the other hand, it sent intellectuals to the workers and peasants, “to sweep away the remnants of the parasitic education system where ‘studying’ was divorced from production, and to closely link school education with productive labor.”

在旧社会，劳动是剥削压迫大众的枷锁，教育则是大众遥不可及的“奢侈品”。旧中国教育的问题是将教育和学术束之高阁，不主动与社会生活建立现实联系，使当时的学校普遍成为“大小书呆子的养成所，避世出世的修道院”。同时，剥削者把受教育权据为己有，将文化知识当做进一步剥削和压迫劳动人民的工具，认为脑力劳动者高人一等，使“劳心者治人，劳力者治于人”。不论传统书院，还是各类学校，大众都难以进入其中求学。为避免学术成为少数人的统治工具，使教育“与平民社会隔离愈远，酿成一种知识阶级奴役平民阶级的怪剧”，就要解决劳心者和劳力者相脱离，即书本教育与生产劳动相脱离的痼疾。“马克思主义认为，教育离开了生产劳动，就不可能解决脑力劳动与体力劳动的对立”。正基于此，中国共产党开始领导推行与人民和社会相联系的新教育，一方面让广大劳动人民接受教育，另一方面让知识分子到工农民众中去，“扫除那种‘读书’同生产脱离的寄生虫式的教育制度的残余，而使学校教育同生产劳动密切的联系起来”。

In 1921, Mao Zedong, in the organizational outline for founding the new-type “populist” higher education institution, the Hunan Self-Study University, pointed out: “To break the habit of physical weakness among the students of this university; to seek the balanced development of mental and physical strength, and to pursue the rapprochement between the two stages of knowledge and labor: attention should be paid to labor.” [11]11 The Hunan Self-Study University was a short-lived experimental institution founded by Mao Zedong and others in Changsha in 1921 to promote a new type of education linked to labor and society. “Balanced development of mental and physical strength” and “attention to labor” thus raised the issue of the joint development of mental and physical strength, with particular emphasis on labor education.

1921年，毛泽东在创办“平民主义”的新型高校湖南自修大学组织大纲中指出：“本大学学友为破除文弱之习惯；图脑力与体力之平均发展，并求知识与劳力两阶段之接近：应注意劳动。”“脑力与体力平均发展”和“注意劳动”，这就提出了脑力和体力共同发展，尤其要重视劳动教育的问题。

During the Agrarian Revolutionary War period, our Party actively carried out new education serving the laboring masses in the Central Revolutionary Base Area. In January 1934, Mao Zedong pointed out at the Second National Congress of Soviets that the general policy of Soviet culture and education “lies in educating the broad laboring masses in the spirit of communism, in making culture and education serve the revolutionary war and class struggle, and in linking education with labor.” [12]12 The Second National Congress of Soviets was held in Ruijin, Jiangxi, in January 1934, during the period of the Chinese Soviet Republic (1931–1937). This policy was a product of combining the basic Marxist principle of “combining education with productive labor” with the concrete realities of our revolutionary base areas. It was of epoch-making significance, aimed at educating the broad working masses and making them revolutionary subjects with strong will.

土地革命战争时期，我们党在中央革命根据地积极开展服务劳苦大众的新教育。1934年1月，毛泽东在第二次全国苏维埃代表大会上指出，苏维埃文化教育的总方针“在于以共产主义的精神来教育广大的劳苦民众，在于使文化教育为革命战争与阶级斗争服务，在于使教育与劳动联系起来”。这一方针是马克思主义“教育与生产劳动相结合”基本原理同我国革命根据地具体实际相结合的产物，具有划时代意义，旨在教育广大劳动人民，使他们成为具有坚强意志的革命主体。

During the period of the Comprehensive War of Resistance Against Japan, “combining education with productive labor” became an educational principle implemented and carried out in all base areas. Whether in primary and secondary education or in cadre education, schools led by the Party flexibly integrated “combining education with productive labor” into daily study and life. This not only enabled ordinary primary and secondary school students to comprehensively master theoretical knowledge through productive labor, but also reversed people’s contempt for manual labor and manual laborers, and further cultivated revolutionary cadres who could adapt to the revolutionary environment and integrate with the masses, effectively breaking down the state of separation between “mental labor” and “manual labor.”

全面抗日战争时期，“教育与生产劳动相结合”成为各根据地贯彻执行的一项教育原则。不论在中小学教育中，还是在干部教育中，党领导的学校都灵活机动地将“教育与生产劳动相结合”融入日常学习生活，既使普通中小学生通过生产劳动全面掌握理论知识，又扭转了人们轻视体力劳动和体力劳动者的观念，更培养出适应革命环境、能跟群众打成一片的革命干部，有效破除了“劳心”与“劳力”相分离的状况。

After the founding of New China, “combining education with productive labor” became an important direction for China’s educational reform and a key link in developing socialist education. The Communist Party of China placed great emphasis on using “combining education with productive labor” to help the working people establish the revolutionary subject concepts of “labor creates the world” and love for labor. For example, in response to the prevailing ethos of hedonism in society, Mao Zedong criticized that some young people “thought that once socialism arrived, everything would be fine, and they could enjoy a ready-made happy life without hard work or effort.” [13]13 Quotation from Mao Zedong’s speech “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People” (February 1957). In September 1958, the Central Committee of the CPC issued the “Directive on Education Work,” which listed productive labor as a formal school course, proposed cultivating “the viewpoint of combining mental labor with physical labor,” and called for “struggling against the viewpoint that despises manual labor and manual laborers and advocates the separation of mental and manual labor.” [14]14 The “Directive on Education Work” was issued by the Central Committee of the CPC in September 1958, during the Great Leap Forward, emphasizing the integration of education with productive labor. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, [15]15 The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC, held in December 1978, marked the beginning of the reform and opening up era under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership. Deng Xiaoping reaffirmed that “combining education with productive labor” was an important measure for gradually eliminating the differences between mental and physical labor. “To cultivate qualified talent needed for socialist construction, we must seriously study how to better implement the policy of combining education with productive labor under new conditions.” [16]16 Quotation from Deng Xiaoping’s speech at the National Conference on Education (April 1978). Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xi Jinping has delivered multiple speeches, pointing out the need to firmly establish the values that labor is most glorious, most noble, most great, and most beautiful, enabling everyone to work diligently, honestly, and creatively. [17]17 Reference to Xi Jinping’s speeches on labor, including his address at the National Model Workers and Advanced Workers Commendation Conference (April 2015) and other occasions. Thus, in the process of leading and promoting the educational practice of “combining education with productive labor,” our Party has always focused on guiding and cultivating correct views on labor and the concept of combining mental and physical labor.

新中国成立后，“教育与生产劳动相结合”成为我国教育改革的一个重要方向，是发展社会主义教育的重要环节。中国共产党十分注重通过“教育与生产劳动相结合”帮助劳动人民树立“劳动创造世界”和热爱劳动的革命主体观念。例如，针对社会上存在的享受主义风气，毛泽东批评道，有些青年“以为到了社会主义就应什么都好了，就可以不靠辛勤劳动、不费力气享受现成幸福生活了”。1958年9月，中共中央发布的《关于教育工作的指示》将生产劳动列为学校正式课程，提出培养“脑力劳动与体力劳动相结合的观点”，要“同轻视体力劳动和体力劳动者、主张劳心劳力分离的观点进行斗争”。党的十一届三中全会后，邓小平重申，“教育与生产劳动相结合”是逐步消灭脑力劳动和体力劳动差别的重要措施。“为了培育社会主义建设需要的合格人才，我们必须认真研究在新的条件下，如何更好地贯彻教育与生产劳动相结合的方针。”党的十八大以来，习近平多次发表讲话，指出要牢固树立劳动最光荣、最崇高、最伟大、最美丽的价值观念，让每个人都能辛勤、诚实、创造性劳动。由此可见，在领导推行“教育与生产劳动相结合”的教育实践过程中，我们党始终注重引导培育正确的劳动观和脑力劳动与体力劳动相结合的观念。

(4) The value pursuit of realizing the free and comprehensive development of the human person

（四）实现人的自由而全面发展的价值追求需要

Promoting the realization of the comprehensive development of the human person is a proposition put forward by Marx to solve the one-sided development of human beings caused by the division of labor system of large-scale machine industry. Marx believed that “combining education with productive labor” is the only method for realizing the comprehensive development of the human person. “From the factory system budded, as Robert Owen has shown us in detail, the germ of the education of the future, an education that will, in the case of every child over a given age, combine productive labor with instruction and gymnastics, not only as one of the methods of adding to the efficiency of production, but as the only method of producing fully developed human beings.” [18]18 Quotation from Karl Marx, *Capital*, Volume 1, Chapter 15, Section 9, “The Factory Acts.” The Communist Party of China has consistently advocated promoting the comprehensive development of the human person in a socialist country, that is, “ensuring that the broad masses can freely develop their individuality in common life.” [19]19 Quotation from Mao Zedong, “On Coalition Government” (April 1945), *Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung*, Vol. 3. In an exploitative society, “national oppression and feudal oppression cruelly fettered the development of the individuality of the Chinese people,” [20]20 Quotation from Mao Zedong, “On Coalition Government” (April 1945), *Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung*, Vol. 3. making it impossible to realize the comprehensive development of the human person. If socialism is to cultivate comprehensively developed human beings, it must combine education with productive labor in educational practice, enabling the synchronous development of the human spirit and physique.

推进实现人的全面发展，是马克思为解决由机器大工业分工体系所造成人的片面发展而提出的。马克思认为，“教育与生产劳动相结合”是实现人的全面发展的唯一方法。“从工厂制度中萌发出了未来教育的幼芽，未来教育对所有已满一定年龄的儿童来说，就是生产劳动同智育和体育相结合，它不仅是提高社会生产的一种方法，而且是造就全面发展的人的唯一方法。”中国共产党一贯主张在社会主义国家促进人的全面发展，即“保障广大人民能够自由发展其在共同生活的个性”。在剥削社会中，“民族压迫和封建压迫残酷地束缚着中国人民的个性发展”，想要实现人的全面发展是不可能的。社会主义要培养全面发展的人，就必须在教育实践中将教育和生产劳动结合起来，使人的精神与体格同步发展。

In February 1957, *On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People* put forward the socialist education policy of New China: "Those who receive education should develop morally, intellectually and physically, becoming cultured laborers with a socialist consciousness." In 1958, Mao Zedong pointed out: "The all-round development we advocate is to enable students to acquire relatively complete and relatively broad knowledge, to develop a sound physique, and to develop communist morality." "Because only such all-round new people are fit to undertake the glorious and great task of building a socialist society." He pointed out that moral and intellectual education "are both related to engaging in labor," therefore "the principle of combining education with labor is immutable." Cultivating a new generation of all-round development not only meets the needs of society but also conforms to the laws of educational development. In 1982, Hu Qiaomu, when meeting with representatives of the national conference on work-study programs in primary and secondary schools, pointed out: "The Party's education policy requires students to develop morally, intellectually and physically, becoming laborers with a socialist consciousness." "Combining education with productive labor" is "one of the effective ways to cultivate cultured laborers with a socialist consciousness who develop morally, intellectually and physically." With social development, we have entered the era of a "knowledge economy" characterized by knowledge innovation and the application of innovation. The knowledge innovation spirit and knowledge application ability of laborers have become key. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on improving students' comprehensive qualities, cultivating "ideal, moral, cultured, and disciplined" socialist builders and successors who develop comprehensively in moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic education.

1957年2月，《关于正确处理人民内部矛盾的问题》提出新中国的社会主义教育方针：“应该使受教育者在德育、智育、体育几方面都得到发展，成为有社会主义觉悟的有文化的劳动者。”1958年，毛泽东指出：“我们所主张的全面发展，是要使学生得到比较完全的和比较广博的知识，发展健全的身体，发展共产主义的道德。”“因为这样全面发展的新人物才适宜担当建设社会主义社会的光荣、伟大的任务。”他指出，德育和智育“都同从事劳动有关”，因此“教育与劳动结合的原则是不可移易的”。培养全面发展的一代新人不仅符合社会的需要，更符合教育事业发展规律。1982年，胡乔木在会见全国中小学勤工俭学工作会议代表时指出：“党的教育方针是要求学生在德智体全面发展，成为有社会主义觉悟的劳动者。”“教育与生产劳动相结合”是“培养德、智、体全面发展的有社会主义觉悟的文化的劳动者的有效途径之一”。随着社会发展，我们进入以知识创新和应用创新为特征的“知识经济”时代，劳动者的知识创新精神和知识应用能力成为关键，因此需注重提高学生的综合素质，造就“有理想、有道德、有文化、有纪律”的德育、智育、体育、美育等全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人。

II. Historical Achievements of "Combining Education with Productive Labor"

二、“教育与生产劳动相结合”的历史成就

Our Party has always adhered to combining the basic Marxist principle of "combining education with productive labor" with China's concrete realities, creating many great practical achievements that have greatly changed the social landscape, promoted social production and the all-round development of people, and effectively advanced China's revolution, construction, and reform.

我们党始终坚持将马克思主义“教育与生产劳动相结合”基本原理同中国具体实际相结合，创造了许多伟大的实践成就，极大改变了社会面貌、促进了社会生产和人的全面发展，有力推动了中国的革命、建设和改革事业。

(I) Transforming Society: Realizing the Working People as Masters of Their Own Affairs

（一）改造社会：实现劳动人民当家作主

First, the working people have the right to receive education. The Communist Party of China represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of working people in China. Under the guidance of the thought of "combining education with productive labor," the CPC broke the monopoly of the ruling class over education, enabling the broad masses of people to have the right to education, allowing them to master more knowledge and skills and enhance their class consciousness, thereby opening up an educational path for the liberation of all China. Since its founding, the CPC actively established workers' supplementary schools, teaching workers common knowledge of life and class struggle, rapidly popularizing Marxism-Leninism and raising the consciousness of the working class. During the Great Revolution period, the CPC actively founded peasant night schools, peasant schools, etc., carrying out cultural popularization education for peasants, realizing the combination of education with productive labor. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the base areas led by the CPC carried out various forms of social education (such as the "winter schools" of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, the "morning schools" and "afternoon schools" of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region, and various production literacy classes), unifying production and study, raising the cultural level of the people in the base areas, and stimulating their enthusiasm for production. After the founding of New China, the CPC led a nationwide literacy campaign. Hundreds of millions of peasants learned to read and write in the fields, tens of millions of workers mastered basic literacy in workshops, and various schools actively enrolled large numbers of young workers and peasants. These measures effectively improved the quality of the nation's population and truly realized the combination of education with productive labor. Since its birth, the CPC has always attached importance to the education of the working people, enabling them to transform their subjective world while transforming the objective world, continuously achieving self-liberation, actively participating in the revolution, construction, and reform, and truly becoming masters of their own affairs.

第一，劳动人民拥有受教育权。中国共产党代表着中国最广大劳动人民的根本利益，中国共产党在“教育与生产劳动相结合”思想指导下，打破了统治阶级对教育的垄断，使广大人民拥有受教育权，让他们掌握更多知识技能、提升阶级觉悟，从而为解放全中国开辟了教育道路。中国共产党自成立以来，便积极开办工人补习学校，为工人讲授生活常识和阶级斗争，在短时间内普及了马克思列宁主义，提高了工人阶级的觉悟；大革命时期，中国共产党积极创办农民夜校、农民学校等，对农民开展文化普及教育，实现教育与生产劳动相结合；全面抗战时期，中国共产党领导的根据地开展各类社会教育（如陕甘宁边区的“冬学”、晋察冀边区的“早学”和“午学”、各类生产识字班等），把生产和学习统一起来，提高了根据地人民的文化水平，激发了根据地人民的生产热情；新中国成立后，中国共产党领导开展全国扫盲运动，数亿农民在田间地头学习识字，数千万工人在车间掌握基础读写能力，各类学校积极吸收大批工农青年入学，这些措施有效提升了国民素质，真正实现了教育同生产劳动相结合。自诞生以来，中国共产党始终重视劳动人民的教育问题，使他们在改造客观世界的同时改造主观世界，不断自我解放，积极投身革命、建设和改革事业，真正实现当家做主。

Second, realizing the integration of intellectuals with the masses of workers and peasants. Most of China's old intellectuals belonged to the petty bourgeoisie. Through "combining education with productive labor," the CPC made intellectuals labor-oriented, integrated them with the working people, strengthened their feelings for the working people, and cultivated their proletarian consciousness. During the revolutionary war years, schools in the base areas arranged for intellectuals to intern and train in rural areas, living day and night with the working people, "educating them to approach the workers and peasants, to resolve to serve them, and to oppose the consciousness of looking down on workers and peasants," and cultivating their love for labor. After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong pointed out: "Education must serve proletarian politics and must be combined with productive labor. The working people must become intellectualized, and the intellectuals must become labor-oriented." In 1968, Mao Zedong called: "It is very necessary for educated youth to go to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants." Thus, a nationwide movement of educated youth "going up to the mountains and down to the countryside" was set off, which to a certain extent promoted rural development and subjected educated youth to labor training. In short, "combining education with productive labor" played a significant role in transforming the world outlook of old intellectuals, raising the class consciousness of the Party's intellectuals, training educated youth, and promoting intellectuals to strive for the complete liberation of the working people of the world.

第二，实现知识分子和工农群众相结合。中国的旧知识分子大部分属于小资产阶级，通过“教育与生产劳动相结合”，中国共产党使知识分子劳动化，同劳动人民打成一片，强化他们与劳动人民的感情，培育他们的无产阶级意识。在革命战争年代，根据地学校安排知识分子去农村实习和锻炼，与劳动人民朝夕相处，“教育他们接近工农，决心为他们服务，反对看不起工农的意识”，并培养他们热爱劳动。新中国成立后，毛泽东指出：“教育必须为无产阶级政治服务，必须同生产劳动相结合。劳动人民要知识化，知识分子要劳动化。”1968年，毛泽东号召：“知识青年到农村去，接受贫下中农的再教育，很有必要。”由此，全国掀起知识青年“上山下乡”运动，在一定程度上促进了农村发展，并使知识青年受到劳动锻炼。总之，“教育与生产劳动相结合”在改造旧知识分子世界观、提升党的知识分子的阶级觉悟、锻炼知识青年、推动知识分子为全世界劳动人民彻底解放而奋斗等方面，起到极大促进作用。

Third, women participate in social labor, enhancing women's social status. For thousands of years, Chinese women were deeply bound by feudal ethics, lacking personal and spiritual freedom. The reason for this "centrally lies in the economy." The inequality between men and women stems from inequality in economic relations. Therefore, to achieve women's liberation and break the millennia-old situation of women being confined to "men dominate outside, women dominate inside" and "a woman without talent is virtuous," it was necessary to carry out educational practices of "combining education with productive labor," allowing the broad masses of women to receive education while participating in labor, to understand production while mastering knowledge. The CPC has always attached importance to enhancing women's status through "combining education with productive labor." After the Agrarian Revolution, women were also allocated land, which created material conditions for women's liberation. To encourage women to abandon the old concept that women cannot engage in labor and to encourage them to leave home and participate in social production, it was necessary to carry out propaganda and education. For example, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, revolutionary base areas generally established educational institutions such as literacy groups, half-day classes, night schools, and winter schools, widely enrolling women and carrying out educational activities during the free time from productive labor. By the later period of the Great Production Movement, "production organizations and study organizations were unified, and the production team leader was also the study team leader." Women's productive labor groups were collective study groups, truly realizing the combination of education with productive labor. With changes in economic status and the improvement of cultural knowledge, the broad masses of women were no longer bound by feudal thought, began to participate in important social affairs, and their social status significantly improved. Through the unremitting efforts of several generations in New China, the economic, social, and political status of Chinese women has significantly improved. This achievement is clearly closely related to China's educational policy of "combining education with productive labor."

第三，妇女参加社会劳动，提升女性社会地位。数千年来，中国妇女深受封建礼教束缚，毫无人身自由和精神自由。之所以如此，“中心关系，还在经济”。男女不平等的原因是经济关系上的不平等，因此，要实现妇女解放，打破妇女数千年来受限于“男主外，女主内”和“无才便是德”的状况，就必须开展“教育和生产劳动相结合”的教育实践，让广大妇女参加劳动的同时接受教育，在掌握知识的同时懂得生产。中国共产党历来重视通过“教育和生产劳动相结合”提升妇女地位。土地革命后，妇女也分配到土地，这为妇女解放创造了物质条件。要让妇女摒弃女子不能劳动的旧观念，鼓励她们走出家门参加社会生产，就需要开展宣传教育。例如，抗日战争时期，革命根据地普遍设立识字组、半日班、夜校、冬学等教育机构，广泛吸收妇女入学，利用生产劳动的空闲时间开展教育活动。到大生产运动后期，更是“生产组织同学习组织统一，生产组长就是学习组长”，妇女生产劳动小组就是集体学习小组，真正实现了教育与生产劳动相结合。随着经济地位改变和文化知识提升，广大妇女不再受封建思想的束缚，开始参与重要的社会事务，社会地位显著提升。经过新中国几代人不懈努力，新中国妇女经济地位、社会地位、政治地位都显著提升，这一成就显然与我国“教育与生产劳动相结合”的教育方针有很大关系。

History has proven that the great creation of "combining education with productive labor" reversed the backward concept that had persisted in China for thousands of years—"those who labor with their minds govern others; those who labor with their strength are governed by others"—and effectively overcame the opposition between "mental labor" and "manual labor" caused by education being divorced from productive labor. The practice of "combining education with productive labor" carried out under the leadership of the CPC enabled the broad masses of working people to establish a correct view of labor, truly realize their own liberation, and continuously supply strength for China's revolution, construction, and reform.

历史已经证明，“教育与生产劳动相结合”这一伟大创举扭转了中国千百年来“劳心者治人，劳力者治于人”的落后观念，有效克服了教育脱离生产劳动导致的“劳心”与“劳力”的对立。中国共产党领导开展的“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践使广大劳动人民树立起正确劳动观，真正实现了自身解放，为我国革命、建设和改革事业源源不断输送力量。

(II) Promoting Production: Driving Comprehensive Socio-Economic Development

（二）促进生产：推动社会经济全面发展

First, it promotes social production and economic development. The great achievements of the 70-plus years since the founding of New China have been forged by hundreds of millions of Chinese people through hard, honest labour. The Communist Party of China, uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups across the country, has carried out socialist construction through hard labour, continuously raised social productive forces, and promoted social development, enabling China to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects on the basis of “poverty and blankness” [24]24 “Poverty and blankness” (一穷二白) is a Mao-era idiom describing China’s post-1949 condition: economic poverty and cultural/technological backwardness (blankness)., with GDP growing from 12.3 billion yuan in 1949 to 114 trillion yuan in 2021, making it the world’s second-largest economy. This precisely reflects the important effect of “combining education with productive labour” in aligning with national economic construction and supporting national construction and development through the cultivation of talent. During the War of Resistance against Japan, when the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region faced extreme financial difficulties, it launched the Great Production Movement, and the people responded actively. In February 1940, the Central Ministry of Finance circulated a summary of the 1939 production movement in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, stating: “Last year, the masses in the border region opened up 1.04 million mu of wasteland, increased grain output by 200,000 dan, and increased cattle and sheep by one million head, greatly improving their livelihoods and ensuring the collection of 50,000 dan of national salvation grain this spring.” [25]25 Mu (亩) is a Chinese unit of land area, approximately 1/15 of a hectare. Dan (担) is a traditional unit of weight for grain, roughly 50 kilograms. The Great Production Movement, as an important practical form of “combining education with productive labour,” not only effectively enhanced the labour capacity of the people in the revolutionary base areas but also laid a solid material foundation for the victory of the New Democratic Revolution that followed. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the practice of “combining education with productive labour” cultivated a large number of cadres of worker and peasant origin and grassroots technical personnel, laying a solid foundation for China to establish a relatively complete industrial system and national economic system. In the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the practice of “combining education with productive labour” cultivated a large number of socialist workers who mastered science and technology and possessed innovative practical abilities, helping China achieve world-renowned major accomplishments in economic construction, with rapid growth in both gross national product and per capita gross national product.

第一，促进社会生产经济发展。新中国成立70多年的伟大成就，正是中国亿万人民通过辛勤、诚实的劳动铸就的。中国共产党团结带领全国各族人民通过辛勤劳动进行社会主义建设，不断提高社会生产力，推动社会发展，使我国在“一穷二白”的基础上全面建成小康社会，国内生产总值从1949年的123亿元人民币增长到2021年的114万亿元人民币，成为世界第二大经济体。这正体现了“教育与生产劳动相结合”与国家经济建设相适应，通过培育人才来支撑国家建设和发展的重要成效。抗日战争时期，陕甘宁边区在财政极端困难时发起大生产运动，人民积极响应。1940年2月，中央财政部通报1939年陕甘宁边区生产运动总结指出：“边区群众去年开荒一百零四万亩，增加粮二十万担，增加牛羊百万头，大大改善了生活，并保障了今春征收救国公粮五万担。”以“教育与生产劳动相结合”的重要实践形式大生产运动，不仅有效提升了革命根据地人民的劳动能力，而且为接下来新民主主义革命的胜利奠定了坚实物质基础。在社会主义革命和建设时期，“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践培养了大量工农出身的干部和基层技术人才，为我国建立相对完整的工业体系和国民经济体系打下坚实基础。改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践培育了大批掌握科学技术、拥有创新实践能力的社会主义劳动者，助力我国在经济建设方面取得举世瞩目的重大成就，国民生产总值和人均国民生产总值实现快速增长。

Second, it drives technological innovation and industrial upgrading. Since the 1980s, science and technology have increasingly become the primary productive force. Entering the 21st century, the spirit of innovation and practical ability have become the call of the times. In response, the educational practice of “combining education with productive labour” has stimulated the innovative spirit of talent, driven technological innovation and industrial upgrading, and made tremendous contributions to economic and social development. At the same time, “combining education with productive labour” has also promoted “industry-university-research” cooperation, accelerating the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. On the new journey of the New Era, new quality productive forces, guided by innovation, are advanced productive forces driven by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading. The practice of “combining education with productive labour” will continuously cultivate “new-quality talent” with cross-border innovation capabilities and a global perspective, introduce the latest scientific and technological achievements into production practice, and assist in the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. The 20th National Congress of the CPC raised the interconnectedness of education, science and technology, and talent to a new level, pointing out the need to “implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education and strengthen the talent support for modernization.” [26]26 Quotation from the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC (October 2022). In response, it is necessary to continuously innovate the practical model of “combining education with productive labour,” achieve the coordinated development and positive interaction of education, science and technology, and talent, and seize the initiative in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. In September 2024, Xi Jinping pointed out at the Second National Education Conference: “Strengthen校企科研合作 [school-enterprise scientific research cooperation], so that more scientific and technological achievements can be transformed into modern productive forces as quickly as possible. Build a vocational education system that integrates general and vocational education and combines industry and education, and vigorously cultivate great country craftsmen, skilled craftsmen, and highly skilled talent.” [27]27 Xi Jinping’s speech at the Second National Education Conference, September 2024. The term “校企科研合作” is left in the original in the quotation as it appears in the source text; it is translated in the surrounding sentence. This provides path guidance for the innovation of the practical model of “combining education with productive labour” in the New Era.

第二，推动技术创新与产业升级。20世纪80年代以来，科学技术越发成为第一生产力。进入21世纪，创新精神和实践能力更成为时代的呼唤。对此，“教育与生产劳动相结合”的教育实践激发了人才的创新精神，推动了技术创新与产业升级，为经济社会发展作出巨大贡献。同时，“教育与生产劳动相结合”还促进了“产学研”合作，加速了科技成果转化和应用。新时代新征程，以创新为主导的新质生产力是由技术革命性突破、生产要素创新性配置和产业深度转型升级而催生的先进生产力。“教育与生产劳动相结合”的实践将不断培养具有跨界创新能力和全球视野的“新质人才”，把最新的科技成果引入生产实践，助力科技成果转化和应用。党的二十大将教育、科技和人才的关联性提到新高度，指出要“实施科教兴国战略，强化现代化建设人才支撑”。对此，要不断创新“教育与生产劳动相结合”的实践模式，实现教育、科技和人才协同发展和良性互动，在新一轮科技革命和产业变革中掌握主动权。2024年9月，习近平在第二次全国教育大会上指出：“强化校企科研合作，让更多科技成果尽快转化为现代生产力。构建职普融通、产教融合的职业教育体系，大力培养大国工匠、能工巧匠、高技能人才。”这为新时代“教育与生产劳动相结合”的实践模式创新提供了路径指引。

(3) Cultivating talent: cultivating talent with comprehensive development in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labour education

（三）培养人才：培养德智体美劳全面发展的人才

As one of the principles of Marxist educational theory, the important achievement of the practice of “combining education with productive labour” is “educating people.” With the continuous development of the economy and society, our Party’s practice of “combining education with productive labour” has increasingly focused on the comprehensive development of people, and has thereby cultivated a large number of socialist builders and successors.

作为马克思主义教育理论的原则之一，“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践取得的重要成就是“育人”。随着经济社会不断发展，我们党“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践越来越注重人的全面发展，并由此培养了大批社会主义建设者和接班人。

In February 1955, *People’s Education* published an article titled “A Discussion of Certain Issues in Implementing Comprehensive Development Education,” sparking a major debate on comprehensive development education. In February 1957, Mao Zedong proposed: “The educated should be enabled to develop in moral, intellectual, and physical aspects, becoming cultured workers with socialist consciousness.” [28]28 Mao Zedong, “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People” (February 1957). This both reflected the Marxist thought on the comprehensive development of people and further clarified the connection between moral, intellectual, and physical education and people’s overall quality. In the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, Deng Xiaoping further emphasized this policy at the National Education Work Conference and pointed out that it should be implemented in all aspects. In 1999, the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council issued the “Decision on Deepening Education Reform and Comprehensively Promoting Quality Education,” proposing the educational goal of “comprehensive development in moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic education,” and stating: “Combining education with productive labour is an important pathway for cultivating comprehensively developed talent. Schools at all levels and of all types should proceed from reality, strengthen and improve students’ education in productive labour and practice.” As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, from the height of the development of the Party and the national cause, incorporated labour education into the general requirements for talent cultivation, constructing an educational system of “comprehensive cultivation in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labour education.” This is a milestone in the history of education in New China and the latest achievement of integrating the basic Marxist principle of “combining education with productive labour” with China’s concrete reality. As an important component of China’s thought on “combining education with productive labour,” labour education can not only enable students to master the basic skills of modern production but also help them form a correct view of labour, possessing comprehensive educational value in establishing virtue, increasing intelligence, strengthening the body, and cultivating aesthetic appreciation. It is an era-specific response to the question of “how to cultivate people.”

1955年2月，《人民教育》发表文章《实行全面发展教育中若干问题的商榷》，引发全面发展教育的大讨论；1957年2月，毛泽东提出：“应该使受教育者在德育、智育、体育几方面都得到发展，成为有社会主义觉悟的有文化的劳动者。”这都体现了马克思主义关于人的全面发展思想，并进一步明确了德、智、体与人的综合素质的联系。改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，邓小平在全国教育工作会议上进一步强调这一方针，并指出应将其贯彻到各方面。1999年，中共中央、国务院发布《关于深化教育改革、全面推进素质教育的决定》，提出“德智体美全面发展”的教育目标，指出：“教育与生产劳动相结合是培养全面发展人才的重要途径。各级各类学校要从实际出发，加强和改进对学生的生产劳动和实践教育。”中国特色社会主义进入新时代，以习近平同志为核心的党中央从党和国家事业发展的高度，把劳动教育纳入人才培养总要求，构建起“德智体美劳全面培养”的教育体系，在新中国教育史上具有里程碑意义，是马克思主义“教育与生产劳动相结合”基本原理同中国具体实际相结合的最新成果。作为我国“教育与生产劳动相结合”思想的重要组成部分，劳动教育不仅可以让学生掌握现代生产的基本技能，而且可以帮助他们养成正确的劳动观，具有树德、增智、强体、育美的综合教育价值，是对“怎样培养人”的时代回应。

Overall, the practice of “combining education with productive labour” led by our Party has had a complete meaning in each historical period, but with slightly different emphases: in the periods of New Democratic Revolution and socialist revolution and construction, the achievements of the Party-led practice of “combining education with productive labour” lay mainly in breaking the boundary between mental and manual labour, shaping egalitarian social relations, and cultivating the constructive subjectivity of the labouring people; in the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the Party-led practice of “combining education with productive labour,” building on the achievements of the preceding period, was mainly manifested in liberating and developing productive forces; in the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party-led practice of “combining education with productive labour” places greater emphasis on the comprehensive development of people. These historical achievements fully prove that the view of the classical Marxist writers that “combining education with productive labour” is the fundamental pathway for transforming society, raising social labour productivity, and cultivating comprehensively developed people is correct.

总体而言，我们党领导的“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践在各历史时期都具有完整含义，但重点略有不同：在新民主主义革命与社会主义革命和建设时期，党领导的“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践的成就主要在打破脑体劳动界限、塑造平等社会关系、培育劳动人民的建设主体性；在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，党领导的“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践在继承此前成就的基础上，主要体现为解放和发展生产力；在中国特色社会主义新时代，党领导的“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践更加注重人的全面发展。这些历史成就充分证明：马克思主义经典作家关于“教育与生产劳动相结合”是改造社会、提高社会劳动生产率、培养全面发展的人的根本途径的观点是正确的。

III. Practical Insights for Advancing “Combining Education with Productive Labour”

三、推进“教育与生产劳动相结合”的现实启示

Entering the 21st century, intelligent technology accelerates the prosperity and development of the economy and society, and the forms and concepts of human labor have once again undergone tremendous changes. As material wealth becomes increasingly abundant, consumerism and money worship also prevail, easily making people lazy and breeding the idea of reaping without sowing. For a period of time, productive labor became “backward and outdated,” a synonym for “dirty, tiring, and bitter,” and in the field of education, manual labor even showed a tendency to gradually fade from view. Against this backdrop, the fine tradition of “combining education with productive labor” faces the risk and challenge of being forgotten. At the same time, exam-oriented education affects the entire society, hindering the comprehensive development of students. In pursuit of improving test scores, students are reduced to “question-brushing machines,” gradually becoming detached from concrete social realities and losing the ability to truly understand and apply knowledge. The long-term lack of productive labor will have serious consequences for human development, causing adverse effects. From an individual dimension, a weak concept of labor leads to a reduced sense of self-worth. On the one hand, productive labor is the main way for individuals to realize self-worth; on the other hand, the absence of labor practice will prevent humans from acquiring correct knowledge, because productive labor is the basic way for humans to obtain knowledge. From a social dimension, the absence of productive labor practice will lead to a decline in overall social productive forces, economic stagnation, social structural imbalance, and will also hinder cultural transmission, causing us to lose many traditional crafts and cultural heritages. Therefore, facing new challenges, we should unswervingly and comprehensively promote “combining education with productive labor.”

进入21世纪，智能科技加速经济社会的繁荣发展，人类的劳动形式和劳动观念再次发生巨大变化。随着物质财富愈加丰富，消费主义和拜金主义也盛行起来，极易使人变得懒惰，滋生不劳而获的思想。在一段时间里，生产劳动变得“落后过时”，成为“脏累苦”的代名词，在教育领域，体力劳动甚至有逐渐淡出视野的趋势。在这一背景下，“教育与生产劳动相结合”的优良传统面临被遗忘的风险和挑战。同时，应试教育影响着整个社会，阻碍了学生的全面发展。为追求提升考试成绩，学生沦为“刷题机器”，逐渐脱离社会具体实际，丧失了真正理解和应用知识的能力。长期缺乏生产劳动，将对人的发展产生严重后果，造成不良影响。从个体维度看，劳动观念淡薄会导致自我价值感降低。一方面，生产劳动是人实现自我价值的主要方式；另一方面，缺失劳动实践将导致人类无法获得正确知识，因为生产劳动是人类获得知识的基本途径。从社会维度来看，缺失生产劳动实践，将导致社会整体生产力下降、经济发展停滞、社会结构失衡，也会导致文化传承受阻，让我们失去许多传统工艺和文化遗产。由此，面对新挑战，我们应坚定不移全面推进“教育与生产劳动相结合”。

(I) Upholding the Leadership of the Party: “Combining Education with Productive Labor” is the Fundamental Principle of Socialist Education

（一）坚持党的领导：“教育与生产劳动相结合”是社会主义教育的根本原则

On the basis of the development of modern large-scale machine industry and the intensification of class contradictions to the point where class struggle becomes necessary, Marx and Engels proposed “combining education with productive labor.” This idea was born in the process of the proletariat’s struggle against the bourgeoisie, has a concrete historical orientation, and unfolds around achieving victory in class struggle, abolishing private property, and realizing communism. In this sense, the Marxist “combining education with productive labor” is a great creation in human history, one of whose important aspects is to break the “alienated labor” of capitalism and create a new world where everyone receives an education and achieves free and comprehensive development through productive labor. The combination of education and productive labor implemented under capitalism is not for the comprehensive development of human beings, but for the abstract rapid growth of productive forces driven by the logic of capital. The goal of capitalism is to maximize the extraction of surplus value, and the labor skill training it provides is oriented toward short-term employment, neglecting people’s long-term development. Therefore, the Marxist thought of “combining education with productive labor” is fundamentally different from social education under capitalism.

在现代机器大工业发展、阶级矛盾越发尖锐以至于不得不开展阶级斗争的基础上，马克思、恩格斯提出“教育与生产劳动相结合”。这一思想诞生于无产阶级反对资产阶级的斗争过程，具有现实历史指向，是围绕获得阶级斗争胜利、消灭私有制和实现共产主义展开的。在这个意义上，马克思主义“教育与生产劳动相结合”是人类历史上的一个伟大创举，其重要面相之一就是打破资本主义的“异化劳动”，创造一个人人接受教育并通过生产劳动实现自由而全面发展的新世界。资本主义实行的教育与生产劳动相结合，并非为了人的全面发展，而是在资本逻辑驱动下实现生产力的抽象快速增长。资本主义的目的是最大化攫取剩余价值，其提供的劳动技能训练以短期就业为导向，忽视人的长期发展。因此，马克思主义“教育与生产劳动相结合”思想在根本上区别于资本主义的社会教育。

The Communist Party of China has attached importance to “combining education with productive labor” in every historical period, and through leading relevant practices, has effectively changed the ideology of the exploiting classes that had enslaved the working people for thousands of years, enabling the broad masses of working people to stand up and become masters of the country. Amid the new socialist trend of loving labor, esteeming labor, and respecting labor, a large number of exemplary models have emerged, such as “Iron Man” Wang Jinxi, “Father of Two Bombs” Deng Jiaxian, “Blue-Collar Expert” Kong Xiangrui, “Lei Feng of the New Era” Xu Hu, and others. The working people represented by these labor models have worked hard, been conscientious, and selflessly dedicated themselves, providing a solid guarantee for the cause of revolution, construction, and reform, and shaping the glorious image of the working people. On the new journey of the New Era, “combining education with productive labor” must uphold the leadership of the Party, cultivate new generations capable of shouldering the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, guide the broad masses of the people to establish “the concept of hard work, honest work, and creative work,” establish the value orientation of “labor upholding the Chinese Dream,” continuously give play to the master-of-the-country spirit of hard struggle and daring to fight, and gather strength and make unremitting efforts for the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

中国共产党在各历史时期都重视“教育与生产劳动相结合”，并通过领导相关实践有效改变了千百年来剥削阶级奴役劳动人民的意识形态，使广大劳动人民翻身当家作主人。在热爱劳动、崇尚劳动、尊重劳动的社会主义新风尚中，涌现出大批模范典型，如“铁人”王进喜、“两弹元勋”邓稼先、“蓝领专家”孔祥瑞、“新时代雷锋”徐虎等，以这些劳动模范为代表的劳动人民奋发图强、兢兢业业、忘我奉献，为革命、建设和改革事业提供了坚实保障，塑造了劳动人民的光辉形象。新时代新征程，“教育与生产劳动相结合”必须坚持党的领导，培养担当民族复兴大任的时代新人，引导广大人民群众树立“辛勤劳动、诚实劳动、创造性劳动的理念”，确立“劳动托举中国梦”的价值导向，不断发挥艰苦奋斗、敢于拼搏的主人翁精神，为中国特色社会主义伟大事业和中华民族的伟大复兴凝聚力量、不懈奋斗。

(II) People-Centered: Promoting the Realization of People’s Free and Comprehensive Development

（二）以人民为中心：促进实现人的自由而全面发展

Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to practice the people-centered development thought, doing everything for the people, relying on the people in everything, and sharing the fruits of development with the people. On the journey of comprehensively building a great modern socialist country, the practice of “combining education with productive labor” must adhere to being “people-centered,” pay attention to the people’s aspirations and pursuits for a better life, respect the people’s principal position, stimulate the people’s creative potential, and consciously promote people’s free and comprehensive development.

习近平多次强调，要践行以人民为中心的发展思想，一切为了人民，一切依靠人民，发展成果由人民共享。在全面建设社会主义现代化强国的征程上，“教育与生产劳动相结合”实践须坚持以“人民为中心”，关注人民对美好生活的向往和追求，尊重人民的主体地位，激发人民的创造潜能，自觉促进人的自由而全面发展。

“Combining education with productive labor” is an important way for the people to pursue a better life. Xi Jinping emphasized: “Labor is the source of wealth and also the source of happiness. All beautiful dreams in the world can only be realized through honest labor; all kinds of difficulties in development can only be solved through honest labor; all brilliance in life can only be forged through honest labor.” All material and cultural-ethical wealth of humanity is created in the process of productive labor, and productive labor always consumes human physical strength. Therefore, even in an era of high mechanization and intelligence, emphasizing manual labor is not outdated. Through the practice of “combining education with productive labor,” it not only helps cultivate a correct view of labor, master necessary labor skills, and develop good labor character and labor spirit, but can also enhance the cognition of one’s self-worth, stimulate love for the motherland and the working people, strengthen the sense of social responsibility and labor dedication, and make people consciously contribute to the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

“教育与生产劳动相结合”是人民追求美好生活的重要途径。习近平强调：“劳动是财富的源泉，也是幸福的源泉。人世间的美好梦想，只有通过诚实劳动才能实现；发展中的各种难题，只有通过诚实劳动才能破解；生命里一切辉煌，只有通过诚实劳动才能铸就。”人类一切的物质财富和精神财富，都是在生产劳动的过程中创造的，而生产劳动总要消耗的人的体力，因此，即使在机械化、智能化程度很高的时代，强调体力劳动也不过时。通过“教育与生产劳动相结合”的实践，不仅有助于培养正确的劳动观、掌握必备的劳动技能、养成良好的劳动品格和劳动精神，而且可以提升对人的自我价值的认知、激发对祖国和劳动人民的热爱、增强社会责任感和劳动奉献意识，让人们自觉为中国特色社会主义伟大事业作出贡献。

“Combining education with productive labor” is an important way for people to acquire complete knowledge. The essence of “combining education with productive labor” is the combination of cognition and practice, which can enable students to develop the scientific literacy of deepening theoretical understanding through practice and using practice to test and perfect theoretical understanding. Through “combining education with productive labor,” students can broaden their horizons, discover problems, and solve problems in production practice. Not only can they exercise their thinking ability, hands-on ability, and creative ability, but they can also learn to communicate and cooperate with others, cultivating team spirit, collective consciousness, and social responsibility. These “direct knowledge” cannot be replaced by the “indirect knowledge” from books. Therefore, only by “combining education with productive labor,” truly achieving the combination of cognition and practice, can people acquire complete knowledge.

“教育与生产劳动相结合”是人获取完整知识的重要途径。“教育与生产劳动相结合”的本质上是认识与实践相结合，可以让学生养成在实践中加深对于理论认识并用实践来检验和完善理论认识的科学素养。通过“教育与生产劳动相结合”，学生在生产实践中能够拓宽视野、发现问题、解决问题，不仅可以锻炼思维能力、动手能力、创造能力，而且可以懂得与他人沟通和合作，培养团队精神、集体意识和社会责任感，这些“直接知识”是书本上的“间接知识”无法代替的。因此，唯有“教育与生产劳动相结合”，真正做到认识与实践相结合，才能使人获取完整的知识。

“Combining education with productive labor” is an important way for people to achieve self-realization, self-development, and self-improvement. Through “combining education with productive labor,” students can fully engage with the world, using their own bodies and minds to “measure” the world, and then establish correct labor values and life ethics in the process of productive labor. Through productive labor, students learn knowledge, improve skills, expand abilities, strengthen their bodies, maintain mental health, enhance aesthetic ability and cultural cultivation, make their body and mind tend toward perfection, shape a sound personality, and truly become people with comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor.

“教育与生产劳动相结合”是人自我实现、自我发展和自我完善的重要途径。通过“教育与生产劳动相结合”，学生可以与世界充分接触，用自己的身体和心灵去“丈量”这个世界，进而在生产劳动过程中树立正确的劳动价值观和人生道德观。通过生产劳动，学生学习知识、提升技艺、拓展能力、强健身体、康健心理、提升审美能力和文化修养，令自己身心趋于完善，塑造健全人格，真正成为德智体美劳全面发展的人。

(III) Innovating Practice Models: Injecting Strength into Chinese-Path Modernization

（三）创新实践模式：为中国式现代化注入力量

Entering the New Era, “combining education with productive labor” needs to continuously innovate practice models, stimulate the creativity and initiative of all working people, and continuously inject strength into realizing Chinese-path modernization.

进入新时代，“教育与生产劳动相结合”需不断创新实践模式，激发全体劳动人民的创造性和积极性，不断为实现中国式现代化注入力量。

First, take schools as the main front and comprehensively strengthen labor education. Labor education is the innovation and development of the Chinese Communist Party’s concept of “combining education with productive labor” in the New Era, and it is the development and improvement of the Marxist theory of comprehensive human development in the New Era. As the main practical model for schools to implement “combining education with productive labor,” labor education must give full play to the main-front role of schools, establish compulsory labor education courses at all stages of primary, secondary, and higher education, permeate labor education content into professional courses, and arrange labor practice in extracurricular activities, among other measures; it must emphasize teaching students according to their aptitude, focus on different labor education content at different educational stages based on social needs and the laws of student growth, integrate with moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic education, and continuously cultivate high-quality talents with comprehensive development in “moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education” [33]33 The phrase “德智体美劳” (moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education) is a standard formulation in Chinese educational policy, originating from the Party’s goal of cultivating “socialist builders and successors” with comprehensive development. and strong innovation capabilities, thereby providing a talent guarantee for Chinese-path modernization.

一是以学校为主阵地，全面加强劳动教育。劳动教育是中国共产党“教育与生产劳动相结合”理念在新时代的创新和发展，是对马克思主义关于人的全面发展教育理论在新时代的发展与完善。劳动教育作为学校践行“教育与生产劳动相结合”的主要实践模式，要充分发挥学校主阵地作用，在大中小学各阶段都开设劳动教育必修课，在专业课程中渗透劳动教育内容，在课外活动中安排劳动实践，等等；注重因材施教，根据社会需要和学生成长规律，在不同教育阶段侧重不同的劳动教育内容，与德育、智育、体育、美育相融合，不断培养“德智体美劳”全面发展、拥有较强创新能力的高素质人才，为中国式现代化提供人才保障。

Second, strengthen social support and coordination, and fully mobilize social resources. To strengthen labor education in the New Era, it is necessary to integrate resources from families, schools, and society, carry out top-level design and systematic deployment of labor education at all stages, and form a joint force of family, school, and social education; labor education should be incorporated into comprehensive quality evaluation to achieve the “unity of knowledge and action” [34]34 “Unity of knowledge and action” (知行合一) is a classical Chinese philosophical concept, most famously articulated by the Ming-dynasty Neo-Confucian Wang Yangming, and is frequently invoked in contemporary Chinese educational discourse to emphasize the integration of theoretical learning with practical application., helping students develop a correct worldview, outlook on life, and value system; in light of economic and social development changes and the specific circumstances of students, it is necessary to actively explore socialist labor education models with Chinese characteristics, such as strengthening social support and coordination, developing vocational education that integrates general education with vocational education and combines industry with education, allowing students to participate in productive labor within their capabilities at enterprises, companies, factories, and farms, and to experience new forms of labor practice under modern technological conditions, continuously providing support for Chinese-path modernization.

二是加强社会支持配合，充分调动社会资源。加强新时代劳动教育，应统合家庭、学校、社会各方面资源，对各阶段劳动教育开展顶层设计和系统部署，形成家庭、学校和社会教育合力；应将劳动教育纳入综合素质评价，实现“知行合一”，帮助学生养成正确的世界观、人生观、价值观；应结合经济社会发展变化和学生的具体情况，积极探索具有中国特色的社会主义劳动教育模式，如加强社会支持配合、发展职普融通、产教融合的职业教育，让学生到企业公司、工厂农场参加力所能及的生产劳动并体验现代科技条件下劳动实践的新形态，不断为中国式现代化提供支撑。

Capitalism turns people into appendages of machines, while socialist education makes workers the masters. At present, with the rapid development of information technology and artificial intelligence technology, problems such as “hedonism,” “money worship,” “de-skilling of labor,” and “technological unemployment” are becoming increasingly prominent, and the educational theory of “combining education with productive labor” is becoming more and more enlightening. The goal of Marxist educational theory is to truly realize the integration of education and productive labor, allowing humanity to achieve its own liberation while transforming the objective world. Through the historical creation and practical achievements of “combining education with productive labor” led by the Chinese Communist Party, it can be seen that socialism with Chinese characteristics, through its institutional advantages, has opened up a unique educational path to solve related problems, effectively promoted the construction of a great modern socialist country, actively promoted the comprehensive development of human beings, and contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese experience to the global educational cause.

资本主义将人变为机器附庸，社会主义教育则使劳动者成为主人。当下，随着信息技术和人工智能技术快速发展，“享乐主义”“拜金主义”“劳动去技能化”“技术性失业”等问题越来越突出，“教育与生产劳动相结合”的教育理论也变得越来越具有启示意义。马克思主义教育理论的目标是真正实现教育与生产劳动的融合，让人类在改造客观世界的同时实现自身解放。通过中国共产党领导的“教育与生产劳动相结合”的历史创建和实践成就可以看出，中国特色社会主义通过制度优势开辟出一条破解相关难题的独特教育路径，有效推进了社会主义现代化强国建设，积极促进了人的全面发展，为全球教育事业贡献了中国智慧、中国经验。

(The authors are: a doctoral student at the School of Marxism, Xi’an University of Technology; and a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Marxism, Xi’an University of Technology.)

（作者系西安理工大学马克思主义学院博士研究生；西安理工大学马克思主义学院教授，博士生导师）

Online editor: Ma Jingren

网络编辑：马京仁