Starting from the Defeat of Xi'an Style by Yan'an Style

Yan'an and Xi'an, two ancient cities separated by only about 300 kilometers, revealed the secret of the Communist Party's seizure of political power during a profound contest of work styles in the 1930s and 1940s: winning people's hearts and winning the world through an excellent work style. General Secretary Xi Jinping has a profound exposition: "There are many reasons why our Party was able to win the New Democratic Revolution and lead the people in establishing New China. One important reason is that our Party always maintained a flesh-and-blood connection with the masses, ultimately 'defeating Xi'an style with Yan'an style.'" [1]1 "Defeating Xi'an style with Yan'an style" is a phrase attributed to Mao Zedong, contrasting the austere, disciplined, and people-oriented work style of the Communist Party in Yan'an with the corrupt and bureaucratic style of the Kuomintang in Xi'an. At a time when the entire Party is conducting study and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, [2]2 The Eight-Point Regulations are a set of rules on austerity, anti-corruption, and work style reform introduced by the CPC Central Committee in 2012. looking back on the eventful years when our Party defeated Xi'an style with Yan'an style is of great significance for inheriting glorious traditions and taking the new road of the examination [3]3 "Taking the new road of the examination" refers to Mao Zedong's metaphor of the Party's governance as a "road of the examination" (赶考路), originally used when the Party entered Beijing in 1949, implying a continuous test of its ability to govern and serve the people. with an excellent work style.

延安和西安，两座相距仅300公里左右的古城，却在20世纪三四十年代一场深刻的作风较量中，揭示出共产党人夺取政权的奥秘：以优良作风赢得人心、赢得天下。习近平总书记有一段深刻论述：“我们党之所以能够取得新民主主义革命的胜利，带领人民建立了新中国，原因有很多条，其中重要一条是我们党始终保持同人民群众的血肉联系，最终‘用延安作风打败西安作风’。”在全党开展深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育之际，回望我们党用延安作风打败西安作风的峥嵘岁月，对于继承光荣传统，以优良作风走好新的赶考之路，意义十分重大。

What is Yan'an style?

什么是延安作风？

Speaking of Yan'an style, we must start with a historical anecdote. In the autumn of 1940, Comrade Mao Zedong was on his way to give a report at the Yan'an Marxist-Leninist Institute when he encountered four people who had come to greet him. He immediately criticized: "One person giving a report needs four people to receive him? That won't do! That won't do! We are Communists, we are about revolution. Since we want revolution, since we want to break with the old system, we must never, ever become infected with bureaucratic habits. From Yangjialing to the Marxist-Leninist Institute, it's eight or ten li. [4]4 A li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 0.5 kilometers. We've already walked the 25,000-li Long March; these few steps don't count for anything. We must cultivate a new atmosphere, a Yan'an style. We will defeat Xi'an style with Yan'an style!"

说到延安作风，还要从一则历史往事谈起。1940年秋，毛泽东同志到延安马列学院作报告，途中遇到前来迎接的四人。他当即批评：一个人作报告要四个人接，要不得！要不得！我们是共产党人，是讲革命的。我们既要革命，既要和旧的制度决裂，就万万不能沾染官僚习气。从杨家岭到马列学院，十里八里路，二万五千里长征都走过来了，这几步路算不了什么。我们要养成一种新的风气，延安作风。我们用延安作风打败西安作风！

Comrade Mao Zedong's seemingly casual remarks were both a great political declaration and a precise historical prophecy, producing an echo across time and space on the Loess Plateau.

毛泽东同志看似不经意间的一席话，既是伟大的政治宣言，又是精准的历史预言，在黄土高原上产生了穿越时空的历史回响。

Yan'an style refers to the unique revolutionary spirit and demeanor formed by the Chinese Communist Party during the Yan'an period. It was nurtured in the soil of the Party's long-term revolutionary struggle, inheriting and developing a series of the Party's fine traditions and work styles from the periods of the Jinggang Mountains, the Central Soviet Area, and the Long March, and was further sublimated during the Yan'an Rectification Movement. [5]5 The Yan'an Rectification Movement (1942–1944) was a Party-wide campaign to study Marxist theory, correct "subjectivist," "sectarian," and "stereotypical Party writing" tendencies, and unify ideology. Comrade Mao Zedong summarized the new atmosphere of Yan'an style with "ten absences": "First, no corrupt officials; second, no local bullies and bad gentry; third, no gambling; fourth, no prostitution; fifth, no concubines; sixth, no beggars; seventh, no cliques pursuing private interests; eighth, no listless and dispirited atmosphere; ninth, no one living off friction; [6]6 "Living off friction" refers to those who profited from conflicts and disputes between the Communist Party and the Kuomintang during the War of Resistance. tenth, no one profiteering from the national calamity." This sketched a vivid picture of clean and upright cadres, clean and transparent politics, shared hardships from top to bottom, and harmonious relations between the Party, the government, and the masses.

延安作风，是指中国共产党在延安时期形成的独特革命精神风貌。它孕育于中国共产党长期革命斗争实践的土壤中，是对井冈山、中央苏区、长征等时期党的一系列优良传统和作风的继承和发展，又在延安整风运动中得到进一步升华。对延安作风的新气象，毛泽东同志曾用“十个没有”来概括，即“一没有贪官污吏，二没有土豪劣绅，三没有赌博，四没有娼妓，五没有小老婆，六没有叫化子，七没有结党营私之徒，八没有萎靡不振之气，九没有人吃磨擦饭，十没有人发国难财”，勾勒出干部清正、政治清明、上上下下同甘共苦、党群干群关系和谐的生动图景。

In stark contrast to Yan'an style was Xi'an style, which symbolized the Kuomintang's work style. After betraying the revolution, the Kuomintang degenerated politically and became corrupt in work style, with laziness and slackness, the sale of official positions, the destruction of laws and discipline, and the oppression of the people growing ever more intense. The Kuomintang ruling clique tried to wrap the rotten core of its bureaucratic system in the cloak of "propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame," but could not stop the erosion of greed among senior military and political officials who "made a fortune every day." After the War of Resistance Against Japan entered the stage of strategic stalemate, many officials profiteered from the national calamity. Contemporaries criticized: "At the front, the situation is critical, with troops lost and territory surrendered; in the rear, it's a feast, living in a drunken stupor as if in a dream." After the victory of the War of Resistance, Kuomintang officials plundered the people's flesh and blood on a large scale, turning "takeover" into "looting." The common people sarcastically called it "the five sons ascending the hall": [7]7 "The five sons ascending the hall" (五子登科) originally referred to a historical story of five sons all passing the imperial examinations; here it is used sarcastically to mean five types of plunder. grabbing gold, changing cars, seizing women, occupying houses, and demanding banknotes.

同延安作风形成鲜明对比的，是象征着国民党作风的西安作风。国民党背叛革命后，政治上蜕化、作风上腐化，懒惰废弛、卖官鬻爵、毁法乱纪、欺压百姓之风愈演愈烈。国民党统治集团试图用“礼义廉耻”的外衣包裹官僚体系的腐朽内核，却挡不住军政大员“日进斗金”的贪欲侵蚀。抗日战争进入战略相持阶段后，很多官员大发国难财，时人批评“前方吃紧，伤师失地；后方紧吃，醉生梦死”。抗战胜利后，国民党大员大肆搜刮民脂民膏，接收变成了“劫收”，老百姓讥讽为“五子登科”，即抢金子、换车子、霸女子、占房子、要票子。

In 1940, the famous patriotic overseas Chinese leader Tan Kah Kee led a delegation back to China for inspection and condolences. In the Kuomintang-controlled areas, he witnessed high officials and nobles living in debauchery, government officials corrupt and degenerate, and restaurants and teahouses crowded with guests. "Men wore long gowns and mandarin jackets, the Qing dynasty dress code still in existence; women had red lips and rouge, with high-heeled shoes and dyed red fingernails." During more than 60 days in Chongqing, Tan Kah Kee and his delegation "were invited to banquets every day without exception," each costing "over a hundred yuan," which made him feel "hardly suitable for the difficult times of the War of Resistance." Disappointed, Tan Kah Kee went to Yan'an for an inspection. Comrade Mao Zedong entertained this distinguished guest with cabbage, plain rice, and a pot of chicken soup. Although the dinner was quite "meager," Tan Kah Kee saw in it the bright prospects of a great party. Comparing the two, Tan Kah Kee concluded: China's hope lies in Yan'an.

1940年，著名爱国侨领陈嘉庚率团回国考察慰问。在国统区，他目睹达官贵人花天酒地，政府要员贪污腐化，酒楼茶馆宾客盈门，“男长衣马褂，清朝服制仍存，女则唇红口丹，旗袍高跟染红指甲”。在重庆60余天，陈嘉庚一行“无日不被人招宴”，动辄“一席百余元”，令他深感“与抗战艰难时际不甚适合耳”。失望之余，陈嘉庚来到延安考察，毛泽东同志用白菜、咸饭和一盆鸡汤宴请了这位贵宾。虽然晚宴相当“寒酸”，但陈嘉庚从中看到了一个伟大政党的光明前景。两相对比，陈嘉庚得出结论：中国的希望在延安。

During the Yan'an period, Comrade Mao Zedong and other veteran revolutionaries lived in cave dwellings, ate coarse grains, and wore cotton clothes, defeating "Xi'an style" with "Yan'an style." The picture shows Comrade Mao Zedong inquiring about the production and living conditions of peasants in Yangjialing, Yan'an, that year. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency)

延安时期，毛泽东同志等老一辈革命家住窑洞、吃粗粮、穿布衣，用“延安作风”打败了“西安作风”。图为当年毛泽东同志在延安杨家岭询问农民的生产和生活情况。 新华社发

The American journalist Edgar Snow was deeply moved by Yan'an style, concluding that this army possessed an "Oriental magic" capable of defeating any opponent, and declared it "the light of a rising nation." It was precisely from Comrade Mao Zedong living in a cave dwelling, Comrade Zhou Enlai sleeping on a heated brick bed, Comrade Peng Dehuai using a captured parachute to make a vest, and Comrade Lin Boqu wearing glasses with a broken temple piece tied to his ear with a string that Snow saw an unconquerable spirit and strength. The American journalist Theodore H. White once described the difference between the two parties: "The Communists, in contrast to the Kuomintang, shone with radiance. Where the Kuomintang was corrupt, they remained pure. Where the Kuomintang was ignorant, they were wise. Where the Kuomintang oppressed the people, they brought relief to the people."

美国记者埃德加·斯诺被延安作风深深打动，断定这支军队具备战胜一切对手的“东方魔力”，并断言这是“兴国之光”。正是从毛泽东同志住窑洞、周恩来同志睡土炕、彭德怀同志用缴获的降落伞做背心、林伯渠同志耳朵上用绳子系着断了一只腿架的眼镜中，斯诺看到了一种不可征服的精神和力量。美国记者白修德曾这样描写国共两党的差别，“共产党在和国民党相形之下是光耀四射的。在国民党是腐化的地方，它保持洁白。在国民党是愚昧的地方，它是英明的。在国民党压迫人民的地方，它给人民带来了救济”。

The difference between Yan'an style and Xi'an style is embodied in the stark contrast between "sharing salt when there is salt, sharing blandness when there is none" and "at the front, the situation is critical; in the rear, it's a feast"; in the stark contrast between "ten absences" and "the five sons ascending the hall"; in the stark contrast between "a pot of chicken soup" and "a banquet costing a hundred yuan"... This series of stark contrasts serves as a vivid footnote to why the Chinese Communist Party won political power and why the Kuomintang lost it on the mainland.

延安作风和西安作风的差异，体现在“有盐同咸，无盐同淡”和“前方吃紧，后方紧吃”的鲜明对比上，体现在“十个没有”和“五子登科”的鲜明对比上，体现在“一盆鸡汤”和“一席百元”的鲜明对比上……这一系列鲜明对比，成为中国共产党为什么赢得政权和国民党在大陆为什么失去政权的生动注脚。

Why did Yan'an style prevail?

延安作风何以制胜？

Our Party won victory by relying on two kinds of strength: one is the mighty power of truth, the other is the mighty power of personality. The power of truth is concentratedly embodied in our Party's correct theory, and the power of personality is concentratedly embodied in our Party's excellent work style. Yan'an style concentratedly carries our Party's original aspiration and founding mission [8]8 "Original aspiration and founding mission" (初心使命) refers to the Party's original goal of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. and its nature and purpose, profoundly manifests the Party's political character and the power of personality, and widely won the people's hearts.

我们党赢得胜利靠两种力量，一是强大的真理力量，二是强大的人格力量。真理力量集中体现为我们党的正确理论，人格力量集中体现为我们党的优良作风。延安作风集中承载着我们党的初心使命和性质宗旨，深刻彰显了党的政治本色和人格力量，广泛赢得了民心。

The foundation for Yan'an style being able to defeat Xi'an style was the faith and conviction that "revolutionary ideals are higher than heaven." Our Party takes Marxism as its foundation for building the Party, the realization of communism as its highest ideal, and serving the people wholeheartedly as its fundamental purpose. Firm ideals and convictions enabled Communists to acquire and possess incomparably powerful strength, forging the unique spiritual backbone of Communists — the willingness to give up everything, even life itself, for the country, the nation, and the people. "For over ten years I have not had a single cent to my name, and so it will be in the future," "I only have two mothers at home, the one who gave me birth and the one who raised me," "Because of the famine, this year there is no food." This is from a letter written in 1937 by Zhu De, Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army, to his friend Dai Yuling, asking to borrow 200 yuan to support his two mothers who were starving in their hometown in Sichuan. "The money I manage is the military funds for the War of Resistance; I cannot touch it!" This is what Wang Rongqing, a treasury director of the Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Shandong anti-Japanese base area, said to his brother when his own mother was starving. A Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army, commanding thousands upon thousands of troops, had to borrow 200 yuan from a friend to support his own mother; a treasury director watched his own mother go hungry but did not use the military funds for the War of Resistance. This kind of incorruptibility and loyalty of Communists, with their "revolutionary ideals higher than heaven," won the people's support and the choice of history through powerful attraction and centripetal force. This revolutionary ideal, like a magnet, attracted passionate young people from all directions, making them declare: "Break my bones, they're still connected by sinews; peel off my skin and flesh, my heart remains; as long as I have a single breath left, I will crawl, crawl to Yan'an city."

延安作风能够打败西安作风，根基是“革命理想高于天”的信仰信念。我们党以马克思主义为立党之本，以实现共产主义为最高理想，以全心全意为人民服务为根本宗旨。坚定的理想信念，使共产党人获得和拥有无比强大的力量，锤炼出共产党人特有的精神风骨——为国家为民族为人民甘愿舍弃一切直至献出生命。“我十数年实无一钱，即将来亦如是”，“惟家中有两位母亲，生我养我的均在”，“因年荒，今岁乏食”。这是1937年八路军总司令朱德写给好友戴与龄的信，信中提出借200元接济在四川老家乏食的两位母亲。“我管的钱是抗战军费，不能动呀！”这是八路军冀南抗日根据地某金库主任王荣卿面对挨饿的母亲对哥哥说的话。一个指挥千军万马的八路军总司令竟要靠向好友借200元来接济自己的母亲，一个守着金库的主任眼看着自己的母亲挨饿也不动用抗战军费。共产党人这种“革命理想高于天”的清廉与忠诚，以强大的吸引力和向心力，赢得人民的支持和历史的选择。这种革命理想，如磁石般吸引着来自四面八方的热血青年，令他们“打断骨头连着筋，扒了皮肉还有心，只要还有一口气，爬也要爬到延安城”。

The Yan’an style was able to defeat the Xi’an style because its strength lay in the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the masses. During the Yan’an period, the Party and the people were fused like milk and water, bound together in life and death. From the Party’s leaders to ordinary Party cadres, all “firmly sat on the side of the common people.” [1]1 "Defeating Xi'an style with Yan'an style" is a phrase attributed to Mao Zedong, contrasting the austere, disciplined, and people-oriented work style of the Communist Party in Yan'an with the corrupt and bureaucratic style of the Kuomintang in Xi'an. “Why doesn’t the Thunder God strike Mao Zedong dead?” When Comrade Mao Zedong heard this, he did not investigate who had said it; instead, he reflected on why a peasant would utter such words. Upon learning that it was the border region government’s grain-levy policy that had placed an excessive burden on the peasants, our Party launched the Great Production Campaign, turning Nanniwan into a “good Jiangnan north of the Shaanxi border.” [2]2 The Eight-Point Regulations are a set of rules on austerity, anti-corruption, and work style reform introduced by the CPC Central Committee in 2012. “The last mouthful of grain becomes military grain; the last piece of cloth becomes a military uniform; the last son is sent to the troops.” This folk song from those years, together with the forests of stretchers and the streams of pushcarts, bore witness to what truly constituted the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the people’s army on the one hand and the masses on the other. The American diplomat John S. Service wrote: “The Communist government and army are the first government and army in modern Chinese history to have won the active and widespread support of the Chinese people. They have won this support because this government and army are truly of the people.”

延安作风能够打败西安作风，底气在党和人民群众的血肉联系。延安时期，党和人民水乳交融、生死相依，从党的领袖到普通党员干部，都“把屁股端端地坐在老百姓这一方面”。“雷公为什么不打死毛泽东”？毛泽东同志听说后没有追究这句话是谁说的，而是反思农民为什么会说这样的话。当得知是边区政府的征粮政策给农民造成的负担过重后，我们党开展了大生产运动，把南泥湾变成了陕北的好江南。“最后的一口粮，做的是军粮；最后的一块布，做的是军装；最后的一个儿子啊，送到了部队上”，这首当年的歌谣，连同那如林的担架、如流的推车，一起见证了什么是真正的党和人民军队同人民群众的血肉联系。美国外交官约翰·戴维斯写道：“共产党的政府和军队是现代中国历史中第一个得到人民群众积极广泛支持的政府和军队。他们得到这些支持，因为这个政府和军队是名副其实地属于人民的。”

The Yan’an style was able to defeat the Xi’an style because it relied on self-reliance and arduous struggle. During the Yan’an period, due to the frenzied Japanese assault on the rear battlefields, the Nationalist Party’s military encirclement and economic blockade, and severe natural disasters, the Party and the people’s army at one point faced unprecedented survival pressures. Faced with the choice of disbanding, starving to death, or relying on themselves, the Party, government, military, and civilians “worked with their own hands to ensure ample food and clothing.” Cadres and the masses shared hardships and stood together through thick and thin, creating through the unity of the army and the people “a miracle never before seen in Chinese history.” Comrade Mao Zedong said, “We rely entirely on self-reliance and stand in an invincible position, which is the complete opposite of Chiang Kai-shek, who relies entirely on foreign powers. We practice arduous struggle and take care of both the army and the people, which is the complete opposite of the situation in Chiang Kai-shek’s areas, where corruption prevails above and the people have no means of livelihood below. Under these circumstances, we are certain to be victorious.”

延安作风能够打败西安作风，靠的是自力更生艰苦奋斗。延安时期，由于日本侵略者对敌后战场的疯狂进攻、国民党的军事包围和经济封锁，再加上严重的自然灾害，党和人民军队一度遇到前所未有的生存压力。面对解散、饿死还是自力更生的抉择，党政军民自己动手、丰衣足食，干部群众同甘共苦、患难与共，以军民团结一致创造了“中国历史上从来未有的奇迹”。毛泽东同志说，“我们是一切依靠自力更生，立于不败之地，和蒋介石的一切依靠外国，完全相反。我们是艰苦奋斗，军民兼顾，和蒋介石统治区的上面贪污腐化，下面民不聊生，完全相反。在这种情形下，我们是一定要胜利的”。

Style connects with the people’s hearts and determines the life-and-death fate of a political party and a political power. At the end of 1947, Comrade Mao Zedong made the major strategic judgment that “the Chinese people’s revolutionary war has now reached a turning point.” One important basis for this was that the popular support for the two parties, the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party, had reached a watershed. Because of the actions of the Nationalist government after the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan, popular grievances boiled over, and people in the Nationalist-controlled areas completely lost confidence in Nationalist rule. Even those who had formerly been centrists took a stand against the Nationalist regime. “The trend of popular sentiment in the Nationalist areas has changed; Chiang Kai-shek has been isolated, and the broad masses of the people have come over to our side.” “Chiang Kai-shek gradually lost the people’s hearts, while we gradually won them.” Those who win the people’s hearts win the world; those who lose the people’s hearts lose the world. The historical process by which the Yan’an style defeated the Xi’an style profoundly confirms this eternal truth.

作风连着民心，决定一个政党、一个政权的生死命运。1947年底，毛泽东同志作出“中国人民的革命战争，现在已经达到了一个转折点”的重大战略判断，其中一个重要依据就是国共两党的人心向背到了一个分水岭。由于抗战胜利以后国民党政府所作所为，使得民怨沸腾，国统区的人们彻底丧失了对国民党统治的信心，连那些过去的中间派，都站到了国民党统治的对立面。“国民党区域人心动向变了，蒋介石被孤立起来，广大人民群众站到了我们方面”，“蒋介石逐渐失掉人心，我们逐渐得到人心”。得民心者得天下，失民心者失天下。延安作风打败西安作风的历史过程，深刻印证了这个千古不易的真理。

How can the Yan’an style be passed down from generation to generation?

如何让延安作风薪火相传？

The glorious practice of our Party using the Yan’an style to defeat the Xi’an style has already been recorded forever in the annals of history. However, how to ensure that the Party’s fine traditions and style, represented by the Yan’an style, are transmitted from generation to generation is a historic issue we must continuously answer well.

我们党用延安作风打败西安作风的光辉实践，已经永载史册。但是，如何让以延安作风为代表的党的优良传统和作风世代相传，是我们必须不断回答好的历史性课题。

It is necessary here to mention a minor historical episode. In 1944, the U.S. Army Observer Group came to Yan’an for more than a year of on-the-ground investigation. They saw with their own eyes that the Communist army lived a frugal life, enjoyed equality between officers and men, and worked with enthusiasm—a “world utterly different from Chongqing.” The Observer Group once praised the Yan’an style under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party to Soong Mei-ling. After hearing this, Soong Mei-ling replied that the Chinese Communist Party had not yet truly tasted the flavor of power. [3]3 "Taking the new road of the examination" refers to Mao Zedong's metaphor of the Party's governance as a "road of the examination" (赶考路), originally used when the Party entered Beijing in 1949, implying a continuous test of its ability to govern and serve the people. There is no doubt that these words were filled with arrogance and prejudice, but they also serve as a warning to us from one angle: changes in the Party’s position can affect the Party’s style. Especially when in a ruling position and in command of ruling resources, this poses a direct and real test of whether our Party can maintain its fine style consistently from beginning to end. Only by successfully passing this test can we break the curse of the historical cycle and avoid a tragedy like that of “the Hegemon of Chu parting with his concubine.” [4]4 A li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 0.5 kilometers.

这里有必要提及一个历史小插曲。1944年，美军观察组到延安进行了一年多的实地考察，亲眼看到共产党的军队生活清苦、官兵平等、工作热心，与“重庆迥然是另一个世界”。美军观察组曾向宋美龄盛赞中共治下的延安作风，宋美龄听后说，那是中共还没有真正尝到权力的滋味儿。毫无疑问，这番话充满了傲慢与偏见，但也从一个侧面警醒我们，党的地位变化会影响党的作风，特别是处在执政地位、掌握执政资源，会对我们党能否慎终如始地保持优良作风，构成直接而现实的考验。只有成功经受住这个考验，才能打破历史周期率的魔咒，避免出现“霸王别姬”那样的悲剧。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Chinese Communists have inherited and carried forward the Party’s fine traditions and style, maintaining flesh-and-blood ties with the masses. Recently, a catastrophic flood disaster occurred in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province. Party members and cadres charged to the front, building a solid line of defense to protect the people and their homes. The picture shows local people spontaneously flooding the streets on July 3, 2025, to see off the rescue teams and express their gratitude. Photo by Xinhua News Agency, Yang Wukui.

党的十八大以来，中国共产党人继承和发扬党的优良传统和作风，始终保持同人民群众的血肉联系。近期，贵州省榕江县发生特大洪涝灾害，党员干部冲锋在前，构筑起保护群众、守护家园的坚固防线。图为2025年7月3日，当地群众自发涌上街头，送别救援队伍，表达感激之情。 新华社发 杨武魁/摄

“There is none who does not have a good start, but few are able to see it through to the end.” [5]5 The Yan'an Rectification Movement (1942–1944) was a Party-wide campaign to study Marxist theory, correct "subjectivist," "sectarian," and "stereotypical Party writing" tendencies, and unify ideology. It is precisely based on this deep sense of concern for ensuring that the Party and the political power never change their nature and that the red river and mountains never change their color that our Party has made unremitting efforts to promote fine style and strengthen style building. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has begun by formulating and implementing the

“靡不有初，鲜克有终。”正是基于对党和政权永不变质、红色江山永不变色的深沉忧患意识，我们党围绕发扬优良作风、加强作风建设付出了不懈努力。特别是党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央从制定和落实中央八项规定开局破题，以雷霆之势涤荡作风积弊，刹住了不少过去认为不可能刹住的歪风，祛除了一些多年难以祛除的顽瘴痼疾，解决了很多群众反映强烈的突出问题，百年大党在革命性锻造中焕发新的生机活力，从抓作风入手推进全面从严治党成为新时代党的自我革命一条重要经验。回顾延安时期以来我们党的风雨历程，从延安整风运动到新时代一系列党内集中教育，从“全心全意为人民服务”到“我将无我，不负人民”，从“窑洞之问”到“新的赶考之路”，延安作风在传承中不断发展，并在我们党兴党强党的实践中获得了新的时代内涵。

The work of improving conduct is always ongoing. The environmental conditions we face today have undergone earth-shattering changes compared with the Yan’an period, but the Yan’an style has not become outdated and will never become outdated. A series of spiritual essences contained in the Yan’an style, including unswerving faith and conviction, selfless and strong Party spirit, a Party-mass relationship as deep as fish and water, a fine ethos of hard work, exemplary leadership by those above, and moral integrity in clean and honest service, will forever be heirlooms of Chinese Communists. On the new journey, facing the arduous and heavy tasks of Chinese-path modernization and an exceptionally complex governing environment, we must, in accordance with the requirements of the Party Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping, take the opportunity of the study and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, further inherit and carry forward the Party’s fine traditions and conduct, promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of conduct improvement, and, through persistent effort and the gradual transformation of customs, step by step achieve the cleansing of malpractices and the purification of the political environment. [9]9 The Eight-Point Regulations (八项规定) are a set of rules on improving Party and government conduct, introduced by the CPC Central Committee in December 2012, targeting extravagance, bureaucracy, and formalism.

作风建设永远在路上。今天我们所处的环境条件，相比延安时期发生了翻天覆地的变化，但延安作风没有过时，也永远不会过时。延安作风中蕴含的一系列精神内核，包括矢志不渝的信仰信念、公而忘私的坚强党性、鱼水情深的党群关系、艰苦奋斗的良好风尚、以上率下的示范引领、廉洁奉公的道德操守等，永远是中国共产党人的传家宝。新征程上，面对艰巨繁重的中国式现代化建设任务和异常复杂的执政环境，我们要按照党中央和习近平总书记的要求，以开展深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育为契机，进一步传承弘扬好党的优良传统和作风，推进作风建设常态化长效化，在久久为功、化风成俗中一步步实现弊绝风清、海晏河清。

History will continue to prove that a century-old major Party that defeated the Xi’an style with the Yan’an style and created a glorious historical achievement, a century-old major Party that continuously inherits and carries forward the Yan’an style under new historical conditions and always breathes the same air, shares the same fate, and is bound heart to heart with the people, will surely create even more glorious historical achievements!

历史将继续证明，一个用延安作风打败西安作风、创造了辉煌历史伟业的百年大党，一个在新的历史条件下不断传承弘扬延安作风、始终与人民同呼吸、共命运、心连心的百年大党，必将创造更加辉煌的历史伟业！

(Author: Associate Researcher at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China)

（作者：中共中央党史和文献研究院副研究员）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心