Building a Strong and Powerful Marxist Ruling Party

The Communist Party of China was born against the historical backdrop of domestic turmoil and foreign aggression, with unprecedented social crises for the Chinese nation, and has always closely linked its own development with the destiny of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Facts have fully proved that

中国共产党在中华民族内忧外患、社会危机空前深重的历史背景下诞生，始终把自身的发展与中华民族的命运紧密相连。习近平总书记指出：“事实充分证明，中国共产党具有无比坚强的领导力、组织力、执行力，是团结带领人民攻坚克难、开拓前进最可靠的领导力量。”党在百余年的奋斗历程中为中华民族伟大复兴作出了历史性贡献，锻造了走在时代前列、人民衷心拥护、勇于自我革命、经得起各种风浪考验、朝气蓬勃的马克思主义执政党。

Realizing the Party’s own growth and expansion in the course of steadfastly shouldering historical responsibilities

在矢志担当历史重任中实现党自身的发展壮大

Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has always taken seeking happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission, shouldering the historical responsibility of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “If the CPC is to always remain the vanguard of the times and the backbone of the nation, its membership must be of an impeccable quality.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Celebration of the 95th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China” (July 1, 2016). Over more than a century, the Party has always resonated with the times, accurately grasped the principal contradiction in society and the themes of the era, actively assumed the historical tasks of different periods, and, in the course of responding to increasingly severe and complex risks and trials, continuously raised its own level of leadership and governing capacity, achieving a historic development from small to large and from weak to strong, becoming the world’s largest Marxist ruling party.

中国共产党自成立以来，始终将为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴作为自己的初心使命，肩负起实现中华民族伟大复兴的历史重任。习近平总书记指出：“中国共产党要始终成为时代先锋、民族脊梁，党员队伍必须过硬。”百余年来，党始终与时代同频共振，准确把握社会主要矛盾和时代主题，主动担负不同时期的历史任务，在应对日益严峻复杂的风险考验中，自身的领导水平和执政能力不断提高，实现从小到大、由弱到强的历史性发展，成为世界最大的马克思主义执政党。

Upon its founding, the Party immediately shouldered the historical mission of defending national independence and realizing the people’s liberation. In the process of uniting and leading the people in waging armed struggle and establishing New China, it paid attention to recruiting and developing Party members among workers, peasants, lower-ranking soldiers, and intellectuals, and emphasized raising members’ ideological awareness and theoretical level through ideological education, enabling our Party to “emerge from its narrow circles” [2]2 A reference to the Party’s early growth from a small, often underground organization to a nationwide force. and become a nationwide major party with a broad mass base and complete consolidation in ideology, politics, and organization.

党一经成立便担负捍卫民族独立、实现人民解放的历史使命，在团结带领人民开展武装斗争、建立新中国的过程中，注意在工人、农民、下级官兵和知识分子中吸收和发展党员，重视通过思想教育提高党员的思想觉悟和理论水平，使我们党“从狭小的圈子中走了出来”，成为具有广泛群众基础、思想上政治上组织上完全巩固的全国性大党。

After taking state power nationwide, the Party faced the task of transitioning from a New Democratic society to a socialist society and advancing socialist construction. Following a policy of organized planning and steady progress, it absorbed “outstanding elements among the working people with socialist consciousness to strengthen the Party’s organizational strength,” [3]3 A formulation from the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic, reflecting the Party’s organizational expansion strategy during the transition to socialism. explicitly stipulated the ten obligations of Party members, [4]4 The ten obligations of Party members were stipulated in the Party Constitution adopted at the Eighth National Congress of the CPC in 1956. made full social mobilization and organizational preparations for socialist revolution and construction, and became the core force uniting the entire people in carrying out socialist construction.

执掌全国政权后，党面临由新民主主义社会向社会主义社会转变、推进社会主义建设的任务，按照有组织计划、积极稳妥的方针，吸收“具有社会主义觉悟的、劳动人民中的优秀分子来壮大党的组织力量”，明确提出党员的十项义务，为社会主义革命和建设做了充分的社会动员和组织准备，成为团结全国人民进行社会主义建设的核心力量。

During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the Party continued to explore the path of socialist modernization, strictly demanded of Party members, actively recruited advanced elements among workers, peasants, and intellectuals into the Party, and, adapting to economic and social development, strengthened Party building in areas such as non-public economic organizations, neighborhood communities, social organizations, and intermediary organizations, building the Party into a strong core for the cause of socialist modernization.

改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，党继续探索社会主义现代化建设的道路，严格对党员的要求，积极吸收工人、农民、知识分子中的先进分子入党，适应经济社会发展，加大非公有制经济组织、街道社区、社会团体和社会中介组织等领域的党建工作，把党建设成为社会主义现代化建设事业的坚强核心。

As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, deep-seated contradictions in reform and development are increasingly prominent, and the prospects for comprehensively building a modern socialist country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are bright but the tasks are arduous and the road is long. The Communist Party of China, anchoring the realization of the “Two Centenary Goals,” [5]5 The “Two Centenary Goals” are: (1) completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC in 2021; (2) building China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049. continuously consolidates and expands the Party’s organizational coverage in accordance with economic and social changes and development, emphasizes developing Party members at the front lines of production and work, does a good job of developing Party members in emerging fields, and steadily absorbs advanced elements from all walks of life, especially outstanding young people, into the Party, ensuring that the Party always remains the strong leading core for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

中国特色社会主义进入新时代，世界进入新的动荡变革期，改革发展中的深层次矛盾日益凸显，全面建成社会主义现代化强国、实现中华民族伟大复兴前途光明、任重道远。中国共产党锚定实现“两个一百年”的奋斗目标，根据经济社会变化发展，持续巩固和扩大党的组织覆盖，重视在生产、工作第一线发展党员，做好在新兴领域中发展党员工作，源源不断把各方面先进分子特别是优秀青年吸收到党内来，确保党始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心。

Inspired by the lofty ideal of communism and the mission of national rejuvenation, the Communist Party of China has attracted and rallied a large number of advanced elements and outstanding talents from all walks of life. It has developed from just over fifty Party members at its founding into the world’s largest Marxist ruling party, with 100.271 million Party members and 5.25 million primary-level Party organizations. [6]6 Figures as of the end of 2023, as published by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee. This is commensurate with the Party’s historical position and the historical mission it shoulders; it is an inevitable result and important indicator of the Party’s continuous growth and expansion; it is a vivid manifestation of the Party’s ever-strengthening appeal and cohesion; and it is also an important guarantee for the Party to always maintain vigorous vitality and strong combat effectiveness. This facilitates the Party in better playing its role of commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, most broadly and effectively uniting all ethnic groups, and rallying as one to jointly meet the major trials, whether high winds and choppy waters or even raging waves, on the path ahead.

在共产主义远大理想和民族复兴使命的感召下，中国共产党吸引和凝聚了一大批各方面先进分子和优秀人才，已经从成立之初的五十多名党员，发展成为拥有10027.1万名党员、525.0万个基层党组织的世界第一大马克思主义执政党。这与党所处的历史方位、所肩负的历史使命是适应的，是党不断发展壮大的必然结果和重要标志，是党的吸引力凝聚力不断增强的生动体现，也是使党始终保持旺盛生命力和强大战斗力的重要保障。这有利于党更好地发挥总揽全局、协调各方的作用，最广泛、最有效地凝聚各族人民，团结一心共同迎接前进道路上风高浪急甚至惊涛骇浪的重大考验。

Forging a Party membership unified in thought and coordinated in action in the crucible

在熔炉中锻造思想统一步调一致的党员队伍

General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “If the Party is not managed well or governed strictly, and the prominent problems within the Party that the people strongly resent are not resolved, then our Party will sooner or later lose its governing qualification and will inevitably be eliminated by history.” [7]7 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Celebration of the 95th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China” (July 1, 2016). From the “people’s supervision” of the “Yaodong Dialogue” [8]8 The “Yaodong Dialogue” refers to the conversation between Mao Zedong and Huang Yanpei in 1945 in Yan’an, where Huang raised the historical cycle of rise and fall; Mao responded that the people’s supervision was the way to break this cycle. to the “self-revolution” of the New Era, the Communist Party of China has persistently strengthened its own construction, insisted on strict governance of the Party with strictness as the priority, continuously advanced the great new project of Party building, waged struggle against all problems that weaken the Party’s advanced nature and impair its purity, and significantly enhanced the vigor and vitality of the Party membership.

习近平总书记指出：“如果管党不力、治党不严，人民群众反映强烈的党内突出问题得不到解决，那我们党迟早会失去执政资格，不可避免被历史淘汰。”从“窑洞对”的“人民监督”到新时代的“自我革命”，中国共产党锲而不舍加强自身建设，坚持管党治党严字当头，不断推进党的建设新的伟大工程，同一切弱化先进性、损害纯洁性的问题作斗争，党员队伍的生机活力得到显著增强。

Emphasizing ideological Party building and strengthening theoretical armed forces. The advanced nature of a Marxist political party is first manifested in its advanced nature in ideology and theory; emphasizing ideological Party building and theoretical Party strengthening is a distinctive feature and glorious tradition of the Party. Adhering to arming the whole Party with the Party’s innovative theories, guiding practice, and advancing work, consciously applying the dialectical materialism and historical materialism world outlook and methodology that run through them to guide practice, making work in all areas more in line with the requirements of objective laws and scientific laws, and continuously carrying out intra-Party centralized education campaigns with ideological education as the lead—since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, [9]9 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in 2012. eight such intra-Party centralized education campaigns have been conducted, [10]10 The eight intra-Party centralized education campaigns since the 18th National Congress include: the “Mass Line in Education and Practice” campaign (2013), the “Three Stricts and Three Honests” campaign (2015), the “Two Studies, One Action” campaign (2016), the “Remain True to Our Original Aspiration and Keep Our Mission Firmly in Mind” campaign (2019), the “Study of Party History” campaign (2021), and others. enabling the whole Party to always maintain unified thinking, firm will, coordinated action, and strong combat effectiveness.

注重思想建党，强化理论武装。马克思主义政党的先进性，首先体现为思想理论上的先进性，注重思想建党、理论强党是党的鲜明特色和光荣传统。坚持以党的创新理论武装全党、指导实践、推动工作，自觉运用贯穿其中的辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义世界观和方法论指导实践，使各方面工作更符合客观规律、科学规律的要求，持续开展以思想教育打头的党内集中教育，党的十八大以来共开展8次党内集中教育，使全党始终保持统一的思想、坚定的意志、协调的行动、强大的战斗力。

Adhering to strict management and tempering strong Party spirit. The Party, with the political courage of self-revolution, adheres to strictness in ideology, strictness in supervision, strictness in discipline enforcement, strictness in cadre management, strictness in work style, and strictness in anti-corruption, promotes comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in depth, and implements comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in every Party branch and every Party member. Strengthening work style construction is precisely about tempering strong Party spirit and strengthening political cultivation. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, starting with the formulation and implementation of the central Party leadership’s Eight-Point Regulations to break new ground, [11]11 The Eight-Point Regulations, introduced by the central Party leadership in December 2012, are a set of rules to reduce bureaucracy, extravagance, and formalism among officials. with strictness as the priority and turning the blade inward, the Party has deepened the rectification of formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism, and extravagance with the spirit of driving the nail, guiding the vast number of Party members to firm up their ideals and convictions, practice the fundamental purpose, and strengthen moral cultivation.

坚持严格管理，锤炼坚强党性。党以自我革命的政治勇气，坚持思想从严、监督从严、执纪从严、治吏从严、作风从严、反腐从严，推动全面从严治党向纵深发展，把全面从严治党落实到每个支部、落实到每名党员。加强作风建设就是锤炼坚强党性、加强政治修养。党的十八大以来，从制定和落实中央八项规定开局破题，严字当头、刀刃向内，以钉钉子精神深化纠治形式主义、官僚主义、享乐主义和奢靡之风，引导广大党员坚定理想信念、践行根本宗旨、加强道德修养。

Strictly controlling the entrance and clearing the exit to maintain the purity of the membership. Carrying out the great struggle with many new historical features depends on the Party and depends on people. Strictly controlling the entrance for developing Party members, placing political standards first, deeply investigating the motives for joining the Party, political stance, ideological awareness, and value orientation of the candidates for development, ensuring that only mature individuals are developed. Seriously and steadily handling unqualified Party members, clarifying the overall requirements for organizational handling, stipulating the applicable circumstances for ordering correction within a time limit, persuading withdrawal from the Party, and expulsion, detailing the handling procedures and subsequent matters, adhering to strict standards and practical measures, and basing work on education, transformation, and improvement.

严把入口、疏通出口，保持队伍纯洁。进行具有许多新的历史特点的伟大斗争，关键在党，关键在人。严把发展党员入口关，把政治标准放在首位，深入考察发展对象的入党动机、政治立场、思想觉悟、价值取向，做到成熟一个、发展一个。严肃稳妥处置不合格党员，明确组织处置的总体要求，规定限期改正、劝其退党和除名的适用情形，细化处置程序及后续事项，坚持严的标准和实的措施，立足教育、转化提高。

Giving play to the vanguard and exemplary role of Party members to manifest the Party’s advanced nature and purity

发挥党员先锋模范作用彰显党的先进性和纯洁性

General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Doing a good job of primary-level foundational work is extremely important. As long as every primary-level Party organization and every Communist Party member has a strong sense of purpose and responsibility, and can play the role of a fighting bastion and a vanguard and exemplary role, our Party will be very powerful, our country will be very powerful, our people will be very powerful, and the Party’s governing foundation will be as firm as a rock.” [12]12 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the National Conference on Organizational Work” (July 3, 2018). The vast number of Party members are distributed across various regions, fields, and groups. Based on their own posts, they serve the people, actively play a vanguard and exemplary role, and provide a reliable vanguard force for the Party’s cause.

习近平总书记指出：“做好基层基础工作十分重要，只要每个基层党组织和每个共产党员都有强烈的宗旨意识和责任意识，都能发挥战斗堡垒作用、先锋模范作用，我们党就会很有力量，我们国家就会很有力量，我们人民就会很有力量，党的执政基础就能坚如磐石。”广大党员分布在各地区各领域各群体，立足本职岗位为人民服务，积极发挥先锋模范作用，为党的事业提供了可靠先锋力量。

Strengthen ideals and convictions, serve the central task and the overall situation. To build a strong Marxist governing party, one must first start with strengthening ideals and convictions. To play a vanguard and exemplary role, one must both strengthen confidence in realizing the highest ideal through the relayed struggle of generations of Chinese Communists, and enhance the consciousness of making contributions to the Party and the people in the great endeavor of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation. Based on the "two overall situations" [13]13 The "two overall situations" refers to the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the overall situation of changes unseen in a century in the world., always keep in mind the "greatest concerns of the state" [14]14 "Greatest concerns of the state" (国之大者) is a Party expression referring to the most fundamental and important matters concerning the long-term development of the Party and the country., identify the points of integration, entry, and focus between one's own work and the central tasks of the Party and the state, strengthen ideals and convictions, strengthen the will to struggle, strengthen perseverance and tenacity, so as to be seen in ordinary times, stand out at critical moments, and step forward in times of crisis.

坚定理想信念，服务中心大局。建设坚强的马克思主义执政党，首先要从坚定理想信念做起。发挥先锋模范作用，既要坚定在一代又一代中国共产党人的接力奋斗中实现最高理想的信心，又要增强在强国建设、民族复兴伟业中为党和人民建功立业的自觉。立足“两个大局”，始终心怀“国之大者”，找准自身工作与党和国家中心任务的结合点、切入点、着力点，坚定理想信念、坚定奋斗意志、坚定恒心韧劲，做到平常时候看得出来、关键时刻站得出来、危急关头豁得出来。

Based on one's own post, strive for first-class performance. Socialism is built through hard work; the New Era is achieved through struggle. Party members are the advanced elements in various fields and on all fronts. To maintain and enhance their advanced nature, it must be implemented in daily work, achieving due diligence and proactive action, being diligent in creation and courageous in struggle, continuously learning new knowledge, mastering new skills, and cultivating true abilities, loving whatever job one does and specializing in whatever field one works in, striving to become skilled experts and masters in being good at undertaking work and starting undertakings, making achievements in solving development difficulties, overcoming reform obstacles, and maintaining social harmony and stability, creating extraordinary achievements in ordinary posts.

立足本职岗位，争创一流业绩。社会主义是干出来的，新时代是奋斗出来的。党员是各个领域各条战线的先进分子，保持和增强自身的先进性，要落实到日常工作之中，做到尽职尽责、积极作为，勤于创造、勇于奋斗，不断学习新知识、掌握新技能、练就真本领，干一行爱一行、钻一行专一行，努力成为善于干事创业的岗位能手、行家里手，在破解发展难题、攻克改革难关、维护社会和谐稳定上有所作为，在平凡岗位上创造不平凡的业绩。

Serve the masses, contribute to society. The people are the deepest foundation and greatest source of confidence for the Party's governance. Always representing the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people and having no special interests of its own is an important manifestation of the Party's advanced nature and purity. Keeping in mind the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly is a necessary condition for every Party member to play a vanguard and exemplary role and forever maintain advanced nature and purity. This means doing solid work and leading by example in serving the people, selflessly dedicating oneself to the cause of the Party and the people, starting from the most difficult masses, starting from the most prominent problems, and starting from the most realistic interests, embodying the advanced nature of Communists in handling one by one the matters that worry and trouble the common people.

服务群众，奉献社会。人民是党执政的最深厚基础和最大底气，始终代表最广大人民根本利益、没有任何自己特殊的利益是党的先进性和纯洁性的重要表现。牢记全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨是每一名党员发挥先锋模范作用、永葆先进性和纯洁性的必要条件，做到在为人民服务中真抓实干、身体力行，为党和人民事业忘我奉献，从最困难的群众入手、从最突出的问题抓起、从最现实的利益出发，在办好一件件老百姓操心事、烦心事中体现共产党人的先进性。

(Author: Xiao Guiqing, Deputy Director of the Institute of CPC History and Party Building, Professor at the School of Marxism, Tsinghua University, and Special Researcher of the National Party Building Research Association)

（作者：肖贵清，系清华大学中共党史党建研究院副院长、马克思主义学院教授，全国党建研究会特约研究员）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心