Maintaining Historical Patience: Methodological Insights from the Long-Term Governance of the Communist Party of China

Maintaining historical patience, as an important spiritual quality and scientific method of thinking tempered by the Communist Party of China over its more than one hundred years of struggle, is a signature concept proposed by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, employing a grand historical perspective. It profoundly reflects the Party’s scientific grasp of the laws governing Communist Party governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human societal development. Maintaining historical patience is an active choice made based on a firm belief in the truth of Marxism, a deep understanding of China’s national conditions, and a scientific summation of over a hundred years of practical experience. From the bloody sacrifices of the New Democratic Revolution period to the arduous explorations of the Socialist Revolution and Construction period, from the steady advancement of the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization to the vigorous striving of the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party has always steered the historical process by maintaining historical patience, seeking “qualitative breakthroughs” through “quantitative accumulation,” and achieving “good work and good results” through “persistent and long-term effort.”

保持历史耐心，作为中国共产党在百余年奋斗历程中淬炼而成的重要精神品质和科学思想方法，是以习近平同志为核心的党中央运用大历史观提出的标识性概念，深刻折射出我们党对共产党执政规律、社会主义建设规律、人类社会发展规律的科学把握。保持历史耐心，是基于对马克思主义真理力量的坚定信仰、对中国国情的深刻把握、对百余年实践经验的科学总结作出的主动选择。从新民主主义革命时期的浴血牺牲到社会主义革命和建设时期的艰辛探索，从改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期的稳步推进到中国特色社会主义新时代的踔厉奋发，党始终以保持历史耐心驾驭历史进程，在“量变积累”中寻求“质变突破”，在“久久为功”中实现“善作善成”。

1. Guided by Historical Materialism, Deeply Understand and Grasp the Laws of History

1.以唯物史观为指导，深刻认识和把握历史规律

Marxist historical materialism profoundly reveals the objective laws of the development of human society, providing the fundamental theoretical guidance for the Communist Party of China to maintain historical patience. Marxism holds that the replacement of social formations is the result of the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure. It is a “natural historical process” with objectivity and long-term character independent of human will. Communism, as the inevitable trend of human societal development, requires a prolonged historical stage and unremitting practical accumulation to be realized.

马克思主义唯物史观深刻揭示了人类社会发展的客观规律，为中国共产党保持历史耐心提供了根本理论遵循。马克思主义认为，社会形态的更替是生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑矛盾运动的结果，是一个“自然历史过程”，具有不以人的意志为转移的客观性和长期性。共产主义作为人类社会发展的必然趋势，需要经历漫长的历史阶段和不懈的实践积累才能实现。

As a Marxist ruling party, the Communist Party of China has always adhered to the guidance of historical materialism in practice, deeply recognizing that “historical development has its laws, but people are not completely passive within it.” [1]1 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (2016). In leading the Chinese revolution, the Party always emphasized respecting historical laws, clearly recognizing the historical trend that capitalism is doomed and socialism is bound to triumph, strengthening revolutionary conviction, and opposing impatience for quick results. Comrade Mao Zedong once pointed out, “We used twenty-two years to wage the revolutionary war, and we patiently waited for the victory of the democratic revolution.” [2]2 Mao Zedong’s remark, likely from his writings or speeches during the revolutionary period, emphasizing the long-term nature of the struggle. This statement reflects both a sober recognition of the long-term nature of revolution and construction and a vivid application of the Marxist view of history in practice. Comrade Deng Xiaoping similarly emphasized the stage-based and long-term nature of historical development. When planning China’s modernization process, he pointed out: “We have only been building socialism for a few decades and are still in the primary stage. Consolidating and developing the socialist system will require a very long historical stage.” [3]3 Deng Xiaoping’s statement on the primary stage of socialism, a key theoretical foundation for reform and opening up. This judgment laid an important ideological foundation for the Party to maintain strategic resolve and advance various undertakings step by step since reform and opening up.

中国共产党作为马克思主义执政党，始终坚持以唯物史观指导实践，深刻认识到“历史发展有其规律，但人在其中不是完全消极被动的”。在领导中国革命的过程中，党始终强调要尊重历史规律，认清资本主义必然灭亡、社会主义必然胜利的历史趋势，坚定革命信念，反对急于求成。毛泽东同志曾指出，“我们搞革命战争用了二十二年，曾经耐心地等得民主革命的胜利”。这一论述既体现了对革命和建设长期性的清醒认知，也彰显了马克思主义历史观在实践中的生动运用。邓小平同志同样强调历史发展的阶段性与长期性，他在规划中国现代化进程时指出：“我们搞社会主义才几十年，还处在初级阶段。巩固和发展社会主义制度，还需要一个很长的历史阶段。”这一判断为改革开放以来党保持战略定力、循序渐进推进各项事业奠定了重要思想基础。

Entering the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has further enriched and developed the Marxist view of history, creatively proposing the signature concept of “historical patience” and elaborating on it on multiple major occasions. In December 2013, at the Central Conference on Urbanization, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated: “On the issue of population urbanization, we must have sufficient historical patience.” [4]4 Xi Jinping’s speech at the Central Conference on Urbanization (2013). Subsequently, when discussing major strategies such as rural revitalization and coordinated regional development, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining historical patience, pointing out that “realizing communism is a very long historical process; we must base ourselves on the Party’s goals for the current stage of development and advance our cause with our feet on the ground.” [5]5 Xi Jinping’s elaboration on the long-term nature of realizing communism. These important statements provide powerful ideological guidance for the Party to maintain historical patience in the New Era.

进入新时代，习近平总书记进一步丰富和发展了马克思主义历史观，创造性提出“历史耐心”这一标识性概念，并多次在重大场合加以阐释。2013年12月，习近平总书记在中央城镇化工作会议上明确提出：“在人口城镇化问题上，我们要有足够的历史耐心。”此后，他在论述乡村振兴、区域协调发展等重大战略时，多次强调保持历史耐心的重要性，指出“实现共产主义是一个非常漫长的历史过程，我们必须立足党在现阶段的奋斗目标，脚踏实地推进我们的事业”。这些重要论述为新时代党保持历史耐心提供了强大思想指引。

2. Historical Patience Runs Through the Party’s Century-Long Struggle

2.历史耐心贯穿党的百余年奋斗历程

At different historical stages, the Communist Party of China has always, based on the nature and characteristics of the historical tasks at hand, used historical patience to solve development problems, demonstrating a long-term historical vision, steady strategic arrangements, and a composed spiritual quality.

在不同历史阶段，中国共产党始终根据历史任务的性质与特点，以历史耐心破解发展难题，表现出长远的历史眼光、稳健的战略安排、从容的精神品质。

During the New Democratic Revolution period, facing the “three great mountains” [6]6 “Three great mountains” is a standard CPC term for the three oppressive forces in pre-1949 China: imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism. of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism, the Communist Party of China deeply recognized the long-term and arduous nature of the revolution and waged struggle with extraordinary historical patience. From the founding of the Party in 1921 to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, it experienced 28 years of arduous and bitter struggle, encountering the painful setback of the failure of the Great Revolution, the Long March after the defeat of the Fifth Counter-Encirclement Campaign, and the hardships of the War of Resistance Against Japan. The Communist Party of China never wavered in its revolutionary conviction but persisted in proceeding from reality, fighting bloody battles to advance the revolutionary cause. From “encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing state power by armed force” during the Agrarian Revolution period, to the “protracted war” during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and then to the strategy of “concentrating superior forces to destroy the enemy one by one” during the War of Liberation, it ultimately achieved national independence and the liberation of the people. These practices fully prove that maintaining historical patience is an important experience for the Party to achieve victory in long-term revolutionary struggle.

在新民主主义革命时期，面对帝国主义、封建主义和官僚资本主义的“三座大山”，中国共产党深刻认识到革命的长期性与艰巨性，以非凡的历史耐心开展斗争。从1921年建党到1949年新中国成立，经历了28年艰苦卓绝的斗争，其间遭遇过大革命失败的惨痛挫折，经历过第五次反“围剿”失利后的万里长征，面临过抗日战争时期的艰难困苦。中国共产党始终没有动摇革命信念，而是坚持从实际出发，浴血奋战推进革命事业。从土地革命时期“农村包围城市、武装夺取政权”，到抗日战争时期的“持久战”，再到解放战争时期坚持“集中优势兵力，各个歼灭敌人”，最终实现了民族独立和人民解放。这些实践充分证明，保持历史耐心是党在长期革命斗争中取得胜利的重要经验。

In the early days after the founding of New China, facing a situation where everything was waiting to be done, the Communist Party of China maintained a sober mind, formulated and implemented the First Five-Year Plan, concentrated its strength on developing heavy industry, and laid the initial foundation for socialist industrialization. The Party put forward a series of important thoughts on socialist construction, including that socialist society is a very long historical stage and that it is necessary to find an industrialization path suited to China’s national conditions. During the period of Socialist Revolution and Construction, the Party achieved a series of major accomplishments through patient exploration, but also experienced twists and mistakes. This further deepened its understanding of the importance of maintaining historical patience, providing valuable lessons for later practice.

新中国成立初期，面对百废待兴的局面，中国共产党保持清醒头脑，制定并实施了第一个五年计划，集中力量发展重工业，奠定了社会主义工业化的初步基础。党提出关于社会主义建设的一系列重要思想，包括社会主义社会是一个很长的历史阶段，走出一条适合我国国情的工业化道路，等等。在社会主义革命和建设时期，党既在耐心探索中取得了一系列重大成就，也有过曲折和失误，进一步深化了对保持历史耐心重要性的体悟，为后来的实践提供了宝贵借鉴。

After reform and opening up, the Party re-established the ideological line of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, advancing reform and opening up and socialist modernization with great historical patience. In rural reform, starting from the pilot “big contract” [7]7 “Big contract” (大包干) refers to the household contract responsibility system pioneered in Xiaogang Village, a key early reform in agriculture. in Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Anhui Province, the household contract responsibility system was gradually promoted, greatly liberating rural productive forces. In opening up to the outside world, the Party started by establishing special economic zones, gradually expanding the scope of opening up, forming a gradient opening pattern of “special economic zones – coastal open cities – coastal open economic zones – inland areas,” achieving a historic transformation from a closed and semi-closed state to all-round opening up. As Comrade Deng Xiaoping said: “Our policy is to be bold in vision, but steady in steps; we will take one step, look around, and then take another. Our policy is unwavering, will not waver, and we will keep at it. The important thing is to sum up experience after each step.” [8]8 Deng Xiaoping’s remark on the method of reform, emphasizing a cautious, experimental approach. This practice of proceeding step by step and focusing on accumulation is a vivid manifestation of maintaining historical patience.

改革开放后，党重新确立了解放思想、实事求是的思想路线，以极大的历史耐心推进改革开放和社会主义现代化建设。在农村改革中，从安徽凤阳小岗村的“大包干”试点开始，逐步推广家庭联产承包责任制，极大解放了农村生产力。在对外开放中，党从设立经济特区开始，逐步扩大开放范围，形成了“经济特区—沿海开放城市—沿海经济开放区—内地”的梯度开放格局，实现了从封闭半封闭到全方位开放的历史性转变。正如邓小平同志所说：“我们的方针是，胆子要大，步子要稳，走一步，看一步。我们的政策是坚定不移的，不会动摇的，一直要干下去，重要的是走一段就要总结经验。”这种循序渐进、注重积累的实践方式，正是保持历史耐心的生动体现。

As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, facing the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and changes unseen in a century in the world, has paid more attention to maintaining historical patience and advancing a series of major strategies with long-term implications. In the fight against poverty, the Party adhered to the basic strategy of “targeted poverty alleviation and elimination,” avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach, instead tailoring measures to local conditions and different categories. Millions of poverty alleviation cadres took root at the grassroots level, with the commitment of “never withdrawing until complete victory is won.” After eight years of continuous struggle, they fulfilled the poverty alleviation goals and tasks of the New Era on schedule, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty that had plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years. In ecological civilization construction, the Party put forward the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, implemented major strategies such as the Yangtze River’s “ten-year fishing ban” and the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, advancing ecological and environmental governance with the patience of “meritorious service in the present era, benefiting future generations.” In coordinated regional development, the Party coordinated the advancement of major strategies such as the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, focusing on long-term planning and step-by-step implementation, gradually solving the problem of unbalanced regional development. These practices have further enriched the connotation of the Party’s maintenance of historical patience and highlighted the important value of historical patience in the New Era.

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面对中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局，更加注重保持历史耐心，推进一系列事关长远的重大战略。在脱贫攻坚中，党坚持“精准扶贫、精准脱贫”的基本方略，不搞“大水漫灌”，而是因地制宜、分类施策，数百万扶贫干部扎根基层，以“不获全胜决不收兵”的担当，经过8年持续奋斗，如期完成了新时代脱贫攻坚目标任务，历史性地解决了困扰中华民族几千年的绝对贫困问题。在生态文明建设中，党提出绿水青山就是金山银山的理念，实施长江“十年禁渔”、黄河流域生态保护和高质量发展等重大战略，以“功在当代、利在千秋”的耐心推进生态环境治理。在区域协调发展中，党统筹推进京津冀协同发展、长江经济带发展、粤港澳大湾区建设、长三角一体化发展等重大战略，注重长远规划、分步实施，逐步破解区域发展不平衡问题。这些实践进一步丰富了党保持历史耐心的内涵，彰显了历史耐心在新时代的重要价值。

3. Practical Requirements for Maintaining Historical Patience

3.保持历史耐心的实践要求

As the world’s largest developing country, China possesses a super-large population base, vast territorial space, complex ethnic composition, and a long history and culture. This special national condition determines that China’s development must inevitably be a long-term, complex, and arduous process. Particularly at present, China’s development environment faces profound and complex changes, and the country’s development is in a period where strategic opportunities and risk challenges coexist, with increasing uncertainties and unpredictable factors. This makes it especially necessary to maintain sufficient historical patience.

中国作为世界上最大的发展中国家，具有超大规模的人口基数、广阔的地域空间、复杂的民族构成和悠久的历史文化，这种特殊国情决定了中国的发展必然是一个长期、复杂、艰巨的过程。特别是当前我国发展环境面临深刻复杂变化，我国发展处于战略机遇和风险挑战并存、不确定难预料因素增多的时期，格外需要保持足够的历史耐心。

First, the unity of following historical laws and exercising historical initiative. Following historical laws is the fundamental basis and source of confidence for maintaining historical patience. The process of historical development follows its inherent laws, but humanity is not entirely passive under their domination; through the exertion of subjective initiative, people can understand and transform the world. The Communist Party of China’s maintenance of historical patience is distinctly manifested in “grasping the laws and general trends of historical development, and always mastering the historical initiative in the cause of the Party and the state.” [9]9 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the CPC’s centenary celebration (2021), summarizing the Party’s historical experience. It both seizes the timing of historical change, striving with vigor and forging ahead with determination, and gives play to the spirit of historical initiative, effectively responding to various risks and challenges, maintaining historical patience, adhering to making progress while maintaining stability, advancing step by step, and continuing to push forward, constantly opening up new prospects for the development of the Party and the state’s cause.

一是遵循历史规律与发挥历史主动相统一。遵循历史规律是保持历史耐心的根本依据和自信所在。历史发展的进程遵循其内在规律，但人类并非全然被动地受其支配，可以通过发挥主观能动性，认识并改造世界。中国共产党保持历史耐心鲜明表现为“把握历史发展规律和大势，始终掌握党和国家事业发展的历史主动”。既抓住历史变革时机，奋发有为，锐意进取，又发挥历史主动精神，有效应对各种风险挑战，保持历史耐心，坚持稳中求进、循序渐进、持续推进，不断开创党和国家事业发展新局面。

Second, the connection between the accumulation of quantity and qualitative leaps. Maintaining historical patience profoundly embodies the dialectical principle of the relationship between quantitative change and qualitative change, emphasizing that the realization of major strategic goals must undergo long-term quantitative accumulation, gestating qualitative leaps in the course of sustained advancement. The great cause promoted by the Communist Party of China—whether it is realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, comprehensively building a great modern socialist country, or achieving common prosperity for all the people—are all historical tasks with long-term and complex characteristics. They can only be realized through bit-by-bit continuous accumulation and step-by-step, ladder-like advancement. The Communist Party of China’s maintenance of historical patience always includes a clear understanding and active grasp of the transformation of development stages.

二是注重量的积累与质的飞跃相衔接。保持历史耐心，深刻体现了量变和质变的辩证关系原理，强调重大战略目标的实现必须经过长期的量的积累，在持续推进中孕育质的飞跃。中国共产党所推进的伟大事业，无论是实现中华民族伟大复兴，还是全面建成社会主义现代化强国，抑或是实现全体人民共同富裕，都是具有长期性、复杂性的历史任务，必须通过一点一滴的持续积累、一步一个脚印的阶梯式推进才能实现。中国共产党保持历史耐心，始终包含着对发展阶段转换的清醒认识和主动把握。

Third, the combination of strategic planning and tactical implementation. The dialectical unity of strategy and tactics is an important theoretical implication of the Communist Party of China’s maintenance of historical patience. On the one hand, it adheres to a long-term perspective and plans development based on the overall situation. Major development strategies have the essential attribute of being long-term oriented, focusing both on serving the urgent needs of contemporary development and, more importantly, on safeguarding long-term growth value, striving to ensure that development dividends benefit future generations. On the other hand, throughout the implementation of strategies, it consistently emphasizes flexibility and operability, formulating specific tactics based on actual conditions to ensure the realization of strategic goals.

三是推动战略谋划与策略实施相结合。战略和策略的辩证统一，是中国共产党保持历史耐心的重要理论意蕴。一方面，坚持长远眼光，立足全局谋划发展。重大发展战略具有立足长远的本质属性，既着眼于服务当代发展的迫切需求，更着重于保障长远的成长价值，力求发展红利惠及子孙后代。另一方面，战略实施过程中始终注重灵活性和可操作性，根据实际情况制定具体策略，确保战略目标的实现。

Fourth, the alignment of a grand historical perspective with a problem-oriented approach. Maintaining historical patience requires establishing a grand historical perspective, grasping the laws of development from the long river of history, while at the same time standing firmly in the present to confront problems directly, advancing the cause in the process of resolving contradictions. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “Establish a grand historical perspective, analyze the mechanisms of evolution and explore historical laws from the long river of history, the tide of the times, and the global situation.” [10]10 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the CPC’s centenary celebration (2021), emphasizing the need for a broad historical perspective. This is an important epistemological prerequisite for maintaining historical patience. Facing the arduous tasks in the process of Chinese-path modernization, the Party both recognizes, from a grand historical perspective, that “it cannot be accomplished overnight,” and uses a problem-oriented approach to solve practical difficulties such as the urban-rural gap and technological bottlenecks; it is neither disturbed by short-term fluctuations nor neglects specific issues. In the combination of a long-cycle vision and phased breakthroughs, it demonstrates a composed and unhurried historical patience.

四是实现大历史观与问题导向相契合。保持历史耐心，必须树立大历史观，从历史长河中把握发展规律，同时立足当下直面问题，在破解矛盾中推进事业。习近平总书记指出，“树立大历史观，从历史长河、时代大潮、全球风云中分析演变机理、探究历史规律”，这是保持历史耐心的重要认识论前提。面对中国式现代化进程中的艰巨任务，党既以大历史观认识到“不可能一蹴而就”，又以问题导向破解城乡差距、科技瓶颈等现实难题；既不为短期波动所扰，也不忽视具体问题，在长周期视野与阶段性攻坚的结合中，展现出从容不迫的历史耐心。

Fifth, the echoing of “success need not be in my tenure” and “success must have my contribution.” The spiritual core of historical patience lies in correctly handling relationships such as “the present and the long term” and “the individual and the collective,” planning for the long term with the realm of “success need not be in my tenure,” and grasping the present with the sense of responsibility of “success must have my contribution.” The century-plus history of the Party is a history of continuous struggle. Generations of Communists, disregarding personal gains and losses, have laid the foundation and paved the way for the long-term cause. This kind of continuous struggle, “one batch after another,” is precisely the concrete manifestation of historical patience in practice, highlighting the historical responsibility of the Chinese Communists.

五是坚持“功成不必在我”与“功成必定有我”相呼应。历史耐心的精神内核，是正确处理“当前与长远”“个人与集体”等关系，以“功成不必在我”的境界谋划长远，以“功成必定有我”的担当抓好当下。百余年党史就是一部接续奋斗的历史，一代代共产党人不计个人得失，为长远事业奠基铺路。这种“一茬接着一茬干”的接续奋斗，正是历史耐心在实践中的具体体现，彰显了中国共产党人的历史担当。

(Author: Zhou Jin, Distinguished Research Fellow of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Associate Research Fellow of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies)

（作者：周进，系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、当代中国研究所副研究员）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧