On the Ideological Value of the Party’s Work Style Construction

The Chinese Communist Party has always attached great importance to work style construction. Whether in the era of revolutionary war or in the period of peaceful construction, the Party has consistently regarded fine work styles as an important magic weapon for winning the support of the masses and advancing various undertakings, forming fine work styles such as integrating theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, criticism and self-criticism, hard struggle, and seeking truth from facts. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has unswervingly advanced comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, promoted the great new project of Party building in the New Era with a thorough spirit of self-revolution, started by strengthening the Party’s work style construction, and taken the formulation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulations as an important starting point, creating a new atmosphere in the Party’s work style construction. The work style construction of the Chinese Communist Party is not only an important measure for deepening the governance and management of the Party and promoting the in-depth development of Party building work in the New Era, but also produces extremely profound and important ideological value due to its benefits to the Party’s image, nature, and specific work. Work style construction and ideology are both important work contents of the Party. Deeply exploring, sorting out, and elucidating the ideological value of the Party’s work style construction is not only conducive to strengthening the theoretical connotation and practical significance of work style construction, but also conducive to broadening the connotative development path of ideological work. In the process of continuously forging an advanced, pure, strong, and powerful ruling Party, it enhances the cohesion and leading power of socialist ideology, providing strong political leadership and ideological guidance for building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

中国共产党历来重视作风建设，无论是革命战争年代还是和平建设时期，党始终将优良作风作为赢得人民群众支持、推进各项事业的重要法宝，形成了理论联系实际、密切联系群众、批评和自我批评以及艰苦奋斗、求真务实等优良作风。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚定不移推进全面从严治党，以彻底的自我革命精神推进新时代党的建设新的伟大工程，从加强党的作风建设开局，把制定和落实中央八项规定作为重要抓手，形成党的作风建设新气象。中国共产党的作风建设不仅是深化管党治党、推进新时代党建工作深入发展的重要举措，也因其对党的形象、性质和具体工作等方面的助益产生极为深刻且重要的意识形态价值。作风建设与意识形态都是党的重要工作内容，深入发掘、梳理和阐释党的作风建设的意识形态价值，不仅有利于强化作风建设的学理内涵和实践意义，也有利于拓宽意识形态工作的内涵式发展路径，在持续锻造先进纯洁、坚强有力的执政党过程中提升社会主义意识形态的凝聚力和引领力，为强国建设、民族复兴提供强大的政治领导和思想指引。

I. The Party’s Work Style Construction Consolidates and Enhances Ideological Cohesion

一、党的作风建设巩固与提升意识形态凝聚力

People or things often display a specific image when existing in the world. The image presented by an individual or organization has an important impact on the degree of acceptance and recognition by others. Therefore, both individuals and organizations pursue and shape their own image. For a Party organization, whether it can create a good image and leave a good impression in the hearts of the people determines whether the people will identify with the Party’s ideology and accept the Party’s leadership. The most direct ideological value of the Chinese Communist Party’s work style construction is to continuously shape the Party’s advanced image by purifying the attitudes and behaviors of the entire Party in thought, work, and life, promoting the acceptance and recognition of the masses, and thus endowing our Party’s ideology with strong cohesion.

人或事物存在于世界中往往会展现某种特定的形象，个体或组织所呈现的形象对他人的接受和认同程度具有重要影响。因此，无论是个体还是组织都会追求并塑造自身的形象。对党组织而言，能不能在人民心中产生好形象、留下好印象，决定着人民会不会认同党的思想，接受党的领导。中国共产党作风建设最直接的意识形态价值就是通过净化全党在思想上、工作上和生活上的态度与行为，持续塑造党的先进形象，促进民众的接受与认同，使我们党的意识形态具有强大的凝聚力。

(1) The Party’s Work Style Is the Party’s Image

（一）党的作风就是党的形象

The issue of image is an important topic that no political party can ignore. Looking back at our Party’s history of over a hundred years, from small to large, from weak to strong, it is closely related to the Party’s fine work styles and its good image. Our Party deeply understands the important impact of work style on the Party’s image, and has clearly stated that “the Party’s work style is related to the Party’s image.” After the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the formulation “the Party’s work style is the Party’s image” was further used. The judgment from “related to” to “is” indicates that our Party’s understanding of the closeness of the connection between the two is constantly deepening. Generally speaking, an image is a mental picture formed in the mind of others of a specific person or thing. People or things present certain external manifestations due to their inherent characteristics. People who observe and think, under certain conditions, perceive the external manifestations of others or things, thereby forming an overall evaluation and impression. Accordingly, the image of the Chinese Communist Party is “the behavioral state and overall appearance presented by the Chinese Communist Party in carrying out political activities based on the Party’s nature, purpose, tasks, and guiding ideology, and the sensory cognition and value judgment formed in people’s minds after external display and media transmission.”

形象问题是任何一个政党都不能忽略的重要议题。回顾我们党一百多年来从小到大、由弱到强的历史，与党的优良作风及其良好形象有着密切关系。我们党深知作风问题对党的形象的重要影响，明确提出“党的作风，关系党的形象”。党的十八大后，进一步使用“党的作风就是党的形象”这一提法。从“关系”到“就是”的判断，表明我们党对二者联系紧密程度的认识不断深化。一般而言，形象是特定的人或事物在他者头脑中形成的意象。人或事物由于其内在特点而呈现一定的外在表现，观察思考着的人们在一定条件下对他人或事物的外在表现进行感觉与认知，进而形成总体评价和印象。据此，中国共产党的形象就是“中国共产党依据党的性质、宗旨、任务、指导思想，在开展政治活动中呈现出的行为状态和整体面貌，并通过外部展示和媒介传输后，在人们头脑中形成的感觉认知和价值判断”。

The reason our Party believes that the Party’s work style is the Party’s image is that the Party’s work style determines the Party’s image. A Party organization is not a specific person or object. Although there are some explicit identifiers, there is no clearly perceptible external form. Therefore, the external manifestation of the Party is mainly reflected in the Party’s actions, which are jointly constituted by Party members. In the long-term practice of revolution, construction, and reform, the relatively stable attitudes and behavioral patterns displayed by Party members constitute the Party’s work style. People observe the Party’s work style and perceive it based on actual conditions and their own cognitive abilities, thereby forming an overall evaluation and basic impression of the Party. In this sense, the Party’s work style construction actually shapes the Party’s image; the process of work style construction is the process of image construction for the Party. Similarly, the Party’s image also affects the Party’s work style to a certain extent. An advanced image in the hearts of the people further requires our Party to continuously strengthen its own work style construction in order to inherit and develop the tradition of fine work styles.

我们党之所以认为党的作风就是党的形象，是因为党的作风决定党的形象。党组织不是某个具体的人或物体，尽管有一些显性的标识，但不存在可以明确感知的外形，因而党的外在表现主要体现为党员们共同构成的党的行动。在长期革命、建设和改革实践中，党员们表现出来相对稳定的态度和行为方式构成了党的作风。人们观察到党的作风并且根据现实条件和自身的认知能力进行感知，进而形成对党的总体评价和基本印象。从这个意义上讲，党的作风建设实际上也在塑造党的形象，作风建设过程就是党的形象建构过程。同样，党的形象也一定程度影响着党的作风，在人民心中的先进形象更加要求我们党不断加强自身的作风建设，以传承和发展优良作风传统。

(2) Work Style and Image Determine the People’s Ideological Identification

（二）作风形象决定人民群众的意识形态认同

Our Party attaches great importance to work style construction, not only believing that the Party’s work style is related to the Party’s image, but also elevating it to the level of “related to the will of the people, related to the survival or extinction of the Party.” One important reason for this judgment is that the Party’s work style profoundly affects the people’s ideological identification with the Party. Unhealthy tendencies can cause us to face the danger of losing popular support and losing state power. For ideology to function in guiding thought and ultimately safeguarding class interests, it must first win widespread recognition. The same applies to socialist ideology. If the Party’s ideological theory cannot be recognized by the masses it represents, it cannot truly unite people, guide people, nor achieve the goals of liberation and development and creating a better future. For an ideology representing class interests to gain recognition, the theory itself must first be persuasive. Marx pointed out: “Theory is capable of persuading people when it is thorough. To be thorough is to grasp the root of the matter. But the root of the matter for people is people themselves.” For the Party’s theory to “grasp” people, it certainly depends on the scientific nature of the theory itself, its ability to explain phenomena, clarify principles, and point the way for people, but it depends even more on the mutual verification of theory and practice and the genuine safeguarding of people’s immediate interests.

我们党高度重视作风建设，不仅认为党的作风关系党的形象，还提升到“关系人心向背，关系党的生死存亡”的高度。作出这一判断的重要原因之一是党的作风深刻影响着人民群众对党的意识形态认同，不正之风会让我们面临失去民心、丧失政权的危险。意识形态要发挥思想引领并最终维护阶级利益的功能，首先要赢得广泛认同，社会主义意识形态同样如此。如果党的思想理论不能被其代表的人民群众所认同，就不能真正凝聚人、引领人，也无法实现解放与发展，创造美好未来的目标。作为代表阶级利益的意识形态要获得认同，首先要理论本身具有说服力，马克思指出：“理论只要彻底，就能说服人。所谓彻底，就是抓住事物的根本。而人的根本就是人本身。”党的理论想要“抓住”人，固然要靠理论本身的科学性，能够为人们解释现象、阐明道理、指引方向，但更要靠实践中与理论的相互印证并真正维护人们的切身利益。

In reality, people prefer to let facts speak, observing whether the Party can take the lead in implementing the theories it advocates to guide practice. The series of political behaviors of the Party constitute the Party’s work style. Through the observation of the masses, these work styles construct a value judgment and basic impression of the Party, which is the Party’s image. If this image is consistent with the ideological propaganda, it is more likely to win recognition; conversely, it will lose trust. The fine work styles and advanced image formed by the Chinese Communist Party in long-term practice have verified ideological theories, using facts to enhance the persuasiveness and recognition of the theories. It is precisely for this reason that our Party used the “Yan’an work style” to defeat the “Xi’an work style” during the revolutionary period, leading democratic personages such as Chen Jiageng to exclaim, “China’s hope lies in Yan’an.” [1]1 The “Yan’an work style” refers to the CPC’s spirit of hard struggle, close ties with the masses, and seeking truth from facts during its Yan’an base area period (1936–1948). The “Xi’an work style” refers to the corruption and inefficiency of the Kuomintang regime based in Xi’an. Chen Jiageng (1874–1961) was a prominent overseas Chinese businessman and political figure who visited Yan’an in 1940 and was deeply impressed by the CPC’s integrity and discipline. The fine work style and image have built a solid practical foundation for the people’s ideological identification with our Party.

实际上，人们更偏好用事实说话，观察党是不是能够带头贯彻其主张的理论，用以指导实践。党的一系列政治行为构成党的作风，这些作风经过人民群众的观察建构起对党的价值判断和基本印象，即是党的形象。如果这种形象与意识形态宣传一致，那么更能赢得认同，反之则会失去信任。中国共产党在长期实践中形成的优良作风和先进形象印证了思想理论，用事实增强了理论的说服力和认同度。也正因为如此，我们党在革命时期用“延安作风”打败了“西安作风”，让陈嘉庚等民主人士感叹“中国的希望在延安”。优良的作风形象，为人民对我们党的意识形态认同构筑起坚实的实践基础。

(3) The Party’s Work Style Construction Enhances Ideological Cohesion Through Concrete Actions

（三）党的作风建设以切实行动提升意识形态凝聚力

A mature political party often builds a certain ideology to unite its members and lead the people, forming party cohesion. For a political party to exert ideological cohesion, it must rely on both the persuasiveness of ideological theory and the strong appeal of practical action. The Party’s work style construction consolidates and enhances the Party’s work style and image through concrete actions, thereby forming influence in the process of enhancing recognition, and ultimately improving ideological cohesion. The Party’s work style construction maintains and consolidates the Party’s public credibility. An important reason why the Chinese Communist Party has achieved a series of major accomplishments and created a large number of development miracles that have attracted worldwide attention over the past hundred years is that it has won the trust of the people through theoretical and practical exploration, and has been able to unite people of all ethnic groups across the country to jointly overcome difficulties and move towards the future. Our Party has shaped many advanced images, such as serving the people, being pragmatic, clean, and hardworking, through fine work styles. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, through comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and courageous self-revolution, strictly grasping work style construction has deepened the self-disciplined image of genuine strictness and genuine governance, maintaining the people’s trust in the Party.

一个成熟的政党往往会通过构筑一定的意识形态以凝聚党员、引领民众，形成政党凝聚力。而政党想要发挥意识形态凝聚力既要靠思想理论的说服力，也要靠实际行动的强大感召。党的作风建设就是通过切实的行动进一步巩固和提升党的作风形象，从而在增进认同的过程中形成影响力，最终提升意识形态凝聚力。党的作风建设维护和巩固了党的公信力。一百多年来中国共产党之所以取得一系列重大成绩，创造一大批举世瞩目的发展奇迹，很重要的原因就是在理论与实践探索中赢得了人民的信任，能够把全国各族人民团结起来，共同克服困难、走向未来。我们党以优良的作风塑造了为民、务实、廉洁、奋斗等许多先进形象。党的十八大以来，更是通过全面从严治党、勇于自我革命，严抓作风建设深化了真抓真严的自律形象，维护了人民对党的信任。

The construction of the Party’s work style enhances the Party’s ideological cohesion by further adapting to the new requirements of the New Era. As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a New Era, the process of advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization has placed many new demands on all aspects of the Party’s governance of the Party and the state. Faced with these new circumstances and requirements, the Party has successively carried out Party-building activities such as the education and practice campaign on the mass line, the special education on the “Three Stricts and Three Honests” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Commendation Conference for the National Model Workers and Advanced Workers,” 29 April 2015. The quoted passage is a standard formulation in Party documents on conduct., the study and education on the “Two Studies and One Action” [3]3 Mao Zedong, “Serve the People” (1944)., the education on the theme of “remaining true to our original aspiration and founding mission,” and the study and education on Party history. These activities have strengthened and improved the Party’s work style and effectively safeguarded the interests of the people. The improvement in the Party’s work style and government conduct has not only made it so that when the masses interact with Party and government departments, “doors are easy to enter, faces are pleasant to see, and matters are easy to handle,” but it also has the effect of building ideological positions. The masses often come to know and evaluate the Party through the work style of Party members and cadres around them. A good work style deepens the Party’s positive image in the hearts of the people, making the Party’s ideological value stance concretely manifest in the daily lives of the people. There is no doubt that only an ideology that can penetrate daily life can truly convince people, possess influence and cohesion, and truly lead people to strive and advance together. It is precisely for this reason that our Party places work style and image in an extremely prominent position, holding that “the Party’s work style and image are related to the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness, and determine the success or failure of the Party’s and the state’s undertakings.”

党的作风建设在进一步适应新时代新要求中提升党的意识形态凝聚力。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，以中国式现代化推进强国建设、民族复兴的进程对我们党管党治党和治国理政各方面都提出许多新要求。面对这些新情况新要求，我们党先后开展党的群众路线教育实践活动、“三严三实”专题教育、“两学一做”学习教育、“不忘初心、牢记使命”主题教育、党史学习教育等党建活动。这些活动加强和改进了党的作风，切实维护了人民群众的利益。党风政风的改善，不仅使人民群众同党政部门接触的时候“门好进、脸好看、事好办”，也具有意识形态阵地建设的效能。人民群众往往通过身边党员干部的作风来认识和评价党，好的作风加深了党在人民心中的良好形象，使党的意识形态价值立场具象化地呈现在民众的日常生活中。毫无疑问，能够深入到日常生活的意识形态才能真正说服人，才具有影响力、凝聚力，才能真正引领人们共同奋斗前进。也正因为如此，我们党把作风形象摆在了极其突出的位置，认为“党的作风和形象关系党的创造力、凝聚力、战斗力，决定党和国家事业成败”。

II. The Construction of the Party’s Work Style Declares and Strengthens the Fundamental Stance of Ideology

二、党的作风建设宣明与强化意识形态根本立场

The Party’s work style embodies the Party’s nature and purpose. The more core ideological value of work style construction lies in the further manifestation of the Party’s nature and purpose, declaring the fundamental stance of socialist ideology, maintaining the close ties between the Party and the masses, and strengthening the ideological foundation of the Party’s ruling legitimacy.

党的作风体现的是党的性质和宗旨，作风建设更核心的意识形态价值是对党性宗旨的进一步彰显，宣明了社会主义意识形态的根本立场，保持了党同人民群众的密切联系，强化了党执政合法性的意识形态根基。

(I) The Work Style Issue Is Fundamentally a Matter of Party Spirit

（一）作风问题根本上是党性问题

The Party’s work style is the external manifestation of the Party’s behavioral state, while what determines behavior is the Party’s values, nature, and purpose. Essentially, the Party’s work style is the concentrated embodiment of the Party’s nature and purpose. As Xi Jinping stated: “The work style issue is fundamentally a matter of Party spirit. Work style reflects image and quality, embodies Party spirit, and what plays a decisive role is also Party spirit.” Reflecting on why some Party members and cadres have problems in their ideological style, work style, and lifestyle, one might find the sources of the disease in many aspects such as growth experience, social environment, and political ecology. However, the source is not the cause of the disease. What truly makes them ill is that weak cultivation of Party spirit leads to low self-immunity, allowing “pathogens” to erode the “body.” Our Party has made a clear judgment on this, pointing out that Communists, “if they waver in their faith, deviate from Party spirit, and abandon their purpose, may be captured in the ‘hunt’.” [4]4 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Celebration of the 95th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China,” 1 July 2016. For the work style problems of Party members and cadres, we should of course take measures such as examining their experiences, strengthening supervision, and optimizing the environment to prevent the emergence of lesions or remove those that have already appeared. But after all, we cannot make people live in a “sterile” environment. Fundamentally, we must temper the cultivation of Party spirit, clarify the Party’s purpose, and effectively improve their own immunity.

党的作风是党的行为状态的外在体现，而决定行为的是党的价值观念和性质宗旨。本质上而言，党的作风就是党的性质和宗旨的集中体现。正如习近平所言：“作风问题根本上是党性问题。作风反映的是形象和素质，体现的是党性，起决定作用的也是党性。”反思部分党员干部为什么会在思想作风、工作作风、生活作风等方面出现问题，也许能从成长经历、社会环境、政治生态等许多方面找到问题滋生的病灶。但是，病灶并不等于病因，真正使其染病的是党性修养不强导致自身免疫力低下，从而让“病菌”侵蚀了“肌体”。我们党对此有过清晰的判断，指出共产党人“动摇了信仰，背离了党性，丢掉了宗旨，就可能在‘围猎’中被人捕获”。对于党员干部的作风问题，我们当然要通过考察经历、加强监管、优化环境等措施预防病灶产生或切除已经产生的病灶。但我们毕竟无法让人生活在“无菌”的环境中，根本上还是要锤炼党性修养，明确党的宗旨，切实提高自身的免疫力。

Grasping Party spirit and purpose means grasping the root of the work style issue. Party spirit is the essential attribute of a political party. The thoughts and actions of our Party members and cadres must reflect the Party’s political stance, ideals and beliefs, organizational principles, and disciplinary requirements. The work style problems of some Party members and cadres ultimately stem from not having properly resolved the issues of worldview, outlook on life, and values, and not truly understanding what kind of Party our Party is and thoroughly understanding what kind of person a Party member should become. If there is ambiguity in the understanding of these fundamental issues, it becomes difficult to adhere to the original aspiration and resist temptations in thought, work, and life. “Our Party takes Marxism as its foundation, the realization of communism as its highest ideal, and serving the people wholeheartedly as its fundamental purpose. This is the root of Communists.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Ceremony Commemorating the Centenary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China,” 1 July 2021. As the root is upright, the form gathers. To address work style issues, we must first address the problems of theoretical ambiguity and ideological decline, and consolidate the foundation and cultivate the source with firm ideals and beliefs, clear Party spirit and purpose, and noble moral cultivation.

抓住了党性宗旨，就抓住了作风问题的根本。党性是政党的本质属性，我们党员干部的思想和行为必须体现党的政治立场、理想信念、组织原则和纪律要求。一些党员干部出现作风问题，归根到底还是没有解决好世界观、人生观、价值观的问题，没有真正明确我们党是什么样的党，彻底明白党员应该成为什么样的人。对这些根本性问题的认识存在模糊地带，在思想上、工作上和生活上就难以坚守初心、抵制诱惑。“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。这就是共产党人的本。”所谓本正而形聚，抓作风问题首先要抓的是理论上模糊和思想上滑坡的问题，以坚定的理想信念、明确的党性宗旨、高尚的道德修养固本培元。

(II) The Core of the Work Style Issue Is the Relationship Between the Party and the Masses

（二）作风问题核心是党同人民群众的关系问题

The Communist Party of China is a political party representing the interests of the people. When we emphasize that Party members and cadres must uphold Party spirit, we are also emphasizing the importance of the people’s character. In the theory and practice of our Party, Party spirit and the people’s character have always been consistent and unified. All the Party’s work, in the final analysis, is to serve the people. Therefore, the Party’s work style issues ultimately affect the interests of the people and damage the relationship between the Party and the masses

中国共产党是代表人民利益的政党，我们强调党员干部要讲党性，其实也是在强调讲人民性。在我们党的理论和实践中，党性和人民性从来都是一致的、统一的。党的一切工作，归根到底都是为人民服务。因此，党的作风问题最终影响的是人民的利益，破坏的是党同人民群众的关系。习近平强调：“作风问题核心是党同人民群众的关系问题。”这就是说，党员干部一旦出现作风问题，牵涉的各种关系可能很复杂，但归根到底都是影响党同人民群众的关系。尽管少数党员干部违背了党的宗旨和纪律才出现作风问题，却会严重破坏人民群众对党的看法。党员作风问题毁坏的是党的宗旨、腐蚀的是党的肌体、玷污的是党的形象，拉开的是党和人民群众的距离。

To solve a problem one must identify its crux; strengthening conduct building must be tightly linked to the crux of maintaining the Party’s flesh-and-blood ties with the masses. Maintaining close ties with the masses not only embodies the nature and purpose of our Party but is also a distinctive mark that distinguishes our Party from other political parties. One of the most important purposes for which our Party makes great efforts to strengthen conduct building and carry out a series of educational and practical activities is to educate and guide the entire Party to bear in mind the fundamental question of what the Communist Party of China is and what it is to do, and always maintain flesh-and-blood ties with the people. History and reality have proven and will continue to prove that as long as the Party maintains flesh-and-blood ties with the people, it can overcome all difficulties and defeat all challenges with the mighty force of unity, creating brilliant achievements. The success or failure of the Party’s cause hinges on whether it can mobilize the masses, unite the masses, and lead the masses. Therefore, every Party member must resolve in both theory and practice the question of “who I am, for whom I act, and on whom I rely.” Our Party is the representative of the people’s interests; Party members are a part of the masses and possess no other privileges; the masses are the Party’s source of strength; the Party must rely on the masses to overcome any difficulty and achieve any success. Our Party must never at any time detach itself from the masses; it must always maintain fine conduct. For the Party’s conduct “is a barometer for observing Party-mass and cadre-mass relations and the trend of popular support. When the Party’s conduct is upright, the people’s hearts are content, and the Party and the people can share hardships and joys alike.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Commendation Conference for the National Model Workers and Advanced Workers,” 29 April 2015. The quoted passage is a standard formulation in Party documents on conduct.

解决问题要找准问题的关键，加强作风建设必须紧扣保持党同人民群众血肉联系这个关键。密切联系群众不仅体现了我们党的性质宗旨，也是我们党区别于其他政党的显著标志。我们党下大力气加强作风建设，开展一系列教育实践活动，最重要的目的之一就是教育引导全党牢记中国共产党是什么、要干什么这个根本问题，始终保持党同人民的血肉联系。历史和现实已经证明而且将持续证明，只要党保持同人民的血肉联系，就能以团结的伟力克服一切困难、战胜一切挑战，创造辉煌业绩。党的事业兴衰成败，关键在于能不能发动群众、凝聚群众、引领群众。因此，每个党员都应该在理论与实践中解决“我是谁、为了谁、依靠谁”的问题。我们党是人民利益的代表，党员是人民群众的一分子而没有任何其他特权，人民群众是党的力量源泉，党要克服任何困难，取得任何成绩都必须依靠人民群众。我们党任何时候都不能脱离群众，始终要保持优良作风。因为党的作风“是观察党群干群关系、人心向背的晴雨表。党的作风正，人民的心气顺，党和人民就能同甘共苦”。

(3) Conduct building strengthens the ideological foundation of the Party’s ruling legitimacy

（三）作风建设强化党执政合法性的意识形态根基

Consolidating the Party’s ruling foundation and ruling position is a major issue and a topic of the times confronting Party building, and it is also the direction in which every Party member should strive. Each Party member displays diverse individuality, yet also possesses a relatively unified commonality as a member of the same Party organization. One of the extremely important commonalities of Communists is adherence to the Party’s fundamental stance. Our Party is a Marxist party; speaking for the poor and suffering people and struggling against unreasonable existing conditions have always been the most fundamental value stance of the Communist Party of China. Mao Zedong clearly pointed out: “This contingent of ours is wholly dedicated to the liberation of the people and works entirely in the interests of the people.” [3]3 Mao Zedong, “Serve the People” (1944). Entering the New Era, Xi Jinping explicitly stated that one must always take “whether the people support, approve, are happy, or consent as the starting point and ultimate goal for formulating policies and making decisions.” [4]4 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Celebration of the 95th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China,” 1 July 2016. And he repeatedly emphasized, “The country is the people, and the people are the country. To secure the country and govern it is to secure the people’s hearts.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Ceremony Commemorating the Centenary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China,” 1 July 2021. The legitimacy of a political party’s rule must have a rule-of-law basis and a legal basis, but even more so it must have a basis in popular will. The people’s stance is the most fundamental political stance of our Party; the people’s support and endorsement are the fundamental reason our Party came to power, and they are also the most solid foundation of our Party’s ruling legitimacy.

巩固党的执政基础和执政地位，是党的建设面临的重大问题和时代课题，也是每个党员应该努力的方向。每个党员既展现出多样化的个性，也由于作为同一个党组织的成员而有着相对统一的共性。共产党人极其重要的共性之一就是坚守党的基本立场。我们党是马克思主义的政党，为穷苦人民发声、同不合理现状抗争始终是中国共产党最根本的价值立场。毛泽东明确指出：“我们这个队伍完全是为着解放人民的，是彻底地为人民的利益工作的。”进入新时代，习近平明确提出，要始终把“人民拥护不拥护、赞成不赞成、高兴不高兴、答应不答应作为制定方针政策和作出决断的出发点和归宿”。并反复强调，“江山就是人民，人民就是江山，打江山、守江山，守的是人民的心”。政党执政的合法性要有规则基础、法律基础，更要有民意基础。人民立场是我们党最根本的政治立场，人民拥护和支持是我们党取得政权的根本原因，也是我们党执政合法性最牢固的根基。

The Chinese Communist Party was founded to seek a way out for the people at a time of national and ethnic crisis. All the efforts and struggles of all Party members, overcoming countless difficulties and dangers, are “to seek happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” The Party’s work style construction is a consolidation and correction of the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists. On the one hand, it further inherits and promotes the Party’s fine traditions. Internally, it promotes unity and solidarity and boosts the morale of Party members in their work and undertakings. Externally, it makes the Party a distinctive mark distinguishing it from other political parties, especially bourgeois parties, through its unique and clear work style image of hard struggle, seeking truth from facts, and clean and honest governance, thereby embodying the superiority of socialist ideology and thus closely rallying the people around it. On the other hand, it promptly corrects work style problems that emerge in the Party’s governance process. In fact, people do not forbid a governing party from having any problems at all; rather, they focus on the attitude toward those problems. History proves that many political parties lost power because they could not or would not correct problems. Strengthening work style construction enables our Party to continuously fulfill its original aspiration and founding mission, proclaiming to society the value concept of “for whom to govern, for whom to serve,” thereby stabilizing the Party’s ideological stance and consolidating the foundation of the Party’s governing legitimacy.

中国共产党之所以成立，是为了在国家和民族危亡之际为人民谋求一条出路。全体党员排除千难万险努力奋斗的一切，就是“为中国人民谋幸福，为中华民族谋复兴”。党的作风建设是对中国共产党人初心和使命的巩固与纠偏。一方面，进一步传承和弘扬党的优良传统，不仅对内促进团结统一，提升党内干事创业的劲头，还能以艰苦奋斗、求真务实、清正廉洁等独特鲜明的作风形象成为区别于其他政党特别是资产阶级政党的显著标志，体现社会主义意识形态的优越性，从而把人民紧紧凝聚在一起；另一方面，对党执政过程中出现的作风问题进行及时纠正。实际上，人们并不是不允许政党执政过程中出现任何问题，而是关注对待问题的态度。历史证明，很多政党失去政权的原因是不能甚至不愿纠正问题。加强作风建设，使我们党不断践行初心使命，向社会昭示“为谁执政，为谁服务”的价值理念，稳固了党的意识形态立场，夯实了党执政的合法性基础。

III. The Party’s Work Style Construction Prevents and Resolves Ideological Risks and Challenges

三、党的作风建设防范与化解意识形态风险挑战

In the New Era, the overall situation of China’s development is good, but we must also clearly recognize that with the accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century, the complex and volatile international and domestic environment will impact China’s path forward, especially in the ideological and cultural sphere, which faces ideological risks. Whether preventing and resolving ideological risks and challenges from within or from outside requires a strong and capable political party. Strengthening the Party’s work style construction is of great value in preventing and resolving the potential ideological risks and challenges our Party faces.

新时代我国发展形势总体上是好的，但也应该清醒地认识到随着世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，复杂多变的国际国内环境会对我国前进之路造成冲击，特别是思想文化领域面临着意识形态风险。无论是防范化解来自内部还是外部的意识形态风险挑战，都需要一个坚强有力的政党。加强党的作风建设，对防范化解我们党面临潜在的意识形态风险挑战具有重要价值。

(I) Party Work Style Problems Are an Important Aspect of Ideological Risks and Challenges

（一）党的作风问题是意识形态风险挑战的重要方面

Ideological risks concern the Party’s governing security. “The collapse of a regime often begins in the ideological sphere. Political turmoil and regime change can happen overnight, but ideological evolution is a long-term process. Once the ideological defense line is breached, other defense lines are hard to hold.” The profound changes in the international and domestic situation have made the ideological sphere in China face an unprecedentedly complex situation, with endogenous and exogenous risks surging together. There are both external risks of Westernization, division, value struggles, and “color revolution,” and internal risks of erroneous ideas and social trends triggered by economic and social development contradictions, compounded by the rapid development of information technology in the digital age, which provides platforms for the breeding, evolution, dissemination, and even amplification of ideological risks through artificial intelligence, algorithmic recommendations, traffic culture, and so on.

意识形态风险关系到党的执政安全，“一个政权的瓦解往往是从思想领域开始的，政治动荡、政权更迭可能在一夜之间发生，但思想演化是个长期过程，思想防线被攻破了其他防线就很难守住”。国际国内形势的深刻变化使我国意识形态领域面临着空前复杂的情况，内源性风险与外源性风险叠加涌动，既有来自外部的西化、分化价值之争和“颜色革命”风险，也有来自内部的经济社会发展矛盾引发错误思想观念和社会思潮风险，加上数字时代信息技术迅猛发展引发的人工智能、算法推荐、流量文化等为意识形态风险的孕育生产、演化传播甚至放大提供平台。

Among the ideological risks our Party faces, Party work style problems are a particularly fatal internal risk. The Party’s work style image has extremely important ideological significance. The Party’s fine work style transforms Marxist ideological theory into concrete practice, making it a distinctive mark distinguishing it from other political parties. However, this does not mean that our Party will have no problems in its development process. As early as the revolutionary war period, Mao Zedong explicitly pointed out that there were work style problems within the Party such as subjectivism, sectarianism, and Party stereotyped writing [n], and improved the Party’s work style through rectification movements [n]. In the New Era, with profound changes in the world, the country, and the Party itself, the tests and risks our Party faces have become more complex and diverse. Xi Jinping once warned the whole Party: “The phenomenon of detachment from the masses within the Party exists extensively, and some problems are quite serious.” The people’s cognition and identification with a political party’s ideology, as well as their support for the party, depend on their evaluation and judgment of the party, and the Party’s work style is the most intuitive sign by which people recognize a political party. “Some work style problems that people take for granted are often the ones that fatally damage the Party’s public credibility and image.” The formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism, and extravagance [n] existing within the Party not only damage the image of the Party’s fine work style but also, like a knife, sever the Party’s connection with the masses, continuously deconstructing the realistic foundation of mainstream ideological identification. This is also an important reason why our Party has not hesitated to turn inward and promote self-revolution in the New Era.

在我们党面临的意识形态风险中，党的作风问题是尤为致命的一种内部风险。党的作风形象具有极其重要的意识形态意义，党的优良作风将马克思主义意识形态理论转化为切实的具体实践，成为区别于其他政党的显著标志。但这并不是说我们党在发展过程中不会有任何问题，早在革命战争时期，毛泽东就曾明确指出党内存在主观主义、宗派主义和党八股等作风问题，并通过整风运动改善党的作风。新时代随着世情国情党情的深刻变化，我们党面临的考验和风险也更加复杂多样。习近平曾告诫全党：“党内脱离群众的现象大量存在，一些问题还相当严重。”人民群众对政党意识形态的认知与认同，以及对政党的拥护和支持都取决于对政党的评价与判断，而党的作风是人们认识政党最直观的标志。“人们认为习以为常的一些作风问题，往往就是对党的公信力、党的形象带来致命破坏的问题。”党内存在的形式主义、官僚主义、享乐主义和奢靡之风，不仅破坏了党的优良作风形象，而且像一把刀割断了党同人民群众的联系，不断解构主流意识形态认同的现实基础，这也是新时代我们党不惜刀刃向内推进自我革命的重要原因。

(II) The Party’s Work Style Construction Is an Important Way to Prevent and Resolve Ideological Risks

（二）党的作风建设是防范化解意识形态风险的重要方式

The prevention and resolution of ideological risks is a complex systemic task. From a procedural perspective, it requires not only the ability to identify and provide early warning of risks before they occur, but also reasonable control of risks during their occurrence, and scientific evaluation after the fact. Different stages require different methods based on the actual situation, but what remains constant is the indispensable role of the Party as the main body. To truly achieve risk prevention and resolution, the Party’s fine work style is indispensable.

意识形态风险的防范与化解是一项复杂的系统性工作。从流程上看，既要能够在事前进行风险的识别预警，又要能在事中进行风险的合理管控，还要能在事后进行科学评估。不同的阶段要根据实际情况采取不同的方法，但其中不变的是都离不开党的主体作用。要真正做到风险的防范与化解，离不开党的优良作风。

Starting from work style to strengthen Party building is the key to preventing and resolving internal ideological risks. Deng Xiaoping emphasized in his Southern Talks [n]: “If problems arise in China, they will still arise from within the Communist Party.” This is both a profound understanding of the close connection between our Party and the country and a high degree of vigilance regarding internal risks. The Chinese Communist Party is an advanced proletarian political party, but this advanced nature is neither innate nor does it naturally strengthen with the extension of the Party’s tenure in power. On the contrary, as the Party’s tenure in power increases and the internal and external environment in which the Party operates undergoes profound changes, we face many new epochal issues in governing and managing the Party, some of which are even unique difficulties of a large party. The Party’s work style construction aims to help the vast number of Party members improve and enhance their work style in all aspects of thought, work, and life, thereby building a solid foundation for preventing and resolving ideological risks through a fine style of study, writing, Party conduct, and governance.

从作风入手加强党的建设是防范化解内部意识形态风险的关键。邓小平在南方谈话中就曾强调，“中国要出问题，还是出在共产党内部”。这既是对我们党与国家紧密联系的深刻认知，也是对党内风险的高度清醒。中国共产党是先进的无产阶级政党，但这种先进性既不是与生俱来的，也不会随着执政时间增长而自然增强。相反，随着党执政时间增加和党所处内外环境的深刻变化，我们在管党治党方面面临着许多新的时代课题，有些甚至是大党独有的难题。党的作风建设就是要帮助广大党员在思想上、工作上和生活上各方面改善和提升作风，从而以优良的学风文风党风政风构筑起防范化解意识形态风险的坚实基础。

Work style construction can enhance our Party’s comprehensive ability to prevent and resolve external ideological risks. Risks in the ideological sphere are divided into internal and external but are by no means isolated from each other; external risks can, to a certain extent, be prevented and resolved by strengthening internal forces. We often say that to forge iron, one must be strong oneself [n]; to deal with any risks and challenges, one must first be strong and capable oneself. “If a ruling party does not pay attention to work style construction and allows unhealthy tendencies to erode the Party’s body, it risks losing popular support and the danger of losing power.” Conversely, the Party’s work style construction helps the Party organization continuously remove malignant tumors, maintain a healthy body, and improve its own immunity, thereby preventing the invasion of viruses. Especially in the face of complex struggles launched by various hostile forces at home and abroad in the ideological sphere, we must both break bad schemes through theoretical critique and establish the foundation of governance through work style construction. Only in this way can we, under the new situation, “adhere to establishing as the foundation, establishing and breaking simultaneously, and continuously enhance the cohesion and leading power of socialist ideology.” The Party’s work style construction not only makes our Party a closely united, strong, and capable organization but also forms a good political ecology, leading social and popular conduct with good Party conduct and governance. As the saying goes, “If the person himself is upright, he will be obeyed without issuing orders” [n]. The Party’s work style construction enables our Party to invigorate the spirit, stimulate fighting will, establish an image, and win popular support with a good work style, thereby fully mobilizing the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of the broadest masses of the people. In this way, external erroneous trends of thought and other ideological risks and challenges of all kinds will face a true bastion of iron and steel.

作风建设能够提升我们党防范化解外部意识形态风险的综合能力。意识形态领域的风险有内外之别却绝非相互隔离，外部风险一定程度上可以通过提升内部力量进行防范化解。我们常说，打铁还需自身硬，应对任何风险挑战都必须首先要自己坚强有力。“执政党如果不注重作风建设，听任不正之风侵蚀党的肌体，就有失去民心、丧失政权的危险。”反之，党的作风建设帮助党组织不断清除毒瘤，保持健康肌体，提高自身免疫力，从而防止病毒入侵。特别是面对国内外各种敌对势力在意识形态领域发起的复杂斗争，我们既要通过理论批判打破不良图谋，也要通过作风建设立住执政根本。唯其如此，才能在新形势下“坚持以立为本、立破并举，不断增强社会主义意识形态的凝聚力和引领力”。党的作风建设不仅使我们党成为一个紧密团结、坚强有力的组织，而且能形成好的政治生态，以良好的党风政风引领社风民风。正所谓“其身正，不令而行”，党的作风建设使我们党以好的作风振奋精神、激发斗志、树立形象、赢得民心，进而充分调动最广大人民群众的积极性、主动性、创造性。如此，来自外部的错误思潮以及其它形形色色的意识形态风险挑战面临的就将是真正的铜墙铁壁。

In summary, work style construction is both the key point for our Party to solve practical problems and the preemptive move to cope with future risks and challenges. The Party’s work style is the practical embodiment of ideological concepts, and work style construction has extremely important ideological value. Whether it is the direct value of continuously shaping an advanced image, the core value of manifesting the nature and purpose, or the potential value of preventing risks and challenges, all indicate that work style construction is not only an important part of the great project of Party building [11]11 The great project of Party building (党的建设伟大工程) — a formulation introduced by Mao Zedong in 1939 to describe the systematic effort to build the CPC into a strong, disciplined Marxist party capable of leading the Chinese revolution; it remains a standard term in CPC discourse., but also an important component of ideological work. What kind of image our Party has in the hearts of the masses is dynamically determined by the Party’s work style. On the new journey of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation [12]12 The new journey of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation (强国建设、民族复兴的新征程) — a standard CPC phrase referring to the current stage of advancing the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation under the leadership of the Party, especially since the 20th National Congress in 2022., the greater the risks we face, the more challenges we encounter, and the heavier the tasks we bear, the more we must strengthen the Party’s work style construction. A Communist Party of China that continuously maintains a fine work style, serves the people, is pragmatic, and is clean and honest will also continue to possess strong political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social appeal, thereby enhancing the cohesion and guiding power of socialist ideology and providing strong ideological guidance for uniting and leading the people in the pursuit of a better life.

总而言之，作风建设既是我们党解决现实问题的关键点，也是应对未来风险挑战的先手棋。党的作风是意识形态理念的实践体现，作风建设具有极其重要的意识形态价值，无论是持续塑造先进形象的直接价值、彰显性质宗旨的核心价值，还是预防风险挑战的潜在价值，都表明作风建设不仅是党的建设伟大工程的重要内容，同样也是意识形态工作的重要组成部分。我们党是什么样子，在人民群众心中有怎样的形象，动态地取决于党的作风。在强国建设、民族复兴的新征程上，我们面临的风险越大、挑战越多、任务越重，就越要加强党的作风建设。一个不断保持优良作风，为民务实清廉的中国共产党，也将持续具有强大的政治领导力、思想引领力、群众组织力、社会号召力，从而提升社会主义意识形态的凝聚力和引领力，为团结带领人民实现美好生活追求提供强大思想指引。

Author biographies: Cao Jinlong, Lecturer at the School of Marxism, Fudan University; Liu Jianjun, Professor at the School of Marxism, Renmin University of China.

作者简介：曹金龙，复旦大学马克思主义学院讲师；刘建军，中国人民大学马克思主义学院教授。