Enhancing the Targeting and Effectiveness of Propaganda on the Party’s Innovative Theory

General Secretary Xi Jinping, when issuing important instructions on the Marxist theory research and development project for the New Era, emphasized that “in the New Era and on the new journey, we must uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, focus on studying, propagating, and implementing the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, intensify efforts to deepen systematic and theoretical research and interpretation, and strive to enhance the targeting and effectiveness of study and propaganda, so as to further embed the Party’s innovative theory in the hearts of the people.” To accomplish this task, it is necessary to implement the principle of integrating theory with practice, adhere to a problem-oriented approach, and carry out work targeting the actual ideological and cognitive conditions of the audience, so that the Party’s innovative theory truly enters the mind and heart.

习近平总书记对新时代马克思主义理论研究和建设工程作出重要指示时强调，“新时代新征程，要坚持守正创新，聚焦学习宣传贯彻新时代中国特色社会主义思想，着力深化体系化、学理化研究阐释，着力增强学习宣传的针对性、实效性，推动党的创新理论更加深入人心”。实现好这个任务，需要贯彻理论联系实际的原则，坚持问题导向，针对受众的思想实际和认识实际开展工作，让党的创新理论真正入脑入心。

Strive to clearly and thoroughly explain the guiding role of scientific theory in the development of all undertakings of the Party and the state, and the work requirements in various practices. “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.” [1]1 Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach,” Thesis 11. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era scientifically answers a series of fundamental questions: what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the New Era and how to uphold and develop it; what kind of strong modern socialist country to build and how to build it; and what kind of long-term governing Marxist party to build and how to build it. This theory itself is an understanding of the laws governing the Communist Party’s governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development, and in particular a scientific summary and synthesis of the laws governing the construction of the socialist cause with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. When explaining this theory to the broad ranks of cadres and the masses, one must not depart from the practice of the Party’s and state’s undertakings to interpret its principles, doctrines, and philosophies; one must not make scientific theory abstract and hollow. Instead, one must fully recognize that the new concepts, new ideas, and new viewpoints it contains are objective laws and action guides that must be followed in Chinese-path modernization. Clearly explain the spiritual essence, core tenets, and the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods that run through scientific theory; link it to what our Party is leading the entire people to do; and clearly and thoroughly explain the specific work requirements in the various practices of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This enables cadres and the masses not only to understand and master scientific theory but also to clarify how to act, what requirements to follow, and what goals to achieve in the practices of reform, development, and stability; internal affairs, foreign affairs, and national defense; and Party governance, state governance, and military governance. In this way, the study of scientific theory becomes not merely a simple process of theoretical propaganda but a process that enables theoretical study to arm the mind, guide practice, and propel work. After studying, everyone not only understands what the theoretical content is but also grasps how to do things in practice and how to do them well, making scientific theory truly an action guide.

着力把科学理论对党和国家各方面事业发展的指导作用、在各方面实践中的工作要求讲清楚、讲到位。“哲学家们只是用不同的方式解释世界，问题在于改变世界。”习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想科学回答了在新时代坚持和发展什么样的中国特色社会主义、怎样坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，建设什么样的社会主义现代化强国、怎样建设社会主义现代化强国，建设什么样的长期执政的马克思主义政党、怎样建设长期执政的马克思主义政党等一系列基本问题。这个理论本身就是对共产党执政规律、社会主义建设规律、人类社会发展规律的认识，特别是对新时代中国特色社会主义事业建设规律的科学概括和总结。在广大干部群众中讲解这个理论，不能离开党和国家事业的实践来阐释其中的道理学理哲理，不能把科学理论讲得很抽象、很空洞，而要充分看到其中蕴含的新理念、新思想、新观点都是中国式现代化建设中必须遵循的客观规律、行动指南。把科学理论的精神实质、核心要义以及贯穿其中的立场观点方法讲清楚，联系我们党带领全国人民正在做的事情，把中国特色社会主义各方面实践中具体的工作要求讲清楚、讲到位。使干部群众不仅学懂弄通科学理论，而且明确改革发展稳定、内政外交国防、治党治国治军实践中应该如何做、遵循什么要求、实现什么目标等。这样，科学理论的学习就不仅是一个简单的理论宣传的过程，而且是能够使理论学习成为武装头脑、指导实践、推动工作的过程，使大家在学习后，不仅理解了理论内容是什么，而且弄懂了在实践中我们应该怎么干、怎么样干得好，使科学理论真正成为行动指南。

Adhere to a problem-oriented approach and clearly explain the rich connotations of scientific theory in the process of analyzing and answering practical questions. Adhering to a problem-oriented approach is the basic method of the Party’s theoretical innovation and practical innovation. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era scientifically answers the questions of China, the questions of the world, the questions of the people, and the questions of the times, providing a scientific guide for us to correctly face and scientifically respond to problems. One must fully recognize that as the times advance and practice develops, amid changes unseen in a century and in the process of Chinese-path modernization, the external environment we face is constantly changing, all aspects of the socialist cause with Chinese characteristics in the New Era are in constant flux, and new situations, new circumstances, and new problems continuously emerge. At the same time, one must also recognize that in the practice of advancing Chinese-path modernization, due to various reasons, some localities, grassroots units, and departments, in their actual work, more or less have problems of incomplete, inaccurate, or inadequate implementation of the Party’s innovative theory, and more or less have problems such as formalism and bureaucracy. In fact, as a scientific response to questions arising in all aspects of the Party’s and state’s undertakings, and as a scientific theory formed by adhering to a problem-oriented approach, the Party’s innovative theory provides correct concepts, scientific thinking, and clear ways to respond and solutions for how to understand, respond to, and resolve these problems that appear in practice. In the process of disseminating the Party’s innovative theory, adhering to a problem-oriented approach requires implementing the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, conducting good investigation and research, and through in-depth and comprehensive investigation, clarifying the new situations and new problems emerging in all aspects of the Party’s and state’s undertakings, and clarifying the problems existing in implementing scientific theory and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. By utilizing the worldview and methodology in scientific theory, when explaining scientific theory, one should connect with problems, analyze problems, and provide countermeasures and methods for solving these problems. In this way, one can not only thoroughly explain the spiritual essence and core tenets of scientific theory but also help cadres and the masses, while receiving theoretical arming, find correct methods for solving problems, allowing the audience to personally feel that the Party’s innovative theory is a theory for solving problems and is directly effective in solving practical problems. Only such propaganda and explanation can enhance recognition of the scientific nature, truth, and usefulness of the theory, and strengthen confidence in the theory.

坚持问题导向，在分析回答实践问题的过程中把科学理论的丰富内涵讲清楚。坚持问题导向是党的理论创新、实践创新的基本方法。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想科学回答了中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问，为我们正确面对问题、科学应对问题提供了科学指南。要充分看到时代在前进、实践在发展，在世界百年未有之大变局中、在中国式现代化发展过程中，我们所处的外部环境不断变化，我国进行的新时代中国特色社会主义事业的各个方面时刻在变动，新形势、新情况、新问题不断出现。同时，还要看到，在推进中国式现代化建设实践中，由于种种原因，有的地方、基层、部门在实际工作中，或多或少存在着一些贯彻党的创新理论不全面、不准确、不到位的问题，或多或少存在着形式主义、官僚主义等问题。实际上，作为对党和国家事业发展各方面问题的科学回答，作为坚持问题导向而形成的科学理论，对于实践中出现的这些问题，如何认识、如何应对、如何解决，党的创新理论都提供了正确的理念、科学的思维，而且有明确的应对之道、解决办法。在党的创新理论传播过程中，坚持问题导向，必须贯彻实事求是的思想路线，搞好调查研究，通过深入全面的调查，把党和国家事业发展各方面出现的新情况、新问题弄清楚，把贯彻落实科学理论、党中央决策部署等方面存在的问题搞清楚，运用好科学理论中的世界观、方法论，在讲解科学理论时联系问题、分析问题，为解决这些问题提供对策、提出办法。这样，就不仅能把科学理论中的精神实质、核心要义讲深讲透，而且能够帮助干部群众在接受理论武装的同时，找到解决问题的正确办法，让受众切身感受到党的创新理论是解决问题的理论，对解决实际问题是直接有效的。这样的宣传讲解，才能增强对理论科学性、真理性、有用性的认同，增强理论自信。

Grasp the actual ideological and cognitive conditions of the broad ranks of cadres and the masses, thereby improving the targeting of theoretical propaganda. Provide targeted answers to the ideological and cognitive issues of cadres and the masses, and carry out propaganda and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theory while resolving doubts and confusions. One must recognize that under the conditions of the socialist market economy, different interest groups have different interest demands, people’s ideological concepts and value orientations are diverse, and pluralistic views on social phenomena have become common. At the same time, in the process of opening up, foreign exchanges and interactions are unprecedented, especially under the rapid development of the internet, where external ideological concepts, value ideas, and various online information inevitably have a greater or lesser impact on the ideological and cognitive conditions of the broad ranks of cadres and the masses. To strengthen the targeting of propaganda on the Party’s innovative theory means to recognize the fact that people have misunderstandings, doubts, or even incorrect views on some major theoretical and practical issues; to accurately grasp the ideological and cognitive conditions of the broad ranks of cadres and the masses; to understand the ways in which various ideological concepts are disseminated and exert influence; to understand what cognitive deviations exist regarding the Party’s line, principles, and policies; and on this basis, to interpret the spiritual essence and core tenets of the Party’s innovative theory. In explanation and interpretation, one must act with a clear target, aiming at the audience’s cognitive deviations and errors, purposefully resolving cognitive knots, correcting erroneous understandings, clearing cognitive blockages, responding to cognitive doubts, and clarifying cognitive misunderstandings. Such explanation and interpretation can achieve the effect of suiting the remedy to the case, avoiding the phenomenon of empty talk. By explaining and interpreting the audience’s ideological and cognitive deviations, errors, and one-sidedness, the audience, in the process of accepting the Party’s innovative theory, will naturally correct previous incorrect understandings, dispel doubts, and thus establish political identification, ideological identification, theoretical identification, and emotional identification with the Party’s innovative theory, strengthen confidence in scientific theory, and thereby further embed the Party’s innovative theory in the hearts of the people.

掌握广大干部群众的思想实际、认识实际，以此提高理论宣传的针对性。有针对性地解答干部群众的思想认识问题，在解疑释惑中进行党的创新理论的宣传阐释。必须看到，在社会主义市场经济条件下，不同利益群体存在不同利益诉求，人们的思想观念、价值取向多种多样，对社会现象的看法多元化成为常见现象。与此同时，在对外开放过程中，对外交流交往前所未有，特别是在互联网高速发展的情形下，外部世界的思想观念、价值理念和网上各类信息必然或多或少对广大干部群众的思想认识产生影响。加强党的创新理论宣传的针对性，就是要看到人们对一些重大理论和实践问题存在不理解、有疑惑乃至有不正确看法的事实，准确把握广大干部群众的思想认识状况，了解各种思想观念传播、影响的方式，了解他们对党的路线、方针、政策等方面存在哪些认识偏差，在这个基础上对党的创新理论的精神实质、核心要义进行阐释。在讲解阐释中要有的放矢，针对受众认识上的偏差误区，有针对性地化解认识上的疙瘩，纠正错误认识，打通认识堵点，回应认识上的疑惑，澄清认识上的误区。这样的讲解阐释，才可以起到对症下药之功效，避免空对空的现象。针对受众思想认识上的偏差、误区、片面性，进行讲解和阐释，使受众在接受党的创新理论过程中，自然而然纠正以前不正确的认识，打消疑惑，从而树立起对党的创新理论的政治认同、思想认同、理论认同、情感认同，增强对科学理论的自信，从而推动党的创新理论更加深入人心。

(The author is Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Marxism, Hunan First Normal University)

（作者系湖南第一师范学院马克思主义学院党委书记）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧