The mass line: the life of the Party and the fundamental guide to its work
On September 17, 2020, Xi Jinping presided over a symposium of primary-level representatives in Changsha, Hunan Province. He began his speech at the event as follows: “Recently, I have visited a number of places on research trips and chaired a series of forums with entrepreneurs, public figures without?Party?affiliation, experts in the economic and social domains, and scientists on the topic of advancing integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. In the process, I have heard many opinions and suggestions. On this trip to Hunan Province, I have taken the opportunity to invite a number of primary-level representatives here to hold a symposium with the primary purpose of meeting with you face to face to hear your opinions and suggestions on the drafting of the 14th Five-Year Plan.” Before this symposium, between August 16 and 29, 2020, opinions on the drafting of?the 14th Five-Year Plan were solicited online, with more than one million comments posted that were ultimately consolidated into over 1,000 suggestions. It would therefore be fair to say that the formulation of the recommendations for the 14th Five-Year Plan was a vivid illustration of the CPC’s mass line in practice.
Xi Jinping has always seen implementation of the mass line as highly important. Back when he was working in Fujian, he put forward the idea that officials must receive petitions from the primary level, carry out work in person at the primary level, conduct research at the primary level, and publicize the Party’s policies at the primary level. He later introduced the requirement that officials make frequent visits to the homes of ordinary people to learn about their conditions, ease their worries, and help them in a variety of matters. Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of the mass line time and time again since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, saying, “Engaging with the people is our key skill. Our Party’s success has relied on this work, and we must keep relying on it to achieve long-term governance,” and, “Whether in policymaking or implementation, we must always be sure to remain mindful of our purpose, see that the people’s stance is represented, and carry out the Party’s mass line.” ?
The mass line is the lifeline?of the CPC and the fundamental guide to its work. It is a cherished treasure that enables the Party to retain its youthful vigor and fighting strength. Xi Jinping has said, “How can we maintain the Party’s progressive nature and its integrity, and consolidate its governing role and status? The key is to keep to the Party’s mass line and maintain close ties with the people.” The Party’s century-long history has been a history of always preserving the closest of ties with the people, and constantly relying on the people to achieve victory. On its 100-year journey, the CPC has established a fine tradition and style of work defined by the phrase “from the masses, to the masses.” The mass line is the living soul and one of the fundamental aspects of Mao Zedong Thought. In June 1943, in an article entitled Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership, Mao explicitly and thoroughly defined “from the masses, to the masses” as a method of work, and stressed that this method must be applied “in all the practical work of the Party” and that it is “the basic method of leadership.” Deng Xiaoping also held the status and role of the people in high regard, saying at the Central Work Conference in December 1980, “The masses are the source of our strength and the mass viewpoint and the mass line are our cherished traditions.”
In the words of the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi, “When the administration of the ruler answers to the desires of the people there will be order, otherwise there will be confusion.”?The mass line is the only way to obtain correct ideas for leadership, and the only way to truly serve the people wholeheartedly. The people have?the wisdom and strength for governing the nation. The needs, desires, and expectations of the people cannot be understood with desultory effort, and policies cannot be formulated by just pushing figures around on paper. Xi Jinping has said, “The right approach for the Party’s leadership work is to collect the opinions of the public and translate them into correct policy decisions. Then, we must go back to the public to explain policies and see that people act on them, and use practice in the public setting to test whether or not these policy decisions are correct.” Going through this cycle, decisions become increasingly rich, dynamic, and correct. He has also stressed time and time again that we will always be students before the people, and that we must make conscious effort to view the people as our teachers, seeking advice from those with knowledge and ability. Leading officials must engage with people at the primary level, find the best solutions to problems by learning from their experience, and make focusing on the primary level and laying solid foundations an ingrained practice over the long term.
It has been proven repeatedly through history and through practice that the CPC’s greatest political strength is its close ties with the people, and that the greatest danger it faces after gaining power is becoming disconnected from the people. The success or failure of the Party’s endeavors is determined by whether or not it can maintain these close ties. During a tour of Qinghai Province, Xi Jinping put forward the following requirement for officials at all levels: “Wherever officials go, they?must?ask the locals how their lives can be made better. And then we work together to achieve better lives.”
A century on from its founding, the Party, now in a new height of its life,?remains focused on pursuing the cause of lasting greatness. Looking back on the path that we have taken, and ahead toward the path that we will go?forward, it is certain that with the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee led by?Xi Jinping and the sound guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the future belongs to our great Party and our great people. ??
(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 13, 2021)
