Fundamental Ideological Weapon for Great Advance
toward New Century
Following are excerpts of this article written by Ren
Zhongping on persistence in emancipating the mind and
seeking truth from facts, which, he says, is a
fundamental ideological weapon for the great advance
toward the new century. The article consists of 18
points in three parts.
(1) The CPC Central Committee's Proposals on
Formulating the 10th Five-year Plan for National
Economic and Social Development, examined and
approved by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 15th
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
(CPC), has sounded the clarion call for the great
advance toward the new century. With a view to
smoothly pushing forward this great advance, the
Plenary Session acted solemnly in line with the
requirements of the "three representatives"
(representing advanced culture, advanced productive
forces and the fundamental interests of the people)
to comprehensively strengthen Party building, placed
before the whole Party the question concerning
efforts to improve the styles of ideology, study and
work and stressed the need to continue to persist in
emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts.
Emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts
are the living soul of Marxism as well as the
fundamental ideological weapon for us to understand
new things, adapt to the new situation and accomplish
our new tasks. The two are unified. Only with
emancipation of the mind is it possible to achieve
the aim of seeking truth from facts; and only by
persisting in seeking truth from facts can there be
genuine emancipation of the mind. The aim of
liberating the mind is to seek truth from facts.
(2) The Proposals adopted at the Fifth Plenary
Session of the Party, standing at the new height of
history, grasping the characteristics of the time and
having the world situation in view, plans China's
development, scientifically draws the magnificent
blueprint for China's economic and social development
in the first five years of the new century, and sets
forth the main targets and tasks in the 10th
Five-year plan. In the process from setting down the
important principles, such as regarding development
as the theme, economic restructuring as the main
line, the reform and opening up drive and scientific
and technological progress as the driving force and
improvement of people's living standards as the
fundamental point of departure, to putting forward a
series of major strategic, macro and policy-related
problems concerning economic development, reform and
opening program, science, technology and education,
cultural and ethical progress and the construction of
democracy and legal system, and people's livelihood,
the Proposals runs through the process of
emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts
and is the product of our Party's persistence in
emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts.
Similarly, to faithfully carry out various tasks set
forth by the Fifth Plenary Session also requires
continued persistence in emancipation of the mind and
seeking truth from facts.
Seeking Truth from Facts-a Magic Weapon for Always
Retaining Vitality
(3) Seeking truth from facts is the essence of
Marxism, of Mao Zedong Thought and of Deng Xiaoping
Theory. Marxism is a product of seeking truth from
facts. It is the whole lot of "facts" of previous
human society summed up by the founders of Marxism,
the whole lot of "facts" existing in their times, it
is the "truth" they searched out through scientific
studies. Mao Zedong Thought is the "truth" obtained
by the Party's first generation leading collective by
studying China's "facts" with the universal truth of
Marxism. Deng Xiaoping Theory is the "truth" found
out by the Party's second generation leading
collective by studying modern Chinese "facts" with
Marxism and Mao Zedong Thought. The Party's third
generation leading collective with Comrade Jiang
Zemin at the core, based on the practical problems
concerning China's reform, opening up and
modernization drive, centered on what we are doing,
focused on the practical application of Marxism, on
the theoretical consideration of actual problems and
on the new practice and new development, has
formulated a magnificent blueprint and a series of
correct strategic ideas, principles and policies for
China's cross-century development, and has thus
enriched and creatively developed Deng Xiaoping
Theory, this is another vivid embodiment of the
principle of emancipating the mind and seeking truth
from facts. Facts show that Marxism, fundamentally
speaking, is methodology for knowing and remaking the
world, the core of this methodology is seeking truth
from facts. Marxism has strong vitality whose secret
lies in seeking truth from facts.
(4) Seeking truth from facts is a magic weapon for
placing us in an invincible position. The history of
China's revolution, construction and reform can be
regarded as a history in which the Party and people
have exerted themselves to make the country
prosperous under the banner of emancipating the mind
and seeking truth from facts. None of our successes
and victories was achieved without being benefited by
seeking truth from facts. Without seeking truth from
facts, there would have not been the road of
encircling cities from the countryside and finally
seizing the cities and consequently would not have
been victories for Chinese revolution. Without
seeking truth from facts, there would have been no
setting things to rights and comprehensive reform
during the New Historical Period. Over the past two
decades and more, on our road of reform and opening
up, each major theoretical breakthrough, the
readjustment of each major policy and the adoption of
each major reform measure are all the result of our
emancipation of the mind and seeking truth from
facts. Similarly, our setbacks and our mistakes stem
from our deviation from the principle of seeking
truth from facts. Emancipating the mind and seeking
truth from facts are the banner our Party has always
been holding high and the experiences we should do
our utmost to treasure.
(5) Seeking truth from facts is the core of the
spirit of scientific innovation. Innovation means a
breakthrough to old things and old concepts.
Innovation requires readjusting, improving and
reforming the systems, mechanisms and related
ideologies and concepts inconsistent with the
objective reality, so that they can conform to the
objective reality. To uphold the principle of seeking
truth from facts, it is necessary to engage in
innovation; to adhere to innovation, it is necessary
to persist in seeking truth from facts. Innovation is
essentially identical with the principle of seeking
truth from facts.
(6) Seeking truth from facts is the cornerstone of
the spirit of hard struggle. Hard struggle aims to
create wealth and happiness. Only when we persist in
seeking truth from facts and act according to the
objective law governing the development of things,
can we achieve efficiency and return for the hard
struggle and constantly bring about and progressively
increase tangible interests for the masses of the
people. Only by upholding the principle of seeking
truth from facts, can we constantly update the
content of hard struggle and can we pass the spirit
of hard struggle from generation to generation, and
can the banner of hard struggle attract, gather and
inspire people.
(7)Seeking truth from facts is the nature of a
proletarian party. A proletarian party is born in
compliance with the needs of historical development.
Its historical responsibility is to seek the natural,
inherent and internal law governing social
development, and mobilize and organize the people in
the endeavor to push history forward.
(8) Seeking truth from facts is reliable and
unbeatable. One who advocates seeking truth from
facts is a person who believes in and pursues truth,
at the same time, he or she is a far-sighted and
broad-minded person, can proceed from reality and
sees the necessity of the development and change of
things. Under difficult circumstance, he remains
indomitable, the more setbacks he suffers the more he
braces himself up; under favorable circumstances, he
can be prepared for danger in time of peace and
remain sober-minded.
Seeking Truth From Facts-A Firm, Clear-cut Political
Character
(9) The key lies in the Party to fulfilling the
magnificent goal of the task of cross-century
development and modernization drive. In Party
building, a very important aspect is the construction
of style of work. The Party's style is also the image
of the Party. A party which makes pioneering effort,
links itself with the masses, makes vigorous progress
and is imbued with vitality must take the principle
of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts
as the clear-cut political character which should be
embodied in all his activities.
(10) Dogmatism is also called book worship. Its
characteristics are placing importance on book and
the words of the superior and not reality. A
dogmatist does not proceed from the reality of
development and change, and fails to make a concrete
analysis of concrete things.
Historically, our Party had suffered, more than once,
losses incurred from dogmatism. Comrade Mao Zedong
once said the practice of dogmatism in everything had
resulted in a fiasco. Today, as we are engaged in the
socialist modernization drive and developing a
socialist market economy, there is no ready-made
experience, so we can only persist in integrating
theory with practice and engage in exploration and
creation in the course of practice. Since the
initiation of the reform and opening-up drive, we
have, under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory,
persisted in proceeding from the most essential
national condition that China is and will remain for
a long time in the primary stage of socialism and
will constantly push forward the great cause of
building socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Historical experience has proved that each indicative
and fundamental leap achieved in China's socialist
practice is the result of the combination of the
basic theory of Marxism with the concrete practice of
China, the achievement gained through ridding
ourselves of the shackles of dogmatism and
emancipating our minds and the theoretical innovation
made on the basis of upholding the basic theory of
Marxism.
Doing everything on the basis of China's national
conditions and from the reality of building socialism
with Chinese characteristics, that is the true
meaning of historical materialism and is the Marxist
style of study which Chinese Communists should
possess.
(11) Bureaucracy. This is a very bad, decadent style
left over from the officialdom of the old society.
Bureaucracy is, to a great extent, originates from
the "official position" ideology formed in China's
feudal society. This ideology has been in circulation
for several thousand years and still retains a very
profound influence today. The seriousness of the
problem lies in the fact that some Communist Party
members and Part leading cadres have advertently or
inadvertently fallen captive to this ideology. The
crucial point of bureaucratists is failure to hold
responsibility for the cause of the Party and State
and for the interests of the nation and people, but
instead holding responsibility only for themselves. A
person seriously affected by bureaucracy cannot and
will not require themselves to seek truth from facts.
Bureaucracy must be severely criticized and
resolutely done away with.
(12) Formalism. Its essence is the reversed relations
between content and form. The crucial feature of
formalism is seeking only empty reputation, and not
pursuing actual results. Formalism is also
bureaucracy. It is more harmful for a formalist to
work than not to work. Similarly, formalism must be
sternly criticized and done away with.
Seeking Truth from Facts-Ideological Level Advancing
With the Time
(13) Beginning with the new century, we will enter
the new development stage of comprehensively building
a well-off society and accelerating our modernization
drive. New opportunities and new challenges have once
again pushed us to the historical juncture of
realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese
nation and once again given the principle of
emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts
new contents and new requirements.
(14) Upholding the principle of seeking truth from
facts requires that we must study hard and integrate
theory with reality. At present, as new things have
emerged one after another and new problems have
constantly emerged, only when leading cadres
emancipate their minds and seek truth from facts, and
quickly adapt themselves to the change in the
objective reality and the actual environment, can
they grasp the initiative of work in their own hands.
(15) Persisting in seeking truth from facts requires
enhancement of one's courage and the spirit of
sacrifice. Persisting in seeking truth from facts
conforms to the fundamental and long-term interests
of the majority of people, while a person's immediate
interest often is not invariably identical with the
interests of the majority. As a Communist Party
member, particularly a leading cadre, when his
personal interest is in conflict with the interests
of the collective and the people, they should
unhesitatingly give up their personal interests to
safeguard the principle of seeking truth from facts,
rather than abandon this same principle for the sake
of personal interests.
(16) Persisting in seeking truth from facts requires
that we go deep into reality and maintain close ties
with the masses. We can gain solid achievement in
whatever things we do, big or small, so long as we go
deep into reality.
(17) Persisting in seeking truth from facts requires
promoting democracy and guaranteeing scientific
decision-making. Seeking truth from facts is the
prerequisite for realizing scientific and democratic
decision-making; while scientific and democratic
decision-making is the result of seeking truth from
facts.
(18) Seeking truth from facts is the ideological
line, the style of work, the objective of cognition
and the direction of effort. The development and
change of things are boundless, whereas the ability
of cognition of a person and a generation of people
is limited. Although we cannot have a full and
exhaustive understanding of the objective things, we
can get our understanding constantly and endlessly
closer to the objective things. And, in the great
advance in the new century, we should be determined
to make progress and march forward with great
strides.
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