Theme of Party Construction: Discussing the Maintenance of the Party's Advanced Nature

Author: Zhang Lichang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-04-01
Features: This book is guided by the Important Thought of "Three Represents," adhering to the combination of theory and practice. It profoundly discusses the issue of maintaining the advanced nature of the Party from aspects such as enhancing the class, mass, ideological and cultural, and material foundations of the Party, as well as keeping pace with the times, pioneering innovation, and preserving the vitality and dynamism of the Party. It is a specialized work with strong ideological, theoretical, and practical depth, serving as an important supplementary material for in-depth study, comprehensive understanding, and accurate grasp of the "July 1st Speech." It plays a significant role in promoting theoretical study among leaders at all levels in the city. The Important Thought of "Three Represents" scientifically addresses the historic question of "building a party that is what kind and how to build it" for the Communist Party of China as it enters the new century. Its essence and core lie in how the Party maintains its advanced nature under changed conditions. Now, the Party shoulders a more sacred responsibility than ever before, while both the internal situation of the Party and the external environment have undergone profound historical changes. To meet these changes, fulfill the mission, and maintain the Party's advanced nature, it relies on theoretical arguments, practical exploration, and innovation, as well as the whole Party's determined progress and adherence to the times in advancing our great cause, including further strengthening and improving the Party's construction, which is a great project of the new era. The book "The Theme of Party Building—On Maintaining the Advanced Nature of the Party," written by Zhang Lichang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee, is a concrete embodiment of such exploration and innovation. The issue of the Party's advanced nature is a major topic, involving many aspects of Party building and possessing strong theoretical and practical characteristics. Objectively speaking, exploring this topic, whether for theoretical workers or practical workers, presents considerable difficulty. As a Party leader, Comrade Zhang Lichang has long been engaged in Party affairs and local practical work, providing many favorable conditions for in-depth reflection on this issue. Since the proposal of the Important Thought of "Three Represents," especially after the "July 1st Speech," he has devoted long hours to serious study, in-depth research, and active thinking on this matter. This book is the result of his study, research, and reflection, and it also crystallizes the practical experience of reform and opening-up in Tianjin over the years. Combining theory and practice to explore how to maintain the Party's advanced nature under the new historical conditions is a distinctive feature of the book and also its central theme. Around this theme, the author firmly grasps the core issue that the Important Thought of "Three Represents" is the fundamental requirement for maintaining the Party's advanced nature, convincingly proposing and elaborating: advanced nature is the lifeline and source of strength for the Party; the Communist Party of China, as an advanced Marxist party, faces tremendous historic new challenges under the new historical conditions; maintaining the Party's advanced nature requires continuously strengthening its class foundation, expanding its mass foundation, consolidating and developing its ideological and cultural foundation, and continuously enhancing its material foundation for governance; and ultimately, it demands that the Party comprehensively and thoroughly strengthen and improve its construction. The discussions in the book reflect the guidance of historical materialism and the spirit of keeping pace with the times, embodying the unity of theory and practice in a concrete historical context and containing many insightful points. As the author elaborates in the book, the Important Thought of "Three Represents" summarizes the historical experience of our Party over 80 years and draws lessons from the successes and failures of some major and long-standing parties in the world, clearly proposing the issue of maintaining the Party's advanced nature. This not only points out the direction for our efforts in the new century and new stage but also provides broad theoretical and practical space for comprehensively strengthening and improving Party building. The situation is pressing—without progress, there is regression. In the face of rapid changes in the world, we must follow the trend of the times and proactively adapt to changes, seeking progress amid transformation, to truly achieve "always representing the development requirements of China's advanced productive forces, the advanced direction of China's culture, and the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the Chinese people." Only then can we continue to stand at the forefront of the times and lead the people forward to victory. It can be said that the issue explored by Comrade Zhang Lichang in the book is an urgent and inescapable one, as well as an eternal "living" issue. We believe that if over 66 million Party members, including leaders at all levels of the Party, pay attention to, reflect on, and explore the issue of maintaining advanced nature, this issue will be continuously resolved, and our Party will always maintain vigorous vitality and dynamism, able to remain steadfast in the face of risks and tests, "let the winds rise and clouds surge, and I remain motionless."