PREPARE THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS FOR THE CAUSE OF SOCIALISM

PREPARE THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS FOR THE CAUSE OF SOCIALISM*

September 10, 2018

What kind of young people should we nurture? This is the key question in education. An ancient Chinese philosopher observed, “If a country has a huge pool of talent, good governance is ensured; otherwise poor governance is unavoidable.” History and reality have taught us that it is through education that a country or society maintains its political rule and social stability.

China is a socialist country led by the CPC, which determines that the fundamental mission of our education system is to prepare younger generations to contribute to socialism and carry forward the socialist cause. This means that we are to nurture capable young people who support CPC leadership and our socialist system and will dedicate a lifelong effort to China’s socialist cause. We shall never cultivate saboteurs or gravediggers of socialism. Nor shall we train people who look Chinese but have neither the Chinese ethos nor a true attachment to China. That would represent a failure of our education system, and it would be a fundamental failure. We must not make this fatal mistake. This is a major issue of principle that concerns our endeavor to modernize education and build a country strong in education. There is nothing to conceal, to negotiate, or to hesitate about.

A good gardener knows to water plants at the roots; a good teacher knows that education starts with early aspirations. We frequently emphasize the importance of staying true to our original aspiration and founding mission. It is the same for educational modernization. To prepare future generations of young people for socialism, we should improve the systems and mechanisms for synergizing the strengths of the whole of society to provide an all-round education. This is the fundamental mission of education, and also the ultimate goal of educational modernization.

This mission will not be smooth sailing. It requires hard work. Over the decades, hostile forces have constantly tried to subvert our country with Westernization and separatist strategies, or to engage in subversive activities against CPC leadership and our socialist system. They persist in trying to foment a color revolution in our country. They have put their greatest efforts into winning over our young people. Mao Zedong said long ago, “The imperialists have said that they saw no hope of turning our first and second generations, but hope to turn the third and fourth. Will their designs become reality? I hope the answer is no, but it could be yes.” Our college students are pretty much of the third or fourth generation; there will be the same problem for the fifth and sixth, and on through dozens of generations. Winning over the youth is a long, tough battle that we must not lose and that we cannot afford to lose. We must remain vigilant.

What are the essential qualities and values to foster in the younger generations? What should we do? I think we should focus on the following:

First, strengthening ideals and convictions.

We cultivate them for the cause of socialism – this is the defining condition. The younger generations that we cultivate must remain committed to communism as their ultimate ideal and Chinese socialism as their shared mission. Without this, our work is groundless. 

Our young people have enjoyed peace for a long time. They have never experienced a critical threat to national survival or suffered the trials of deadly wars or battles. They have never endured great hardship. Therefore, their life experience is limited. Without proper guidance and long-term education, it will be difficult for them to establish positive ideals and convictions, and they might even go astray.

Such being the case, it is important to strengthen education on the history of China, especially the history of modern China, of the Chinese revolution, of the CPC, of the PRC, and of reform and opening up. We should make every effort to foster and promote the core socialist values. We should clearly explain to students how history and experience have proved that only socialism could save China and that only socialism with Chinese characteristics can enable China to achieve national rejuvenation. This will help boost students’ confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of Chinese socialism so that they will remain undisturbed by any temptations, and build the determination to shoulder the responsibility of national rejuvenation entrusted to them by our times.

Second, inspiring patriotism.

Education on patriotism is essential in every country around the world. Patriotism is the heart and soul of our national ethos. To prepare the younger generations for the cause of socialism, we should start by inspiring their patriotism. In 1935 when the survival of the Chinese nation was at stake, Zhang Boling, a well-known educator, raised three questions at an opening ceremony for newly enrolled students at Nankai University: “Are you Chinese? Do you love China? Do you want to see a prosperous China?” His remarks aroused patriotism in the teachers and students and raised their morale and their will to defend the nation. I think the three questions are relevant to the past, present and future of our country, and we must continue to ask and answer them from generation to generation.

To promote patriotism, we should start with our youth, and incorporate patriotism in the whole process of school education and in our pursuit of cultural and ethical progress. We should guide students to combine their own aspirations and future with those of our nation and our country. We should also guide students to develop an accurate understanding of our history, nation, country and culture so as to strengthen their love for the country and their sense of patriotism. Hopefully through these efforts, they will be more proud of and more confident in our nation and have patriotism deeply rooted in their hearts and minds, and they will always be mindful of their Chinese identity. 

I have emphasized on many occasions that patriotism is alive and real only when it is combined with love for the Party and socialism, which is the most important expression of patriotism in contemporary China. Students are encouraged to love and support the Party, follow its leadership, and serve the people and the country.

Third, cultivating virtue and morality.

A person cannot succeed without virtue. This makes morality essential in education. Cultivating virtue is a priority and cultivating morality is the foundation. This is a fundamental principle in developing talent. To cultivate virtue and morality requires high ambitions as well as pragmatic plans. Albert Einstein said, “It is not enough to teach a man a specialty. … It is essential that the student acquire an understanding of and a lively feeling for values. He must acquire a vivid sense of the beautiful and of the morally good.” For this reason, moral education should be the first course for students and should be embodied throughout their years at school and in all aspects of school work. Only in this way can schools become places to cultivate virtue and morality, rather than places only to teach skills and give diplomas.

Cultivating virtue and morality covers personal integrity, public morals, and love for the country and the people, which is the greatest of all virtues. We should educate and empower students to hold dear the core socialist values and apply them accordingly, so that they can improve themselves by upholding these principles. We must strengthen legal education and help students develop a good habit of abiding by the law and regulations. 

A Nobel Prize winner was once asked, “In which school did you learn the most important thing?”  He replied, “In kindergarten. I learned not to take things that are not mine and to apologize for my mistakes. Basically, this is the most important thing I learned in my life.” We should teach students to start by doing small things well, to be self-disciplined even in small matters, to cultivate personal morals, to learn to be grateful, helpful, modest and tolerant, to conduct introspection, and to exercise self-restraint, so that they will be endowed with compassion, virtue, and commitment to the country and the people.

School education has a unique advantage as it provides intensive, systematic and continuous education in traditional Chinese culture. Education in traditional Chinese culture is a basic program for nourishing the roots and forging the soul of our nation, and it runs through the whole process of school training. We should identify and explain the essential values of traditional Chinese culture, including benevolence, a people-centered philosophy, good faith, justice, harmony, and universal peace, turn these into the nutrients for students in the education on values, improve their cultural literacy, and refine their character and manners. We should make a point of extracting useful content from ancient writings, cultural relics in museums, and heritage sites across the country, and transform and integrate them into resources for imparting knowledge and educating students. Culture-rich courses and textbooks and informative tours of historic and cultural sites will enable students to understand how Chinese culture has evolved and transformed, to appreciate its appeal, and to absorb its quintessence. In this way, the heritage of traditional Chinese culture will be passed on from generation to generation.

Fourth, enriching knowledge and broadening horizons. 

Acquiring knowledge is the duty of students. As said in The Analects of Confucius, “The great goodness lies in reading and learning extensively and having a committed aspiration, and in inquiring earnestly and reflecting on issues at hand.” Without learning, no one can have greater knowledge or abilities. Students must be taught to cherish their time and concentrate on study without getting distracted. They should extend the scope and depth of their study, and strive to enrich their knowledge and broaden their horizons so as to understand how things become what they are and the laws underlying their development. They should have a thirst for knowledge, the diligence to study, and the courage to innovate and practice and should always forge ahead in pursuit of truth, logic and reason.

To carry forward the cause of socialism in the new era, the younger generations must have not only an attachment to our nation, but also a global vision and an international perspective. Most ancient Chinese scholars had a global vision, a sense of social responsibility, and an ideal of achieving the common good of humanity and building a harmonious world. We should teach students to follow world developments and become competent people with commitment to the country and a global vision, who can take on the mission of national development and also accept responsibility for contributing to the world and humanity.

Fifth, fostering a spirit of endeavor. 

A high aspiration is the motivation to learn and make progress. “Without a high aspiration, one can accomplish nothing.” “Throughout history, those who can achieve great feats have not only extraordinary talent, but also an indomitable will.” I have said that the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be no easy task. It will not be achieved by banging drums and gongs. On the contrary, it requires even harder efforts. Most young people nowadays grow up in a comfortable environment without the worry of scarcity, so it requires more effort than before to foster in them a sense of responsibility, strength of mind, and an appetite for hard work. 

In May this year, I paid a visit to Peking University where I encouraged the students to have great ideals and dedicate themselves to their goals. We must make young people understand that they should never give up the spirit of endeavor and that they should “aim high and face challenges head-on rather than looking for the easy way out”. We should teach them to shoulder the mission of our times and foster in them a sense of responsibility. We should help them understand that if they want to excel in life, they must set ambitious goals, have the courage to assume responsibilities, make unremitting efforts, and remain hardworking and optimistic. They must acquire knowledge in practice and apply knowledge to practice, so that they will grow more capable and achieve constant self-improvement.

Sixth, promoting well-rounded development.

The younger generations must improve themselves in all respects to carry on the cause of socialism. In the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), the official schools required students to acquire six arts – rites, music, archery, charioteering, writing and mathematics – covering both humanities and sciences. We should teach students to develop all-round capabilities. We should help them learn how to manage themselves, how to cooperate with others, and how to work and live in a group. We must work to arouse their curiosity and imagination and help them develop innovative thinking. We must see that innovation is a theme running through the whole process of education. We advocate an atmosphere where “creation is made everywhere, every day and by everyone” to encourage students to develop original ideas and apply them. This aims to train creative talent through creative education and develop an innovative country through our creative talent.

At present, the physical fitness of our young people is a weakness in students’ well-rounded development and an issue of serious concern to the whole of society. The number of children suffering from obesity or myopia is growing constantly. Not long ago, I gave instructions on addressing the growing trend of myopia among students, particularly the younger ones, which is doing severe damage to their health. All of society must act together to ensure better eyesight and a brighter future for our children. As to physical education, schools face many practical problems and are reluctant to promote physical activities as they would like to. How can this go on for long? As Mao Zedong said, young people need to “refine their minds and toughen their bodies”. We should adopt an educational philosophy that prioritizes health and open sufficient physical education courses, so that students will enjoy themselves, build up their bodies, improve their personality, and temper their character in physical exercises.

Beauty is an important source of moral integrity and of a rich inner world. Without its nourishment, life is inevitably dry and monotonous. I emphasized this in a letter of reply to eight professors of the Central Academy of Fine Arts on August 30 this year. Confucius said, “Personal cultivation begins with poetry, … and is completed by music.” It shows the importance he attached to education in aesthetics. Mr Zhu Guangqian said, “To cleanse the mind, it is important to make life beautiful first.” It would be impossible for our young people to achieve well-rounded development if their hearts and minds are without fairy tales, ballads, clouds, flowers, birdsong, or insect calls; or if they are without music, colors, art or a sound aesthetic taste. We should strengthen aesthetic education in schools and provide enough qualified teachers to inspire the minds of students, refine their character, improve their aesthetic taste, and enrich their knowledge of humanities.

Manual labor serves to cultivate moral integrity, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetic taste. Based on its careful study, the Party’s central leadership decided to include education on manual labor, such as basic life and work skills, in the requirements for the younger generations in order to ensure their well-rounded development in terms of moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility, and work skills.

Nowadays, some young people do not cherish the fruits of labor, some do not want to do manual labor, and some do not know how to do it. We must promote the spirit of labor among the students. We should teach them to admire and respect labor and understand that labor is the most honorable, the noblest, the greatest and the most beautiful of activities, so that they will work diligently, honestly and creatively when they grow up. 

We should take effective measures as appropriate to the current environment and conditions, strengthen education on labor such as basic life and work skills, and organize programs for students to learn and practice such skills, so that they can develop a habit of doing manual labor and learn to be diligent and thrifty. This is an important matter concerning the strength of our country and the prosperity of our people. Education and other departments should work on this, come up with effective measures, and ensure their implementation for real results.

To assess how well students are educated, we need proper criteria and perspectives. Education is not meant to produce losers. We must change the practice of labeling students by their test scores. Each student is a unique individual; they differ in temperament, talents, interests and specialties. We should pay attention not only to those who study well but also to the many other students; otherwise those being neglected and forgotten will not experience a sense of achievement in their study or the happiness of growth, and they will become less confident.

We should respect, understand, trust and encourage students, and treat them in a fair and impartial manner. We believe that every student is a potential talent and we must discover their strengths. In particular, we should care for children who remain in rural areas while their parents leave to work in cities, children in difficulties, children with disabilities, and students who lag behind in study or growth. A poem by the Qing-dynasty poet Yuan Mei reads, “Where the sun does not shine, some greenery still thrives. Though as small as rice grains, moss flowers bloom like peonies.” In education, the focus should not always be on the dazzling peonies in the garden; instead, more attention should be directed to the discreet mosses in the corner.

We must establish a system of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education to train high-caliber talent. The cultivation of virtue should be integrated into moral education, academic courses, and social activities. It should run through basic, vocational and higher education. It should be the goal for the design of disciplines, courses and textbooks and for management. It is also the goal for teachers and students. Any practice that hinders our effort towards this goal must be resolutely corrected.

Here I want to emphasize that we must attach importance to textbooks. The textbook is the main vehicle for the transmission of knowledge and represents the values of a country. It is also an important tool for teachers to teach and students to learn. Our textbooks should take Marxism as the guiding principle and capture the essence of Marxism adapted to the Chinese context. Our textbooks should manifest the Chinese ethos, meet Party and government requirements for education, embody the basic values of our nation, and display the cultural heritage and innovations of humanity. We should make a greater effort to improve textbooks in ethnic minority languages. We must strengthen oversight of the political orientation of textbooks, and rule out all textbooks with inappropriate content. That said, we must avoid simple political labeling, or inserting political content into a textbook while neglecting its integrity and logic or disregarding the context. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, I have raised requirements for textbooks on a number of occasions. The relevant departments have followed up on the matter with related plans. We should see that these plans are implemented effectively.

∗ Part of the speech at the National Education Conference.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)