International: Ninety years ago, a group surrounded by enemies embarked on the Long March. The average age of its members was below 25. It was an unprecedented expedition in human history. There was no food and no medicine. As the group made its way across snow-covered mountains and vast grasslands, few believed it would ever reach its destination. Yet, after traversing 25,000 miles of treacherous terrain, they ultimately emerged victorious.

What sustained this fragmented force as it courageously pressed forward under such daunting circumstances? The answer lay in a profound belief—to place the interests of the nation and its people above everything else and to remain firmly convinced in the ultimate triumph of justice. This is the foundation of the spirit of the Long March and the key to understanding the spiritual heritage of Chinese Communists.

Spiritual Heritage: A Century-Long River of Spirit

In 2021, marking the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese President Xi Jinping systematically put forward the concept of the “spiritual heritage of Chinese Communists.” Its source is the founding spirit of “seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.” Each component of this heritage represents a powerful current that emerged during different stages of history.

The “great spirit of the Long March” mentioned above was forged through the countless hardships and dangers endured by the Red Army during the years of revolutionary war. It is consistent with the Jinggangshan Spirit and the Yan’an Spirit. These spirits supported the CPC in leading the people toward the establishment of a new China and enabled the Party’s original aspiration to become embedded in the foundations of the nation for the first time.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, during the period of national development, Chinese researchers, faced with technological barriers imposed by other countries, used abacuses in the Gobi Desert to calculate data related to atomic bombs. This gave rise to the “Two Bombs, One Satellite” spirit.

Jiao Yulu, a county-level Party secretary, led the people in combating desertification and planting trees despite suffering from illness, transforming the landscape and improving people’s living standards. This gave rise to the “Jiao Yulu Spirit.”

Together, these spirits became a practical driving force for building the motherland. They accelerated the establishment of an independent industrial system in the new China while also laying a solid foundation for Party members and officials to take root at the grassroots level and work with dedication.

In 1978, China launched its reform and opening-up policy. Since then, the spirits associated with special economic zones, flood control, disaster relief and manned spaceflight have gradually emerged. They have been transformed into driving forces for economic development, helping raise people’s lives from basic subsistence to that of a moderately prosperous society.

After China entered a new era in 2012, the spirit of poverty alleviation—“leaving no one behind”; the spirit of patriotic dedication demonstrated by scientists; and the Silk Road Spirit, embodying mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, further enriched the significance of this spiritual landscape.

These spirits uphold the Party’s original aspiration of serving the people. At the same time, they inspire Party members and officials to shoulder their responsibilities, promote scientific and technological self-reliance and high-level opening-up, and guide the country steadily toward a new journey of modernisation.

It is clear that each spirit represents the choice of a particular generation and its response to specific challenges. Collectively, they form a complete system of values—the “spiritual heritage” of Chinese Communists.

This is not an abstract concept written in books. Rather, it is the spiritual strength forged by the CPC through a century of trials and challenges, as well as a driving force behind Party governance, national rejuvenation and the pursuit of a better life for the people.

Spiritual Heritage: A Driving Force for Party Governance and Nation-Building Forged Through a Century of Trials and Challenges

“Trials and challenges” is a key term for understanding this spiritual heritage. It means that every spirit within this heritage is not merely a theoretical concept confined to academic research, but a spiritual crystallisation repeatedly forged through countless tests and arduous struggles for development. For this reason, it also serves as a firm spiritual “backbone” for the self-governance of the ruling party and the building of a strong nation.

For a huge political party with tens of millions of members, the greatest risks have never been external obstacles; rather, they have been internal spiritual complacency and detachment from the people. The spiritual heritage serves as a “spiritual mirror” for daily self-reflection among all Party members.

From the lofty ideals and convictions of the Long March to Jiao Yulu’s dedication to the people and the bold, responsible spirit of reform and opening-up, these stories passed down from generation to generation create a “soft barrier” that is warmer than a system and more deeply moving than the law. They measure every Party member’s sense of identity: “Holding office is not the goal; serving the people is the duty.”

In this way, a line of defence is built at the ideological root against laziness, corruption and complacency, ensuring that a century-old Party can maintain clarity of thought and vitality even in a peaceful environment.

In strengthening the country, guiding a vast nation of 1.4 billion people rapidly toward modernisation, completing in several decades the processes of industrialisation and urbanisation that took Western countries more than a century, and simultaneously addressing complex issues such as disparities in wealth and environmental governance require more than policies and funding.

They inevitably involve countless difficult choices between “short-term hardship” and “long-term interests.” The spiritual heritage is the “social bond” that helps address these challenges. It transcends regional and industrial differences, builds collective consensus and inspires countless people to devote their efforts—and even their lives—to a common long-term goal.

Spiritual Heritage: Guiding Values for a New Long March in the New Era

A review of all the spirits contained within this spiritual heritage reveals a consistent guiding principle—the principle of putting the people first.

During the Long March, Red Army soldiers once cut their only quilt in half to help villagers survive the cold with warmth. From fulfilling the commitment to “leave no one behind” in poverty alleviation to renovating old residential communities, building rural roads and expanding medical insurance, every spirit is rooted in practical efforts to improve people’s lives. This guides the ruling party in bringing its services to every household.

Xi Jinping has said that “each generation has its own Long March” and has called on the Chinese people to embark on the “Long March of the new era.” As a spiritual driving force for Party governance and national rejuvenation, the spiritual heritage of Chinese Communists continues to reveal a power that transcends time and space, and through the “Long March of the new era,” it will continue to write a glorious chapter for the present age.

This is the source of the enduring vitality of a spiritual tradition forged over more than a century.

Source: Ruby-Foysal-Labannya, China Media Group.