Free apps about Xi’s speeches, publicationshelp officials understand new era

○Dozens of new libraries and learning centers dedicated to Xi Jinping Thought onSocialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era established immediatelyfollowing 19th CPC National Congress

○XiJinping Thought has been written into the Party Constitution

○Xi'sthought is the latest fruit of Marxism in China

The report delivered by Xi Jinping, generalsecretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is unveiled toreaders at a bookstore in Anhui Province. Photo: VCG

Since last Friday, students at InnerMongolia University of Science & Technology had one more thing they coulddo in their spare time: study the thought of Xi Jinping, general secretary ofthe Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The university's newly launched"Coordination Learning Center on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism withChinese Characteristics for a New Era," located in the school library,will hold regular discussion panels, debates and lectures to promote Xi'sthought.

"We want to give impetus to a wave ofenthusiasm on campus to study Xi's thought. Students should become itspractitioners and disseminators," Yang Jiaqing, publicity chief and memberof the standing committee of Inner Mongolia University of Science &Technology, told the Global Times.

The center is one of nearly 50 new researchor learning centers dedicated to Xi Jinping Thought that were established inthe week following the conclusion of the 19th CPC National Congress. Some wereestablished by universities and others by provincial governments, including thegovernments of Hainan, Guizhou and Shandong provinces.

First raised in a report delivered by Xi atthe opening of the congress, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with ChineseCharacteristics for a New Era has been written into the CPC Constitution andbuilds on and further enriches Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, DengXiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook onDevelopment.

Party officials and experts have agreedthat Xi Jinping Thought represents the latest achievements in adapting Marxismto the Chinese context, which can serve to unite the Party in this new era. Itis an important component of the system of theories of socialism with Chinesecharacteristics.

Nankai University in Tianjin launches alearning center for Xi Jinping Thought. Photo: VCG

Booming learning centers

Yang said the decision to establish alearning center on Xi's thought was completely voluntary.

"We had wanted to establish a learningcenter for Marxist theories for a long time, and after the 19th CPC congress wesaw many universities have built research centers [on Xi's thought]. We appliedto our university's Party committee, deciding to follow the latest call andtrend and change the name of the learning center to the Center on Xi JinpingThought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," he said.

"From my understanding, Xi's thoughtis the latest fruit of Marxism in China and marks that Socialism with ChineseCharacteristics has entered a new era. It's a political declaration and actionguide in this era," he said.

Yang said students at the university havebeen lacking enthusiasm for Marxist theories as they had been fed such coursessince middle school. The learning center was aimed to rekindle their interests.

Wang Haipeng, who's pursuing a Master'sdegree at the university's School of Marxism Studies, has been participating inthe center's events since its commencement. " Xi Jinping Thought isdefinitely very important in academia. I believe it will be written intotextbooks and be a hot research topic as well," he told the Global Times.

The trend to establish research centers onXi's thought was set by Renmin University of China, which established the firstsuch center on October 25 of this year.

Qin Xuan, professor at Renmin University'sSchool of Marxism Studies and director of the research center, said at itsopening ceremony that the center's top priority would be to master the essenceof Xi Jinping Thought and conduct deeper theoretical research into terms like"new era" and "new contradiction," Guangming Dailyreported.

"The center also has a specialmission, which is to help Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with ChineseCharacteristics for a New Era enter textbooks, classrooms and into students'brains," Qin was quoted saying by Guangming Daily.

Wu Bo, a research fellow at the Academy forSocial Sciences Evaluation under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS),is optimistic about the trend.

"Establishing relevant researchorganizations shows that these universities are highly proactive in their theoreticalawareness," he told the Global Times, adding that Xi's thought hasimportant and realistic significance in guiding China's future, and studyinghis thought can help solve China's problems and explore China's future.

He said the schools' research on Xi'sthought should connect more with social realities and should not generalize buttarget real issues.

Establishing such schools is also in linewith Xi's latest comments on education. Xi said during a recent meeting with anadvisory board of Tsinghua University that constructors and successors ofsocialism with Chinese characteristics, rather than bystanders or opponents,should be trained through education.

A cohesive force

Su Wei, a professor at the Party School ofthe Chongqing Committee, told the Global Times that it is necessary for thosecolleges to set up learning centers on Xi's thought. "This is a goodphenomenon which shows that they are implementing the spirit of the 19th CPCcongress."

"We need to develop a fullunderstanding of it first before using it properly as a guideline in ourwork," he said.

The emergence of Xi's thought, according toSu, is a demand of this new era. "After the 18th CPC National Congress,the Party needed to answer the questions of this new age. The big question,then, was that after more than three decades of opening up and reform, whatkind of socialism with Chinese characteristics are we building. Xi JinpingThought now answers this question," Su said.

In Mao's era, he answered the questions ofhis time, which was what kind of revolution should China have and how tocomplete the revolution. His answers formed Mao Zedong Thought, Su explained.

He noted that, in recent decades, therehave been problems within the Party, such as corruption. "We now have newproblems in the new age, so we need a new thought to guide us. And Xi's thoughtcan serve as a cohesive force for the Party," Su said.

As many of those newly founded learningcenters have declared that they will integrate Xi's thought into their classesin the near future, Su advised that it is better for them to make use of newtechniques, such as new media and cartoons, to make the theory accessible andunderstandable for youngsters.

In China's colleges, Marxism-Leninism, MaoZedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory are compulsory course curriculum forstudents.

Many apps about Xi's speeches can alreadybe found in app stores in China. One of them is "Study China," an appdeveloped by the Chinese Cadres Learning Website under the Party School of theCentral Committee of the CPC through which readers can browse many of Xi'sbooks and publications for free. The app also features a map that shows placesXi had visited and the speeches he made there. The app is being promoted amongcadres studying in Party Schools nationwide.

The People's Publishing House has alsopublished books with the revised Party Constitution, which instantly became ahit in the local book market. The publishing house also launched four booksthis week that they composed within 10 days to help readers to betterunderstand Xi's report.

"Xi Jinping Thought is very lively andit has many colloquial expressions that young people will find easy tocomprehend," said Su.

Everything you need to know about XiJinping Thought

"What we now face is the contradictionbetween unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growingneeds for a better life."

Goals: To realize socialist modernizationand national rejuvenation

To improve and develop the system ofsocialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China's system andcapacity for governance

To establish a system of socialist rule oflaw with Chinese characteristics and build a country of socialist rule of lawwith Chinese characteristics and build a country of socialist rule of law

To build the people's forces intoworld-class forces that obey the Party's command, can fight and win, andmaintain excellent conduct

To foster a new type of internationalrelations and build a community with a shared future for mankind

The overall plan for building socialismwith Chinese characteristics is the five-sphere integrated plan; the overallstrategy is the four-pronged comprehensive strategy

Ways to learn: The report Xi delivered tothe 19th CPC congress is now available at all Xinhua Bookstores across thecountry as well as on major e-commerce platforms including jd.com anddangdang.com. A digital version is available using the app namedDangyuanxiaoshubao (Little school bags of the Party members) developed byPeople's Publishing House.

(新闻链接：http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1073286.shtml)