Taking the people as the center is the party’s fundamental ruling idea (thinking vertically and horizontally)

　　In March 2021, on the banks of Jiuqu River in Wuyishan, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader walked into Zhu Xi Garden. Seeing that the wall was printed with "the country is people-oriented, and the country stands for the people", the general secretary stopped to stare. In June 2018, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader quoted this old saying when he presided over the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s collective study. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "I always say that our goal is grand and simple. In the final analysis, it is to make all China people live a good life. Taking the people as the center is our fundamental ruling philosophy. " Adhering to this ruling idea requires the broad masses of party member cadres to implement the Party’s mass line, keep in mind the Party’s fundamental purpose, think about what the masses think, worry about what the masses are anxious about, and devote all their energy to making the people live a good life.

　　People-oriented thought has a long history in Chinese history. In ancient China, there were many discourses on attaching importance to and caring for the people. For example, "the people are the foundation of the country, and this is the foundation of the country", "the people are the root of the country" and "water can carry a boat or overturn it". In national governance, it emphasizes the implementation of benevolent governance and moral governance, conforms to the people’s hearts, and puts forward that "Yao and Shun can’t rule the world without benevolent governance" and "those who win the people’s hearts will win the world, and those who lose the people’s hearts will lose the world". These thoughts of caring for the people, loving the people, benefiting the people, supporting the people and protecting the people are important contents of Chinese excellent traditional culture. Adhering to the people-centered fundamental ruling concept is a creative transformation and innovative development of people-oriented thought in ancient China.

　　On the point of attaching importance to the people, Chinese excellent traditional culture has something in common with Marxism. People’s nature is the most distinctive character of Marxism, and people’s position is the fundamental political position of Marxist political parties. Marxism holds that the people are the real driving force to advance history. The Communist Party of China (CPC) is an advanced political party armed with Marxism, a guardian of the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of people in China, and a faithful inheritor of Chinese excellent traditional culture. Our party is soberly aware that the future and destiny of a political party and a political power ultimately depend on people’s hearts. To study Marxism, it is necessary to study and practice Marxist thoughts on sticking to the people’s position.

　　General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Jiangshan is the people, and the people are Jiangshan". Since its founding, our Party has made it its initial intention and mission to seek happiness for the people of China and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Our party insists on taking the people as the center, and the party has no special interests except the interests of the working class and the broadest masses of the people. Over the past hundred years, our party has always put the people first, adhered to the consistency of respecting the laws of social development and the people’s historical dominant position, adhered to the consistency of striving for lofty ideals and seeking interests for the overwhelming majority of the people, adhered to the consistency of completing the party’s work and realizing the interests of the people, and constantly pushed forward the cause of benefiting the people. The Party led the people in a magnificent and great struggle. The people of China became the masters of the country, society and their own destiny, people’s democracy continued to develop, more than 1.4 billion people achieved a well-off life in an all-round way, and the people’s longing for a better life in China continued to become a reality.

　　It is the hearts of the people to fight and defend the country. For the Communist Party of China (CPC) people, the word "people" is more important than fate. The people’s sense of gain, happiness and security has been significantly enhanced, and the days are getting better and better. In the final analysis, our party always adheres to the people’s supremacy and regards the people’s yearning for a better life as the goal. On the new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, our party also unswervingly adheres to the people-centered development thought, focuses on the people’s livelihood issues that the people are generally concerned about, pays attention to one thing after another, works year after year, works hard with heart and affection, and strives continuously, hard and unremittingly for the people to live a better life and achieve common prosperity.

　　People’s Daily (11th edition, August 9, 2022)