Mission for all

Back in the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC), when the Chinese had been freed from the shackles of supernatural concepts and had just established the subjectivity of humans, they attached importance to social awareness and practice to maintain their regime and social stability, according to Cao.

Further interpretations of the idea by Confucius, Mencius and other ideologists before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) stressed that governors and intellectual officials should be morally refined themselves — with benevolence and righteousness — and take the welfare of the family, society and the whole world as their personal responsibility.

Great ancient literati have left behind profound lines expressing their political ideals and concern for the country and the people. Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Du Fu wrote: "Where can I get a big broad shelter a thousand, ten thousand spans wide, huge roof that all the world's poor people can share with smiling faces?"

One of the most famous works of Song Dynasty (960-1279) politician and literati Fan Zhongyan reads: "Be the first to concern for the country and the last to enjoy."

Even today, Chinese learn both the sentences by heart from childhood.

Another widely quoted sentence from the Song and Ming dynasties, a high peak of ancient Chinese philosophy, is: "Set spiritual value for the world in general; establish meaning of life for men at large; perpetuate waning wisdom of ancient sages; build foundation of lasting peace for the future." The line was written by thinker and educator Zhang Zai (1020-77).

Xi himself quoted this sentence twice in 2016 to encourage intellectuals, model workers, youths and philosophy and social sciences scholars to hold the country in their minds, move with the times, learn through the changes and give voice to their thoughts.

While Xi clarified in the Oct 16 report that the Party's "central task" is to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, he was inferring a problem awareness and practice-oriented value of the Party, which conveys a facet of jingshizhiyong, according to Zhou, the BNU professor.

The people-centered aspiration and sense of mission is also a demand for Party members where the thoughts of jingshizhiyong are embedded, Cao says.

Back in ancient times, jingshizhiyong was a requirement for social elites, while it is worth noting here, as Zhou puts it, that it has now become a mission and opportunity for all the people. As the Chinese say: "History is made by the people."