China needs national rejuvenation, vigilance

China is increasingly becoming the focus of world attention. Some countries see it as a threat, and others have made many negative predictions about China. Despite their different attitudes, they often use the same phrase — "the rise of China" — when describing the country.

However, the Chinese nation, which has a long continuous history and a strong sense of national pride, prefers the word "rejuvenation." The most important task of today's China is to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Communist Party of China has made great efforts to lead the Chinese people in achieving this task.

The Party has accomplished three major events in the past 90 years, namely the new-democratic revolution, the socialist revolution and the reform and opening-up policy. CPC Central Committee General-Secretary Hu Jintao said in his speech marking the Party's 90th birthday that the three events "irreversibly started the Chinese nation's historic march for development, growth and great rejuvenation."

The Party has fully realized its responsibilities by accomplishing the three major events.

"Success in China hinges on the Party. The Party is facing long-term, complicated and severe tests in governing the country, implementing the reform and opening-up policy, developing the market economy, and dealing with the external environment. Furthermore, it is also confronted with growing dangers of slacking off mentally, being incompetent, alienating the masses and being dispirited and corrupt. It has thus become more important and more urgent than ever before for the Party to police itself and impose strict discipline on its members," Hu said.

In the new historical conditions, the Party members again showed their awareness of being vigilant against dangers in times of peace, which guided the Party to walk in the forefront of the times and united and led the Chinese people to win victories one after another in the 90-year history of the Party.

The modern and contemporary history of the Chinese nation can be simply summarized as "saving the nation from subjugation and ensuring its survival." Oppression produced resistance. The gunfire of the great powers brought the smoke of the national liberation movement. The danger of national subjugation and genocide called forth the red flag with a sickle and a hammer.

"Never forget to be concerned about the fate of the country although being humble."--The Communist Party of China was only a small political party with more than 50 members in 1921. What they had was just the awareness of being vigilant against dangers in times of peace. The Party was born in adversity.

The Party was born in the adversity and grew in the adversity. The Chinese people will never forget that the Party and the revolutionary army completed the arduous Long March. The Party members found their most confident power in the extreme difficulties of domestic strife and foreign aggression.

"The red flag is flying on the top of the Liupan Mountain, and when can we vanquish the evil devil with our armed forces?" Mao Zedong said in a poem after the Red Army climbed over the Liupan Mountain. The Chinese people will also never forget the speech of Comrade Mao Zedong during the Second Communist Plenary Meeting of the seventh CPC Central Committee in 1949. Comrade Mao required the whole Party to keep sober mind in front of the victory and withstand the test of governance after seized the national regime.

He also required the Party to ensure that its members can continue to remain the modest, careful and not conceited or rash and must ensure that Party members can continue to keep the style of hard work and plain living. The famous "two musts" in the history of the Party also revealed the awareness of being vigilant against dangers in times of peace.

"Being concerned about state affairs ahead of the people" – the Party already had a total of 4 million members and won the support of the overwhelming majority of people in 1949. The Party, with deep awareness of potential dangers, began the great course of building the New China.

The Party has made tremendous progress in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation over the past 60 years. Despite the changes of the times and the world, the Party has unswervingly held to the principle of serving the people as well as the awareness of potential dangers. The Party with the awareness of potential dangers should properly find, analyze and resolve problems. Coming from the people, being rooted in the people and serving the people is the Party's essential approach to overcome tests and avoid risks.

"The ruler who understands what makes a country in peril can maintain peace, who understands what makes a country disordered can achieve sound governance and who understands what makes a country perish can survive" – the Party has had a total of more than 80 million members and led the Chinese people in creating enormous wealth, reviving the long-standing China and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Stressing the awareness of potential dangers at this historical moment has showcased the Party's open mind, clear vision and foreseeable actions.

By Yang Kai, editor with People's Daily, translated by People's Daily Online

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