Editor’s Note
What kind of classes do grassroots party members like to listen to? What was the main reason for officials’ dismissal? How to "revitalize" the books and space resources in the farmhouse bookstore? …This is an era that calls for innovative theories, and will certainly produce innovative theories. The masses need to master the Party's innovative theories and need the Party's policy guidance to arm their minds, clarify directions, and promote work.
Theoretical propaganda is an effective means to disseminate the party's theoretical innovations, lead the broad masses of the people to unify their thinking, build consensus, and pool strength. To allow the party's innovative theories to "fly into the homes of ordinary people," it is necessary to strengthen innovation in communication methods and discourse methods. The preaching practice and related research of Jiangsu’s “famous party teacher” Cao Rongqi provide new experience for promoting the construction of ideological and political education and ideological education work in the new era.
Cao Rongqi, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of Tongzhou District Committee, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, conducted study and propaganda for grassroots party members. (Photo by Liu Kai)
On July 30, 2022, Saturday, at a special lecture on "Studying the Fourth Volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China"", warm applause rang out frequently. A man sitting in the front row had a white head. The old party members with hair and military uniforms raised their arms high and clapped with enthusiasm.
As soon as the lecture was over, the old party member found the speaker Cao Rongqi and gave him a thumbs up: "It was really good! It was explained in simple terms, the truth was explained clearly, and the emotions were deep. I really hope I can listen to it every month Such a good propaganda..."
This scene took place in Jinzhuang Community, Shigang Town, Tongzhou District, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. The speaker, Cao Rongqi, is the deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Tongzhou District Committee of Nantong City and the director of the District Press and Publication Bureau. In 2019, Cao Rongqi was commended by the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as "National Advanced Individual for Grassroots Theory Propaganda" and was selected as "National Typical Case of Taking the Online Mass Line".
As one of the first batch of "Party Teachers" to be cultivated in Jiangsu Province and a member of the Nantong City Party's 19th National Congress Spirit Propaganda Team, Cao Rongqi told reporters that since the Party's 19th National Congress, he has given 408 lectures, and this year he lectured 76 shows, an average of 80 per year, with a direct audience of nearly 50,000 people.
Why are Cao Rongqi’s theoretical lectures so popular? What kind of belief supports him to work tirelessly on the road of grassroots theoretical propaganda and achieve success over a long period of time?
Go deep into the grassroots and teach by words and deeds
Unique and systematic explanations
Theoretical preaching is an ideological and political activity in which the preacher publicizes and explains the party's innovative theory to the audience. The purpose is to arm the mind with correct ideological theory, guide practice, and promote work.
Upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics requires dual exploration of theory and practice.
The reporter learned that the current situation of theoretical propaganda is that on the one hand, the masses increasingly need to understand the party’s innovative theories and master the party’s policies; on the other hand, theoretical propaganda in some places is not sustainable and cannot be carried out systematically. Or the preaching may be stereotyped and old-fashioned, not connected enough with reality, and not in touch with the "local spirit". In particular, there is a lack of outstanding leading preaching talents and the power of role models.
Cao Rongqi has been engaged in theoretical propaganda for 7 years. He has always adhered to the belief of "people-centered and firm " four self-confidences "", and went deep into the grassroots to teach by words and deeds, and gave unique and systematic explanations. Sometimes there are even three lectures a day. He gradually explored and developed some new theoretical teaching methods, such as teaching theory in a new way, teaching theory by blending emotion and reason, teaching theory in simple and easy way, teaching theory through deductive scenarios, teaching theory digitally, reasoning by looking at pictures, etc., refining in practice, practicing in refining . In almost every speech he gave, he wrote down his thoughts and accumulated a large number of examples for study.
Cao Rongqi said, "The theory is a natural oxygen bar, and I study oxygen breathing methods."He participated in the writing of popular theoretical readings for the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Civilization Office, and participated in research projects of Southeast University and the National Social Science Fund of the Provincial Party School. His research results were published in national core journals such as "Red Flag Manuscript". He has published monographs such as "Famous Party Teachers Tell You to Teach You the Theory in a Different Way", "Don't Forget the Original Aspiration, Keep the Mission in Mind", and "Reciting Red Classics of Family and Country Feelings".
Its latest research results - "Famous Party Teachers Tell You: Integrating Emotions and Reasons and Teaching Theory" will be published in the near future. After reading the manuscript, Xu Chuan, a representative of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, believed that the book "is a flower of action that grows out of the hot work and life practice" and "makes people realize the power and belief of theory" power".
Infect people with firm belief
Inspire people with innovative theories
Among Jiangsu's "famous party teachers", Cao Rongqi is known for "preaching with more passion".
Reporters noticed that Cao Rongqi was full of emotions when delivering speeches, and often walked into the audience with a wireless microphone instead of reading from the script. As the lecture progressed, this famous teacher, who wore a white shirt and always wore a party badge when preaching, was either excited or pondering, and his cadences were sharp and sincere. He was very knowledgeable and vivid about the party's history and innovative theories, and the audience couldn't help but interact with them. The scene was often filled with waves of applause.
A contestant from Nanjing who participated in the " new era to fight" speech contest summarized the three situations of "combustible, spontaneous combustion and non-combustible". He believed that Cao Rongqi's speech undoubtedly belonged to the "spontaneous combustion type" and his enthusiasm "can Set the place on fire", which is touching.
Where does the passion for theoretical preaching come from? Firm faith! Theoretical preaching is like building the party's innovative theories into the "Great Wall of Thought." Only those with firm beliefs can speak their beliefs well and better infect, arm, and educate people.
"Theoretical workers should be warm and shiny. Of course, the premise is that they are clean and refreshing." Cao Rongqi said, "Where does this kind of light and heat come from? The heart is the engine. There is energy and motivation in the heart. It’s possible to become hot.”
Have faith in your heart and have power in your actions. Although he has a solid foundation in theoretical study, Cao Rongqi does not dare to slack off and insists on treating every lecture as the first one, striving to be political, logical and artistic, in order to greatly inspire the audience. This visiting professor of at the School of Marxism at Nantong University claims that when he was a student, he never recited and wrote as diligently as he does now. He said that he could no longer become the best person in theoretical study in his life, but he could try to become the most diligent person in theoretical study.
Party members and cadres should strengthen their confidence
and set good examples to guide the masses.
Without determination, nothing can be accomplished in the world. The degeneration of some people often begins with the loss or absence of ideals and beliefs.
Cao Rongqi studied law at the Central Party School. Due to the need for theoretical propaganda, Cao Rongqi often pays attention to the news of officials being dismissed. He believes that whether it is organizational characterization or self-repentance, basically the first reason is "the decline of ideals and beliefs" or "the failure to truly establish beliefs at all." An important factor is the lack of political learning.
Cao Rongqi "reviewed" a lecture for reporters on the theme of "How to be a loyal, clean and responsible political and legal cadre". It was March 2021, and he was invited to give a lecture at the political and legal system training class of Tongzhou District, Nantong City. The task had been on his mind for days.
Cao Rongqi covered many cases in his lectures, some of which he had personally experienced. During the 100 minutes of communication, no one in the audience was playing with their mobile phones or dozing off.
When Cao Rongqi was the mayor of the town, he stopped calling the police once. That was a villager in his 50s with a stubborn personality. He was yelling at the town comprehensive management office. Because of his rude words, the staff wanted to call the police station, but Cao Rongqi stopped him.Cao Rongqi invited the villagers to his office, poured boiling water, handed over tissues, and asked about the situation. When the villager took out a sheet with "late stage medication for cancer patients" printed on it with trembling hands, tears welled up in Cao Rongqi's eyes. He said, these are our own villagers! He immediately asked the director of finance and civil affairs assistant to come quickly to consult on policies and think of solutions. Cao Rongqi then gave another 500 yuan to the villagers.
In a lecture on the relationship between the party and the masses, Cao Rongqi said earnestly that party members and cadres must set good examples and guide the masses, “We must really treat the people well from the bottom of our hearts and sincerely, and truly serve the people well. Only then can our Communist Party win the sincere support of the people."
Activate ideological positions
Propaganda about the rule of law is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people
Theoretical consciousness and cultural self-confidence are the forces for the progress of a nation. As one of the five major public cultural projects implemented by the Party Central Committee and the State Council to benefit the people, how can the farmhouse bookstore project be built into an important position to improve the cultural literacy of villagers, enhance the concept of the rule of law among cadres and the masses, and improve the ideological and political consciousness? Cao Rongqi believes that the focus of the Nongjia Bookstore’s work is to carry out activities, and through activities, build the bookstore into a strong fortress of grassroots ideology.
Beginning at the end of 2021, Cao Rongqi organized and carried out the "The Party's Theoretical Propaganda Voice from Farmhouse Bookstores" activity throughout the region.
Currently, six special topics have been carried out, with nearly 2,000 lectures, more than 87,600 audiences, and 231 villages fully covered, achieving good theoretical dissemination effects. It not only "revitalized" the books and space resources of the farm bookstore, but also innovated the form of theoretical presentations, which was warmly welcomed by grassroots party members.
According to reports, the event was led by the Propaganda Department of the District Party Committee, which carried out special training and special lesson preparation for village theory preachers, and formulated a unified preaching outline. While explaining the prescribed content well, guide the speakers to talk through details, story explanations, and data support.
Reporters noticed that the activity especially used various authoritative theoretical readings in the farmhouse to organize reading of original works, study of original texts, and understanding of principles. Through the exchange of experiences and theoretical sharing, the audience enhanced their political, ideological and emotional identification with the party’s innovative theory.
Where should Tongzhou District focus on promoting the rule of law in rural areas? Cao Rongqi told reporters that there are several important points in promoting the rule of law in rural areas. For example, the core points should be brighter, so that ordinary people can see the principles of the rule of law and internalize the requirements of the rule of law; the formal points should be newer, so new that people's eyes will shine, so that the rule of law education will be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and will be unforgettable for a lifetime; The point must be more realistic, so that every report can effectively use the rule of law to protect the people's rights and interests, and form a normal public opinion environment in the whole society that "strives to make the people feel fairness and justice in every judicial case."
The sentiments of the common people win the hearts of the people
Innovation opens up the source of living water
On this day, Cao Rongqi met an old leader from the past by chance. The old leader said: "Rongqi, I have read all the articles you published on theoretical preaching. You have feelings for theoretical preaching!"
Afterwards, a reporter asked Cao Rongqi how he understood feelings. Cao Rongqi revealed , it happened that he was currently drafting a lecture on "Theoretical Prosecutors Must Have Deep Feelings for the Common People". He believes that the sentiments of the people are to treat the masses as one's parents, relatives, friends, and partners in the cause. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires joint efforts. It is the essential requirement of ideological work to meet the diverse needs of the people at all levels and win the hearts and minds of the people, because the hearts and minds of the people are the greatest politics.
Cao Rongqi was born in Yuxi Town, Tongzhou, and is a descendant of Liu Jingting, the originator of Yangzhou Pinghua. Liu Jingting, formerly known as Cao Yongchang , is regarded as the sage of the family. Cao Rongqi said: "I want to be the 'Liu Jingting of the new era' and create a new path for the party's grassroots theoretical propaganda."
Cao Rongqi joined the party when he was in college. In 2016, Cao Rongqi obtained the party’s part-time lecturer certificate on innovation theory.Since March 2016, Cao Rongqi's public account "Qiqi's Red Scarf" has pushed a self-created "positive energy" article every day around the propaganda, which has been well received. The public account has received 400,000 views and nearly 30,000 comments. He is regarded as a "warm sun in winter", "torch" and "cuckoo" by his beloved audience.
Cao Rongqi told reporters: "I feel that almost all the elements I own are flowing into one field consciously or unconsciously: theoretical preaching."
In order to continuously open up sources of living water, Cao Rongqi often gives up entertainment and rest days, and does 4 hours of courseware in the evening , this period of time he jokingly calls his "third half-day". The reporter asked Cao Rongqi how he did it and what his family thought of his work. He replied: "I position the value of my life in spreading the party's innovative theory and socialist core values , so I write, To put it bluntly, you are realizing the value of life.”
As for the attitude of his family, Cao Rongqi said proudly: “My wife is very supportive of my work and sometimes goes to the office to write with me late at night. , sometimes driving me for five or six hours to Lianyungang , Xuzhou , and Zhejiang to preach. My parents reminded me the most, firstly, to pay attention to my health, and secondly, to establish myself by doing things, to do things with conscience, and to be worthy of what the Communist Party has given me. Jobs and jobs. "
The new semester is about to start, and the scholarship that Cao Rongqi established at Jinsha Middle School with his writing income is about to be awarded again. Since 2018, Cao Rongqi has allocated 10,000 to 30,000 yuan every year to reward 10 outstanding students.
The reporter asked Cao Rongqi, what is a successful life? Cao Rongqi said that a successful life is a "high-quality life activity" that has no regrets for the country, no regrets for oneself, and no regrets for others.
Regarding the positioning of life, Cao Rongqi carefully analyzed herself and found that the answer is only two words: love. He said that the greatest cause of mankind is the cause of communism. The greater the cause, the deeper the love. We should carry forward the spirit of Foolish Old Man who moved mountains, increase the motivation of "I must be responsible for success" and the open-mindedness of "I don't have to be responsible for success". Gradually, theoretical study and preaching became a part of life and an endogenous driving force for hard work.
Promote and carry forward the spirit of the times
Work together to create the future
What are the difficulties in preaching theory at the grassroots level? What are the main difficulties? In response to the reporter's question, Cao Rongqi blurted out that there are three main difficulties in theoretical preaching:
First, the theory itself is broad and profound, with profound connotations and strong logic, and mastering it requires hard work and deep effort; second, the difficulty lies in the different conditions of the preachers. They often have their own jobs, not to mention being limited by personal professional backgrounds and hobbies. It cannot be assumed that everyone is good at theoretical thinking; third, some units and places regard theoretical propaganda as an ordinary administrative work, and there is no Honor incentives and few training opportunities make it difficult to mobilize the subjective initiative of speakers.
To improve the quality and effectiveness of theoretical propaganda work at the grassroots level and to carry forward the spirit of the times, we need to work together to create the future. This is the mission given by the times.
Su Qiaohui, a lecturer of the Longnan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, believes that it is necessary to establish the concept of large-scale propaganda, integrate various resources, and enable more units and more people to participate in the propaganda.
As early as March 2019, with the active encouragement of the Propaganda Department of the Nantong Municipal Party Committee and the strong support of the Propaganda Department of the Tongzhou District Party Committee, the Cao Rongqi Theory Propaganda Famous Teacher Studio was announced. The studio attempts to build a growth platform for young and middle-aged theoretical teaching talents through the implementation of the "Famous Teachers and Apprentices" program. The trainees mainly come from town and street cadres, village cadres, college students who have returned to their hometowns, and there are also those who come from other places.
Reporters learned that now, the studio’s students’ preaching footprints have spread to all 14 towns and 231 villages in Tongzhou District, cultivating more than 100 theoretical propaganda backbones and conducting more than 1,500 lectures. There are 75 preachers who have accumulated theoretical skills and interview experience in theoretical preaching, and have entered the ranks of civil servants and public sector personnel.
Recently, at the invitation of the Propaganda Department of the Suyu District Committee of Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, Cao Rongqi's "Cuckoo Sound" studio was unveiled at the New Era Civilized Practice Center of Suyu District, Suqian City. This is the fourth theoretical lecture studio named after Cao Rongqi.
A disciple said that he should learn from the teacher humbly, "How to preach in a 'high-level' and 'down-to-earth' manner has always been a question for us."
Wang Yeqing, an outstanding cadre in the education system of Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was very envious when he saw that Cao Rongqi's studio had accepted 11 apprentices. He asked Cao Rongqi if he could recruit more apprentices remotely, exactly 12, to make up a "one apprentice". beat".
Traveling alone is fast, but traveling together is far. Now, Cao Rongqi is looking more closely at how the grassroots theoretical propaganda path explored in practice can provide a reference for more people who are just engaged in theoretical propaganda, and how to use the brilliance of theory to guide and illuminate the masses' journey of progress.
Cao Rongqi specially sent a message to young people to realize the "small self" in realizing the "big self", maximize the value of the "small self", work hard, move forward courageously, serve the people, work in unity, and truly become the pillars of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. "Torchbearers" running on the road.
