Editor's note: Gao Lei is an associate professor at the Center for Xi Jinping Thoughts on Opening-up, Research Institute of Globalization and China's Modernization, University of International Business and Economics. Xia Lu is an associate professor and research fellow at the National Academy for Development and Strategy, the Academy of Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Renmin University of China. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a keynote address to mark the 90th anniversary of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, calling the Party schools to keep nurturing talents and contributing wisdom. But, where did the Party school system originate from? What specific goal does the CPC have for the schools? Why are the schools important for the Party's great cause?

Origin and history

Although the Party schools are in charge of common issues, they still wear a mysterious veil, compared with other departments of the CPC. On the one hand, the Party schools have received less media attention than other organizations. On the other hand, the main business of the Party schools, the training of cadres and study of theoretical and practical issues, makes people feel distant. 

The second National Congress of the CPC held in 1922 declared, "there must be organizing and training within the Party adapted to the need of revolution." The CPC passed another resolution in 1924, "the issue of inner-Party education is very important, and it is necessary to rush to set up Party schools to cultivate guiding personnel."

In light of these claims, the first generation of Party leaders soon pioneered in the creation of Party schools and training cadres urgently needed for the revolution. The Peasant Movement Training Institute at Guangzhou was founded by Mao Zedong and he taught the courses he designed there. The institute has been viewed as one of the most important cases of early Party schools. 

On March 13, 1933, in memory of the 50th anniversary of Karl Marx passing away, the CPC Central Committee founded a Marxist Communist school in Ruijin in east China's Jiangxi Province.  It was the predecessor of the Central Party School. 

The cadres who registered as trainees were divided into three categories: theorists, soviet government leaders, and mass movement activists. The trainees management and courses design set examples and standards for the following practice even after the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). 

Purpose and goal 

Different people may have a different understanding of politics in the present time. But there is still an agreement that politics should encompass good governance, which is evidenced by the improvement of people's livelihood. But in terms of daily operations, the governance of states and management of societies largely rests upon elites, regardless of time and location. Thus, the question of how to select and cultivate elites and in turn to create leaders and leadership that can bring about good governance, which is of great importance to all of the states and societies in this world.

The logic is the same while the way is by no means alike. The Party school system of the CPC, including the Central Party School and local Party schools (from provincial level down to county level) that are established by and subjected to their own Party committees respectively, holds a clear aim to educate and train the CPC's cadres for its organizations at different levels, as well as promoting theoretical studies and policy consultation.

In October 2019, the Central Committee of the CPC issued the Regulation on the Work of Party Schools (Schools of Administration), setting up centralized and unified standards for running, cadre training, theory studying and teaching, providing advisory opinions, and related activities.  

All Party schools should take the Party's mission as their mission and serve the overall situation of the CPC and PRC. This is also called "Party integrity," the special feature that should be shared by all Party organizations and members. 

All Party schools should train Party elites as needed, which means all Party schools should design the training in accordance with what the Party needs, nurturing a backbone team that is worthy of the important task of national rejuvenation. 

One can argue that without the Party there are no Party schools, and without Party schools there would be no Party's great cause.

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