(Xu was delivering a speech during the meeting on Publicity, Ideological and Cultural Work of Huaihua Municipality. Photo by Yang Zhiwei, a reporter from Huaihua Daily)

On December 4th, a meeting on Publicity, Ideological and Cultural Work of Huaihua Municipality was held. Li Chunqiu, Deputy Secretary of Huaihua Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Huaihua Municipal Government, presided over the meeting. He Zunqing, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and other leaders such as Li Weilin, Zhang Yuansong, Yang Zhihong, and Yu Jianyong attended the meeting.

Xu pointed out that promoting ideological and cultural work is extremely important. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has placed publicity, ideological and cultural work in a prominent position in the governance of the country and has put forward a series of new ideas, new concepts, and new proposals, forming Xi’s cultural ideas and providing a powerful ideological foundation and scientific guidance for doing a good job in publicity, ideological and cultural work in the new era and new journey. Since last year, the city’s publicity, ideological and cultural front has effectively taken on the mission of “raising the flag, gathering people’s hearts, nurturing new talents, promoting culture, and showcasing image”, and various work has made new progress and achievements.

Xu emphasized the need to deeply study and implement Xi’s cultural ideology, deeply grasp the major requirements of Xi’s “Seven Focuses”, effectively enhance the sense of responsibility and urgency in doing a good job in publicity, ideological and cultural work, conscientiously implement the spirit of the national and provincial publicity, ideological and cultural work conferences, and promote Xi’s cultural ideology to take root and bear fruit in Huaihua city. In accordance with the requirements of Shen Xiaoming, Secretary of Hunan Provincial Party Committee, on handling well the “four relationships”, we should highlight key points and make precise efforts, focus on promoting the Party’s innovative theories to deeply penetrate people’s hearts and widely practice, consolidate and strengthen mainstream ideological and public opinion, cultivate and practice socialist core values, focus on the research, protection and inheritance of the Wuxi culture, promote the prosperity and development of cultural undertakings and industries, and prevent and resolve ideological risks, so as to effectively promote the high-quality development of publicity, ideological and cultural work throughout the city.

Xu stressed that we must adhere to the leadership of the Party’s political construction, comprehensively strengthen the Party’s leadership and construction in the publicity, ideological and cultural front, and implement the requirements for politicians to run newspapers, platforms, and news websites. We need to tighten the chain of responsibilities, establish a work pattern of unified leadership by the Party Committee, joint management by the Party and government, organization and coordination by publicity departments, full performance of responsibilities by various departments, and active participation by social forces. We should focus on building a publicity, ideological and cultural work team that is politically strong, highly skilled, pragmatic and innovative, and capable of winning battles. We should establish a clear direction of focusing on grassroots work, so that publicity, ideological and cultural work at the grassroots levels can be implemented, revitalized, and strengthened.

Zhang Yuansong, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee, pointed out in his concluding speech that we must persistently apply the ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era to solidify our hearts and souls, consolidate and strengthen the mainstream ideological and public opinion of Huaihua’s high-level opening and high-quality development, cultivate and practice socialist core values, prosper and develop cultural undertakings and industries, resolutely and effectively prevent and resolve ideological risks, and build an “iron army” of publicity, ideology, and culture.

(Translated by Chen Min)