President Hu Jintao on Tuesday called on the people to study the history of the Chinese revolution, and learn from its successes to deal with the problems China faces today.

 

Given the need for arduous reforms in China and the changing international situation, great attention should be paid to educating people about Chinese history, especially the history of the Chinese revolution, Hu said.

 

Hu, also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the comments at a study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee during which researchers from the Chinese PLA Military Academy of Sciences gave a lecture on the history of the Long March.

 

The Long March was a famous military maneuver carried out by the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army led by the CPC in the 1930s to combat the Kuomintang Regime.

 

Although many soldiers died as a result, the Red Army finally arrived at Yan'an in western Shaanxi Province after a 25,000 li (12,500 kilometer) trek, and later established the Party's new headquarters there.

 

"It (The Long March) was a spectacular epic of the Chinese Revolution led by the Communist Party of China," Hu said, encouraging people to treasure and learn from the experiences of the Long March and the entire revolution.

 

He said the spirit of Party members during the revolution should be revived in the present day, and the traditions molded by the Party during the revolution should be passed down.

 

"We should first learn how the Party's founding fathers, especially Mao Zedong, applied Marxism to analyze problems in the Chinese context," Hu said, adding that the expansion of socialist theories to include practical experience should also be studied.

 

And we must learn how to explain theories and policies to the masses in plain terms, he said.

 

While studying history, Hu said, we should also absorb the absolute honesty and pure political belief of Party members during the revolutionary period.

 

"We should not waver in pursuing our dreams and beliefs, should not slacken in the face of difficulties, and should confidently pursue the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2006)