A seminar on the life and thoughts of Chen Yun, a late veteran leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was held in Beijing on Sunday.
   
Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the seminar and made a keynote speech, stressing that studying Chen's brilliant thoughts and virtues is of great significance to strengthening the CPC's governing capability and maintaining CPC member's advanced nature.
   
Li said Chen Yun devoted all his life to national independence and liberation, the establishment and development of socialist system and the exploration of a socialist road with Chinese characteristics.
   
Li said CPC members should strengthen the study of Chen's working methods and economics thoughts, and how Chen applied Marxist views in solving problems.
   
Li stressed that during CPC's more than 80 years' development, veteran revolutionaries left numerous ideological treasures. To exploit those treasures is one of the important duties for Party history researchers and theorists.
   
"Currently, China's reform and development enters a decisive period with new issues and new problems emerging constantly. The international political and economic situation is undergoing significant changes, and the Party and government are facing new tests," said Li. "We should strengthen the Party's theoretical building and the work of summing up and studying historical experience, and devote more efforts to investigation and research of social reality, so as to push forward the great cause of building a socialist society with Chinese characteristics."
   
The seminar, which marked the 100th anniversary of Chen Yun's birth, was jointly held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Party School of the CPC Central Committee, Party Literature Research Center of the CPC Central committee, Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, Ministry of Education and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
   
Chen, a native of Shanghai, was a veteran member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and had long held important leading positions in the CPC's Central Committee. He died in 1995 in Beijing, at the age of 90.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2005)