Jin Nuo: Why was RUC Reputed as the “Only Forerunner”

History is the best textbook and the history of the CPC is the best nourishment. President Xi Jinping pointed out “Comprehensively publicizing and making full use of Party History in reminding of the past, advising the country and serving the people are an important work of the Party and China.” Renmin University of China (RUC) is the first new-type formal university founded by the CPC. Its predecessor Shaanbei Public School was founded in Yan’an in 1937. Later it became the North China United University and then North China University. In more than 80 years, RUC has always breathed the same breath and shared the same future with the Party and the country. It is fair to say that the history of RUC bears the diligent practice of the party in founding and leading higher education, and reflects the party's unremitting pursuit of training vanguards to promote revolution, construction and reform. RUC builds upon its time-honored tradition of “always leads the time” to do its part in the campaign on Party history learning and education. It combines Party history learning with review of the university history, and the "Double First-Class" initiative. RUC will present a vision for the future and contribute to the society through cultivating a galaxy of talent.

Leading the time in enlightenment

The outbreak of the July 7 Incident of 1937 marked Chinese People’s total resistance against Japanese aggression. To foster talents urgently needed in the resistance, the Party Central Committee decided to “build a university in Yan’an” - Shaanbei College, which later was renamed Shaanbei Public School in reference of the success of the China Public School in Shanghai during the Great Revolution. Shaanbei Public School, together with the wartime Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, Lu Xun Academy of Arts and other schools, was born with red gene, promoted the belief and pursuit of “revolutionary ideals soar above the clouds”.

In October 1937, Mao Zedong inscribed for Shaanbei Public School that “We must cultivate the vanguard of the revolution composed of a large number of talent with political vision”. Either in the days of the revolutionary war or in the period of socialist construction, RUC has been enlightening young generations with ideals and beliefs, leading them to “practice what they believe and what they know”, and contribute to national independence, liberation of the people, and the prosperity of the country.

Reviewing the century history of the CPC and the development of RUC, RUC has been established and developed based on its ideals, faiths and dreams and adhering to its tradition to educate people for the Party and the country. Inheriting the tradition of Shaanbei Public School, RUC gives full play to its strength “humanities and social sciences”, relying on the main channel of moral virtue courses, and doing a solid job of fostering morality and integrity souls, RUC lights up the lamp of ideals and beliefs for the youth of the new era.

First, perfect the morality and integrity course system. Holding a firm belief in Marxism, communism, socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, RUC attaches great importance to strengthen and improve the moral virtue education, build a “three all-round education” system. RUC make efforts to form a joint force in curriculum education, scientific research education, practical education, cultural education, network education, etc.; Combining the characteristics of each stage of the master's and doctoral studies, RUC explores the construction of a spiraling, hierarchical, and organized moral virtue course system of “compulsory courses + optional courses”.

Second, enrich the content of morality and integrity courses. In compliance with the “eight unifications” requirements, RUC includes the “four histories” into the morality and integrity education program, and integrate Xi’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the socialist core values into the courses. Apply cases in Party history to amplify faith-building. Integrate ideological and regular courses to build up the senses of right and wrong, the view of honor and shame, ambition, courtesy and the pride of a great nation.

Third, shape the souls for the soul-builders. RUC persists in the construction project of the teachers moral building, fosters and awards the outstanding teachers with professional and moral merits, regularly organizes training programs and workshops to create favorable education ecology, refines the conducts of educators, and helps teachers become qualified “givers” and friends of young students.

Leading the time in theory dissemination

Adhering to the principle of “30% for military affairs and 70% for political affairs”, Shaanbei Public School offers courses such as dialectical materialism, scientific socialism and political economics to cultivate talent who can apply Marxist theories to guide and promote the practice of Chinese revolution. In 1950 when RUC was founded, it took the lead in offering courses of Marxist theories. Many disciplines, majors and textbooks in the field of Marxist theory, humanities and social sciences were originated in RUC. To some extent, the history of RUC is also a history of the dissemination and popularization of Marxist theory, philosophy, economics, law, history, journalism and other humanities and social sciences. RUC is therefore known as the “forefront” and “pioneer” of higher education of humanities and social sciences in the People's Republic of China. The distinctive Marxist characteristics of RUC and its pioneering attitude are vividly praised as the “Only Forerunner”.

Reviewing the century history of the CPC and the development of RUC, RUC has always been adhering to its school-running traditions and characteristics of paying attention to, studying and publicizing theories. RUC inherits the blood of Shaanbei Public School and gives full play to its educational characteristics as "the forefront for higher education of humanities and social sciences". Relying on the ideological and political courses as the main channel, RUC has done a solid job of cultivating people with virtue and casting the soul with integrity for the youth in the new era. Carrying on the legacy of Shaanbei Public School and serving as “a leading establishment for Marxist education and research”, RUC makes constant efforts to refine educational research on the Party’s innovative theories and build the theory system and discourse system for philosophic and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. First, it builds the innovative theory and discourse systems. Carrying forward RUC’s Marxist theory research and education traditions and centering major contemporary theories and practices, it further promotes the research on the basic Marxist theories and Xi’s thought on the socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, adapts Marxism to China in the new era and to the public understanding, builds the RUC School of Marxist theory study, and forms the theory system and discourse system for Marxist theories with Chinese characteristics. Second, it builds and makes use of theoretic research platforms. RUC gives full play to its role as a scientific research platform for Xi’s thought on the socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. It forms academic communities to promote collaborative studies on significant theoretic and practical issues such as basic Marxist theories, Party history and theories, Chinese road and Chinese mode, and gives high-level research fruits. Third, it intensifies international theoretic communication. RUC enhances academic communication with foreign research institutions and takes the lead in establishing the Social Sciences Universities Network, the Academic Association for International Cultural Exchanges, the B&R Academic Publishing Alliance and RUC-WUN Think Tank. In addition to “bringing in” internationally well-known experts and professors, RUC organizes its faculty to “go abroad” to international academic saloons, workshops, lectures and forums on frontier topics of Marxist theories and hot issues on China-related practices and theories, in order to strengthen the influence of Chinese philosophic and social sciences system and discourse system.

Leading the time in serving the country through higher education

Shaanbei Public School was founded when Chinese nation was in vital crisis and aimed to foster cadres for saving China from Japanese aggression. Graduates, mainly in North China battle fields and in the rear of the enemy, spared no efforts to study and fight the enemy, and made important contributions to China’s victory and liberation. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, RUC, in line with the laws on higher education and China’s development needs, refined its course setting, enhanced teaching research and presented a large number of “constructors of the people’s republic”. Its first eight departments, including economic planning, financial credit and trade, fostered many excellent backbone talents for China. At many critical moments of the Party and China, RUC went with the time and played a leading role in emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, writing remarkable pages on the history of the Republic.

Reviewing the century history of the CPC and the development of RUC, RUC has been adhering its educational philosophy of serving the people and training talent for the CPC and the country. Carrying on the legacy of Shaanbei Public School and acting as “a cradle of constructors of the people’s republic”, RUC centers on core principles and serves the general interests in the new course of building a modern socialist country in all aspects, and contributes to the realization of China Dream of great rejuvenation. First, it builds a high-level talent fostering system. RUC accelerates the building of a first-class university and disciplines, further improves its discipline structure featuring leading liberal arts and high-level science and engineering, forms RUC-characteristic discipline clusters, and creates cross-disciplines and emerging disciplines to consolidate its talent training potentials. It deepens reform of the education system to form the all-round talent fostering mechanism and amends the unsound assessment methods exclusively based on credit, rate of enrollment, diploma, thesis and titles. It enhances education opening-up to cooperate with world’s first-class educational resources and foster innovative, comprehensive and applicable talents for the new era. Second, it builds the new-type think tank with Chinese characteristics. Centering on urgent theoretic and practical issues concerning the reform and opening-up and modernization as well as of public concerns, RUC makes in-depth and synergic researches to work out scientific solutions for general, strategic and forward-looking key topics which serve as decision-making supports for the Party and governments and intellectual supports for economic and social development. Adheres to the people-centric principle, it guides its faculty to combine academic pursuit with scientific research and the priorities of the Party and China. As a result, RUC scholars and RUC think tank are playing increasingly important roles in China and global governance. Third, it loyally implements strict governance over the Party. RUC is loyal to the socialist education undertaking. It observes Party leadership throughout the processes of talent training, scientific research and social services. Led by the President under the Party Committee, RUC strictly observes the democratic centralism to build up the creativity, coherence and capability of Party organizations at all levels. In compliance with the Regulations on the Basic-level Organizations of the Communist Party of China in Regular Institutions of Higher Education, it prioritizes the development of basic-level Party organizations, ideological management, and implements the innovative “three meetings + one lecture” according to the characteristics of its faculty and student. It firmly observes regulations in managing power, affairs and people to purify its education and learning atmosphere. RUC uses first-class Party building to support its first-class university ambition and to make new contributions to China in the new era.

(About the author: Chairwoman of RUC Party Counsil, Chairwoman of RUC Research Institute for Xi Jinping’s Thought on the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)