To build a socialist spiritual civilization is a task for the whole Party and the common task of our people in all fields of endeavour. Ideological education in the Party is the pillar of the building of spiritual civilization in the whole society, and Party members should, first of all, play an exemplary role morally and ideologically. Ideological and political workers, workers in culture, in the sciences and in education of all types and levels from kindergartens to graduate schools - all shoulder especially heavy responsibilities in building a socialist spiritual civilization. In particular, the Communist Party members among them must unite in thought and deed so as to organize a mighty contingent of militant ideological workers able to persuade and act as a magnet for others. It is necessary to do more to educate the masses of the people, and first of all the cadres and youth, in Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, in the history of our motherland, and especially its modern history; in the programme, history and revolutionary tradition of our Party; and in the Constitution of our country, the rights and duties of citizens and civic morality. It is necessary to do more to educate people of all trades and lines of work in professional responsibility, ethics and discipline. Education in all the areas enumerated above should be closely related to reality and conducted in vivid and varied ways. In formulating and implementing policies and in all their work, leading cadres in the economic field at various levels should concern themselves not only with the development of production but also with the building of a socialist spiritual civilization. In production and construction, we should try not only to turn out more and better material products, but also train successive generations of socialist-minded people of a new type. We must not allow our policies or work in any field to impede or, still worse, to undermine the building of a socialist spiritual civilization. In the past year or so, mass activities for building such a civilization have been unfolded in the People's Liberation Army and among the people in general. Relevant rules have been formulated for students in schools and for workers and staff members in enterprises, and written pledges have been drawn up by city residents, rural commune members and people in various trades and professions. All these activities have begun to yield gratifying results. We call on every locality and department to promote and persist in them. We must explore all possible ways and adopt all possible effective measures to promote education in ideals, morality and discipline among the entire population, and first of all among the youth, within the next five years. This is essential to our endeavour to bring about a fundamental turn for the better in standards of social conduct. From now on, when checking up on the work of any locality, department or unit, the Central Committee and the local Party committees at all levels must take into consideration not only its material side, but also its spiritual side. Every citizen should perform his duties and abide by social morality and professional ethics. Every working person should contribute his share to the building of socialist spiritual civilization.

To build it is no easy task, particularly at the present moment. In the years of the revolutionary wars and those immediately following the founding of the People's Republic, our material life was much harder than it is today, but all Party members and the people as a whole were full of vigour. The decade of domestic turmoil confounded the criteria of right and wrong, good and evil, and beauty and ugliness. It is much more difficult to undo its grave spiritual consequences than its material ones. For this and other reasons, many serious problems concerning standards of social conduct now exist in our country. The Central Committee of the Party is determined to effect a fundamental turn for the better in standards of social conduct in the next five years. This includes, in the main, the achievement of markedly better public order, generally improved attitudes towards all types of work and a marked decline in the crime rate. It also means putting an effective check on, and arousing universal contempt for, such unhealthy tendencies and practices as benefiting oneself at others' expense, pursuing private interests at the expense of public interests, loving ease and despising work, putting money first in everything, unscrupulous pursuit of personal enjoyment and attempting to isolate and attack advanced elements. It also includes resolutely eliminating all the vile social evils which had been stamped out long ago by New China but have now cropped up again. We must do our utmost to adapt ourselves to the new conditions and developments in the period of construction, do a good job of building socialist spiritual civilization and arouse, with revolutionary ideas and revolutionary spirit, the immense enthusiasm of the broad masses for building socialism.