On May 5, in celebration of the 197th anniversary of Marx’s birth, a seminar was held at the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau (CCTB) to announce the publication of the Digest of Philosophical Classics of Marx, Engels and Lenin (for Party members and officials).

The digest was compiled by CCTB. “The Communist Party of China (CPC) always attaches great importance to the learning and application of Marxist philosophy, and the compilation, publication of the digest aim to help members and officials study the original works,” said CCTB head Jia Gaojian in his speech.

"The digest excerpts the representative parts from the original works, making it easy for readers to study the theories," Jia commented. “However, it cannot completely replace the original works, and CPC members and officials also need to read the original ones to grasp the overall interior logic of Marxist philosophy."
 

Experts at the meeting said that the philosophical works of classical writers of Marxism can help elucidate the principles governing the development of China and the entire world, which can help build confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics as it is applied to complicated situations at home and abroad. Leading officials and theoretical researchers should focus on the study of Marxist philosophy and the application of dialectical and historical materialism to guide future practices, they suggested.

Wu Wenkang is a reporter at th Chinese Social Sciences Today.