We ought to find a balance between the bustling energy that drives social development and the order needed for society to function properly. Neither a pool of stagnant water nor a surging undercurrent is ideal.
— Speech by Xi Jinping titled "Align Our Thinking with the Guidelines of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee," published in People's Daily, January 1, 2014
A Pool of Stagnant Water and a Surging Undercurrent
--Ensuring the energy and order necessary for social development
Stagnant water does not flow and is not replenished. This expression is often used as a metaphor to describe a society or organization that lacks vitality. An undercurrent refers to a rapid that surges beneath the surface of seemingly calm waters. Nowadays, the term is often used to describe disorder and chaos in society. Xi Jinping has used these expressions as metaphors to illustrate the need for vitality and order in social development.
When a society is compared to "a pool of stagnant water," it means while that society may appear orderly, its social system has become rigid. Shackled by this rigid system, people lack the space to exercise their freedom and everything is predetermined to follow a fixed course. "Orderly" societies such as this lack vigor; as a result, they hardly progress or develop.
In the days of the centrally planned economy, Chinese society lacked vigor. Under the egalitarian scheme at that time, people had no incentive to be productive because competition was minimal and there was little reward for hard work. Society as a whole lacked forward momentum and had insufficient sources of innovation and creativity. Reform and opening up dismantled this system by unfettering social development and allowing social vitality to spring forth. It promoted the development and progress of Chinese society.
History and experiences have shown that social development requires vigor; it is a basic principle that cannot be breached. In order to create a robust society, we must reduce unnecessary regulation and interference in social life and activities. In order to continually regenerate the bustling energy in our society, we must provide the necessary policies, systems, and legal protection. For a society such as China that has had to deal with excessive government control, it is necessary to deepen reforms to build a modern governance system that helps move society forward. With the unleashing of key components such as labor, knowledge, technology, management, and capital, vitality comes forth. When all sources of social wealth are allowed to flow freely, riches are created.
Vitality does not come from chaos, much less from a surging undercurrent. We need to encourage social vitality that develops in an orderly fashion and follows the rule of law. A lack of order and a surging undercurrent are not manifestations of vitality, but rather threats to the health and vigor of society. The development experience of other countries has shown that no nation has been able to develop and progress in a state of disorder. Disorder signifies chaos. Disorder implies danger. The social structure in China is undergoing significant adjustment and transformation. Thoughts and ideas have become increasingly diverse. Demands from different interest groups have grown all the more complex. If society has free rein to develop, without any consideration, it would result in social disorder. It would not only fail to promote social development, it would damage the progress made by Chinese society. All that has been achieved since reform and opening up could be irrevocably lost. Consequently, it is imperative to identify, manage, and mitigate "surging undercurrents." We should not lower our guard or become complacent. Ignoring or disregarding the existence of any "undercurrents" is not the answer.
Neither "a pool of stagnant water" nor "a surging undercurrent" benefits social development. While a society that lacks vitality stagnates, one with "surging undercurrents" running through it creates so much chaos that it dispels any chance for development. Only those societies that maintain order and bustling energy can continue to progress and develop — this is what building socialism with Chinese characteristics seeks to do.
Building a harmonious society that is orderly and robust requires aligning with the spirit of the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee and comprehensively deepening reforms. It requires accelerating the process of governing by rule of law and pushing for swifter reforms in the political and administrative systems. It requires that we further streamline the administration and institute decentralization. We need to promote a governance system befitting a modern society, one that allows different social actors to assume their rightful role in social governance. Together, we will mobilize all aspects of society to strive to build a vibrant, harmonious society.
(An excerpt from XI JINPING: WIT AND VISION SELECTED QUOTATIONS AND COMMENTARY, published by FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS in 2015)
