China's Xi launches self-purification campaign to cleanse CPC

Stepping-up his campaign to revitalise the sagging image of China's ruling Communist Party, its new leader Xi Jinping today launched a "self purification" campaign, which included "taking a bath".
Xi, who is also China's President and head of the country's military, said the campaign should focus on self-purification, self-perfection, self-renewal and self-progression.
The 60-year-old leader also raised a metaphorical requirement for CPC members, using the phrase "watching from the mirror, grooming oneself, taking a bath and seeking remedies."
The year-long campaign will be a "thorough cleanup" of undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism (the doctrine which holds that only what is pleasant is intrinsically good) and extravagance, Xi said.

"The main task of the campaign is a focus on building work styles," Xi said at a high-profile conference held to launch the campaign.
Party members should be critical and self-critical in the spirit of rectifying improper work styles, Xi said.

"Winning or losing public support is an issue that concerns the CPC's survival or extinction," Xi was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
Xi has been highlighting the alienation suffered by the CPC, which held the power since the revolution headed by Mao Zedong in 1949, ever since was elected as the General Secretary of the Party in November last year.

In his previous warnings, he even spoke of how well entrenched dynasties fell in China owing to alienation of rulers. He had banned luxury dinners in the army and imposed a code of simplicity for party officials.
In today's speech, he said the CPC can only be stable when it maintains a single mind and shares weal and woe with the people, as well as relies on the people to push forward historical advancement.
The campaign will focus on CPC organs and officials at or above the county level who will be required to reflect on their own practices and correct any misconduct.

"Watching from the mirror" requires members to refer to the CPC Constitution as a mirror and to live up to CPC discipline and public expectations. "Grooming oneself" means correcting one's misconduct and projecting a good image for the CPC members.
"Taking a bath" requires CPC members to keep a clean mind and behave properly so as to maintain the correct nature of a CPC member. "Seeking remedies" means educating or punishing those who engage in misconduct, he said.
Today's conference was also attended by the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC including Premier Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli.