In the afternoon of April 26, the Academic Symposium on Chinese Experience in Implementing Whole-Process People’s Democracy and State Governance and the Launch of the New Book Politics Based on People’s Wholehearted Support - Whole-Process People’s Democracy in Life was held. It was sponsored by Shanghai Party Institute of CPC (SPI) and Shanghai People’s Publishing House, and organized by Xuelin Press and the Political and Administrative Innovation Team of SPI in the new era.

　　The symposium was presided over by WEN Zeyuan, Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Shanghai People’s Publishing House. KAN Ninghui, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Century Publishing Group, delivered a speech. KAN Ninghui said that telling the story of whole-process people’s democracy well is an important part of telling China’s story well and showing the charm of Shanghai. Politics Based on People’s Wholehearted Support is an excellent popular theoretical book that focuses on the theme of politics based on people’s wholehearted support. From the perspective of scholars and based on the feelings of common people, it introduces the practices of whole-process people’s democracy. The book reflects the author’s patriotism and the responsibility of the times by basing writing on real stories that happen in the land of China and shifting the writing focus to the implementation of primary-level democracy in China.

　　Associate Professor WANG Zhongqi from SPI introduced the book Politics Based on People’s Wholehearted Support - Whole-Process People’s Democracy in Life. He believed that three connections are essential to clarify the definition of democracy which has both theoretical and practical dimensions. The first connection is connecting with history, figuring out the basic logic of democracy from a historical perspective. The second connection is connecting with practice and reality by trying to understand the work we have done and obtain personal experiences. The third connection is taking a comparative perspective because the so-called independent knowledge system only exists in a comparative sense.

　　ZHANG Shuhua, Executive Vice President of the Chinese Association of Political Science and Director of the Institute of Political Science of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, TONG Dezhi, Vice President of the Chinese Association of Political Science and Vice President of Tianjin Normal University, WANG Wensheng, Second-level Inspector of the Research Office of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, TANG Yalin, Professor of School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University, CHEN Yao, Director of the Political Science Department of the School of International and Public Affairs of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and WANG Shikai, Professor of School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University, had discussions around the theme of the symposium.

　　The experts attending the symposium believe that the book Politics Based on People’s Wholehearted Support explains democracy through vivid practices and shows that China’s democracy is visible, tangible, and close-to-life. Whether democracy is good or not shall be tested through practice; whether democracy is true or not depends on popular opinion. This book is a valuable attempt to build Chinese democratic discourse and Chinese narrative. The success of Politics Based on People’s Wholehearted Support lies in the ability to directly face history, face Western discourse and face the differences. The book delves deep into people’s lives, people’s well-being, and people’s hearts. It displays the whole-process people’s democracy through the living practices of ordinary people. Democracy is a historical process, a development goal, and a practical process. It is necessary to tolerate the shortcomings and imperfections in the process of developing whole-process people’s democracy. It is important to combine whole-process people’s democracy with the CPC’s exploration of socialist democracy, modern politics, and current practices. Whole-process people’s democracy not only has Chinese characteristics but also relates to the common values of mankind. It is necessary to make the People’s Congress System play a better role, continuously expand people’s orderly participation in politics, and promote urban construction and modernized governance.

　　In his speech, WANG Weisong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Full-time Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, pointed out that the book is a masterpiece about the implementation of whole-process people’s democracy in the construction of people’s city. It starts with fascinating cases. It is recommended to combine thematic education, transform the research results of the whole-process people’s democracy into principles that ordinary people use everyday without realizing, and continue with the story of democracy.

　　LUO Feng, Dean of SPI, made a summary of the symposium. He pointed out that the symposium touched upon the most classic meaning of whole-process people’s democracy. Primary-level cases show that whole-process people’s democracy truly works and pays attention to the most vulnerable groups. The meeting has reached a theoretical consensus, expanded the space for theoretical research on whole-process people’s democracy and revealed the underlying logic of whole-process people’s democracy.