Required propaganda

Earlier I posted on what Chinese college students had to study. These four courses are generally known as 两课 (two courses) for some reason. Deng Xiaoping Theory now formally includes Jiang Zemin's 3 Represents:

• 马克思主义哲学原理
• 毛泽东思想概论
• 邓小平理论和三个代表重要思想概论
• 马克思主义政治经济学原理

There is a single 100 point test on these topics lasting three hours.

• About 22 points on Philosophical Principles of Marxism 马克思主义哲学原理
• About 20 points on Principles of Marxist Politics and Economics 马克思主义政治经济学原
• About 18 points on Introduction to Maoist Thought 毛泽东思想概论
• About 20 points on Introduction to Deng Xiaoping Theory and "Three Represents" 邓小平理论和“三个代表”重要思想概论
• About 10 points on form and policy 形势与政策
• About 10 points on one of two questions: either on Modern World Politics and Economics "当代世界经济与政治" or using ideas from Philosophical Principles of Marxism, Marxist Politics and Economics, Introduction to Maoist Thought, and Introduction to Deng Xiaoping Theory and "Three Represents" to analyze an important problem in the world.

I've heard some people take exception to the argument that the commies are just a new dynasty. Maybe not, but this test is not unlike the old civil service exam based on the Confucian classics, with a nod towards practical application. It's interesting to note the progression of points, with Marx more holy than Mao; since Deng and Jiang are together, that makes them less holy than the M's. And "Modern World Politics and Economics", which is after all a full course, is actually much less important than I realized in my earlier post.

I've seen a little buzz about 两个务必 "two duties", which is apparently Hu Jintao's contribution, so in the future, they may well add that. (Mao Zedong made a speech at Xibaipo 西柏坡, the commie headquarters just before they took over China, in which he used the phrase liangge wubi, sometimes translated as "two must", and glossed as "The comrades must be taught to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work. The comrades must be taught to preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle." 务必使同志们继续地保持谦虚、谨慎、不骄、不躁的作风，务必使同志们继续地保持艰苦奋斗的作风。)