IT is often hard for researchers of the multi-party system to comprehend the phenomenon of longterm one-party rule. Influenced as they are by the ideology of liberalism， most critics associate long-term single-party rule with rife corruption， bureaucracy， and dogmatism， leading to social stagnation or even collapse. This is indeed the common theoretical basis of the so-called， much vaunted “China collapse.”
　　Observation of the facts over recent decades shows that the Communist Party of China （CPC） has neither rigidified nor putrefied as such detractors surmise， but acquired through constant reforms a contemporary vitality in tandem with China’s rise.
　　 Pragmatic Universal Responsibility
　　The CPC’s “cultural gene” helps it to successfully avoid dogmatism. In many single-party ruled states， solidification of hierarchy and consequent ideological ossification are indeed serious problems. Most communist-led countries， such as the former Soviet Union and certain third world countries， fell into such rigid predicaments after their victorious revolutions. Having lost sight of the ideal of emancipating all humankind， once passionate communist leaders gradually degenerated into doctrinaires content with monopolizing power and using ideological slogans to camouflage social conflicts. This ultimately resulted in the failure of the communist movement in these countries.
　　What makes the CPC exceptional in this regard is that， unlike certain rebels who seek only to wield power， it is a pragmatic party with a strong sense of universal responsibility whose governance benefits the people. Since the birth of the CPC， leaders like Li Dazhao， Chen Duxiu， Mao Zedong， Zhou Enlai， and Deng Xiaoping have laid great store on maintaining the balance between ethical principles and real life. For Westerners， the binary opposition of consciousness and materialism often creates a high degree of fragmentation between ideology and social life， but for Chinese people， the unity of opposites is the means to achieving a suitable balance.
　　Thanks to this cultural gene， the CPC has fortunately avoided ideological deadlock and formulated a survival principle imbued with oriental wisdom， wherein practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. In other words， it helps CPC members to constantly bear social practice in mind throughout the pursuit of communism， so ensuring that their policies never become rigid dogma far removed from real life. During the CPC revolution and its governance， there indeed appeared a number of ivory-towered doctrinaires who made major mistakes. But such deviations were never prolonged or continuous phenomena. At the critical moment the spirit of pragmatism always helped the CPC put matters right. The rectification of Wang Ming’s radicalism in revolutionary times， and the correcting of the mistakes of the “cultural revolution”during the period of reform and opening-up signify this pragmatic spirit. At present， the ongoing supply-side reform is the latest case in point.