‘Red Cradles’ Nurture China’s Next Generation of Communist Leaders

Communist Party schools and academies are inculcating Chinese officials in Xi Jinping Thought as the country shifts in a more authoritarian direction.

On a leafy campus in northwest Beijing, dotted with statues of Marx, Mao and other Communist saints, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping is training his “loyal successors,” the next generation of officials who will drive the resurgence of one-party rule. The Communist Party of China just celebrated 100 years since its founding, and for much of that time the Central Party School and similar academies have been “red cradles.” In these schools, cadres are immersed in the party’s beliefs, which trace back to its early decades as a revolutionary movement. Mr. Xi has preached that re-energized party rule is essential for China’s ascent, and he has urged the schools to produce officials who are proudly and vocally loyal to that cause. “Our party relied on struggle to get where it is today, and will surely rely on struggle to win the future,” Mr. Xi in March told hundreds of younger officials at the Central Party School, who wrote his words down like attentive pupils. “The dangers and tests ahead will be no less than in the past.”