Vast grasslands, a brilliant blue sky, the bright Mongolian dance robes fluttering in the wind, the melodious sound of the Morin Khuur drifting through the air... During the summer months, within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's "Ulan Muqir Month," Ulan Muqir troupes, with the theme of "Going to the People," have been tirelessly organizing a variety of performances, leaving their footprints across the northern frontiers of the motherland.

Socialist literature and art, in essence, is the literature and art of the people. In the re-publication of President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the symposium on literature and art on October 15, 2014, in the 2021 issue of the Seeking Truth magazine, President Xi profoundly expounded on the fundamental attributes and value stance of socialist literature and art. The question of for whom literature and art exist is "a fundamental and principled issue." Comrade Mao Zedong clearly pointed out at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, "Our literature and art are for the masses," and called on the vast number of literary and art workers: "We must go to the masses, must go to the workers, peasants, and soldiers, must go to the fiery struggle, wholeheartedly and unconditionally, for a long time."

The torch of culture and art is passed on from generation to generation, building on the past to forge ahead into the future. The principle "Art for the People"—a spirit that originated in Yan'an and has run through the history of new China's art—has always played a crucial role as a guiding beacon, inspiring generations of artists to continuously create outstanding works that resonate with the people.

The people are both the creators and witnesses of history, the characters in the drama of history as well as its playwrights. To reflect the hearts and voices of the people in literature and art, it is essential to adhere to the fundamental direction of serving the people and serving socialism. The General Secretary emphasized that this is a basic requirement set forth by the Party for the literary and artistic front, and it is also the key that determines the future and destiny of China's literary and artistic endeavors. Only by firmly establishing a Marxist view of literature and art and truly centering on the people can literature and art unleash their maximum positive energy.

The people need art and literature. The fundamental value of art and literature lies in the needs of the people. Originating from the people, for the people, and belonging to the people, this is the fundamental stance of socialist art and literature, and also the driving force behind its prosperity and development. The people's demand for spiritual and cultural life exists at all times, and with the continuous improvement of living standards, their requirements for the quality, taste, and style of cultural products, including literary and artistic works, are also constantly increasing. The General Secretary sternly pointed out, "To think that the people do not understand art and literature, to consider the masses as 'Xiali Baren,' and to believe that creating for the masses is not high-level, these notions are all incorrect."

The General Secretary calls for adhering to the people-centered creative orientation, placing the people at the highest position in our hearts, and making the satisfaction of the people the highest criterion for testing art. We should create more outstanding works that meet the cultural needs of the people and enhance their spiritual strength, ensuring that the garden of literature and art forever blooms for the people. He requires that all fields of literature and art keep pace with the development of the times, grasp the needs of the people, and produce popular works with abundant passion, vivid brushstrokes, beautiful melodies, and touching images, continuously elevating the spiritual and cultural life of the people. He advocates for a healthy cultural ethos, discards distorted aesthetic tendencies, and uses profound, fresh, vigorous, and powerful works to nurture the people's aesthetic and value perspectives, making their spiritual lives more abundant.

Literature and art need the people. The people are the mother of literature and art; the growth of literature and art cannot be separated from the nourishment of the people. The people are the source of inspiration for artistic creation; literature and art must serve the people, and therefore must actively reflect the lives of the people. Whether outstanding works can be created fundamentally depends on whether they can express the people, evoke their emotions, and convey their sentiments. The General Secretary emphasizes that while there are a hundred or a thousand methods of artistic creation, the most fundamental, crucial, and reliable one is to root oneself in the people and in life. Only by rooting in the people can creation gain an inexhaustible and endless source of inspiration. Only by immersing oneself in the masses, understanding their hard work, and sensing their joys and sorrows can one grasp the essence of life, giving artistic creation profound strength and enduring charm. "Without the people, literature and art become rootless duckweed, aimless lamentations, and soulless shells."

The General Secretary calls on all literary and artistic workers with aspirations and pursuits to follow the people's footsteps, step out of their confined spaces, and delve into the depths of practice, reflecting on the lives, fates, and emotions of the people, expressing the desires, sentiments, and voices of the people, and aspiring to create outstanding works that will be passed down through the ages among the people.

Literature and art should love the people. "Deep emotions lead to sincere works." Whether there is emotion and who the emotion is for determines the fate of literary and artistic creation. "To achieve success, literary and artistic workers must consciously share the breath, fate, and hearts of the people, rejoicing in the joys of the people and worrying about the worries of the people, serving the people as a willing ox." The General Secretary emphasized, "This is the only correct path and also the greatest happiness for writers and artists."

The General Secretary demands that we always keep the people's well-being and happiness in our hearts, pour the people's joys and sorrows into our writing, eulogize the spirit of striving, portray the most admirable characters, and strengthen people's aspirations and confidence for a better life. For the people, we must love sincerely, thoroughly, and enduringly, delve deep into the masses and into life, and humbly become the people's pupils. We must resolve the question of "for whom, relying on whom, and who am I," dismantle the walls of the heart, not only physically engage but also emotionally and mentally immerse ourselves, sinking our hearts, emotions, and thoughts into the people, feeling the pulse of the times and the brilliance of life together with the people, and singing for the times and the people.

The General Secretary particularly emphasized that the people are real, practical, and simple. It is impermissible to fabricate images of the people, to mock the people with a flippant attitude, or to defame the people with degrading strokes. In the face of negative and corrupt phenomena and ugly phenomena that the people detest, we should persist in dispelling darkness with light, triumphing over the false and the ugly with the true and the beautiful, so that people can see the good, see hope, and see that their dreams lie ahead.

Today, across our vast land of millions of square kilometers, over a billion people are engaged in the grand endeavor of China's modernization, contributing to the nation's vigorous development and the joys and sorrows of its citizens, which together form a vibrant and multifaceted life scene. This scene is filled with moving stories, brimming with passionate and lively melodies, and presents a colorful tapestry of images. By standing with the people and writing for the people, the broad community of literary and artistic workers have great potential to contribute, and will undoubtedly make significant achievements!