BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese idiom "De Ren Zhe Xing" emphasizes the importance of winning people's hearts and attracting talents to a country or government.

"Ren" stands for people's hearts as well as talents. The saying, which comes from Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, a monumental history book of ancient China compiled about 2,000 years ago, has two connotations.

Only by winning people's hearts and responding to their wishes can a country or government continue to thrive. This is in accord with the philosophy that "people's will is the foundation of the state" and "people are the foundation of the state."

Moreover, talents are critical to the rise and fall of a country or government. Only by identifying and recruiting the most capable and upright people and suitably employing them can a great cause be completed and a country and its government remain stable and secure.

Winning people's hearts is closely related to attracting the talented. Winning people's hearts will eventually draw in the talented, and recruiting the talented will eventually help win people's hearts.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China adopts a people-centered development philosophy. This is best illustrated by China's massive poverty-alleviation campaign and its handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, where such concepts and practices as "no one should be left behind" and "people first, life first" have been demonstrated.

China emphasizes the development of professional talent to improve the country's workforce, and education to nurture a new generation of capable young people who are well-prepared to join the socialist cause.