Two senior Party officials, Li Changchun and Liu Yunshan, reiterated on Thursday their support to the "Eight Honors and Disgraces", a new concept of socialist morality recently put forward by President Hu Jintao.

Li, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, called on all the Chinese people to study and implement Hu's new concept.

Liu, CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau member and head of the CPC Central Committee's Publicity Department, pledged to make the concept known to all Chinese.

In March, Hu reminded the whole nation of maintaining socialist morality with "Ba Rong, Ba Chi (Eight Honors and Disgraces)", which in Chinese reads like pairs of opposing moral values and has a rhyming poetic lilt.

-- Love the country; do it no harm.

-- Serve the people; never betray them.

-- Follow science; discard superstition.

-- Be diligent; not indolent.

-- Be united, help each other; make no gains at other's expense

-- Be honest and trustworthy; do not spend ethics for profits

-- Be disciplined and law-abiding; not chaotic and lawless.

-- Live plainly, work hard; do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

Since it was released in a national promotion campaign "Ba Rong, Ba Chi" has received widespread support from officials and commoners alike.

A number of songs have even been composed with lyrics straight from Hu's new slogan and composed by both civilians and Army musicians and sung by people of all ages.

The General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has selected six of these songs and ordered the service personnel to learn them.

As well, central government departments, some schools and even the China Disabled Persons' Federation have put together plans to study and carry out the new socialist ethical standards as set by the president.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2006)