A recent speech by CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping on November 29 has sparked heated debate in society, especially the line "Empty talk is useless, only hard work can achieve the revival of a nation."

It shows that we have become fed up with empty talk. In today's information technology era, everyone has a microphone, and empty talk is mixed with "down-to-earth" talk.

China used to be a country of "doers", but it is now changing into a country of "talkers".  This is significant, as talking itself is a symbol of democracy, but too much talk can easily cause the country to fall into the trap of democracy.

Western countries are always the biggest salesmen for "talking", and many Chinese are jealous of this.  Maybe it's best to find a balance between "talking" and "action".

The significance of the Internet as a channel for making voices heard is much more important in China than it is in the West.  The Internet's power in driving social change is amazing.

It seems that all the Chinese citizens are now learning again how to speak, whether it's public opinion leaders or officials. It's a new trend in China, but it's important to make sure this trend will help push China forward.

Looking back on the progress made by China over the past three decades, the big reforms were actually realized without much debate. There wasn't much discussion about the institutionalization of the top leadership changes, but it's been realized through very steady steps. It also finding expression in China's rise, which has formed a pushing force from bottom to top in making reforms happen.

Some continuously put forward idealistic demands, and seek to harness public opinion to support them.  Such public opinion drives are not aimed at solving problems, but at creating public opinion itself. 

In the past, empty talk came mainly from officials, but now, the public has joined in. And for the "doers", they must be smarter if they want to make themselves heard. Otherwise, their actions aimed at pushing forward democracy and equality might achieve the opposite effect as a result of public opinion. Many serious critics emphasize that in the future, officials should learn, to some degree, how to "make shows" out of the "request of the times".

We are not against a diversity of debates based on different theories, but as soon as the debate becomes heavier than action and when society is dominated by all kinds of exciting slogans, we might lead our country onto a wrong track.

Xi's emphasis on hard work directly points to China's present and future. China needs comprehensive modernization, opening-up and a diversity of public opinions, but China also needs down-to-earth actions.