BEIJING - Chinese historians have been encouraged to fight "historical nihilism" and defend the history of Communist Party of China (CPC).

Qu Qingshan, head of the Party History Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, identified the essence of historical nihilism as "political thoughts with strong political tendencies and intentions."

Such thoughts seek to distort the history of modern China's revolution, the CPC and the armed forces under the guise of "reevaluation," said Qu in an interview with Xinhua on Monday.

Qu said that resisting and opposing historical nihilism is a form of political combat, crucial to the CPC leadership and the security of socialism.

"One key weapon against historical nihilism is to stick to historical materialism and always seek truth from facts," Qu said.

Qu urged the country's historians and researchers to continue their study of history and "strike" back in a more timely manner.

"We need to take a more active approach toward historical nihilism by stating facts in a clearer way with a louder voice," Qu said.

He also called for critical thinking among Party members and the public when facing unconventional and unorthodox ideas.