The ‘four great needs’ of the people as identified by the Guomindang were

The Guomindang (National People's Party), under the political philosophy of Sun Yat-sen, identified the 'four great needs' of the Chinese people as clothing, food, housing, and transportation [1]. These four necessities are often referred to in Chinese as 'yī shí zhù xíng' (衣食住行), an idiom that stems from Sun Yat-sen's 'Principles of People's Livelihood'. This framework was central to the party's goal of stabilizing and unifying China after the republican revolution by addressing the basic requirements for economic development and poverty reduction [1]. While other ideologies like the 'Four Cardinal Principles' emerged later under the Communist Party, the Guomindang's focus remained on these four specific material needs to improve the livelihood of the masses [1].

Sources

1. [1] Themes in world history, History Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: Paths to Modernisation > Establishing the Republic > p. 168