Li Jing and Yue Ziqi: The Logical Evolution of the Core Significance of the Communist Party of China's Original Aspiration and Founding Mission [1]
Seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation constitute the original aspiration and founding mission of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Looking back at the Party’s century-long journey of struggle, the long-term practice of fulfilling this original aspiration and founding mission has enabled the Party to unite and lead the Chinese people in changing the future and destiny of the country, opening a new path of Chinese-path modernization to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and profoundly influencing the course of world history. Standing at the new starting point of the New Era, a deep investigation and analysis of the theoretical, historical, and practical logic of the core significance of this original aspiration and founding mission possesses immense theoretical value and practical significance for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.
I. The Theoretical Significance of the CPC’s Original Aspiration and Founding Mission
"The original aspiration of Communists stems not only from simple feelings for the people and a persistent pursuit of truth, but is built upon the scientific theories of Marxism." As a Marxist party, generations of Chinese Communists—by persisting in integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture—have scientifically answered the fundamental questions of "what is the original aspiration and founding mission, why must such an aspiration and mission be established, and how should they be practiced?"
In scientifically answering the question of "what" the original aspiration and founding mission are, the CPC clarified its mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, Marx and Engels—based on the value position of the international proletariat and its party seeking interests for all humanity—utilized historical materialism to analyze the limitations of capitalist relations of production and the root causes of class antagonism. Through the logical demonstration that "the fall of the bourgeoisie and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable," they revealed the historical necessity of communism replacing capitalism. With the scientific judgment that "the proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority," they revealed the inherent unity between the noble ideals for which the proletariat struggles and the fundamental interests of the broad masses. They expounded that the proletariat, as the "grave-diggers" of the bourgeoisie, can only achieve its own liberation through the universal liberation of humanity, confirming the consistency between proletarian liberation and human liberation, and providing a basis for the theoretical summary of the proletariat's world mission. Based on Russia's basic national conditions of economic and cultural backwardness and the social reality of prominent national questions, Lenin inherited and upheld Marx and Engels’ thoughts on the historical mission of the proletariat. He pointed out that the liberation of the laboring classes and the liberation of oppressed nations are integral parts of the proletariat’s historical mission to liberate all humanity. He advocated that the proletariat, by organizing and uniting the working class in an alliance with all oppressed laboring classes, should establish a "socialist society" and, on the basis of this social system, follow the principles of scientific social production and fair distribution to ensure that the common fruits of labor "are enjoyed by all laborers." As a proletarian party, the CPC—based on its understanding of the "general characteristics of the proletariat" and especially the "unique advantages" [1] of the Chinese proletariat, as well as the fundamental laws of the Chinese revolution—has, in the historical process of continuously advancing the Sinicization of Marxism, always practiced an original aspiration and founding mission characterized by the dialectical unity of the Party’s class mission, the nation's future, and the people's well-being. This entails striving for national independence and people's liberation, and achieving national prosperity and common prosperity. On the basis of inheriting and developing Marxist thought on the "people-centered nature" (人民性), the Party formed the core value concept of "People First" with Chinese characteristics. This means persisting in taking the people’s position as the fundamental political position, adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, and "taking the promotion of common prosperity for all people as the focus of seeking happiness for the people," struggling tirelessly to advance the construction of a great modern socialist country, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the realization of the people’s aspirations for a better life.
In deeply answering "why" it was necessary to establish this original aspiration and founding mission, the CPC clarified that these are vivid reflections of its character as an advanced proletarian party. Based on the irreconcilable contradictions of capitalist society, Marx and Engels systematically discussed the role of Communists as practical subjects who, at various stages of breaking with traditional property relations, highly develop productive forces, transform relations of production, and ultimately promote the replacement of social forms. "The Communists do not form a separate party opposed to the other working-class parties"; thus, they can consciously assume the consciousness of the common interests of all class members and shoulder the historical mission of "abolishing private property." "They have no interests separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole"; therefore, Communists are the most resolute and always-driving section of the working-class parties of every country, capable of leading the working class to oppose the existing system and establish public ownership. Facing the conflicts and contradictions of the imperialist era where feudal remnants and capitalist expansion coexisted, Lenin, based on the standard of dividing eras by class status, proposed that the proletariat, as the "advanced fighters for political freedom and democratic systems," "is the only class capable of uniting all exploited laborers to struggle against the bourgeoisie and completely uproot it." The proletarian party is the only party capable of shouldering the great mission of advancing the transition from the proletarian political revolution to the social revolution; thus, it can represent the fundamental interests of the entire proletariat and other laboring classes and consciously struggle for the liberation of the broad masses. The CPC is an advanced proletarian party established on the foundation of the Chinese working class. The Chinese proletariat suffered from the triple oppression of imperialism, the bourgeoisie, and feudal forces, "and the severity and cruelty of this oppression are rarely seen among the nations of the world"; therefore, they were more resolute and thorough in revolutionary struggle than any other class. "As soon as the Chinese proletariat appeared on the revolutionary stage, it came under the leadership of its own revolutionary party—the Communist Party of China—and became the most conscious class in Chinese society." Most members of the Chinese proletariat originated from bankrupt peasantry; thus, they "have a natural link with the broad peasant masses, facilitating a close alliance with them." Upon its founding, the CPC established the lofty ideal of realizing communism and the original aspiration and founding mission of achieving the liberation of the Chinese nation and people. The CPC’s original aspiration and founding mission profoundly embody the advanced nature, purity, and people-centered nature of a proletarian party. They are the "Chinese-path expression" of the historical mission of the proletariat, fundamentally demonstrating that the CPC, as a proletarian party, can move beyond the limitations of all previous classes and their parties that pursued self-interest, leading the Chinese people from victory to victory. The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission determine the advanced nature and correctness of China’s leadership forces, theoretical choices, and path explorations, becoming a powerful guide for persisting in the realization of people's happiness and national rejuvenation on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
In correctly answering "how" to remain true to this original aspiration and founding mission, the CPC has always taken Marxism as its guide and persisted in the program of struggling for socialism and communism. To realize the historical mission of the proletariat, Marx and Engels successively proposed abolishing bourgeois private property, establishing public ownership, implementing distribution according to work, and establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat, "and to increase the total of productive forces as rapidly as possible" to achieve the transition from capitalism to socialism and communism. At the same time, they pointed out that "the economic mode of production and exchange of each historical epoch, and the social structure necessarily arising from it, form the foundation upon which is built the political and intellectual history of that epoch." This indicates that because different countries and nations have differences in their levels of social productive forces and historical-cultural traditions, their paths of development will inevitably present different characteristics. This revealed that the realization of communism is a historical process formed by achieving goals at several revolutionary stages and clarified the dialectical unity between the current movement and the ultimate goal, thereby laying an important theoretical foundation for the proletarian party to remain true to its original aspiration and founding mission. On the basis of persisting in and creatively applying the scientific principles of Marxism, Lenin demonstrated that "socialism may achieve victory first in a few or even in a single capitalist country," realizing a major leap of scientific socialism from theory to practice and establishing the world’s first socialist state. Lenin pointed out that socialism built under conditions of economic and cultural backwardness could only be an "elementary form of socialism." Simultaneously, through his theory on national and colonial questions, Lenin guided and supported national liberation movements in colonial and semi-colonial countries, laying the theoretical foundation for the successive victories of proletarian revolutions in Eastern countries like China. The CPC led the Chinese revolutionary movement under the historical conditions of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Chinese Communists have never concealed their political positions: "Our future or maximum program is to advance China into a socialist and communist society." The century-plus history of the Party fully proves that for Chinese Communists to stay true to their original aspiration and keep their mission firmly in mind, they must persist in the guiding position of Marxism and the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture; they must remember the program of struggling for communism and socialism established at the Party's inception and remain firm in the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics; they must persist in the "Four Confidences" (in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics); they must firmly believe that the Party takes the people as the foundation and basis for establishing and prospering its cause, giving full play to the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the broad masses; and they must maintain the Party’s advanced nature and purity, continuously improving leadership and governance levels while enhancing the ability to resist risks and prevent corruption and degeneration. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The development of our cause is endless, and the original aspiration of Communists must never change. Only by not forgetting our original aspiration can we console history and our ancestors, win the hearts of the people and the era, and achieve success with perseverance and move forward undauntedly."
II. The Historical Significance of the CPC’s Original Aspiration and Founding Mission
Observing the core significance of the CPC’s original aspiration and founding mission from a historical perspective, it is centrally manifested in the Party's consistent adherence to the unity of its maximum and minimum programs [2], closely linking the struggle for the lofty ideal of communism with the struggle for common ideals in various historical periods, and continuously advancing the cause of the Party and the people.
"During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the main task facing the Party was to oppose imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism, to strive for national independence and people's liberation, and to create the fundamental social conditions for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." In July 1921, the Communist Party of China (CPC) emerged at the historic juncture of the integration of Marxism with the Chinese workers' movement. Faced with the contradictions between imperialism and the Chinese nation, and between feudalism and the masses, the Party formulated and implemented a democratic revolutionary program against imperialism and feudalism. This was unified with the maximum program [3] of achieving communism, thereby establishing the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. During the early period of Party building and the Great Revolution [4], the Party led the workers', youth, peasants', and women's movements. Relying on the working class, the peasantry, and all other laboring masses, it organized and established a large-scale mass party amidst the great struggle against imperialism and feudalism. With the promotion and assistance of the CPC, the Kuomintang (KMT) successfully completed its reorganization, and the two parties jointly established a democratic united front. The Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army advanced with irresistible force, triggering the climax of the Great Revolution. However, because the Party faced the combined pressure of imperialist and feudal forces during this period, and because the bourgeoisie wavered seriously and the united front underwent violent fragmentation—coupled with the failure to integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with revolutionary practice—the Great Revolution ultimately ended in failure. From this cruel reality, the Party realized that without revolutionary armed forces, it would be impossible to defeat armed counter-revolution or change the destiny of the Chinese people and nation. By continuously deepening its understanding of the nature and future of the Chinese revolution, the Party clarified that the way forward must rely on class struggle to establish a dictatorship of the worker-peasant alliance. It creatively pioneered a new revolutionary path of encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing political power by armed force. This became a decisive new starting point for the Chinese revolution, driving the historical transition from the failure of the Great Revolution to the rise of the Agrarian Revolutionary War [5]. Through multiple struggles against "encirclement and suppression" [6], the Party further realized the necessity of solving the practical problems of the Chinese revolution independently. At the Zunyi Conference, the Party began to establish the leadership position of Comrade Mao Zedong in the Party Central Committee, reversing the passive and failing situation of the revolution. As Japanese imperialism intensified its invasion of China, the national contradiction between China and Japan rose to become the primary contradiction. Based on the "trinity" task of consolidating peace, striving for democracy, and achieving a total war of resistance, the Party rapidly and universally launched the movement for national salvation against Japan. It expanded the people's revolutionary armed forces, opened vast base areas behind enemy lines, implemented the program for a total war of resistance, and carried out the Great Production Movement [7] and economic construction, accumulating conditions for establishing democratic political power and advancing social progress. After the KMT reactionaries tore up the resolutions of the Political Consultative Conference and brazenly launched an all-out civil war, the Party firmly coordinated the People’s War of Liberation with the democratic movements in the KMT-controlled areas. It won the War of Liberation and overthrew the reactionary KMT government, toppling the "Three Great Mountains" [8] that exploited and oppressed the Chinese people. The Party formulated a political program for establishing New China across political, economic, and cultural dimensions, completing the great leap from thousands of years of feudal autocracy to people's democracy. The Chinese nation thus opened a new era on the magnificent road toward great rejuvenation.
"During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the main task facing the Party was to realize the transformation from New Democracy to socialism, carry out the socialist revolution, and promote socialist construction, so as to lay the fundamental political prerequisites and institutional foundations for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." After the founding of New China, the CPC, as the party in comprehensive and long-term power, actively advanced construction across political, economic, ideological, and military fields, making important preparations for the complete fulfillment of democratic revolutionary tasks and the transition to socialist revolution. The Party launched the land reform movement and Party rectification movements across the country, clearing the way for the complete unification of the Chinese mainland. By stabilizing prices and unifying financial and economic work, it quickly restored the national economy and commenced planned economic construction. It advanced the land system and various social democratic reforms, resulting in a brand-new social outlook. In particular, the victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea defended national security and protected the property and safety of the masses. Under the effective leadership of the CPC, the nascent state power was consolidated, and New China rapidly rose from the ruins. Against the background where socialist factors grew beyond expectations, the Party, following the General Line for the Transition Period [9], ran socialist transformation in parallel with socialist industrialization. This greatly improved the overall industrial layout of the country and basically established a socialist economic system characterized by public ownership of the means of production and distribution according to work. To consolidate the state power of the people's democratic dictatorship, the Party led the establishment of the system of people's congresses, the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy. These provided institutional guarantees for the people to be masters of the country and laid the important foundation for all progress and development in China. By leading the people to complete the socialist revolution and eliminate all systems of exploitation, the Party realized the most extensive and profound social transformation in Chinese history. In the process of exploring a path for socialist construction suited to China's conditions, and on the basis of "taking the Soviet Union as a mirror," the Party further formed the ideological understanding that it must achieve a "second integration" [10] of the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism with China’s specific realities. Mao Zedong Thought was greatly enriched and developed during this period, correctly identifying that socialist society is a very long historical stage, strictly distinguishing and correctly handling contradictions between the enemy and the people and contradictions among the people, and correctly handling the "Ten Major Relationships" [11] in China's socialist construction. The Party established an independent and relatively complete industrial and national economic system, and set up a series of basic systems from the central to local levels. It formulated innovative working policies such as "long-term coexistence and mutual supervision" and "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend." Internationally, by restoring China's lawful seat and all legal rights in the United Nations, the Party promoted a pattern where the international community adheres to the one-China principle, improved China's security environment, and greatly enhanced its international status. Although the Party made mistakes and experienced setbacks in its work during this period, the original theoretical achievements and groundbreaking practical successes achieved in the exploration of socialist construction provided rich theoretical preparation, a solid material foundation, and valuable historical experience for initiating socialism with Chinese characteristics. This fully proved that the Chinese people are not only good at destroying an old world but also good at building a new one.
"During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the main task facing the Party was to continue exploring the correct path for building socialism in China, to liberate and develop the social productive forces, to lift the people out of poverty and make them prosperous as soon as possible, and to provide the institutional guarantee full of new vitality and the material conditions for rapid development to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." At the beginning of this new period, based on a profound summary of both positive and negative experiences in socialist construction, the Party made the historic decision to implement reform and opening up. Through the Third Plenary Session of its 11th Central Committee, it re-established the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, the political line of socialist modernization centered on economic construction, and the organizational line with democratic centralism as the fundamental principle. As reform, opening up, and modernization progressed, the Party deeply realized that it must lead the development of the cause through theoretical innovation and persist in developing Marxism based on China's basic national conditions and the internal laws of socio-economic development. It had to continuously update the strategic deployments and arrangements for reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, planning and advancing national economic, political, cultural, and social work. It had to unswervingly adhere to the Four Cardinal Principles [12] and lead the people in a shared struggle to break down the ideological and institutional obstacles hindering the development of the country and the nation. It had to take the completion of the great cause of national reunification as a historical responsibility and advance all undertakings of the Party and the state in an integrated and steady manner. It had to unequivocally oppose hegemonism and power politics while promoting lasting world peace and common prosperity. It had to focus intently on Party building, advancing comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in depth, and promoting the better transformation of the Party's institutional advantages into governance efficacy to provide strong support for the supervision and restraint of power. By continuously promoting the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with the reality of China's modernization and the characteristics of the times, the Party formed the theory system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving a new leap in the Sinicization of Marxism. It realized the historical breakthrough from a state of relatively backward productive forces to becoming the world's second-largest economy. It achieved the historic leap of the people's lives from lack of basic needs to general moderate prosperity and then toward a comprehensive well-off society, advancing the great leap of the Chinese nation from "standing up" to "becoming rich." The practice of this new period fully proves that the Party took its original aspiration and founding mission of seeking national prosperity and people's well-being as the internal driving force for the steady progress of reform and opening up. By insisting on the unity of the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the lofty ideal of communism, it successfully opened the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Party's original aspiration and founding mission were further elevated under these new historical conditions.
"Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era. The main task facing the Party is to achieve the First Centenary Goal, embark on the new journey to achieve the Second Centenary Goal, and continue to advance toward the grand goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Based on the strategic overall situation of promoting national rejuvenation and the changes in the new stage of development and historical orientation, the Party proposed a new strategy for modernization. On one hand, the significant achievements of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, along with the remarkable results of the Great New Project of Party Building [13], laid a solid foundation, created favorable conditions, and provided important guarantees for the courageous advancement of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. On the other hand, the governing environment facing the Party under the new situation is complex; the "Four Tests" and "Four Dangers" [14] confront the whole Party more sharply. China's economy has entered a "new normal," downward pressure on growth has increased, and structural adjustment is urgent. Problems of unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unsustainable development remain prominent, and reform and opening up have entered a "formidable stage" and "deep-water zone." Various social trends coexist, harboring the danger of shaking faith in Marxism and the ideals of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Socio-economic development and social moral principles appear mismatched. A series of deep-seated ailments affecting the Party's governance, social stability, and the people's well-being—accumulated over a long period—alongside newly emerging prominent contradictions and problems, urgently need resolution. To this end, the Party Central Committee assessed the situation, made overall plans, and united the whole Party, the military, and people of all ethnic groups to be self-confident, self-reliant, uphold the fundamentals and break new ground, and preside over the "Four Greats" [15] historical mission. Significant historical achievements and transformations have occurred in the cause of the Party and the state. Specifically, at the level of Party building, the Party's leadership has been strengthened across the board, the Great New Project of Party Building in the New Era has been advanced in depth, and the systemic, creative, and effective nature of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has continuously improved, giving the Party a brand-new look. At the level of political construction, the focus has been on developing whole-process people's democracy, highlighting the unique advantages of the democratic system with Chinese characteristics. The level of institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization of China's socialist democratic politics has continuously improved, and the overall framework for comprehensively governing the country according to law has basically taken shape. At the level of economic construction, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's economic thought and adhering to the New Development Philosophy, the country's economic, scientific, and comprehensive national strength has achieved a historical leap, with the systemic, collaborative, and holistic nature of economic development significantly enhanced. At the level of cultural construction, the Party has promoted Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to take root in the minds of the people. The Party’s leadership over ideological work is more secure, its governing capacity has significantly increased, and socialist core values are widely cultivated and practiced throughout society. The public cultural service system is becoming increasingly sound, and the Chinese nation and people are more confident and self-reliant, emanating a strong sense of historical consciousness and initiative. At the level of social construction, absolute poverty has been eliminated as a whole, a moderately prosperous society has been built in all respects, a social security system covering urban and rural residents has been basically established, and a social governance model of "common contribution, shared governance, and shared benefits" has been fundamentally constructed. The people's sense of gain, happiness, and security is more substantial, better guaranteed, and more sustainable. At the level of ecological civilization construction, major strides have been made in building a Beautiful China, environmental governance has been significantly intensified, and a paradigm shift has occurred in ecological and environmental protection. Furthermore, the Party has achieved a series of important successes in comprehensively deepening reform, opening up to the outside world, national defense and military construction, maintaining national security, upholding "One Country, Two Systems," and promoting national reunification. These achievements provide a more complete institutional guarantee, a more solid material basis, and a more proactive spiritual force for the Party to stay true to its original aspiration and founding mission.
III. The Practical Signification of the Original Aspiration and Founding Mission of the Communist Party of China
Upholding and developing Marxism and promoting the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism "is a process of pursuing, revealing, and practicing truth," as well as a process for the Communist Party of China (CPC) to continue upholding its original aspiration and founding mission on the new journey of the New Era. The 20th CPC National Congress pointed out: "The central task of the CPC is to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal [16] of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization." This specifies the target tasks and the fundamental path for the Party to fully build a great modern socialist country by the middle of the 21st century, laying a more solid theoretical and practical foundation for practicing the Party's original aspiration and founding mission.
"Chinese-path modernization is the socialist modernization led by the CPC. It shares the common features of modernization of all countries, but more importantly, it has Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions." Chinese-path modernization breaks through the limitations of previous modernization path conceptions—whether "learning from the West" or "learning from Russia"—and is characterized by a huge population, common prosperity for all, harmony between material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and following the path of peaceful development. Facing the accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century [17] and new opportunities and challenges for China's development, we must uphold and strengthen the Party's overall leadership. This ensures the Party remains the most reliable pillar, stabilizer, and ballast for all people when "wind and rain strike," [18] and ensures the correct direction of China’s socialist modernization. We must persist in the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, maintaining our course and resolve without change, and hold the fate of China’s development and progress firmly in our own hands. We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, ensuring that the fruits of modernization benefit all people more extensively and fairly. We must persist in deepening reform and opening up, focusing on breaking down deep-seated institutional and mechanistic obstacles to better transform our system's advantages into national governance efficacy. Finally, we must persist in carrying forward the spirit of struggle, strengthening the mettle, bone, and resolve [19] of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups, relying on tenacious struggle to open up new horizons for the cause. This requires the entire Party to proceed from the height of the Party's original aspiration and founding mission in the New Era and on the new journey, to more deeply understand and grasp the people-centered development philosophy, solidly promote common prosperity for all, continuously meet the people's needs for a better life, fully build a great modern socialist country, open up new frontiers for Chinese-path modernization, demonstrate the modern power of Chinese civilization, and create a new form of human civilization.
Adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, solidly promote common prosperity for all, and continuously meet the people's needs for a better life. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, by allowing "some regions and some people to get rich first" to drive the realization of "common wealth," the material living standards of the Chinese people have made long-term progress. Entering the New Era, to adapt to the shift in the principal social contradiction [20], the people's needs for a better life have risen and expanded both horizontally and vertically—from an emphasis on "quantity" to "quality," and from "survival" to "development." Based on China's unique national conditions of a huge population, a massive economy, and vast land and resources, realizing common prosperity is necessarily a long-term, systematic project. Therefore, adhering to the people-centered development philosophy and promoting common prosperity for all is the fundamental starting point and practical objective for the Party to practice its original aspiration and founding mission in the New Era. The people's needs for a better life are reflected not only at the material level but also in spiritual and cultural life, specifically manifesting in the growing demand for democracy, the rule of law, fairness, justice, and security. Rooted in the current reality where China's economic strength has achieved a historic leap, comprehensive national strength has continuously increased, and people's lives have been improved in all aspects, we must—in order to promote substantive progress in common prosperity—firmly grasp the central task of economic construction. We must let all sources of social wealth flow fully, continuously thicken the material foundation for common prosperity, and improve living standards. Simultaneously, we must continuously improve the distribution system, constructing a coordinated institutional system of primary distribution, redistribution, and third-party distribution [21]. We must maximize the role of primary distribution, regulate the proportion and fairness of redistribution, reasonably guide the regular mechanisms of third-party distribution, increase the intensity of regulation through taxation, social security, and transfer payments, and strengthen employment assistance for vulnerable groups, thereby making people's lives happier and more beautiful. We should continuously consolidate the material conditions for the people's happy life and promote overall social progress to meet the new expectations of the people for a better life.
Fully build a great modern socialist country and open up new frontiers for Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Changes unseen in a century are accelerating, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing in depth, the international balance of power is undergoing profound adjustments, and China's development faces new strategic opportunities." This major judgment provides profound insight into the changes in the world, the times, and history, providing scientific guidance for us to correctly recognize and grasp new strategic opportunities on the new journey and to adopt effective response measures. We must enhance our awareness of opportunities and risks, accurately identify changes, respond to them scientifically, and seek change proactively. We must firmly grasp and make good use of new strategic opportunities while excelling at turning crises into opportunities and capturing and creating opportunities from immediate difficulties to ensure a good start for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country. On one hand, a series of the Party's advanced theoretical constructions and practical reform decisions have propelled the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics to radiate vigor and vitality, moving the construction of a great modern socialist country toward higher-level development. On the other hand, the weight of the task of maintaining economic quality and stable growth, the number of contradictions and challenges in reform and development, and the magnitude of the tests regarding the rise and fall of political parties are unprecedented. Facing new problems and challenges necessarily requires closely integrating the Party's original aspiration and founding mission with the development of the state, the nation, and the people. Building a great modern socialist country is a great and arduous undertaking. Facing the strategic opportunities and risk challenges of the new development stage, we must adhere to a systems thinking approach, promote coordinated regional development, build a modern industrial system, and advance high-level opening up. This is both an important basis for continuously expanding new space for China’s development and an inherent requirement for comprehensively promoting the construction of a powerful nation. We must prevent and resolve risks while identifying, responding to, and seeking change, comprehensively grasping the important period of strategic opportunity for China's development, and excelling at nurturing new opportunities amid crises and opening new prospects amid changes. We must completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, ensuring that the promotion of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing work together to build a new development pattern. We must accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, vigorously implement the innovation-driven development strategy, and take scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening as the strategic support for national development. We must persist in quality first and efficiency as the priority, promoting changes in quality, efficiency, and momentum, and realizing comprehensive progress in economy and society through a higher-level dynamic balance of supply and demand. This will comprehensively enhance the country's "hard power" and "soft power," making the people's material lives plentiful and their spiritual lives rich.
Demonstrate the modern power of Chinese civilization and create a new form of human civilization. The construction of a new culture for the Chinese nation is unified with the construction of a powerful country, national rejuvenation, and the people's happiness. At the critical period when these goals are advancing in depth, it is even more vital to deeply grasp the laws of development of Chinese civilization, activating the spiritual genes of Chinese civilization with the light of Marxist truth. This injects powerful spiritual impetus and inexhaustible ideological vitality into the continued practice of the Party's original aspiration and founding mission on the new journey of the New Era. First, we must shoulder a new cultural mission and adhere to the civilizational orientation of the values and propositions of scientific socialism. We must integrate the universality of scientific socialist civilization with the particularity of Chinese civilization, persist in proceeding from China's reality in all things, and focus on solving the prominent problems faced by comprehensively deepening reform and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era. We must provide a "Chinese answer" that meets the requirements of the times, striving to confirm its high degree of alignment with the value propositions of scientific socialism through diverse practical integrations. Second, we must continue the cultural endowment of the Chinese nation, solidify the foundation of cultural self-confidence and self-strengthening, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. Marxism can only strike deep roots and flourish if it is planted in the fertile soul of the culture of its own country and nation. We must "integrate the core of Marxist thought with the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture and with the common values that the people use daily without even realizing them." [22] We must adhere to the principle of "making the past serve the present" and "weeding through the old to bring forth the new," [23] and strengthen historical confidence and cultural consciousness through the high degree of unity in the cultural characteristics, ideological consensus, and future goals of all ethnic groups. Third, we must adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as our guide and shoulder the new cultural mission in promoting the "Two Combinations." [24] Building a new culture for the Chinese nation is a civilizational practice of the ideal paradigm of all-around human development in a socialist country, demonstrating the CPC's original aspiration and founding mission to seek progress for humanity and the common good for the world. As the global risks and challenges faced collectively by humanity increase daily, we must learn from and absorb all outstanding civilizational achievements of humanity, pass down and creatively transform outstanding values originating from Chinese civilization in the process of modernization, promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and demonstrate the common value pursuits of all mankind.
In summary, the original aspiration and founding mission of the CPC is a major proposition that combines theory and practice, connects history and reality, and unifies knowledge and action. Its core meaning is rich and far-reaching. Deeply understanding and mastering the core implications of this major proposition from the three basic dimensions of theory, history, and practice is undoubtedly of extremely important theoretical value and practical significance for the CPC members to promote the great social revolution through self-revolution and to advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through the construction of a great modern socialist country on the new journey of the New Era.