Yu Xiang: Comprehensively Promoting Modernization of Harmony Between Humanity and Nature Through the Initiative of Building a Beautiful China
The construction of a Beautiful China is a vital component of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. In the article "Promoting Modernization Featuring Harmony Between Humanity and Nature Through the Construction of a Beautiful China," featured in the first volume of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization, the General Secretary emphasized:
"We must place the construction of a Beautiful China in a prominent position in building a powerful nation and achieving national rejuvenation, promote significant improvements in the living environment of both urban and rural areas, achieve substantial results in the construction of a Beautiful China, and support high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment." Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has advanced and expanded Chinese-path modernization with profound historical perspective and a broad global vision. By promoting the construction of a Beautiful China, they have explored a path to modernization characterized by harmony between humanity and nature, fortifying the ecological foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation and leading the way forward for human modernization. The "Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, focuses on "achieving major breakthroughs in strategic tasks concerning the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization" and identifies "making new major progress in the construction of a Beautiful China" as a primary objective for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. The Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2025 proposed to "persist in the guidance of 'Dual Carbon' [1] targets to promote a comprehensive green transition" and "further advance the campaigns to keep our skies blue, waters clear, and lands pollution-free, while strengthening the treatment of new pollutants," scientifically deploying the key tasks for the construction of a Beautiful China in 2026.
We must study and utilize the first volume of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization effectively, deeply recognize the great significance of constructing a Beautiful China for advancing Chinese-path modernization, and continue to deepen the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. We should better guide our practical actions in fully implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the Central Economic Work Conference with scientific theory, earnestly promote modernization characterized by harmony between humanity and nature through the construction of a Beautiful China, and lay a more solid ecological foundation for the basic realization of socialist modernization.
The construction of a Beautiful China is inherent in the process of Chinese-path modernization and promotes the creation of a new form of human advancement.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in "Striving to Promote Harmony Between Humanity and Nature":
"Human developmental activities must respect, adapt to, and protect nature; otherwise, we will face nature's retribution." Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, which enriches and expands the connotation of modernization. The construction of a Beautiful China is the concentrated expression and vivid practice of this modernization.
For a long time, the Western path to modernization was regarded as the only path. Successive waves of the Industrial Revolution brought leaps in productive forces and formed a development paradigm for industrial civilization based on fossil fuels, centered on consumerism, and characterized by the large-scale creation of material wealth. While this paradigm achieved rapid global economic growth, it also brought increasingly severe ecological and environmental challenges, such as intensifying climate change, a sharp decline in biodiversity, and environmental pollution disasters exemplified by the "Eight Great Public Nuisance Events of the World" [2]. The problems of traditional industrial civilization stem, to some extent, from the Western philosophical concept of "subject-object dichotomy" regarding humanity and nature. This places humanity in opposition to nature, suggesting that nature can be conquered through technical means in a pursuit of infinite economic growth. Although contemporary Western society has discussed the limits to growth, reflected on ecological crises, and proposed theories such as Pigouvian taxes [3] to address environmental issues and correct the negative externalities of economic growth, these cannot fundamentally reverse the tension between humanity and nature caused by the traditional development paradigm. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 published by the United Nations shows that among the 169 targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, only 35% are progressing well, nearly half are progressing slowly, and 18% have even regressed. This fully demonstrates that without transforming the traditional development paradigm and achieving harmony between humanity and nature, the process of human modernization will be unsustainable.
For China’s population of over 1.4 billion to enter a modernized society as a whole—a scale exceeding the combined population of existing developed countries—it faces difficulties and challenges far beyond those of currently developed nations. This dictates that China must forge a modernization path distinct from that of the West. Chinese-path modernization is not a simple replication of Western modernization; rather, it is built upon a fundamental reflection and creative development of human modernization since the Industrial Revolution. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization stands at the historical height of human civilizational progress, focuses on enhancing the common well-being of all humanity, and regards the promotion of harmony between humanity and nature as an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization transcends the capital-centered development logic of Western modernization, adheres to the people-centered development philosophy, and integrates the construction of a Beautiful China into the process of Chinese-path modernization, striving to ensure that the ecology benefits the people. This means that Chinese-path modernization is not the completion of humanity's conquest of nature, but the promotion of harmony between the two; it does not treat a good ecological environment as a luxury for the few, but makes it a public welfare enjoyed by all. This modernization—which respects, adapts to, and protects nature—not only satisfies the Chinese people's yearning for a better life but also provides a more equitable and sustainable new path for the progress of human civilization.
Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization incorporates the construction of a Beautiful China into the grand blueprint of Chinese-path modernization, providing a powerful guarantee for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. The construction of a Beautiful China rejects the short-sightedness of "draining the pond to catch the fish" [4] and abandons the practice of leaving ecological deficits to future generations. Instead, with the historical responsibility of "acting in the present for the benefit of millennia," it accumulates green wealth for posterity and lays a solid ecological foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Chinese-path modernization continuously promotes harmony between humanity and nature, driving human modernization toward a new era of ecological civilization and creating a new form of human advancement. This is not only a change in development paradigm but a revolution in the concept of civilization. As the traditional development paradigm encounters ecological bottlenecks globally, Chinese-path modernization—through the vivid practice of building a Beautiful China—answers the major question of how humanity should move toward the future from the underlying logic of civilizational evolution and through practical action. The construction of a Beautiful China is not only an internal requirement of Chinese-path modernization but also carries the historical mission of exploring a new path of sustainable development for human civilization.
The construction of a Beautiful China is an important result of adhering to the "Two Combinations" and demonstrates the superiority of Chinese-path modernization.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in "Persisting in Harmony Between Humanity and Nature":
"Firmly follow a path of civilized development featuring increased production, affluent living, and a sound ecosystem; build a Beautiful China to create a good production and living environment for the people; and contribute to global ecological security." The construction of a Beautiful China is an important result of adhering to the "Two Combinations" [5]. It embodies the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional ecological culture and promotes the advancement of the Marxist views of nature and ecology, demonstrating the significant advantages of Chinese-path modernization in achieving harmony between humanity and nature.
Adhering to the principle that humanity and nature are a community of life, and promoting the correct handling of the relationship between the two. Since ancient times, China has formed a rich ecological wisdom and cultural tradition, producing the idea of "unity of heaven and humanity" [6], which suggests that "Heaven and Earth were born together with me, and the myriad things and I are one." Marx pointed out that "man is a part of nature" and "man lives from nature." There is a high degree of compatibility between China’s excellent traditional ecological culture and the Marxist views of nature and ecology. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization profoundly grasps this compatibility, proposing the important thesis that "humanity and nature are a community of life." This breaks through the epistemological dilemma of the "subject-object dichotomy" in Western philosophy and serves as the fundamental guideline for building a Beautiful China. This construction ensures that Chinese-path modernization does not follow the old path of Western countries that polluted the environment and sacrificed ecology. Instead, it promotes the widespread formation of green production and lifestyles, increasing resource utilization efficiency while reducing total pollution emissions. It creates more material and spiritual wealth to meet the people's growing needs for a better life, while providing more high-quality ecological products to meet their growing needs for a beautiful environment. This allows the significant advantages of Chinese-path modernization to be fully demonstrated, transcending the Western path.
Adhering to the principle that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," and solving the problem of the binary opposition between development and protection. Ancient Chinese said: "The planting and growth of vegetation is the wealth of the nation." Marxist political economy also affirms the importance of natural ecosystems for the creation of social wealth. Marx said: "Labor is not the source of all wealth. Nature is just as much the source of use values (and it is surely of such that material wealth consists!) as labor." Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization adheres to the "Two Combinations" and proposes the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," affirming that protecting the ecological environment is protecting productive forces, protecting natural value, and increasing natural capital, and that improving the ecological environment is developing productive forces. This is consistent with China's excellent traditional ecological culture and incorporates natural resources into the national wealth system, treating natural ecosystems as an important component of productive forces, thus enriching and developing Marxist productive force theory. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the construction of a Beautiful China continuously explores and expands practical paths to transform "lucid waters and lush mountains" into "invaluable assets." This allows ecological benefits to continuously translate into economic and social benefits, achieving a dialectical unity between development and protection. It solves the dilemma of Western modernization where economy and ecology are difficult to coordinate, and development and protection are difficult to balance, demonstrating the superiority of Chinese-path modernization in achieving mutual integration and promotion between the economy and ecology.
Adhering to the holistic protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, and guiding the direction of modernizing ecological governance. How to realize the modernization of national governance is a major issue in the process of human modernization. The modernization of ecological governance is an important aspect of this. We must adhere to systems thinking and rely on systematic methods to improve governance efficiency. Ancient Chinese concepts such as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Eight Trigrams reflect a simple cosmology and contain profound systems thinking. Materialist dialectics holds that things are universally connected and that the world is an interacting whole. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization clarifies that mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts are an inseparable ecosystem. By combining Marxist systems thinking and dialectical methods with excellent traditional Chinese culture, it accurately grasps the scientific methods of ecological governance. In the New Era and on the new journey, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has applied these scientific methods throughout the practice of building a Beautiful China. This has changed the traditional "piecemeal" approach to governance, forming an ecological governance system that is both scientifically rigorous and full of Chinese wisdom. It has effectively realized the holistic protection and systematic restoration of various natural elements, demonstrating the superiority of Chinese-path modernization in promoting the modernization of ecological governance and guiding global governance toward a more scientific and efficient direction.
The construction of a Beautiful China writes a new chapter in the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature and is a vivid Chinese practice in co-building a clean and beautiful world.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in "Striving to Build a Modernization of Harmony Between Humanity and Nature":
"Building an ecological civilization and promoting green, low-carbon, and circular development can not only meet the people's growing needs for a beautiful ecological environment but also promote higher-quality, more efficient, more equitable, more sustainable, and safer development." The construction of a Beautiful China is not only a goal and a path for building ecological civilization but also a profound economic and social transformation guided by green development. It is writing a new chapter in modernization and opening up broad development space for co-building a clean and beautiful world.
Strengthening the institutional foundation for harmony between humanity and nature. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:
"Protecting the ecologic environment must rely on institutions and the rule of law" and "we must consistently persist in using the strictest institutions and the most rigorous rule of law to protect the ecologic environment." The construction of a Beautiful China is a vital component of realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; it is the path that must be taken to uphold the concept of green development and promote the organic unity of high-quality development and high-level protection. This major strategic deployment must rely on strong political leadership, scientific top-level design, and powerful institutional guarantees, drawing support from the national governance system to ensure effective implementation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, we have comprehensively deepened reform centered on the construction of a Beautiful China. An institutional system characterized by the "four beams and eight pillars" [7] of ecological civilization has basically taken shape, the legal system for ecologic environmental protection with Chinese characteristics has become increasingly refined, and the institutional cornerstone for the harmony between humanity and nature has become more stable and reliable.
Promoting the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature to achieve steady and long-term progress. The construction of a Beautiful China runs through the great journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country; it is a long-term systemic project with a clear timetable, roadmap, and construction plan. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress proposed that by 2035, green production and lifestyles will be widely formed, carbon emissions will steadily decline after peaking, the ecologic environment will fundamentally improve, and the goal of a Beautiful China will be basically realized. This means that "green" will become the hallmark of development, a historic "decoupling" between economic growth and the load on resources and the environment will be achieved, and the construction of ecological civilization will move from quantitative change to qualitative change, as the "blue skies, green land, and clear water" scroll of a Beautiful China becomes a reality. The Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China proposed: "Looking ahead to the middle of this century, ecological civilization will be comprehensively elevated, green development modes and lifestyles will be fully formed, deep decarbonization will be achieved in key fields, the ecologic environment will be healthy and beautiful, the modernization of the ecologic environmental governance system and capacity will be fully realized, and a Beautiful China will be fully completed." This will mark the full realization of the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, making a Chinese contribution to resolving the contradiction between human development and the Earth's carrying capacity. From fighting the tough battle of pollution prevention and control, to comprehensively promoting the construction of a Beautiful China, to the basic formation of green production and lifestyles and the achievement of new major progress in Beautiful China construction during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [8], then to the basic realization of the Beautiful China goal by 2035 and its full completion by the middle of the century—the construction of a Beautiful China does not seek to "achieve the whole task in one stroke" [9]. Rather, through continuous effort and by persisting over the long term, it achieves a step-by-step advancement. This both follows the objective laws of ecologic environmental governance and fits the realistic national conditions of different stages of the modernization process, ensuring that the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature proceeds in an orderly and sustained manner.
Ensuring that the masses obtain visible and tangible benefits from the harmony between humanity and nature. Comprehensively promoting the construction of a Beautiful China is increasingly transforming the harmony between humanity and nature into a visible and tangible landscape of daily life, allowing the fruits of ecological civilization construction to benefit all people more extensively and fairly, presenting a three-dimensional picture of a Beautiful China characterized by ecological beauty, industrial prosperity, and affluent lives. Today, the masses can truly see: the sky is bluer—in 2024, the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities at the prefecture level and above nationwide dropped to 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, a 16.3% decrease from 2020, with the proportion of days with good air quality reaching 87.2%; the water is clearer—in 2024, the proportion of surface water sections with good water quality nationwide was 90.4%, exceeding 90% for the first time and an increase of 28.8 percentage points over 2012, while "black and malodorous" water bodies in more than 3,000 prefecture-level cities and above have been basically eliminated; the mountains are greener—barren mountains are draped in green and mines have been turned into parks; China's forest coverage rate exceeds 25%, making it the country with the largest and fastest growth in forest resources and the largest area of planted forests in the world, with a "double growth" in forest area and stock volume; the habitat for species continues to improve, biodiversity is constantly enriched, Yangtze finless porpoises appear frequently, Yunnan elephants have migrated north and returned south, and populations of rare and endangered species such as giant pandas, Tibetan antelopes, and Siberian tigers and leopards are steadily recovering... These visible and tangible changes allow the broad masses to obtain real benefits from the construction of a Beautiful China, reflecting the distinct characteristics of Chinese-path modernization in achieving developed production, affluent life, and sound ecology through the harmony between humanity and nature.
Providing a practical model for global sustainable development and the joint construction of a clean and beautiful world. The construction of a Beautiful China is a concrete action of our country's active participation in global environmental governance, powerfully proving that China is an important participant, contributor, and leader in the global construction of ecological civilization. We persist in comprehensively promoting the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature through the construction of a Beautiful China, making outstanding contributions to the joint construction of a clean and beautiful world. For example, we strive to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and announced China's new round of nationally determined contribution targets at the UN Climate Action Summit; we have built the world's largest clean power generation system and carbon emission trading market; we contribute approximately 25% of the world's new green areas; since the New Era, we have supported average annual economic growth of 6.1% with an average annual energy consumption growth rate of 3.3%, becoming one of the countries with the fastest decline in energy consumption intensity in the world; we have deeply promoted the "Green Belt and Road" initiative, carrying out a series of collaborations in green infrastructure, green energy, green transport, and green finance, actively helping developing countries enhance their green development and environmental governance capacities to jointly and effectively respond to global challenges such as climate change and environmental pollution; and more. The construction of a Beautiful China has made major strides, creating world-renowned ecological miracles and green development miracles, becoming a vivid Chinese practice in the joint construction of a clean and beautiful world. This has not only profoundly changed China but also serves as an important achievement and beneficial reference for global sustainable development.
(The author is a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)
Source: People's Daily (January 21, 2026) Online Editor: Huihui