The Academy of Marxism Holds a Study and Report Meeting on "General Secretary Xi Jinping's Speech at the Centenary of the May Fourth Movement"

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement ^[1]. On April 30, 2019, the "Meeting to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the May Fourth Movement" was solemnly held in the Great Hall of the People. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. The Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies (CASS) required all research personnel to watch General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at the earliest possible time on the morning of April 30 and to earnestly study and grasp its spirit.

On the morning of May 6, the Institute organized and held a study report meeting on "General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Speech at the Meeting to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the May Fourth Movement." The meeting was chaired by Researcher Xin Xiangyang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies, and attended by all research staff.

Deputy Director Xin Xiangyang first noted that, in implementation of the requirements set forth by Comrade Jiang Hui—Member of the Party Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Director of the Institute of Contemporary China, and concurrent Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies—concerning the in-depth study and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech by all comrades of the Institute, the Institute focused on organizing young research personnel to conduct study reports centered on the General Secretary’s speech. At the meeting, six representatives of young research personnel delivered report presentations.

Liu Daoyi, Assistant Researcher of the Department of Principles, argued that to deeply grasp the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, one must reflect upon and review the great contributions of the May Fourth Movement from the level of its spiritual core. One must recognize that the ultimate objective of the May Fourth Movement lies in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is essential to persist in viewing social change through a historical lens, the key to which lies in the genuine fulfillment of the responsibilities and missions of youth. He further argued that it is necessary to grasp the historical mission of youth in the New Era by integrating the critical, progressive, practical, popular, and perpetual nature of the Manifesto of the Communist Party.

Liu Yan, Assistant Researcher of the Department of Sinicization, speaking from the perspective of a Marxist theoretical worker, argued that to inherit and carry forward the May Fourth spirit, one must persist in combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s actual conditions and contemporary characteristics, continuously enriching and developing Marxism. She further explained how to resolve the issues of truly understanding, truly believing in, and truly applying Marxism, as well as the question of whom Marxism relies upon and whom it serves, through four concrete aspects: firming up academic faith, strengthening the academic backbone, clarifying the academic stance, and enhancing the explanatory and communicative power of academic discourse.

Liu Zhichang, Associate Researcher of the Department of Development, focused on the historical significance and zeitgeist of the May Fourth Movement and the historical mission of youth. He stated that it is necessary to profoundly understand the historical significance of the May Fourth Movement and firm up the "Four Confidences" ^[2]; to carry forward the May Fourth spirit and be steadfast patriots; and to start with oneself while striving for the construction of a great modern socialist country.

He Qin, Associate Researcher of the Department of the International Communist Movement, spoke on the theme of "Forging a New Spirit for New Youth in the New Era through Struggle." Drawing on personal experience, he noted that in the face of the continuously changing and developing New Era, our generation of youth must persist in historical materialism and dialectical materialism, uphold the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method, and properly grasp the relationship between the individual and the era. This will allow for the formation of a correct worldview, outlook on life, and values, a scientific understanding of the developmental characteristics of the New Era, and a conscious dedication of oneself to the era and the motherland.

Tang Fangfang, Assistant Researcher of the Department of Foreign Marxism, argued that through understanding the historical significance and contemporary value of the May Fourth Movement, our youth in the New Era have firmed up their determination to follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. She stated that the fundamental principle for understanding the profound influence of the May Fourth Movement on contemporary China is to persist in the "big historical view" ^[3], positioning the movement within the 5,000-plus-year history of Chinese civilization, the 170-plus-year history of the Chinese people’s struggle in modern times, and the 90-plus-year history of the CPC’s struggle. Only by persisting in this big historical view can one clearly see why socialism was able to take root in China and undergo continuous improvement and development.

Liu Ying, Assistant Researcher of the editorial department of Marxist Studies, integrated the spirit of the General Secretary’s speech with the May Fourth spirit to discuss how to be an excellent young social science worker from the perspective of editorial work. Starting from her own study and work experience, she argued that in today's New Era, being an editor means being an editor who is "grounded yet reaching for the heights" ^[4], possesses "true talent and practical capability," and "speaks for the people." She said that editorial work requires a sentiment of "family and country" ^[5], the courage to shoulder responsibilities, and the ability to stand at the forefront of the era’s tide, integrating the era’s questions into academic research and editorial activities. One must be down-to-earth, perform every small task well, practice skills diligently, increase talent, solidify the study of theoretical knowledge, and continuously enhance editorial skills. One must put the people first, be able to write for the people and "speak" for the people, using language the people can understand.

After the representative speeches concluded, Deputy Director Xin Xiangyang delivered a concluding speech. He pointed out that the speeches were all excellent—offering new angles, practical relevance, depth, and literary grace—and that many of the viewpoints and issues mentioned deserve our in-depth reflection and study.

He emphasized that in studying the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s May Fourth speech, one must, on the one hand, integrate it with the study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and on the other hand, utilize the spirit of the speech as a powerful impetus for improving our research work. First, the content of the speech is rich and systematic, containing profound and extensive thought. General Secretary Xi Jinping provided an accurate and thorough summary of the great nature, great historical role, and great historical legacy of the May Fourth Movement, and put forward six requirements for contemporary Chinese youth; these contents require our continued in-depth study and ongoing theoretical research. Currently, there are some overseas doubts regarding the patriotic nature of the May Fourth Movement; these require us to use Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods to conduct serious analysis and in-depth exploration, making the correct Marxist position clear. Second, many important questions require in-depth academic discussion, such as the questions pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his investigation in Chongqing regarding why the CPC "can," why Marxism "works," and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is "good." These truly require us to conduct long-term, in-depth research from an academic perspective. For instance, regarding why the CPC "can," we can analyze it from many angles, the most important being the capacity to guarantee national political stability, which is our strongest competitive advantage. Finally, regarding Marxism, we must not only truly study, truly understand, and truly believe in it, but also be able to answer the question of its true application. How to achieve true application also requires us to provide answers from the perspective of worldview and methodology, requiring the scholars of our Institute to produce substantial work.