The First Session of the Youth Academic Workshop of the Academy of Marxism and the Seminar on the "Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping's Cultural Heritage" Successfully Held
On December 9, 2024, upon the occasion of the publication and distribution of the Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, the first session of the Institute of Marxism Studies Youth Academic Workshop was successfully held. Hosted by the Scientific Research Office and the Youth Work Group of the Institute of Marxism Studies (CASS), the workshop aimed to facilitate the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Attendees included more than ten experts and young scholars, such as Ouyang Xuemei, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Cultural History Research Office of the Institute of Contemporary China (deputy bureau level); Yang Jing, a Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Department of Fundamentals at the Institute of Marxism Studies; Liu Xukuan, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Research Office of Ideology and Social Trends at the Institute of Marxism Studies; and Chi Chongyang, Director of the Scientific Research Office at the Institute of Marxism Studies. The participants conducted keynote reports and exchange discussions centered on the theme of "In-depth Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture." The meeting was chaired by Senior Research Fellow Yang Jing and Associate Research Fellow Lei Xiaohuan.
(The photo shows invited experts delivering keynote reports)
During the expert keynote report segment, Senior Research Fellow Ouyang Xuemei delivered a presentation titled "The Historical Logic of the Formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture." She systematically clarified the historical process and developmental trajectory of the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Ouyang pointed out that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture answers the questions of the era regarding Chinese and global cultural development, enriches the contemporary connotations of the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and writes a new chapter in Marxist cultural theory. She emphasized that in the face of the great changes unseen in a century [1] and the historical mission of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, cultural construction must be placed in an important position within the overall framework of work, and our understanding of the laws governing cultural construction must be continuously deepened.
Senior Research Fellow Liu Xukuan gave a report titled "The Essence, Challenges, and Responses to the Party's Cultural Hegemony [2]." He provided a comprehensive analysis of the Party's cultural leadership from three perspectives: its essential connotation, risks and shocks, and the path of construction. He noted that the Party's cultural leadership currently faces various risks and challenges, such as "pretending to understand, falsely believing in, and failing to apply" Marxism, as well as cultural relativism, nihilism, and "cultural fence-sitters." He emphasized that to defend and strengthen the Party's cultural leadership, one must use the Party's innovative theories to enrich the soil of that leadership, solidify the cultural foundations of historical materialism and cultural subjectivity, and consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere. He called for shouldering the new cultural mission and cultivating more "men of action who are also propagandists."
In the young scholars' exchange segment, Associate Research Fellow Yang Binbin of the Institute of Marxism Studies presented "On the Interpretive Logic and Construction Path of a New Form of Human Civilization." He emphasized that cultural diversity is a fundamental characteristic of human society and that mutual learning between civilizations is the endogenous driving force for social development. In constructing a new form of human civilization, one must persist in a historical outlook, establish strategic consciousness, uphold dialectical thinking, profoundly analyze and reveal the logic of civilizational development, and be adept at breaking through the constraints of civilizational interpretation.
Associate Research Fellow Zhang Shunyue of the Institute of Contemporary China presented "Constructing the Identification System for Chinese Civilization." He noted that constructing a system of identifiers for Chinese civilization is an important goal proposed at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and an essential component of the Party's publicity, ideological, and cultural work in the New Era. This system can be understood across multiple levels, including spiritual markers, symbolic icons, material civilization markers, and intangible civilization markers.
Sun Jinya, an editor at Marxian Studies (《马克思主义研究》), presented "The Spatiotemporal Dimension of the Cultural Form of Chinese-path Modernization." She pointed out that the "controversy over the Chinese vs. the Western and the ancient vs. the modern" [3] inherently contains a twofold logic of time and space. From the temporal dimension, the conflict lies between ancient and modern culture in the process of cultural innovation; from the spatial dimension, the conflict exists between indigenous and foreign cultures. Constructing the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization involves integrating and elevating various heterogeneous cultures in contemporary China to resolve these spatiotemporal contradictions.
Liu Haihua, an official from the Scientific Research Office of the Institute of Marxism Studies, presented "Promoting the Construction of an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences through Organized Research." From the aspects of underlying causes, strategic significance, and practical paths, Liu explained that organized research is an important method for constructing this system. It is necessary to further improve research mechanisms, provide more interdisciplinary platforms and development opportunities, and establish more rational systems for cultivation, evaluation, and supervision, while balancing the relationships between the collective and the individual, and between national/social needs and individual research interests.
Assistant Research Fellow Bi Guoshuai of the Institute of Marxism Studies presented "'The Two Combinations' [4] Manifest the Basic Logic of Theoretical Innovation in Contemporary China." He stated that as the fundamental path for advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and the "greatest magic weapon for achieving success," the "Two Combinations" embody the regular characteristics and universal requirements of the CPC's theoretical innovation. They define and carry the basic logic of contemporary Chinese theoretical innovation.
Zhang Ting, an editor at World Socialism Studies (《世界社会主义研究》), presented "Reflections on 'We Have Better Conditions Than Any Previous Era to Resolve the Controversy over the Ancient, Modern, Chinese, and Western'." She noted that the core of resolving this controversy lies in the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture [5]. This requires that the development of traditional culture must "revere the ancient" and "uphold the fundamentals" (shouzheng), using Marxism as a guide and adhering to the correct standpoint. This ensures that the excellent cultural genes of the Chinese nation adapt to contemporary culture and coordinate with modern society, thereby activating their vitality.
The attending experts commented on and affirmed the presentations given by the young scholars. The success of this seminar was not only an in-depth study and exchange concerning Xi Jinping Thought on Culture but also a new attempt at innovating the methods for cultivating the growth of young scholars.
(Information and photos provided by: Sun Jinya, Liu Haihua)