Top Ten Hot Topics in Mao Zedong Thought Research of 2021
The year 2021 coincided with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and research on Mao Zedong Thought further deepened and intensified, building upon the gradual prosperity of recent years. Although the number and scale of academic conferences were limited due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, academic output saw a significant increase in both quantity and quality. There was a continuous improvement in the understanding and grasp of the historical status, important role, and practical significance of Mao Zedong Thought. In particular, the “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century” (referred to as the “Third Historical Resolution” [1]) adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee greatly boosted the popularity of Mao Zedong Thought research. A search for “Mao Zedong” via titles and keywords on CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) revealed that the number of papers openly published in 2021 was 1,643 and 3,148 respectively, a marked increase over 2020. More than 40 works regarding Comrade Mao Zedong were published, and over a dozen national-level conferences and forums were held.
To further promote research on Mao Zedong Thought, and building upon last year's selection of the “Top Ten Hotspots in Mao Zedong Thought Research for 2020,” the Mao Zedong Thought Research Office of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) organized a group of experts and scholars in the field to review and summarize the state of research in 2021. From this, they identified the top ten research hotspots of the year, aiming to provide a reference for deepening research in the future. This also serves as theoretical material and reference for the vast numbers of Party members, officials, and the masses to further study and research Mao Zedong Thought, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the CPC and all plenary sessions of the 19th Central Committee.
1. The Third Historical Resolution and Mao Zedong Thought
The Third Historical Resolution provided an evaluation of Mao Zedong Thought characterized by a higher level of appraisal than the previous two historical resolutions [2], becoming a focal point of attention for the academic community, the entire Party, and society at large. The academic community maintains that the Third Historical Resolution, from the broad perspective of the Party’s century-long struggle, further systematically clarifies Comrade Mao Zedong’s historical contributions to the Party’s cause in both theory and practice, as well as the historical position and major significance of Mao Zedong Thought. This is of great significance for Party building, the socialist cause, and the international communist movement.
Some scholars argue that the Third Historical Resolution’s understanding and characterization of Mao Zedong Thought added the word “creative,” thereby highlighting that Mao Zedong Thought was not a general application and development of Marxism, but a creative contribution to Marxism. The Third Historical Resolution explicitly points out that Mao Zedong Thought “is a set of correct theoretical principles and summary of experiences regarding China’s revolution and construction that has been proven by practice,” clarifying the major achievements and basic experiences in the development of the Party and state’s cause under its guidance. It particularly emphasizes that the correct theoretical principles and summaries of experience during the period of socialist revolution and construction proven by practice are an essential component of Mao Zedong Thought, leading to a more profound recognition of its important status and great significance. The Third Historical Resolution, closely integrating the valuable experience accumulated through the Party’s theoretical explorations during its century of struggle, made the scientific summary that Mao Zedong Thought represents the “first historical leap in the Sinicization of Marxism.” This provides the fundamental follow-through for scientifically evaluating Comrade Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong Thought, and lets more people deeply realize that Mao Zedong Thought is our eternal guide to action.
2. The Status, Role, and Significance of Mao Zedong Thought in the Party’s Centenary History
To gain a deep understanding of the developmental trajectory of the Communist Party of China, one must prioritize the study of Mao Zedong Thought. In 2021, the centenary of the CPC’s founding, research on Comrade Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong Thought, and the hundred-year history of the Party became a hotspot of academic concern. Some scholars pointed out that Comrade Mao Zedong was the shaper and practitioner of the "Great Spirit of the CPC" and the primary architect of the spiritual pedigree of the Chinese Communists [3]. He played a foundational role in the cultivation, formation, and development of this spiritual pedigree, making irreplaceable and paramount historical contributions.
Other scholars, from the perspective of the developmental history of Mao Zedong Thought, analyzed how Comrade Mao Zedong explored a revolutionary line of seeking truth from facts, leading the Chinese revolution to victory. He distilled a set of theories on how to contemplate the relationship between tradition and modernity, enabling the CPC to become the inheritor and bearer of the fine traditional Chinese culture; he persisted in the principle of independence and self-reliance, avoiding theoretical and practical dependence on other nations. It was noted that Comrade Mao Zedong not only effectively solved the problem of how to combine theory with practice but also, through deep analysis of China’s history and reality, allowed Marxism to truly take root and grow on Chinese soil. This enabled the masses to achieve liberation, established the New China, and brought the CPC to maturity in ideology and theory.
On June 5, 2021, the 8th CASS Mao Zedong Thought Forum focused on the theme “Mao Zedong Thought at the Convergence of Two Centenaries” [4]. Participants conducted in-depth discussions from multiple perspectives, including the power of truth and the practical force of Mao Zedong Thought, its historical status, and its contemporary significance. Through years of effort, this forum has become a brand with significant influence, cohesion, and leadership in the national field of Mao Zedong Thought research. Furthermore, the 28th Annual Academic Meeting of the Association for the Study of Mao Zedong’s Philosophical Thought, held on October 23, 2021, took the theme “Mao Zedong and the Party’s Eternal Foundation.” Experts and scholars recognized through deep discussion that to understand China, one must understand the CPC; to understand the CPC, one must first deeply understand Comrade Mao Zedong; to understand Comrade Mao Zedong, one must study his works; and to better uphold, develop, and innovate Marxism, one must study and apply Mao Zedong Thought well.
3. The Relationship Between Mao Zedong Thought and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
In-depth research into the relationship between Mao Zedong Thought and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has been one of the continuous focuses of the academic community in recent years. In 2021, the academic community intensified its research from the historical height of the Party's centenary, producing fruitful results including overall studies of the relationship and deep analyses of specific fields. Experts and scholars researched Comrade Xi Jinping’s inheritance and innovation of Mao Zedong’s thought on serving the people, and his “two supremes” (人民至上、生命至上) [5] requirement as an inheritance of Mao’s “people as the subject” theory. They also explored the inheritance and development found in Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military and his views on cultural security. Some scholars analyzed Xi Jinping’s inheritance of Mao’s view on traditional Chinese culture, while others traced the century-long journey of Chinese Communists, represented by Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping, in leading the people to strengthen ecological construction. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars studied the historical contributions to the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the contemporary value of Mao’s thought on hygiene and epidemic prevention.
From the perspective of ideological methodology, some argued that Mao’s practice-based logic of "problem-oriented" (问题导向) methodology is of great significance for understanding Xi Jinping’s discourses on the same and the ideological line of seeking truth from facts. They posited that Xi Jinping’s inheritance of Mao’s methodology is reflected in his adherence to its spiritual essence while providing new conceptualized and systematized interpretations. Furthermore, many scholars focused their study of the Party’s century of success on the major contributions of Comrades Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping.
4. Comrade Mao Zedong and the Great Founding Spirit of the Party
At the Ceremony Marking the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping for the first time proposed the “Great Founding Spirit of the Party”: “upholding truth and ideals, staying true to our original aspiration and founding mission, fighting bravely without fear of sacrifice, and remaining loyal to the Party and faithful to the people.” This spirit has been deeply integrated into the bloodline of the Party, state, nation, and people. In 2021, the study of the relationship between Comrade Mao Zedong and this spirit became a major hotspot. The academic community holds that the formation and development of the Great Founding Spirit was a long-term process in which the Party matured through the distillation of its purpose, the adherence to its ideological line, and the tempering of its organization. Comrade Mao Zedong played an irreplaceable role in this process.
The 14th National “Mao Zedong Forum,” held on December 18, 2021, was themed “Mao Zedong and the Great Founding Spirit of the Party.” Scholars argued that while this spirit was formed during the founding of the CPC, it has been carried forward through the great practices of revolution, construction, reform, and the New Era. Mao Zedong’s contribution occupies a pioneering position; he nurtured this spirit through revolutionary practice, providing it with a philosophical foundation, fine traditions, and “red genes” [6], and pointing out the fundamental path to transforming this spirit into a powerful material force.
5. Mao Zedong Thought and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation
As a guide to action that successfully led the Chinese revolution and socialist construction toward victory, Mao Zedong Thought’s contribution to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation remained a hotspot. Scholars generally believe that reflections on national rejuvenation are an integral part of Mao Zedong Thought. Under its guidance, the CPC led the people to create a Party capable of shouldering the responsibility of rejuvenation, opened a correct path of revolution and construction suited to China’s conditions, and established the New China, laying the fundamental political and institutional foundations for rejuvenation. Even in the 21st century, Mao Zedong Thought remains the spiritual engine for the nation’s rejuvenation. Some scholars argued that Mao Zedong Thought fully embodies the unity of the Party’s original aspiration, mission, and ideals, which serves as important guidance for the journey today. On October 30, 2021, Xiangtan University hosted an international conference on “Mao Zedong and National Rejuvenation,” where over a hundred domestic and international scholars discussed these relationships in depth.
6. Comrade Mao Zedong and Chinese-path Modernization
As an explorer, founder, and pioneer of Chinese-path modernization, Comrade Mao Zedong’s thoughts on socialist modernization and their contemporary value became a primary focus for the academic community. Some scholars argue that Comrade Mao correctly grasped the dialectical relationships between modernization and revolution, comprehensiveness and key priorities, idealism and realism, and autonomy and external reference. They emphasize that while modernization was an inevitable requirement for modern China, it could not be carried out in Old China; revolution was the primary task of modern China, creating the prerequisite foundation for modernization. Consequently, it is erroneous to use a "modernization paradigm of history" to negate revolution [7]. The Chinese modernization strategy formulated by Comrade Mao Zedong insisted on combining comprehensive development with breakthroughs in key areas, unifying hard power and soft power, and coordinating material and spiritual civilizations. He not only maintained the long-term vision of a modernized powerful nation but also formulated and implemented the "two-step" deployment. Furthermore, by emphasizing both the need to "follow our own path" and maintain independence while also learning from abroad and critically borrowing foreign experience, he was the pioneer of the Chinese-path modernization. Research has pointed out that Comrade Mao Zedong conducted bold explorations in light of China's actual national conditions, putting forward a series of original expositions, viewpoints, and propositions, thereby forming a systematic and complete body of Mao Zedong Thought on socialist modernization. Some scholars believe that Comrade Mao Zedong's On the Ten Major Relationships is a classic text demonstrating his thoughts on socialist modernization—a work that opened the magnificent chapter of finding a Chinese path to industrialization and building a socialist modern country, guiding the pioneering innovation of Chinese-path modernization.
VII. Comrade Mao Zedong's Thoughts on Ideology and Cultural Construction
In the New Era, the extreme importance of ideological work has become even more prominent. The academic community’s enthusiasm for researching Mao Zedong's ideological thoughts and his thoughts on cultural construction has remained high, focusing particularly on the Yan’an period [8] and the post-1949 period. Research suggests that the Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art achieved another major turning point for Chinese literature and art since the May Fourth Movement [9]. During the Yan’an period, Comrade Mao Zedong proposed and gradually formed an aesthetic ideology of literature and art characterized by beauty as defined by the people, by seeking truth and facts, by placing equal importance on popularization and elevation, and by "Chinese style and Chinese flavor" [10]. After the establishment of the socialist system, Comrade Mao Zedong clarified that socialist ideology possesses distinct characteristics of being "intra-people," critical, and apologetic, promoting the establishment of the fundamental guiding position of Marxism in the field of literature and art. Some studies systematically reviewed Mao Zedong's ideological thoughts and his major contributions from the height of the Party’s century-long ideological construction, pointing out that Comrade Mao Zedong was an important founder, constructor, and pioneer of the Party's ideological framework. Other research specifically summarized Comrade Mao Zedong's experience in constructing the "discursive power" (话语权) of ideology, mainly including: emphasizing the special importance of ideology to consolidate its discursive status; strengthening the Party's leadership over ideology to enhance discursive guidance; enriching the discursive connotations of ideology to clarify value orientations; promoting the transformation of Marxist discourse to achieve discursive innovation; and strengthening propaganda and education on ideology to assist in discursive dissemination. Some studies analyzed the discursive narrative of Mao Zedong's "cultural dynamic view" (文化动力观), arguing that it took historical materialism and dialectical materialism as its philosophical basis, using historical context and realistic situations as the narrative space for cultural power, and the masses as the narrative subject. This research explained, from a structural discursive level, the ideological power that determines political direction, the scientific and technological power that reflects the level of productive forces, and the literary and artistic power that displays spiritual life. Other studies highlighted Comrade Mao Zedong's major contributions to the Party's ideological construction from the perspective of the main lessons learned over a century of such work.
VIII. Classic Works of Comrade Mao Zedong and Their Contemporary Value
The works of Comrade Mao Zedong are the important carriers and textual basis of Mao Zedong Thought; deeply studying these classic works and their contemporary value is a vital aspect of research in this field. In 2021, the academic community continued to deepen research into these classics, exploring their writing background, process, revisions, theoretical contributions, dissemination, and contemporary significance. Scholars analyzed the historical status of the 1942 work Economic and Financial Problems and the thinking methods regarding Party building contained in the Introducing "The Communist". They examined the causes behind the creation of the poems "Farewell to the God of Plague" [11], the background, process, status, and contemporary value of Serve the People, and the writing of the original manuscript of On Contradiction, including its revisions, the resulting textual structure, theoretical status, and international influence. Some scholars pointed out that How to Study Communist Party History provided the main methods and four important principles for studying Party history, while others explored the contemporary value of Report on the Xunwu Survey, In Memory of Norman Bethune, Methods of Work of Party Committees, and On Contradiction. Scholars argued that Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society is one of the representative works of the initial manifestation of Mao Zedong Thought and a milestone classic in its developmental maturity. It holds extreme significance for Party building as well as the Chinese revolution and construction, and possesses vital practical significance for ensuring that Party building and the socialist cause in the New Era always advance along the correct direction and path. Some research pointed out that studying Comrade Mao Zedong's thoughts and practices after the founding of the PRC requires consciously using the Chronological Biography of Mao Zedong (1949–1976) as an authoritative basis, maintaining a firm stance and correct attitude, and continuously strengthening the "problem consciousness" (问题意识) in Mao Zedong studies through the in-depth application of this document. Starting from September 2021, the Mao Zedong Thought Research Office of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) launched a series of "Rereading the Selected Works of Mao Zedong" reading groups. These aimed to promote research by deepening the study of classic works, consolidating the foundation of academic inquiry, and further advancing scholarly labor, which received significant positive feedback and was considered to have played a strong leading role.
IX. The Overseas Dissemination of Mao Zedong Thought
Research on the overseas dissemination of Mao Zedong Thought remained popular, focusing mainly on the publication, translation, and dissemination of Comrade Mao Zedong's works and poetry abroad. From the perspective of the researchers, most scholars came from journalism backgrounds. Regarding content, some scholars studied the publication and translation of Comrade Mao Zedong's works in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal and their contemporary enlightenment; reviewed the overseas dissemination and utilization of multi-language versions of his writings and the global dissemination of the London English edition of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong; and explored English translation strategies for his poetry within the context of external communication in the New Era. Some research reviewed the history of translation, publication, and dissemination of his works in African national languages such as Swahili and Hausa, evaluating the effectiveness of their dissemination across the African continent. This research proposed that this was an early practice of providing the "Chinese path," "Chinese wisdom," and "Chinese solutions" to the world under the Cold War framework—particularly the exploration of the path for economic construction in New China, which holds directional significance for developing countries in Africa. Other studies reviewed the construction and dissemination of Comrade Mao Zedong's image by Western journalists during the Yan’an period, arguing that reports concerning his physical characteristics, personality, or internal theoretical cultivation constituted a "re-writing" of his image as a leader. These multi-faceted depictions, disseminated through text, photographs, documentaries, and other media tools, became widely spread among the domestic populace and the international community.
X. Comrade Mao Zedong and the Party's Self-Revolution
Having the courage for self-revolution is the most distinctive character and the greatest advantage of the Communist Party of China. The century-long history of the Party is a history of having the courage for self-revolution. Many scholars focused on Comrade Mao Zedong's thoughts on self-revolution, analyzing both the content and significance of these thoughts and exploring their enlightenment and value for the New Era. Scholars pointed out that his theoretical reflections on the Party's self-revolution are an important part of the Sinicized Marxist theory of the party. Its scientific connotations include: maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity through self-improvement via strengthened study and education; forging the Party's fine style through self-purification by resolving the Party's own prominent problems; strengthening the Party's combat effectiveness through self-perfection via criticism and self-criticism; and shaping the Party's lofty image through self-innovation via opposing corruption and preventing risks. Research reviewed his expositions on self-revolution, arguing they reflect an organic combination of basic Marxist principles, fine traditional Chinese culture, and the practical exploration of China's revolution and construction. These thoughts adapted to the characteristics and focus of different revolutionary stages and developed alongside the revolutionary struggle. This holds important realistic and practical significance for advancing the "New Great Project of Party Building" in the New Era and maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity. Some scholars argue that Mao's Party-building thought is the opening chapter of Sinicized Marxist Party-building theory. Because the Party's political construction has been prioritized in the New Era, this has also triggered scholarly research into Mao's thoughts on this subject. Specific analyses were conducted on the logical progression of Mao's thoughts on political construction during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, as well as his thoughts on maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. Some scholars also studied his thoughts on "conduct construction" (作风建设) and the construction of clean government and anti-corruption.
In summary, 2021 was a harvest year for Mao Zedong Thought research, characterized by a "contention of a hundred schools of thought and a hundred boats vying for the current" (百家争鸣、百舸争流) [12]. We have only selected representative aspects for summary, hoping the academic community will continue to deepen its understanding of the historical role, important status, major value, and great significance of Mao Zedong Thought. We hope to more actively promote and deepen this research, attracting more young scholars to join the ranks and working together to better advance the cause of researching Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong Thought.
(Authored by: Zhu Jidong, Fang Tao, Yang Junfeng, Wang Yonghao, Yu Xiaorei)