Deng Chundong: Deciphering the Cultural Code Behind a Century-Old Party in its Prime
Chinese civilization has continued unabated for thousands of years. In modern times, China encountered unprecedented pain and hardship, and Chinese civilization suffered a major blow. To emerge from this cultural pathos, cultural confidence is indispensable. From the moment of its birth, the Communist Party of China (CPC) took up the historical burden of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and Chinese communists have always kept the responsibility for cultural renaissance close to their hearts. Throughout the process of exercising governance, Chinese communists have never forgotten the construction of cultural hegemony [1]; they have remained steadfast in their cultural confidence and continuously enhanced cultural soft power, reflecting the cultural significance of the CPC’s governance. Cultural construction is currently at an opportune moment; in the New Era, Chinese communists are following the trend of the times to build a culturally powerful country, demonstrating the CPC’s cultural mission through practical action.
I. The Construction of Cultural Hegemony Demonstrates the Cultural Responsibility of the CPC's Governance
Cultural hegemony plays a vital role in maintaining the ruling position and the political legitimacy of a proletarian party. In the practice of revolution, construction, and reform, the CPC has always exerted its revolutionary spirit. Based on the realistic background of the rising expectations of the Chinese people for the CPC's governance, the practical need for the Party to strengthen its own building by advancing with the times, and changes in the domestic and international environments, the Party attaches great importance to the construction of cultural hegemony. This demonstrates the cultural responsibility of the CPC's governance and highlights its cultural significance.
(1) A Historical Review of the CPC’s Construction of Cultural Hegemony
In the early 20th century, Antonio Gramsci completed the Prison Notebooks while incarcerated, proposing the concept of "cultural hegemony" for the first time. He believed that "the concept of hegemony essentially indicates a social relationship of ideas—specifically, that the worldview, moral outlook, and other ideological and theoretical propositions of a certain class or social group occupy a dominant position in the spiritual sphere of society, manifesting as a spiritual force." Cultural hegemony refers to the ruling class exercising state power by playing a guiding role through ideology, conceptual notions, and social moral norms. It reflects the interests and will of its class through the critique of the bourgeoisie rather than through coercive or violent means, which differs essentially from political hegemony. The acquisition of cultural hegemony by a ruling class requires extensive ideological propaganda, education, theoretical persuasion, and guidance within society through institutions such as academic groups, journals, newspapers, schools, and news media, thereby gaining the sincere support and endorsement of the masses for the culture of that class. If the proletariat wishes to firmly grasp state power, it must first achieve leadership at the ideological and cultural levels over all members of the state, gaining the support and endorsement of the people. The theory of cultural hegemony proposed by Gramsci advocates relying not simply on violence and coercive power, but on intangible means such as thought, culture, or ideology to influence the masses and subsequently seize power. Thus, it is evident that the theory of cultural hegemony is a scientific theory and revolutionary strategy that can guide a revolution to victory through peaceful means, differing essentially from revolutionary theories that seek to seize power through violent warfare.
Mao Zedong once pointed out: "To overthrow a political power, it is always necessary first of all to create public opinion, to do work in the ideological sphere." Therefore, if a proletarian party wishes to achieve a legitimate ruling position politically, it must first grasp cultural hegemony in its hands. During the periods of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Chinese communists held high the cultural banner of anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism, actively promoted revolutionary culture, and vigorously propagated advanced Marxist culture, preparing a favorable revolutionary weapon for the victory of the revolution and the expansion of the proletarian ranks during these periods. Marxism, as a scientific theory, not only correctly revealed the future direction and operational laws of human society but also provided an effective method of thinking for us to understand and transform the world, as well as to analyze and solve problems. After the founding of New China, the eminent CPC consciously integrated Marxism into fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture, which became a scientific and effective ideological weapon for developing our country's socialist cause and enriching the spiritual life of the people. Under the guidance of correct policies such as the "Double Hundred" policy [2], the Party vigorously carried out the construction of cultural hegemony, proving through practice the scientific nature, guidance, and value of Marxism. This enhanced the people's sense of identification with the Party, strengthened their confidence in fine traditional Chinese culture, effectively promoted the construction of China's discourse system, and raised the status of Chinese civilization in the international community. Meanwhile, by means of constructing cultural hegemony, the CPC effectively resisted cultural attacks, "evolution," and infiltration from the West, thereby enhancing its control over cultural hegemony and increasing the stability of the regime during this period.
After the start of reform and opening up, China's economy and society continued to develop, and earth-shaking changes occurred in all areas of social life. Total GDP climbed to second in the world, an important step was taken in the construction of democratic politics, the socialist legal system was increasingly perfected, and cultural construction also achieved significant results, gradually developing into an important link in the competition of comprehensive national strength with capitalist countries. At the same time, the supportive role of advanced culture for various social undertakings became increasingly prominent; in particular, the implementation of the market economy and the progress of information technology made social contradictions more complex and acute, urgently requiring the mediation and pacification of advanced culture. In the early stages of reform and opening up, certain instances of confusion in the ideological sphere indicated that without the guidance of advanced culture, reform could easily lose its direction and deviate from socialism, making it difficult to smoothly complete its grand tasks. Therefore, while focusing on economic development, the CPC vigorously carried out the construction of cultural hegemony, committing itself to maintaining security in China's cultural sphere and resisting the impact of Western ideology. This promoted the accelerated upgrading of the national cultural industry and cultural undertakings, enhanced the comprehensive competitiveness of our culture, and also improved the Party's core leadership position, maintained the stability of its own regime, and exerted the Party's vanguard role. Consequently, in various socialist practices—such as promoting reform and development, resolving the challenges of Western "peaceful evolution" [3], advancing the construction of ideological security, and safeguarding the interests of the masses—the CPC's construction of cultural hegemony has played a vital role.
Regardless of the era or system, the issue of cultural hegemony occupies a very important position in the governance blueprint of any ruling class. Throughout a long historical evolution, the great practices of China's revolution, construction, and reform have achieved immense success. The CPC has accumulated rich experience in the process of constructing cultural hegemony, yet the construction of cultural hegemony is always a work in progress. Since the reform and opening up, Chinese and foreign cultures have achieved exchange, mutual learning, and integration. At the same time, social trends such as democratic socialism have flooded into the country, forming a pluralistic and oppositional value landscape. This has caused the dominant position of Marxism in society to be challenged and weakened, exerting a great impact on the ideological understanding of the masses and affecting their value judgments and behavioral choices. The struggle between the two different systems of capitalism and socialism has never ceased; only the means of struggle have transformed—from overt military confrontation and economic suppression to covert ideological infiltration and cultural competition. Therefore, under new historical conditions, the CPC must base itself on new requirements and changes to further consolidate and develop the CPC's cultural hegemony.
(2) Consolidating the Construction of Cultural Hegemony in the New Era
Under the conditions of the New Era, if a proletarian ruling party is to stabilize its regime, it must inevitably invest more resources in cultural construction, attach greater importance to the cultural sphere, and master cultural hegemony. Therefore, in the New Era, our Party's continuous consolidation of cultural hegemony is both a prerequisite for enhancing cultural competitiveness and promoting the progress of scientific culture, as well as a practical necessity for consolidating national cultural security and realizing the Chinese Dream.
First, we must persist in cultural inheritance and innovation. First, attention must be paid to excavating the excellent content hidden within traditional culture, which can provide inexhaustible spiritual impetus for the construction of various Chinese undertakings and serves as the foundation for our firm confidence in fine traditional Chinese culture. Second, we must correctly treat the revolutionary culture created by the Party during the revolutionary war period; it centrally embodies the fine genes of the Chinese nation—self-improvement, loyal devotion, and sacrificing one's life for righteousness—representing a unique national spirit and character, and strengthening our backbone of confidence in fine traditional Chinese culture. Third, we must improve the scale and level of development of advanced socialist culture, which is of great significance for coalescing the spirit of the people and is a necessary condition for realizing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. Advanced socialist culture provides a powerful theoretical weapon for achieving national rejuvenation and enhances our courage of confidence in fine traditional Chinese culture. At the same time, along with economic development, culture can only release its immense power when it is integrated with the specific national conditions of a particular era. Therefore, culture must be innovated and developed to promote its advancement with the times. The reason why culture with Chinese characteristics possesses a scientific nature lies in its qualities of self-innovation, self-sublation [4], and self-improvement within practice. In this way, the value of culture with Chinese characteristics is continuously manifested and takes root in the hearts of the people, who in turn become increasingly confident in it.
Second, we must attach importance to cultivating cultural consciousness. Cultural consciousness is the most core element among the many factors of cultural confidence. To inherit the fine traditions of fine traditional Chinese culture—thereby gathering strength, forming a consensus, and enhancing confidence—we must prioritize the cultivation of national cultural consciousness. Through the joint efforts of the people of all ethnic groups led by the Party, the practice of the Chinese revolution has nurtured a harmonious fine traditional Chinese culture and formed a national cultural consciousness unique to our country, providing a spiritual home for all ethnic groups. In the process of cultivating cultural consciousness, we have gradually established cultural confidence in fine traditional Chinese culture, but this confidence is by no means self-satisfaction or stubborn arrogance; rather, it is a pride and self-awareness that is neither humble nor pushy. As China's strength and status in the international community continue to rise, cultural confidence has also become more steadfast and expressive, making our mission clear and filling us with a fighting spirit. Today, at the critical moment of sounding the horn for national rejuvenation, cultivating a strong national cultural consciousness and promoting the construction of cultural hegemony with a more ample and steadfast cultural self-awareness and confidence is vital for the future of the entire country and nation.
Third, we must actively draw upon the fine cultural achievements of human history with an open and inclusive mind and posture. The reason why fine traditional Chinese culture has been able to flourish and remain vibrant is primarily because it is "living"; it does not stand still or practice blind exclusionism but reasonably absorbs foreign cultures while maintaining its own cultural foundation. Cultural confidence is a rational cognition of cultural value, manifested both in the full identification with and resolute maintenance of one's own culture, and in the beneficial absorption of the excellent parts of foreign civilizations. It is precisely because fine traditional Chinese culture possesses this characteristic that it has been able to develop and grow into today's advanced culture. Advanced culture is the continued development and sublimation of traditional Chinese culture in the current era; it fully absorbs the advanced cultural achievements of human society with a broad mind, while simultaneously being able to withstand the erosion and influence of various erroneous trends of thought. The CPC should treat various fine cultures—ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign—with an open vision, remaining modest and drawing on the strengths of all to continuously strengthen our mainstream culture, thereby solidifying the foundation for the scientific nature of the CPC’s governance.
Finally, we must maintain a constant sense of cultural crisis. As a product of social history, culture must face both internal crises and assimilation by external heterogeneous cultures during its development. Throughout thousands of years of history, the Chinese nation has endured numerous hardships and encountered countless crises; however, every time a crisis occurred and the original cultural patterns were damaged, our consciousness of reflection and critique was simultaneously strengthened. This has continuously consolidated the dominant position of fine traditional Chinese culture in the process of active sublation of foreign cultures. It can be seen that a sense of crisis can keep us clear-headed and increase our courage, improving our ability to handle problems when contending with various crises. Currently, facing the feudal elements within our traditional culture and the invasion and infiltration of Western trends of thought, our Party must always maintain a sense of cultural crisis. It must lead the people of the whole country in using advanced culture to resist these influences while avoiding an attitude of total negation toward culture. We should conduct objective and inclusive evaluations with a high degree of cultural confidence, accepting the rational components therein to consolidate and enhance the Party's cultural hegemony, injecting new genes into the continuous progress of fine traditional Chinese culture.
II. Cultural Confidence Shapes the Political Party Charisma of the CPC's Governance
"Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, broader and more profound confidence, and a more basic, deeper and more enduring force." Since the 18th CPC National Congress, cultural confidence has become an important subject of the times. Cultural confidence is an important guarantee for the Chinese nation to truly become strong, a necessary requirement for China to gain national discourse power, and an important factor in coalescing the hearts of the people. Cultural confidence is not only a purely theoretical issue but also a major subject concerning the future and destiny of the Party and the manifestation of our Party's charisma under the conditions of the New Era.
(1) The Value Significance of the CPC’s Persistence in Cultural Confidence
Cultural confidence represents a country's, a nation's, and a political party's full affirmation of its own cultural values and its steadfast faith in its own cultural vitality. It reflects the cultural psyche of the subject—a heartfelt appreciation for the achievements of material and spiritual civilization accumulated in its past and present, as well as the ambition and resolve regarding its own bright developmental prospects. In the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping, having assessed the transition of the times, proposed the "Four Confidences." Cultural confidence, acting as the spiritual pillar for realizing confidence in the path, the source of momentum for confidence in theory, and the soil and foundation for confidence in the system, plays a fundamental, extensive, and profound role.
Realizing confidence in the path requires cultural confidence as a spiritual pillar. China’s fine traditional culture is all-encompassing and imbued with long-lasting significance, exerting a far-reaching influence on the creation of the Chinese path. The Chinese path emerged from the great practice of our Party leading the people of the entire nation through long-term construction and reform, based on drawing from successful experiences and reflecting on the lessons of failure. It is rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese traditional culture and is a vivid manifestation of the collective spiritual will of the Chinese people; thus, it bears the heavy imprint of China's fine traditional culture. Looking at the developmental stages, processes, and conditions of the international communist movement, some countries experienced fluctuations or even catastrophic defeats in the cause of socialism because they failed to find a specific path suited to their own national conditions. The reason our country has been able to create a developmental path with distinct characteristics and lead the Chinese people toward prosperity is inseparable from the fine traditional cultural genes it possesses. This is the "source of living water" [5] that nourishes the Chinese path, providing it with a more substantial and enduring spiritual hue. Elements such as patriotic sentiment, domestic ethics, practical rationality, and an inclusive mindset are all spiritual pillars supporting the Chinese path. Clearly, if cultural confidence is lost, confidence in the path becomes a mere shell.
Realizing confidence in theory requires cultural confidence as a source of momentum. China's fine traditional culture is the root of a country's and a nation's inheritance and development, the rich soil that nourishes cultural confidence, and a powerful driving force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China's fine traditional culture provides a more sufficient source and stronger momentum for our country's socialist theory. The theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the theoretical achievement and crystallization of experience formed by conscious Communists in the practice of reform and opening up. The positions, viewpoints, and methods running through it are compatible with Marxist theory and constitute a scientific theoretical achievement and guide for construction that meets China's realistic needs. At the same time, this theory is the result of criticizing, drawing upon, and transforming China's fine traditional culture, highlighting national characteristics. For example, our political system of the people's democratic dictatorship is not only a direct manifestation of the principle in Marxist philosophy that "the masses are the creators of history," but also a succession and innovation of the ideas in ancient Chinese traditional culture such as "establishing the ruler for the sake of the people" [6] and "the people are the foundation of all things" [7]. The ideological line of seeking truth from facts is not only the rooting and robust growth of Marxist epistemology in Chinese society; it also derives from classical Chinese allusions such as "strive to obtain the facts and always seek the truth thereof" [8] and "the investigation of things is the extension of knowledge" [9]. Thus, it can be seen that theory originates from culture, and confidence in theory originates from cultural confidence.
Realizing confidence in the system requires cultural confidence as the soil and foundation. Culture is the mother of systems; systems are the solidification of culture. Regardless of the type of system, they all condense corresponding cultural elements and are formed and developed within specific cultural environments. Specifically, culture can lay the foundation and provide guidance for systems. If the basic concepts, value orientations, and core spirit of formulating a system lose the support of culture, the system will become a "castle in the air," unable to be implemented properly. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics was gradually established by the Communist Party of China leading the people of the whole country through long-term trial and exploration; it is a specific system that adapts to China's national conditions, possesses Chinese characteristics, and fits developmental needs. These systems, whether in institutional design or institutional philosophy, reflect the spirit and requirements of China's fine traditional culture. For example, our political party system accords with the concept of "harmony without uniformity" [10] contained within China's fine traditional culture. It is evident that our confidence in the system ultimately appeals to cultural confidence; only by maintaining firm cultural confidence is it possible to realize confidence in the system.
Cultural confidence is the internal driving force and spiritual support for the "Two Centenary Goals." [11] Culture does not exist in isolation but is connected to the economy and politics of the society in which it resides. Therefore, in the New Era, it is essential to establish a cultural form that matches the economy and politics, making it adaptable to the development of all aspects of modernization in our country today.
(II) The Communist Party of China Unwaveringly Adheres to Cultural Confidence in the New Era
The Chinese nation possesses a rich cultural heritage. Thousands of years of fine traditional culture, along with the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture formed during the processes of revolution and construction, have built a strong cultural foundation for our country. Therefore, the key to the Communist Party of China unwaveringly adhering to cultural confidence in its governing process lies in vigorously developing advanced socialist culture, revolutionary culture, and traditional culture.
For the Communist Party of China to unwaveringly adhere to cultural confidence, it must vigorously develop advanced culture. Under our country's current developmental context, advanced culture, with its unique advanced nature and leading qualities, permeates and influences the fields of political, economic, and technological development, becoming an indispensable part of the competition in comprehensive national strength. Currently, the tide of economic globalization is unstoppable, and we have entered a "knowledge economy era" based on knowledge. In certain Western countries, culture has not only become a major growth point for economic development, where they obtain high profits through cultural industries, but it has also become a primary method and means for spreading capitalist values and conducting ideological penetration of other countries. For our country, the construction of advanced culture occupies a vital position in our national economic construction. We must not only promote the development of cultural industries to make them important economic sectors that stand out and possess more leadership in intense global competition, but we must also cause cultural undertaking to flourish, promoting Chinese culture—especially traditional culture—to go global and enhancing the attraction and influence of Chinese culture through exchange and mutual learning with foreign cultures. Furthermore, the construction of advanced culture in contemporary China has a deeper significance, concerning the maintenance of the Party's advanced nature and the cultural rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Party's advanced nature is concrete. Amidst various complex cultural forms, especially under circumstances of penetration by Western culture, unswervingly representing the orientation of the advancement of China's advanced culture is precisely why the Communist Party of China has been an advanced party from beginning to end. If various "black" and "gray" cultures are allowed to prevail, the dominant position of Marxism in society will be slandered and attacked, eventually eroding the Communist Party of China itself. The construction of advanced culture is included in the requirements for the construction of spiritual civilization and is a component of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Without the meticulous cultivation of advanced culture, the healthy and well-rounded development of the individual is mere empty talk, and this grand goal cannot be realized. The cultural rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is not merely a cultural issue; it can provide rich nourishment for sustaining the national spirit. In the New Era, the construction of advanced culture is the inevitable path to achieving cultural rejuvenation and strength, because fine traditional genes can only radiate vitality through the continuation and reconstruction of national culture.
For the Communist Party of China to unwaveringly adhere to cultural confidence, it must vigorously develop revolutionary culture. The concept of revolutionary culture was first proposed by the leader of the Chinese revolution, Mao Zedong, referring to the cultural achievements formed by the Party in the process of leading the people in the heroic struggle against imperialism and feudalism, including revolutionary theory, revolutionary aspirations, and the revolutionary spirit. Revolutionary culture was born during the May Fourth Movement [12] and has passed through four historical stages: the two Internal Revolutionary Wars, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation. It perfectly integrates Marxism with the practice of the Chinese revolutionary struggle and is an advanced culture embodying a distinct national spirit and the characteristics of the Chinese revolution. The core of revolutionary culture lies in the revolutionary spirit; inheriting and upholding revolutionary culture is, fundamentally speaking, the inheritance and upholding of the proletarian revolutionary spirit. The revolutionary spirit is an inheritance and transcendence of the national spirit, manifesting differently in different eras. Cultivating and strengthening cultural confidence requires carrying forward revolutionary culture. As a part of the overall structure of contemporary Chinese culture, revolutionary culture contains ideals and beliefs, spiritual pursuits, value orientations, and a style of struggle, which are of great value for firming up cultural confidence and cultivating the cultural system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Secondly, strengthening Party building requires carrying forward revolutionary culture. Revolutionary culture guides the direction for Communists to continuously advance; strengthening the construction of advancedness [13] also requires revolutionary culture to provide typical resources. For example, heroic figures generated in revolutionary history can provide demonstrations for all Party members in the New Era, becoming examples and models for members to learn the revolutionary spirit and strengthen their own self-cultivation. Carrying forward revolutionary culture can be achieved through multiple channels. First, utilize the internet to publicize revolutionary culture. The rise of mobile "we-media" provides a more convenient platform for revolutionary culture to permeate daily life. Carrying forward revolutionary culture should advance with the times and break new ground, attempting to use the internet as a means of information dissemination to carry out new forms of publicity and educational activities. This includes building revolutionary portal websites, video platforms, and WeChat/Weibo public accounts that are clearly themed and easy to understand, updating content promptly to attract people to promote revolutionary traditions and inherit the revolutionary spirit. Second, encourage the creation of revolutionary-themed works. By reproducing the heroic deeds of the revolutionary era, firm revolutionary ideals and the great revolutionary spirit are transmitted to the people. Third, increase the content of revolutionary cultural education. In recent years, due to the penetration of Western values, content regarding revolutionary heroes in primary and secondary school textbooks has been decreasing. This is extremely harmful to carrying forward revolutionary culture and easily endangers the stability of our country's political power. In response, educational work on revolutionary culture should be strengthened, guiding youth to study history, respect martyrs, and love the country.
For the Communist Party of China to unwaveringly adhere to cultural confidence, it must vigorously develop traditional culture. Fine traditional culture is the foundation for the gestation and growth of China's fine culture. It contains the most fundamental spiritual genes of the Chinese nation, precipitates the deepest spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, and represents the most unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation. Without fine traditional culture, China's fine culture would lose its "root" and "soul," making it difficult to develop, grow, and maintain national characteristics. Therefore, while showing appreciation and care for revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture, one must also treat traditional culture correctly and must not "discard it like a worn-out shoe." [14] However, this does not mean we should take the fine traditional culture inherited over thousands of years and replicate it in its entirety without change, practicing cultural revivalism [15]. Rather, we must carry out innovative development on it that conforms to the characteristics of the times, making it better adapted to contemporary society. To apply and innovate traditional culture, we should: First, pay attention to analysis and discernment, distinguishing the good from the bad within traditional culture. Second, continuously activate traditional culture, making new interpretations based on the development and changes of society. Third, conduct innovative application, advancing China's fine culture on the basis of inheriting the fine genes of traditional culture. To carry out the creative transformation and development of fine traditional culture, we should: First, guide fine traditional culture to adapt to our country's market economy. Under the conditions of a market economy, the social form has changed from a society of acquaintances to a society of strangers; the concept of "prioritizing righteousness over profit" has begun to be replaced by the principle of "profit above all," and the educational function of traditional morality has gradually weakened. In fact, contemporary China's requirements for interpersonal interaction, domestic ethics, and ideological concepts are interconnected with the inherent genes of fine traditional culture. To give traditional moral norms modernity and meet the development requirements of the market economy, we must strip away those feudal elements while retaining the valuable ideological content. Second, promote the popularization of fine traditional culture. Cultural confidence is not only for the "people of insight" [16]; in fact, it is oriented toward all the people. Only when all members of society establish cultural confidence and correctly understand contemporary China's cultural forms can cultural confidence exert majestic power. Addressing this practical problem, Xi Jinping emphasized that "we must increase the intensity of positive publicity for the fine culture and glorious history of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation." In daily life, culture influences people silently and imperceptibly. Therefore, while conducting academic research on fine traditional culture, we should also strengthen its secular forms of construction, permeating traditional festivals with fine traditional culture and transforming it into social consciousness and individual conscious behavior.
III. Cultural Soft Power Consolidates the Governing Foundation of the Communist Party of China
Xi Jinping pointed out: "Improving the country's cultural soft power is related to the realization of the 'Two Centenary Goals' and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." From this, it is evident that improving the national cultural soft power is of great strategic significance for the construction and development of contemporary China. It has become a practical need to vigorously promote the construction of a culturally strong country and concerns the consolidation of the Communist Party of China's governing status.
(I) Cultural Soft Power Concerns the Competition of Comprehensive National Strength
Looking at the history of the rise of world powers, the growth or rejuvenation of a country or nation depends upon the synchronized development of hard power and soft power. A nation’s ability to stand tall and hold its head high among the nations of the world is inseparable from its economic, technological, and military strength; these constitute the material foundation for the daily and monthly [17] rapid development of a country and nation. Meanwhile, the cultural soft power precipitated from political systems, cultural traditions, and values serves as the "ideological treasure house" supporting national prosperity and the source of momentum for realizing the dreams of becoming a powerful country and achieving national rejuvenation. Compared to hard power, the support that cultural soft power provides for comprehensive national strength is a form of "cultural national strength." It is not as obvious or easily measured as economic levels, technological capabilities, or military strength, yet its role is beyond comparison. Cultural soft power manifests primarily through the appeal, cohesion, and influence that a country’s political system, cultural concepts, and cultural traditions exert over its own citizens and other nations. Therefore, a harmonious and stable state that is prosperous, respected, and maintains long-term peace and stability through thick and thin [18] must necessarily possess strong cultural soft power as its spiritual support. If a country has only strong hard power without the support of cultural soft power, it can at most be considered a "feared nation" but never a truly great power; only when it possesses both can it truly develop into a top-tier power.
In the competition of comprehensive national strength, hard power competition often produces "instant results" [19] compared to cultural soft power competition. Changes in a country’s global ranking of total economic output, foreign exchange reserves, high-tech R&D capabilities, and the level of military equipment all very intuitively reflect the strength or weakness, rise or fall, of its comprehensive national strength. However, the contest of comprehensive national strength is not limited to material forces such as technology; it focuses even more on making cultural soft power "attract worldwide attention." Relying on hard power, such as the economy and military, to dominate international affairs is the "Way of Hegemony" [20] (badao) route of national competition. In contrast, leaning on cultural soft power—consisting of culture, thought, and values—to educate people through culture [21] and win people over through virtue is the "Way of the Sovereign" (wangdao) route. Success in international competition via the "Way of Hegemony" is only temporary; "a country possesses authority and influence because of moral factors, not military strength... a country without morality will soon lose its influence throughout the world." Only a country that achieves its own development and enhances its comprehensive competitiveness through the "Way of the Sovereign" can realize the state of being "a sage within and a king without" [22] (neisheng waiwang). "In a sage's governance of the world, civil virtue comes first and military force second"; cultural soft power is the key to a country remaining invincible in international competition over the long term. During the Warring States period, Mencius pointed out: "There have been those who gained a state without being benevolent; but there has never been one who gained All-under-Heaven [23] without being benevolent." The power possessed by "benevolence" (ren) far exceeds hard power such as military force. Thus, cultural soft power is the vital guarantee for a country to stand out in the midst of tense international rivalry.
In international engagement, nations do not only compete; they also focus intently on cooperation. Cooperation is an indispensable link in international relations and the basis and prerequisite for achieving win-win outcomes between countries. Cultural soft power plays an equally important role in promoting international cooperation. Cultural soft power relies on the attraction, influence, and inspiration of culture and values to bring different countries together as like-minded partners, rather than achieving cooperation through coercive force. Cultural soft power galvanizes "the hearts of the people"; a partnership formed on the basis of cultural and value-based attraction and identification possesses a degree of solidity that no form of hard power can achieve. Without the strong bond of cultural soft power, international cooperative relationships promoted solely by hard power factors such as money, technology, or force are quite fragile. Once the attraction or complementarity of this hard power changes, the cooperative relationship between countries faces the immediate danger of falling apart. Clearly, cultural soft power factors are the indispensable adhesive for establishing solid international cooperative relationships.
(II) Cultural soft power is vital to the realization of the Chinese Dream
Culture is the eternal engine for a country to strive for strength and rise with self-confidence. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, our country has been on the path of rejuvenation as a major power. As a developing country, we have solved the problem of poverty—the biggest headache for countries globally, especially developing ones—lifting 55.75 million rural poor out of poverty and gradually becoming one of the most influential countries in the world. As a socialist country, China has forged a socialist path distinct from Western countries. Upon this foundation, various undertakings have flourished with "a hundred flowers blooming" [24] and yielded fruitful results, making China a major power and strong country recognized by the world. By implementing reform and opening up, China achieved in just over 40 years what some countries took over a century to accomplish. To investigate the mysteries of China's rejuvenation, one must investigate the cultural momentum behind it. Chinese civilization is the only civilization in the world that has never been broken and has become increasingly vivid and fresh. For thousands of years, the Chinese nation has grown stronger through the trials of rise and fall, relying on the spiritual strength of self-improvement, perseverance, protecting the country and home, and arduous struggle—values that permeate the very marrow of the Chinese people. The Chinese nation’s ability to turn the tide [25] during the bullying of modern imperialism, and its persistent efforts during reform and opening up and modernization, are inseparable from the support and drive of these cultural and spiritual forces. Fundamentally speaking, the rise of contemporary China relies on the immense vitality bursting forth from the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; this is the fundamental basis for the development of China's cause. Only by vigorously improving the country's cultural soft power and further leveraging the innate advantages of the path, theory, system, and culture can we provide self-confident and powerful ideological guidance and a source of momentum for realizing the Chinese Dream.
Only when a nation possesses cohesion can a country have strength. Fragmented ethnic relations inevitably lead to the collapse of the state and make it impossible to achieve great undertakings. Cohesion, as an internal driving force, is an important source of strength for a nation’s prosperity. Forming a powerful sense of national cohesion is a necessary condition for China to march bravely toward the goal of becoming a modernized powerful country, as well as an inexhaustible drive for realizing the Chinese Dream. China has 56 ethnic groups, with vast differences in cultural structures, customs, and folk etiquettes. However, whether at a moment of life and death or in the current reality of shouldering socialist modernization, the Chinese nation has always been able to unite as one with "the unity of a fortress" [26] (zhongzhi chengcheng). This is a vivid display of the Chinese nation's intrinsic cohesion and centripetal force. The cohesion of the Chinese nation is rooted in the high degree of affirmation, recognition, and steadfast protection of traditional Chinese culture by people of all ethnic groups, as well as the continuous sense of identity and strong sense of a community with a shared future for the Chinese nation formed on this basis. As the spiritual bond maintaining the unity and progress of compatriots of all ethnic groups, traditional Chinese culture engraves the common cultural and emotional memories formed during the process of ethnic integration onto the spiritual genes of national heritage, forming a consciousness of the Chinese national community where everyone is in the same boat and shares common interests. At the critical juncture of achieving national rejuvenation, we must further enhance cultural soft power, build national consensus, and strengthen the spiritual power of traditional Chinese culture to unite the Chinese nation. Only then can we forge a strong cultural support for the unity and progress of the Chinese nation.
Cultural security refers to the objective state in which a country’s conceptual culture develops independently without being subject to infiltration, threats, or aggression from other countries. Together with political and military security, it constitutes national security. The cultural sphere has become an important battlefield for competition between nations. For a country, if it loses its resistance on the cultural battlefield, allowing the culture and core value system that support the spiritual faith of the entire country and nation to be trampled, torn, and destroyed, and its national spirit to be eroded away—to the point where the entire nation’s gestures, ways of thinking, and value pursuits are entirely in the style of another country's culture—then even if not a single inch of territory is lost, the entire nation has been reduced to a vassal state, becoming "extraterritorial citizens" under cultural imperialism. If a country's national faith and spirit are controlled and manipulated by others, and its own culture and values become a "variant" of another culture, the country will find it difficult to achieve self-reliance and self-strengthening. Currently, as China further advances the process of globalization, behind the acceptance of new Western ideas and technologies, the Western system of thinking, political concepts, and cultural ideas are clashing violently with China's current mainstream ideology and values. China's cultural security is at a crossroads of "survival or extinction." To maintain national cultural security, there is an urgent need to improve national cultural soft power, form our own cultural advantages, and enhance the self-awareness and self-confidence of all citizens in our country's developmental path, theoretical system, and social system. Only in this way can we build a solid line of defense to maintain national cultural security from the roots of culture and the foundation of ideals and convictions.
(The author is the former Party Secretary and President of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, an undergraduate academic tutor, distinguished professor, and researcher at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a doctoral and postdoctoral supervisor for the "Program for Backbone Talents in Marxist Theory" at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Vice President of the China Society of Policy Science, and a distinguished professor at Shandong Normal University.)
Online Editor: Tong Xin Source: Huxiang Forum, Issue 2, 2021.