Marxism and the Sixty Years of New China
Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology upon which our Party and state are founded; it is the "soul" and "banner" that guides the continuous advancement of our cause. The birth of the New China was a great victory for Marxism in our country; the sixty-year development of the New China is a glorious course during which the basic tenets of Marxism have been continuously integrated with the specific realities of China, advancing the Sinicization of Marxism [1]. Looking back at the historical process and basic experience of the development of Marxism in the sixty years since the founding of the New China—and especially in the thirty years since the Reform and Opening Up [2]—is of major theoretical and practical significance for further promoting the Sinicization, modernization, and popularization of Marxism, as well as for continuing to push forward the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Following the founding of the New China, our Party navigated the transition from New Democracy [3] to socialism, established the basic socialist system, and initiated the arduous exploration of a path for building socialism suited to China’s national conditions [4]. During this historical period, while Mao Zedong and other proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation suffered setbacks and even followed a zig-zagging path [5], they nonetheless achieved significant theoretical results in their active search for a way to build socialism. They independently proposed the need to explore a path for building socialism that fit China’s specific circumstances, emphasized the basic contradictions of socialist society, and strictly distinguished between and correctly handled the two different types of contradictions [6]. These explorations and achievements enriched and developed the theory of the Sinicization of Marxism, providing the necessary foundation, valuable experience, and material base for the later opening of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee [7], our Party has continued to seek truth from facts and has pioneered the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Through this process, we have formed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which includes Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of Three Represents [8], and the Scientific Outlook on Development [9]. This theoretical system upholds and develops Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, representing the latest achievement of the Sinicization of Marxism. Over the past thirty years of Reform and Opening Up, under the guidance of this theoretical system, China's productive forces have been greatly liberated and developed, the comprehensive national strength has significantly increased, and the people's standard of living has markedly improved. The success of the Chinese path has not only demonstrated the strong vitality of Marxism in contemporary China but has also contributed "Chinese wisdom" and "Chinese solutions" to the development of human civilization.
To persist over the long term in our commitment to Marxism, we must maintain the combination of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. On the one hand, we must unswervingly adhere to the basic principles of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, ensuring that our direction remains unchanged and our spirit does not falter. On the other hand, we must advance with the times, focusing on the new conditions and problems encountered in the process of Chinese-path modernization. We must respond to the major challenges arising from the transformation of the global political and economic landscape, and continuously enrich the treasury of Marxism with new practical experiences. Only by doing so can Marxism maintain its scientific nature, its connection to the masses, and its revolutionary character in the land of China.