Marxism Research Network
Unofficial English Translation

Yan Xiaofeng and Ren Yibu: The World-Historical Significance of Integrating Marxism with Fine Traditional Chinese Culture

Journals & Yearbooks

As a most vital component of the history of human civilization, Marxism and fine traditional Chinese calligraphy encountered one another unexpectedly within the torrent of world history, moving step by step from conforming to historical trends toward entering and influencing world history. In his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping for the first time explicitly proposed "combining the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture" [1] (hereinafter referred to as the "New Combination"). The Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee deepened the understanding of this New Combination, incorporating it into the Resolution as a historical experience of the Party’s century of struggle. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress further emphasized: "To uphold and develop Marxism, we must combine it with fine traditional Chinese culture" [2].

Consequently, a surge of research into the New Combination has been ignited within academic circles. Judging from existing research results, the content mainly includes the following: First, an investigation into basic theoretical issues—such as why the New Combination is necessary and possible, how it unfolds, how to advance it further, and its value and significance—based on the perspective of the Sinicization of Marxism. It is generally believed that since the beginning of the modern era, the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has urgently required the New Combination to provide more proactive spiritual support [3]. Opening up new frontiers in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism [4] and achieving the modern transformation of fine traditional Chinese culture [5] are also inseparable from the driving force of the New Combination. Furthermore, both Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture possess qualities of openness and inclusiveness [6]; their integration at the levels of cosmology, social outlook, historical outlook, and modes of thinking constitutes the premise of the New Combination [7]. The New Combination involves "continuing the narrative" [N1] of fine traditional Chinese culture from a Marxist standpoint to achieve its creative transformation and innovative development [8]; simultaneously, this process imparts a concrete manifestation of Sinicization and modernization to Marxist theory [9]. Rooted in the New Era, one must use the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method to deeply mine the essential essence [N2] of fine traditional Chinese culture [10], pushing the New Combination to new heights in the process of solving China's specific problems [11], thereby establishing a new hermeneutic paradigm for interpreting the Sinicization of Marxism [12], and gathering wisdom and strength to advance socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era and respond to the crises and challenges of "changes unseen in a century" [13].

Second, the sorting of the historical trajectory and the summary of historical experience regarding the New Combination from the perspective of the Party's centenary history. Some scholars have pointed out that since Marxism was introduced to China, the New Combination has undergone a historical evolution from spontaneity to consciousness, then to a stalemate, and finally to re-combination [14]. Over the past century, the emphasis of the New Combination has shifted along with changes in the principal contradiction of society, presenting a historical logic of "facing traditional culture"—"focusing on the issues of the times"—"evaluating the 'two overall situations'" [N3] [15]. Taking history as a mirror, advancing the New Combination must involve unswervingly upholding the leading position of Marxism [16], fully considering the themes of the times [17], and scientifically grasping the historical dialectics contained within fine traditional Chinese culture [18]. These research results have laid a solid foundation for a deep understanding and mastery of the New Combination.

However, it is noteworthy that there is currently little holistic investigation in academic circles into the New Combination from the perspective of world history. The transformation of history into world history constitutes the premise and foundation of the New Combination in a genetic sense. The arrival of Marxism in the East not only rode the tide of cultural exchange between East and West but was, more importantly, a proactive action by advanced Chinese people in response to the "changes unseen in three thousand years" [N4]. The New Combination germinated in the context of world history, developed in the tide of world history, was created in the process of world history, and has exerted a major influence on world history. Therefore, it is necessary to study and interpret the world-historical significance of the New Combination, with a view toward finding new breakthroughs for a deep understanding of it.

I. Being Drawn into World History: The Mutual Selection of Marxism and Chinese Civilization

In Marx's view, "history as world history is a result" [19]. The Great Geographical Discoveries of the 16th century broke through the relative isolation and narrow contact between various countries and nations, leading to the prelude of world history. However, the true driver of world history is capital; once the production logic of world history was reinforced by capital, it wove a vast net affecting the future and destiny of all countries and nations. "It compels all nations, on pain of extinction, to adopt the bourgeois mode of production" [20], using highly developed science and technology, a vast world market, and unprecedentedly close interaction to infinitely extend the duration of capital and expand its sphere of activity. The history of civilization was rewritten from then on, for world history was already created by capitalism for itself, after its own image. More and more small or weak nations were either forcibly dragged into the whirlpool of capitalist world history or took the initiative to embrace it and grow into emerging capitalist powers.

For modern China, the dream of the "Celestial Empire" [N5] had long since vanished amidst the thundering cannons of the Western powers. Against the historical background where "the country has been subjected to the rule of the towns," "barbarian and semi-barbarian countries dependent on the civilized ones," "nations of peasants on nations of bourgeois," and "the East on the West" [20], the Chinese nation made many attempts to avoid being alienated from world history. From the Westernization Movement [N6] to the Hundred Days' Reform [N7], and from the Revolution of 1911 to the New Culture Movement, the conclusion reached was that only Marxism could save China. To save China, the root lies in saving Chinese civilization; the encounter between Marxism and Chinese civilization was a logical necessity of the transformation of history into world history.

  1. The great collision between Eastern and Western cultures caused by the transformation of history into world history created the conditions for the meeting of Marxism and Chinese civilization. The 19th century, in which Marx and Engels lived, was an era when world history was extremely evident as a special phenomenon of modern society. The entrenched nature of large-scale capitalist industry not only objectively facilitated a holistic transformation of social life but also drew the boundary line between "civilized" and "uncivilized," making the cause of human liberation a matter of extreme urgency. Centered on this theme, Marx and Engels devoted their lifelong efforts to realizing "the return of man to himself as the master of his own destiny" through the proletarian world revolution [21]. In this sense, Marxism is also the essence of the spirit of the world-historical era. The world-historical era is one of highly developed transportation and communication technology. Since the opening of the nation's doors, the influx of various social trends of thought "brought a wave to 20th-century China that can be called a 'knowledge revolution'" [22]. In the fierce collision of Eastern and Western cultures, Marxist works were sporadically introduced to China. To thoroughly wash away the humiliating history of the nation’s suffering, the people’s disgrace, and the civilization’s tarnishing, advanced Chinese intellectuals searched far and wide for a remedy to save the world. The victory of Russia's October Revolution caused Marxism to quickly stand out among many social trends; the "victory of the common people" [N8] began to become the spiritual aspiration of the Chinese people for rejuvenation. But the key question was whether Chinese civilization, deeply nurtured by thousands of years of traditional feudal culture, could be compatible with a modern Marxism. In fact, fine traditional Chinese culture constituted a "pre-understanding" [N9] for advanced Chinese intellectuals to recognize, understand, and apply Marxism. To a certain extent, the widespread dissemination of Marxism in China during the latter stages of the May Fourth Movement "rooted its deep meaning precisely in the thick sense of salvation and strong sense of mission inherent in traditional culture itself" [23]. It was in the process of Marxism continuously approaching Chinese civilization that the Communist Party of China was born. "Since then, the Chinese people's struggle for national independence, people's liberation, national prosperity, and people's happiness has had a backbone, and the Chinese people have shifted from being passive to proactive in spirit" [24].

  2. The manifestation of Marxism's world-wide nature inevitably required the selection of Chinese civilization. The world-historical era produced a Marxism that shines with the brilliance of world-wide relevance. From the perspective of theoretical sources, although Marx himself was repeatedly barred from various civilized countries, the fruits of his thinking were the "natural heir to German philosophy, English political economy, and French socialism" [25]. From the perspective of value and significance, Marxism "points out and brings to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of all nationality" [20], breaking through the various value barriers constructed by the logic of capital. From the perspective of practical application, various countries in the Eastern world, represented by Russia, have repeatedly used the sharp blade of Marxism to break through the "Kafardine Canyon" [N10] of capitalism in the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution. It cannot be ignored that the practical application of Marxism implies an internal tension between maintaining the individualistic impulse of the nation-state and the qualitative stipulations of the basic tenets of Marxism. In other words, how the internal unity of nationality and world-wide nature can be reasonably interpreted in the process of Marxist application. The key to solving this problem lies in "applying [these principles]... at all times and everywhere, on the historical conditions for the time being prevailing" [20], allowing Marxism to be realistically unfolded and specifically completed within the concrete civilizational history of each nation. The founding of the Communist Party of China opened a vast new space for Marxism to demonstrate its world-wide nature. With Chinese civilization as its carrier, Marxism maintains a sharp insight into the times and history by constantly absorbing the outstanding achievements of human civilization, and continually provides reference and inspiration for solving various world-wide problems through breakthroughs in theoretical and practical innovation.

  3. The continuation of Chinese civilization inevitably requires the realization of the New Combination. The formation of world history is mainly manifested as the capitalist mode of production "nestling everywhere, settling everywhere, establishing connections everywhere" [20] across the globe. Faced with the "modern civilization" at its zenith, Chinese civilization gradually declined due to a lack of endogenous power to achieve modern transformation. After experiencing the labor pains of civilizational loss, early members of the Communist Party of China, represented by Li Dazhao, introduced Marxism to reflect doubly upon Chinese and Western civilizations, farsightedly pointing out: "Oriental civilization is already declining in stillness, while Western civilization is exhausted under the weight of materialism... without the rise of a third new civilization, we cannot cross this precipice" [26]. In other words, a new modern Chinese civilization must be created through the creative combination of Marxism and traditional Chinese civilization. This is because, for modern China, "the contradiction between iimperialism and the Chinese nation is the principal contradiction among various contradictions" [27]. History has proven that only under the guidance of Marxism, through a reality-oriented revolution—specifically New Democratic and socialist-oriented—could this principal contradiction be thoroughly resolved and the continuation of Chinese civilization be made possible. At the same time, because Chinese civilization is a "center-seeking" [N11] civilization with a high degree of subjectivity, in the process of moving toward civilizational rejuvenation, it will inevitably "conduct self-change by adhering to its own ways" [29] and preserve the spiritual temperament of the original Chinese civilization. Thus, it internally grasps the New Combination as an important path for the continuation of civilization. This is the self-sublation and self-transcendence of Chinese civilization's subjectivity—a vivid expression of its need to transcend both the reality of a traditional civilization tarnished by humiliation and the modern capitalist civilization filled with exploitation and oppression.

II. Conforming to World History: The Interweaving of the Sinicization and Modernization of Marxism with the Modernization of Fine Traditional Chinese Culture

The creation of world history is an "entirely material, empirically verifiable act" [30], in which large-scale capitalist industry played a monumental role. The invention and improvement of machinery drove the Industrial Revolution, which in turn triggered an all-encompassing transformation of the superstructure: traditional, agricultural modes of production were replaced by modern, industrial ones, and local, national histories were dissolved into universal, world history. Marx and Engels called such an era "modern"; modernization is the forward direction of world history as a whole. Admittedly, the universal significance of world history is bestowed by the logic of capital; "the country that is more developed industrially only shows, to the less developed, the image of its own future" [31]. However, the universality of world history is by no means abstract or empty; its complex substantive content must be substantiated through different historical processes. Along the fundamental direction of modernization, the New Combination has generated two threads: first, the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism; and second, the modernization of fine traditional Chinese culture.

  1. In world history, there has never been a single, dogmatic path for the development of modernization. If one takes the mode of production as the standard for judging whether modernization has been realized, the "capitalist era" is undoubtedly synonymous with "modernity." However, this era possesses both modern prosperity and modern disaster; the mutual opposition between labor and capital led directly to the encroachment of modernization in developed countries upon that of developing countries, and the subversion of the modernization of the human person by the modernization of things. On the one hand, this era produced industrial and scientific forces transcending any previous age; on the other hand, it "disclosed symptoms of decay, far surpassing the horrors recorded of the latter times of the Roman Empire" [31]. This indicates that while modernization began with the world history initiated by capitalism, it will by no means end there. Regarding the specific paths taken by capitalist countries toward modernization, differing social structures and cultural traditions also dictated that they could not be uniform. Standing at the heights of world history, Marx and Engels kept the "developed" archetypes in view while shifting their gaze toward the backward nations of the East, placing new hope for transcending capitalist modernization in Russia, which alone preserved primitive communal ownership. As Marx stated, the kind of modernization path a nation chooses depends entirely on the unique "social conditions" and "historical environment" in which that nation finds itself. Lenin’s subsequent reflections on this issue provided a realistic growth point for the modernization mission undertaken by Marxism. Moving from theoretical conception to practical plans, the rapid rise of Soviet Russia broke through the capitalist walls of modernization in world history. This process was consistently and closely linked to the integration of the nation’s specific realities and its traditional culture. Without the characteristics and features of Russia, Leninism would have been unable to connect with Marxism, and the new path of modernization transcending capitalism would have remained a mere empty phrase.

  2. Integration with China’s specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture is a principled requirement for Marxism to open a new path for modernization in world history. The first-mover advantage of capitalist modernization fashioned for itself a universal appearance of world-historical significance; historical materialism, however, diluted this back into realistic, concrete historical paths. The founding of the Communist Party of China established the essential connection between the modernization process of Chinese society and Marxism, using a social revolution led by the proletariat to raise the curtain on China’s march toward modernization. This essential connection was established, developed, and consolidated within the actual historical process, a process that was itself made possible through the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Based on long-term exploration and practice since the founding of New China and especially since the start of reform and opening up, and following theoretical and practical innovations and breakthroughs since the 18th National Congress, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people to successfully advance and expand Chinese-path modernization. This is a path of socialist modernization that possesses the common characteristics of modernization in all countries but, more importantly, features Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions. It is the product of combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture. "Integrating with China’s specific realities" pulled Marxism into the new substantive content of world history. As a specific realistic condition, "specific realities" are always profoundly influenced by national cultural traditions—that is, the "specific realities of China" as sedimented through history. "Integrating with fine traditional Chinese culture" is "integrating with China’s specific realities" in the deepest sense; without this, it would be impossible to achieve independence and self-reliance in modernization. However, it must be emphasized that the decisive judgment of actual history has already granted Marxism an absolute leading position in the process of its integration with fine traditional Chinese culture. "Integration" is not about pandering to fine traditional Chinese culture, but about activating its spiritual power and relying on its cultural forms to vividly interpret the pluralistic characteristics of the new path of modernization in world history.

  3. Taking Marxism as guidance is the fundamental prerequisite for fine traditional Chinese culture to achieve modern transformation. The slow start of the modern transformation of Chinese society initially lacked the direct participation of Marxism, and the subsequent cultural modernization followed the conservative route of "Chinese learning as the essence, Western learning for application" [12]. Facts have proven that any attempt at cultural modernization while maintaining the basic structure of traditional society can only lead to results contrary to one's wishes. Since the New Culture Movement [13], traditional Chinese culture, represented by Confucianism, formally became the direct target of attack for China’s advanced intellectuals, yet its immense value, accumulated over millennia, still granted it legitimacy in the course of Chinese society's modern transformation. The sentiment of tianxia (the world/all under heaven) [14] which prioritizes the collective, the innovative spirit of "abolishing the old to establish the new," and the value-based concern of "putting people first"—these fine cultural traditions lingering in people’s minds have long since penetrated the value barrier between the traditional and the modern. They are the important cultural fulcrums upon which China constructs its own unique modernity. As a product of the pre-modern era, fine traditional Chinese culture must undergo a modern transformation to highlight its trans-historical qualities, and only Marxism can lead it to complete this historical task. First, the temporal difference between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture provides an opportunity for the latter to engage in exchange and mutual learning with other cultures of the world. Facing the "world literature" of the era of world history, Marxism builds a bridge for fine traditional Chinese culture to go out into the world. Only based on the standard of practice can the essence be selected from it, preventing a loss of direction during the process of modern transformation. Second, Marxism endowed fine traditional Chinese culture with modernized content and form. For instance, the traditional view of "knowledge and action" [15] took the realization of "virtuous knowledge" as its primary task; after being combined with Marxism, this evolved into "cognition" aimed at "seeking truth," thereby acquiring the meaning of general epistemology. In short, taking Marxism as guidance is an awakening of the subjectivity of fine traditional Chinese culture, successfully reconciling the conflict between cultural nationality and the spirit of the age, and resolving the fundamental problems that long plagued the modern transformation of fine traditional Chinese culture.

III. Moving Toward World History: The Fusion and Creation of Marxism and Fine Traditional Chinese Culture

The "New Integration" [16] is a process of "in-itself" (German: an sich) development arriving from world history, as well as a process of "for-itself" (German: für sich) development constantly moving toward world history. To move toward world history means to gain the recognition and respect of world history through a new quality of cultural content, while proactively assuming the responsibility and mission of writing world history. With China’s specific realities as the medium, Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture create together through mutual fusion. This movement toward world history is profoundly interpreted as the dialectical unity of two processes: the activation of fine traditional Chinese culture by the power of Marxist truth for our times, and the deep nourishment of Marxist theory by the rich values of fine traditional Chinese culture.

As two major ideological and cultural systems with obvious differences in time, space, and nationality, the historical disparity between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture is undeniable. Yet it must also be seen that Marxism has actually changed China, pushing fine traditional Chinese culture from "behind the scenes" back to the "center stage." Conversely, fine traditional Chinese culture has actually changed Marxism, allowing it to take root in Chinese soil and bear abundant fruit. In this regard, it should be acknowledged that "post-modern" Marxism and pre-modern fine traditional Chinese culture "possess a certain consistency in the sense of the negation of the negation" [34]. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "Fine traditional Chinese culture is long-standing and well-established, extensive and profound; it is the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization. It contains concepts such as: the world is for the public (tianxia wei gong); the people are the foundation of the state (min wei bang ben); governing by virtue (wei zheng yi de); abolishing the old to establish the new (ge gu ding xin); appointing the virtuous and capable (ren ren wei xian); harmony between humanity and nature (tian ren he yi); self-strengthening (zi qiang bu xi); social commitment (hou de zai wu); upholding good faith and harmony (jiang xin xiu mu); and being benevolent and neighborly (qin ren shan lin). These are important manifestations of the worldview, outlook on the world (tianxia), society, and morality accumulated by the Chinese people in their long-term production and life, and they possess a high degree of compatibility with the values and propositions of scientific socialism" [13]. This "high degree of compatibility" is a natural commonality between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture found through static comparison, existing within their respective cultural genes even before the "New Integration" occurred. Regarding the movement toward world history, this "high degree of compatibility" constitutes the prerequisite for the "New Integration" to unfold, forming its starting point and an important component throughout. This is because "it was by no means accidental that the propositions of scientific socialism were warmly welcomed by the Chinese people after Marxism was introduced to China and eventually took root, blossomed, and bore fruit; rather, they were integrated with the fine historical culture passed down in our country for thousands of years and the values that the masses use daily without even realizing it" [43]. Without "high degree of compatibility" as a prerequisite, the values and propositions of scientific socialism would have found it difficult to gain emotional recognition from the masses, let alone be combined with China’s specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture. The "high degree of compatibility" emphasizes the "point" where Marxism took root in China, and the "New Integration" begins from this "point" to form "lines" and "planes." Consequently, the "New Integration" takes the spiritual qualities contained in fine traditional Chinese culture—the important manifestations of the worldview, outlook on the world, society, and morality accumulated by the Chinese people—as its entry point. Under the guidance of Marxism, it completes its modern transformation through the process chain of "decomposition—selection—fusion." Simultaneously, fine traditional Chinese culture provides deep nourishment to Marxist theory from the height of the unity of content and form, allowing it to lead the direction of China’s modernization while constantly opening new frontiers in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.

  1. The high degree of congruence between the value propositions of scientific socialism and fine traditional Chinese culture finds distinct ideological expression. These value propositions refer to the most direct discursive expressions of systemic viewpoints formed by people based on historical materialism and the theory of surplus value, shaped according to the needs of the subject vis-à-vis the attributes of the object during the process of transforming the world. This high degree of congruence—with the spiritual qualities inherent in fine traditional Chinese culture as significant manifestations of the views on the universe, the world [17], society, and morality accumulated by the Chinese people over long-term production and life—is primarily reflected at the ideological level as follows:

In terms of modes of thought, Marxism "thinks historically" within its macro-level investigation of the development of human history, possessing a profound sense of history. This highly comports with the strong consciousness of time and the keen capture of the sense of history in fine traditional Chinese culture; however, while the former is presented in the form of reflection, the latter is realized through an emotional mode, as in: "It passes on like this, not ceasing day or night!" (Analects: Zi Han) [18].

Regarding the view of the universe, Marxism integrates the historical unity of the humanization of nature and the naturalization of man into the total historical results of the manifestation of human existence in a concentrated manner, representing a "completed" cosmology of the "union of Heaven and humanity" [19]. This is essentially identical to the spiritual quality of fine traditional Chinese culture, which manages the relationship between Heaven and humanity from a global cosmic perspective and pursues "harmony and cooperation" (he-he) [20].

In methodology, Marxism views problems from the perspective of temporality, exalts human presence, and emphasizes the historical dialectics of the interaction between subject and object. This shares a subtle commonality with the "naive dialectics" held by fine traditional Chinese culture, which posits that "the unceasing process of generation is called Change" (Yi Zhuan: Xi Ci I) [21] and seeks the unity of changeability (bian-yi) and unchangeability (bu-yi).

In the view of practice, Marxism constructs a "materialism that understands sensuousness as practical activity," emphasizing an approach of "I practice, therefore I am" to change the world. This possesses an internal affinity with the spiritual qualities of fine traditional Chinese culture that advocate "personal practice" (gong-xing), revere "fulfillment through action" (jian-lv), and emphasize the "unity of knowledge and action" (zhi-xing he-yi) [22].

Regarding the depiction of the ideal future society, the Marxist vision of communism is always based on the common interests of all humanity, aiming to establish an "association of free individuals" where "the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." This is internally consistent with the spiritual qualities of fine traditional Chinese culture that advocate "the world belongs to the public" (tian-xia wei-gong) and pursue a "World of Great Harmony" (Da-tong shijie) [23] where the collective and the self are in harmony.

In the view of society, Marxism regards society as the field where man's essential powers are manifested, believing that a key characteristic of "truly human society" is the full unfolding of human individuality. This finds common ground with the spiritual qualities of fine traditional Chinese culture that insist "the people are the foundation of the state" [24] and focus on social harmony, stability, and the people's happiness and well-being.

In the view of morality, Marxism holds that morality is class-based and historical, being the "direct product of people's material actions"; "truly human morality" can only be realized in a communist society where individual interests are highly consistent with social interests. This is internally congruent with the advocacy in fine traditional Chinese culture that "a person of virtue carries the world with great character" [25], dedicated to achieving the harmonious unity of all things through inclusive and generous moral practice.

As can be seen, the high degree of congruence between the value propositions of scientific socialism and fine traditional Chinese culture constitutes the essential basis for the new "Combining." In a hermeneutic sense, this high degree of congruence also refers to a constructive relationship of mutual integration and shared creation between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture, foreshadowing the generation of a new meaning.

  1. The movement of the new "Combining" toward world history represents the epochal activation of fine traditional Chinese culture by the power of Marxist truth. "Moving toward world history" is the actual state of the new "Combining," a process that requires a subject of cultural life, a subject of reception, and a subject of creation that develops in practice. The traditional Chinese natural economy, centered on the agrarian economy, and the "isomorphism of family and state" [26] in traditional Chinese socio-political structures forged the extensive and profound fine traditional Chinese culture. Its unceasing yet ever-renewing vitality and its deep acculturation power—characterized by "harmony without uniformity" and "inclusiveness"—exactly manifest the subjective spirit of the Chinese nation: "striving for self-improvement and carrying the world with great character."

Admittedly, against the backdrop of capitalist modernity, fine traditional Chinese culture exposed inherent shortcomings, such as a "lack of modern empirical science" and a "lack of democratic traditions." However, as the continuous cultural foundation of the Chinese nation, the positive influence of fine traditional Chinese culture on world history cannot be ignored. Especially as the crisis of capitalist modernity occurs frequently, fine traditional Chinese culture is increasingly favored by world history due to spiritual traits such as "responsibility precedes rights" and "obligation precedes freedom." From the perspective of ideological continuity, if fine traditional Chinese culture is to continuously supply spiritual strength for the development and changes of the era, it must undergo creative transformation and innovative development. It must expand and reform its own content and forms according to the characteristics and requirements of the times, upholding the high-quality cultural genes of original Chinese civilization while continuing to create and develop a new form of human civilization.

This urgently requires activation by the power of Marxist truth. This process logically presents a progression through three stages: "decomposition - selection - integration." First is the decomposition process, where traditional Chinese culture is transformed from a systematized whole into dispersed constituent elements. Traditional Chinese culture is a whole formed by the organic connection of many cultural elements, and the practical soil of its generation was traditional Chinese society based on an agrarian natural economy. The initiation of China's modern transformation simultaneously implied the deconstruction of the systematized form of traditional Chinese culture; its active role in economic and social development can only be realized through dispersed elements. The first step of Marxism's activation of fine traditional Chinese culture lies in accelerating the deconstruction of its systematized overall form, breaking it into parts to create conditions for its integration into China's modern cultural system.

Second is the selection process of "taking the essence and discarding the dregs" of traditional Chinese cultural elements. Marxism always uses "whether it meets the developmental needs of China's specific reality" as the dynamic standard for scrutinizing various elements of traditional Chinese culture. Specifically, in the New Era and on the new journey, that part of fine traditional Chinese culture which promotes the realization of the Second Centenary Goal [27] can enter the next stage of creative transformation and innovative development.

Finally, there is the integration stage where fine traditional Chinese culture is embedded into the modern Chinese cultural system. Marxism promotes the completion of the modern transformation of fine traditional Chinese culture by imbuing it with new meanings, uncovering its latent meanings, and reinterpreting and restructuring its connections.

  1. The movement of the new "Combining" toward world history is the deep-level nourishment of Marxist theory by the rich values of fine traditional Chinese culture. "Only by being rooted in the fertile soil of the history and culture of one’s own country and nation can the tree of Marxist truth flourish with deep roots and luxuriant leaves." Fine traditional Chinese culture constitutes an inherent part of China's specific reality, influencing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism through the "inertia of history." Stuart Schram believed that the nourishment provided by fine traditional Chinese culture to Marxism "could not only enlarge the revolutionists' understanding of their own society, but would in fact provide a means of guiding the revolution."

In a methodological sense, "seeking truth from facts" is precisely a new quality of cultural content forged by Mao Zedong, who took this "historical legacy" extracted from fine traditional Chinese culture and placed it into the "crucible" of Marxism. However, it should be noted that this enrichment is not primarily a matter of discursive expression in a narrow sense, but rather an onto-extensional definition in a broad sense—that is, the specific historical and cultural experience presented by practical activities in their "completed state." The exogenous nature of Marxism dictates that its path toward "Sinicization" must first acquire a national appearance liked and easily accepted by the masses, realizing the organic combination of "internationalist content" and "national form."

Yet, the "formal" nourishment of Marxism by fine traditional Chinese culture is, after all, "only a 'strategy' under specific historical conditions." In the deepest sense, its nourishing function is primarily manifested as being present as the actual content that positively influences China's specific reality. In other words, fine traditional Chinese culture acts explicitly or implicitly upon the constantly changing specific reality of China, assisting Marxism in scientifically answering the questions of the times and the questions of the people faced by China's modern development. This encourages the integration of the essence of Marxist thought with the common values that the masses "use daily without realizing" [28], thereby continuously imbuing scientific theory with distinct Chinese characteristics and consolidating the historical and mass foundations for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. It is precisely based on this positioning that fine traditional Chinese culture has leaped from being "collection pieces" residing in museums to becoming the cultural source that nourishes Marxism.

IV. Influencing World History: The Major Contribution of Combining Marxism with Fine Traditional Chinese Culture

The new "Combining" has disclosed its entire field of meaning through historical practice, opening a brand-new situation in world history. This process, while digesting the achievements of world-historical modernity, simultaneously transcends modernity itself. It has successfully created socialism with Chinese characteristics, actively responding to the epochal challenges of world history with Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions. More importantly, the new "Combining" has enabled the cause of modernization oriented toward socialism with Chinese characteristics to establish an essential connection with the future direction of world history. While advancing the process of world-historical modernization, it demonstrates a bright prospect for world history through a new form of human civilization.

  1. The new "Combining" enriches the connotation of world history through socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since the power of modernity opened up world history, world history has long been under the domination of the logic of capital. In its original sense, world history is still nothing other than "the process of the birth of man through human labor," but its axis of motion has become capital in pursuit of maximizing surplus value. Its law of motion has become the unity of the general laws of material production and the specific laws of capital valorization. Consequently, its result can only be a history of alienation manifested through the history of increasingly progressive industry and intercourse. In other words, the connotation of world history has gradually become singular, filled only with discourses such as "capital," "private property," and "wage labor." Although the victory of the October Revolution "changed the direction of all world history and divided all world history into epochs," the increasing rigidification of the basic Soviet system caused the new connotations it injected into world history to lose vitality early on.

The new "Combining" broke this deadlock. Once the cultural tradition of "self-improvement" of the Chinese nation received the scientific guidance of Marxism, it generated a new practical force. This force allowed China's historical practice to achieve leap after leap, creating socialism with Chinese characteristics and providing an opportunity for a new turning point in world history. On the one hand, when the inherent defects of the logic of capital once again led world history into a quagmire, socialism with Chinese characteristics provided a brand-new way of thinking. Chinese wisdom, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and a community with a shared future for humanity, is causing a reversal in the situation of world history. On the other hand, faced with the continuous leap in the overall needs of all humanity following the development of material production, relying solely on the single-core engine of capitalism makes it difficult for world history to sustain itself. As an alternative choice, socialism with Chinese characteristics provides new vitality for the development of world history, pushing world history to open a new chapter in which capitalism and socialism collaborate and progress together.

  1. The new "combination" advances the process of world history through the path of Chinese-path modernization. In the "infancy" of world history, the orientation of capitalist modernization could only aimlessly guide the transformation of history into world history while "driven by the lowest, most sordid, most contemptible, and most odious greed" [29]. Objectively speaking, the development of the capitalist mode of production indeed realized a great historical transformation of human society from the traditional to the modern; however, its gradually intensifying internal contradictions directly obstructed the developmental process of world history. When the tentacles of capital have nowhere left to extend, world history is forced to "retreat in order to advance" through the destruction of productive forces by capitalism. The new "combination" has opened up the path of Chinese-path modernization through historical practice, providing a brand-new impetus for world history. On one hand, the path of Chinese-path modernization, through a brand-new choice of path and way of thinking, has enabled the vast number of developing countries to break their path-dependency on capitalist modernization. This allows them to integrate into world history in ways best suited to their own conditions, releasing a developmental efficacy where "one plus one is greater than two." On one hand, the immense scale and inherent essential characteristics of the path of Chinese-path modernization dictate that its successful exploration will directly cause a massive increase in the total human population achieving modernization. At the same time, it endows modernization with a brand-new spirit of the times and intellectual content, pushing the level of modernization in world history to a new height.

  2. The new "combination" heralds the future of world history through a new form of human civilization. According to the laws of movement of world history, when the development of a mode of production reaches the point of creating a new form of civilization, a new process of world history begins. This was true for the transcendence of feudal civilization by capitalist civilization, and it is even more so for the transcendence of capitalist civilization by the new form of human civilization. The historical changes brought to human society by the logic of capital—namely, that "society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps" [30]—resulted directly in the intensification of the fragmentation and conflict of human civilization in the dimension of relations of production. Simultaneously, Marx and Engels' critique of capitalism also opened a path for exploring a new form of human civilization. In the context of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Marxism’s ultimate concern for the destiny of humanity coincides with the ultimate ideal of "seeking Great Harmony for the world" [31] (wei shijie mou datong) inherent in fine traditional Chinese culture; through the journey of the path of Chinese-path modernization, these have historically forged a new form of human civilization. This new form of human civilization seeks certainty amidst the uncertainties of the "great changes unseen in a century" [32] in the world, heralding a bright future for world history. On one hand, the new form of human civilization provides the existential foundation for building a community with a shared future for humanity, subsegments the logic of capital as a mere means, and preserves it within a new process of world history characterized by "seeking common ground while reserving differences, and win-win cooperation." Under the premise of the coexistence of two heterogeneous forms of civilization, the new form of human civilization offers a universal law for achieving a state of peace and stability in world history: that is, while each country and nation pursues its own path of development, it does not interfere with or undermine the developmental paths of other countries and nations, but works together to improve the living standards of the people. On the other hand, the new form of human civilization opens a new space for eliminating the opposition between social forms and ideological conflicts, constructing a new platform for the operation of world history in the current era. The new form of human civilization respects and protects the civilizational particularity inherent in each country and nation, while simultaneously pointing toward a civilizational universality that realizes human freedom and liberation, providing a new opportunity for the development of world history through the new form of civilization offered by socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Conclusion

The unfolding of history into world history has created a unique opportunity for the new "combination." For both Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture, their movement toward combination is not merely a tactical expediency of "technique" (shu), but more importantly, a manifestation of the "Way" (Dao) [33]; it is a dialectical unity of law-governed necessity and purposiveness. Anchored in the direction of modernization within world history, the new "combination" advances deeply along two main threads: first, the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism; and second, the modernization of fine traditional Chinese culture. These two threads are interwoven, achieving the activation of fine traditional Chinese culture for our times through the power of Marxist truth, while also achieving the deep nourishment of Marxist theory through the rich values of fine traditional Chinese culture. Because of this, the new "combination" is able to share in the positive achievements of world history while simultaneously making significant contributions to world history, opening a new era of modern human civilization. This also means that world history has entered a new stage of development, and as an important means of advancing world history, the new "combination" has a long way to go and a heavy burden to bear [34].