Leng Rong: What is the Chinese Dream and how to understand it?
When Comrade Xi Jinping visited the "Road to Rejuvenation" exhibition, he proposed the Chinese Dream of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He systematically elaborated on this ideology in his speech at the first session of the 12th National People's Congress and further discussed it during visits to Russia and African nations, as well as at the Boao Forum for Asia. Today, not only China but the entire world is paying close attention to the term "Chinese Dream," hoping to benefit from it. As Comrade Xi Jinping stated, the Chinese Dream we aim to realize will benefit not only the Chinese people but also the people of all countries.
The Chinese Dream reflects the shared aspirations, vision, and will of the Chinese people, including compatriots overseas and ethnic Chinese worldwide. It is the greatest consensus that galvanizes the entire Party and the people of the whole nation, greatly stimulating the enthusiasm of the Chinese people to develop the country and revitalize the nation.
Where did the Chinese Dream come from, and what is its meaning?
(I)
The phrase "revitalize China" [1] was first proposed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. In the 1894 "Proclamation of the Founding of the Xingzhonghui," he wrote: "This society is established specifically for the purpose of revitalizing China." Since its founding, our Party has shouldered the sacred mission of leading the people in revitalizing China. Comrades Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao all provided extensive discourse on national rejuvenation. In the early period of Reform and Opening-up, the slogan "Unite to Revitalize China" was the most resonant watchword. Comrade Zhou Enlai's saying, "Study for the rise of China," is well known and has long served as an inspiring aphorism for young students striving upward.
Why are the Chinese Dream and national rejuvenation able to galvanize the Chinese people and the Chinese nation?
Foreigners often do not understand why China develops so rapidly or why the Chinese people possess such immense drive for development. To understand this, one must first look at Chinese history. China was once glorious in history, yet since the beginning of the modern era, it fell into a tragic state, suffering extreme humiliation. This contrast is far too stark. Comrade Xi Jinping noted that every Chinese person feels a heartache when remembering that period of history. Therefore, the Chinese people have always possessed a certain "complex" and drive for national rejuvenation; this is a form of spiritual momentum. To realize the Chinese Dream, we must have the Chinese spirit, and a vital spiritual force within that is patriotism. The destiny of every individual is closely linked to the strength and prosperity of the state and the nation. Using the Chinese Dream to galvanize and inspire the people is highly accurate and powerful.
The foremost glorious period in Chinese history was the Han and Tang dynasties. The Han Dynasty was over 2,000 years ago, yet today the world still refers to the Chinese language and script as Hanyu [2] and the study of China as Sinology [3], which demonstrates its lasting influence. During the Tang Dynasty, at its peak of development, China projected an image that was both powerful and approachable. "Powerful yet approachable" is a phrase used by Comrade Mao Zedong to describe the ideal state of national governance. At that time, it was a scene of "tranquil seas and clear rivers" [4], where "culture cherished those from afar" [5] and "the myriad nations lived in harmony."
China's decline began after the mid-Ming Dynasty. Comrade Deng Xiaoping once spoke about this history. He said: "If we count from the mid-Ming to the Opium War, there were over 300 years of isolationism; if we count from the reign of Kangxi, there were also nearly 200 years. Long-term isolationism left China impoverished, backward, ignorant, and ill-informed." The mid-Ming was around the year 1500. In 1449, the Tumu Crisis [6] occurred, in which the Emperor Yingzong of Ming was captured by the Oirat army; this is regarded as the turning point from prosperity to decline for the Ming. The book 1587, A Year of No Significance by historian Ray Huang also depicts the decline of the Ming. From a macro-historical perspective, he argues that this was not only a turning point for the Ming Dynasty but also for the Chinese nation. At that time, the West had already undergone the Renaissance, and capitalist productive forces and relations of production were developing. Particularly after Columbus discovered the New World in 1492, the process of capitalist globalization began, and the Western world accelerated its pace of development. Marx and Engels discussed this history in the Communist Manifesto. This was precisely during the mid-Ming period. In his famous A Global History, L.S. Stavrianos divided world history into periods before and after 1500, further illustrating that this was a major historical turning point. In the early Ming, Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans occurred nearly 100 years before Columbus, yet the purposes and philosophies of the two were completely different. Thus, China began to fall behind.
By the time of the Kangxi Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, the country appeared powerful, but it was actually the glory of a setting sun. At that time, Britain had already undergone the Glorious Revolution and was leading the pack. France had gone through the Reformation and begun the Enlightenment. Even the originally backward Russia began reforms under Peter the Great in 1698, catching up with the global trend of development. Engels called Peter the Great a "truly great man" because he was able to change with the times. The Qing Dynasty, however, was unaware of the changes in the world, believing itself to be powerful while remaining ideologically rigid and conservative. Kangxi also enjoyed Western learning, but he did not study it as a way to strengthen the nation; he did not understand the new ideas within it and clung to his old ways, regarding Western things as nothing more than "extravagant gadgets and ingenious toys" [7]. China's backwardness at that time was not due to a lack of national strength, but rather a backwardness of philosophy and a backwardness in the nature of its productive forces. The Great Qing Empire could no longer compare with the advanced European nations in terms of awareness, vision, or momentum. Though the Qing was large, it was confined to a single corner, while those Western countries—scoffed at as "tiny insignificant states"—had already set their sights on the entire world.
With the Opium War in 1840, China was defeated, marking the beginning of a history of humiliation. From that point, the history of national rejuvenation—the history of the Chinese Dream—also began.
(II)
For a long period, the Chinese people were indeed "dreaming" but could find no way out. Comrade Mao Zedong wrote in a poem: "Long was the night and slow the crimson dawn to shed its light on the Land of the Red, for a hundred years demons and monsters whirled in a wild dance" [8]. After more than 170 years of struggle, we have now reached the point where the dream is nearly ready to come true. Comrade Xi Jinping said: "We are closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history, and we have more confidence and capability to achieve this goal than at any time in history."
So, what was the process from the "long night" to the "dream coming true"? Looking back at history since the beginning of the modern era, the picture is clear. Dr. Sun Yat-sen proposed the slogan "Revitalize China" and overthrew the Manchu Qing Dynasty, making a significant contribution, but he did not find the path to national rejuvenation. It was only after the founding of the Communist Party of China that the dream gradually became reality through the Party leading the people in unremitting struggle.
This process can be summarized as the "two centuries" and the "dual tasks."
The "two centuries" refer to the two historical stages of realizing the Chinese Dream. The first century spans from the 1840 Opium War to the founding of New China in 1949. This century was a history of moving from having no path forward to finding the road to rejuvenation, achieving national independence and people's liberation. This was the first stage of national rejuvenation. The second century spans from the founding of New China in 1949 to the middle of this century. By the 100th anniversary of the founding of New China, we aim to complete the "third step" of the modernization development strategy proposed by Comrade Deng Xiaoping, building a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious socialist modernized country, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We are currently in the stage of completing the tasks of the second century.
These "two 100-year" periods were first mentioned by Comrade Mao Zedong. Regarding the first century, he discussed it in On New Democracy. As for the second century, he spoke of it in 1961 when receiving British Field Marshal Montgomery. He said: "In our country, to build a powerful socialist economy, I estimate it will take over a hundred years." He also stated: "To catch up with and surpass the most advanced capitalist countries in the world, I don't think it can be done without more than a hundred years." Later, based on this thinking, Comrade Deng Xiaoping proposed the "three-step" development strategy reaching to the middle of the 21st century, making the goals of the second century of the Chinese Dream specific and clear. He said the first step was to solve the problem of food and clothing in the 1980s; the second step was to achieve a moderately prosperous society [9] in the 1990s; and the third step was to spend another 50 years to basically achieve modernization by the middle of the next century. Later, upon the completion of the first and second steps, our Party further specified the third-step goal by proposing the "New Three Steps" strategy. This involved doubling the GNP in the first decade of the new century, doubling it again in the second decade to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society, and then marching toward the great goal of the mid-century.
The "two centuries" show that realizing the Chinese Dream is a historical process of long-term and continuous struggle. Our Party has always persisted toward this goal. The goal of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society proposed in the report to the 18th Party Congress was designed according to this "dream."
The report to the 18th Party Congress also spoke of two centuries: namely, the centenary of the founding of the Party and the centenary of the founding of New China. This does not contradict the "two centuries" mentioned above. The second century is the same, while the first centuries overlap. The 18th Party Congress report emphasized the centenary of the Party's founding to underscore that our current task is to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society by 2020. This is a milestone goal of great significance in the process of realizing the Chinese Dream; it is what we are currently doing. At the same time, starting the count from the founding of the Party conveys a deeper meaning: only after the founding of the CPC did the realization of the Chinese Dream become possible. The founding of the Party and the founding of New China are the two key historical nodes in realizing the Chinese Dream.
What then are the "dual tasks"? This means that realizing national rejuvenation is one task, but for our Party, there is another task: practicing socialism and building socialism with Chinese characteristics.
These "dual tasks" are closely related. We know that in the mid-19th century, two major world events occurred: the Opium War in 1840 and the publication of the Communist Manifesto in 1848, marking the birth of Marxism. At the time, these two events seemed to have no connection, but they became closely linked for China's subsequent development. The Opium War reduced China to a semi-colony, which gave rise to the task of national rejuvenation, while Marxism provided us with the correct path to achieve it. Under the guidance of Marxism, our Party first completed the tasks of national independence and people's liberation through the New Democratic Revolution, and then completed the task of modernization through socialist revolution and construction. History has proven that both saving China and developing China depend on Marxism—specifically, Sinicized Marxism. Therefore, realizing national rejuvenation is our dream, and building socialism to ultimately achieve communism is also our dream. These two are inseparable; they are, in fact, one dream. For Communists, we must particularly never forget the task of building socialism; this is our lofty ideal.
When discussing the Chinese Dream, Comrade Xi Jinping emphasized that to realize the Chinese Dream, we must follow the Chinese path—the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He said that socialism with Chinese characteristics "crystallizes the most fundamental dream of the Chinese nation since the beginning of the modern era: the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." This sentence proves that the Chinese Dream must be anchored in the Chinese path. Only by following this path well can we turn this dream into a great and glorious reality.
(III)
The Chinese Dream is the dream of the state and the nation, but it is also the dream of every individual Chinese person; ultimately, it is the dream of the people. The Chinese Dream and the Chinese path must ultimately land on the happy lives of ordinary people. This is something Comrade Xi Jinping particularly emphasized. He said, "To realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is to realize the prosperity of the country, the revitalization of the nation, and the happiness of the people."
The Chinese Dream is not just an ideal or a goal; it is also a reality reflected in the lives of every Chinese person. The realization of the Chinese Dream must be manifested in solving the specific matters that ordinary people care about, one by one. Only in this way can the masses feel the benefits of this dream—that it is real and attainable, that it pertains to them—and thus be willing to sacrifice and struggle for its realization. Consequently, this dream can truly become a substantive goal that galvanizes and inspires the people. This was precisely the understanding upon which Comrade Deng Xiaoping chose to use the concept of "moderately prosperous" (xiaokang) to describe our goals, and why the 18th Party Congress proposed comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society so that every ordinary person could lead a more affluent and higher-level moderately prosperous life.
Everyone has a dream in their heart; everyone has the right to pursue and enjoy a happy life. What is the dream of the common people? Comrade Xi Jinping addressed this in his first speech after being elected General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He said: "Our people love life and expect better education, more stable jobs, more satisfactory income, more reliable social security, higher levels of medical and health services, more comfortable living conditions, and a more beautiful environment. They expect their children to grow up better, work better, and live better." These words are so grounded, specific, and intimate.
Common prosperity, fairness and justice, democracy and the rule of law, freedom and equality, clean and honest government, integrity and friendliness, civility and harmony, blue skies and clean water, world peace... the new goals and requirements proposed in the report of the 18th National Congress [10] regarding these aspects all reflect the aspirations of the ordinary people.
To realize the Chinese Dream is to realize the dreams of the ordinary people. "The people's yearning for a better life is the goal we strive for." Comrade Xi Jinping has set clear requirements for us: we "must continuously work for the benefit of the people," enabling the people to "jointly enjoy the opportunity to excel in life, jointly enjoy the opportunity to see their dreams come true, and jointly enjoy the opportunity to grow and progress alongside the motherland and the era." We must transform the pursuit of the Chinese Dream into the driving force for performing every aspect of our work well. We must remain modest and prudent, work Diligently and conscientiously [11], and must not harbor the slightest self-complacency or the slightest slackening. We must keep our feet on the ground, make persistent efforts, forge ahead undauntedly, continue to push forward the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and continue to struggle for the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Realizing the Chinese Dream and creating a better life for all the people is a task where the burden is heavy and the road is long [12]; it requires a spirit of tenacity, the power of a city of united wills [13], and the arduous efforts of every single one of us. All happiness in the human world must be created through industrious labor. We must direct our hearts toward the same goal and exert our strength in the same direction, using the wisdom and strength of 1.3 billion people to gather an invincible and majestic force. This is the Chinese spirit; this is the Chinese power—the power of the great unity of all ethnic groups in China. With this spirit and power, any difficulty can be overcome. In the historical process of pursuing the Chinese Dream, the Chinese nation has, through the efforts of generation after generation and the sacrifice of millions of lives, already created countless triumphs and is approaching our grand goal step by step. We must continue to struggle for it. The Chinese Dream is no longer merely a dream, but the increasingly happy and beautiful reality of the Chinese people's lives.
China long ago bid farewell to its history of humiliation [14]; the Chinese nation long ago established itself independently among the forest of nations of the world; and the Chinese people long ago gained dignity in the world. However, to make China even more prosperous and strong, more civilized, and for the Chinese people to be more respected, and for the Chinese nation to make greater contributions to world peace, development, and human progress, we still need to redouble our efforts. Among the Chinese Dreams of the Two Centenaries [15], we have already completed the tasks of the first centenary, and have passed the midway point of the journey toward the second centenary. On a hundred-mile journey, ninety miles is only half the way [16]; when building a mound of nine fathoms, one must not let the work fail for lack of one final basket of earth [17]. The heavy responsibility of history has fallen upon our generation. Every Communist and every Chinese person should be aware of the responsibility on their shoulders and make their own due contribution to the country, the nation, the family, and the children in a down-to-earth manner.