Lin Jianhua: Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has Deepened the Understanding of the Laws Governing the Construction of Socialist Culture with Chinese Characteristics
The National Conference on Public Propaganda and Cultural Work convened in October 2023 officially proposed Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. This important thought provides profound answers to the fundamental questions of what kind of culture should be built in the New Era and how to build it. It further deepens the Party's understanding of the laws governing the development of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, contributing Chinese wisdom to leading new cultural progress in the world and creating a new form of human civilization. This important thought possesses the distinct characteristic of "clarifying the Substance and attaining its Application, while integrating Substance and Application" [1]. It is the correct theoretical summation of the achievements and experiences of cultural construction in the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It upholds, inherits, enriches, and develops the Marxist view of culture, forming the cultural chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This important thought marks a new height of cultural self-awareness and cultural confidence [2] in socialism with Chinese characteristics, serving as a scientific guide for action to realize the new cultural mission of the New Era, and holds significant milestone importance in the history of the Party’s development of propaganda, ideology, and culture.
I. Cultural construction occupies a vital position in the Party’s governance and administration in the New Era
Culture concerns the foundation and destiny of a nation. When culture flourishes, the nation’s destiny flourishes; when culture is strong, the nation is strong. In the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country, cultural construction serves as both an essential component and a vital pillar of strength. Building a leading cultural power is an inherent requirement for comprehensively building a great modern socialist country. In the New Era, cultural inheritance and development have achieved historic success and undergone historic shifts; the building of a socialist cultural power has taken solid steps and presented a brand-new outlook. Xi Jinping pointed out: "To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must adhere to the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics." By "shaking the leaves to find the root, and observing the waves to trace the source" [3], we see that socialist culture with Chinese characteristics has its origins. It comes from the extensive, profound, and long-standing fine traditional Chinese culture; it comes from the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created by the Party in uniting and leading the Chinese people; and it comes from the great practice of socialist construction with Chinese characteristics. Socialist culture with Chinese characteristics is a powerful spiritual force that inspires the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups to work with one heart and mind and forge ahead with courage. Profoundly recognizing that cultural power is the most fundamental, deepest, and most enduring force, and that cultural confidence is the more basic, broader, and deeper confidence, Xi Jinping has placed cultural construction in an important position within the overall cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era and the Party's practice of governance. It is in this sense that the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture possesses a realistic material basis and profound strategic significance.
II. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a process of gradual formation and continuous enrichment and development
Xi Jinping Thought on Culture was formed and has been continuously enriched and developed on the basis of summarizing the Party’s precious experience in leading cultural construction over the past century, and particularly through the process of theoretical and practical innovation in the Party’s leadership of cultural construction in the New Era.
In August 2013, the National Conference on Public Propaganda and Ideological Work identified consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field and consolidating the common ideological foundation for the united struggle of the whole Party and the people of the whole country as the fundamental tasks of propaganda and ideological work. In July 2016, in his speech at the ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping creatively incorporated cultural confidence into the "Four Confidences" [4], highlighting the cultural undertones of socialist construction with Chinese characteristics and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In October 2017, in the report to the 19th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping first proposed the major proposition of the "new cultural mission," requiring the "promotion of the prosperity and flourishing of socialist culture." In August 2018, in his speech at the National Conference on Public Propaganda and Ideological Work, Xi Jinping proposed the mission and task of "raising the flag, gathering the people’s hearts, nurturing new people, revitalizing culture, and presenting a good image," which centrally summarized the Party's understanding of the laws of propaganda and ideological work, namely the "Nine Adherences" [5]. In July 2021, in his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must continue to promote the Sinicization of Marxism" and "insist on combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture." This "Second Integration" [6] is another liberation of the mind. It has greatly liberated cultural thought and cultural productive forces; it has greatly expanded the space for us to create a new culture of the era; and it has greatly provided the possibility of upholding the fundamentals of the precious resources of fine traditional Chinese culture while breaking new ground in future-oriented cultural theories and cultural institutions. This marked the increasing maturity of Xi Jinping’s theoretical achievements regarding cultural construction.
In October 2022, the 20th CPC National Congress made principled regulations and key deployments for cultural construction: namely, adhering to the fundamental system of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field; adhering to the principles of serving the people and serving socialism; adhering to the policy of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend; and adhering to creative transformation and innovative development. It aimed to build a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership, extensively practice socialist core values, improve the level of civilization across society, prosper and develop cultural undertakings and cultural industries, and enhance the reaching power and influence of Chinese civilization. In June 2023, at a symposium on cultural inheritance and development, Xi Jinping proposed: "Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, building a leading cultural power, and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation from a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era," and made specific emphasis from 14 aspects, thereby giving the new cultural mission a richer connotation and a clearer direction.
In October 2023, Xi Jinping made important instructions on propaganda, ideological, and cultural work, taking "arming the whole Party and educating the people with the Party’s innovative theories" as the primary political task. Focusing on the new cultural mission of the New Era, he emphasized the principles of "firming up cultural confidence, upholding openness and inclusiveness, and upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground," and put forward clear requirements across seven aspects, including leadership strength, work patterns, main goals, and external communication. These represent the direction for the development of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and the tasks of cultural construction on the new journey of the New Era, marking the official formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.
III. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture "clarifies the Substance and attains its Application, while integrating Substance and Application," constituting an organic unity of theory and practice
The era is the mother of thought, and practice is the source of theory. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture grasps socialist cultural construction within the trend of the development and progress of human civilization; examines it against the grand background of global cultural interplay; considers it within the long river of the continuous inheritance of Chinese civilization; and advances it within the strategic overall situation of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. It clearly proposes a series of major innovative viewpoints, encompassing both epistemology and methodology, both macro-level overall guidance and specific-level practical paths, both innovation and breakthroughs in cultural theoretical viewpoints, and deployments and requirements for the layout of cultural work. It highlights the distinct characteristics of "clarifying the Substance and attaining its Application, while integrating Substance and Application," and further deepens our Party's understanding of the laws of building socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. This is both cultural confidence and cultural self-awareness in the New Era.
Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is extensive and profound, adhering to the combination of inheritance and innovation, the unity of theory and practice, the integration of nationality and worldliness, and the connection of timeliness and historicity. It possesses not only profound viewpoints, strategic plans, and scientific deployments, but also correct positions and effective methods. It is highly systematic, logical, innovative, people-centered, and practical. It is a scientific theory based on the foundation of the era, answering the questions of the era, and leading the changes of the era.
On the new journey of the New Era, we must profoundly comprehend the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," resolutely achieve the "Two Upholds," and persist in taking Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as our guide. We must construct a new pattern for cultural construction in the New Era, providing a scientific ideological guarantee, powerful spiritual motivation, and favorable cultural conditions for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation. This is a question we must answer to shoulder our new cultural mission, and we must answer it well, delivering an excellent response to the era and the people.