Gao Ren: The Original Contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture to Marxist Cultural Theory
As a theoretical summation of the practical experience in cultural construction led by the Party in the New Era, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture adheres to and strengthens the Party's cultural leadership. With a high degree of cultural autonomy and a strong sense of cultural mission, it is rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese history and culture. By scientifically applying the standpoint, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism, it systematically investigates and answers a series of major theoretical and practical questions regarding propaganda, ideological, and cultural work. It constitutes the "cultural chapter" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, marking a new height in our Party’s understanding of the laws governing the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. It opens a new realm in the development of Marxist cultural theory and makes original Chinese contributions to the enrichment and development of Marxist cultural theory.
1. Adhering to the Party’s cultural leadership and deepening the understanding of the principled positions of Marxist cultural theory
Adhering to and strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership over propaganda, ideological, and cultural work. From the perspective of the developmental process of human society, an emerging class can only establish its leading position in the ideological and cultural spheres by grasping cultural leadership [1] through cultural forms such as literature, art, and education. Whether a proletarian party can successfully govern and whether the socialist cause can ultimately achieve complete victory depends, in a certain sense, on whether "the problem 'only' lies in the cultural strength of the proletariat and its vanguard." General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that we must take a clear-cut stand in adhering to the principle of the Party managing propaganda and ideology, ensuring the Party's flag flies high on the propaganda and ideological front. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is based on the overall height and long-term perspective of the development of the Party and state undertakings. It scientifically summarizes the major achievements and successful experiences of cultural construction under the Party's leadership, emphasizing that propaganda, ideological, and cultural work concerns the future and destiny of the Party, the long-term stability of the state, and national cohesion and centripetal force; it is an extremely important task. If the Party’s comprehensive leadership is abandoned and the Party’s cultural leadership is lost, propaganda, ideological, and cultural work will deviate from the correct direction and track, leading to irreparable historical errors. We must firmly hold the leadership, management, and discourse power in ideological work, integrating the Party's leadership into all aspects of managing propaganda, ideology, media, and the internet. We must build a team for propaganda, ideological, and cultural work that is politically sound, highly capable, realistic, innovative, and able to win battles, providing correct procedural guidance and a strong political guarantee for undertaking the new cultural mission.
Adhering to and consolidating the fundamental guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere. Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology upon which our Party and country are founded; it is the soul and flag of the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "On the fundamental issue of adhering to the guiding position of Marxism, we must be unswerving and never waver in the slightest at any time or under any circumstances." Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emphasizes that ideology determines the direction and developmental path of culture, and that ideological work is the task of establishing a "heart" for the state and a "soul" for the nation. Under the guidance of this important thought, our Party persists in holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We regard consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, consolidating the common ideological foundation for the united struggle of the whole Party and the people of the whole country, building a socialist ideology with strong cohesive and leadership power, building a socialist spiritual civilization with strong vitality and creativity, and building Chinese cultural soft power with strong appeal and influence as the fundamental tasks of propaganda, ideological, and cultural work. This provides a strong ideological guarantee and spiritual strength for opening new chapters in the development of the Party and state.
Adhering to the people-centered value orientation. Being "of the people" is the essential attribute of Marxism, and the people's standpoint is the fundamental political standpoint of Marxist cultural theory. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, our Party implements the worldview and methodology of putting the people first, emphasizing that the people, as the creators of history, are not only the creators of material wealth but also the creators of spiritual wealth. It emphasizes that common prosperity means prosperity in both the material and spiritual lives of the masses—it is necessary to both "enrich the pockets" and "enrich the mind." It emphasizes the unity of Party spirit and "people-ness," unifying the expression of the Party’s propositions with the reflection of the people’s voice. It emphasizes a people-centered work orientation, unifying responsibility to the Party with responsibility to the people, and combining service to the masses with the education and guidance of the masses, as well as meeting needs with improving quality. It emphasizes a people-centered creative orientation, adhering to the fundamental direction of serving the people and serving socialism, placing social benefits first while unifying social and economic benefits, and producing more excellent works that enrich the people's spiritual world and enhance their spiritual strength. It emphasizes a people-centered research orientation, respecting the principal status of the people, focusing on the people's practical creations, and forming theories that are recognized and owned by the people. This important thought is deeply rooted in the people and closely revolves around them; it is a scientific theory that gathers the wisdom of the people, conforms to the will of the people, and wins the hearts of the people. It is a powerful ideological weapon guiding the people to continuously create new brilliance for Chinese culture.
2. Permeated with a high degree of cultural subjectivity, deepening the understanding of the laws of socialist cultural development
Creatively proposing to strengthen cultural confidence and positioning it alongside confidence in our path, theory, and system as the "Four Confidences" of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Cultural confidence is the high degree of affirmation and deep practice by a country, nation, or party of its own cultural ideals and values, maintaining firm confidence in its culture's vitality and creativity. Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, extensive, and profound confidence; it is the most basic, deep-seated, and lasting force in the development of a country and a nation. Only a nation with cultural confidence can stand tall, remain steady, and go far. Cultural confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics relies fundamentally on the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. It is rooted in the unique value system, cultural connotations, spiritual qualities, and splendid achievements formed by over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. It is centrally reflected in the profound grasp of the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization, the inheritance and promotion of fine traditional Chinese culture, the enrichment and development of revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture, the firm belief in the path, theoretical system, and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the respect for and tolerance of the diversity of human civilizations, and the exchange and mutual learning among all outstanding achievements of human civilization. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture treats the strengthening of cultural confidence as a major issue concerning the rise and fall of national fortunes, cultural security, and the independence of the national spirit. It upholds the Chinese cultural standpoint and actively develops a new culture that reflects national characteristics and meets the requirements of the times, developing the modern form of Chinese civilization to provide an inexhaustible driving force for realizing the spiritual independence of the Chinese nation, promoting the development and progress of contemporary China, and creating a new form of human civilization.
Creatively incorporating the persistence of the socialist core value system into the basic strategy for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, while actively cultivating and practicing socialist core values. Socialist core values are the concentrated expression of the contemporary Chinese spirit and the ideological and moral foundation for coagulating China's strength. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly explained the rich connotations, distinct characteristics, and practical requirements of socialist core values. He treats the cultivation and practice of socialist core values as a fundamental project for "soul-cohesion" and "foundation-strengthening" [2], improving institutional guarantees and scientifically answering major questions such as how to improve the ability to integrate social concepts and values, expand the influence of mainstream values, and grasp the initiative, dominance, and discourse power in the field of values. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, our Party upholds the strategic position of the socialist core value system, working to make socialist core values the common value pursuit, unique spiritual pillar, and daily code of conduct for all people. This promotes the comprehensive enrichment of material things and the comprehensive development of human beings, creating a favorable situation for us to fight the hard battle of clashing values and win the competition of cultural soft power amidst the "changes unseen in a century" [3].
Creatively proposing the "Two Combinations," which both uphold the "soul-vein" of Marxism and the "root-vein" of fine traditional Chinese culture, while persisting in advancing with the times, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, and standing at the forefront of the era. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The major proposition of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism itself determines that we must never abandon the soul-vein of Marxism, nor the root-vein of fine traditional Chinese culture. Upholding this soul and root is the basis and prerequisite for theoretical innovation; theoretical innovation is also for the purpose of better upholding this soul and root." General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed the major proposition of the "Two Combinations"—integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture. This centrally reflects the profound grasp that the Communists of the New Era have over the laws of Marxist development and reveals the secret behind why the "tree of theory" of Sinicized and modernized Marxism remains evergreen. This is our Party’s profound summation of the historical experience of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and its profound grasp of the laws of the development of Chinese civilization. It demonstrates that our Party's understanding of the Chinese path, theory, and system has reached a new height, its historical and cultural confidence has reached a new height, and its consciousness in promoting cultural innovation while inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture has reached a new height.
3. Demonstrating a strong sense of cultural mission, deepening the understanding of the methods and paths for building a modern Chinese civilization
To build a modern Chinese civilization, we must strengthen cultural confidence and persist in following our own path. Because every country and nation has different historical traditions, cultural accumulations, and basic national conditions, the cultures they nurture and the paths they form must necessarily have their own characteristics. Chinese civilization has lasted for thousands of years without interruption and has endured through countless hardships—this is not only a miracle of human civilization but also the source of our confidence. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "To strengthen cultural confidence is to persist in walking our own path." The unique cultural tradition, unique historical destiny, and unique basic national conditions of the Chinese nation determine that we must independently follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics. We must be adept at drawing rich nourishment from the unique value system formed by Chinese civilization and from fine traditional Chinese culture—the spiritual lifeblood of the nation—to fully stimulate the cultural confidence of the Chinese nation. Based on the great historical and contemporary practices of the Chinese nation, we must use Chinese logic to summarize Chinese experience and elevate Chinese experience into Chinese theory. We should neither blindly follow various dogmas nor mechanically copy foreign theories. We must achieve spiritual independence and integrate cultural confidence into the spiritual temperament and cultural character of the entire nation, fostering an uplifted demeanor and a rational, peaceful mindset. We must unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, vigorously develop advanced socialist culture, promote revolutionary culture [4], and inherit fine traditional Chinese culture to meet the people's growing spiritual and cultural needs. We must consolidate the common ideological foundation for the united struggle of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups, promote the prosperity of socialist culture, and continuously enhance the influence of Chinese culture.
To build a modern Chinese civilization, we must uphold openness and inclusiveness, and more actively and proactively learn from and borrow all outstanding civilization achievements created by humanity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Openness and inclusiveness are always the source of vitality for the development of civilization and a significant hallmark of cultural confidence." Chinese civilization possesses outstanding inclusiveness, and the Chinese nation is full of the spirit of openness. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has confidently engaged with other nations and cultural exchanges with a broad heart of "Great Harmony under Heaven" [5] and "harmony among all nations." Marxism is an open theoretical system that does not exclude any truth. Lenin once said that Marxism, the ideology of the revolutionary proletariat, won world-historical significance because it did not discard the most precious achievements of the bourgeois era; on the contrary, it absorbed and transformed everything of value in the more than two thousand years of human thought and cultural development. To persist in and develop socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, we must persist in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and persist in integrating the Chinese and the foreign, as well as the ancient and the modern. We must both continue and renew the Chinese cultural lineage and actively harvest the treasures of human civilization, gathering China's strength, telling China’s stories well, and creating a batch of cultural achievements that fuse the ancient and modern and bridge China and the West, forming a theoretical landscape of great breadth that is inclusive and draws from a wide range of sources.
To build a modern Chinese civilization, we must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground, continuing the historical cultural lineage while writing a contemporary chapter of brilliance. For a civilization to develop sustainably, it needs both the passing of the torch from generation to generation and the removal of the old to make way for the new in accordance with the times. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "For cultural construction, only by upholding the fundamentals can we avoid losing ourselves and our direction; only by breaking new ground can we grasp and lead the era." Building a modern Chinese civilization is itself a historical process of developing while persisting, and breaking new ground while upholding the fundamentals. On the journey of promoting the construction of a strong socialist cultural power and a modern Chinese civilization, we must firmly uphold the fundamental system of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, uphold the fundamental requirement of the "Two Combinations," and safeguard the CPC's cultural leadership and the Chinese nation's cultural subjectivity. This ensures the correct direction and solid foundation for the construction of a modern Chinese civilization. At the same time, we must earnestly implement the important requirements of the "Seven Focuses" [6], innovating ideological concepts, ways of thinking, modes of behavior, institutional mechanisms, and work methods. We must use innovation to add momentum to the development of civilization and activate the "source water" of civilizational progress. We should persist in making the past serve the present and bringing forth the new from the old, realizing an organic connection and mutual brilliance between the traditional and the modern. We must promote the continuous development of Chinese civilization through inheritance and innovation, and its continuous sublimation through adaptation to changes, constantly displaying a new atmosphere and creating new brilliance.
Marx once said that whatever a nation does as a nation, it does for human society. Building a modern Chinese civilization is not only the Chinese nation creating its own civilization and happiness but also an important exploration for promoting the progress of human civilization and peaceful development. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a continuously unfolding, open system of thought. It will surely continue to be enriched and developed as the cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation advances, thereby continuously exerting powerful truth-force and practical might for creating a new culture belonging to our era, building a modern Chinese civilization, and promoting the free and comprehensive development of human beings.