Hao Shucui: The "Two Combinations" Create a New Cultural Entity
The prosperity of culture leads to the prosperity of the national fortune; a strong culture leads to a strong nation. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has systematically planned and deployed efforts regarding public communication, ideology, and cultural work from a global and strategic height, driving historical achievements and transformations in the cultural undertakings of the New Era. In particular, our Party has persisted in combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture—the "Two Combinations"—creating a new, organically unified cultural entity. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that the "Two Combinations" are the greatest "magic weapon" [1] for our success. He has called for a profound understanding of the great significance of the "Two Combinations," noting that "the 'combination' is not a 'platter' or a simple 'physical reaction,' but a profound 'chemical reaction.'" This clarifies the laws of motion and the resulting forms of the "Two Combinations," providing a theoretical weapon and a guide for action to better shoulder the new cultural mission at a new starting point.
From a theoretical perspective, the formation of the new cultural entity stems from the mutual compatibility and mutual achievement of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. From a historical perspective, the new cultural entity pertains not only to the New Era but also to the Party’s century-long struggle, its power having been fully verified in the process of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. From the perspective of future orientation, as socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, better shouldering the historical mission of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires us to consolidate our cultural subjectivity and uphold our spiritual independence. Driving the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization through Marxism, and continuing to promote cultural prosperity, building a leading cultural nation, and developing a modern Chinese civilization at this new starting point, has thus become the new cultural mission of the New Era.
Stemming from the mutual compatibility and achievement of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The 'Second Combination' [2] makes Marxism Chinese and China’s fine traditional culture modern, allowing the new culture formed through this 'combination' to become the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization." This important thesis is built upon a profound synthesis of the historical experience of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and a deep grasp of the laws governing the development of Chinese civilization; it possesses a profound theoretical foundation.
The prerequisite for "combination" is mutual compatibility. Although Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture have different origins, they share a high degree of compatibility. After Marxism was introduced to China, it was warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and eventually took root and bore fruit in the land of China. This is precisely because the fine historical culture inherited in our country for thousands of years, and the values that the vast masses "use daily without realizing" [3], share many points of affinity with Marxism in terms of philosophical thought, value pursuits, thinking habits, and core propositions. For example, the Marxist pursuit of liberation for all humanity resonates with the tradition of "taking the world as one’s responsibility" [4] in China’s fine traditional culture; the ideal of a communist society resonates with the social ideals of "the world belongs to the public" [5] and "Great Unity" [6]; the political concept of "putting the people foremost" resonates with the governance ideas that "people are the foundation of the state" [7] and "governing through virtue" [8]; the view opposing the polarization of wealth resonates with the concept that "one does not worry about scarcity, but about inequality" [9]; and the view that practice is the sole source of knowledge resonates with the philosophical ideas of "seeking truth from facts" [10] and the "unity of knowledge and action" [11]. All of these reflect the mutual compatibility between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. This mutual compatibility laid an important foundation for the organic combination of the two.
The result of "combination" is mutual achievement. "Combination" not only makes Marxism "Chinese" but also makes China’s fine traditional culture "modern." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "When Marxism entered China, it both triggered a profound transformation of Chinese civilization and underwent a process of gradual Sinicization." Throughout the historical periods of revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has consistently adhered to the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities, using Marxism as a guide to study and solve various major theoretical and practical problems. This historical process is also one of using Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods to study and excavate the excellent genes of traditional Chinese culture, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture. It is a process of realizing the combination and even mutual achievement of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture in practice. While Marxism profoundly changed China, it also integrated itself into Chinese civilization, thereby continuously enriching the cultural life of Marxism. Meanwhile, Chinese civilization has been able to activate its own genes through the "light of truth" of Marxism, achieving life renewal and modern transformation.
Practical verification in the process of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Why is our socialism different? Why is it able to be so full of life and vitality? The key lies in Chinese characteristics. The key to Chinese characteristics lies in the 'Two Combinations'." This tells us both that the "Two Combinations" are the only path to open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest "magic weapon" for success; it also clearly elucidates that the power of the new cultural entity created by the "Two Combinations" has already been fully verified in the process of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.
The Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people on a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, every step of which is based on China’s specific realities and China’s fine traditional culture. At the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth CPC Central Committee, Comrade Mao Zedong provided a profound exposition on the Sinicization of Marxism, emphasizing that making Marxism concrete in China and ensuring that its every manifestation carries the necessary Chinese characteristics means applying it according to China’s specific traits. During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Chinese communists, with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their chief representative, made the historic decision to shift the focus of the Party and state’s work to economic construction and to implement reform and opening up, proposing to "follow our own path and build socialism with Chinese characteristics." As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has persisted in the "Two Combinations," adhering to the "soul-vein" [12] of Marxism and the "root-vein" [13] of China’s fine traditional culture. They founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, forming new theoretical and practical advantages, and driving historical achievements and transformations in the cause of the Party and the state.
The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics was forged under the guidance of Marxism and emerged from the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization. The new cultural entity created by the "Two Combinations" is increasingly radiating new vigor and vitality in the new practice of building a leading cultural nation.
Continuously constructing a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, building a leading cultural nation, and developing a modern Chinese civilization at a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era." In the long river of history, Chinese civilization has established peaks of civilization through unique innovation and creation and through consistent, inherited perseverance. In the New Era, on the new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with firm cultural self-awareness and cultural confidence, has proposed the new cultural mission of the New Era based on the continuous consolidation of cultural subjectivity, pointing out the value pursuit of the new cultural entity.
General Secretary Xi Jinping said: "Where do we come from? Where are we going? Having reached where we are today, I remind myself at every moment to have this kind of sense of history... China has firm confidence in its path, theory, and system; its essence is a cultural confidence built on the basis of over 5,000 years of civilized inheritance." The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation must be supported by a cultural rejuvenation and will inevitably bring about the great development and prosperity of culture. In the process of promoting and expanding Chinese-path modernization, we realize the resonance between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture, vigorously promoting the construction of a modern Chinese civilization to gather a more fundamental, profound, and lasting force for national rejuvenation. This also requires that the practice of building a modern Chinese civilization construct a cultural atmosphere and endow a civilized temperament for the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization. In this sense, the new cultural entity created by the "Two Combinations" is the most vital. Rooted in the over 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation’s civilization, and taking the continued promotion of cultural prosperity, the building of a leading cultural nation, and the development of a modern Chinese civilization as its contemporary concerns, it possesses deep historical origins and a broad realistic foundation. It is compatible with the Chinese path, Chinese theory, and the Chinese system, allowing for the creation of a cultural form that matches the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The best inheritance of history is the creation of new history; the greatest tribute to human civilization is the creation of a new form of human civilization. The new cultural entity is an inevitable creation of the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization. In the process of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, in the inheritance and development of China’s fine traditional culture, and in the practical exploration of promoting the localization of foreign cultures, it will surely continue to cultivate and create the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a leading cultural nation, and develop a modern Chinese civilization, while continuously constructing a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation.