Li Yi: Deeply Understanding the Rich Connotations of the "Second Integration"
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "'The Second Combination' is a profound summary of our Party's historical experience in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and a profound grasp of the laws governing the development of Chinese civilization. It indicates that our Party’s understanding of the Chinese path, theory, and system has reached a new height; that our Party’s historical and cultural confidence has reached a new height; and that our Party's consciousness in advancing cultural innovation while inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture has reached a new height." This is a concentrated summary of the status and significance of the "Second Combination" and a profound revelation of its rich connotation, highlighting the more fundamental, broader, deeper, and more lasting role and power of culture. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a major achievement of the "Two Combinations," and the "Two Combinations"—especially the "Second Combination"—run like a red thread through the entirety of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. In this sense, we must profoundly realize that to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, we must firmly grasp the "Second Combination." We should enhance our understanding of objective laws through the mutual alignment and achievement of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture, and ensure that this is engraved in our hearts, established in our words, and practiced in our actions as we open new frontiers in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.
I. The Transition from the "First Combination" to the "Second Combination" is an Inevitable Result of the Development of the Times
The transition from the "First Combination" to the "Second Combination" is a concentrated manifestation of the law-based development of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Persisting in combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities is a creation of Chinese Communists. As a summary of objective laws, "combining" reinforces, on the one hand, the essential requirements of Marxism; because Marxist theory originates from practice, it can only play its proper role and demonstrate its vitality by returning to practice. On the other hand, it reinforces the application of the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method, constantly opening up channels, modes, and forces for solving Chinese problems. Whether in the "First Combination" or the "Second Combination," the prior element of the "combination" is always the basic principles of Marxism. This is the prerequisite and the foundation. While the "First Combination" emphasizes objective socio-economic reality, the "Second Combination" emphasizes historical and cultural reality. The culture contained in the "First Combination" is broad, acting as a factor permeated throughout the economy and society; the culture in the "Second Combination" is specific, acting as an independent factor, reinforcing the role of culture as a more fundamental, deeper, and more lasting force.
In an 1885 letter to the Russian citizen Vera Ivanovna Zasulich, Engels pointed out: "Marx’s historical theory is the fundamental condition of any settled and consistent revolutionary tactic; to find such a tactic one has only to apply the theory to the economic and political conditions of the country in question." "But to do this, one must know these conditions." In a 1956 talk with music workers, Mao Zedong discussed how the basic principles for realizing the socialist revolution take different forms in different countries. "The October Revolution and the Chinese Revolution differ in many ways. In the Soviet Union, it was from the city to the countryside; for us, it was from the countryside to the city." The difference in the choice of revolutionary paths and the forms of manifestation for realizing basic revolutionary principles stems fundamentally from the differing realities of the two countries. Every country has its own distinct historical and cultural reality. It is both necessary and inevitable to combine a nation's theory with its own historical and cultural reality. "Combination" is the summary of the laws for upholding and developing Marxism and is the specific path for upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. In the development of this "combination," we blazed a revolutionary path of encircling the cities from the countryside, achieved victory in the New Democratic Revolution [1], and achieved brilliant successes by combining these principles with China's specific realities during the periods of socialist revolution and construction, the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is precisely because we adhere to "combination" that we can continuously uphold the truth and correct errors. As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "The experiences of history—both positive and negative—show that the 'Two Combinations' are the greatest magic weapon for our success."
The transition from the "First Combination" to the "Second Combination" is an inevitable requirement of the development of the times. If we say the "First Combination" strengthens the specific process of Marxism's development in China, the "Second Combination" more prominently highlights the cultural foundation and substance of Chinese Marxism. Bringing culture to the fore as an independent element has important symbolic significance in both theory and practice. From the perspective of the relationship between social existence and social consciousness and the laws governing the integration of different ideologies and cultures, the combination moving from economy and politics to culture is a process of deepening the understanding of the laws of practice. Just as the clash and integration of Chinese and Western cultures since modern times moved from the level of physical artifacts to systems and then to culture, we initially learned and introduced Western technology after seeing their "sturdy ships and powerful cannons" (the Yangwu Movement [2]), then learned their systems (eventually leading to the Revolution of 1911), until the May Fourth New Culture Movement, where we saw more of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures and sought to solve problems at the level of thought and culture. This is precisely the process of breaking ideological shackles and realizing conceptual change; it is also where the laws of the changing times and social transformation lie.
To understand the process from the "First Combination" to the "Second Combination," one must fully recognize the foundational role of culture. When we say culture is a reflection of politics and economics, we are speaking of its source; when we speak of its foundational role, we are speaking of the manner and degree to which it exerts influence. The cultural traditions formed throughout a nation's history are often more stable and exert a broader influence than institutional frameworks like politics and law. This is because the formation of a nation's history and culture is identical to the formation and development of the nation itself. In a sense, it is the nation's development that creates its culture, but it is also because such a culture was formed that such a nation exists. The way culture exerts its influence is cumulative and subtle; in terms of the degree of its impact, it is long-accumulated and even "deep-rooted." This is the characteristic and the essence of culture.
Whether it is the "First Combination" or the "Second Combination," both face and address a common problem: "foreign dogmatism" [3]. The "First Combination" targeted the problem of dogmatizing Marxism-Leninism—treating Marxism as a "creed" rather than a method. The "Second Combination" targets the problem of dogmatizing Western thought and culture—blindly trusting, copying, and mimicking Western ideas. This involves "revering the foreign," "beautifying the foreign," and "obeying the foreign," regarding winning foreign awards as the ultimate pursuit, following in others' footsteps [4], and being keen on "de-ideologization," "de-valorization," "de-historicization," "de-Sinicization," and "de-mainstreaming." Some style themselves as modern "public intellectuals" and use abstract "legal principles" to tailor the history of aggression by Western powers, reaching the conclusion that the victims of aggression were "in the wrong." In some disciplines, Marxist theory is "missing its tongue" (speechless), in textbooks it is "missing its person" (absent), and in forums it is "missing its voice" (silent). The ideological trends reflected in this "triple loss" have overlapped to produce theories of "Marxism as obsolete" and the "thinning of ideology." Their essence is to deny the guiding position of Marxism, resulting in the loss of the foundation and depth of our faith and convictions. Mao Zedong once said: "The imperialists have long spread the idea that they are civilized, noble, and hygienic. This still has an influence in the world, such as the existence of a slave mentality. We too were slaves of imperialism; having been so for a long time, our spirit was affected." "Some people have been slaves for so long that they feel inferior in everything, unable to straighten their backs in front of foreigners, like Jia Gui in the play The Famen Temple: when others tell him to sit, he says he is used to standing and doesn't want to sit." [5] Blindly believing in Western "foreign dogmas" unconsciously changes one's concepts and discards one's own "traditions," leading to a loss of theoretical consciousness, cultural confidence, and spiritual independence.
In recent years, the West has continuously exported "cultural hegemony," promoting social trends such as liberalism, historical nihilism, and cultural nihilism, and advocating theories of constitutional democracy and "universal values," "always attempting to make our Party change its banner and its name." This has undoubtedly added fuel to the fire for those who believe in "foreign dogmas." Samuel Huntington argued that in the post-Cold War world, states increasingly define their interests in terms of civilizations. In this sense, he divided the world into Western and non-Western parts—that is, the Western world is uniform, Western civilization is a whole, and it is "universal." This actually reflects a psychology of dominating the world through Western civilization; the so-called "Clash of Civilizations" theory merely provided the ideological basis and cultural foundation for this. This is enough to see the "overbearing" nature of Western culture. Joseph Needham believed that Westerners had reached conclusions about the universality and superiority of their own culture. Moreover, "because of this 'superiority,' it is said that the expansion of European culture was the result of natural development." "The inhabitants of both sides of the Atlantic have for centuries harbored a peculiar ruling psychology. This psychology is the direct result of the great power to conquer nature brought about by the scientific movement after the Renaissance. Today, this ruling psychology has become a threat to the whole world." "Of course, this psychology developed gradually from small to large; at the same time, it is inseparable from the technology of war."
In Needham’s view, the West’s "ruling psychology" stems mainly from its advantages in science and technology since modern times, which generated a universal value system that regards everything of its own as "superior." The so-called Western "universalism" believes that "the people of the whole world should believe in Western values, systems, and culture, and assumes they contain the highest, most progressive, most free, most rational, most modern, and most civilized ideas of mankind." Regarding this, Huntington had to admit it encountered three problems: it is false, it is immoral, and it is dangerous. He thus reached the conclusion that "imperialism is the necessary logical consequence of universalism." Huntington tried to distinguish between the universality and particularity of Western civilization, arguing that the United States, as the most powerful Western nation, has the responsibility to preserve, maintain, and revive the unique characteristics of Western civilization. In reality, however, within an ideological logic that is full of "superiority" and always presents itself as a "world police" and "judge," how can its particularity be distinguished from its universality? Behind the US and the West’s insistence on "universal values" lies precisely a loss of civilizational self-awareness, making them overbearing hegemons who violate objective laws and defy morality.
To discard the "pride and prejudice" of Western civilization and recognize the breadth and depth of Chinese civilization, we must, on the one hand, trace Chinese civilization back through the long river of history and, on the other hand, grasp it within the historical process of Chinese revolution, construction, and reform—especially the New Era. If we ignore Chinese history, culture, and reality, and transplant Western theories in their entirety, following them blindly and treating Western concepts as gospel, using their one-sided views to explain China’s development and practice, how can we speak of building a strong country or national rejuvenation?
The "Second Combination" is both an inevitable conclusion of adhering to a problem-oriented approach to answering the "Questions of China" and the "Questions of the Times," and a full manifestation of upholding the fundamentals while breaking new ground—upholding the fundamentals of history, the path, the system, and culture, while creating new theory and a new era. Fine traditional Chinese culture is both the ideological and cultural foundation for "letting Marx speak Chinese" and the deep, persistent foundation and nourishment for our faith and convictions. To persist in combining the basic principles of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture is to integrate the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of fine traditional Chinese culture, and to merge it with the common values that the people "use daily without realizing." [6] We must face the future with more determined historical and cultural confidence, ensuring steady and sustained progress.
II. The "Second Combination" is the Combination of the "Soul-Vein" and the "Root-Vein"
While presiding over the sixth group study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:
"The major proposition of building the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism itself determines that we must never abandon the soul-conduit [7] of Marxism, nor the root-conduit of fine traditional Chinese culture. Adhering to this soul and root is the foundation and prerequisite for theoretical innovation." Treating Marxism as the "soul-conduit" and fine traditional Chinese culture as the "root-conduit" is not merely a theoretical interpretation in the general sense; rather, it reveals the essential relationship between the two and their importance to the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. A "root" without a "soul" loses its vital energy; a "soul" without a "root" has no ground to rely upon. The "second combination" [8] emerges from the process of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, just as it emerges from the historical and cultural depths of China. It takes the mutual compatibility between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture as its prerequisite and mutual achievement as its orientation, continuing the "root-conduit" of the Chinese nation and driving a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Why is our socialism different? Why is it full of vitality and vigor? The key lies in Chinese characteristics. The key to Chinese characteristics lies in the 'two combinations'." The proposition of the "two combinations," especially the "second combination," fundamentally strengthens the cultural foundation of our faith and belief in adhering to Marxism.
Some people always believe that because Marxism was born in the West, it has no roots in China. On the eve of the founding of New China, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson openly stated that "democratic individualists" in China should be encouraged to throw off so-called "foreign yokes." This meant overthrowing Marxism-Leninism and the system of the people's democratic dictatorship led by the Communist Party of China. The implication was that this ideology and system were "foreign," had no roots in China, and were imposed upon the Chinese people by Marx from Germany and Lenin and Stalin from Russia. The "second combination" is precisely what resolves the issue of the ideological and cultural foundations of our faith. Because Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture possess ideological consistency and cultural affinity, their fundamental compatibility lies in their worldviews and values; to a certain extent, the "bloodlines" between the two are connected.
We must persist in activating the "root-conduit" with the "soul-conduit." Culture concerns the foundation and destiny of the state. The cultural lineage and the state lineage are as close as lips and teeth [9]. "The strength of a country or a nation is always supported by cultural prosperity; the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the development and prosperity of Chinese culture as a condition." The American scholar Bryan Coo (Xiong Jie) [10] once commented: "The challenge Xi Jinping faces is that he cannot allow China to become a cultural vagrant or a spiritual beggar; therefore, he must awaken the traditional cultural genes within Chinese culture while simultaneously endowing them with a modernized soul." In this sense, the "second combination" lies in activating the "root-conduit" with the "soul-conduit," using the "arrow" of Marxist truth to shoot the "target" (di) [11] of fine traditional Chinese culture, activating its "heart," and thereby consolidating the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation.
In his article "The Bankruptcy of the Idealist Conception of History," Mao Zedong mentioned that Acheson once said: "China’s own high culture and civilization, with more than three thousand years of development, remained largely untouched by foreign influence... By the mid-nineteenth century, the West broke through the wall of Chinese isolation, which had previously been insurmountable. These outsiders brought aggressiveness, brought unparalleled Western technology, and brought a high culture that previous invaders had never brought to China. Partly because of these qualities, and partly because of the decline of Qing rule, the Westerners were not assimilated by China; instead, they introduced many new ideas, which played an important role and stirred up unrest and unease." Acheson believed that because Marxism had no roots in China, it would not last. In refuting Acheson's so-called "causal theory" [12], Mao Zedong argued that for more than seventy years from the Opium War to the May Fourth Movement in 1919, the Chinese people had no ideological weapon to resist imperialism. They had tried to learn things from the Western bourgeois ideological storehouse, but these were very weak and were all defeated. The Russian Revolution awakened the Chinese people, and they learned something new: Marxism-Leninism. Therefore, "The reason why Marxism-Leninism played such a great role in China is because China's social conditions necessitated it, because it became linked with the practice of the Chinese people's revolution, and because it was mastered by the Chinese people."
"Since the Chinese people learned Marxism-Leninism, they have transformed from being passive to being active in spirit. From this moment on, the era in modern world history characterized by looking down upon the Chinese people and Chinese culture should come to an end. The great and victorious Chinese People's War of Liberation and the Great People's Revolution have revived and are reviving the great culture of the Chinese people. In its spiritual aspect, this culture of the Chinese people has already surpassed that of the entire capitalist world. For example, the level of understanding of modern China and the modern world held by the likes of U.S. Secretary of State Acheson is below that of an ordinary soldier in the Chinese People's Liberation Army." The transformation of the Chinese spirit from passive to active and the continuous revival of the Chinese nation's culture is precisely because Marxism brought advanced ideological and cultural theory to China, took deep root in Chinese soil, led China into the modern world, and promoted the renewal of life and the modern transformation of Chinese civilization. Mao Zedong once pointed out: "To study our historical legacy and summarize it critically using the Marxist method is another task of our study." The "root-conduit" of fine traditional Chinese culture, nurtured through over five thousand years of sovereign development, has always been there. We cannot abandon it—"to abandon tradition and lose one's foundation is equivalent to cutting off one's own spiritual lifeline"—nor can we ignore it. We must persist in using Marxism to activate the vital and excellent elements within fine traditional Chinese culture and endow them with new connotations of the times, thereby making fine traditional Chinese culture more vital, appealing, and influential.
We must persist in enriching the "soul-conduit" with the "root-conduit." The emergence of any theory has its economic and political conditions, as well as its historical and cultural soil. Lenin once said: "It is especially necessary to explore Marx's theory independently, because it provides only general guiding principles, and the application of these principles, specifically speaking, is different in England than in France, in France than in Germany, and in Germany than in Russia." Therefore, Engels repeatedly emphasized that the Marxist worldview is not a "dogma," but a method. His starting point for research emphasized realistic practice and took historical tradition and accumulated culture as its foundation to continuously develop his theory. This is also an effective way for Marxism to be continuously enriched and developed in practice. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "unswervingly persist in developing Marxism by rooting it in the fertile soil of our own country and national history and culture," and "inject the great spirit and rich wisdom of the Chinese nation into Marxism at a deeper level." The tree of Marxist truth can only be deep-rooted and luxuriant if it is planted in the fertile soil of Chinese historical culture.
On one hand, practice has proven that "after Marxism was introduced to China, the fact that the propositions of scientific socialism were warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and eventually took root, blossomed, and bore fruit on Chinese soil was by no means accidental. Rather, it was because they were compatible with the excellent historical culture passed down in our country for thousands of years and with the values that the masses use daily without even realizing it." On the other hand, "Marxism does not exclude any truth; regardless of when or where it comes from, as long as it is a truthful understanding, it can serve as nourishment to enrich and develop itself." To continue advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must continuously draw nourishment from all excellent achievements of human civilization, including fine traditional Chinese culture, to form a grand theoretical pattern and atmosphere characterized by inclusiveness and learning from the strengths of all.
We must persist in connecting the "soul-conduit" and "root-conduit" to create a new cultural lifeform. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "'Combination' is not a 'platter' [13], nor is it a simple 'physical reaction,' but a profound 'chemical reaction' that creates an organically unified new cultural lifeform." In this sense, realizing the "second combination" is not simply twisting Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture together while they each follow their own "conduit"; rather, it is the integration of the two, effectively connecting the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of fine traditional Chinese culture to produce a fusion [14] that creates a new theoretical advantage. The "second combination" is a theoretical fusion, and moreover, a convergence of thought and spirit. Joseph Needham once said: "Since China adopted communism, China's social system and philosophical thought entered a new and different 'historical stage' for the first time, surpassing the boundaries of two great historical civilizations and transferring from one vast social organism to another." The new cultural lifeform created by the connection of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture will surely push Chinese civilization into a new "historical stage." Just as the "first combination" was an ideological liberation, the "second combination" is an ideological liberation at a deeper intellectual level—a deep integration of mind and soul. Facing the needs of the situation and realistic problems, we must deeply grasp the pulse of the "Questions of China, the Questions of the World, the Questions of the People, and the Questions of the Times," connecting history and reality, theory and practice, thought and culture, to produce our own answers.
III. The "Second Combination" Consolidates Cultural Subjectivity
Subjectivity is consciousness and agency, but even more so, it is confidence and inner strength. For any culture to stand firm, go far, and possess the power to lead, unite, shape, and radiate influence, it must have its own subjectivity. Only with cultural subjectivity can there be a firm sense of self in a cultural sense, the determination and consciousness to shoulder new cultural missions, and spiritual independence and autonomy. We must deeply realize that: "The fact that China took this path is inseparable from Chinese culture. The inherent genetic code of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we follow is right here—it lies in the gene of fine traditional Chinese culture." Lenin once said that Marxism "is by no means a doctrine that is self-contained and rigid, produced away from the main road of world civilization." Great China has a long history and a magnificent civilization. To know the "Great Way" (dadao) [15], one must first study history. Persisting in combining the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture is the inevitable way, the correct way, and also the way of civilization and light. For a major country like China, whose five-thousand-year civilization has never been interrupted and continues to shine brilliantly, we must not only strengthen the "root" of civilization and culture but also strengthen the "trunk" of civilization and culture, continuously consolidating cultural subjectivity to provide strong spiritual support for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Cultural subjectivity was established by the Communist Party of China leading the people on Chinese soil. To continue consolidating this subjectivity, we must persist in the Party’s overall leadership and unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics. Chinese Communists are the faithful inheritors of fine traditional Chinese culture. Defining the "second combination" is not only a realistic need for us to consolidate cultural subjectivity but also embodies the historical responsibility and mission of contemporary Chinese Communists. Consolidating cultural subjectivity is a process of "taking ourselves as the mainstay" while absorbing everything useful. This is both self-confidence and self-reliance. Chinese Communists adhere to the great way of human development and inherit the great cause of the Chinese national spirit; persisting in cultural subjectivity is a conscious, proactive choice. Only by persisting in cultural subjectivity can Marxism take root in practice and fine traditional Chinese culture be activated, thereby endowing the development of Marxism with Chinese characteristics. This is also the fundamental issue of maintaining cultural leadership [16]. The reason why the Communist Party of China is an advanced party that adheres to and develops Marxism is also that it stands on Chinese soil and absorbs the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture. Chinese Communists are loyal "warriors" in adhering to and developing Marxism, as well as the backbone in promoting and inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture and consolidating cultural subjectivity.
General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out:
"The greatest national condition of China is the leadership of the Communist Party of China. What constitutes Chinese characteristics? This is precisely what they are. The system led by the Communist Party of China is our own; it was not cloned from anywhere, nor was it developed by following in the footsteps of others. Whatever beneficial elements we absorb must ultimately be localized." This represents confidence in our path, theory, system, and culture, and is an inevitable requirement for our persistence on the road of independence and self-reliance. In a certain sense, the process of consolidating cultural subjectivity is also a process of promoting the modernization and localization of fine traditional Chinese culture—and indeed all fine ideological and cultural achievements of humanity. Feng Youlan [17] once remarked that Chinese Marxism has two philosophical sources: one is Marxism as transmitted from the West, and the other is Chinese classical philosophy. Precisely because it possesses a source in Chinese classical philosophy, its Chinese characteristics have a solid grounding.
A vital significance of consolidating cultural subjectivity lies in providing a firmer "grounding" for "Chinese characteristics." General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "Cultural confidence comes from our cultural subjectivity." With cultural subjectivity, we possess a resolute "self" in a cultural sense, providing a fundamental reliance for cultural confidence. Samuel Huntington argued in The Clash of Civilizations that in the post-Cold War world, the most important distinctions between peoples are cultural. "Peoples and nations are attempting to answer the most basic question humans can face: Who are we? They are answering that question in the traditional way human beings have answered it, by reference to the things that mean most to them. People define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language, history, values, customs, and institutions." Defining oneself through cultural distinctions and civilizational identity demonstrates, on the one hand, the foundational role and influence of culture and civilization; on the other hand, it shows that human subjectivity is increasingly expressed as cultural subjectivity. Through this, we define the basic questions of "who we are, where we came from, and where we are going."
"Spirit is the soul upon which a nation relies for its long-term survival; only by reaching a certain spiritual height can a nation stand firm and forge ahead amidst the torrents of history." In the struggle against poverty, the building of a moderately prosperous society [18], the promotion of reform, the treatment of pollution, the mitigation of risks, and the stabilization of the overall situation, more than 1.4 billion Chinese people have stood together through thick and thin and helped one another, all of which manifests the contemporary value of the spirit of Chinese culture. Standing at a new historical starting point, we should further strengthen our resolve and conviction in cultural confidence, shoulder new cultural missions, and focus on building a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership. We must strive to continue the Chinese cultural lineage, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, and fully stimulate the spiritual power of the entire Party and society to unite in struggle and overcome difficulties.
IV. Persisting with Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as Guidance to Create a New Form of Human Civilization through the "Second Integration"
Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is characterized by the principle of "clarifying the Substance and attaining its Application, with Substance and Application integrated" (mingti dayong, tiyong guantong [19]). This emphasizes not only the dialectical unity of theory and practice but also profoundly demonstrates that this important thought embodies the fundamental requirement of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture. In this regard, we must deeply recognize two aspects. First, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture was formed and has continuously enriched and developed within the great practice of cultural construction for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. It profoundly answers fundamental questions such as which flag to raise, which path to follow, which principles to uphold, and which goals to achieve in China's cultural construction in the New Era. It enriches and develops Marxist cultural theory, providing a scientific guide for action to improve propaganda, ideological, and cultural work, shoulder new cultural missions, and create a new form of human civilization. Second, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is an unfolding, open system of thought that will inevitably continue to enrich and develop as practice deepens. This requires us not only to study and comprehend the major innovative viewpoints and strategic deployments for cultural construction contained therein but also to strive to master and utilize its scientific methodology. We must firmly grasp the "Second Integration" and, in the historical process of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, create a new form of human civilization. Mao Zedong, in his opening address to the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), once predicted: "With the upsurge in economic construction, there will inevitably appear an upsurge in cultural construction. The era in which the Chinese were regarded as uncivilized has ended. We shall emerge in the world as a nation with a high level of culture." Today, in the great tide of comprehensively advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization, we will surely usher in the bright prospect of creating a new form of human civilization.
The prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization constitute the value foundation for creating a new form of human civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that Chinese civilization possesses outstanding continuity, innovativeness, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC listed ten aspects of high compatibility between fine traditional Chinese culture and the values of scientific socialism, reflecting a commonality of thought, an affinity of culture, and a consistency in worldviews and values. It is precisely because of this compatibility that mutual embedding, interaction, and stimulation can be achieved. As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is first and foremost socialist, which comes from Marxism; at the same time, the simple socialist elements within Chinese culture also provided the cultural foundation for China's acceptance of Marxism."
Continuity is the result of the unbroken endurance of our civilization and an expression of the Chinese nation's spirit of independence and self-reliance. The reason our nation has never been interrupted despite countless hardships lies in our consistent and diligent pursuit of spiritual ideals, traits, and lineage. If continuity is the result, then innovation is the cause. The Chinese nation creates its own civilization with the spirit of "becoming new every day, day after day, and yet again every day" [20]. In this sense, unity has also become the spiritual driver for the continuous development of Chinese civilization over five thousand years. Arnold Toynbee once said that for thousands of years, the Chinese have been more successful than any other people in the world at uniting hundreds of millions of people politically and culturally. They have demonstrated a talent for political and cultural unity with unparalleled successful experience. Unified values have a deep cultural foundation in our country; this is both the cause and the result of our cultural confidence. Chinese civilization has never used a single culture to replace diverse cultures; rather, diverse cultures converge into a shared culture. The more inclusive it is, the more it is identified with and defended, thus forming a unity that is "diverse yet integrated" (duoyuan yiti) [21], united, and centralized. Consequently, the pursuit of peace has become a gene of our culture. Chinese culture has had a tradition of loving peace since ancient times. Bertrand Russell, in "The Chinese Character," remarked that the ethical qualities that make the Chinese superior are exactly what the modern world needs most, and these qualities are indestructible. Among these, he most admired the peace-loving character, which settles disputes based on principles of justice rather than an appeal to violence. The Chinese nation's standing in the world has never relied on militarism or external expansion, but on the powerful charisma and attraction of Chinese culture. This is the spiritual lifeblood of Chinese civilization. The five prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization highlight its roots and represent the genetic makeup of fine traditional Chinese culture; they are also the basis and conditions for realizing the "Second Integration." This fundamentally explicates the regularities of "why integrate" and "how to integrate."
The new form of human civilization is a creative synthesis of different civilizational forms. National rejuvenation is, in a certain sense, a cultural rejuvenation. "No matter which country or nation it is, if it does not cherish its own ideology and culture, and if it loses the soul of its ideology and culture, then that country or nation cannot stand." Cultural rejuvenation is not "atavism" or "revivalism," but creation—the creation of a civilizational form. To be able to integrate into a civilizational form or a system of thought, there must be prerequisites and conditions for "integration." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The system of people's congresses and the system of political consultation created by our Party are profoundly connected to the people-based thought (minben), the concept of 'all under heaven governed together' (tianxia gongzhi), the governance tradition of 'republicanism' (gonghe) and 'consultation' (shangliang), and the political wisdom of 'inclusiveness and seeking common ground while reserving differences' found in Chinese civilization. We did not adopt a federal or confederal system but established a unitary state form and implemented the system of regional ethnic autonomy; this was to comply with the great trend of the Chinese nation's development toward inward cohesion and 'diversity within unity,' and to inherit the great Chinese tradition of 'grand unification' (dayitong) where 'the nine provinces are linked and the same customs prevail within the six realms' [22]."
The American scholar Dou Zongyi [23] argued that whenever one system of thought or institution is to be transplanted into another, the closer they are, the easier it is for them to blossom and bear fruit. Simultaneously, he cited Joseph Needham, who, in observing the development of Chinese science and technology, noted that dialectical materialism could, to a certain extent, be said to be something created by the Chinese themselves. As Liu Wenying wrote in the preface to Dou Zongyi's Confucianism and Marxism: "Ancient China likewise possessed its own traditions of materialism and dialectics. Therefore, it is only natural that traditional Chinese philosophy, including Confucianism, shares similarities and common points with dialectical materialism." It is for this reason that Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture exhibit such consistency and compatibility. Guo Moruo [24] believed that the ideal of a communist society proposed by Marx—"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"—happened to coincide with Confucius's ideal of a "Great Unity" (datong) where "the public way prevails under heaven." Marx, in the Neue Rheinische Zeitung, mentioned that "Chinese socialism has as much in common with European socialism as Chinese philosophy has with Hegelian philosophy." In this sense, Marx foresaw the emergence of a "Chinese Republic." Ultimately, the fundamental prerequisite for "integration" lies in the consistency and resonance of values, which allows for the integration of the ideological soul. Both Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture theorize from the perspective of the "Way" (Dao) and prioritize "Virtue" (De), occupying the moral high ground. Both adhere to the social development trend of seeking liberation for humanity and Great Unity for the world, and both pursue the ideal and spiritual value of "When the Great Way prevails, the world is shared by all" [25] through self-reliance and independent development.
The "Second Integration" not only makes Marxism "Chinese" but also makes fine traditional Chinese culture "modern." The new form of human civilization is a sublimated creation arising from our practice of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese-path modernization, as well as our understanding of the laws of the Communist Party's governance, the laws of socialist construction, the laws of human social development, and the laws of cultural construction in the New Era. This is both the process and the result of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture. The foundational role played by culture has become increasingly evident. Huntington argued in The Clash of Civilizations that due to the role of civilization and culture, modernization does not mean Westernization. He had to admit: "Non-Western societies can and have modernized without abandoning their own cultures and adopting wholesale Western values, institutions, and practices." Similarly, our persistence in the "Second Integration" by no means implies the exclusion of the fine civilizational achievements of the world. "Every civilization is the crystallization of beauty, highlighting the beauty of creation. All beautiful things are interconnected." In a certain sense, the new form of human civilization we have created is also an organic integration of the "ancient and modern, Chinese and Western." Chinese civilization not only radiates new vitality today but also maintains a relationship of mutual promotion with other world civilizations through exchange and mutual learning.
As Feng Qi [26] said, around the question of "whither China" since modern times, the debate between "ancient and modern, Chinese and Western" has run through it consistently. Fang Keli, in "Modern New Confucianism and China's Modernization," argued that if the criteria for modern thought include emerging from the "Middle Ages" and achieving modernization, then in the history of Chinese thought since the May Fourth Movement, three schools belong to this category. They reflect the contrast between the global development trends and domestic class forces, engaging in complex ideological struggles. Between Chinese Marxism, cultural conservatism represented by "New Confucianism," and the liberal Westernizing faction, the "debate between ancient and modern, Chinese and Western" has always been intertwined around the question of "whither China." The fundamental focus is the relationship between Marxism and traditional culture, and Western culture. The "Second Integration" is the profound answer that resolves this "debate between ancient and modern, Chinese and Western." As a form of ideological liberation, our understanding of the "Second Integration" should recognize that it emphasizes not only the "width" of integration but also its "depth"—a deepening of our understanding of objective laws. The "Second Integration" and "First Integration" interact and form a whole; they will surely provide the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics with a broader historical depth and ensure a brighter future for the creation of a new form of human civilization.
The best way to inherit history is to create new history; the greatest tribute to human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out:
"The China of the future will surely embrace the world with an even more open posture and contribute to the world with even more vibrant civilizational achievements." We firmly believe that the new form of human civilization [27] contributed by the Chinese nation to the world will inevitably adapt to the development of the times and radiate an even more vigorous vitality. Together with the rich and colorful civilizations created by the peoples of all countries, it will provide correct spiritual guidance and a powerful spiritual impetus for humanity.
Source: Philosophical Research (哲学研究) October 25, 2024 Online Editor: Jing Mu