Hao Shucui: The "Two Combinations" Create a New Cultural Entity
When culture flourishes, the nation's fortunes flourish; when culture is strong, the nation is strong. Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has systematically planned and deployed work concerning propaganda, ideology, and culture from an overall and strategic height, driving the cause of propaganda, ideology, and culture in the New Era to achieve historical achievements and undergo historical transformations. 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 an organically unified new cultural lifeform. 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' [of disparate items], nor is it a simple 'physical reaction,' but rather a profound 'chemical reaction'." This clarifies the laws of motion and the resulting forms of the "Two Combinations," providing an ideological weapon and a guide to action for better undertaking our new cultural mission at a new starting point.
From a theoretical perspective, the formation of the new cultural lifeform stems from the mutual integration and mutual achievement of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. From a historical perspective, the new cultural lifeform pertains not only to the New Era but also to the Party's century-long journey of struggle; its power has 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 undertaking the historical mission of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation particularly requires us to consolidate our cultural subjectivity and uphold our spiritual independence. Using Marxism to promote the renewal of the vitality and the modern transformation of Chinese civilization—while continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a leading cultural power, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point—has thus become the new cultural mission of the New Era.
Originating from the Mutual Integration and Mutual Achievement of Marxism and China’s Fine Traditional Culture
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The 'Second Combination' [2] allows Marxism to become Chinese and China’s fine traditional culture to become modern, allowing the new culture formed through this 'combination' to become the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization." This important thesis is established upon a profound summation of the historical experience of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and a profound grasp of the developmental laws of Chinese civilization; it possesses a deep theoretical foundation.
The prerequisite for "combination" is mutual integration. Although Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture have different origins, a high degree of integration exists between them. After Marxism was introduced to China, it was warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and eventually took root, blossomed, and bore fruit on Chinese soil. This is precisely because the fine traditional culture inherited by our country for thousands of years, and the values that the broad masses of the people "use daily without realizing it" [3], share many points of integration with Marxism in terms of philosophy, values, thinking habits, and viewpoints.
For example, Marxism’s pursuit of liberation for all humanity resonates with the tradition of "taking responsibility for all under heaven" [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 Harmony" [6]. The political concept of the supremacy of the people resonates with the governance ideas that "the people are the foundation of the state" [7] and "governing by virtue" [8]. The viewpoint opposing the polarization between rich and poor resonates with the concept of "not worrying about scarcity but about inequality" [9]. The viewpoint that practice is the sole source of knowledge resonates with the philosophical ideas of "seeking truth from facts" and the "unity of knowledge and action" [10]. All of these reflect the mutual integration of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. This mutual integration laid an important foundation for the organic combination of the two.
The result of "combination" is mutual achievement. The "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." During the historical periods of revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has always persisted in combining 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 a process of using Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods to research and tap into the excellent "genes" of traditional Chinese culture and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture. It is a process of realizing the combination and even the 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. At the same time, Chinese civilization was able to activate its own genes through the light of Marxist truth, achieving a renewal of its vitality and a modern transformation.
Verified in Practice through the Sinicization and Modernization of Marxism
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Why is our socialism different? Why is it able to be vibrant and full of 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 opening up and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and are the greatest magic weapon for achieving success. It also clearly elucidates that the power of the new cultural lifeform created by the "Two Combinations" has been fully verified in the practice of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.
The Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people in carving out 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 its Sixth Central Committee, Comrade Mao Zedong provided a profound exposition on the issue of the Sinicization of Marxism, emphasizing: "To make Marxism concrete in China, so that in all its manifestations it assumes a specifically Chinese character, i.e., to apply it in accordance with China's characteristics." During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, 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." Since 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," held fast to the "soul-vein" [11] of Marxism and the "root-vein" of China’s fine traditional culture, and established Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This has formed new theoretical and practical advantages, driving the cause of the Party and the state to achieve historical achievements and undergo historical transformations.
The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics was walked out under the guidance of Marxism and also emerged from the more than 5,000 years of the history of Chinese civilization. The new cultural lifeform created by the "Two Combinations" is increasingly radiating new vigor and vitality in the new practice of building a leading cultural power.
Continuously Constructing the Shared Spiritual Home of the Chinese Nation
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a leading cultural power, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation 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 one after another through its unique innovation and creation, as well as its consistent persistence and adherence. As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters 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 a new cultural mission for the New Era starting from the continuous consolidation of cultural subjectivity, pointing out the value pursuit of the new cultural lifeform.
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 that we must have this kind of sense of history... China has firm confidence in its path, theory, and system, the essence of which is cultural confidence based on the inheritance of more than 5,000 years of civilization." The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation must be supported by the rejuvenation of culture, and it will inevitably bring about the great development and prosperity of culture. In the process of promoting and expanding Chinese-path modernization, we realize the integration of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture and vigorously promote the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. This gathers a more fundamental, deeper, and more lasting force for national rejuvenation. At the same time, it requires using the practice of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation to construct a cultural atmosphere and endow a civilizational character for the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization. In this sense, the new cultural lifeform created by the "Two Combinations" is the most vital. It is rooted in the more than 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation's civilization and takes the contemporary concerns of continuing to promote cultural prosperity, building a leading cultural power, and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation as its focus. It possesses deep historical origins and a broad realistic basis, and it aligns with the Chinese path, Chinese theory, and Chinese system, thereby enabling the creation of a cultural form that matches the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
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 advancement. The new cultural lifeform is an inevitable creation of the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization. It will surely, 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, continuously cultivate and create socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for the New Era, continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a leading cultural power, build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and continuously construct the shared spiritual home of the Chinese nation.