Huo Denghuang and Zhang Xinmin: The Philosophical Foundations and Logical Development of Xi Jinping's Thinking on Culture

Culture concerns the foundation and destiny of the nation. Since the dawn of the New Era, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to propaganda, ideological, and cultural work, placing cultural development in a prominent position within state governance and achieving historic accomplishments. On this basis, in October 2023, the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideological, and Cultural Work formally proposed Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, providing a scientific guide and fundamental compliance for the Party’s leadership over cultural development in the New Era. Currently, the academic community has launched relevant research on Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, primarily covering its generative logic, core tenets, contemporary characteristics, systemic composition, and contemporary value. Some scholars have also focused on the internal connections and practical requirements between Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and the development of intra-Party political culture or rural cultural revitalization. Viewed as a whole, existing research results primarily develop arguments from a macro perspective; however, micro-level explorations of the philosophical foundations of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture still require refinement. Philosophy is the essence of the spirit of the times and the living soul of civilization. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture contains rich and profound philosophical principles, shining with the intellectual brilliance of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and representing an innovation and development of Marxist philosophy. Based on this, this article attempts to provide a systematic interpretation and explanation of the philosophical foundations and internal logic of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture from a philosophical perspective—spanning the four domains of materialism, epistemology, methodology, and axiology—hoping to expand the depth and breadth of the systematized and academic research into Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

I. Fact-Oriented: The Materialist Foundation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Materialism is a philosophical theory that seeks the ultimate or primordial basis for the existence and development of things. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly manifests the philosophical connotations of materialism. Xi Jinping has pointed out that a country’s basic national conditions determine that "its development path will inevitably have its own characteristics." Xi Jinping emphasized that in order to maintain national cultural security, one must recognize the realistic background that China’s cultural "development is still in an important period of strategic opportunity." These important discourses and instructions embody the ideological intent of cultural materialism and the scientific application of its theoretical methods.

(1) The Theoretical Origins of Cultural Materialism

The logical generation of the philosophical concept of cultural materialism has deep ideological roots and a realistic basis. It inherits the core essentials of the materialist thought of Marxist philosophy and absorbs the cultural wisdom of traditional Chinese philosophical materialism, forming the philosophical cornerstone of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

1. Theoretical Foundation: The Materialist Thought of Marxist Philosophy Cultural materialism is an inheritance and innovation of the materialist thought of Marxist philosophy. The principled stance and basic method Marx used to analyze and explain culture tells us: "The mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political, and intellectual life." That is to say, culture, as an objective existence external to social material life, is ultimately determined by the objective mode of material production. From the perspective of historical materialism, Engels also confirmed the value theorem that cultural phenomena are rooted in a social material ontology. In his letter to Conrad Schmidt, he responded: "Philosophy, like the general academic prosperity of that era, was also a result of economic upsurge," meaning the social material ontology regulates the evolution of culture. To further confirm this view, Lenin, in his critique of the "Liberal Narodniks" ^[1], pointed out that when observing and studying socio-historical phenomena, one must "distinguish the economic sphere from the various spheres of social life, and distinguish relations of production from all social relations as the basic, original relations that determine all the rest." In essence, only by proceeding from the perspective of historical materialism—starting from actual material economic relations—can one grasp the shifting forms and internal essence of the ideological realm, such as culture, by assessing the prevailing situation ^[2]. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has creatively developed the concept of cultural materialism based on the new challenges and requirements of cultural development in the New Era. Its core aim lies in interpreting the value mechanism of the evolution of propaganda, ideological, and cultural work in the New Era; that is, based on the actual conditions of Chinese cultural development and a profound grasp of global cultural trends, it systematically and comprehensively examines the economic base and social foundations of cultural development in the New Era. From this, it conducts scientific generalizations and strategic choices regarding the relationships between material and spiritual civilization, and between Chinese and world civilizations.

2. Cultural Gene: The Cultural Wisdom of Chinese Philosophical Materialism Generally speaking, "Dao" (dao) is the core concept of materialist research in ancient Chinese philosophy ^[3], referring both to the origin and root of all things and to the laws and principles of all things. This provided the traditional cultural genes and spiritual nourishment for the generation of the concept of cultural materialism. Laozi proposed the philosophical thought of "Dao" in the Tao Te Ching, soulfully positing "Dao" as formless, nameless, and non-acting—the origin and unifying entity of all things in heaven and earth. On the basis of inheriting Laozi's "Dao" theory, Han Fei proposed that "Dao is that which makes all things what they are, and that which all principles are verified by." Following such views, the Eastern Han thinker Wang Chong proposed the theory of "material nature" (wuxinglun), stating that "things fulfill their nature, and principles do not differ," arguing that matter is the origin of the world. Matter has its own respective natures; nature is principle (li), and principle is the internal law of matter rather than an existence transcending matter. Wang Chong advocated taking matter as the fundamental—that is, using the nature of matter as the basis—to understand the truth of the world. Mencius believed that "it is the nature of things to be unequal," meaning the diversity of the ontological reality of things is a reflection of the reality of different national conditions. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations should not be predicated on the supremacy of one civilization or the disparagement of another," and emphasized, "We cannot demand that countries with different cultural traditions, historical experiences, and realistic national conditions all adopt the same development model." In short, the cultural wisdom of "material determinism" and "national-condition-as-basis" accumulated in traditional Chinese philosophy has provided deep cultural genes for the generation of the concept of cultural materialism.

(2) Definition and Interpretation of Cultural Materialism

1. The essence of the strategy of becoming a cultural powerhouse must be consistent with the path of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. The essence of the strategy to build a cultural powerhouse refers to the inherent attributes and spiritual substance within the cultural strategy; it is the unique identifier that distinguishes the ethical-cultural form from that of other nations. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly reveals the essential attributes of the strategy for a cultural powerhouse and emphasizes that adhering to the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental prerequisite for continuously enhancing the country’s cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture. At the same time, we must persist in combining the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture—this is an important guarantee for solidifying the cultural foundation of the Chinese path. Xi Jinping pointed out that the "Second Combination" ^[4], as another liberation of the mind, provides a solid cultural foundation for Chinese Communists to "explore theoretical and institutional innovations oriented toward the future." To persist in taking a path of cultural development that suits national conditions, the key is to maintain cultural leadership. "Adhering to the Party’s leadership is a matter of direction." Cultural leadership concerns the future and destiny of the Party and the country; it is the concentrated expression of the Party's class-based and political nature in ideological work, and the most distinct marker distinguishing the socialist cultural system with Chinese characteristics from the cultural systems of Western capitalist countries.

2. The formulation of cultural institutions must be consistent with our country’s basic national conditions. What kind of cultural institutions to formulate, how to formulate them, and what the fundamental compliance for their formulation and evolution should be—whether it is abstract deductive reasoning or based on the basic national conditions of cultural development—is an important basic point for analyzing the thought of cultural materialism. To this end, Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that the Party's correct theories, lines, principles, and policies "are all based on the social existence of our country's current era." Xi Jinping emphasized that by rooting ourselves in Chinese civilization and basic national conditions, "the Party and the people will have an incomparably broad stage" and incomparably powerful forward momentum. Therefore, the formulation and evolution of China's cultural institutions do not start from academic abstract concepts, but from history and reality; they do not start from any "universal" cultural development model, but from China’s specific national conditions. The strong problem-awareness ^[5] in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has clarified the roadmap and task list for cultural development in the New Era, profoundly revealed the laws of China's cultural development, and systematically proposed a series of major theoretical and practical issues such as the "Seven Focuses" ^[6] cultural development strategy. It scientifically interprets the materialist essence that the planning and deployment of cultural institutions are derived from objective basic national conditions.

3. The cultural value orientation highlights the goals and intentions of ideological work in the New Era. The question of value is the logical destination of materialist thought. Cultural value orientation is the value realization of the concrete practice of essential ideological concepts, as well as the essential requirement of ideological work. It shares an internal logical relationship with the goals and intentions of our country’s ideological work—a relationship between the abstract and the concrete, the general and the particular. Cultural value orientation constitutes the basic goal pursued by cultural institutions, manifesting the theoretical purpose of the conception and practice of cultural ideas. it is the "spiritual code" regarding "where we come from" and the "spiritual signpost" regarding "where we are going," containing deep people-centeredness and inclusive mutual learning. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emphasizes the need to stand firmly on the people's side, put the people’s interests first, persist in culture for the people, and "humbly learn from the people and from life." Facing such arguments as the "Clash of Civilizations" or "Racial Superiority," China has always upheld a new view of civilization where "mutual learning between civilizations transcends the clash of civilizations." Therefore, we must establish a people-centered value orientation, profoundly grasp the theoretical characteristics and value attributes inherent in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, and enhance our conscious action in practicing and promoting the common values of all humanity.

II. Epistemological Orientation: The Epistemological Foundation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture possesses a rigorous and clear theoretical thread and logical hierarchy, making it a rich and systematically complete scientific system of thought. From an epistemological perspective, it primarily includes the theory of cultural goals, the theory of cultural spirit, the theory of cultural leadership, and the theory of cultural guarantees.

(1) Theory of Cultural Goals A clear goal and vision serve as the precursor for construction and development in fields such as culture. Xi Jinping pointed out that the new cultural mission in the New Era is to continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a cultural powerhouse, and build a modern Chinese civilization. This specifies the tasks and fundamental goals of cultural development on the new journey of the New Era, fully manifesting the distinct practical orientation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

First, promoting cultural prosperity is an important component and powerful support of the cultural mission in the New Era. "Without the prosperity and development of socialist culture, there will be no socialist modernization." Cultural prosperity is the manifestation of the visionary goals of cultural development; it inherently stipulates that the foundational elements of cultural development—including philosophy and social sciences, ideology and politics, literature and art, news and public opinion, cultural industries, and the public cultural service system—must be enriched, developed, and advanced. Only on this basis can we continuously enhance the people's spiritual realm and civilization level, promoting national quality and the degree of socialist modernization to new heights.

Second, building a cultural powerhouse is the direction of struggle and the future prospect of the cultural mission in the New Era. "When culture prospers, the country prospers; when culture is strong, the nation is strong." The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee clearly proposed the strategic goal of building a socialist cultural powerhouse by 2035, fully demonstrating culture's pioneering function. Looking at the long-term goal of 2050, the great rejuvenation of the nation, in addition to building an economic, military, and educational powerhouse, must also be marked by cultural rejuvenation. The realization of the goal of a cultural powerhouse is precisely an important weight in the scale moving toward the comprehensive realization of modernization by 2050.

Third, building a modern Chinese civilization is the advanced form and value destination of the cultural mission in the New Era. Civilization takes culture as its cornerstone and is the high-level form of cultural development. This also means that a modern Chinese civilization must be a modern civilization formed on the basis of fine traditional Chinese culture. The result of the "Second Combination" is mutual accomplishment, creating an organically unified new cultural lifeform—that is, "letting Marxism become Chinese, letting fine traditional Chinese culture become modern, and letting the new culture formed through 'combination' become the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization." Furthermore, as a crystallization of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture, advanced socialist culture is a culture oriented toward the world and the future, possessing strong and vigorous vitality, and holding significant global and human-civilizational significance for the construction of a modern Chinese civilization.

(2) Theory of Cultural Spirit Marxist philosophy holds that as the foundational field of the human spiritual world, culture confirms and realizes the meaning and value of human spiritual life. Accordingly, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture also profoundly elaborates on the relationship between culture and spiritual life. The functional utility of culture for spiritual life is mainly manifested in the following three aspects.

First, educating people through culture (yi wen hua ren) to provide spiritual sustenance for individual spiritual wealth. Currently, the people's demand for spiritual culture is increasingly manifesting...

The period characteristics of being "diversified, multi-tiered, and multi-faceted" require that, on the supply side, "we must provide a rich array of spiritual nourishment." The quality of the supply of spiritual nourishment is a critical factor affecting the efficacy of the people's spiritual wealth. The construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the key guarantee for the production, processing, and dissemination of high-quality spiritual nourishment; it can effectively respond to the needs and aspirations of the people, inspiring individuals to accumulate spiritual strength and developmental momentum through the cultivation provided by a high-quality cultural supply.

Second, using culture to gather "qi" ^[7], tying the spiritual bond for the achievement of collective spiritual wealth. Culture is an important medium and fundamental force for uniting the hearts of the people; it plays a vital role in realizing public spiritual wealth in a high-level state where people move in the same direction and strive toward virtue and goodness. The Socialist Core Values are the value guide for cultural construction in the New Era and the moral cornerstone for achieving collective spiritual wealth. Practice has proven that only by consolidating the value foundations of public cultural construction can social members move toward spiritual freedom and self-awareness through the building of consensus.

Third, using culture to increase confidence, bolstering the spiritual fortitude for national spiritual wealth. Cultural confidence shapes the theoretical undertones of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and constitutes "a more basic, deeper, and more enduring force." First, cultural confidence provides powerful spiritual support for overcoming multiple risks and challenges. Culture is the soul of a nation. Over the past century since its founding, the Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people to achieve one great victory after another, greatly inspiring the national spirit of struggle. Second, cultural confidence lays the spiritual foundation for responding to the turbulent state of world cultures. Amidst the torrents of global cultural turbulence, only by remaining firm in cultural confidence can we retain our cultural roots and hold fast to the national soul during exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, enabling the Chinese nation to shape a new image as a confident and self-reliant major civilized power.

(3) Cultural Leadership Theory Upholding the Party's cultural leadership is an important regular understanding ^[8] derived from the CPC's profound summary of historical experience and its insight into the trends of the times and grasp of opportunities. "To do China's affairs well, the key lies in the Party." The Party is the core political leadership force and the fundamental guarantee for publicity, ideological, and cultural work.

First, the core task of upholding the Party's cultural leadership is to maintain the guiding role of Marxism in the ideological sphere and consolidate the Party's position as the core of leadership. The stance and principles of a culture determine its target audience and direction. To uphold the Party's cultural leadership, we must first unswervingly maintain the guiding position of Marxism to ensure that our country's cultural construction always advances in the right direction. Entering the New Era, China faces complex international and domestic situations, and struggles in the ideological field have become sharper. Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "firmly grasp the leadership, management, and discourse power in ideological work" to prevent historical errors.

Second, the fundamental compliance for upholding the Party's cultural leadership is the unification of Party spirit and people-centeredness. "Party spirit and people-centeredness have always been consistent and unified." The principle of Party spirit addresses the issue of political direction—namely, "who manages, what is managed, and how it is managed"; the principle of people-centeredness addresses the issue of value orientation—namely, "who am I, for whom am I, and on whom do I rely." Following this principle, adhering to Party spirit clarifies the stance and orientation for publicity, ideological, and cultural work, while adhering to people-centeredness provides the source of vitality and the driving force for such work.

Third, the practical requirement for upholding the Party's cultural leadership is to shoulder new cultural missions with the spirit of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground and the spirit of great struggle. On one hand, shoulder new missions with the spirit of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. At different historical stages, we should maintain a spiritual posture of upholding the fundamentals, breaking new ground, and having the courage to forge ahead. "For cultural construction, only by upholding the fundamentals can we avoid losing our true selves and our direction; only by breaking new ground can we grasp and lead the era." On the other hand, shoulder new missions with the spirit of great struggle. In the new stage of development, we will face the exchange, fusion, and confrontation of different ideological and cultural systems. The struggle in the ideological field is most complex and sharp, and the national public opinion landscape is increasingly diverse and volatile. We must carry forward the spirit of struggle, because "daring to struggle and daring to win is the invincible and powerful spiritual force of the Communist Party of China."

(4) Cultural Guarantee Theory The people's cultural rights and interests refer to the cultural rights and benefits of realizing their spiritual wealth and promoting their all-around development. Guaranteeing these rights is an inherent requirement of cultural construction for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era; it must be based on reality, establishing and improving guarantee mechanisms for cultural construction. This specifically includes material, institutional, and human resource guarantees.

First, the high-quality development of cultural industries and cultural undertakings ^[9] provides the material guarantee for safeguarding the people's cultural rights and interests. "Fundamentally speaking, culture is determined by the economy; economic power provides the material platform for cultural power to exert its efficacy." Since the 18th National Congress, the Party and the state have successively issued a series of important policy documents to strengthen the construction of the public cultural service system. Under the guidance of top-level design, China has continuously increased investment in public cultural sectors such as cultural industries and cultural undertakings, further promoting their high-quality development. According to statistics from the Ministry of Finance of the PRC, in 2020, national expenditures on cultural and tourism undertakings reached 108.826 billion yuan, more than double the 2012 figure. Additionally, by the end of 2020, 5,214 museums nationwide were open to the public free of charge. This provides a solid material foundation for meeting the people's diversified spiritual and cultural consumption needs.

Second, the system of culture with Chinese characteristics provides the institutional guarantee for safeguarding the people's cultural rights and interests. "Institutional advantage is a country's greatest advantage," and "if the system is stable, the country is stable." The people's cultural rights and interests are the value expression and institutional manifestation of the spiritual needs of "real individuals" (in the sense of historical materialism) within the cultural system. Guaranteeing these rights is the fundamental value manifestation of the system of culture with Chinese characteristics. Based on the essential content and objective requirements of these rights, the system of culture with Chinese characteristics always adheres to a people-centered institutional and policy orientation, leverages the people's pioneering spirit, and promotes a more balanced and accessible allocation of urban and rural cultural resources.

Third, a team of literary and art talents who possess both professional excellence and moral integrity ^[10] provides the human resource guarantee for safeguarding the people's cultural rights and interests. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has advocated the mainstream value that "a person of virtue carries the world with extensive kindness" ^[11] (junzi yi hou de zai wu), meaning that men of letters must possess lofty moral character and ethical awareness. Xi Jinping pointed out that literary and art workers must adhere to a people-centered creative orientation, earnestly striving to "preserve integrity for history, promote virtue for the world, and maintain a clean reputation for themselves." Regarding the issue of artistic cultivation, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that literature and art need to be integrated into life: "literary and art workers must improve their ability to read life"; literature and art need to reflect the times: "the vast number of literary and art workers must keep pace with the times," using excellent cultural works of various themes to "showcase the spiritual atmosphere of the New Era in an all-around and panoramic manner." These important expositions reflect both the high importance placed on the quality of "professional excellence and moral integrity" in the New Era's talent pool and the benchmarks for selecting and training excellent literary and art workers.

III. Methodological Orientation: The Methodological Foundations of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Any theoretical system is predicated upon a certain philosophical methodology. This so-called philosophical methodology is a collection of methods and principles used to observe, think about, and handle problems; it is essentially a synthesis of scientific thinking methods and practical applications. As a scientific theoretical system with a distinct theme and profound connotations, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture possesses a deep and solid methodological foundation, mainly comprising two major aspects: dialectical methodology and thinking methodology.

(1) Dialectical Methodology As a theory of development, cultural dialectics solves the fundamental problem of how the various internal elements of cultural construction achieve harmonious coexistence through contradictory movement. Its basic aim is to balance the contradictions between different internal cultural elements through a dialectical way of thinking, allowing for holistic development within coexistence. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture possesses distinct characteristics of dialectical thinking. It demonstrates the scientific application of dialectical methodology in the cultural field by correctly handling relationships such as "the indigenous versus the foreign, the dominant versus the diverse, and the critical versus the inclusive."

1. The Indigenous and the Foreign Correctly understanding the relationship between indigenous and foreign culture is of profound significance for promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning, as well as advancing the common progress of human civilization. Indigenous cultural traits are the source of cultural vitality, serving as the spiritual brand and value pursuit of a nation. Fine traditional Chinese culture is a vital representative of the indigenous characteristics of Chinese culture and the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization, having made unique contributions to the progress of human civilization. Adhering to cultural indigenization is not exclusionism or "parochial arrogance" ^[12] (ye lang zi da ); rather, it involves treating all excellent foreign cultural achievements with an inclusive and "advancing with the times" attitude. In short, only by respecting and inheriting indigenous fine culture while effectively absorbing and drawing on foreign advanced cultural achievements can fine traditional Chinese culture become more creative and influential. Xi Jinping pointed out that civilizations learning from each other's strengths "makes the world more colorful." It is evident that indigenous and foreign cultures share a logical relationship of dialectical unity, coexistence, and mutual promotion. At the same time, "exchange and mutual learning are the essential requirements for the development of civilizations" and the practical path for maintaining the vigorous vitality of civilization. History and practice have proven that the CPC has always upheld the developmental concept of "fusing the ancient and the modern, and bridging China and the West," ensuring that fine traditional Chinese culture and its value concepts both absorb the positive achievements of human civilization and manifest the common values carried by different civilizations.

2. The Dominant and the Diverse Unity in diversity and co-existence in variety are prominent features of any cultural form. This requires that in advancing the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must strengthen the dominant and expand the mainstream. In our country, the dominance of culture refers to the fact that culture with Chinese characteristics is guided by Marxism, leading and integrating diverse cultures to ensure the correct direction of cultural construction. Cultural diversity refers to the various forms taken by cultural groups across different countries, nations, regions, and classes; it is "a basic feature of the world and the charm of human civilization." Cultural dominance and diversity are both antithetical and mutually reinforcing; a balance and unity must be sought within the relationship between "the one" and "the many." Adhering to the fundamental system of Marxism's guiding position in the ideological sphere reflects its guiding status in the CPC's leadership over cultural construction and long-term practice. At the same time, upholding the dominance of mainstream culture and recognizing and respecting cultural diversity are organically unified. As Xi Jinping said, "The diversity of human civilization endows this world with vibrant colors," and we must cherish this precious wealth. Therefore, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture dialectically understands the relationship between cultural dominance and diversity, establishing the dominant within the plural and seeking consensus within the diverse, thereby continuously consolidating and expanding the socialist mainstream culture.

3. The Critical and the Inclusive In a philosophical context, criticism is a dialectical critique, not a total rejection or total inheritance. Accordingly, the criticality of culture refers to its capacity for self-reflection, renewal, and transcendence—its ability to critique and improve its own shortcomings while identifying and selecting from foreign cultures in the pursuit of truth, development, and progress. The inclusiveness of culture refers to its open mind and vision—its ability to respect and appreciate the excellent achievements of other cultures and to engage in exchange and mutual learning for the sake of coexistence, harmony, and mutual benefit. The criticality and inclusiveness of culture are mutually dependent and reinforcing; a balance and unity must be sought in the relationship between "self" and "other." Scientifically unearthing fine traditional Chinese culture under the guidance of Marxism inherently possesses a critical character. This is primarily attributed to the fact that Marxist dialectics "is, in its essence, critical and revolutionary." Xi Jinping pointed out that one should "study the ancients without being shackled by them, and break old rules without violating the law" ^[13]; only in this way can fine traditional Chinese culture become an important source of innovation. The history of human civilization has repeatedly proven that the more inclusive a nation's culture is, the more profound its meaning and the more enduring its presence. It is for this reason that Chinese civilization has been able to flow unceasingly and still bursts with vigorous vitality today.

(2) Thinking Methodology Thinking methods refer to the logical procedures and patterns of thought presented by a cognitive subject when using philosophical elements to perceive and analyze an object. Viewed as a whole, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture embodies several thinking methods with distinct spirit of the times and practical orientations.

1. Systems Thinking Systems thinking is a way of thinking that follows the characteristics of the object, focusing on the whole, and examining the coordination and integrity of the object of knowledge from the coupling effect of the system and its elements, as well as between elements. Adhering to the systemic concept is the basic prerequisite for ensuring the scientific and forward-looking nature of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture clarifies the scientific positioning of cultural construction in the New Era within the overall work of the Party and the state from different dimensions. First, from—

From the perspective of the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" overall layout, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture persists in the unity of coordinated development and collaborative advancement. General Secretary Xi Jinping has explicitly pointed out that cultural construction is the soul, playing a foundational role in condensing souls, gathering strength, and strengthening the foundation; it is essential to "consolidate the foundation of domestic cultural construction." Regarding economic construction, he emphasizes measuring the quality and level of cultural industry development by achieving unity between economic and cultural benefits. In terms of political construction, he stresses that to advance the development of the socialist legal system, we must "elucidate China's excellent traditional legal culture and tell the story of China's rule of law well." In social construction, he emphasizes guiding social trends and building consensus with Core Socialist Values. In ecological construction, he highlights that "promoting ecological civilization construction requires both material and spiritual strength." Secondly, from the perspective of the strategic goals and tasks of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture persists in the unity of localized development and holistic advancement. General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly stated the need to "continously forge new glories for Chinese culture and build a leading socialist cultural power." The strategy of becoming a cultural power is a significant component and spiritual pillar of building a modern socialist country in all respects. Within the responsibility and mission of cultural construction in the New Era, building a cultural power is a historical task and a comprehensive guarantee for composing a modern civilization for the Chinese nation. Therefore, we must closely "focus on upholding foundations, gathering the people’s hearts, cultivating new talents, invigorating culture, and presenting a positive image to build a leading socialist cultural power." Thirdly, from the perspective of the new great project of Party building in the New Era, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture persists in the unity of focused intervention and coupled embedding. Xi Jinping explicitly emphasizes that "the Party's political construction is the fundamental construction of the Party" and that "political culture is the soul of political life, exerting a subtle and silent influence on the political ecosystem." Therefore, a clean and upright political ecosystem must be nurtured through a healthy political culture. Proceeding from this, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has provided systematic expositions on the theories of goals, spirit, leadership, and guarantees inherent in cultural construction in the New Era, providing fundamental compliance and an action guide for the innovative development of the Party's ideological and cultural propaganda work in the New Era.

2. Innovative Thinking

Cultural innovation is the primary driver leading cultural development, an essential requirement for building socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and an important symbol of the progress of human civilization. "Only the innovators progress, only the innovators grow strong, and only the innovators prevail." To emphasize innovative thinking is to dare to break routine, transcend old conventions, and break through cognitive inertia and fixed mindsets, eliminating erroneous tendencies such as ideological ossification and metaphysics at their source. The innovative thinking inherent in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is primarily reflected in the following three aspects. First, regarding ideological guidance: Ideology is the precursor to action. The practice of cultural innovation requires the guidance of scientific theory. To this end, Xi Jinping creatively proposed that theoretical innovation must uphold the "soul-vein" ^[14] and the "root-vein" ^[15]. This important thesis resolves the issues of the nature and direction of development for cultural innovation in the New Era—namely, that cultural innovation must strictly adhere to the red line of Marxism, and "under no circumstances or at any time can there be the slightest vacillation." Simultaneously, it must take excellent traditional Chinese culture as its foundation, extracting and displaying the spiritual hallmarks and cultural essence of that tradition. Second, regarding content and form: To stimulate the vitality and vigor of excellent traditional Chinese culture, there is a need for "deep innovation in the integration of content and form." For this reason, one must persist in the basic principle of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. "Only by not forgetting our origins can we open up the future; only by being good at inheritance can we better innovate." Only by making the past serve the present, bringing forth the new from the old, and strictly guarding the "orthodoxy" of the direction of innovation, can we clear the ideological mists. Only by advancing with the times, "dancing with the people," and creating the "newness" of transformation and development, can we write a new chapter for the Chinese nation. Furthermore, Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the digital development of culture and has proposed the concept of a "cultural digitalization strategy" to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional culture in terms of content presentation and communication methods. Third, regarding systems and mechanisms: The prosperity and development of culture cannot be separated from the innovation and perfection of institutional mechanisms. To create a Chinese culture that shines upon the era and the world, we must "unswervingly push the reform of the cultural system into deeper waters." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, a series of systems related to the cultural sphere has been established and improved. From the passage of the Plan for Deepening Reform of Party and State Institutions to the promulgation and implementation of laws and regulations such as the Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law of the People's Republic of China and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People's Republic of China, to the new deployments for the cultural system made at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the introduction of this series of systems has laid a solid institutional foundation for building a leading socialist cultural power.

3. Bottom-line Thinking

Bottom-line thinking ^[16] is a methodology oriented toward minimum conditions or limits, aimed at preventing and responding to various risks and challenges to guarantee developmental goals. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly demonstrates the theoretical wisdom and scientific application of bottom-line thinking, specifically including the defense of ideological lines, the defense of "battlefield" positions ^[17], and value positions. First, defending the ideological line to resist the cultural infiltration and erosion by hostile Western forces. Aiming at the cultural chaos derived from Western non-mainstream ideological erosion, Xi Jinping emphasizes that if literary and artistic works hold the Western as superior or blindly follow the West, and are "obsessed with 'de-ideologization,' 'de-valorization,' 'de-historicization,' 'de-Chinese-ization,' and 'de-mainstreaming,' they absolutely have no future." Therefore, we must hold the ideological line of Marxism and consolidate its guiding position in the field of ideology. "Only by firmly establishing a Marxist view of literature and art and truly centering on the people can literature and art exert their maximum positive energy." Second, defending the "battlefield" positions to oppose the cultural crisis triggered by the disorderly growth of capital. In the context of the digital age, the alienated marriage of capital and technology has made the internet the main battlefield for ideological struggle. The barbaric "jungle culture" of capitalism, represented by internet cultural consumerism, seriously affects people's pursuit of a beautiful spiritual life. In response, Xi Jinping pointed out that "a foul-smelling and deteriorating ecological environment in cyberspace does not conform to the interests of the people," and emphasized strengthening the management of cyberspace according to the law to "reshape and purify cyberspace with the new trends of the era and jointly build a beautiful spiritual home online." Third, defending the "value positions" to curb the soft spread of backward and decadent culture. Decadent culture is a type of culture characterized by utility-seeking, uglines, injustice, and secrecy; it deviates from political, legal, and moral rationality, and to a large extent erodes people's spiritual world, seriously harming the development of the socialist cause. Entering the New Era, remnants of feudal thought such as illegal religions and feudal superstitions still exist. To this end, we must hold the value positions and persist in leading cultural construction with Core Socialist Values, because "core values carry the spiritual pursuit of a nation and a country, and reflect the value standards by which a society judges right from wrong," and can fully compress the space for the existence of backward and decadent ideology and culture.

IV. Value Orientation: The Axiological Foundation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Values are measured by the needs of the subject, manifesting as the social meaning, efficacy, and function of the object for the subject. Simultaneously, they emphasize that the well-rounded development of the person is the value theme and action goal of social progress, including not only the satisfaction of material needs but also development at the spiritual and cultural levels. From the perspective of the philosophy of value, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture contains a cultural axiological foundation that takes the people as the value subject and a community with a shared future for humanity as the value consensus.

(1) Theory of the Value Subject: The People-Centered Development Philosophy Marks the Core Value of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Historical materialism holds that the practical activities of "real individuals" are the power engine of entire social history; their subjective status determines that humans possess the active role in driving social change and development. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture persists in a people-centered value orientation, clarifying that the people are the subjects of the value, practice, and judgment of cultural construction and development. This responds to the basic question of the value subject in the philosophy of value. First, taking the people as the value subject interprets the mission of "everything for the people." The spiritual life needs of the people are the logical starting point for the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Entering the New Era, the people’s longing and pursuit for a beautiful spiritual life are the objective manifestation and reflection of satisfying the people's spiritual interests, putting forward higher demands for the construction and development of culture in the New Era to a certain extent. To this end, Xi Jinping emphasizes that the source of literature and art is the people, and paying attention to the people's spiritual and cultural demands is the starting point and destination of literary and artistic creation; we must practically push "the people's spiritual and cultural life to constantly reach new heights." Second, taking the people as the subject of practice demonstrates the source of strength in "relying on the people for everything." The proposition that "it is the people who create history" answers the question of "whom to rely on" in the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. From the essence of the people, the people are forever the creators of history and the most solid, extensive, and consistently driving force of development. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress proposed the goal of building a cultural power and required "four persistences" in cultural construction in the New Era, emphasizing that to promote cultural construction, one must focus on the practice of the masses, respect the subjective status of the people, encourage the people to participate in cultural innovation and creation, and give full play to the subjective role of the people in cultural construction. Third, taking the people as the subject of judgment promotes the value realization of "achievements shared by the people." Historical materialism holds that the level of human development is the fundamental measure of social development. The masses are both the subject of value creation and the subject of value evaluation. The masses' perception and judgment regarding the effectiveness of cultural construction are more comprehensive, three-dimensional, and objective—this is the unique advantage of using the people's satisfaction as the evaluation criteria. Therefore, to enhance cultural guidance and cohesion, one must "take the people as the subject of literary and artistic expression, and take the people as the connoisseurs and judges of literary and artistic aesthetics."

(2) Theory of Value Consensus: A Community with a Shared Future for Humanity Demonstrates the Epochal Value of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Marxism holds that value consensus arises from the opposition of different values—that is, different value subjects reach a common and consistent understanding on different issues based on common ideas, goals, and moral principles. In the process of coordination, transformation, and integration of different values, common needs for survival and development, as well as "global problems" faced collectively, prompt humanity to value mutual exchange to realize the common interests of humanity. Under the treacherous international situation, "no country can retreat to a self-isolated island." Only by joining hands to build a community with a shared future for humanity can the countries of the world solve the challenges and difficulties facing mankind. Therefore, the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity inherent in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is the goal-orientation of value consensus. First, criticizing the theory of "universal values" is the prerequisite for condensing value consensus. Kant believed that "universal value," as a "consensus" of the "categorical imperative," is in essence an embodiment of a false consensus. What the theory of "universal values" reflects is the subjective fantasy and colonial conspiracy of the Western bourgeoisie hoping to unify the world with a certain specific value. Refuting the theory of "universal values" focuses on exposing the falsity and deceptiveness of its content and form; it does not deny the possibility of different values reaching some kind of consensus through contestation. In other words, in the era of Globalization 3.0, transcending cultural barriers through civilizational exchange and the elimination and integration of value conflicts will, to a large extent, facilitate the achievement of true consensus. Second, the exchange and mutual learning between civilizations is a major driving force for value consensus. Without exchange and mutual learning, there is no consensus. Exchange and mutual learning between different civilizations can alleviate or resolve value conflicts to ensure the smooth process of condensing value consensus. As Xi Jinping said, "deepening cultural exchange and mutual learning is an important way to eliminate barriers and misunderstandings and promote mutual understanding between peoples." In recent years, China's practical actions—such as the Belt and Road Initiative, hosting international cultural expos and art festivals, and holding dialogues on civilizational exchange and mutual learning—have fully proven that only by upholding the concept of "harmony without uniformity" ^[18] and extensive consultation and joint contribution can a basic value consensus be built and the prosperity and progress of human civilization be achieved. Third, the common values of all humanity are the concentrated expression of value consensus. "Peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common values of all humanity." This important thesis is the product of value interaction and integration among the people of all countries; it clarifies the series of ideological mists regarding the issue of common values and achieves the sublation and transcendence of Western "universal values." The common values of all humanity possess characteristics of publicity and consensus; they are values that can be shared by the people of the world and the coordinate system and measure for establishing individual value goals. The common values of all humanity aggregate the "similarities amidst differences" among the diverse values of different nations, countries, or regions; they are the result of seeking common ground while reserving differences, aimed at constantly pursuing the largest concentric circles and the greatest common denominator for the values of all humanity.

V. Conclusion

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is the essence of the spirit of the age and, moreover, a banner in the history of the development of human civilization. The formulation of this scientific concept not only demonstrates that the Party’s understanding of cultural laws has reached a new height, but also signifies that practical issues in the New Era—such as unbalanced and inadequate cultural development and cultural security—will be better resolved. The cultural teleology, theory of cultural spirit, theory of cultural leadership, and theory of cultural security inherent in this major concept collectively construct a scientific system that "integrates the substance and its function" ^[19]. By employing a dialectical perspective characterized by systems thinking, innovative thinking, and bottom-line thinking ^[20], it clarifies the mission and direction of cultural construction in the New Era. Viewed broadly, the history of human development is a history of the development of civilizations. By elevating cultural development to the height of civilization, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture not only possesses significant theoretical value and practical significance for China’s comprehensive construction of a modern Chinese civilization and the timely realization of the Second Centenary Goal ^[21], but also provides major guidance and reference for enriching and developing the new form of human civilization ^[22], enhancing mutual learning and exchange between human civilizations, and jointly building a community with a shared future for humanity. Analyzing the philosophical foundations and logical expansion of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture will help guide the entire Party and society toward a profound understanding and mastery of how this scientific concept answers the "question of the times"—namely, "What is wrong with the world, and what should we do?" ^[23]—within the field of cultural construction, while also working together in practice to compose an even more brilliant and magnificent new chapter for culture.

Source: Red Flag Manuscript (Hongqi Wengao) ^[24] March 28, 2024 Online Editor: Jing Mu