Liu Hongsen: The Historical Logic, Main Content, and Value Significance of Xi Jinping's Outlook on Civilization
Civilization is the sum of the positive achievements created by the culture of a given period; the inheritance of civilization is also the cornerstone for the survival, continuity, development, and takeoff of a nation. Civilizational forms and social formations possess an inherent identity. As the Chinese nation draws ever closer to the goal of achieving Great Rejuvenation, and as the world undergoes profound changes unseen in a century [1], China would find it difficult to seize opportunities and confront challenges with composure without the support of a highly developed civilization. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, based on new trends in China's development and changes in the global situation, Xi Jinping has assessed the timing and situation to propose a series of new viewpoints, judgments, and ideas regarding civilizational construction. In particular, he proposed the major proposition of "building a modern Chinese civilization" and made the significant judgment that "Chinese-path modernization is the 'new mission of an old state' [2] for the Chinese nation and will surely drive the renewal of the glory of Chinese civilization." He has systematically formed a vision of civilization that guides the CPC in uniting and leading the Chinese people to build a modern Chinese civilization. Modern Chinese civilization is the concentrated manifestation of Chinese-path modernization at the civilizational level; it is a modern civilization formed on the basis of the practice of Chinese-path modernization. Deeply researching the historical logic, main content, and value significance of Xi Jinping’s vision of civilization is of great importance for constructing a discourse system for Chinese civilization, endowing Chinese civilization with modern strength through Chinese-path modernization, and building a modern Chinese civilization.
I. The Historical Logic of Xi Jinping’s Vision of Civilization
Chinese civilization is one of the world's four original civilizations and is the only one among them that has never been interrupted and continues to this day. Possessing the qualities of industry and courage internally and a relatively stable social environment externally, Chinese civilization attained the highest achievements of agricultural and pastoral civilizations throughout the long river of history. However, since the Opium War, the country was humiliated, the people suffered, and civilization was shrouded in dust; the crisis of national subjugation and racial extinction deeply stung the national self-esteem of the Chinese people. Facing the challenge "unseen in three thousand years" [3], many people of vision and integrity set out from their own class positions and viewpoints to propose several civilizational programs for a poverty-stricken and weak China.
The first was the "Westernization" theory, which held that civilization is a whole; because Eastern civilization was seen as holistically inferior to Western civilization, China could only be saved through thorough and total Westernization. The "Westernization" theory failed to correctly analyze modern China’s national conditions and the nature of its society; the program it proposed was impractical and bound to fail.
The second was the "Standard" [4] theory, which advocated for the selective study of the West based on the inheritance of Chinese civilization. This school was divided into conservatives and progressives based on their different understandings of Chinese civilization. The conservatives advocated "Chinese learning for substance, Western learning for application" [5], imitating the West in material implements without touching feudal autocracy or feudal culture. The conservative proposal, failing to recognize the decay of feudal rule, could not escape the fate of bankruptcy. The progressives advocated neither being conservative nor following blindly; starting from a Chinese standard, they sought to use scientific methods to examine the past, grasp the present, and create the future. The general direction of this proposal was correct, but it failed to offer specific, operable programs for the core questions of how to sublate [6] Chinese culture and what aspects of Western civilization to absorb.
The third was the "New Civilization" theory, which is the program that truly pointed the way forward for China. Represented by the early Communists such as Chen Duxiu, Li Dajiao, and Mao Zedong, this theory viewed Chinese civilization and Western capitalist civilization dialectically. It advocated for the active introduction of Marx and Engels' vision of civilization to create a new socialist civilization on the basis of sublating both. For example, Li Dajiao pointed out that Western civilization suffered from the defect of "becoming exhausted under the weight of the material" and could not be copied blindly; to save China and the world from crisis, "there must be the rise of a third new civilization, or it will be insufficient to cross this perilous cliff." The "New Civilization" theory clearly proposed that socialist civilization is the new civilization, and only the new socialist civilization can save China.
During the New Democratic Revolution period, under the guidance of Marxist theory, the CPC aimed to establish a new society and a new country with "new politics, a new economy, and a new culture." It led the people in bloody and indomitable struggle, making a clean break with the old China that was "ruled by the old culture and thus ignorant and backward." The founding of New China signified that "the era in which Chinese people were regarded as uncivilized has passed," and the Chinese nation would "henceforth join the big family of peace- and freedom-loving nations of the world" to "create its own civilization and happiness, while promoting world peace and freedom." This laid the fundamental political prerequisite for the development of a new form of civilization.
During the period of Socialist Revolution and Construction, in order to "transform a China ruled by the old culture and thus ignorant and backward into a China ruled by the new culture and thus civilized and advanced," the Party formulated socialist civilizational construction programs based on national conditions and vigorously promoted civilizational building. For example, targeting the predicament of being "poor and blank" [7] and focusing on the problem that "blankness means the level of culture is not high, which is not good," the Party attached great importance to cultural and educational work, leading to the continuous advancement of literacy campaigns and a significant increase in the literacy rate. Chinese Communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong as their chief representative, relied on their own efforts and worked hard for the prosperity of the country, providing the material foundation, theoretical preparation, and valuable experience for the construction of socialist civilization.
During the new period of Reform and Opening-up and Socialist Modernization, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their chief representative, utilized "civilization" as a specialized discourse for national attributes and developmental positioning. They proposed the approach of "grasping with both hands" and "both hands must be firm" regarding material civilization and spiritual civilization. The 12th CPC National Congress proposed "building our country into a socialist country with high levels of civilization and democracy" and argued for "starting from the current reality to vigorously promote the construction of socialist material and spiritual civilization." The 13th CPC National Congress, proceeding from the reality of the primary stage of socialism, established the guiding principle that "we must take Marxism as guidance and strive to build spiritual civilization." It first used the concepts of "human civilization" and "world civilization" to express global history, contemporary issues, and future trends, demonstrating a global civilizational perspective and pushing the Marxist vision of civilization into a new realm. The 14th CPC National Congress further emphasized the need to "absorb all the excellent achievements of the development of human civilization," highlighting both the determination to expand opening-up and the fact that this opening-up is selective, ensuring that reform and opening-up remains on the right track. The 15th CPC National Congress first proposed the "Two Centenary" goals for the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and used the expression "five thousand years of Chinese civilization" to summarize Chinese history, emphasizing the need to "build a socialist spiritual civilization based on Chinese reality, inheriting the excellent traditions of historical culture while absorbing the beneficial results of foreign cultures." The 16th CPC National Congress established socialist material, political, and spiritual civilizations together as the three basic goals for the comprehensive development of socialist modernization, requiring both an insistence on summarizing our own practical experience based on national conditions and a proficiency in drawing on the beneficial achievements of human political civilization. The 17th CPC National Congress proposed the national overall development goal of "building a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, and harmonious socialist modernized country," adding "ecological civilization" [8] to the national development theme for the first time and arranging it as an important strategic task. The 18th CPC National Congress clearly stated: "The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics means, under the leadership of the CPC and based on basic national conditions, taking economic construction as the center, adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles and reform and opening-up, liberating and developing the productive forces, building a socialist market economy, socialist democratic politics, advanced socialist culture, a harmonious socialist society, and a socialist ecological civilization, promoting the well-rounded development of the individual, gradually achieving common prosperity for all, and building a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, and harmonious socialist modernized country." By this point, the CPC had formally formed a socialist vision of civilization corresponding to the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan.
A vision of civilization is produced in the practice of civilizational construction and will be continuously optimized alongside its development. The history of the development of the CPC’s vision of civilization highlights the Party's spiritual characteristic of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. The CPC’s vision is both an innovative development of Chinese civilization and a foundation for the creative transformation of a new form of human civilization. Entering the New Era, the Chinese nation faces new historical opportunities and developmental problems. Xi Jinping pointed out: "To continue promoting cultural prosperity, building a leading cultural power, and building a modern Chinese civilization at this new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era." As the Chinese nation is closer than at any time in history to the goal of Great Rejuvenation, China calls for a new vision of civilization and the world requires a new form of civilization. It is against this backdrop that Xi Jinping’s vision of civilization has gradually taken shape.
II. The Main Content of Xi Jinping’s Vision of Civilization
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping has combined the Marxist vision of civilization with Chinese civilization and China's specific realities. He has made many important expositions surrounding major questions such as "what kind of civilization to build in the New Era," "how to build civilization in the New Era," and "what kind of civilization should humanity build." He has clarified the meanings of civilization and culture, elucidated the characteristics of civilization, and further explained the rich connotations of modern Chinese civilization.
1. Clarifying the meanings of civilization and culture
Civilization and culture are two concepts that are both distinct and interconnected. Xi Jinping’s clarification of their meanings has made an important contribution to constructing a discourse system for Chinese civilization.
On one hand, the markers of the emergence of culture and civilization differ; culture emerges prior to civilization. As the source of civilization, culture is the prerequisite for its existence, while civilization is a state of life formed after human evolution and development have reached a certain level—it is the "accumulation, crystallization, and positive result of culture." Xi Jinping pointed out: "The research results of major projects such as the Project to Trace the Origins of Chinese Civilization [9] have substantiated China's million-year history of humanity, ten-thousand-year history of culture, and over five-thousand-year history of civilization." Furthermore, these research results prove that the prototypes of the two major agricultural systems (rice and dry farming) were formed over ten thousand years ago, upon which the interaction sphere of early Chinese culture was gradually formed. Additionally, based on Chinese materials while considering the characteristics of other ancient civilizations, the Project to Trace the Origins of Chinese Civilization proposed a "Chinese program" for the criteria of entering a civilized society: the emergence of cities, classes, royal power, and the state. Research shows signs of civilized society standards in the late Songze culture and early Liangzhu culture between 5,500 and 5,000 years ago. Thus, while culture and civilization have a chronological order of emergence, they are not disconnected. Civilization is produced under the gestation of culture and is a higher form of culture. The proposal of new civilizational standards enriches the research results of civilizational origin theory with archaeological chronicles and ancient texts, provides a new cognitive tool for Marxist historical philosophy, greatly enriches Marxist civilizational theory in terms of theory, and provides guidance for the creation and evolution of a new form of human civilization in terms of practice.
On the other hand, civilization is trans-national and trans-ethnic, emphasizing commonality and universality, while culture is regional and ethnic, emphasizing individuality and nationality. Xi Jinping pointed out that "for any culture to stand firm and go far, it must have its own subjectivity [10] to possess leadership, cohesion, shaping power, and radiation power." He noted that "cultural confidence comes from our cultural subjectivity," and "with cultural subjectivity, we have a firm self in the cultural sense; cultural confidence then has a fundamental reliance," and "Chinese civilization then possesses distinct cultural characteristics for exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations in the world." Civilization is relatively stable and possesses measurement standards in terms of material and technology; therefore, civilization requires exchange and mutual learning to promote development. Xi Jinping pointed out: "National culture is the unique identity that distinguishes one nation from others." Consequently, on many occasions, he has emphasized that China supports the rights of countries to maintain their national cultural traditions and opposes all discrimination and prejudice against specific ethnic groups or religions. The universality of civilization is reflected in Xi Jinping’s expositions on the common values of all humanity and a community with a shared future for humanity. Given the different characteristics of culture and civilization, Xi Jinping calls on all countries to utilize the commonalities and universality of civilization to "conduct civilizational dialogues, advocate for inclusive mutual learning, and together excavate the points of resonance between positive ways of life in national cultural traditions and the current era."
2. Elucidating the characteristics of civilization
Xi Jinping has profoundly summarized the connotations and qualities of civilization from the long river of human civilizational development, highlighting the characteristics of harmonious coexistence, exchange and mutual learning, and upholding the fundamentals while breaking new ground. This provides a basic framework for further promoting civilizational progress based on these characteristics.
Civilization possesses the quality of harmonious coexistence. This refers to the ability of different civilizations to maintain an attitude of equality, inclusion, and harmony toward differences. Different civilizations can coexist harmoniously, on one hand, because they share commonalities. As Xi Jinping pointed out...
"Whether it is Chinese civilization or other civilizations existing in the world, all are the fruits of human civilizational creation." On the other hand, this stems from the requirements of civilizational progress. Divergences and conflicts between different civilizations—especially the suppression of other civilizations by a Western civilization adhering to West-centrism—have already caused major damage to human civilization; if left unchecked, this will ultimately result in civilizational regression and extinction. Harmonious coexistence is the fundamental goal of civilizational progress. All countries in the world have already become a community of responsibility and a community with a shared future where "you are in me and I am in you." We "should uphold equality and respect, abandon arrogance and prejudice, deepen our awareness of the differences between our own civilization and other civilizations, and promote dialogue, exchange, and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations."
Civilizations possess the characteristic of exchange and mutual learning. Mutual learning among civilizations refers to various civilizations drawing upon and transforming each other's essence through an attitude of mutual respect and the method of exchange and dialogue. Universal human social intercourse is an important condition for the development of civilization; mutual learning among civilizations helps different nations provide their own unique contributions to the overall progress of human civilization. Xi Jinping has pointed out that human civilizations are diverse, equal, and inclusive. It is precisely because of diversity that human civilization has the value of exchange and mutual learning; precisely because of equality that it has the premise for exchange and mutual learning; and precisely because of inclusiveness that it has the impetus for exchange and mutual learning. The history of each civilization is in fact a history of continuous mutual borrowing over many centuries, even though each civilization has always retained its original characteristics. Viewed historically, human progress is inseparable from the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations. Exchange and mutual learning are basic requirements for the progress of human civilization. Only by engaging in exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations and drawing on their strengths to offset one's own weaknesses can a civilization maintain its vigorous vitality. However, one point must be noted: in the process of mutual learning and borrowing, one must integrate the specific conditions of one's own country and nation, consider one's own national characteristics, "follow what is good" [11] and "discard the dross while selecting the essential" [12]. One must not "swallow things whole" [13]; otherwise, one will eventually "neglect the root while pursuing the tip" [14] and lose the original color of one's own civilization.
Civilizations possess the characteristic of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. This refers to the ability of a civilization to completely inherit the excellent achievements created and accumulated by humanity while simultaneously advancing with the times and innovating on the basis of upholding fundamentals. The reason Chinese civilization has been able to continue without interruption is that it can both inherit original fruits to stabilize itself and use powerful originality to continuously innovate and solve contemporary problems. Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground constitute an inseparable whole. The former is the foundation for the latter, while the latter is the driving force for the former. Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the transmission and innovation of civilization, noting: "Every civilization carries the spiritual lifeblood of a country and a nation. It needs to be passed on from generation to generation and protected through the ages; even more, it needs to advance with the times and have the courage to innovate." We should give play to the "fundamental-upholding" characteristic of civilization, unreservedly absorbing the excellent fruits of past civilizations; we should also stimulate the "innovative" vitality of civilization, "using innovation to add driving force to civilizational development, activating the source water of civilizational progress, and continuously creating civilizational achievements that transcend time and space and possess eternal charm."
3. Elaborating on Chinese-path Modern Civilization
Xi Jinping has proposed the major proposition of "Chinese-path modern civilization" from the height of the millennium-long cause of the Chinese nation and the future destiny of socialism, profoundly explaining its rich connotations from historical, modernization, and global perspectives.
From a historical perspective, Chinese-path modern civilization is a modern civilization developed innovatively on the foundation of traditional civilization. Clearly summarizing the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization is the prerequisite for building Chinese-path modern civilization. Looking back at history and standing on reality, Xi Jinping has clearly summarized that Chinese civilization possesses prominent continuity, prominent creativity, prominent unity, prominent inclusiveness, and a prominent peaceful nature. He emphasizes that Chinese civilization possesses a cultural subjectivity and vigorous vitality that allows it to develop itself, respond to challenges, and open up new vistas. The continuity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that the Chinese nation must follow its own path; it emphasizes that Chinese civilization is one that "discards the old to establish the new" [15] and "shines with daily renewal" [16]. The creativity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines the enterprising spirit of the Chinese nation in upholding the fundamentals without being hidebound and respecting antiquity without returning to the past; it determines the fearless character of the Chinese nation in not fearing new challenges and having the courage to accept new things. The long-standing tradition of Great Unification [17] in Chinese civilization formed a unity of "diversity within integration," which fundamentally determines that the cultures of various ethnic groups in the Chinese nation are merged into one. Even when encountering major setbacks, they remain firmly cohesive. This determines the common conviction that territory is inseparable, the state must not be in chaos, the nation must not be scattered, and civilization must not be broken. It determines that national unity is forever the core of China’s core interests and that a strong, unified state is where the destiny of all ethnic groups lies. Chinese civilization possesses prominent inclusiveness, which fundamentally determines the historical orientation of the Chinese nation toward social intercourse, exchange, and integration; it determines the harmonious pattern of pluralistic coexistence of religious beliefs in China and the open-mindedness of Chinese culture in "incorporating things from diverse sources" [18] from world civilizations. Peace, amity, and harmony are concepts that Chinese civilization has passed down for over five thousand years, advocating for the construction of a world where "the self and the group are one" through a moral order, and prioritizing others in the relationship between self and others. The peaceful nature of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. It determines that China continuously pursues civilizational exchange and mutual learning rather than cultural hegemony; it determines that China will not impose its own values and political systems on others; and it determines that China insists on cooperation rather than confrontation and will never engage in "forming cliques to persecute those with different views" [19].
From the perspective of modernization, Chinese-path modern civilization is a modern civilization formed on the basis of Chinese-path modernization. Advancing Chinese-path modernization and creating a new form of human civilization are two sides of the same process. Chinese-path modern civilization is the modern form of Chinese civilization and the new form of human civilization created by Chinese-path modernization. Modern civilization is both an inherent attribute and a prominent hallmark of modernization, as well as its main goal and inevitable result. "Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern strength, while Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with profound depth." As the civilizational vision of Chinese-path modernization, Chinese-path modern civilization evolves in synchronization with it. Chinese-path modernization carries forward the ancient Chinese civilization, endowing it with the connotations of the era and modern strength through civilizational renewal and development. This has created a new "cultural life-form" that is an organic unity of the traditional and the modern, creating an entirely new civilizational form. Chinese-path modern civilization presents two major characteristics in the historical process of modernization: first, the commonalities of modern civilization based on the universality of world modernization; second, its own civilizational characteristics based on the particularity of Chinese-path modernization. When discussing Chinese-path modernization, Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that it "possesses the common characteristics of the modernization of all countries, but even more so, it has Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions." Standing on the foundation of Chinese-path modernization, from the perspective of universality, Chinese-path modern civilization has transcended narrow regional spatial-temporal limitations and civilizational barriers, integrated into the tide of world modernization and the general trend of human civilizational development, and absorbed the excellent achievements of other world civilizations. From the perspective of particularity, Chinese-path modern civilization is rooted in the deep soil of Chinese civilization, based on the rich practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese-path modernization, achieving a leap from traditional civilization to modern civilization. Specifically, the unique worldview, values, view of history, view of civilization, view of democracy, and ecological view contained within Chinese-path modernization and its great practice have allowed Chinese-path modern civilization to break through the limitations of traditional civilization. It presents a brand-new modern civilizational vista of prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, and beauty, embodying the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation and demonstrating a high degree of cultural confidence.
From a global perspective, Chinese-path modern civilization is a new form of human civilization. It points toward modern material and spiritual-cultural achievements in China's economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological fields, providing a new demonstration, new reference, and new impetus for the development of world civilization. The Communist Party of China (CPC) adheres to the socialist market economy and has created a new material civilization. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Developing a market economy under socialist conditions is a great pioneering undertaking of our Party. A key factor in the tremendous success of our country's economic development is that we have brought into play both the strengths of the market economy and the superiorities of the socialist system." The socialist market economy transcends the logic of capital, creating a new form of human material civilization. The CPC adheres to developing whole-process people’s democracy, creating a new political civilization. Through continuous theoretical innovation, whole-process people's democracy has ultimately been implemented as the basic requirement for the construction of socialist democratic politics with Chinese characteristics. Whole-process people's democracy "is a democracy that covers all links, all aspects, and all sectors; it is the most extensive, true, and effective socialist democracy." It can be said that whole-process people’s democracy has created a new form of human political civilization. The CPC adheres to achieving the well-rounded development of the individual, creating a new spiritual civilization. The CPC promotes and practices the socialist core values domestically and the common values of all humanity internationally, "ensuring that all people have a greater sense of gain in the process of building and sharing development, continuously promoting the well-rounded development of the individual and common prosperity for all." It leads the people in creating a new form of human spiritual civilization. The CPC adheres to achieving common prosperity, creating a new social civilization. Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of achieving common prosperity many times, pointing out: "Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and an important characteristic of Chinese-path modernization." Based on the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity, China carries out cooperation on a basis of complete equality with relevant countries to help recipient nations escape poverty. Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions have added confidence that China and the world can achieve common prosperity in the future, creating a new form of human social civilization. The CPC adheres to a development model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, creating a new ecological civilization. It has proposed a series of new assertions and viewpoints, such as "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and "if the ecology flourishes, civilization flourishes; if the ecology declines, civilization declines." These reflect that the path of Chinese-path modernization simultaneously advances economic development and the construction of ecological civilization, being responsible for both the development of the Chinese nation and the development of human civilization, thus creating a new form of human ecological civilization. The modern civilization created by China belongs not only to Chinese history but also to world history; it concerns not only the future of Chinese-path modernization but also the global modernization agenda, the spiritual growth of the world, and the progress of human civilization.
III. The Value and Significance of Xi Jinping's Outlook on Civilization
Xi Jinping's outlook on civilization is an important theoretical achievement gradually formed in the practice of civilizational construction. It possesses major realistic significance and profound world significance. It not only provides the fundamental follow-through for developing the discourse system of Chinese civilization and provides powerful cultural support for Chinese-path modernization, but also contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the progress of human civilization.
1. Providing the fundamental follow-through for developing the discourse system of Chinese civilization
The report of the 20th CPC National Congress requires "speeding up the construction of a Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system." Only in this way can the independence of civilizational discourse be truly realized. "If you are backward, you will be beaten; if you are poor, you will starve; if you are speechless, you will be scolded." Through the unremitting struggles of several generations, we have basically solved the problems of "being beaten" and "starving," but the problem of "being scolded" still exists. Internationally, Western countries use the powerful weapons of public opinion they control to slander Chinese civilization in the international community. Many people abroad see an untruthful China, and the "strong West, weak East" pattern in international public opinion has not yet undergone a fundamental change.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has profoundly answered major theoretical and practical questions such as why we should build a discourse system for Chinese civilization, what kind of system to build, and how to build it. It has proposed a series of new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies to lead the further development of the discourse system. First, Xi Jinping takes realistic problems as his orientation. He has mentioned the construction of the discourse system many times, pointing out that our country's...
"The level of our capacity and standard in academic discourse does not yet commensurate with our comprehensive national strength and international status," emphasizing the urgency and importance of constructing a Chinese discourse system in the New Era. As the soul of any discourse system, the construction of a discourse on civilization is of even greater urgency. Furthermore, Xi Jinping emphasizes the construction of a discourse system on civilization that integrates theory and practice. On one hand, it is necessary to promote the prosperity of philosophy and the social sciences to enhance the academic depth of the discourse system, for theory can only conquer people when it is thorough. On the other hand, we must persist in the principle of putting the people first to enhance the practical nature of the discourse system, for a discourse system can only exert material force when it is mastered by the masses. Moreover, Xi Jinping emphasizes the construction of a discourse system on civilization that integrates national character and global relevance. We must both construct an autonomous Chinese knowledge system and break free from the predicament of "talking to oneself," expressing China's story in a way that the international community can understand and accept. Finally, Xi Jinping has pointed out that we must "be grounded in China while drawing on foreign experiences, excavate history while grasping the contemporary, and care for humanity while facing the future," providing the principled direction for constructing a discourse system on civilization. In short, Xi Jinping has taken up the historical burden by making a series of important expositions on the construction of a Chinese discourse system on civilization from the perspectives of axiology, ontology, and methodology, making a major contribution to building a discourse system capable of transcending "Western-centrism" and reflecting its own distinctive characteristics.
2. Providing powerful cultural support for comprehensively advancing Chinese-path modernization
The creation of Chinese-path modernization depends on the degree of integration between Chinese civilization and Marxism. As Xi Jinping pointed out: "Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China's social development; it is a scientific socialism rooted in Chinese soil, reflecting the will of the Chinese people, and adapting to the developmental and progressive requirements of China and the times." Chinese-path modernization is continuously advanced on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a path created on the basis of the integration of Chinese civilization and Marxism. The reason why Chinese civilization can be integrated with Marxism is, first, because Chinese civilization possesses the inherent characteristic of "inclusive pluralism," and second, because the ideas within Chinese civilization regarding the "Great Unity" [20] of the world and social forms resonate with Marxism, being "integrated with the excellent traditional history and culture that our country has passed down for thousands of years and the values that the masses use daily without even realizing it" [21]. Therefore, Marxism has been able to take root in Chinese soil and achieve a long-term, high-degree integration with Chinese civilization, injecting inexhaustible momentum for Chinese-path modernization to forge ahead steadily.
The process of shaping a new form of human civilization is also the process of creating a model for human modernization. Chinese-path modernization differs from Western-style capitalist modernization and also from Soviet-style socialist modernization; it is a modernization with Chinese style, Chinese characteristics, and Chinese flair. Rooted in excellent traditional Chinese culture and embodying the advanced essence of socialism, Chinese-path modernization shapes the constructive path through which Chinese Communists initiate a new form of human civilization. It points out the developmental path for creating a new form of human civilization and shatters the myth that "modernization equals Westernization." Chinese-path modernization is a modernization that follows the path of peaceful development, which dictates that the creation of a new form of human civilization will surely advance along this same path. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Marxism has profoundly changed China, and China has also greatly enriched Marxism." Precisely because Chinese-path modernization is the result of the deep integration of Marxism and Chinese civilization, to realize it, we must enhance the degree of integration between Chinese civilization and Marxism in 21st-century China. Thus, "the new form of human civilization still belongs to the category of socialist civilization, and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the latest practical achievement of socialist civilization." Constructing a modern civilization of the Chinese nation provides powerful cultural support for our strides toward the "broad road" [22] of Chinese-path modernization, the building of a strong country, and national rejuvenation.
3. Contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the progress of human civilization
The progress and development of human civilization are not easy. "The history of world development tells us that the journey of human civilization's progress has never been a flat road; humanity has advanced through struggles against difficulties." Throughout the long historical process, humanity has made great contributions and achievements for the progress of civilization, yet has also paid a heavy price and faced major challenges. Regarding material civilization, downward pressure on the global economy has increased sharply, and some Western countries continue to shift their difficulties and crises onto the rest of the world. Regarding political civilization, the shadows of Cold War mentality and zero-sum games still hang over the international arena, and the tentacles of hegemonism from developed Western countries reach across the globe. Regarding spiritual civilization, capital and technology continue to erode human spiritual culture, with the number of "one-dimensional men" [23] and people in spiritual distress constantly increasing. Regarding social civilization, global polarization is widening, and major livelihood issues such as food security and public health remain unresolved. Regarding ecological civilization, environmental problems such as climate warming, biodiversity loss, and the transboundary transfer of hazardous waste continue to threaten the Earth's ecology.
China's thoughts and path regarding civilizational development must possess world significance. This is based on China's responsibility and commitment as a major global power and Chinese civilization's status as a major branch of human civilization; it is also because, in today's world of increasingly close connections between nations, it is impossible to pursue only "individual safety and preservation" [24]. In his tireless exploration to answer the questions of the times such as "What is wrong with the world?" and "What should we do?", Xi Jinping keenly pointed out four major defects of Western modernization: being capital-centered, polarization, the expansion of materialism, and external expansion and plunder. This demonstrates that Western civilization is a major creator of the contemporary predicament of human civilization, and that resolving this predicament requires the emergence of a new civilization.
Xi Jinping has also proposed a series of rational solutions for the future of human civilization: first, advocating the common values of humanity—peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom—to provide an ethical consensus for the harmonious coexistence of civilizations; second, launching the Belt and Road Initiative to build a platform for cooperation and mutual learning between civilizations; third, proposing the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity to point the way toward upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground for civilization. It is precisely under the guidance of scientific theories, including Xi Jinping's outlook on civilization, that the Communist Party of China has "led the people in successfully charting the path of Chinese-path modernization, creating a new form of human civilization, and expanding the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization."
The construction of a new form of human civilization within Xi Jinping's outlook on civilization transcends the barriers between different civilizations and proposes a scheme for deep-level interaction between them, promoting global reform, construction, and development through civilizational integration. This not only makes an original contribution to the development of Chinese civilization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation but also focuses on the development of human civilization as a whole, providing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the world. In short, the new form of human civilization belongs both to China and the world; it possesses both specific value for solving Chinese problems and universal value for solving human problems, transcending the modern Western capitalist civilizational form and standing at the historical and moral high ground of contemporary human civilizational development.
Conclusion
Since entering the New Era, Xi Jinping, while remaining grounded in the Chinese position, has kept the whole world in view. With a profound and broad outlook on civilization, he has guided the whole Party and the people across the country to be confident and self-reliant, to uphold the fundamentals and break new ground. He has both plunged roots deep into the fertile soil of Chinese civilization and promoted mutual learning and exchange between Chinese civilization and other civilizations, driving the innovative development and creative transformation of Chinese civilization and putting forward the mission and requirement of building a modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a modern civilization generated through the mutual construction of Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization. It has not only achieved the "renewal of feathers" [25] of the traditional civilization of the Chinese nation through historical continuity but has also achieved the innovative initiation of a new form of human civilization through the advancement of Chinese-path modernization. Xi Jinping's outlook on civilization originates from practice and continuously develops within it; it is a contemporary achievement of Chinese civilization and a valuable treasure for world civilization. On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we must persist in building a modern civilization of the Chinese nation under the guidance of Xi Jinping's outlook on civilization, and explain to the world China's universal experience and wisdom in advancing civilizational construction: "persist in civilizational equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness, so that civilizational exchange transcends alienation, civilizational mutual learning transcends conflict, and civilizational inclusiveness transcends superiority."