The Spiritual Banner Leading the Construction of a Powerful Country and National Rejuvenation
Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is the theoretical crystallization of the comprehensive integration of the essence of Marxist thought with fine traditional Chinese culture, marking another important milestone in our Party’s theoretical innovation. This thought possesses powerful truth-penetrating force and practical guiding force; it enriches and develops Marxist cultural theory, providing a powerful ideological weapon and a scientific guide to action for performing propaganda, ideological, and cultural work on the new journey and for shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era.
To deeply study and thoroughly understand Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a major political task for the propaganda, ideological, and cultural front. Taking this as an entry point, we can more profoundly grasp the cultural core of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, more comprehensively understand and capture the duties and missions of propaganda, ideological, and cultural work in the New Era, hold higher the spiritual banner leading the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation, and better build a strong socialist cultural power to forge new glories for Chinese culture.
As the theoretical summation of the practical experience of cultural construction led by the Party in the New Era, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is rich in connotation and extremely profound in discourse; it is a scientific theoretical system with a distinct theme, rich content, a complete framework, and rigorous logic. Deeply understanding and grasping the essential meaning of this thought can begin with six keywords.
"Tradition": Treating fine traditional Chinese culture with a scientific, objective, and respectful attitude
The vast land of China has a long history and a magnificent civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Chinese civilization is the only great civilization in the world to have developed in the form of a state and continued uninterrupted to this day." Precisely because it has been passed down in a continuous line, fine traditional Chinese culture cannot be viewed in isolation; it must be recognized and grasped as a whole, considered from the height of the Chinese nation’s million-year history of humanity, ten-thousand-year history of culture, and five-thousand-plus-year history of civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping insists on combining the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture, allowing traditional culture to belong both to the past and to the modern, enabling the five-thousand-plus-year history of Chinese civilization to radiate new vigor and vitality, and achieving the inheritance and development of fine traditional Chinese culture at the level of objective laws.
Regarding culture and civilization, there exists a dialectical relationship of mutual interleaving and interaction between the past and the present, and between tradition and modernity. As General Secretary Xi Jinping stated, "the best inheritance of history is the creation of new history, and the greatest respect for human civilization is the creation of a new form of human civilization." This inspires us: once traditional elements are activated, they can act upon the modern and become a spiritual force for modern society; after modern elements are washed and refined by time, leaving valuable imprints in the process of the era’s development, they too can become tradition. Modern culture and civilization, after precipitation, become a new tradition. Our inheritance and development of fine traditional Chinese culture today is aimed precisely at shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era and providing continuous and powerful spiritual support for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. Cultural construction in the New Era is a law-based inheritance of the five-thousand-plus-year Chinese cultural lineage [1], an innovative development based on the people’s needs for a better life, and a manifestation of "each appreciating its own beauty, and all appreciating beauty together" [2] based on exchange and mutual learning between civilizations.
"Value": Grasping the root and soul of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
Regarding the concept of culture, there are hundreds of established definitions, and new summaries constantly emerge. To truly understand culture, one cannot only look at its carriers and concrete manifestations, but must delve deep to explore the essence of culture—that is, the internal significance of culture at the spiritual level.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Culture is the soul of a country and a nation," and "Chinese culture has a long history, accumulating the deepest spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, representing the unique spiritual markers of the Chinese nation." This accurately grasps the essence of culture from the spiritual and value levels. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to carrying forward the socialist core values, because they are "the concentrated expression of the contemporary Chinese spirit, solidifying the common value pursuits of all the people," and are the essence of advanced socialist culture.
Understood from another perspective, the reason fine traditional Chinese culture is the root and soul of the Chinese nation lies in the fact that it provides basic judgments and a starting point for values regarding what is good and bad, what has value and what does not, and what should and should not be done.
"The soul of a nation is transformed by culture and forged by culture." Precisely by grasping the essence of culture and extensively drawing upon the philosophy, wisdom, and methodology within fine traditional Chinese culture, General Secretary Xi Jinping has formed concepts such as transforming things through culture, transforming people through culture, transforming cities through culture, and even governing the country through culture, opening a new chapter in the governance of the state.
Governing the country with culture is not merely a one-way extraction of the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture; it is a two-way promotion drive moving between culture and the economy/society. On one hand, the value of culture acts upon economic and social development, transforming into economic value and social value; on the other hand, the enrichment and development of the economy and the perfection and progress of society drive the demand for culture and spirit, causing the fruits of development to be continuously transformed into more cultural and spiritual outcomes. For this reason, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emphasizes the coordination of material and spiritual civilization, continuously satisfying the people’s demand for spiritual culture and their longing for a better life, and shaping a more powerful spiritual force and more noble character pursuits in New Era China, thereby better realizing the "free and well-rounded development of individuals" pursued by Marxism.
"Civilization": Creating a new form of human civilization through Chinese-path modernization
The distinction between culture and civilization can be understood to a certain extent as: culture is civilization in action, and civilization is culture that has settled. Before culture undergoes this precipitation, it may only constitute a phenomenon; only after it matures and stabilizes through precipitation, becoming a significant mark of human progress, can it constitute a civilization. In this sense, the process of promoting the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics is a process of the continuous precipitation and stabilization of civilization; it is for the purpose of creating a new form of human civilization.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Civilizations only differ in their brilliance, but there is never a distinction of superior or inferior." The so-called "clash of civilizations" theory is essentially a false illusion of cultural superiority created by a sense of racial superiority—an ideological cover for conflicts of interest. Chinese-path modernization has created a brand-new form of civilization that transcends barriers and conflicts, advocating for common prosperity and "all appreciating beauty together." This form of civilization emphasizes the coordinated development of material, political, spiritual, social, and ecological civilizations; it advocates for the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, pursues common prosperity, commits to peaceful development, promotes the "Great Harmony" [3] of the world, contains noble and vast spiritual pursuits, and demonstrates the correct path of human progress.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Chinese-path modernization is a modernization that continues an ancient civilization, not one that eliminates it; it is a modernization that has grown out of the Chinese soil, not one copied from other countries; it is the result of cultural renewal, not the product of cultural rupture." The reason Chinese-path modernization can create a new form of human civilization lies in its deep roots in fine traditional Chinese culture; it is a brand-new blueprint distinct from Western modernization models. Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with historical depth, while Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern connotations. By unswervingly exploring the path of Chinese-path modernization, the new form of human civilization will surely be continuously enriched and developed.
"Integration": Promoting the mutual stimulation and mutual achievement of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "To open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the deep foundation of five-thousand-plus years of Chinese civilization, the 'Two Combinations' (combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture) is the only path."
The prerequisite for "integration" is mutual compatibility. Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture have different origins, but there is a high degree of compatibility between them. For instance, the social pursuit of "the world belongs to the public" [4] and "fostering trust and harmony" aligns with the ideals and beliefs of communism and socialism; the governance ideas of "the people as the foundation of the state" and "governing through virtue" harmonize with the political concept of "putting the people first"; and the commitment to "discarding the old to bring in the new" [5] and "self-improvement without cease" [6] tallies with the revolutionary spirit of Communists. General Secretary Xi Jinping accurately grasped the internal points of compatibility between the two and creatively proposed the "Second Combination," achieving a comprehensive and all-encompassing integration of all Marxist theories and principles with fine traditional Chinese culture.
The result of "integration" is mutual achievement. For Marxism, fine traditional Chinese culture has enriched the cultural life of this scientific theory, pushing it to continuously achieve new leaps in Sinicization and modernization, and demonstrating increasingly distinct Chinese characteristics, style, and spirit. Because of this "integration," Marxism has become more popular and accepted by the Chinese people, aligning more naturally with the value identities of the masses. Its roots in China have a deeper historical, cultural, and popular foundation. The "Chinese characteristics" of socialism with Chinese characteristics have become more prominent, and confidence in our path, theory, and system now has more solid cultural support. For fine traditional Chinese culture, Marxism has activated the genes of Chinese civilization with the light of truth, leading China into the modern world and promoting the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization. This has allowed the five-thousand-plus-year Chinese cultural lineage to flow in one continuous line, with cultural power bursting forth and shining brilliantly on the journey toward national rejuvenation. Because of this "integration," fine traditional Chinese culture has adapted to contemporary culture and harmonized with modern society, becoming a powerful force for the continuous development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It has given us unprecedented cultural self-awareness, firm cultural confidence, and a continuous movement toward high-level cultural self-reliance.
Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has both cultivated the ideological soil for the "Two Combinations" and become an inevitable product of them, allowing Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture to mutually generate one another in New Era China, initiating a new liberation of the mind.
"Transformation": Consolidating cultural subjectivity through creative transformation and innovative development
For any culture to stand firm, go far, and possess the power to lead, unite, shape, and radiate, it must have its own subjectivity. With cultural subjectivity, there is a firm sense of "self" in a cultural sense; cultural confidence has a fundamental reliance; the CPC has a powerful cultural force to lead the era; the Chinese nation and the Chinese people have a solid cultural foundation for national identity; and Chinese civilization has distinct cultural characteristics for exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations in the world.
General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to and vigorously promotes the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. In the process of "transformation," General Secretary Xi Jinping consistently adheres to the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method, stays close to the themes of the times, focuses on the needs of the people, and adheres to the principles of "making the past serve the present and foreign things serve China," dialectically selecting and discarding while bringing forth the new. This has formed cultural results that both embody the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization and important elements of Chinese culture, and reflect the progress of the era and the development of practice. This has made the spiritual lifeblood, cultural roots, and unique markers of the Chinese nation more distinct, solidified the cultural confidence to stand firm amidst the turbulence of world cultures, and made the cultural foundation for the development of the state and nation deeper and more robust.
Through "integration" and "transformation," a new, organically unified cultural lifeform has emerged, becoming the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization and greatly consolidating our cultural subjectivity. It is precisely based on the law-based understanding of creative transformation and innovative development that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has enriched and developed Marxist cultural theory, writing the "cultural chapter" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
"Dialogue": Making the garden of world civilizations more colorful and diverse
The charm of civilization lies not in a single flower blooming alone, but in a hundred flowers blooming together; the vitality of civilization lies not in self-admiration, but in inclusiveness. Without "dialogue," there can be no mutual exchange between civilizations, and the hearts of various nations cannot communicate. General Secretary Xi Jinping advocates for "transcending barriers through exchange, transcending conflict through mutual learning, and transcending superiority through inclusiveness," pointing the correct direction for the development and progress of human civilization.
The prerequisite for "dialogue" is respecting the diversity of world civilizations and recognizing that civilizations can be "harmonious yet different" [7]. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emphasizes the cognition of the differences between one’s own civilization and others, advocates mutual respect and equal treatment, and pursues harmony in diversity and harmonious coexistence. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "it is foolish in cognition and disastrous in practice to believe that one’s own race or civilization is superior and to insist on remodeling or even replacing other civilizations."
"Dialogue" should adhere to openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning. Exchange and mutual learning are the essential requirements for the development of civilizations. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Civilizations communicate because of diversity, learn from each other because of communication, and develop because of mutual learning." Exchange and mutual learning "should be reciprocal, equal, pluralistic, and multi-directional," and we should break down the barriers to cultural interaction with a broad mind that "encompasses all rivers" [8].
"Dialogue" can promote the common prosperity and progress of human civilizations. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out that "the history of world civilizations reveals a law: any civilization must advance with the times [9] and continuously absorb the essence of the era." Through dialogue, Chinese civilization can draw upon the intellectual essence of the development and progress of human civilizations, while simultaneously contributing Chinese concepts and Chinese wisdom—long-standing and renewed through time—thereby helping to flourish the "hundred flowers garden" of world civilizations.
"Dialogue" can enhance the reach and influence of Chinese civilization. In the process of dialogue, we can better explore the construction of a Chinese discourse and narrative system, creating new concepts, new categories, and new expressions that bridge China and the outside world. This allows for a more sufficient display of the unique charm of Chinese culture and the contemporary value of Chinese civilization, better presenting an image of a China that is credible, lovable, and respectable.
Among the six keywords mentioned above: The three terms "tradition," "value," and "文明" (civilization) can be regarded as interpretations and innovations in cultural theoretical perspectives. The three terms "integration" [10], "transformation," and "dialogue" can be regarded as practice and guidance in the scientific methodology of cultural construction. The combination of the two reflects the distinct characteristic of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture: "clarifying the Substance and attaining its Application; the integration of Substance and Application" [11]. This allows us to further deeply recognize and comprehend the power of truth and the great power of practice contained within this thought.
Looking back at the historic achievements in the cause of publicity, ideology, and culture since the 18th Party Congress [12], and the global and fundamental shifts in the situation of the ideological field, we deeply feel that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture—as an important component of the new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism—is rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture, possesses the spirit and bearing of the era, and is endowed with a global vision and breadth of mind. It understands the changes of the past and present [13], stands at the forefront of the times, and raises the banner of civilization. It will surely endow Chinese-path modernization with richer cultural connotations, construct a more solid cultural foundation for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, and provide stronger spiritual support for the Chinese nation to stand tall in the world. It will inevitably and powerfully lead the construction of a cultural power, promote the restoration of glory to Chinese civilization, and open a new era for human civilization.
Source: Study Times [14] Web Editor: Huihui