Wang Binglin: The Roots of the Great Founding Spirit of the Party in Fine Traditional Chinese Culture
The scientific connotations of the Great Founding Spirit of the Party were formed alongside the creation of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Xi Jinping has explicitly pointed out: "A hundred years ago, the pioneers of the CPC founded the Communist Party of China and developed the Great Founding Spirit of the CPC: upholding truth and ideals, fulfilling our original aspiration and founding mission, fighting bravely without fear of sacrifice, and remaining loyal to the Party and faithful to the people. This is the Party's source of spirit." That the CPC only first solemnly proposed the concept of the Great Founding Spirit a hundred years later is the result of a deepening of historical cognition. Engels noted: "Where history begins, the train of thought must also begin; and the further progress of the train of thought is nothing but the reflection, in abstract and theoretically consistent form, of the historical process." Historical research is often thus: after a historical event occurs, a correct cognition of its status and role usually requires a process of rational judgment and practical testing. Examining the century-long course of struggle, the "secret code" for why the CPC was "able" [1] is the support of the powerful spiritual momentum of the Great Founding Spirit. The formation of the Great Founding Spirit was not sudden; it was nurtured by great practice and possesses rich theoretical sources and a solid cultural foundation. Marxism is the theoretical source of the Great Founding Spirit, while fine traditional Chinese culture is its cultural foundation. Regarding the thesis that Marxism serves as the theoretical source of the Great Founding Spirit, research has been quite thorough and remains uncontroversial. However, regarding the question of whether fine traditional Chinese culture can serve as the cultural foundation for the Great Founding Spirit, there are still differing views in academic circles that require in-depth study.
I. The Inheritance of Fine Traditional Chinese Culture by Chinese Communists and the Evolution of the Traditional Cultural Outlook
Grasping the dialectical process of historical development as a whole, as well as the evolution of Chinese Communists' understanding of traditional culture, is essential for our deep understanding of the foundational role that fine traditional Chinese culture played in the formation and development of the Great Founding Spirit.
The scientific truths of Marxism are the theoretical source of the Great Founding Spirit. It is precisely because Chinese Communists accepted the scientific truths of Marxism that they solidified the lofty ideal of Communism, shouldered the historical mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, tempered the tenacious will to fight bravely without fear of sacrifice, and forged the noble character of remaining loyal to the Party and faithful to the people. Marx pointed out: "Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past." Fine traditional Chinese culture is exactly one of those conditions "existing already, given and transmitted from the past" which the CPC encountered directly while creating history. Fine traditional Chinese culture is the cultural foundation of the Great Founding Spirit; it is the deep cultural and psychological basis upon which the Chinese people accepted and believed in Marxism, and it is the deep soil and rich nourishment for the Great Founding Spirit. Xi Jinping has pointed out: "After Marxism was introduced to China, the propositions of scientific socialism were warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and eventually took root, blossomed, and bore fruit on the land of China. This was by no means accidental, but rather because they are compatible with the fine traditional history and culture that our country has inherited for thousands of years, as well as with the values that the broad masses of the people practice daily without even being aware of them." In essence, the Great Founding Spirit is the product of the "Two Combinations" [2]—it is both the theoretical crystallization of the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities, and the ideological essence of the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture.
The pioneers of the CPC were inheritors and promoters of fine traditional Chinese culture. They cared for the affairs of the state and the suffering of the people [3], yearned for the world of Great Harmony (datong) [4], actively engaged in practice, and advocated for advancing with the times and daily renewal (ri xin) [5], thereby integrating fine traditional Chinese culture into the practice and spirit of founding the Party. Most of them had received a systematic education in traditional culture. Their extraordinary natural talents, combined with the early start and long duration of their immersion in traditional cultural education, allowed them to develop a profound "foundational skill" (tongzi gong) [6] in traditional culture. This high level of traditional cultural literacy was the cultural basis for their acceptance of new ideas. During their youth, they used traditional culture as a knowledge background to construct a simple world outlook, life outlook, and values. The ideal of Great Harmony, the people-oriented (minben) thought [7], and the spirit of striving and struggle became their deepest beliefs and values practiced "daily without being aware of them." In particular, traditional cultural values such as "feeling for home and country" (jiaguo qinghuai) [8], "statecraft and practical utility" (jingshi zhiyong) [9], and more specifically, "sacrificing one's body to fulfill virtue" (shashen chenren) [10] or "giving up life for righteousness" (shesheng quyi) [11], profoundly shaped their spiritual character and behavioral norms. For example, while Li Dazhao [12] was working at Peking University, he "frequently exhausted his family's resources to relieve the hardships of the nation, helping impoverished youth and supporting revolutionary activities, to the point that the university had to withhold part of his salary to give directly to his wife to prevent the family from being unable to sustain themselves." Wu Yuzhang [13] once recalled: "The lofty ideals of equality for all and the elimination of the gap between rich and poor depicted in socialist books greatly encouraged me, reminding me of the Three People's Principles [14] advocated by Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the ancient Chinese theory of the world of Great Harmony. All these things intertwined in my mind to form a beautiful vision of a future society." These two examples vividly reflect the scene of advanced Chinese people making new life choices under the joint influence of fine traditional Chinese culture and Marxism. Fine traditional Chinese culture was already deeply etched into the souls of the Party's founders, accumulating and penetrating as a cultural gene practiced "daily without being aware," subtly influencing their conceptual world. They simultaneously bore a vision for a New Culture and a complex of traditional culture; the New Culture carried the dreams of China's future, while traditional culture remained an inseparable spiritual home.
Of course, the pioneers of the CPC also fiercely criticized traditional culture. This criticism was mainly reflected in the New Culture Movement [15]. Advanced figures represented by Chen Duxiu [16] and Li Dazhao held high the banners of democracy and science, focusing their firepower on a fierce attack against feudal autocratic thought, old rites, and old morality, attempting to construct China’s new thought and new culture while displaying a firm posture of breaking with traditional culture. It is a historical fact that their criticism of Chinese traditional culture included instances of going too far or being extremist; there is no need to conceal this. How should we understand the relationship between this fierce criticism and the Chinese Communists' inheritance and promotion of fine traditional culture? This requires grasping the complexity of history and the trajectory of ideological evolution as a whole.
First, the criticism of traditional culture during the May Fourth period [17] cleared the way for the widespread dissemination of Marxism in China. Since the dawn of the modern era, the Chinese people's cognition of the value of traditional culture has undergone a process of change. Chinese civilization has a long history and is the only civilization in the world that has not been interrupted. As the British philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "China is to be regarded as a civilization-entity rather than a political entity—the only one that has survived from antiquity. Since the days of Confucius, Egypt, Babylonia, Macedonia, and the Roman Empire have all perished, but China has survived through continuous evolution." As a vast country with a brilliant civilization, the Chinese people were full of cultural confidence. However, after the Opium War, China—which had long led the world—gradually fell into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, sinking into a tragic state of poverty, weakness, and vulnerability to being "carved up like a melon." Advanced Chinese elements conducted extensive and in-depth reflections at the levels of technology, institutions, and culture. After repeated failures in transforming material instruments and political systems, they attributed the primary cause of China's backwardness and vulnerability to Chinese traditional culture. During the New Culture Movement, traditional Chinese culture was seen as an "old culture" in conflict with modern values of democracy and science. Thus, criticizing traditional culture became an inevitable choice for promoting historical progress. As Mao Zedong said: "During the May Fourth Movement, a group of new figures opposed the semi-classical literary language and advocated the vernacular; they opposed old dogmas and advocated science and democracy. All of this was quite correct." It should be said that without the thoroughness of the criticism of traditional culture, it would have been difficult to play the role of ideological enlightenment or to clear the way for the dissemination of new thoughts and New Culture. The historical role of criticizing traditional culture cannot be denied.
Second, the May Fourth period lacked a scientific analysis of Chinese traditional culture, particularly Confucianism, and thus did not properly handle the issue of inheritance between modern and traditional civilization. In fact, traditional Chinese culture contains value concepts and thinking methods that are compatible with the basic tenets of Marxism. The dissemination and taking root of Marxism in China is also inseparable from the nourishment of fine traditional Chinese culture; without cultural inheritance, there can be no innovative development. In 1942, Mao Zedong conducted a profound reflection on the phenomenon of cultural criticism during the May Fourth period. While affirming the historical progressiveness of opposing the "eight-legged" style [18] and old dogmas in favor of science and democracy, he explicitly pointed out: "But they lacked the critical spirit of historical materialism in their approach to the current situation, to history, and to foreign things. What they called 'bad' was absolutely bad, everything was bad; what they called 'good' was absolutely good, everything was good." Clearly, Mao Zedong also believed that anti-traditionalism during the May Fourth period suffered from deviations caused by "correcting a wrong by overcompensating" (jiaowang guozheng) [19]. The lesson of such simplification and absolutization is worth remembering.
Third, the primary founders of the Communist Party of China, including such advanced elements as Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, did not engage in a wholesale negation of the value of traditional Chinese culture. Although some advanced elements during the May Fourth period [20] were fierce in their criticism of the old culture and resolute in their determination to break from it, their sharp edge was directed primarily at feudal autocratic thought, the old ritual teachings, and the old morality. Despite a tendency toward the wholesale negation of traditional Chinese culture, it was impossible to truly break with the fine traditional Chinese culture rooted in the bloodline of the Chinese nation. These individuals were themselves nourished by this fine traditional culture and possessed a profound concern for the country and its people. While consciously criticizing traditional culture, they were unconsciously influenced by the traditional culture they had internalized. What they detested was the use of traditional culture by certain individuals to promote feudal autocracy. When Yuan Shikai [21] stirred up a reactionary undercurrent of "restoring the ancient," some proponents of Confucianism viewed Confucian learning and the Confucian school as China's sole "national essence" and the orthodox quintessence of Chinese culture. In response, Chen Duxiu explicitly pointed out: even if Confucianism were the national essence of China, "the old teachings comprised nine schools, and Confucianism was but one of them. The School of Yin-Yang clarified astronomical phenomena; the Legalists opposed personal rule; the Logicians distinguished between name and reality; the Mohists held theories of universal love, frugal funerals, and the rejection of fate, while possessing a spirit of manufacturing tools and bravery in battle; the Agriculturalists advocated collective plowing and living off one’s own labor—all these are aspects of the national essence superior to the Confucian school." He further stated: "Mozi's universal love, Zhuangzi's 'letting-be' (zàiyòu), and Xu Xing's collective plowing—these three are truly the highest ideals of humanity and the national essence of our country." He believed that Confucianism was merely one part of Chinese civilization, not the whole, and that criticizing the Confucian Way did not equate to negating the entirety of Chinese civilization. In August 1921, while criticizing the anarchism of Ou Shengbai, Chen Duxiu noted that Ou’s views were similar to Confucius’s idea of "leading the people by governmental measures and regulating them by punishments, so that they may avoid wrongdoing but have no sense of shame." However, Chen noted, "Confucius was only saying that government and punishment are less effective than virtue and ritual; he never advocated the absolute abolition of government and punishment, because the methods for maintaining society are not limited to one end; government, punishment, and education each have their proper use and cannot be neglected." Clearly, Chen Duxiu approved of Confucius’s thought on the combined use of education, government, and punishment. Chen Duxiu’s error lay not in criticizing traditional culture, but in failing to recognize the relationship of inheritance between the new and old cultures, failing to understand that imported Western culture must be combined with traditional Chinese culture, and failing to establish a new theoretical system.
While Li Dazhao fiercely criticized traditional culture, he also expressed pride in the fine traditional culture, believing that Chinese civilization had "already made great contributions" to world civilization. He violently attacked the feudal autocratic system and feudal "monarchical studies" (jūnxué), but he did not negate the teachings of Confucius and Mencius across the board. Instead, he viewed them dialectically, believing that many parts of the Way of Confucius and Mencius could assist in personal cultivation and conformed to the construction of a modern new state, and should therefore be further developed and promoted. For example, he esteemed the "practice" (shíjiàn) advocated by Confucius and Mencius as well as the spirit of "self-respect" in personal cultivation, stating, "we should learn from their sense of 'self,' and follow their spirit of self-respect..." Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Comrade Li Dazhao’s morality and integrity were very noble. In him, the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation were condensed, embodying the excellent character of Chinese intellectuals." Throughout his life, Li Dazhao practiced the cultural values of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness of the Chinese nation. He once wrote the famous "Four Sentences of Hengqu" [22] for Liang Rongruo, a student at Beijing Normal University: "To ordain conscience for Heaven and Earth, to secure life and fortune for the people, to continue the lost teachings of past sages, and to establish peace for all future generations." He believed that by cultivating one's character and maintaining self-restraint based on the Confucian concept of "loyalty and forbearance" (zhōngshù) and Western theories of freedom and equality, one could ultimately "cultivate the habit of observing laws and rituals, and establish the demeanor of a gentleman in a constitutional country." In the process of disseminating Marxism, Li Dazhao emphasized studying China’s actual conditions. In his article "More on Problems and Isms," he pointed out: "A socialist, in order to make his ideology have some influence in the world, must study how to apply his ideals as much as possible to the actual environment surrounding him." Starting from the "actual environment" meant disseminating the advanced ideology of Marxism based on China's social and cultural soil, national conditions, and customs. When analyzing the methods of investigation and study, Mao Zedong once used Confucius as an example, proposing that one should "learn Confucius's 'inquiring into everything,'" emphasizing the need to understand the actual situation through investigation and study to effectively solve the problems concerning the masses.
Fourth, Chinese Communists treated traditional Chinese culture more rationally during the practice of revolutionary struggle. Guided by Marxism-Leninism, the Communist Party of China has been able to recognize and analyze traditional Chinese culture with the critical spirit of historical materialism since its founding. As Mao Zedong said: "Since the Chinese people learned Marxism-Leninism, they have moved from passivity to activity in spirit." This active spirit is first manifested in the cultural confidence of Chinese Communists, their ability to rationally analyze traditional culture from a Marxist perspective, their ability to inherit traditional culture critically, and their exploration of the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with the fine traditional Chinese culture. In 1925, Guo Moruo published an allegorical article titled "Marx Enters the Confucian Temple," which narrated a dialogue between Marx and Confucius. Confucius says to Marx: "Your ideal society and my Great Harmony (dàtóng) world happen to coincide." Marx replies: "I did not expect that two thousand years ago, in the far East, there was already an old comrade like you! Your views and mine are completely consistent. How is it that some people have said my thought does not fit yours, does not fit China's national conditions, and cannot be implemented in China?" Using romantic literary strokes, Guo Moruo elucidated the commonalities between the thoughts of Confucius and Marx, which was quite enlightening for recognizing the value of traditional Chinese culture. Of course, in the early period of the Party's founding, due to the Party's own insufficient theoretical preparation and lack of experience in revolutionary struggle, as well as the influence of the Comintern, dogmatism took a dominant position within the Party several times. This meant our Party's understanding of many theoretical issues, including the fine traditional Chinese culture, was still preliminary and sometimes subject to deviations.
After the Zunyi Conference [23], the Communist Party of China began to think and explore the theoretical and practical issues of the Chinese revolution more independently. Its understanding of traditional Chinese culture became more rational, enabling a scientific distinction between the "fine" elements and the "dross" of traditional culture, and leading to a conscious inheritance of the former. Starting from September 1936, under the impetus of the Communist Party of China, left-wing intellectuals on the ideological and cultural front launched a "New Enlightenment Movement" aimed at mobilizing democracy and resistance against Japan for national salvation, further highlighting the value of the fine traditional Chinese culture. In the summer and autumn of 1938, the Yan'an New Philosophy Society was established under Mao Zedong's initiative and leadership, with the purpose of "accepting all the best theoretical achievements from China and abroad, and carrying forward the most excellent things in the Chinese national tradition." In October 1938, at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth CPC Central Committee, Mao Zedong explicitly proposed the concept of "the Sinicization of Marxism" and emphasized: "We are Marxist historicists; we should not cut off history. From Confucius to Sun Yat-sen, we should summarize and inherit this precious legacy."
In 1940, Mao Zedong published On New Democracy, explicitly stating: "To clarify the development process of ancient culture, to discard its feudal dross and absorb its democratic essence, is a necessary condition for developing a new national culture and increasing national self-confidence." He emphasized that New Democratic culture is "a national, scientific, and mass culture," and "is the new culture of the Chinese nation," demonstrating the theoretical consciousness of Chinese Communists in inheriting and promoting fine traditional Chinese culture. In May 1943, the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on the Proposal of the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International to Dissolve the Communist International explicitly pointed out: "Chinese Communists are the inheritors of the best traditions of all the culture, thought, and morality of our nation, viewing all these fine traditions as something linked to their own flesh and blood, and will continue to carry them forward." This assertion indicated that the Communist Party of China had achieved a more systematic, complete, and scientific understanding of the value of fine traditional Chinese culture. This Decision also combined the Rectification Movement [24] to explicitly propose the issue of the combination of Marxism and Chinese culture. "The Rectification Movement conducted by the Communist Party of China in recent years to oppose subjectivism, sectarianism, and the Party formalist style (dàng bāgǔ) is intended to further integrate the revolutionary science of Marxism-Leninism with Chinese revolutionary practice, Chinese history, and Chinese culture." "Chinese Communists will surely continue to flexibly apply and develop Marxism-Leninism according to their own national conditions." Guided by Marxism, Chinese Communists scientifically analyzed traditional Chinese culture and became the faithful inheritors and promoters of its fine elements. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress explicitly pointed out: "Fine traditional Chinese culture is long-standing and profound; it is the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization. It contains elements such as the world belongs to all (tiānxià wéi gōng), the people are the foundation of the state, governing by virtue, discarding the old and striving for the new, appointing the virtuous and capable, the harmony between humanity and nature (tiānrén héyī), self-strengthening, social commitment, honoring promises and cultivating harmony, and being kind to neighbors. These are important manifestations of the worldview, world outlook, social outlook, and moral outlook accumulated by the Chinese people in their long-term production and life, and they are highly compatible with the values and propositions of scientific socialism." The Great Founding Spirit of the Party was formed and promoted during the process of the Communist Party of China’s exploration of the integration of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture, and this fine tradition laid a solid cultural foundation for it.
II. Exploring the Laws of Development and Pursuing the Dream of Great Harmony Provided the Cognitive Basis for Chinese Communists to Uphold the Truth and Stay True to Their Ideals
In the Great Founding Spirit of the Party, "upholding the truth and staying true to ideals" means upholding the scientific truth of Marxism and staying true to the lofty ideal of communism. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has possessed a persistent spirit of exploring the laws of development and pursuing the truth, as well as a dream of "Great Harmony" (dàtóng) where "the world belongs to all." This spirit of exploration and pursuit of ideals became the psychological foundation for Chinese Communists to uphold the scientific truth of Marxism and stay true to their communist faith.
1. The concept of "harmony between humanity and nature" (tiānrén héyī) laid the cognitive foundation for accepting materialism
Chinese philosophy views humanity and nature as a living whole, esteeming the realm of "harmony between humanity and nature." The ancient people's understanding of "Heaven" (tiān) underwent a process of gradual evolution and elevation. In ancient times, limited by the level of cognition, people believed that "Heaven" was a mysterious force dominating all affairs of the human world, and they developed a sense of awe toward nature as represented by "Heaven." However, as the understanding of natural laws gradually deepened, the divine mystery of "Heaven" was dispelled, and people subsequently linked the natural laws of "Heaven" with humanity, forming a cosmogony of "harmony between humanity and nature."
Confucius said: "Does Heaven speak? The four seasons pursue their courses, and all things are being continually produced," and "It passes on just like this, not ceasing day or night!" Nature is full of life and never stops; this is a natural law. Laozi believed that the pattern of cosmic evolution is "the Way (Dào) produced one, one produced two, two produced three, and three produced all things." The "Way" is a spiritual cosmic substance, the source and basis for the existence of all things including humans, an existence of "images of nothingness," and also a code and law. He proposed that "Man follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Way, and the Way follows Nature (zìrán)." This is essentially a warning to humanity to be adept at discovering the laws of operation in the ever-changing natural world. Only by arranging human activities in accordance with these laws can one seek benefit and avoid harm; otherwise, one will be punished by nature. The Commentary on the Classic of Changes (Yì Zhuàn) proposed: "As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman strive unceasingly to strengthen himself" and "As Earth’s condition is receptive devotion, so must a gentleman sustain the world with generous virtue." These are observations of the laws of nature’s operation, from which important principles of life are derived, elevating the human subjective spirit to the same heights as the cosmic substance. This has had a profound impact on Chinese culture, deeply imprinting the concepts of industriousness, bravery, unswerving determination, vigorous enterprise, and self-strengthening into the collective memory of the Chinese nation, becoming a spiritual hallmark of the nation. Sima Qian wrote the Records of the Grand Historian (Shǐjì) to "investigate the boundary between Heaven and humanity," exploring the relationship between the Way of Heaven and human affairs. Exploring the respective laws of Heaven and humanity and their intrinsic relationship has always been the starting point and destination of Chinese philosophical thinking, exerting a profound influence on the Chinese way of thinking.
The holistic thinking of "harmony between humanity and nature," the dialectical thinking path of the "harmony of Yin and Yang," and the historical thinking habit of "not forgetting the past to serve as a guide for the future" in fine traditional Chinese culture all laid the cultural and psychological foundations for Chinese Communists to tirelessly explore the truth and accept Marxist dialectical materialism and historical materialism. Joseph Needham once made a profound judgment: a very important factor in why modern Chinese intellectuals collectively accepted communist ideology was the close intellectual connection between Neo-Confucianism and dialectical materialism. ...In a certain sense, this philosophical thought was exactly what they themselves had produced.
2. The concept of "the world belongs to all" (tiānxià wéi gōng) is highly compatible with the communist ideal
Communism is the vision of an ideal society constructed by Marx and Engels on the basis of studying the general laws of human social development and the specific laws of capitalist operation. Throughout the more than five thousand years of the Chinese nation's civilization, there have been many conceptualizations of the ideal society. The Book of Rites [25] imagined a society of Great Unity (Dàtóng [26]): "When the Great Way [27] prevails, the world is shared by all. The virtuous and the capable are elected; trustworthiness is advocated and harmony is cultivated. Thus, people do not only treat their own parents as parents, nor only their own children as children. The elderly are provided for until their end, the able-bodied are employed, the young are nurtured, and the widowed, the orphaned, the childless, and the disabled are all supported. Men have their duties and women have their homes. Wealth is not to be wasted on the ground, but neither is it to be hoarded for oneself; labor is not to be withheld from the body, but neither is it to be performed only for oneself. In this way, selfish schemes are suppressed, and theft, disorder, and robbery do not arise. Thus, the outer doors remain unlocked." This was the concrete expression of an ideal society by our ancient ancestors, representing the beautiful expectations of the sons and daughters of China for the future. Laozi designed a blueprint for an ideal society without oppression, where everyone is equal and everyone labors—a society where everyone "finds their food sweet, their clothing beautiful, their home peaceful, and their customs joyful" [28]. Mozi advocated for "universal love" (jiān'ài): "If the whole world practiced universal love... then the world would be well-ordered." He argued that one should "regard the state of another as one’s own, the family of another as one’s own, and the person of another as one’s own"—that is, treating others and oneself with equal impartiality, without distinction of intimacy or status. "Universal love" was not the end, but the means to achieve "mutual benefit" (jiāoxiānglì). "Those who love others will be loved by others in return; those who benefit others will be benefited by others in return." In other words, through giving love, one receives love; through providing benefits to others, others return benefits, thereby achieving the harmonious unity of idealism and utilitarianism. Of course, the utility advocated by Mozi was not individual selfishness, but the utility of the whole world: "to promote the world’s benefits and eliminate the world’s harms."
The pursuit of a beautiful society is the spiritual driver that has inspired generations of Chinese people to struggle unremittingly. Most ancient peasant uprisings used "equalizing wealth and noble status" as their banner, exerting a powerful appeal. However, because they did not form new productive forces or a new class, and because of the extreme tenacity of the Chinese feudal system, the Confucian ideal of Great Unity remained merely a suspended expectation.
After the Opium War, Chinese society gradually transformed into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and the ideal of Great Unity once again became one of the spiritual drivers for people of noble ideals to resist foreign aggression and domestic decaying rule, seeking national independence, freedom, and liberation. The Land System of the Heavenly Dynasty [29], based on the principle that "all land under heaven shall be farmed by all people under heaven," distributed land equally according to population, attempting to establish an ideal society where "land is shared for farming, food is shared for eating, clothes are shared for wearing, and money is shared for spending." This egalitarian utopia, while possessing great appeal in the early stages of the Taiping Rebellion, vanished into the mists of history with the movement’s collapse.
Kang Youwei utilized the theory of the "Three Ages" from the Gongyang school [30] and the Great Unity thought from the "Evolution of Rites" chapter of the Book of Rites, while also absorbing European utopian socialism, bourgeois democracy, and Darwinian evolution. He pointed out that human society changes and evolves. At that time, China was in the "Age of Disorder" and had to align itself with the capitalist countries of Europe and America, which had entered the "Age of Rising Peace," before it could enter the "Age of Universal Peace"—the world of Great Unity. Kang Youwei believed that the meaning of this "Three Ages" evolution was gradual and incremental. This broke the theory that "Heaven does not change, and the Way does not change," and also negated the theory of historical cycles, producing a positive influence on society at the time. However, because it emphasized peaceful and gradual socio-historical progress, opposed revolutionary leaps, and went to great lengths to deify Confucius, it carried a mystical color. As Mao Zedong pointed out: "Kang Youwei wrote The Book of Great Unity, but he did not, and could not, find a way to reach Great Unity."
The political ideal pursued by Sun Yat-sen was "the world belongs to the public" (tiānxià wéi gōng), meaning the world is shared by all people. In 1905, in the inaugural message for Minbao (The People’s Journal), he clearly stated that "the purpose of the revolution is to seek happiness for all living beings," emphasizing that the "Three People's Principles" (Nationalism, Democracy, and Livelihood) constituted a "Great Unity-ism" aimed at realizing a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In 1924, Sun Yat-sen proposed: "Our Three People's Principles mean of the people, by the people, and for the people. This means the country is shared by the people, the government is managed by the people, and the benefits are enjoyed by the people. According to this view, people do not just share property (gòngchǎn) in the state; all powers and affairs are to be shared. This is true Principle of Livelihood, which is the world of Great Unity hoped for by Confucius." On February 23, 1924, in a speech to the Hunan Army stationed in Guangzhou, he said: "Advocating for the rights of the people is the logic of a world for the public. The logic of a public world is the opposite of a world for one family. When the world is for the public, everyone's rights are very equal." According to the statistics in the book Collection of Sun Yat-sen’s Inscriptions and Calligraphy edited by Liu Wangling, there are 299 extant pieces of Sun Yat-sen’s calligraphy that can be historically verified, of which 40—accounting for 13%—feature the inscriptions "The World Belongs to the Public" or "Great Unity." This shows Sun Yat-sen’s persistent pursuit of this ideal and reflects his spirit of selfless dedication to national independence, democracy, freedom, and the people's happiness, as well as his strong will to struggle tirelessly for the rejuvenation of China.
The Communist Party of China is the faithful inheritor and promoter of fine traditional Chinese culture. The pursuit of ideals and beliefs within the Great Founding Spirit of the Party is the inheritance and sublimation of the beautiful social ideals that have been passed down in a continuous line "from Confucius to Sun Yat-sen." it embodies the ideals and beliefs established by the Chinese people through arduous exploration and tremendous hardship, carrying the Chinese nation's aspirations and pursuit for a vision of a better life.
III. The Sentiment and Responsibility of "People as the Foundation" and "Governing the State and Brining Peace to the World" Are the Cultural Soil for Chinese Communists to Practice Their Original Aspiration and Shoulder Their Mission
"Practicing the original aspiration and shouldering the mission" is the fundamental stance and value pursuit of the CPC. It is an inevitable choice for the CPC in upholding Marxist historical materialism, and it also represents the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. Chinese culture is rich in people-oriented (mínběn) thought, possessing the moral pursuit of "cultivating the self and regulating the family" and the political ideal of "governing the state and bringing peace to the world." This constitutes the deep cultural soil in which the Great Founding Spirit of the Party took shape.
1. China's people-oriented thought is the cultural gene for Chinese Communists to practice their original aspiration
As early as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, people-oriented thought began to sprout on the land of China. The Book of Documents [31] records: "The Great Ancestor had a teaching: the people should be cherished, not downtrodden; the people are the foundation of the state, and when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace." During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius proposed to "be frugal in expenditure and love the people, and employ the people at the proper seasons." Mencius proposed that "the people are of supreme importance, the altars of the gods of earth and grain come next, and the ruler is the least important." Xunzi proposed that "the water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn the boat." Subsequent generations of thinkers and rulers built upon this to form a relatively stabilized system of people-oriented thought. Specifically, ancient people-oriented thought can be divided into the following four levels:
First is the concept of "valuing the people" (zhòngmín), which means focusing on the power of the masses, correctly positioning the masses in society, and paying attention to the winning or losing of the people's hearts. The support or opposition of the people is the fundamental factor in the survival, prosperity, or decline of a state. One must value the people and must not treat them lightly. Laozi said: "The Sage has no heart of his own; he takes the heart of the people as his own." Here, the "Sage" refers to the ruler, suggesting that the ruler should take the wishes of the common people as his own will. Mencius said: "There is a way to get the world: get the people, and the world is won. There is a way to get the people: get their hearts, and the people are won." Guan Zhong [32] pointed out: "The rise of a government lies in following the people’s hearts; the fall of a government lies in opposing the people’s hearts." Winning the people’s hearts became an important means for successive rulers to seize power and stabilize their rule. The law that the governance or disorder, prosperity or decline of a state depends on the people’s support has been continuously proven by history; therefore, "taking the people as the foundation" was the basic political philosophy of governance for successive rulers.
Second is the concept of "benefiting the people" (lìmín), which means focusing on safeguarding the interests of the masses. Only when the people are wealthy can society be stable and the state be prosperous—this was an important historical lesson for ancient thinkers. Guan Zhong said: "In the way of governing a state, one must first enrich the people. When the people are rich, they are easy to govern; when the people are poor, they are difficult to govern... Therefore, a well-governed state is often wealthy, while a chaotic state is often poor. Thus, those who are good at governing a state must first enrich the people and then govern them." Confucius regarded loving the people as the value pursuit that rulers should value most, urging them to "reduce labor services and lighten taxes, then the people will be wealthy." Mencius pointed out: "As to the people, if they have a constant livelihood, they will have a constant heart; if they do not have a constant livelihood, they will not have a constant heart." Liu An of the Western Han dynasty said: "Governance of a state has its constants, but benefiting the people is the foundation." The brothers Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi [33] proposed: "The way of governance takes following the people’s hearts as the foundation, enriching the people’s livelihood as the foundation, and ensuring peace without disturbance as the foundation." These discussions all emphasize taking the people as the basis and allowing the common people to live a prosperous life; only in this way can the state enjoy long-term peace and stability.
Third is the "sentiment of worrying for the people" (yōumín), caring about the people's suffering. Ancient people-oriented thought contains a thick sentiment of "worrying for the people," and this concern for the state and the people was deeply embedded in the hearts of the scholar-officials. Qu Yuan [34] "heaved a long sigh and wiped away my tears, grieving for the many hardships of the people's lives." Mozi believed that "the hungry not getting food, the cold not getting clothes, and the weary not getting rest—these three are the great calamities of the people." These thoughts cautioned rulers to care about the people’s pain and solve their life hardships, for "good governance means sympathizing with the people’s troubles and eliminating the people’s harms." Many literary works and poems expressing concern for the state and the people have been passed down, such as: "In my heart, I ponder the bitterness of farming and mulberry work; in my ears, I seem to hear the sounds of hunger and freezing," and "When the common people are cold and beyond rescue, how can I feel right being warm myself?", as well as "Be the first to worry about the world’s worries and the last to enjoy the world’s joys," and "How can I obtain ten thousand buildings, to provide great shelter for all the poor scholars of the world, making them all beam with joy, remaining as unmoved as a mountain through wind and rain?" The thoughts of benefiting and worrying for the people have been passed down through generations, becoming an important value orientation in ancient Chinese social governance.
Fourth is the concept of "educating the people" (jiāomín), focusing on educating and guiding the masses and honoring virtue and righteousness. Chinese culture has always attached great importance to education. Guan Zhong said: "If your plan is for one year, plant grain; if your plan is for ten years, plant trees; if your plan is for a lifetime, educate people. That which yields one harvest when planted is grain; that which yields ten harvests is trees; that which yields a hundred harvests is people." Confucius’s theory of "Benevolence" (rén) is the core of Confucianism; the original meaning of rén is to love others—that is, the hope to realize the goal of the "Way prevailing in the world" through the improvement and perfection of human beings. He also broke the pattern of "learning being restricted to officialdom" and proposed "education without discrimination." Mencius emphasized that "the benevolent person loves others" and expanded the "study of benevolence" into a governing program for politics, economy, culture, and other aspects, known as "benevolent governance" (rénzhèng). Zhu Xi [35] of the Song dynasty said: "Among the affairs of the world, none is greater than sympathizing with the people, and the foundation of sympathizing with the people lies in the ruler rectifying his heart to establish the guiding principles." Mao Zedong once quoted ancient texts to elucidate scientific methods for the education of peasants: "The propaganda policy of the Communist Party for these things should be: 'Draw the bow but do not release the arrow, poised and ready.' [36] The peasants themselves must cast out the idols [idolatry/superstition], and the peasants themselves must destroy the temples for chaste women and the arches for filial piety; it is wrong for others to do it for them." He emphasized that Communists should be adept at educating and inspiring peasants, helping them to establish their own agency.
It should be pointed out that ancient people-oriented thought was primarily a technique of governance for the rulers. Much of it remained at the level of theoretical discussion and verbal expression and did not truly transform into the rulers' policies. Nevertheless, it was an important component of ancient Chinese political thought. To a certain extent, it regulated the governing conduct of rulers and had an important influence on the development of ancient China. Addressing the voices of Western scholars who simplistically equate ancient China with "dark autocracy," Qian Mu [37] pointed out that because of the strong people-oriented thought and tradition, ancient China for most periods was a "government of scholars and a society of commoners, at most an enlightened autocracy." Liang Qichao [38] also believed: "The powerful political thought of our country is the desire to practice the spirit of people-orientedness under the rule of a monarch. Although this ideal could not be fully realized, its influence on the national consciousness has been very deep."
2. The sense of responsibility for "Governing the State and Bringing Peace to the World" is the spiritual lifeline for Chinese Communists to courageously shoulder their mission
In Chinese culture, "the world" (tiānxià) is an organic unity of geographical space and cultural psychology. The Book of Changes [39] says: "The interplay of the firm and the yielding constitutes the patterns of the heavens. Civilization and restraint constitute the patterns of humanity. Observe the patterns of the heavens to perceive the changes of the seasons. Observe the patterns of humanity to transform and complete the world." Thus, "observing the patterns of the heavens" lies in "observing the patterns of humanity," culminating in "transforming and completing the world." "The world" is the total basis of order for the internal unity of man and nature. The "Worldview" (tiānxià guān) based on this logic manifests in state relations as an international outlook of "cherishing benevolence and being good to neighbors, and harmonizing all nations"; in social relations as a social outlook of "governing with virtue and cultivating trustworthiness and harmony"; and in interpersonal relations as a moral outlook of "harmony without uniformity, and benevolence and kindness." Achieving "Universal Peace" (tàipíng) in the world was the social and political ideal consistently pursued by Confucians. The progression of "cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world" proposed in the Great Learning [40] became a spiritual driver inspiring people of noble ideals to work unremittingly and pursue their dreams. It gave birth to the value orientation of the sons and daughters of China—not losing righteousness when in poverty and not departing from the Way when successful—and the behavioral mode of "establishing oneself and then establishing others, and benefiting the whole world." Gu Yanwu [41] proposed that "as for protecting the world, even a lowly commoner shares responsibility," which Liang Qichao summarized as: "The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every individual" (tiānxià xīngwáng, pǐfū yǒu zé). Ever since, this thought has become the strongest expression of social responsibility for the ordinary Chinese people, producing a profound social influence.
Following the Opium War, due to the invasion of Western powers and the decay of feudal rule, the Chinese nation endured unprecedented tribulations. Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation became the greatest dream of the Chinese people. The various classes of Chinese society put forward different proposals based on their respective positions and engaged in heroic struggles, yet none could change the semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of Chinese society or the tragic fate of the Chinese people. China urgently required the guidance of scientific thought and a new organization to coalesce revolutionary forces. The birth of the Communist Party of China was an inevitable requirement of the development of modern Chinese society. As the inheritor and promoter of fine traditional Chinese culture, the CPC took Marxism as its guide and assumed the historical mission of striving for national independence and people's liberation, and for realizing national prosperity and people's happiness. The Great Founding Spirit of the Party [42] has accumulated the "family-country sentiment" [43] and the social responsibility of "taking the world as one's own duty" found in fine traditional Chinese culture, enabling the Chinese people to transform from a state of spiritual passivity to one of initiative.
IV. The tenacious will of "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" and "unremitting self-improvement" became the spiritual nourishment for Chinese Communists to "not fear sacrifice and dare to struggle."
The Communist Party of China possesses firm ideals and convictions; from the day of its birth, it has possessed the distinct character of not fearing sacrifice and daring to struggle. For over a hundred years, Chinese Communists, with a revolutionary will that disregards life and death and with undaunted heroic spirit, have dared to struggle and been adept at struggle. They have forged a spiritual genome that remains in its prime despite a century of trials and continues to thrive despite or perhaps because of its many hardships. Within fine traditional Chinese culture, the character of "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" (she sheng qu yi) and tenacious struggle has provided rich nourishment for Chinese Communists to carry forward the spirit of not fearing sacrifice and daring to struggle.
1. "Sacrificing one's body to achieve benevolence" and "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" became the noble character of Chinese Communists.
Confucianism prizes the moral integrity of courageously dedicating one's life to complete the cause of benevolence (ren) and justice (yi). This fostered a national spirit of not fearing sacrifice, following one after another, and daring to overwhelm all enemies. Confucius said: "The man of ambition and the man of benevolence will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their benevolence. They will even sacrifice their lives to achieve benevolence" [44], and "The superior man understands righteousness." Zengzi said: "An educated gentleman (shi) must be stout-hearted and resolute, for his burden is heavy and his road is long. He takes benevolence as his own burden—is that not heavy? Only with death does his road stop—is that not long?" [45]. Mencius said: "Life is what I desire; righteousness is also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I shall choose righteousness over life." This spirit of preferring to give up one's life to preserve benevolence and virtue at critical moments of life and death has had a profound impact on the Chinese view of life and death, inspiring countless people of high ideals to sacrifice their lives for the sake of justice or lofty ideals. "Sacrificing one's body to achieve benevolence" (sha shen cheng ren) and "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" (she sheng qu yi) became the basic moral tenets advocated by Confucianism and the spiritual driving force inspiring generations to struggle for the interests of the country and the nation.
Many ancient scholars expressed the patriotic sentiment and sense of responsibility of "never daring to forget the concern for the country despite holding a humble position" (wei bei wei gan wang you guo) through practical actions, unleashing a spirit of not fearing sacrifice in the struggle for national interests. Qu Yuan [46] issued the clanging oath: "Indeed, my heart tells me it is good, though I die nine times, I shall not repent," "Though my body be dismembered, I shall not change; how could my heart be punished?" and "My body is already dead, yet my spirit is divine; my soul shall be a hero among ghosts." Wen Tianxiang [47] wrote the immortal line: "Since ancient times, who has avoided death? Let my crimson heart be reflected in the pages of history," and left a testament in his belt before his heroic execution: "Confucius spoke of achieving benevolence, Mencius spoke of choosing righteousness. Only when righteousness is fulfilled is benevolence attained. What is the use of reading the books of the sages? From now on, I may be without shame." Lin Zexu [48] wrote the patriotic lines: "I shall dedicate my life to the country's benefit in life or death; how could I avoid or pursue it based on fortune or misfortune?" In the face of national interests, they used their lives to write tragic and heroic epics, forging a national spirit of bravery in striving, regarding death as a return home, and daring to sacrifice.
Modern revolutionaries similarly possessed the national integrity of regarding death as a return home and preferring death to surrender, as well as the heroic spirit of fearing no violence and fighting to the end. Tan Sitong [49] was determined to die for the cause of the Hundred Days' Reform, using his own sacrifice as a final resistance against feudal reactionary forces: "No reform in any country has succeeded without the shedding of blood. I have not heard of anyone in China today shedding blood for reform; this is why the country does not prosper. If there must be such a person, let it begin with Sitong." He left the bold lines: "I raise my sword to the sky and laugh / Leaving behind a heart as clear as the two Kunlun peaks." Qiu Jin [50] wrote the line: "Cherish this chest full of hot blood / Even when spilled, it can turn into emerald waves," demonstrating the passion of a female revolutionary dying for her country. Lu Xun, in his article "Have the Chinese People Lost Their Self-Confidence?", clearly pointed out: "Since ancient times, we have had people who worked hard in silence, people who exerted themselves desperately, people who pleaded for the people, and people who sacrificed their lives to seek the Law... Even in the so-called 'Official Histories,' which are effectively gene-logs for emperors, kings, generals, and ministers, their brilliance often cannot be hidden. These are the backbone of China."
Chinese Communists have carried forward this sacrifice of "choosing righteousness over life" and tempered a tenacious will to not fear sacrifice and dare to struggle. Li Dazhao, a founder of the CPC, said: "The purpose of life lies in developing one's own life, but there are also times when one must sacrifice life to develop life... A noble life often resides in a heroic sacrifice." Displayed in the Museum of the Communist Party of China is a first-class cultural relic numbered 0001: the very gallows where Li Dazhao was executed. Li Dazhao met his death calmly for the revolutionary cause, practicing his promise through his great actions. Li Da once evaluated Chen Duxiu as being "willing to suffer for the 'ism'" [51] and "disregarding his 'physical body' to make it material for 'advocating new ideas.'" Deng Enming, a representative at the First National Congress of the CPC, appended a poem titled "Farewell" to his last letter to his mother before his sacrifice: "Thirty-one years pass in a flash / My great ambitions unfulfilled, alas, what can be done? I do not regret being the first to die / Frequent successors will comfort me in the underworld." This expressed a noble Communist sentiment and a revolutionary will that views death as a return home. Xia Minghan's execution poem, written at the moment of his sacrifice—"Beheading does not matter / As long as the 'ism' is true. Kill Xia Minghan / But there will be others after me"—is even more awe-inspiring and majestic.
Liu Shaoqi, in his article How to Be a Good Communist (literally On the Self-Cultivation of Communist Party Members), emphasized that Communists must have "the revolutionary steadfastness and integrity of 'not being corrupted by wealth or honors, not being moved by poverty or low status, and not being bent by force'" [52]. He pointed out: "All figures in history who have taken on 'great responsibilities' and played a role have gone through a process of arduous tempering. That is: 'They must first suffer in their minds and wills, labor their muscles and bones, starve their bodies, deprive themselves, and have their actions thwarted; thus their minds are stimulated, their natures are tempered, and their competencies are increased.' Communist Party members are to shoulder the unprecedented 'great responsibility' of transforming the world, so they must pay attention to tempering and cultivation in the revolutionary struggle." Here, he emphasized that Communists must consciously inherit the national spirit of sacrificing life for righteousness and not fearing sacrifice, cultivating their Party spirit and enhancing their resilience to shoulder the Party's historical mission.
Chinese Communists have carried forward fine traditional Chinese culture, manifesting a tenacious will and heroic spirit of not fearing sacrifice, enemies, or risks, and daring to struggle, erecting one immortal spiritual monument after another across the land of China.
2. "Unremitting self-improvement" became the spiritual outlook of Chinese Communists.
"Unremitting self-improvement" (zi qiang bu xi) is both an important idea proposed by the sages of the Chinese nation through observing the universe and all things, and a vivid portrayal of the Chinese nation's spiritual outlook of being robust, vigorous, and promising. For thousands of years, the Chinese nation has braved dangers and fought heroically, building magnificent mountains and rivers, reclaiming vast fertile fields, harnessing great rivers, and creating a diverse life. This has promoted the continuous succession of Chinese civilization and, in this process, continuously tempered a spirit of struggle, smelting it into the very bloodline of the Chinese nation.
Myths and legends in Chinese culture, such as Pangu creating the world [53], Nüwa creating humans, Kua Fu chasing the sun, Jingwei filling the sea, Hou Yi shooting the suns, Chang'e flying to the moon, Xing Tian dancing with his shield and axe, the Yellow Emperor's battle with Chi You, Gong Gong striking Mount Buzhou, the Foolish Old Man moving the mountains, and Great Yu harnessing the floods—all reveal a profound truth: facing difficulties and dangers, one does not retreat or succumb, but dares to struggle and dares to win, even at the cost of heroic sacrifice. Mao Zedong told the story of "The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains" at the Seventh National Congress of the CPC to advocate an enterprising and undaunted spirit of fearlessness, moving forward with determination and persistence in the face of difficulties. Zhou Enlai said at the Representative Conference of Chinese Natural Science Workers: "Great Yu harnessed the floods and brought welfare to the Chinese nation; the efforts of Chinese scientists will surely create even greater achievements than those of Great Yu."
Since ancient times, the Chinese people have understood that there are no good things in the world to be enjoyed without effort; to succeed, one must struggle. Neither struggle nor success is ever smooth sailing; any successful career or life must undergo various risks, tests, and hardships. Braving dangers, self-tempering, and using hardship as a ladder to success have long become a unique national character integrated into the blood of the Chinese people.
The fighting spirit of braving dangers, not fearing difficulties, and forging ahead with determination is an excellent character rooted in traditional Chinese culture. The Communist Party of China is the inheritor of fine traditional Chinese culture. Not fearing sacrifice and daring to struggle has always been the red gene passed down by generations of Chinese Communists, and it is the significant advantage for overcoming all hardships and obstacles, defeating all powerful enemies, and winning all great victories.
V. The moral integrity of "honesty and trustworthiness" and "loyalty to others' affairs" is the powerful cultural gene for Chinese Communists' "loyalty to the Party and being true to the people."
Loyalty and trustworthiness are the most basic moral requirements of the Chinese nation. In the Confucian ethical system, loyalty (zhong) and trustworthiness (xin)—together with filial piety, fraternal duty, ritual propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame—constitute the "Eight Virtues." Loyalty and trustworthiness are not only the ethical requirements for being human but also the basic premise for accomplishing tasks and building a career. The I Ching (Book of Changes) says: "The superior man advances in virtue and cultivates his task. Loyalty and trustworthiness are how he advances in virtue; making his words sincere is how he occupies his task." Although "loyalty" and "trustworthiness" each have their own connotations, they are often used together. The Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters) explains "sincerity" (cheng) and "trustworthiness" (xin) in terms of each other: "Sincerity is the work of trustworthiness... Trustworthiness is sincerity." In the Chinese cultural system, honesty and trustworthiness are extremely important moral categories.
1. The view of honesty in traditional Chinese culture became the cultural source of the character of trustworthiness for Chinese Communists.
Attaching great importance to trustworthiness is an excellent tradition of Chinese culture. Guanzi said: "The man of honesty and trustworthiness is the knot that binds the world," emphasizing that trustworthiness is the foundation for making connections under heaven. Only with trustworthiness can one gain the trust of others and accomplish things. Confucianism believes that all things in the universe are an objective and real existence, which is "sincerity" (cheng). Mencius said: "Sincerity is the Way of Heaven; to think about sincerity is the Way of Man." "Sincerity" is the law of nature, a philosophical category describing the ontology of the universe, and a true reflection of the natural existence of the universe. The Annals of Lü Buwei elevated honesty and trustworthiness to the height of the "Way of Heaven": "If the Heavenly Way did not possess trustworthiness, the year could not be completed. If the Earthly Way did not possess trustworthiness, grasses and trees would not grow... With the greatness of Heaven and Earth and the transformation of the four seasons, they still cannot complete things without trustworthiness—how much more so for human affairs?" Trustworthiness is the fundamental law of the operation of Heaven and Earth; can human actions contradict it? Song and Ming Neo-Confucians elevated "sincerity" ontologically. Cheng Yi said: "Sincerity is the Real Principle (shili)." Zhu Xi said: "Sincerity means reality without falsehood; it is the essence of Heavenly Principle." Here, "Principle" (li), as the ontology of the universe, though metaphysical and without trace, is real and not false; thus "sincerity" has ontological significance.
Trustworthiness is not only a law of nature but even more an essential conduct for being human. In the eyes of Confucians, trustworthiness is a state of inner self-cultivation and an internal requirement for achieving the personality of a "superior man" (junzi). Confucius said, "I do not know how a man without trustworthiness is to get on." Mencius said, "There is no greater joy than to find oneself sincere upon self-reflection." The Doctrine of the Mean points out, "Sincerity is the self-completion of the self," and "He who is sincere hits the mark without effort, possesses it without thinking, and naturally hits the Way—he is a sage. He who strives for sincerity is one who chooses what is good and holds fast to it." The Classic of Loyalty (Zhong Jing) says: "Of the supreme virtues under heaven, none is greater than loyalty," and "Loyalty means the unification of the heart." Cheng Yi emphasized: "A scholar cannot but be sincere; without sincerity, there is no way to be good, and without sincerity, one cannot be a superior man. If one cultivates learning without sincerity, the learning will be cluttered; if one conducts affairs without sincerity, the affairs will fail; if one plans for oneself without sincerity, one deceives one's heart and mocks one's own loyalty; if one deals with others without sincerity, one loses one's virtue and increases others' resentment." In the Confucian view, loyalty and sincerity are both precious qualities of being human and necessary for self-cultivation, as well as the beginning and end of all things. Whether in study or action, self-planning or dealing with others, sincerity is required. "Generosity wins the multitude, and trustworthiness wins the trust of others"—being broad-minded ensures the support of the masses, and being honest ensures the trust of others.
From its founding to its growth and expansion, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has relied on honesty and trustworthiness to win the trust and support of the masses. After the Xi'an Incident [54], Mao Zedong quoted the phrase "If a man does not keep his word, I do not know what he may be good for" [55] to criticize Chiang Kai-shek's perfidious behavior. He emphasized that "the Communist Party's 'honesty in word and resoluteness in deed' [56] has been recognized by the people across the country for fifteen years. The people's trust in the words and actions of the Communist Party far exceeds their trust in any other party or faction in the country." While elucidating the Anti-Japanese National United Front, Zhu De cited the famous line from the Book of Songs (Shijing): "Brothers quarreling within the walls unite to resist insults from without" [57]. He stated: We must implement the "ancient teaching of 'brothers quarreling within the walls uniting to resist insults from without'; we must not succumb to mutual terror, suspicion, rivalry, or annexation, lest we fall prey to the enemy's schemes of sow dissension. We must truly achieve the sixteen characters of being 'open and aboveboard; selfless and impartial; making concessions for the sake of the overall interest; and showing the utmost patience and magnanimity.' [58] We must ensure that those with money contribute money, those with strength contribute strength, those with knowledge contribute knowledge, and those with guns and artillery contribute guns and artillery, uniting as closely as biological brothers." From these expressions, one can clearly see that the traditional cultural gene of loyalty and trustworthiness has exerted a significant influence on the value systems of Chinese Communists.
2. The tradition of "integrity as the essential of governance" constitutes the cultural foundation for the CPC's commitment to never failing the people.
Existing as social groups is the fundamental form of human society. The emphasis on the concept of integrity (chengxin) in Chinese culture is a reflection of this social group existence. Mutual trust is the basis or prerequisite for human interaction; without this premise, people cannot form social groups. Any society should follow the principle of sociality and must advocate for the concept of integrity.
Confucius believed that "without trust, the people cannot stand" [59]. He emphasized that governance must be characterized by "loyalty, trustworthiness, and tolerance" and "reverence for duties and sincerity," which means being honest and trustworthy, loyal to one's responsibilities, and treated the people with leniency. He advocated for the realization of social stability and order through integrity in interactions. Confucius and his disciples used integrity as the principle for making friends and faithfully practiced the virtue of trustworthiness: "In dealings with friends, be true to your word." In social interactions, one must be "earnest and truthful, overflowing in love to all, and cultivating the friendship of the good." Only when people in society act with credit can the entire society form an atmosphere of being like one family, thereby achieving the ideal society where "the elderly are provided for, friends trust one another, and the young are cared for." Wei Zheng, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty, said: "Virtue, ritual, and integrity are the great pillars of the state" [60]. He emphasized that integrity is the core framework of national political affairs. Only by winning the trust of the people can one gain their support, ensuring that the state's decrees flow without obstruction. In ancient China, there were countless examples of success through winning the people's trust and failure due to losing it. The farce of King You of Zhou "playing with the beacon fires to fool the feudal lords" [61] led to his forced suicide and the downfall of the Western Zhou. Conversely, Shang Yang's "erecting a pole to establish trust" [62] laid the foundation of public support for his subsequent reforms.
To be honest and without deceit, to keep one's promises, and to ensure one's actions match one's words—these are the basic requirements for being a person and conducting affairs, as well as the prerequisite and foundation for the orderly development of society. Liu Shaoqi cited the term "watchfulness when alone" (shendu) [63] from the Book of Rites (Liji), emphasizing that "even when he is working independently, without supervision, and has the possibility of doing various bad things, he can 'watch over himself when alone' and do no wrong." Stressing "watchfulness when alone" primarily emphasizes self-restraint, which is also an important manifestation of honesty and trustworthiness. The CPC has inherited and carried forward the noble character of integrity from fine traditional Chinese culture. Loyalty to the Party is the primary political character of Chinese Communists. Along the way, the CPC has experienced countless dangers and hardships, yet it has not been crushed by any difficulty or struck down by any enemy; this relies on the loyalty of millions upon millions of Party members. Loyalty to the Party and never failing the people are highly consistent. The century-long history of the Party is a history of the Party breathing the same air, sharing the same fate, and linking its heart with the people. Chinese Communists inherit and carry forward fine traditional Chinese culture, strictly abide by the concept of integrity, and keep loyalty to the Party and the people in their hearts and implement it in their actions, thereby winning the trust and support of the masses.
Conclusion
A tree a thousand feet tall has its roots; a river ten thousand miles long has its source. The fine traditional Chinese culture, with its long history and constant renewal, is the profound cultural foundation for the formation of the Great Founding Spirit of the Party [64], providing it with rich nourishment. Built upon the roots of fine traditional Chinese culture, the Great Founding Spirit of the Party manifests the spirit of the Chinese nation in a new form, deeply coupling with the cultural psychology and emotional ties of the Chinese nation. It has gained wide recognition and enthusiastic support from the sons and daughters of China, continuously releasing immense power of guidance, inspiration, and mobilization for over a hundred years. The Great Founding Spirit of the Party is the inheritance and promotion of fine traditional Chinese culture, injecting vitality and new connotations of the times into that culture. The lineage of spirit of Chinese Communists, with the Great Founding Spirit of the Party as its source, has fully absorbed fine traditional Chinese culture. It showcases the enduring charm of the Chinese national spirit and has formed a deep emotional resonance and strong psychological vibration with the sons and daughters of China. In the New Era, we must vigorously promote the Great Founding Spirit of the Party, persist in combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture, always maintain the vigorous vitality of Marxism, and converge the majestic force to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.