Marxism Research Network
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Yang Fengcheng and Ye Zihao: Chinese Modernization and the Inheritance and Development of Chinese Civilization

Xi Jinping Thought (New Era)

At the Cultural Inheritance and Development Symposium held in June 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern strengths, while Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with profound cultural depth." This profoundly reveals the internal connection between Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization. It highly encapsulates the historical experience and practical logic of their mutual integration and mutual achievement, closely aligns the historical process of Chinese-path modernization with the civilizational rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and reveals the scientific path for building a modern Chinese civilization. Since the 20th National Congress of the CPC, the Communist Party of China—based on over a century of historical experience in arduous struggle, theoretical innovation, and great achievements—has continuously refined the theoretical system of Chinese-path modernization and deepened its understanding of Chinese civilization and fine traditional Chinese culture [1]. The Party has proposed scientific assertions such as "Chinese-path modernization is deeply rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture." Therefore, clarifying the internal connection between Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization, elucidating the solid foundation upon which Chinese civilization relies for its continuous renewal and rejuvenation, and revealing the internal drivers for the sustained advancement of Chinese-path modernization are undoubtedly of great significance for advancing the construction of a modern Chinese civilization on the new journey in the New Era.

I. Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern strengths

Civilization is the product of human social development and progress, representing the sum total of the material and spiritual wealth created by humanity at a certain stage of social development. The development of civilization follows the objective laws of human social development and is determined by the contradictory movements between the productive forces and the relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure. As the only ancient civilization in the world that has never been interrupted, Chinese civilization once fell behind during the wave of the global Industrial Revolution and consequently endured great suffering. However, the Chinese people, unwilling to lag behind, have also strived to catch up with the trends of the times, resolutely aiming to achieve national rejuvenation and reshape civilizational glory through the paths of industrialization and modernization. As General Secretary Xi Jinping stated: "Chinese-path modernization is the 'old state with a new mission' [2] for the Chinese nation, and it will surely drive the renewed glory of Chinese civilization." Modernization is a process of developmental transition from traditional agricultural civilization to modern industrial and ecological civilizations; it drives social transformation and civilizational shift. China's exploration and pursuit of modernization is a process of accumulation and change for the Chinese nation as it moves from a pre-modern to a modern society—a process of continuous development in adaptation to the global trend of modernization and the progress of human civilization. That Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern strengths is fully reflected in three aspects: providing a modern material foundation, a modern institutional guarantee, and modern ideological support for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization.

(1) Chinese-path modernization provides a modern material foundation for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization

The most fundamental basis for the survival of a civilization is material productive forces. Advanced material productive forces provide a powerful impetus for civilizational development and progress, thereby enabling a civilization to be inherited and developed. Thanks to highly developed agricultural productive forces, the ancient and long-standing Chinese civilization flourished for a long period without decline. According to Karl Jaspers’ theory of "Axial Age" civilizations, Chinese civilization, as one of the "Axial" civilizations, was similarly the product of material productive forces reaching a certain stage and material wealth accumulating to a certain level. During the Qin and Han dynasties, represented by iron agricultural tools, the material productive forces of Chinese civilization were at the global forefront, opening the Silk Road which held world-historical significance. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the degree of development of the productive forces has been recognized by many research findings in Chinese and international academia, such as the "Tang-Song Transition" theory. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, although China failed to spontaneously form a technological revolution, its agricultural and handicraft production technologies remained at world-advanced levels for a long time, and its GDP continued to rank among the highest in the world. However, because China remained an agricultural society for a long period, it missed the opportunity of the Industrial Revolution, leading to a significant lag behind the times. After the Opium War [3], Chinese civilization declined from prosperity to weakness, and the Chinese nation suffered unprecedented hardships. When the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization faced "great changes unseen in several millennia," [4] countless advanced Chinese people in modern history were unyielding in their bitter search for a path to modernization. From "Chinese learning as the essence, Western learning for application" [5] to "rejuvenating China," and from "saving the country through industry" to "building an industrial nation," all these proposals aimed to solve the problem of the modern material foundation for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. Objectively speaking, early industrialization—marked by the opening of factories and mines, the opening of treaty ports, and the construction of railways—possessed progressive significance. However, without national independence and people's liberation, it was impossible for the Chinese nation to embark on the path of industrialization independently and autonomously. Inheriting the attempts of countless people with lofty ideals in modern China, the heavy responsibility of exploring China's path to modernization fell historically upon the shoulders of the Chinese Communists. For over a century, the CPC has led the Chinese people in painstakingly exploring and continuously advancing Chinese-path modernization, struggling hard to build a modern socialist country in all respects. This has profoundly changed the backward state of being "poor and blank" [6] and truly solved the problem of the modern material foundation for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. From establishing the "Four Modernizations" [7] as development goals to opening the development path of reform and opening up, and from proposing the construction of a moderately prosperous society and the "three-step" development strategy to defining the "Two Centenary Goals," [8] the CPC has led the Chinese people in opening the broad road of Chinese-path modernization. In a few decades, China completed the industrialization process that took developed countries several centuries to achieve, making world-renowned achievements and creating a miracle of rapid economic development. Particularly through the struggle of the decade in the New Era, China's comprehensive national strength has increased significantly, a moderately prosperous society has been built in all respects, and GDP has grown from 54 trillion yuan to 114 trillion yuan, accounting for 18.5% of the world economy. Per capita GDP has increased from 39,800 yuan to 81,000 yuan. China has built the world's largest high-speed railway and expressway networks, with massive infrastructure in airports, ports, water conservancy, energy, and information. The urbanization rate has reached 64.7%. Basic research and original innovation have been continuously strengthened. The battle against poverty has achieved a complete victory, historically resolving the problem of absolute poverty. These great achievements verify the practical power of Chinese-path modernization. As economic, technological, and comprehensive national strength jump to new heights, Chinese civilization has once again radiated glory. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that developed modern technology provides important technical and material support for practical activities such as the research, display, experience, inheritance, and transformation of Chinese civilization. Modern technology plays an increasingly important role in archaeological and textual work exploring the origins and development of Chinese civilization, with extensive application of new technical means such as remote sensing, digital technology, and intelligent technology. In times of prosperity, we compile records and trace civilizational origins; the archaeological and cultural undertakings upon which the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization depend are likewise inseparable from the support of solid material and technical conditions.

(2) Chinese-path modernization provides a modern institutional guarantee for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization

Institutions are the most stable guarantee for the survival and development of a country and a nation. As one of the superstructures that supported the continuity of Chinese civilization for thousands of years, the traditional Chinese political system centered on the dynastic system and formed a highly stable "Great Unity" (大一统) [9] political environment and a centralized administrative system. The institutional system bred by Chinese civilization itself consolidated the political order within the unified multi-ethnic state, created a stable social production and living environment, promoted the development of material civilization and cultural prosperity in ancient China, and drove the formation of the community of the Chinese nation. However, after the Opium War, the old institutions in the pre-modern civilizational stage could not adapt to the modernization trend of the times. In the face of "great changes unseen in several millennia," ancient China gradually fell into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society; the country was humiliated, the people suffered, and the civilization was covered in dust. Facing this crisis, advanced Chinese people in modern history followed the trends of the times and successively explored modern institutions suitable for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. The Xinhai Revolution [10] overthrew the feudal autocratic system that had ruled China for thousands of years, achieving China's transition from dynastic politics to a modern nation-state; Chinese civilization appeared before the world in the institutional form of a republic. However, the Xinhai Revolution did not complete the tasks of anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism, nor did it change the semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of Chinese society or the tragic fate of the people. Modern China failed to establish a stable and unified modern political system; Chinese society remained in a political environment of external dependence and internal strife for a long time, and the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization lacked strong political integration and institutional backing. The CPC united and led the Chinese people to achieve the great victory of the New Democratic Revolution [11], founded the People's Republic of China where the people are masters of the country, and gradually established and continuously improved the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, creating the fundamental political prerequisite and modern institutional guarantee for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics established under the leadership of the CPC possesses powerful political and institutional advantages, capable of "concentrating resources to accomplish great things" and ensuring long-term social stability, thereby laying a solid institutional foundation and a stable social environment for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee has proposed the major proposition of promoting and realizing the "modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity," continuously enriching and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "The state system and legal system of socialism with Chinese characteristics were formed through long-term practical exploration and are a great creation in the history of human institutional civilization." In the New Era, Chinese Communists have profoundly drawn upon the experience of institutional building from the different historical periods of revolution, construction, and reform. Based on new changes in domestic and international situations and new developments in institutional practice, they have continuously refined and enhanced the Party's overall leadership, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity. They have accumulated rich governance experience and increasingly fruitful institutional results through the benign interaction and organic combination of top-level design and grassroots exploration, thereby providing an "advancing with the times" institutional guarantee for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. Along with the continuous advancement of Chinese-path modernization, the rich political experience and excellent governance concepts accumulated by Chinese civilization have undergone creative transformation and innovative development within the modern state system and state governance, thereby organically integrating Chinese civilization with the modern political system. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "A country's governance system and governance capacity are closely related to its historical heritage and cultural traditions." Advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity requires making the excellent ideas regarding state systems and governance within Chinese civilization modern and relevant. This allows inherent excellent traditional political thoughts such as "the people are the foundation of the state," "governing with virtue," and "the combined rule of virtue and law" to revitalize within the institutional arrangements and governance practices of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is evident that the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the modern governance model ensure that the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization possess a powerful institutional guarantee and thick soil for practice.

(3) Chinese-path modernization provides modern ideological support for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization

Culture is the soul of a country and a nation. An important mark of human civilizational progress is the prosperity and development of thoughts and culture, manifested as humanity breaking through the primitive state of barbarism in spirit and pursuing loftier value concepts due to the awakening of self-awareness. Based on the spiritual activities of thinkers from different civilizations during the same period, Karl Jaspers abstractly summarized the "Axial Age" of civilization. He believed that the spiritual activities of "Axial Age" thinkers profoundly influenced the process of human civilization and pointed out that "humanity has lived until today on everything produced, created, and thought during that time." From the "contention of a hundred schools of thought" [12] among the scholars of the pre-Qin period to the "convergence of the three teachings" of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, Chinese culture has always maintained an open and active posture. Various schools of thought have continuously emerged, interacted, and developed, creating a cultural paradigm in the history of world civilization that is broad, profound, and long-standing. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The various thoughts and cultures produced during the formation and development of the Chinese nation record the spiritual activities, rational thinking, and cultural achievements of the Chinese nation during its long-term struggle, reflecting its spiritual pursuit. The most core content has already become the most basic cultural genes of the Chinese nation."

After the modern era began, Chinese civilization entered a period of cultural turbulence under the impact of "European winds and American rains" [13]. Proceeding from a desire to save the nation and its people, modern progressive intellectuals actively propagated modern ideas such as liberty, democracy, equality, and individuality. They criticized the feudal autocratic system and the feudal "ritual teachings and cardinal bonds" [14], committing themselves to the "transformation of national character" and promoting the awakening of the Chinese nation. However, the Enlightenment movements in modern China had a limited effect on the socialization, mass communication, and popularization of modern thought. Conservative ideas rooted in ignorance and superstition still occupied deep social soil, and modern thought was far from being internalized as a universal spiritual value pursued by the Chinese people. To save the nation from subjugation and ensure its survival, and to realize national rejuvenation, the Communist Party of China (CPC) found the truth of Marxism. Throughout the periods of revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has combined the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture, providing Chinese civilization with new nourishment, new blood, and a new soul. The process of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism brought about ideological liberation and achieved a new form and new life for Chinese civilization. Marxism scientifically reveals the general laws of the development of human history and the progress of human civilization, providing ideological guidance for realizing our country's prosperity, national revitalization, and the rebirth of civilization. History shows that the transformation of the ideological and cultural landscape of Chinese civilization has gone hand in hand with the process of Chinese-path modernization; Sinicized and modernized Marxism has profoundly and lastingly influenced the spiritual outlook and value pursuits of Chinese society.

As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, Chinese Communists, as the inheritors and promoters of China’s fine traditional culture, have attached great importance to and vigorously promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture. They pioneeringly proposed the major proposition of the "Second Integration" [15], allowing Chinese civilization to radiate new glory through the integration of the Chinese and the foreign, and the ancient and the modern. Based on the practical exploration of Chinese-path modernization in the New Era, and on the basis of adhering to and developing Marxist cultural theory while summarizing the experience of cultural construction in the New Era, the CPC formed Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly points out that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the construction of Chinese-path modernization call for cultural consolidation, cultural soul-shaping, and cultural empowerment. Therefore, we must do a good job in the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. "Chinese civilization continues the spiritual lifeblood of our country and nation; it needs to be passed on from generation to generation and guarded by every generation, and it also needs to advance with the times and weed through the old to bring forth the new." "We must promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture, activating its vitality with the spirit of the times." Xi Jinping Thought on Culture provides a powerful ideological weapon and a scientific guide for action for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization, gathering a profound and lasting spiritual force. In short, "Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern power." This conclusion indicates that Chinese-path modernization has pushed Chinese civilization toward a path of rejuvenation through modern transformation. Chinese-path modernization has continuously thickened and consolidated the modern material foundation for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization, further improved and finalized modern institutional guarantees, and strengthened modern ideological support, making the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation an irreversible historical process. The CPC insists on comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, fundamentally reversing the historical destiny of the Chinese nation. The Chinese nation has ushered in three historical leaps—from "standing up" to "becoming rich" and "becoming strong"—and is moving toward the bright prospect of building a modern Chinese civilization.

II. Chinese Civilization Endows Chinese-path Modernization with Profound Substance

Modernization is the historical process of human society transitioning from a pre-modern to a modern society, and an essential stage of human social development and civilizational progress. The laws of modernization show that culture is the "root" and "soul" of a modernization path; cultural differences between different nations and countries profoundly influence their choice of developmental paths. Having undergone thousands of years of inheritance and development, Chinese civilization has formed a complete set of independent, stable, and systematic ideological systems and cultural traditions. These are deeply rooted in the spiritual world of the Chinese nation and imperceptibly influence the Chinese people's choice of their own development path. Both theory and practice show that thousands of years of cultural accumulation and the borrowing of culture like "a hundred rivers flowing into the sea" [16] have shaped the unique cultural genes of the Chinese nation, creating a Chinese-path modernization that is distinctly different from Western modernization. In short, Chinese-path modernization "not only has the common characteristics of the modernization of all countries but also has Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions."

(1) Theoretical Reflection: Endogenous Cultural Elements of Modernization

The origin and development of modernization is a rich and complex process in which cultural elements play an important role. Marx and Engels revealed the dialectical relationship of the contradictory movement between the economic base and the superstructure. They pointed out that a given superstructure exerts a non-negligible reaction upon a given economic base. "It is not that the economic situation is the cause, solely active, while everything else is only passive effect. Rather, it is interaction on the basis of economic necessity, which ultimately always asserts itself." They explicitly rejected one-sided "economic determinism": "If someone twists this into saying that the economic element is the only determining one, he transforms that proposition into a meaningless, abstract, senseless phrase." The laws of human social development revealed by Marxism do not merely emphasize the role of material production technologies, such as mechanization and electrification, in modernization. As important components of the superstructure, cultural elements—such as human ideas, ethics, and ideologies—play an equally important role in promoting the development of modernization. At the beginning of the 20th century, Western scholars represented by Max Weber studied the cultural elements of capitalist modernization. In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism, Weber focused on the cultural roots of the rise of capitalism and the issue of modernization in East Asian societies. The academic community generally summarizes Weber’s views as the "Weber Thesis." The "Weber Thesis" tends to view specific ideas and religious cultures of European society as so-called "universals." It aprioristically judged that modernization is exclusive to Western civilization and that non-Western civilizations lacking Western cultural traits cannot spontaneously achieve modernization. However, in the second half of the 20th century, the historical practice of modernization in East Asia powerfully broke the theoretical presuppositions of the "Weber Thesis," prompting further reflection on the cultural drivers for non-Western civilizations to achieve modernization. Based on the modernization models of China and the "Four Asian Tigers" [17], Chinese scholars raised questions about the "Weber Thesis": Is the modernization model pluralistic rather than singular? Can non-Western civilizations embark on a modernization path different from the West? In fact, as early as the 1920s and 1930s, Chinese intellectuals used The Independent Review (Duli Pinglun) and The China Press Monthly (Shenbao Yuekan) as their main arenas to discuss modernization. They recognized the complementary relationship between traditional Chinese culture and modernization, but due to the objective historical environment at the time, this understanding remained relatively superficial. After a long period of accumulating knowledge and observing the practice of modernization, following the Reform and Opening-up, scholars represented by Luo Rongqu deeply analyzed the important role of the Chinese cultural sphere in the modernization process. Based on China and the "Four Asian Tigers," they argued that "there may be some relationship between the spread of modernization and cultural spheres." The core of Luo Rongqu’s modernization theory is the "monistic multi-linear historical view" (yiyuan duoxian lishi fazhanguan) of modernization; he proposed the diversity of modernization models based on the diversity of civilizational forms and development levels. Local Chinese modernization theory abandoned the dogmas of Western modernization explanation represented by the "Weber Thesis," summarized the experiences and lessons of East Asian—especially Chinese—modernization, and highlighted that the Confucian cultural tradition inherent in Chinese civilization played an indispensable and important role in the modernization transition of East Asian societies.

(2) Chinese Practice: Chinese-path Modernization Contains the Cultural Roots and Value Pursuits of Chinese Civilization

The path of Chinese-path modernization is an exploratory road for the continuation and development of civilization, containing the cultural roots and value pursuits of Chinese civilization, which are passed down like a flame. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "If there were no 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, where would Chinese characteristics come from? If it were not for Chinese characteristics, how could we have the successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we have today?" Inheriting Chinese civilization is both an important factor enabling the continuous advancement of Chinese-path modernization and the distinct coloring that makes it different from Western modernization. China’s fine traditional culture, as the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization, nourishes the inherent cultural roots of Chinese-path modernization.

The fact that Chinese-path modernization continues the lineage of China’s fine traditional culture is centrally manifested in the internal connection between the five Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization [18] and the five prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization [19]; they share the unique cultural genes of the Chinese nation. To be sure, there is a diachronic and synchronic intersection between the five Chinese characteristics and the five prominent characteristics, and their mutual logical relationship is not a one-to-one direct correspondence. However, philosophically speaking, the features and characteristics of a thing are determined by its inherent defining attributes, and the relationship between the features and characteristics of different things fully reflects their logical relationship. Therefore, examining the correlation between the Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization and the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization allows the deep-level internal logical relationship between them to be revealed. "Chinese-path modernization is deeply rooted in China’s fine traditional culture." The unique ways of thinking, cultural character, spiritual qualities, and value pursuits of the Chinese nation contained within the five prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization permeate the five Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization, constituting the internal dimension of why Chinese-path modernization possesses "Chinese characteristics."

1. Continuity is the internal soul of Chinese civilization, running through all aspects of Chinese-path modernization

Continuity is the most fundamental feature of Chinese civilization and the core quality that has allowed it to survive to this day and continuously grow and prosper; it is the internal soul of Chinese civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It is impossible to understand ancient China, modern China, or future China without understanding China from the perspective of its long historical continuity." Based on a grand historical perspective encompassing 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, 500 years of world socialism, over 100 years since the founding of the CPC, and more than 70 years since the founding of New China, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the concept of the "Big View of History" (da lishi guan). One of its core meanings is to combine the unremitting struggle of the CPC with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and to link the exploration and practice of Chinese-path modernization with the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization.

The continuity of Chinese civilization is manifested in two aspects: First, it inspires Chinese Communists in the process of exploring Chinese-path modernization to inherit and promote China’s fine traditional culture and national spirit, such as "striving for self-improvement" (ziqiang buxi), "sustaining the world with great virtue" (houde zawu), "knowing shame and then possessing courage" (zhichi erhou yong), and "helping the whole world" (jianji tianxia). Second, the cosmos-view, worldview, value-view, and moral-view contained in China’s fine traditional culture have endowed the five Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization with deep historical accumulation and cultural substance. For example: "Great Unity" (da yitong) and "the people are the foundation of the state" (min wei bang ben) relate to "the modernization of a huge population"; "promoting the common interests of the world" (xing tianxia zhi tongli) and "not worrying about scarcity but about inequality" (bu huan gua er huan bu jun) relate to "the modernization of common prosperity for all"; "when the granaries are full, the people know manners; when food and clothing are sufficient, the people know honor and shame" (canglin shi er zhi lijie, yishi zu er zhi rongru) relates to "the modernization of material and ethical-cultural progress"; "heaven and earth coexist with me, and all things are one with me" (tiandi yu wo bingsheng, wanwu yu wo heyi) relates to "the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature"; "harmony without uniformity" (he er bu tong) and "cultivating civil virtue to attract those from afar" (xiu wende yi lai zhi) relate to "the modernization of peaceful development." In short, "the continuity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that the Chinese nation must follow its own path." The continuous and long-standing Chinese civilization has left behind rich spiritual resources and cultural heritage that run through every aspect of Chinese-path modernization.

2. Unity is an inherent gene of Chinese civilization, determining that Chinese-path modernization must conform to the national reality of a "huge population"

Unity is an inherent gene of Chinese civilization, manifesting in the way the Chinese nation has thrived and multiplied over five millennia of continuous development, where the cultures and interests of various ethnic groups are characterized by "diversity within unity" [20]. Since ancient times, China has been a unified multi-ethnic country with a massive population and vast territory; this unique national context shaped the concept of "Great Unity" (Dayitong) [21] in Chinese civilization. "The long-standing tradition of Great Unity in Chinese civilization formed a unity characterized by diversity within unity, solidarity, and concentration." The highly unified nature of Chinese civilization dictates that modernization must involve the overall advancement of a population of over 1.4 billion into a modern society, blazing a trail for modernization in a unified multi-ethnic state with vast land and a dense population. Chinese-path modernization with a huge population is a task fraught with difficulties and numerous challenges; it requires the unswerving implementation of the Chinese nation's concept of "Great Unity," pooling the strength of the entire Chinese nation to strive in unity for the realization of Chinese-path modernization. In the process of Chinese-path modernization, upholding the concept of "Great Unity" requires not only safeguarding national unity, ethnic solidarity, and territorial integrity, but more importantly, persisting in and strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the Party. The Communist Party of China is the leadership core of Chinese-path modernization; it unifies the will of all, coordinates the interests of all parties, and is the highest political leadership force for uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups to advance Chinese-path modernization.

  1. Innovativeness is the spiritual character of Chinese civilization, nurturing the inexhaustible momentum for Chinese-path modernization to pursue "common prosperity for all," "coordination between material and spiritual-cultural civilizations," and "harmony between humanity and nature."

Innovativeness is the spiritual character behind the continuous development and progress of Chinese civilization, and the inner endowment for its continuous self-improvement and advancing with the times. It "fundamentally determines the enterprising spirit of the Chinese nation in upholding the fundamentals without being hidebound and respecting antiquity without returning to the past, as well as the fearless character of the Chinese nation in facing new challenges and courageously accepting new things." The history of the Chinese nation’s development is a history of civilizational innovation characterized by continuous enterprise and reform. In the process of responding to changes in the internal and external environments over five thousand years, the spirit of seeking change through innovation has been active across all historical periods, embodying the powerful creativity of Chinese civilization expressed as: "When a path is exhausted, it changes; having changed, it opens up; having opened up, it endures" [22]. During the process of Chinese-path modernization, Chinese Communists have continuously broken new ground and sought strength, courageously breaking through the shackles of dogmatism and "bookism" [23]. They have continuously advanced theoretical and practical innovation, creatively proposing the major thesis of the "Two Combinations" [24], and writing a new chapter of modernization distinct from other civilizations. "Modernization of common prosperity for all" critiques and breaks through the inherent polarization, the vast gap between rich and poor, and the formal justice found in Western modernization, allowing the achievements of modernization to better satisfy the people's aspirations for a better life. "Modernization characterized by coordination between material and spiritual-cultural civilizations" integrates the humanistic spirit of fine traditional Chinese culture with the Marxist theory of man, achieving the coordination and unity of comprehensive material abundance and the well-rounded development of the person in the process of Chinese-path modernization. "Modernization of harmony between humanity and nature" abandons the old path of high resource consumption and "pollute first, treat later," coordinating the relationship between economic and social development and population, resources, and the environment, thereby exploring a path for sustainable development for late-developing nations. These great creations of Chinese-path modernization, which "weed through the old to bring forth the new" [25], are inseparable from the inexhaustible innovative driving force of Chinese civilization.

  1. Inclusivity and peacefulness are the value pursuits of Chinese civilization, giving rise to the cultural tradition of Chinese-path modernization’s insistence on "following the path of peaceful development."

Inclusivity and peacefulness are the ethical supports and value pursuits of Chinese civilization within the forest of world civilizations. While having different emphases, the two permeate each other, constituting two aspects of the Chinese nation's social ethics and concepts of interaction: an inclusivity that "incorporates a hundred rivers" determines a peacefulness of "harmony without uniformity" [26]; a peacefulness that "harmonizes all nations" [27] is inseparable from an inclusivity of "exchange and mutual learning." For five thousand years, the Chinese nation has consistently adhered to exchange and mutual learning between different ethnic groups, beliefs, and civilizations. Chinese civilization has always maintained world peace, global development, and international order, pursuing win-win cooperation. From the ideological concept of "the world as one family" to the civilizational concept of "seeking common ground while reserving differences," and from the social disposition of "valuing harmony" to a human order of "peace, amity, harmony, and concord," inclusivity and peacefulness are nurtured deep within the genes of Chinese civilization. They have accumulated into deep-rooted cultural traditions of the Chinese nation, continuously unfolding in concrete ways throughout history up to the present day. Originating from the open-mindedness of Chinese civilization in embracing all things and its value pursuit of "Great Harmony" (Datong) [28], the CPC has led the Chinese people to accept, uphold, and continuously develop the truths of Marxism, learning from and drawing on all the outstanding civilizational achievements of humanity, embarking on the path of peaceful development, and creating socialism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese-path modernization. Chinese civilization is an all-embracing civilization of peaceful development, which dictates that Chinese-path modernization must be a modernization that "follows the path of peaceful development." Chinese-path modernization inherits and carries forward the Chinese nation’s five-thousand-year cultural tradition of openness, inclusivity, and love for peace. Facing the complex situation of drastic changes in today's world, mutual inclusivity and the maintenance of peace are not only the value pursuits of Chinese civilization but also a broad consensus among other civilizations.

In short, "Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with profound substance." This conclusion indicates that fine traditional Chinese culture builds a solid national foundation and civilizational soul for Chinese-path modernization. "For thousands of years, the Chinese nation has followed a path of civilizational development different from that of other countries and nations." We have opened up a distinctive path of Chinese-path modernization, which is determined by our country's historical inheritance and cultural traditions. Therefore, in the process of Chinese-path modernization, we need to continuously inherit and promote the unique and fine cultural traditions of Chinese civilization's five millennia.

III. Building a Modern Chinese Civilization through the "Mutual Achievement" of Chinese-path Modernization and Chinese Civilization

Viewed from the above, Chinese-path modernization vigorously promotes the modern transformation of Chinese civilization, while Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with distinct Chinese characteristics; the two continuously radiate vigorous and flourishing vitality. In the historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization achieve "mutual achievement" and reciprocal tempering. The advanced material productive forces, institutional forms, and ideological culture represented by Chinese-path modernization combine and organically aggregate with the excellent historical and cultural traditions contained within Chinese civilization. This forms a unique new form of human civilization: namely, modern Chinese civilization.

Modern Chinese civilization is a composite concept. This complexity is reflected in the fact that modern Chinese civilization deeply accumulates the contemporary creations of Chinese-path modernization, the developmental innovations of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the civilizational wisdom of the Chinese nation over five thousand years. Modern Chinese civilization is both a profound reflection of the "Two Combinations" and a civilizational achievement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also a composite organism formed by the convergence of three civilizational elements: modern civilization, socialist civilization, and Chinese civilization. The combination of these three elements is not a "platter-style" hodgepodge, but is rather manifested in the internal "economic-political-cultural" structure of modern Chinese civilization: the advanced material mode of production represented by modern civilization, the advanced social institutional form represented by socialist civilization, and the local regional and historical-cultural forms represented by Chinese civilization. "The greatest tribute to human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization." As a new form of human civilization, modern Chinese civilization reflects the general trends of human social development and civilizational progress, possessing universal significance on a global scale: the trend of contemporary change from traditional, backward, and underdeveloped states toward modernization; the historical evolutionary trend from capitalist society toward socialist and communist society; and the civilizational development trend of different nations and peoples in late-developing positions moving toward national prosperity and rejuvenation. In short, this brand-new form of human civilization—modern Chinese civilization—is deeply rooted in the land of China, embodies the advanced nature of scientific socialism, draws on all outstanding civilizational achievements of humanity, and represents the development direction of human civilizational progress.

(1) Modern Chinese civilization possesses the material mode of production of modern civilization and, in terms of the developmental stage of civilization, represents the progressive direction of ecological civilization.

Regarding the stages of civilizational development, the transformation of the material mode of production is the fundamental driving force of civilizational evolution; it manifests as a change in the way humans seek survival and development within the natural environment. According to changes in the material mode of production, human civilization has generally passed through primitive civilization marked by hunting and gathering, agricultural civilization marked by farming, and industrial civilization marked by large-scale machine production and the energy revolution. The material mode of production determines the stage of human civilization. Although the civilizational evolution of all ethnic groups in the world did not necessarily pass through these stages in the same manner, the shift in the material mode of production from hunting and farming to large-scale machine production reflects the changing trend in the material dependence and transformation between humans and nature. Human production and creation "is a process between man and nature, a process by which man, through his own actions, mediates, regulates, and controls the material transformation between himself and nature." No matter what stage human civilization develops to, nature always occupies a fundamental position; the development of human civilization is built upon the exploitation, utilization, and effective protection of natural resources. The relationship between humanity and nature has experienced an original state of dependence on and obedience to the surrounding natural environment, and an alienated state of transforming nature to the maximum extent centered on human needs. Along with the development of human productive forces, the two will eventually move toward a state of interdependent and harmonious coexistence.

Modern Chinese civilization is the product of productive forces developing to a higher stage, representing a more advanced direction of ecological civilization beyond industrial civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward important theses such as "When the ecology prospers, civilization prospers; when the ecology declines, civilization declines" [29], repeatedly emphasizing that "ecological civilization is a major achievement of human social progress," "ecological civilization is the product of industrial civilization developing to a certain stage and a new requirement for achieving the harmonious development of man and nature," and "ecological civilization is a historical trend in the development of human civilization." Ecological civilization inherits and develops the requirements for advanced material productive forces established since primitive, agricultural, and industrial civilizations, and is a transcendence of the traditional view of the development of productive forces. It shifts from an emphasis on the "quantity" of material production to a pursuit of "quality," representing an ecological productive force characterized by green priority, energy conservation, intensity, and low-carbon development. As a new form of modern productive forces, ecological productive forces coordinate material production with ecological protection. They possess the universal characteristic of productive forces to expand the total amount of material wealth, while adding the contemporary requirement of coordinating economic development and ecological construction. This can better satisfy the people's needs for a better life and lay a solid material foundation for creating a new form of human civilization. The Report to the 20th CPC National Congress further pointed out: "We must firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and plan development from the height of harmony between humanity and nature." In short, ecological civilization is a modern civilizational form that arises when productive forces reach a higher stage, providing a brand-new material mode of production for building a modern Chinese civilization.

(2) Modern Chinese civilization possesses the institutional form of socialist civilization and, in terms of the social nature of civilization, embodies the fundamental nature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Regarding the social nature of civilization, social institutional forms are the tangible carriers of civilization. The replacement of human social formations is embedded in the replacement of human civilizations; human civilization continuously develops from lower to higher levels and from old to new forms based on the replacement of social formations. According to the Marxist doctrine on the laws of human social development, socialist civilization, as the transitional stage toward communist civilization, is a new civilizational form that replaces the final exploiting-class society of humanity. Sublating capitalist civilization and moving toward socialist civilization is an inevitability of human historical development and civilizational progress.

Modern Chinese civilization is a new form of socialist civilization created on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Socialist civilization constitutes the internal essence of modern Chinese civilization, and modern Chinese civilization embodies the fundamental nature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. From the broad perspective of the five-hundred-year history of world socialism, the civilization of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the "Chinese version" of the world socialist civilizational form. It is based on the Communist Party of China's (CPC) long journey of unremitting exploration of socialism, and it runs through the course of development encompassing the more than 100 years since the founding of the CPC, the more than 70 years since the founding of New China, and the more than 40 years of reform and opening up. Socialism with Chinese characteristics both adheres to the basic principles of scientific socialism and, simultaneously, proceeds from Chinese realities and the requirements of the times to carry out innovation and creation. It has established basic economic systems, such as the primacy of public ownership alongside the common development of multiple forms of ownership, the primacy of distribution according to work alongside the coexistence of multiple distribution modes, and the socialist market economy system. It has formed a path of democratic political development characterized by the organic unity of Party leadership, the people as masters of the country, and the rule of law. Especially since the 18th National Congress [30], the institutional form of the civilization of socialism with Chinese characteristics has become more scientific and systematic. Under the guidance of the fundamental leadership system of Party leadership, our country's fundamental, basic, and important systems, as well as specific institutions, have played their full roles in every field and link of national governance. This demonstrates the superiority of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, thereby providing a solid institutional guarantee for the construction of modern Chinese civilization.

(III) Modern Chinese civilization possesses indigenous regional, historical, and cultural forms, and its cultural typology contains the cultural genes of the Chinese nation. In terms of the cultural typology of civilization, any given civilization always emerges on the basis of a specific regional environment. different nations, relying on their indigenous regional environments, have created different histories and cultures, forming a rich and colorful diversity of civilizations. In other words, the diversity of civilizational types depends on the diversity of specific national histories and specific national cultures formed in specific eras and specific regions. 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." Western scholars have used different standards to categorize the types of human civilizations that have existed in history; for example, Toynbee listed twenty-six types of civilizations in A Study of History. Although this presents the diverse appearance of human history and affirms the diverse characteristics of global civilizations, it suffers from the maladies of "Eurocentrism" and "unilinear evolutionism." "There is no perfect civilization in the world, nor is there a civilization that is devoid of merit; civilizations are not divided into high or low, superior or inferior." Every specific civilization carries specific national characteristics, which are embodied in a nation's historical inheritance, religious beliefs, and cultural customs.

Modern Chinese civilization is the modern form of Chinese civilization. It is a civilizational creation by which the CPC comprehensively advances the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. The long-standing Chinese civilization has cultivated rich soil and national cultural genes for the construction of modern Chinese civilization. As an ancient nation with five thousand years of heritage, the Chinese nation has formed its own unique national history and culture on the land of China, accumulating a deep and long-standing historical and cultural tradition. Under the guidance of Sinicized and modernized Marxism, the CPC has led the Chinese nation from the profound suffering of the modern era toward great rejuvenation, opening a bright path for Chinese civilization to reach modern Chinese civilization. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "At the most critical moment of modern China, Chinese Communists found Marxism-Leninism and persisted in combining Marxism-Leninism with Chinese reality, using the power of Marxist truth to activate the great civilization created by the Chinese nation over thousands of years, causing Chinese civilization to once again burst forth with powerful spiritual strength." The more national something is, the more international it is. The appearance of modern Chinese civilization on the historical stage indicates that the old path of Western civilizational development is not an absolute or unique standard. Other nations in the world can similarly develop and create modern civilizations with indigenous cultural characteristics and prosperous progress, jointly demonstrating the beauty of civilizational creation. Modern Chinese civilization is a new civilizational form created in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; it contains the distinct cultural genes of the Chinese nation and demonstrates the Chinese nation's high degree of cultural confidence.

In summary, as the latest achievement of the new form of human civilization, modern Chinese civilization is a composite civilizational form created through the organic integration and innovative development of modern civilization, socialist civilization, and Chinese civilization. Among these, modern civilization points toward the material mode of production of ecological productive forces, providing a solid material foundation for the construction of modern Chinese civilization; socialist civilization points toward the institutional backing of socialism with Chinese characteristics, providing a strong political guarantee; and Chinese civilization points toward the inheritance and development of fine traditional Chinese culture, endowing the construction of modern Chinese civilization with a profound national cultural heritage. Modern Chinese civilization is both a creation of the era of Chinese-path modernization and a theoretical achievement of combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture [31]. It is also a practical product of the Chinese nation moving toward great rejuvenation. It fully absorbs the nutrients of diverse excellent civilizations to create a new form of human civilization oriented toward the future.

IV. Conclusion: "Chinese-path modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern power, and Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with profound heritage." This profound assertion is based on the historical position of continuously advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization and anchoring the New Era's new cultural mission. It scientifically reveals the dialectical relationship between Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization, and demonstrates the historical initiative and theoretical self-awareness of the contemporary Chinese Communists in profoundly grasping the laws of modernization and human civilizational development.

Taken as a whole, Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization are mutually inclusive and mutually reinforcing; the two possess a profound internal connection. Chinese-path modernization powerfully promotes the modern transformation of Chinese civilization, while Chinese civilization endows Chinese-path modernization with distinct national characteristics. In the "mutual achievement" of Chinese-path modernization and Chinese civilization, the practical logic of Chinese-path modernization and the historical logic of the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization are closely combined, jointly pointing toward the necessary path of building a modern Chinese civilization. The construction of a modern Chinese civilization is both the "new mission of an old state" [32] and the inevitable result of the continuous development and renewal of human civilizational forms. In the process of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and building a modern Chinese civilization through Chinese-path modernization, Chinese civilization will surely continue to radiate modern vitality, and the great China with its five-thousand-year history will surely return to the center of the world stage. Facing a situation where the risks and challenges to the development of world civilization are intensifying, the construction of modern Chinese civilization remains rooted in Chinese soil, continues the bloodline of Chinese civilization, follows the trend of the times, and seeks modern development. While breaking the "universal" illusion of Western civilization and embracing the vista of global civilizational diversity, it writes a new chapter of human civilization characterized by "appreciating the beauty of each other and developing together" [33].