Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Culture: Leading the Building of a Culturally Strong Nation with Xi Jinping Thought on Culture
Culture concerns the foundation and destiny of the nation. Without the prosperity and flourishing of Chinese culture, there can be no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has persisted in placing cultural development in a prominent position within the governance of the country. Through a series of major deployments, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has been formed, driving historical achievements in cultural development through the processes of "clearing the source" [1] and upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, while steady strides have been taken toward building a socialist cultural power. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is the creative application and development of the living soul of Marxism in cultural practice, constituting the "cultural chapter" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This thought encompasses both the ancient and the modern [2] and integrates China with the world; with a vast historical depth and civilizational perspective, it has deepened our systematic understanding of socialist cultural construction, the development of Chinese civilization, and the progress of human civilization. It provides profound answers to fundamental questions regarding which flag to raise, which path to follow, which principles to uphold, and which goals to achieve in our cultural development in the New Era. It is a glorious banner leading the work of public communication, ideology, and culture toward new horizons and new socialist cultural brilliance.
On October 28, 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the 17th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee and delivered an important speech. Taking a strategic height based on the overall cause of the Party and the state, he planned and deployed the construction of a cultural power, profoundly elucidating its major significance, general requirements, and the key issues that must be grasped. This speech is an important chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and provides the fundamental compliance for building a cultural power from a new starting point. We must deeply study and implement the spirit of this important speech, take Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as our guide, anchor ourselves to the strategic goal of becoming a cultural power by 2035, and continuously develop a New Era socialist culture with Chinese characteristics that possesses strong ideological leadership, spiritual cohesion, value appeal, and international influence. We must continuously enhance the spiritual strength of the people and fortify the cultural foundations for building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
I. Anchoring the Correct Direction and Unswervingly Following the Path of Socialist Cultural Development with Chinese Characteristics
The Great Way is as smooth as a whetstone [3]; firm action leads to far-reaching results. Throughout the historical process since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and particularly since the start of reform and opening up, our Party has unremittingly promoted cultural construction. We have continuously developed a socialist culture that is oriented toward modernization, the world, and the future—a culture that is national, scientific, and popular—and have carved out a path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics. Entering the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has continuously deepened its understanding of Chinese-path socialist culture, endowing it with new positioning and connotations, and greatly expanding this developmental path. This path of cultural development is the specific manifestation and vivid practice of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the cultural sphere. It accumulates the unremitting pursuit of Chinese culture to carry forward the past and open the new [4], and embodies the spiritual character of adhering to the Chinese cultural standpoint and cultural subjectivity amidst the turbulence of world cultures. History and practice have proven that the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics is the only correct path for promoting the prosperity of socialist culture. To build a cultural power, we must uphold a high degree of cultural self-awareness and confidence in our path, remains firm in our conviction that "the path shall not change and the will shall not falter," and always promote cultural progress along the correct direction.
Following the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics fundamentally means holding high the banner of Marxism and building a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership. We must adhere to the fundamental system of Marxism's guiding position in the ideological field, continuously enhance our dominance and discourse power in ideology, and remain firm in our "main backbone" [5] and "anchor stone" [6] amidst the exchange, integration, and confrontation of diverse ideologies and cultures. In contemporary China, the most important aspect of adhering to and consolidating the guiding position of Marxism is to use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to "congeal the heart and cast the soul" [7]. We must improve the working system for arming the whole Party, educating the people, and guiding practice with the Party’s innovative theories. We must refine the learning systems at all levels, such as the理论学习中心组 (Theoretical Learning Center Groups) of Party committees (and leading Party groups), and organize cadres and the masses to deeply study the important works of General Secretary Xi Jinping while making good use of authoritative auxiliary reading materials. We must produce more systematic and academic research results with explanatory and persuasive power, lead the construction of a Chinese independent knowledge system, and carry out theoretical publicity and lectures that are more "grounded" and vibrant. By doing so, we will continuously ensure the Party's innovative theories enter people's hearts and consolidate the ideological unity of the entire Party and society.
II. Strengthening Political Guarantees and Enhancing the Party's Comprehensive Leadership over Public Communication, Ideological, and Cultural Work
Persisting in the Party's comprehensive leadership is the strong guarantee for us to shoulder our cultural mission in the New Era and promote cultural prosperity and development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, our Party has focused on solving the problem of weakened Party leadership in the ideological field and has made major deployments to strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership over public communication, ideological, and cultural work. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly summarized the Party's historical experience, gained insight into the major trends of the times, and elucidated principled positions, cleared up theoretical confusion, and corrected work orientations on a series of fundamental issues. In particular, his major innovative viewpoint on "upholding the Party's cultural leadership" profoundly clarifies the extreme importance of strengthening the Party's leadership over this work and defines the political guarantee that cultural construction must adhere to. Facing a more complex domestic and international environment and the surging wave of information technology, and facing the new tasks and requirements of building a cultural power, we must persist in the Party's cultural leadership and continuously improve governance capabilities in the cultural field under informationized conditions. We must fortify the Party's governing foundation and mass foundation ideologically, spiritually, and culturally.
The primary requirement for persisting in the Party's cultural leadership and strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership is to "talk politics" with a clear-cut stand. We must maintain a firm political stance; improve our capacity for political judgment, political understanding, and political execution; and take practical actions to deeply implement the "Two Upholds," ensuring that the Central Committee's various decisions and deployments regarding cultural power construction are realized. The responsibility system for ideological work is an important institutional arrangement for strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership. We must tighten and solidify the comprehensive leadership responsibility of Party committees (and leading Party groups) at all levels and the political responsibility of leading Party cadres, ensuring that the principles of "the Party managing communication," "the Party managing ideology," "the Party managing the media," and "the Party managing the Internet" are fully implemented. We must build and guard ideological frontiers—including news media, online platforms, lectures, forums, Party schools, and academic institutions—making them the basic support for transmitting the voice of the Party and the people and spreading mainstream ideology and culture. We must focus on "supporting the right and dispelling the evil" [8], "clearing the turbid and promoting the pure" [9], and refuting and resisting erroneous viewpoints and tendencies to fortify the line of cultural security. Focusing on the Internet as the main battlefield, we must improve the comprehensive Internet governance system, enhance our capacity to manage and govern the network, and increase our initiative in work under informationized conditions.
On May 23, 2024, the 2024 Cultural Power Construction Summit Forum was held in Shenzhen, Guangdong. The theme of this forum was "Chinese-path Modernization and the New Cultural Mission," hosted by the Central Propaganda Department. Responsible comrades from central propaganda and cultural units, provincial-level Party committee propaganda departments, and some cultural enterprises, along with think tank experts and scholars, participated in the forum. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua.
III. Persisting in the "Two Combinations" and Carrying Forward the Chinese Cultural Lineage through Creative Transformation and Innovative Development
Chinese culture has a tradition of "illuminating the old state to assist its new mission" [10]; only by going into the depths of history can one see the distant future. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, while consistently emphasizing the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities, General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly grasped the internal laws of Marxist theoretical innovation and socialist cultural development. He clearly proposed the major proposition of "combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture." The "Two Combinations," especially the "second combination" [11], elucidate the cultural code of "how China became China," revealing the inevitable path for opening and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as the inevitable path for promoting theoretical innovation and cultural prosperity. This marks a new sublimation of the Party’s theoretical creativity, cultural subjectivity, and spiritual independence. On the new journey of the New Era, we must persist in the "Two Combinations," continuously opening new realms for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and continuously promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture to create a new culture belonging to our era.
Caring for, promoting, and developing the treasures of Chinese civilization, so that the millennia-old cultural lineage radiates vitality and takes on a new look in contemporary China, is a strategic move for persisting in the "Two Combinations" and advancing the construction of a cultural power. We must always hold fast to the "soul-vein" [12] of Marxism and the "root-vein" [13] of fine traditional Chinese culture. Guided by Marxism, we must comprehensively mine the 5,000-year-plus treasury of Chinese civilization, injecting the great spirit and rich wisdom of the Chinese nation into Marxism at a deeper level. We must effectively integrate the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of fine traditional Chinese culture, allowing them to catalyze into new theoretical advantages. We must persist in "making the past serve the present" and "weeding through the old to bring forth the new," endowing fine traditional Chinese culture with new era connotations and modern forms of expression in accordance with the characteristics and requirements of the times. We must strive to use all the spiritual wealth created by the Chinese nation to "transform people through culture" [14] and "nurture people through culture." Holding a heart of reverence for history and love for culture, we must correctly handle the relationship between cultural heritage protection and economic and social development. We must improve the systems and mechanisms for the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, promote systematic protection and unified supervision, and ensure that the historical and cultural heritage left by our ancestors is passed down intact.
IV. Focusing on "Establishment" as the Foundation and Continuously Developing and Strengthening Mainstream Values, Mainstream Public Opinion, and Mainstream Culture
Chinese-path modernization is a modernization in which material and spiritual civilizations are coordinated. The construction of a cultural power occupies an important strategic position in the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that no matter which country or nation, if it does not cherish its own ideology and culture, and if it loses the "soul" of its ideology and culture, that country or nation cannot stand. Our mainstream ideology and culture are socialist; they are rooted in deep historical traditions and social reality. The concepts they advocate are scientific and advanced, and the direction they indicate aligns with the beautiful aspirations of the Chinese people. To build a cultural power, we must develop and strengthen mainstream values, mainstream public opinion, and mainstream culture to effectively moisten hearts, build consensus, firm up confidence, and nourish society, providing a strong ideological guarantee, powerful spiritual strength, and favorable cultural conditions for building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
With the continuous development of economy and technology and the profound adjustment of the social pattern, social thoughts and value orientations are becoming increasingly active. It is therefore even more necessary to persist in taking "establishment" as the foundation [15] and further exert the leading role of mainstream values, public opinion, and culture. We must vigorously promote mainstream values, focusing on building spiritual pillars, setting value benchmarks, and nurturing the "new people of the era." We must cultivate and practice the Core Socialist Values, promote the normalization and institutionalization of education in ideals and convictions, and extensively carry out public communication and education on the history of the Party, the New China, reform and opening up, and the development of socialism. We must improve ideological and political work, advance the creation of mass spiritual civilization and the building of civic morality, and shape a modern trend of toward-the-good and toward-the-upward. We must expand and strengthen mainstream public opinion, adhering to the principle of "unity, stability, and encouragement" with positive publicity as the mainstay. We must precisely and effectively carry out thematic publicity, publicity on the situation and policies, achievement publicity, and publicity of role models. We must strengthen economic publicity and the guidance of expectations, promote the integrated management of news publicity and online public opinion, and do a good job in the systematic transformation of mainstream media. We must push the "main force" [professional journalists/state media] to enter the "main battlefield" [the Internet] in an all-round way, shaping a new pattern of mainstream public opinion so that "positive energy" is more abundant and the "main melody" is more resonant. We must strengthen the construction of mainstream culture, develop advanced socialist culture, promote revolutionary culture, and inherit fine traditional Chinese culture. We must comprehensively improve the quality and efficiency of cultural development, better leveraging the role of culture in "nourishing the mind" and "nurturing temperament," thereby conserving the nation's cultural vitality.
V. Maintaining the Fundamental Stance of Ensuring Cultural Construction Focuses on the People and Ends with the People
The people are the creators of history and the sculptors of the era. Putting the people at the center is the fundamental stance of persisting in and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era; it is also the value goal and distinctive main thread running through cultural construction in the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the "strength" of a cultural power must ultimately be reflected in the ideological realm, spiritual state, and cultural cultivation of the people. Building a cultural power requires adhering to a people-centered work orientation, respecting the dominant position of the people, and protecting their cultural rights and interests. We must continuously satisfy the diverse, multi-level, and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the masses, ensuring the people's spiritual world becomes more enriched.
On May 23, 2024, the five-day 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) opened. This ICIF featured 8 exhibition halls, with over 6,000 government groups, cultural institutions, and enterprises participating. More than 120,000 cultural products were exhibited, and over 4,000 cultural industry investment and financing projects were displayed and traded. The photo shows the audience entering the exhibition hall of the 20th ICIF on that day. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liang Xu.
High-quality cultural services and the supply of cultural products are important sources for the people's sense of cultural fulfillment and happiness. We must correctly handle the relationship between social benefits and economic benefits, insisting on putting social benefits first while unifying social and economic benefits. We must improve the modern public cultural service system, refine the modern cultural industry system and market system, and promote the prosperous development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries, ensuring that the people enjoy a more substantive, diverse, and higher-quality spiritual and cultural life. We should strengthen guidance for literary and artistic creation, encouraging cultural workers to delve deep into life and take root among the masses [16] to produce literary and artistic creations worthy of the era. These works should truly convey the voice of the people and reflect their concerns, nurturing the people's aesthetic and values with excellent works that are profound in thought, fresh and unadorned in style, and vigorous in strength. To adapt to the new requirements of the era of mass tourism, we must persist in "shaping tourism through culture and highlighting culture through tourism," deeply excavating cultural characteristics, improving the modern tourism industry system, and promoting the deep integrated development of culture and tourism. We must persist in "keeping people in sight," taking the cultivation of talent and the building of teams as an important and urgent strategic task. We should coordinate the training of various types of talent, respect the laws of talent growth, and build platforms for the development, progress, innovation, and entrepreneurship of all kinds of talent, thereby fostering a large-scale, well-structured, and innovative high-level cultural talent workforce.
VI. Deepening Reform of Systems and Mechanisms to Stimulate the Cultural Innovation and Creative Vitality of the Entire Nation
The vitality of culture lies in innovation and creation. The cultural development of all times and countries has followed the law of "rising with the times and changing with the trends" [17]. Chinese culture has endured precisely through the innovation and creation characterized by the phrase "if you can renovate yourself one day, then you must do so every day, and yet again every day" [18], resulting in the emergence of successive cultural peaks. Currently, as the supporting role of culture in building a strong country and national rejuvenation becomes increasingly prominent, the task of promoting innovative cultural development has become even more urgent. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that "the wise change with the times, and the knowledgeable adapt according to circumstances" [19]; reform is the driving force behind the prosperity of literature and art and cultural development. We must vigorously promote the spirit of reform and innovation, unswervingly deepen the reform of cultural systems and mechanisms, and further break down deep-seated institutional obstacles. This will ensure that all sources of innovation flow fully and all creative vitality bursts forth, providing a powerful impetus for the construction of a cultural powerhouse.
The key to deepening the reform of cultural systems and mechanisms lies in making the stimulation of innovative and creative vitality the central link. Focusing on enhancing original cultural capacity, we must accelerate the improvement of cultural management systems and production and operation mechanisms. We should encourage and guide cultural workers to use new ideas, new discourses, new mechanisms, and new forms to create more cultural achievements that transcend time and space and possess eternal charm. We will implement the Philosophy and Social Sciences Innovation Project to construct an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. We should further optimize the cultural ecosystem, insisting on the integration of producing results and producing talent, and linking the creation of works with the cultivation of the environment. We must fully promote academic democracy and artistic democracy, supporting those who immerse themselves in rigorous refinement and encouraging explorations of unique craftsmanship, thereby forming a vivid scene where literary works and the cultural environment mutually generate one another. We must explore effective mechanisms for the integration of culture and technology, systematically integrating internet thinking and information technology applications into cultural construction. We should harness and make good use of new technologies such as generative AI, actively cultivate new cultural business formats and models, and achieve the digital empowerment and informational transformation of cultural construction. Today, new mass literature and art are flourishing, becoming an important way for people to participate in cultural creation and experience spiritual life. We must strengthen research and act according to the trend; while protecting the people's cultural enthusiasm and creative talent, we should aggregate the surging energy of mass cultural creation to promote cultural prosperity and development, using the vast field of new mass literature and art to hold up new peaks of achievement.
VII. Focusing on Global Changes to Continuously Enhance National Cultural Soft Power and the Influence of Chinese Culture
The development of a great power involves both the development of "hard power" such as economy and technology, and the enhancement of cultural soft power. Internally, this is manifested as cultural prosperity; externally, it is manifested as the strengthening of cultural influence. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that improving national cultural soft power is not only related to China's positioning in the world cultural landscape but also to China's international status and influence. Currently, the changes in the world, the era, and history are unfolding profoundly. The "Global South" is developing vigorously, and the relationship between China and the world is undergoing a historical transformation. On one hand, Chinese concepts, wisdom, and solutions are gaining understanding and recognition from more and more countries, injecting powerful positive energy into the progress of human civilization. On the other hand, ideologies such as protectionism, isolationism, and populism are constantly rising, and fallacies such as the "clash of civilizations" and "civilizational superiority" occasionally resurface. China faces increasingly fierce competition for international discourse power and cultural soft power. To build a cultural powerhouse, we must more proactively promote China's propositions, disseminate Chinese culture, and showcase China's image, ensuring that cultural soft power matches hard power and fully transforming developmental advantages and comprehensive strength into discursive advantages.
Behind discourse lie thought and "the Way" (Dao). To tell China's stories well and disseminate China's voice well, there is an urgent need to construct a Chinese discourse and narrative system and comprehensively improve international communication effectiveness. We must improve our ability to set agendas, meticulously handling the external propaganda of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the image of the leader. We should innovate external discourse and narratives around important concepts such as Chinese-path modernization, a community with a shared future for humanity, and the three Global Initiatives [20], creating new concepts, categories, and expressions that connect China and the world, and more fully and clearly demonstrating the thought and spiritual power behind China's stories. We must accelerate the restructuring of the international communication landscape, promote the reform and innovation of international communication mechanisms for mainstream media, strengthen regional and country-specific studies and communication, and innovate the implementation of online external propaganda to improve the professionalism and "penetrating power" of our external voice. Culture is a "universal language"; its power can cross borders and reach hearts directly. We must strengthen the concept of using culture to engage in dialogue with the world, expand international cultural exchanges and cooperation, and promote more high-quality cultural products to go global, relying on the power of culture and civilization to shape a correct perception of China in the world.
Civilization establishes a world, and culture prospers a nation. Building a socialist cultural powerhouse carries the spiritual vision of the Chinese nation's dedicated pursuit of rejuvenation and writes the surging and magnificent cultural atmosphere of China in the New Era. This requires the entire Party and society to pool their strength and embark on this journey together. We must unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, persist in taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, and deeply study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. We must gain a profound understanding of the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the Four Consciousnesses, firm up the Four-Form Confidence, and achieve the Two Upholds [21]. We must be brave in assuming responsibilities and proactive in our actions, solidifying the foundation of faith through the cohesion of thought and forging the soul of the era through cultural creation, making new and greater contributions to promoting cultural prosperity and building a cultural powerhouse!
Web Editor: Tongxin Source: Qiushi 2025/08