Wu Haijiang: Chinese Civilization is Characterized by Prominent Innovativeness
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the Seminar on Cultural Inheritance and Development [1] that "Chinese civilization is a civilization that weeds out the old to bring forth the new, and whose brilliance is renewed daily," and that "the innovative nature of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines the enterprising spirit of the Chinese nation in upholding the fundamentals without being archaic and respecting antiquity without returning to the past, as well as the fearless character of the Chinese nation in facing new challenges and having the courage to accept new things." These important expositions profoundly reveal the internal driving force behind the continuous development of Chinese civilization. They also provide a fundamental basis for us to scientifically grasp the essential characteristics of Chinese civilization, to inherit and develop fine traditional Chinese culture, and to create a new form of human civilization. The innovative nature of Chinese civilization is not an accidental historical phenomenon, but is rooted in the fertile soil of a deeply accumulated culture of innovation, manifested in the great historical practice of civilizational creation, and instrumental to the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Rooted in the Fertile Soil of a Deeply Accumulated Culture of Innovation
The innovative spirit of Chinese civilization arises from the dialectical unity of historical continuity and epochal change. As the only civilization in human history to have continued for over 5,000 years without interruption, Chinese civilization is "an interlacing of deep, still waters and surging waves." Chinese culture maintains the continuity of its spiritual lifeblood through the precept of "examining antiquity to initiate the new" [2], while demonstrating the courage for self-renewal in the practice of "reforming abuses and innovating, which was the will of the former emperors." Sages of past dynasties understood the principle that "those who do not renew themselves daily will surely regress daily," and creatively wrote the grand narratives of state governance and socio-economic management (jingshi jimin) [3]. From the establishment of the "Great Unification" (da yitong) [4] paradigm of state governance in the Qin and Han dynasties to the creation of the imperial examination system (keju) in the Sui and Tang; from the philosophical reconstruction of Confucian thought by the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming to the promotion of the spirit of practical learning (shixue) [5] in the Ming and Qing, the Chinese nation has always promoted the iterative upgrading of civilizational forms through the wisdom of "knowing the additions and subtractions" [6]. This innovation is both an adherence to the tradition of "clarifying the essence to achieve practical utility" (mingti dayong) [7] and a commitment to the law of "acting in accord with the times" (yushi jiexing), ensuring that Chinese civilization possesses both a stable foundation and an openness to development throughout the depths of history.
The innovative vitality of Chinese civilization stems from the fertile soil of diverse coexistence in the ideological and cultural spheres. The ideological liberation of the pre-Qin thinkers, characterized as "the arts of the Way being split asunder by the world" [8], gave birth to a civilizational pattern where Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism integrated and complemented each other. The process of Sinicization following the eastward transmission of Buddhism proved the integrative wisdom that "harmony produces things, while sameness stifles growth" [9]. In their exploration of "returning to the roots to open the new" (fanben kaixin), thinkers of various eras calibrated their direction with a view of transformation—"penetrate the changes so that the people do not grow weary"—and broke through stereotypes with a theory of practice—"if it benefits the people, one need not follow antiquity." They formed an innovative methodology connecting "honoring the Way and valuing virtue" with "practical statecraft." This spiritual trait has been sublimated into the courage of "testing boldly and reforming bravely" in China's modernizing practice, and condensed into the theoretical consciousness of the "Second Combination" [10] in the process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, demonstrating the wisdom and mettle of an ancient civilization responding to the challenges of the era.
The innovative genes of Chinese civilization have been revitalized under the power of Marxist truth. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "To open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the profound foundation of more than five thousand years of Chinese civilization, the 'must-take path' is to combine the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture. This is a regular understanding we have reached in exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics." With the dialectical thinking of "inheriting without being bogged down by antiquity, and innovating without abandoning the ancestral source," Chinese Communists have sublimated the traditional governance wisdom of "the people are the foundation of the state" into the people-centered development philosophy; transformed the ecological philosophy of "unity of heaven and humanity" into a practical strategy for ecological civilization construction; and expanded the "All-under-Heaven" (tianxia) view of "harmonizing all nations" into a global governance scheme for "a community with a shared future for humanity." This creative transformation and innovative development is not only a contemporary interpretation of the innovative endowment of Chinese civilization but also a profound grasp of the law of cultural development: "not forgetting the original, absorbing the external, and facing the future."
Manifested in the Great Historical Practice of Civilizational Creation
"It is just in the working-up of the objective world, therefore, that man first really proves himself to be a species-being... by treating the inorganic world as his spiritual and actual world." Compared with general practical activities, innovation, as a pioneering practice seeking the new and the different, is a higher form of practice and an important manifestation of man's essential power. Looking across the 5,000-year journey of civilization, the Chinese nation has tempered a unique civilizational system in the long river of history, nourishing itself with deep cultural accumulation while integrating global wisdom with an open mind. It has "always created its own material, spiritual, and political civilizations with the spirit of 'if you can satisfy yourself for one day, do so every day, and let there be daily renewal,' standing as the most prosperous and powerful civilizational entity for a long period of history."
In terms of material civilization, Chinese civilization takes "practical statecraft and the welfare of the people" (jingshi jimin) as its value orientation, closely combining the development of productive forces with humanistic concern. From the intensive farming model of agricultural production to the Grand Canal system connecting north and south, from the civilizational exchange of the "Silk Road" to the technological revolution of the "Four Great Inventions," the Chinese ancestors unified practical rationality with the philosophy of "unity of heaven and humanity" through the wisdom of the "oneness of the Way and the Tool" (daoqi heyi) [11]. This formed a development paradigm of "rectifying virtue, utilizing resources, enriching the people's livelihood, and maintaining harmony." This material civilization neither pursued wealth accumulation for its own sake nor engaged in utilitarian expansion detached from ethics; rather, it aimed at "enriching the people and providing for their livelihood," emphasizing that "when the granaries are full, the people understand etiquette; when food and clothing are sufficient, they understand honor and shame." In the New Era, the Communist Party of China has inherited this tradition, combining Marxist theories of productive forces with Chinese practice to propose original and landmark concepts such as the "New Development Philosophy," the "New Development Pattern," and "new quality productive forces." This has both consolidated the material foundation of modernization and endowed "practical statecraft" with the contemporary connotation of common prosperity, achieving a creative sublimation of traditional economic ethics.
In terms of spiritual civilization, Chinese civilization takes "harmony without uniformity" (he er bu tong) as its spiritual core, shaping a pluralistic and integrated cultural pattern. The Confucian ethical system of "the nobleman understands what is right, the small man understands what is profitable," the Taoist philosophical dialectics of "the Way follows nature," and the Buddhist cultivation concept of "illuminating the mind and seeing one's nature" have collectively forged the value pursuit of "cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world" (xiu qi zhi ping). The Book of Changes (Zhou Yi) proposed to "observe the humanistic to transform and perfect All-under-Heaven," viewing cultural edification as the root of civilizational survival. Song and Ming Neo-Confucianism connected the Way of Heaven with human relations through "the investigation of things to extend knowledge" (gewu zhizhi), building a thought system that "reaches the broad and great while exhausting the refined and subtle." This spiritual civilization is not closed and self-sufficient but achieves inclusive innovation within "harmony without uniformity." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The 'Second Combination' makes Marxism Chinese and fine traditional Chinese culture modern, allowing the new culture formed through this 'combination' to become the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization." From "Great Harmony under Heaven" (tianxia datong) to "a community with a shared future for humanity," and from the "distinction between righteousness and profit" to "common prosperity," the essence of traditional spiritual civilization has been activated by the power of Marxist truth, maintaining cultural subjectivity while radiating the intellectual power to lead the times.
In terms of political civilization, Chinese civilization takes "the people as the foundation, and governance by virtue and benevolence" as its core ideas, constructing a governance system with unique characteristics. The governing thought of "the people are the only foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace" from The Book of Documents (Shangshu) merged with institutional designs such as "selecting the virtuous and capable" and "virtue as primary and punishment as supplementary." This formed a pluralistic and integrated governance wisdom under the "Great Unification" pattern. From the administrative framework of "the nine provinces integrated under one rule" (jiuzhou gongguan) to the legal tradition of "ordering the state and the people," and from the character cultivation of officials through "governing with virtue" to the strategy of "being mindful of danger in times of peace," sages of past dynasties continuously perfected the governance system in practice. They emphasized both institutional stability and the innovative consciousness of "reform and transformation." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics was walked out under the guidance of Marxism, and it also emerged from the over 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization." Entering the New Era, our Party's persistence in putting the people first and developing whole-process people's democracy is precisely the combination of traditional "people-as-root" (minben) [12] thought with the Marxist view of the people's subjectivity, achieving a leapfrog development from "the people as the foundation of the state" to "people-centered." This innovation in political civilization continues the ideal pursuit of "the world belongs to the public" (tianxia wei gong) while ensuring the governing foundation that "the country is the people, and the people are the country" through institutional advantages.
Instrumental to the Great Cause of Building a Strong Country and National Rejuvenation
"Chinese civilization develops continuously through inheritance and innovation, and sublimates continuously while responding to the times and changing circumstances." From the civilizational gene of "an old state with a new mission" (jiubang xinming) to the "Altogetherness and Coexistence" (he-he gong-sheng) global sentiment, Chinese civilization has always transformed amid internal and external environmental changes, innovating on the basis of inheritance. On the New Journey, the innovative nature of Chinese civilization will provide a powerful spiritual force for solving development problems and comprehensively promoting the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization.
The innovative nature of Chinese civilization signifies a historical consciousness of "taking change as the constant," providing spiritual impetus for modernization. The Annals of Lü Buwei (Lüshi Chunqiu) states, "As the world changes and times shift, the laws should be modified," emphasizing that reform is the inevitable choice to cope with the passing of eras. The 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization's continuity is, in essence, a history of self-renewal as "an old state with a new mission." From the "debate between the feudal and the commandery systems" to the "integration of Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, and Buddhism," and from the agrarian ideology of "combining farming and warfare" to the governing philosophy that "both industry and commerce are fundamental," sages of successive dynasties promoted institutional evolution with the clear awareness of "neither admiring antiquity nor stagnating in the present." Major concepts creatively proposed by the Communist Party of China, such as "whole-process people's democracy" and "harmonious coexistence between man and nature," are precisely the acts of upholding the fundamentals while breaking new ground in the innovative genes of Chinese civilization.
The innovative nature of Chinese civilization embodies the methodological wisdom of "innovating according to the momentum" (yinshi er xin), injecting practical momentum into modernization. The Proclamations of Master Wen (Zhongshuo) says, "Penetrate the changes, and the world will have no flawed laws," advocating that institutional innovation should conform to objective laws. As a new form of human civilization, Chinese-path modernization must both solve the "problems that arise after development" and avoid following the old path of Western modernization. The 20th CPC National Congress proposed that we "must persist in a systemic concept" and "coordinate development and security," which deeply resonates with the "Doctrine of the Mean" (zhongdao) [13] thinking of Chinese civilization—"holding the two ends and using the middle." From the New Development Pattern of "dual circulation" reshaping economic logic to the "Double Carbon" [14] strategy leading green transformation, and from technological self-reliance solving "chokehold" (ka bozi) [15] problems to the practice of common prosperity bridging the urban-rural gap, the innovative nature of Chinese civilization has been transformed into a governance capacity for coordinating "breaking and establishing" and "stability and progress."
The innovative nature of Chinese civilization manifests a civilizational realm of "harmony and coexistence," expanding the global vision for modernization. The Wenzi [16] states, "The sage follows the laws as they change with the times, and rites transform with customs," advocating that civilizational progress must achieve transcendence through openness and inclusiveness. Chinese-path modernization neither exports its model nor imposes its standards but promotes mutual learning between civilizations with the breadth of mind that "each appreciates its own beauty, and all appreciate the beauty of others." The Global Civilization Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, which advocates "respecting the diversity of world civilizations" and "strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation," is a creative development of the Chinese civilizational concept that "all things are nourished together without harming one another." From the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" to create a new paradigm of connectivity, to the Three Global Initiatives [17] responding to shared human challenges, the innovative nature of Chinese civilization has been sublimated into a practical scheme for building a community with a shared future for humanity. This civilizational view, which both adheres to its own characteristics and embraces mutual learning, breaks through the stereotypes of "Western-centrism" and "civilizational superiority," opening a new realm of harmony and coexistence for the progress of human civilization.
On the New Journey, realizing the grand blueprint of comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization requires us to have the consciousness of "working diligently all day and acting in accord with the times" (zhongri qianqian, yushi jiexing). We must persist in integrating the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of fine traditional Chinese culture, drawing innovative nutrients from the fertile soil of culture, fully activating the innovative endowment of Chinese civilization, and making it radiate new vitality in the baptism of Chinese-path modernization, providing inexhaustible momentum for the cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.