Yang Hongyuan: The Systematicity of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought and Its Original Contributions

The systematized construction and theoretical interpretation of doctrine are both internal requirements for theoretical innovation and essential pathways for theoretical development. The formation and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture has itself been a continuous process of systematization and theorization. Consequently, deepening the systematic and theoretical research and interpretation of this important thought has become a major mission within the fields of ideology, propaganda, and culture. Centered on the keyword "culture," this article attempts to explore the essence and core tenets of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. By examining the internal logic between its basic viewpoints, it aims to grasp their positioning within the overall theoretical system and expound upon their original contributions to enriching and developing Marxist cultural theory and achieving the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture.

I. Upholding the Primacy of the Party's Cultural Leadership

Concepts and the propositions that express them are the basic elements constituting a theory. Within a specific theoretical system, there is often a core concept or proposition occupying the primary position, which serves as the key to accurately understanding that system. Looking at the phased theoretical summaries during the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture—from the condensation of the laws governing the Party’s propaganda and ideological work through the "Nine Upholds" ^[1] during the historical convergence of the "Two Centenary Goals"; to the summary of a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and judgments on cultural construction in the New Era via the "Fourteen Emphases" ^[2] during the opening year of the new journey of the New Era; and finally to the clarification of the blueprint and practical methods for the Party's propaganda, ideological, and cultural work through the "Seven Focuses" ^[3] at the time of the official proposal of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture—all place upholding the leadership of the Party in the primary position. The reason for this lies primarily in the fact that culture, as a major manifestation of the superstructure, possesses distinct ideological attributes. In essence, cultural leadership is leadership over ideological work. Upholding the primacy of the Party's cultural leadership first implies a new self-awareness by our Party regarding the new situations and challenges in ideological work—namely, "whether we can uphold the Party’s leadership and uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in an increasingly complex international and domestic environment."

The prominence given to the status of cultural leadership in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture fully reflects a profound understanding of the principle regarding the dialectical relationship between the economic base and the superstructure. According to the basic tenets of Marxism, the superstructure—including political systems, culture, and ideology—is, in the final analysis, determined by the economic base. While highlighting that the economic base determines culture or ideology, Marxism also affirms the relative independence of the latter. Premised on this relative independence, various ideologies supplement and penetrate one another in content, intersect and interact in form, and influence and constrain one another in the process of development. Together, they constitute culture as a conceptual whole, thereby generating a powerful spiritual force that governs people's actions. It is in this sense that ideological work functions to "establish the heart" of the country and "forge the soul" of the nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has placed the importance of ideological work on par with the central task of economic construction, emphasizing that "at no moment can we relax or weaken ideological work" and that "the power of leadership, management, and discourse in ideological work must be held firmly in hand." Upholding economic construction as the center is not a negation of the importance of ideological work. If the Party's leadership over ideological work is not maintained, the central task will become unsustainable due to the loss of a strong guarantee.

Ideology, also known as the "ideological superstructure," is a form of social consciousness. The basic principle that social existence determines social consciousness is another major premise for the Marxist investigation of culture or ideology. In the view of Marx and Engels, the consciousness of human beings is interwoven with their direct material life and changes along with their living conditions, social relations, and social existence. Within a given social existence, because the environments and positions of individuals differ greatly, diverse and varied cultural concepts and even ideologies emerge, subsequently forming a complex social consciousness. To provide a justification for social existence and maintain its unity at the level of consciousness, there must be a dominant culture or ideology. On the one hand, the dominant culture is nothing more than the cultural expression of dominant material relations; it is the cultural expression of those relations that make a certain class the ruling class, because the foundation of social existence lies in material relations. On the other hand, every member of the ruling class possesses consciousness; they produce as producers of culture or ideology and regulate the production and distribution of the culture of their age. This indicates that the culture of this class is the dominant culture of that era. Thus, although Marx and Engels did not explicitly use the term "cultural leadership" (cultural hegemony), they laid down the basic principles and internal logic for its emergence.

Continuing the logic of Marx and Engels, Lenin further pointed out the attribute of Marxism as a revolutionary proletarian ideology. He revealed that its world-historical significance stems from its absorption and transformation of all valuable content in human thought and culture. It was on the basis of distinguishing between proletarian and bourgeois ideologies that Lenin proposed the concept of cultural leadership, elaborating on effective ways to enhance and consolidate it, including instilling proletarian culture and advanced theory into the workers and strengthening the ruling party's own cultural construction. As Marxism-Leninism entered China and integrated closely with the Chinese workers' movement under the impetus of the "May Fourth Movement," the Communist Party of China (CPC) was born. Since its founding, our Party has regarded the mastery of cultural leadership as an important task, advocating for the establishment of a proletarian cultural vanguard to awaken the consciousness of the masses. Based on the dialectical relationship between culture, economy, and politics, Mao Zedong realized the importance of proletarian ideological leadership. He emphasized that only the proletarian cultural thought of Communism could lead "China's present new culture"—namely, New Democratic Culture—thereby gradually establishing a revolutionary form of cultural leadership. Since then, the CPC has continuously constructed cultural leadership. From the establishment of the guiding principle of "Letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend" ^[4], to the clarification of the developmental direction of "Serving the people and serving socialism," to the proposition of representing the "orientation of an advanced culture," and finally to the emphasis on firmly grasping the leadership and initiative in propaganda and ideological work, all these instances profoundly demonstrate the CPC’s comprehensive and powerful leadership over socialist cultural construction.

Since the dawn of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has fully inherited the CPC's fine tradition of emphasizing cultural leadership, endowed it with new connotations of the times, and made original contributions to enriching and developing Marxist ideological theory. Departing from the basic Marxist viewpoint on the relationship between culture, economy, and politics, one can infer that cultural power is constrained by political and economic power, while simultaneously exerting a counter-reaction upon them. Unlike "hard power" such as political leadership, cultural leadership, as a form of "soft power," is an influence formed through cultural attraction, persuasion, and identification. In terms of content, upholding the Party's cultural leadership achieves an organic integration of cultural management power and cultural discourse power. Cultural management and cultural discourse power are complementary and interactive. The effective operation of cultural leadership is manifested in various forms of management power, while the strength of cultural leadership depends on cultural discourse power—that is, the functioning of cultural soft power and cultural attraction. "Cultural soft power is the concentrated expression of a country’s cohesion and vitality based on culture, and the resulting attraction and influence."

Moreover, the innovation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture regarding the Party’s cultural leadership lies in simultaneously emphasizing the Party’s comprehensive mastery of cultural leadership and the exertion of the Party’s cultural subjectivity. The comprehensive mastery of cultural leadership and the full exertion of the Party's cultural subjectivity are distinct yet cooperative; together, they constitute the first core tenet of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. This marks a new height in the CPC's understanding of cultural leadership: that is, cultural leadership is a more profound foundation for political leadership. By establishing political leadership within the cultural sphere and resorting to cultural means to build leadership, the Party strengthens cultural confidence and maintains its cultural subjectivity.

II. The Distinctive Feature of Attaching Great Importance to Cultural Construction

Any theory is the product of specific historical development and is endowed by history with distinctive characteristics of the era. Within the historical positioning of the New Era, cultural construction has been placed in a more prominent position, achieving a series of historic successes and undergoing profound historical changes. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture was formed in the great practice of cultural construction for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era; it is the theoretical sublimation and summary of achievements tested by the practice of cultural construction led by the Party. Placing cultural construction in a prominent position within the governance of the country is a distinctive feature of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

The grasp of the functions and roles of culture is a key expression of this distinctive feature. Based on the fundamental Marxist viewpoint that the essence of culture lies in the objectification of human essential powers, and that the human essence "in its reality, it is the ensemble of the social relations," Marxism recognizes that culture emerges and develops from the production and reproduction of material means while also emphasizing culture’s reaction upon social reproduction. It identifies culture as the medium and means for the exchange of essential powers between individuals, thereby promoting human progress and social development—performing functions such as transmitting social experience, maintaining historical continuity, molding and guiding people through edification, and generating cohesion for social reproduction. Inheriting these basic Marxist views, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture defines culture as the "soul" of a nation and a country, elevating it to a level concerning the foundation and destiny of the state. It profoundly elucidates that culture contains the power to promote the coordinated development of material and spiritual civilizations and exerts a mediating role that integrates the fields of economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization into a practical totality.

To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, there must be a parallel and significant development of both material and spiritual civilizations. Since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, the CPC has attached great importance to socialist spiritual civilization, placing it on an equal footing with material civilization. Entering the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping, standing upon the overall coordination of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, has correctly grasped the dialectical relationship between material and spiritual civilizations. He has expounded upon the extremely important ontological and epistemological significance of spiritual civilization, pointed out that the essential requirement of socialist modernization lies in both material abundance and spiritual wealth, and revealed the law of socialist construction regarding the coordinated development of material and spiritual civilizations. Spiritual civilization, driven by cultural construction, provides powerful spiritual motivation, intellectual support, and ideological guarantees for material civilization construction. This ensures the socialist nature and correct direction of material civilization construction, realizing the "miracle of Chinese-path modernization" characterized by long-term economic development and long-lasting social stability.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In the coordinated advancement of the 'Five-Sphere Integrated Plan' and the 'Four Comprehensives' strategic layout, culture is an important component." It is precisely in the interaction between material and spiritual civilizations that culture, as a mediating force, constructs the totality of the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era—that is, making the "five spheres" truly become "one integrated body" and ensuring its continuous reproduction. Consistent with the prominent position of cultural construction in the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan," Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, as the "cultural chapter" of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, demonstrates great power in building a leading cultural power and developing socialist culture in the New Era. It is worth noting that placing cultural construction in a more prominent position is not contradictory to upholding economic construction as the center; rather, it is a full manifestation of the counter-reaction of cultural construction upon economic development. Cultural construction is not only the "lubricant" and internal driver of social development—helping to improve the social environment, promote social harmony, and enhance developmental sustainability—but it also shapes values, enhances innovation capacity, and boosts social cohesion, providing vital support for economic development. In other words, the power of culture must be integrated into economic construction to make it an important factor in promoting high-quality development.

Placing cultural development at a prominent position in state governance—a distinctive feature of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture—also reflects a profound grasp of the developmental laws of Chinese civilization. It represents a revitalization of the excellent elements within traditional Chinese culture that integrate governance (zhi) with edification (jiao). General Secretary Xi Jinping has explicitly put forward the major requirement of the "Seven Efforts" ^[5] for publicity, ideological, and cultural work, among which "striving to continue the Chinese cultural lineage and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture" is a crucial aspect. Since antiquity, Chinese culture has emphasized morality as the foundation for edifying all under heaven, and through long-term development, formed a tradition of "the unity of governance and edification." This tradition advocates that governance, edification, ethics, and culture serve as mutual means and ends, collectively forging the great pattern of "civilization under heaven." The edification tradition of Chinese civilization possesses a high degree of compatibility with the Marxist view of cultural reproduction. This high level of emphasis on cultural development is a par excellence example of General Secretary Xi Jinping using Marxism to activate and remake fine traditional Chinese culture.

The formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is an intrinsic requirement for continuing to promote cultural prosperity and development and building a socialist cultural power from a new starting point. On one hand, placing cultural development in a more prominent position is an inevitable requirement for building a great modern socialist country. "Only through self-confidence can one achieve self-strengthening. A nation with cultural self-confidence can stand upright, remain steady, and go far." The purpose of cultural development lies in strengthening cultural self-confidence, establishing a powerful cultural self, and establishing and consolidating cultural subjectivity. As the Chinese nation welcomes the great leap toward becoming strong, there is an urgent need to firm up cultural self-confidence and establish a culturally independent subjectivity, providing a fundamental guarantee for defending historic achievements in economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological dimensions. On the other hand, placing cultural development in a more prominent position reflects a profound grasp of the "critical step" in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The progression from standing up to becoming prosperous and then to becoming strong means the Chinese nation is closer than ever before to the goal of great rejuvenation. If "standing up" reflects political independence and "becoming prosperous" emphasizes economic rise, then "becoming strong" manifests as cultural self-reliance and self-strengthening. This can fundamentally prevent the loss of overarching capacity in economic, political, and social fields that results from a lack of a cultural self.

III. The Thematic Orientation of Firming Up Cultural Self-Confidence and Upholding Cultural Subjectivity

The true content of all epoch-making theories is formed by the needs of the era that produced them. Therefore, a theory used to observe, grasp, and lead the era must correctly reflect the voice—that is, the problems—of the era. These primary problems collectively constitute the major questions of the times. This is true for Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Currently, as the changes unseen in a century accelerate and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation enters a critical period, firming up cultural self-confidence and upholding cultural subjectivity have become the themes of cultural development in the New Era. On one hand, with the deep development of economic globalization, world multipolarity, and cultural diversification, the convergence, collision, and even conflict between different civilizations have become increasingly frequent. The global cultural landscape has entered a period of accelerated evolution and profound adjustment. At this historical juncture where civilizational diversity is increasingly evident and human civilization faces reconfiguration, every country and nation should maintain its own spiritual independence and respect each other's cultural independence. By doing so, they can establish their own cultural subjectivity, build modern civilizations possessed of such subjectivity, and together allow the "hundred-flower garden" of human culture to flourish. On the other hand, promoting cultural prosperity to firm up cultural self-confidence and consolidate cultural subjectivity is a foundational element for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. A Chinese nation with a highly conscious cultural subjectivity possesses a solid cultural foundation for national identity. It can achieve national and ethnic development based on its own strength, firmly hold the destiny of its own development and progress, and push forward the historical cause of national rejuvenation.

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is an unfolding, open system of thought, throughout which runs a clear main thread: firming up cultural self-confidence and upholding cultural subjectivity. To firm up cultural self-confidence means, in short, to persist in "following one's own path." General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed firming up cultural self-confidence, placing it alongside confidence in the path, theory, and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and elevating it to an unprecedented height. Persisting in confidence in the path, theory, and system ultimately rests on firming up cultural self-confidence, because "cultural self-confidence is a more fundamental, deeper, and more lasting force." Compared to confidence in path, theory, and system, cultural self-confidence is more foundational, broad, and profound, carrying significant weight regarding the rise and fall of national fortunes, cultural security, and ethnic spiritual independence. The fine traditional Chinese culture nurtured in the development of Chinese civilization, along with the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture produced in the great struggle of the Party and the people, are the manifestations of the Chinese nation's unique spiritual identity and the accumulation of its deepest spiritual pursuits. Based on this, firming up cultural self-confidence is further summarized in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as one of the basic principles for shoulder the cultural mission of the New Era. It is used to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, to inherit and develop revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture, and to demonstrate new vitality and achievements in building a cultural power.

On the road of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, the process of firming up cultural self-confidence is also the process of establishing and consolidating cultural subjectivity. The proposal of the concept of cultural subjectivity means that culture is treated as a living organism. Like all other living organisms, the formation and development of culture is a metabolic process, requiring the absorption of "nutrients" from various cultures and civilizations—discarding the dross and selecting the essential, and drawing upon wide resources to serve grand purposes ^[6]. As the fundamental characteristic of a cultural organism, cultural subjectivity is the persistence and development of one's own cultural traditions, values, and spiritual beliefs; it is the organic unity of consciousness, autonomy, initiative, and creativity in cultural inheritance and development. The cultural subjectivity established by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China on Chinese soil takes the "Two Combinations"—especially the "Second Combination"—as its fundamental path. It is manifested in the promotion of fine traditional Chinese culture, the inheritance of revolutionary culture, the development of advanced socialist culture, and the absorption and borrowing of all outstanding achievements of human civilization. The cultural subjectivity of the CPC, the cultural subjectivity of Chinese civilization, and the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation converge into the profound connotation of contemporary China's cultural subjectivity. Its most powerful manifestation lies in the creation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, a brilliant model of the "Two Combinations," while Xi Jinping Thought on Culture serves as the concentrated expression of this cultural subjectivity.

Beyond this, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture also profoundly reveals the relationship between historical confidence, cultural confidence, and cultural subjectivity. Specifically, historical confidence is the basis of cultural confidence; it is confidence in the historical feats and great historical achievements attained. The historical feat achieved by the CPC in uniting and leading the Chinese people lies in the successful creation and expansion of Chinese-path modernization, which "created the miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, opening up broad prospects for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." This historical feat supports contemporary China's cultural confidence and reflects a profound consciousness of contemporary China's cultural subjectivity.

Cultural subjectivity is the source of cultural self-confidence. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emphasizes that Marxism has not only enriched its own cultural vitality by absorbing nourishment from fine traditional Chinese culture but has also activated the genes of Chinese civilization with the light of truth. This has pushed China to integrate into the modern world and achieved an organic connection between the traditional and modern aspects of Chinese culture. With the cultural subjectivity established through this process, one possesses a firm sense of self in a cultural sense and a high degree of consciousness in shouldering cultural missions, thereby providing a fundamental basis for cultural confidence. Without cultural subjectivity, one cannot better absorb the essence of traditional culture or "choose the good and follow it" ^[7] regarding all achievements of human civilization, nor can one possess the determination and will to persist in following one's own path. Cultural self-confidence, as a manifestation of cultural subjectivity, is the subjective consciousness and confident attitude displayed on the basis of a profound understanding and high degree of identification with the starting points, sources, formation, development, status, and role of one's own culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "For any culture to stand firm and go far, to have the power of leadership, cohesion, shaping, and radiation, it must have its own subjectivity." It is in this sense that upholding cultural subjectivity is of great significance for achieving ethnic spiritual independence and autonomy, defending great achievements in various fields, and creating a new form of human civilization.

IV. The Fundamental Methodological Significance of the "Second Combination"

The formation of a system of thought often has clear markers, usually manifested in the explicit proposal and systematization of major theoretical innovations. The latter not only signals the maturity and perfection of the entire ideological system but also lays a solid foundation for subsequent theoretical development and practical exploration. Since the 18th Party Congress, the continuous distillation, summarization, enrichment, and expansion of the main content of the Party's innovative theories—especially the elevation of the "Two Combinations" to the level of a scientific method—has profoundly explained its great significance. This fully demonstrates that the development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a process of continuous systematization and theoreticization. The various components of this scientific system will enrich accordingly as practice deepens. The formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a case in point. The formal proposal of the "Second Combination" achieved a sublimation from experience to theory, making the summary of the Party's experience in leading cultural development in the New Era into a system of thought characterized by "the unity of essence and utility, and the integration of substance and function" (mingti dayong, tiyong guantong) ^[8]. In other words, the "Second Combination" is an important sign of the maturity of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and is the "soul" of this ideological system.

Looking at the formation process of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture in the New Era—from "returning to the source and clarifying the direction" of cultural development, to "upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground" and the comprehensive advancement of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to the systematization and theoreticization of a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and assertions—the "Second Combination" is the methodology running throughout. It first manifests as the identity of premise and result. As Marx stated: "What does not appear as a premise and condition at the beginning of the process cannot appear at the end. But on the other hand, everything that appears as a premise and condition must appear at the end of the process." The premise of the "Second Combination" lies in "mutual compatibility" (bici qihe). This compatibility primarily refers to the integration, intercommunication, and harmony of ideological content, values, and theoretical forms. The excellent elements contained in traditional Chinese culture—such as emphasizing benevolence, prioritizing the people, keeping faith, respecting justice, valuing harmony, and seeking Great Unity (Datong)—are premised on valuing the human being and placing them within "all under heaven" (Tianxia). This aligns with the basic Marxist viewpoint of starting from "real individuals" and grasping human essence based on social relations; both oppose viewing humans as abstract or isolated individuals. In fine traditional Chinese culture, there runs the fundamental spirit of "transforming through culture" (wenhua huacheng). This is logically connected to the distinct theme and core essence of Marxism—namely, the realization of free and comprehensive human development. Furthermore, a series of important concepts embedded in fine traditional Chinese culture—including "following the laws of nature" (daofa ziran), the "unity of heaven and humanity" (tianren heyi), "a public spirit ruling all under heaven" (tianxia weigong), "cultivating trust and promoting harmony," "the people as the foundation of the state," "governing with virtue," "discarding the old to bring in the new," and "continuous self-strengthening"—are compatible with the value propositions of scientific socialism, such as the dialectical unity of man and nature, human liberation, the association of free individuals, and a highly developed spiritual civilization.

The result of mutual compatibility is organic combination and mutual achievement. For Marxism, the "Second Combination" has enriched its cultural vitality with fine traditional Chinese culture, endowing it with a distinctive Chinese style and flair. It has achieved another profound Sinicization of Marxism, making it take root firmly in Chinese soil and contributing Chinese wisdom to the contemporary manifestation of Marxist truth. For Chinese civilization, the "Second Combination" has activated the vitality of Chinese culture's values through the power of Marxist truth. It has connected the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics with over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, pushing Chinese civilization to complete the transition from traditional to modern. It provides the civilizational foundation for firming up cultural confidence and upholding cultural subjectivity, endowing Chinese civilization with distinct cultural characteristics for exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations. Thus, it can be seen that the "Second Combination" provides the fundamental guidance and scientific method for opening up new realms in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. As the latest achievement in the Sinicization of Marxist cultural theory, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, through the "Second Combination," has become an organic component of contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism, serving as an important expression of the "essence of the times" regarding Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit.

Beyond being the latest achievement in the Sinicization of Marxist cultural theory, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture serves as a theoretical summation of the Party's leadership over cultural construction in the New Era. It signals that the Communist Party of China's grasp of the laws governing cultural inheritance and development, as well as its understanding of the laws governing the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, has reached a new height. To this end, the fundamental methodological significance of the "Second Combination" is manifested in the unity of "conformity to laws" ^[9] and "conformity to purpose." Starting from the premise that the existence and development of human society rest upon the production and reproduction of material goods, the historical materialist perspective emphasizes both the objective regularity of socio-historical development and the role of subjective agency in making choices. Fundamentally, culture is a product of human social production and life; it is the sum total of all material and spiritual products created by people throughout the socio-historical process. Its inheritance and development constitute a vital aspect of socio-historical development, and thus simultaneously possess both conformity to laws and conformity to purpose. Within Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, the primary viewpoints regarding the methodological significance of the "Second Combination"—such as it being the "inevitable path" to opening and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics on the profound foundations of Chinese civilization, the "greatest magic weapon" ^[10] for the success of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and a profound grasp of the laws of development of Chinese civilization—all powerfully reflect the law-conforming nature of the Party's innovations in cultural theory and practice during the New Era.

Defining the "Second Combination" as the fundamental path for establishing and consolidating cultural subjectivity centrally demonstrates the purpose-conforming nature of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. On one hand, through the "Two Combinations," and especially the "Second Combination," the CPC has led the Chinese people in establishing a cultural subjectivity on Chinese soil, resulting in "a new, organically unified cultural lifeform" and creating the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization. This integrates the promotion and prosperity of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics with the inheritance and innovation of Chinese civilization, expanding the historical depth of the developmental path of socialist culture in the New Era and fortifying the foundations for bolstering cultural confidence and consolidating cultural subjectivity. On the other hand, the "Second Combination" represents the persistent application of a "Big Picture View of History" ^[11] and a "New View of Civilization." It does not merely emphasize a "historical process of continuous struggle" to bridge Party history and the history of civilization—thereby organically integrating the Party’s century-plus journey into the five-thousand-year history of Chinese civilization as its newest stage—but it also uses the concept of the "cultural lifeform" to redefine civilization and its development. By distinguishing internal critique based on the cultural lifeform from external negation detached from it, this approach resolves the tension between tradition and modernity, grounding contemporary China’s cultural subjectivity within the corpus of Chinese civilization.

V. The Programmatic and Goal-Oriented Nature of the Cultural Mission in the New Era

A clear theoretical aim—the ultimate goal within an ideological system—is the key to a thought system becoming a precursor to action. The cultural mission for the New Era proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping constitutes the "cultural chapter" of the Party's historical mission in the New Era; it is a prominent hallmark of the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Surveying its century-plus journey of struggle, the CPC has conducted concrete investigations into the varying roles of culture during the periods of revolution, construction, and reform. It has successively proposed concepts such as New Democratic culture ^[12], New Culture, socialist spiritual civilization, advanced culture, socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for the New Era. By imbuing these with distinct connotations characteristic of their respective periods, the Party has established a succession of general programs: the construction of a new culture for the Chinese nation as the objective in the cultural sphere; New Culture as a vital component in building a new society and a new state; the construction of a high degree of socialist spiritual civilization as a major goal of socialist modernization; the vigorous development of advanced socialist culture as a specific requirement for the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects; the development of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics as the core content of the strategic goal of building a culturally strong country; and the continued promotion of cultural prosperity and the building of a culturally strong country as the primary content of the cultural mission in the New Era.

The cultural mission for the New Era is not only a strategic plan based on the overall interests of the Party and state undertakings but also a historical responsibility and an exigency of the times to carry forward Chinese civilization. As a banner of highly conscious cultural subjectivity, it can mobilize the surging power required for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation. As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Contemporary Chinese Communists and the Chinese people should and will certainly be able to shoulder the new cultural mission, engaging in cultural creation through practical action and achieving cultural progress through historical advancement!" The foundation of a country's and a nation's inheritance and development lies in its fine traditional culture. To continue promoting cultural prosperity in the New Era means guarding the enduring roots of the Chinese national spirit, continuously drawing nutrition and wisdom from fine traditional Chinese culture, and opening a better future for the Chinese nation. Culture is essentially a product of human social practice and changes continuously alongside the development of social practice. In other words, the purpose of cultural construction lies in development, and cultural development is the inevitable path to cultural prosperity. Therefore, oriented toward the development of practice, continuously enriching cultural forms, developing the modern form of Chinese civilization, and meeting the people's ever-growing spiritual and cultural needs are inherent requirements for promoting cultural prosperity in the New Era.

As the foundational support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, building a culturally strong country is an urgent systemic project. On the new journey of the New Era, we must: unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics to continuously enhance the power of ideological leadership; carry forward the Chinese cultural lineage through creative transformation and innovative development, focusing on stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation to continuously strengthen the force of spiritual cohesion; always ensure that cultural construction focuses on and culminates in the people to increase the power of value appeal; and promote the restructuring of the international communication landscape by extensively carrying out various forms of international cultural exchange and cooperation. Creating more cultural achievements that fuse the ancient with the modern and bridge China with the West are all vital components in developing socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the New Era and consolidating the cultural foundations for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation.

The realization of programs and goals depends on the guidance of basic principles. In facing the major fundamental questions in the process of shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era—particularly how to correctly handle the relationships between tradition and modernity, autonomy and external reference, and upholding fundamentals and innovation—Xi Jinping Thought on Culture provides a profound exposition of three basic principles. First, strengthening cultural confidence and further consolidating cultural subjectivity is the fundamental base for shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "That Chinese civilization has continued for thousands of years without interruption and has endured through countless hardships is a miracle of human civilization and the source of our confidence." Upholding an independent national spirit and unswervingly following one's own path is the very meaning of strengthening cultural confidence and consolidating cultural subjectivity. The primary task is to base ourselves on the great historical and contemporary practices of the Chinese nation, using Chinese logic to summarize Chinese experience and elevate it into Chinese theory, while rejecting blind obedience to various dogmas or the verbatim copying of foreign theories. Chinese logic, which encompasses a complete worldview, values, and even modes of thinking, is both the cultural foundation through which Chinese experience attains theoretical form and the methodological prerequisite for the emergence of Chinese theory. It is deeply manifested in Chinese civilization and constitutes the "cultural gene" that the Chinese nation "uses daily without realizing it." ^[13] Therefore, strengthening cultural confidence and consolidating cultural subjectivity requires integrating cultural confidence into the spiritual temperament of the entire Chinese nation, ensuring that cultural subjectivity is internalized within the modern form of Chinese civilization, and comprehensively fostering a high-spirited mental outlook and a rational, peaceful social mindset.

Upholding openness and inclusiveness and promoting mutual learning between civilizations is an essential requirement for shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era. Striking hallmarks of cultural subjectivity and cultural confidence are openness and inclusiveness. It is precisely through continuous exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations that Chinese civilization has become an open system that "incorporates a hundred rivers." ^[14] Due to this spiritual character of openness and inclusiveness, Chinese civilization has been able to gather diverse cultures into a common culture throughout the long river of history, transcending regional boundaries, breaking the constraints of bloodlines and lineages, shaking off the shackles of religious beliefs, and "integrating a vast population and diverse groups with significant internal differences into a pluralistic, unified Chinese nation." On the new journey in the New Era, upholding openness and inclusiveness signifies that Chinese civilization will embrace the fine achievements of other civilizations with an open heart, transcending the "dispute between the ancient and the modern, the Chinese and the West," ^[15] fusing the ancient with the modern and bridging China with the West. This means continuously promoting the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and on the basis of inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture and promoting the localization of foreign cultures, continuously nurturing and creating socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for the New Era with strong powers of ideological leadership, spiritual cohesion, value appeal, and international influence.

Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, while grasping the dialectical unity of "change" and "constancy," is the fundamental principle for shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era. Upholding the fundamentals means guarding the source and the base, belonging to the realm of "constancy"; breaking new ground pertains to "change," requiring an active pursuit of change to find the new, seeking progress within the new, and achieving breakthroughs within progress. Throughout more than five thousand years of civilizational development, the Chinese nation has continuously engaged in the great historical practice of developing through inheritance and innovating while upholding fundamentals, persistently responding to and overcoming civilizational challenges in different historical periods. Shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era through this principle is not only a transcendence and sublimation of traditional culture but also an overcoming of the dogmatization of Marxism. "Under the guidance of Marxism, we must truly achieve the goal of making the past serve the present and foreign things serve China, ^[16] engaging in dialectical selection and weeding through the old to bring forth the new, so as to achieve an organic link between tradition and modernity." Only in this way can the cultural foundations of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism be continuously fortified, allowing Marxism to take firm root in Chinese soil.

Conclusion

The internal relationship between the essential kernels of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture fully demonstrates its organic unity as an ideological system. This important thought identifies the maintenance of the Party's cultural leadership as its primary core element, placing cultural construction in a prominent position in national governance and emphasizing the recourse to culture to establish hegemony. It clarifies that the purpose of maintaining cultural leadership lies in strictly adhering to cultural subjectivity. It profoundly grasps the theme of cultural construction in the New Era—namely, strengthening cultural confidence and adhering to cultural subjectivity. It reveals the significance of ideological emancipation and the methodological height of the "Second Combination," noting that it is the fundamental path for establishing and consolidating cultural subjectivity and the fundamental source of cultural confidence, thereby providing guidance for shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era. From the systematic nature manifested in its primary viewpoints, distinctive characteristics, consistent themes, fundamental methodology, and programmatic goals, it is not difficult to see the original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture in enriching and developing Marxist cultural theory, realizing the creative transformation and innovative development of the educational ^[17] traditions of Chinese civilization, and recognizing the laws of socialist cultural construction with Chinese characteristics. Consequently, it holds landmark significance in the history of the development of Marxism, the history of Chinese civilization, and the history of the development of the Party's innovative theories.