Hu Jun: Understanding the Cultural Foundations of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization Through the "Second Integration"
The Chinese nation has always respected and loved nature. The Chinese civilization, spanning over 5,000 years, has nurtured a rich ecological culture that serves as an important theoretical source for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is a major achievement of combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture. It manifests the logical unity of combining basic Marxist tenets with the practice of constructing ecological civilization in our country, while also containing the contemporary essence of combining Marxist thought on the relationship between humanity and nature with fine traditional Chinese ecological culture, possessing distinct cultural foundations and characteristics. The prerequisite for "combination" is mutual compatibility; only through mutual compatibility can an organic combination be achieved. While Marxist thought on the relationship between humanity and nature and the ecological wisdom within fine traditional Chinese culture have different origins, they possess a high degree of compatibility with one another.
The ecological view of nature inherent in Marxism is highly compatible with the natural concepts of "following nature's way" and the "unity of heaven and humanity" in fine traditional Chinese culture
Marxism holds that nature existed prior to humanity and human society; it is an objective existence independent of human consciousness and is the matrix of humanity. Humans belong to nature and are the product of nature's development at a specific stage. Marx not only recognized the objective reality of nature and its priority over humanity, but also proceeded from practical activities to explore how humanity and nature can coexist in harmony, thereby scientifically explaining that the relationship between humanity and nature is the most fundamental relationship in human society. In fine traditional Chinese culture, all things between heaven and earth are viewed as a unified whole. Laozi [1] believed that "Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature," meaning the operation of the world must follow fundamental "laws of nature." Zhuangzi [2] stated, "Heaven and earth were born together with me, and the ten thousand things and I are one," believing that humanity and all things in nature share a common origin and follow common laws. Zhang Zai [3] of the Northern Song Dynasty proposed the concept of the "unity of heaven and humanity" (天人合一) and the idea that "people are my brothers and sisters, and things are my companions," emphasizing the internal unity of all things between heaven and earth, including humanity. Both perspectives indicate that only by living in harmony with nature can humanity realize its basic right to survival and subsequently carry out corresponding production and social activities.
Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization emphasizes drawing ecological wisdom from fine traditional Chinese culture regarding respecting and Revering nature, stressing "reverence for history, reverence for culture, and reverence for ecology" and "respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature." This important thought integrates the traditional view of nature—"following nature's way and the unity of heaven and humanity"—with the Marxist view that "man lives from nature... nature is his body, with which he must remain in continuous interchange if he is not to die," as nature provides humanity with both the means of subsistence and the means of production. It proposes "harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature" and that "humanity and nature form a community of life," imparting new vitality to the Marxist ecological view of nature. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization scientifically explains the symbiotic relationship of interdependence between humanity and nature, emphasizing that as natural beings, humans are not the masters of nature but a part of it. Humans can also exercise their subjective initiative to make nature more beautiful, thereby reaching an ideal state of balance. Harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature is an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization and a beautiful vision for hundreds of millions of people. In 2021, the journey of wild Asian elephants in Yunnan, China—traveling north and returning south over 110 days and 1,300 kilometers—eventually saw them return safely to the reserve with the help and guidance of people along the way. This vividly demonstrated the cultural foundation of the Chinese nation's pursuit of harmony between humanity and nature. We must unify heaven, earth, and humanity, link natural ecology with human civilization, act according to the laws of nature, utilize resources rationally and protect them in a friendly manner, and follow a path of civilized development featuring developed production, affluent life, and sound ecology.
The dialectical ecological view inherent in Marxism is highly compatible with the dialectical thinking of "the growth of vegetation constitutes the wealth of the nation" in fine traditional Chinese culture
Dialectical materialism is the essence of Marxist philosophy and is fully applied in handling the relationship between humanity and nature. In the view of Marx and Engels, humanity and nature are not necessarily in opposition; they believed that "the more this happens, the more will men not only feel but also know their oneness with nature, and the more impossible will become that senseless and unnatural idea of a contradiction between mind and matter, man and nature, soul and body." They opposed viewing nature as an opposite to humanity, believing that "humanity and nature interact and develop together." The Doctrine of the Mean [4] says: "The mountain now before us appears only a stone; but when we consider it in its vastness, the grass and trees are produced on it, birds and beasts dwell on it, and precious treasures are found in it. The water now before us appears but a ladleful; yet in its unfathomable depths, the iguanas, crocodiles, dragons, and fish are produced in it, and articles of value and sources of wealth abound in it." Guanzi [5] states: "When mountains and marshes are saved from fire, and vegetation grows to fruition, this is the wealth of the nation." These reflect the simple and wise dialectical thinking of the ancients, believing that mountain and water ecology is unified with human development. Ecology itself is wealth; only with a good ecology will resources be abundant and able to satisfy human needs. Both views coordinate the protection of nature with individuals and nations, viewing the cognitive and interactive relationships between subjects and objects—such as humanity, nature, society, and development—through the lens of dialectical unity.
General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to dialectical thinking, emphasizing that we "must constantly receive nourishment from the wisdom of Marxist philosophy and more consciously uphold and apply the dialectical materialist worldview and methodology." During his time working in local government, Comrade Xi Jinping consistently contemplated how to better handle the relationship between development and protection. He applied the traditional cultural "method of thinking by investigating things to fathom their principles" (格物究理) and grasped the Marxist law of the unity of opposites regarding the development and change of things, creatively proposing the scientific thesis that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized: "We want both lucid waters and lush mountains as well as gold and silver mountains. If we cannot have both, we would rather have lucid waters and lush mountains than gold and silver mountains. Moreover, lucid waters and lush mountains are themselves invaluable assets." This important thesis profoundly elucidates the dialectical unified relationship between economic development and ecological environmental protection, embodying the standpoint, viewpoint, and methodology of Marxist dialectical materialism, and has become the core concept of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. Currently, various regions across the country are actively exploring mechanisms to realize the value of ecological products; lucid waters and lush mountains have become "invaluable assets" for the masses to achieve prosperity and promote comprehensive rural revitalization. For example, the Blang people living on Jingmai Mountain in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er City, have kept their ancestors' instructions in mind for generations, inheriting and promoting tea culture; the well-preserved thousand-year-old ancient tea trees have become the local primary source of income. The concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" corrected the past erroneous understanding of a rigid opposition between the environment and the economy. It reconciled the opposition and converged into unity, profoundly explaining that ecology itself is economy, protecting the ecological environment is protecting productive forces, and improving the ecological environment is developing productive forces. This requires us to correctly handle the relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection, liberate and develop green productive forces, protect during development, and develop during protection.
The environmental livelihood view inherent in Marxism is highly compatible with the "people-as-the-foundation" thought of "the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace" in fine traditional Chinese culture
The "people-oriented" character is the essential attribute of Marxism, and the people's standpoint is the fundamental standpoint of Marxism. Marxism holds that communist society is the comprehensive development and enrichment of human natural and social relations, ultimately aiming to achieve the free and comprehensive development of the individual. This process naturally includes the satisfaction of people's environmental rights and interests. Just as Marx believed that nature should meet human needs, he defined labor as "a process in which both man and Nature participate... he appropriates Nature's productions in a form adapted to his own wants." Fine traditional Chinese culture has always valued people's livelihoods and the "people-as-the-foundation" principle, permeated with thoughts such as "the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace" and "the people are of supreme importance; the altars of the gods of earth and grain come next; the ruler is the least important." [6] The Book of Changes [7] proposes: "Heaven and earth interact, and all things have free course; this is Tai. The sovereign, in harmony with this, fashions and completes the way of heaven and earth, assisting their suitable transformations to help the people." This contains the logic of formulating policies suitable for the people's survival by utilizing the laws of interaction between heaven and earth and the harmony between humanity and nature. It shows that the ancients' protection of natural ecology was not only out of reverence and adaptation to nature but also to let the people live better lives. Adhering to the people-centered value standpoint and focusing on human survival and development is the "greatest common denominator" between the two and the fundamental reason why Marxism has been able to take deep root and flourish on Chinese soil.
Protecting the ecological environment, in the final analysis, is about letting the people live more happily in a beautiful ecological environment. In his practice of governing the country, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always kept the people's aspiration for a beautiful ecological environment in mind as a "matter of national importance" (国之大者), proposing that "the environment is livelihood, lush mountains are beauty, and blue skies are happiness" and "a good ecological environment is the fairest public product and the most universal livelihood benefit." These concepts "extract the essence for broad use and draw from the past to develop the new" (取精用宏、汲古开新) from traditional culture, containing the "ecological emotion" of "loving what the people love and hating what the people hate," while integrating the Marxist concept of comprehensive human development, imparting it with contemporary connotations and modern expressions. This manifests the standpoint, viewpoint, and methodology of "putting the people first" in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Since the New Era, building a Beautiful China has become an important part of satisfying the people's growing needs for a better life. General Secretary Xi Jinping cited the ancient instruction from Guanzi: "When the sage governs the state, he must settle in a place that does not tilt, and choose land that is fertile. He faces the mountains and is flanked by rivers or marshes," using it to guide the construction of beautiful cities and villages where humanity and nature are in harmony and scenery is like a painting. On the new journey, our country's ecological civilization construction is still in a critical period of overlapping pressures and heavy burdens; the foundation for the steady improvement of ecological environmental quality is not yet firm, and the people's need for a beautiful ecological environment remains urgent. Continuously improving the quality of the ecological environment remains the mission, purpose, and direction of the Party's governance.
The concept of coordinated development inherent in Marxism is highly compatible with the development concept of "taking with moderation and using with restraint" in fine traditional Chinese culture
The Marxist concept of coordinated development not only focuses on sustainable development between people and between people and society but also emphasizes the coordination and sustainable development between humanity and nature. Marxism argues that sustainable development should be achieved by respecting and treating the natural environment well, noting that "labor itself, not only under present conditions but in general so far as its end is merely the increase of wealth, is harmful and pernicious." Marxism has always maintained a critique and opposition to the development model of "polluting first, treating later" and "excessive extraction of natural resources" in early industrialized countries. Lu Zhi [8] of the Tang Dynasty stated in his Six Articles on Equalizing Taxes and Caring for the People that one should "take with moderation and use with restraint," believing that living within one's means to allow the land and the people to recuperate is the long-term strategy for national wealth and strength. these principles all indicate that only green and frugal ways are sustainable; only by limiting economic activities and human behavior within the carrying capacity of natural resources can sustainable development be realized.
Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization inherits and develops the traditional Chinese virtues of diligence and frugality as well as ecological farming culture. Combining Marxist concepts and viewpoints on natural laws and the general laws of economic and social development, it emphasizes that "'taking with moderation and using with restraint' is the essence of ecological civilization" and that "the development mode of killing the hen to get the eggs or draining the pond to catch the fish has reached its end, while green development that follows nature and protects the ecology points to the future." The goal is to change traditional production and consumption modes characterized by "mass production, mass consumption, and mass discharge," so that factors such as resources, production, and consumption are matched and adapted, achieving the coordination of economic development with ecological protection and the harmony between humanity and nature. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the whole Party and society have firmly established the concept of green development, vigorously cultivated green productive forces, and promoted a comprehensive green transition of economic and social development. Major strides have been made in green and low-carbon development; China has supported more than 6% annual economic growth with an average annual energy consumption growth rate of 3%, becoming one of the countries with the fastest reduction in energy consumption intensity globally. This is an all-around, revolutionary change in production methods, lifestyles, thinking, and values—a breakthrough from old development thinking, concepts, and modes, and a profound grasp and vigorous practice of natural laws and the general laws of sustainable economic and social development.
The result of "combination" is mutual achievement, allowing us to fully utilize the precious resources of fine traditional Chinese culture in a broader cultural space to explore future-oriented theoretical and institutional innovations. On the new journey, the modernization we seek to build is a modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. The inheritance and development of fine traditional Chinese ecological culture face new historical opportunities and a series of new subjects and tasks. We must more consciously and actively promote the adaptation of fine traditional Chinese ecological culture to contemporary society and its coordination with the modernization process, promoting its creative transformation and innovative development with higher quality. In accordance with the requirements of building a modernization of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, we should deeply tap into the theoretical connotations of fine traditional Chinese ecological culture, activate its vitality, and endow it with new contemporary carriers and communication channels. We should create ecological cultural products easily accepted by modern society and guide the whole of society to transform the building of a Beautiful China into conscious and voluntary thought and action. On the basis of inheriting and carrying forward fine traditional Chinese ecological culture, we should supplement, expand, and improve its connotations, strengthen the top-level design of ecological culture, accelerate the construction of an ecological culture system based on ecological values, promote international exchange and mutual learning, and enhance the influence and appeal of ecological culture.