Huan Qingzhi: Authoritative Literature for Deepening the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization
Volume I of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization was recently published and distributed by the Central Party Literature Press. This follows Volume I of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on the Economy as another major thematic "Selected Works" focusing on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It serves as an authoritative text for deepening the popularization of Xi Jinping Oversight on Ecological Civilization and its systematic academic research and interpretation; it will also play a crucial leading role in promoting the construction of a Beautiful China [1] in the new period and comprehensively advancing modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature.
Volume I of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization includes 79 major discourses by General Secretary Xi Jinping on the construction of ecological civilization from December 2012 to April 2025. This collection represents the most comprehensive and systematic concentration of his statements and documentary integration since the inception of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization. By comparison, the Excerpts from Xi Jinping’s Discourses on the Construction of a Socialist Ecological Civilization published in 2017 only featured selections from November 2012 to September 2017, while On Persisting in the Harmony Between Humanity and Nature published in 2022 only included manuscripts from December 2012 to December 2021. Compared to the latter, Volume I of the Selected Works offers a more complete and balanced chronological span. Re-selected authoritative classic expositions include "Building a Beautiful China and Striving Toward a New Era of Socialist Ecological Civilization," "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets" [2], "Focusing on Promoting Harmony Between Humanity and Nature," "Promoting the Formation of Green Development Patterns and Lifestyles is a Profound Revolution in the Concept of Development," "Accelerating Institutional Reform for Ecological Civilization to Build a Beautiful China," "Pushing China's Ecological Civilization Construction to a New Level," and "Striving to Build a Modernization Characterized by Harmony Between Humanity and Nature." Newly added chapters include latest important discourses such as "Scientifically and Orderly Promoting the Realization of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality Goals," "Promoting Green Development and Enhancing Harmony Between Humanity and Nature," "The Great Successes of Ecological Civilization Construction in the New Era that have Attracted Worldwide Attention," "Handling Several Major Relations in Promoting Ecological Civilization Construction," "Comprehensively Promoting Modernization Featuring Harmony Between Humanity and Nature Through the Construction of a Beautiful China," "Strengthening the Party's Comprehensive Leadership Over Ecological Civilization Construction," "New Quality Productive Forces are Themselves Green Productive Forces," and "Meeting the Challenges of the Times Together to Promote Global Climate Governance." In particular, the recent discourses on comprehensively promoting Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature, correctly handling several major relations in promoting ecological civilization in the new period, vigorously developing green productive forces, promoting a comprehensive green transition of economic and social development through the "Dual Carbon" [3] goals, and continuously promoting the joint construction of a clean, beautiful, and sustainable world have not only greatly broadened and deepened the theoretical agenda of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization, but also carry stronger practical relevance and guidance.
The editing and publication of Volume I of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization is a major event in the systematic scientific development, popular education, and academic research of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization. It helps theoretical workers, Party members, cadres, and the masses to comprehensively and systematically grasp the complete content and spiritual essence of this innovative theory of the Party in the New Era.
Volume I of the Selected Works clearly demonstrates structural integrity and systematic content, while also vividly reflecting authoritative discourse, theoretical richness, and ideological innovation. Regarding authoritative discourse, it includes the full reports from the 19th and 20th Party Congresses, speeches at two National Conferences on Ecological and Environmental Protection, speeches at five collective study sessions of the Central strip Political Bureau, and other important discourses (speeches, instructions, and comments) made on major occasions. Consequently, it becomes the first primary source to cover the series of important discourses by General Secretary Xi Jinping on ecological civilization construction since the start of the New Era. Regarding theoretical richness, it includes not only discourses on "Ten Persistences" [4]—such as persisting in the Party’s comprehensive leadership over ecological civilization construction; persisting in the idea that "civilization thrives when ecology thrives"; persisting in harmony between humanity and nature; persisting in the principle that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets"; persisting in the belief that a sound ecological environment is the most universal benefit for people's wellbeing; persisting in green development as a profound revolution in the concept of development; persisting in the holistic conservation and systematic governance of mountains, lands, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts; persisting in using the strictest systems and the most rigorous rule of law to protect the ecological environment; persisting in transforming the construction of a Beautiful China into the conscious action of all people; and persisting in seeking a path for global ecological civilization construction—but also includes the General Secretary's latest expositions on the worldview and methodological implications of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization, Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature, developing green productive forces, digital ecological civilization, and the "Five Major Relations" [5] that need to be handled with emphasis in the new period. Regarding ideological innovation, the centralized expositions and continuous innovative development surrounding the aforementioned "Ten Persistences"—especially those systematic theoretical expositions made under "umbrella concepts" such as "green development," "building a modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature," and "the comprehensive green transition of economic and social development"—have significantly enriched and expanded the policy and theoretical discourse system of ecological civilization in the sense of the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" first proposed at the 18th Party Congress in 2012. Furthermore, they provide an authoritative and reliable textual basis for our systematic and academic research on the scientific theoretical system of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization, its systematic forms, core conceptual categories, and fundamental propositions within a broader practical and theoretical horizon.
For example, General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the 2023 National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection is presented in the Selected Works as four independent articles. This not only constitutes a structural balance and supplement to his 2018 speech at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection (titled "Pushing China's Ecological Civilization Construction to a New Level"), which was the lead article in On Persisting in the Harmony Between Humanity and Nature, but also greatly enhances the novelty and innovativeness of the textual presentation and theoretical expression of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization.
In recent years, particularly around the time of the 20th Party Congress, the domestic academic community has, while continuing to deepen the systematic induction and interpretation of the major strategies, policies, and theoretical views of the "Ten Persistences," markedly strengthened research on the academic interpretation and systematic construction of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization. Significant academic results have been published focusing on its landmark core categories, fundamental propositions, and theoretical system forms, as well as its original and pioneering theoretical contributions. For instance, the academic community has focused on and discussed the status of major theoretical system forms found in the reports of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Party Congresses and the General Secretary’s 2018 and 2023 speeches. Scholars have interpreted core terms such as socialist ecological civilization construction, the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Beautiful China, a clean and beautiful world, a community of life for humanity and nature, a community of life for mountains, lands, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, a community with a shared future for humanity, "respecting, conforming to, and protecting nature," the basic national policy of resource conservation and environmental protection, the strategy of sustainable development, building a "Two-Oriented Society" [6], the principle of "prioritizing conservation, protection, and natural restoration," the eco-civilization economy, modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature, green development, the institutional system of ecological civilization, global ecological civilization construction, green productive forces, and digital ecological civilization. They have also elucidated fundamental theoretical propositions such as "civilization thrives when ecology thrives," "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," "protecting and improving the ecological environment means protecting and developing productive forces," "a sound ecological environment is the most equitable public product and the most universal benefit for people's wellbeing," "ecological environment protection and governance must be carried out in an all-dimensional, all-regional, and all-process manner following the concept of systematic engineering," "ecological protection must rely on institutions and the rule of law," "building a Beautiful China must be transformed into the conscious action of the people," "China is an important participant, contributor, and leader in global ecological civilization construction," "new quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces," "building a green and intelligent digital ecological civilization," "planning development from the perspective of harmony between humanity and nature," and "promoting a comprehensive green transition of economic and social development." Based on these efforts, while Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization is being gradually established as the fundamental compliance and guide for action for our country's socialist ecological civilization construction in the New Era, it is also continuously developing into a systematic and complete scientific system of policy and theoretical discourse. It is currently in a process of time-advancing enrichment and development, driven by the great practice of the "Two Combinations" [7].
The publication of Volume I of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Ecological Civilization not only achieves chronological coverage of the dynamic formation and development of this thought since the beginning of the New Era in a single work; it also highlights important documents such as the report to the 20th Party Congress, the 2023 speech at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection, and the 2024 profound discourse at the Central Political Bureau collective study on the relationship between high-quality development and the development of green productive forces. This enables theoretical workers to further deepen and expand systematic academic research on the basis of a more comprehensive, rich, and authoritative text. It allows for a more accurate explanation of the landmark and original theoretical contributions of Xi Jinping thought on ecological civilization to global ecological civilization construction and the environmental humanities and social sciences. In doing so, while guiding the construction of Chinese-path modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature, it contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to human sustainable development.