Study and Practice Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought and Stimulate the Cultural Innovation and Creativity of the Entire Nation
On February 3, the 2026 Academic Annual Conference of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Cultural Thought was held in Beijing. Over one hundred experts and scholars from social science research institutions and higher education institutions across the nation gathered to conduct deep-level, multi-angled, and broad-coverage discussions and exchanges centered on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Cultural Thought and contemporary practice in Chinese cultural construction. Facing the strategic task of "stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation and promoting the prosperity and development of socialist culture," the experts unanimously agreed that it is essential to take Xi Jinping Cultural Thought as guidance. This requires firmly grasping the fundamental requirement of the "Two Combinations," particularly the "Second Combination," drawing wisdom from the profound heritage of Chinese civilization, standing at the forefront of the wave of digital-intelligent transformation, drawing on the strengths of all through the exchange and convergence of world civilizations, and consolidating strength from the vivid practices of the masses to continuously develop the prosperity of New Era Chinese-path socialist culture.
Upholding the "Two Combinations" and Consolidating the Foundation of Cultural Subjectivity
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The 'Two Combinations' [1] are the greatest 'magic weapon' for our success," and "'Combination' is itself innovation, while simultaneously opening up vast space for theoretical and practical innovation. The 'Second Combination' [2] has allowed us to master ideological and cultural initiative and effectively act upon our path, theory, and system." The "Two Combinations" constitute important content of Xi Jinping Cultural Thought and were also a major theme running through the discussions of this annual conference.
Qiang Shigong, President of Minzu University of China, conducted an in-depth analysis of the inherent connection between the "Two Combinations" and the construction of the theoretical system for the Community of the Chinese Nation. He argued that the "Second Combination" fully demonstrates cultural self-awareness and establishes the cultural subjectivity of Chinese practice. We must persist in the "Two Combinations," especially the "Second Combination," to activate the cultural creativity of the entire nation, accelerate the construction of the Community of the Chinese Nation, and promote the cohesion of all ethnic groups into a Chinese nation with greater solidarity and centripetal force. Bu Xianqun, a researcher at the Institute of Ancient History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), explored the paths and contemporary significance of constructing the value system of the Chinese nation from a historical dimension. He argued that the Chinese nation emphasizes the coordination of a unified mainstream ideology with the system of institutions and governance, which has effectively maintained the long-term continuity of Chinese civilization. The Chinese nation advocates inclusive cultural concepts; since the pre-Qin period, Chinese culture has formed a state governance value system pursuing ideal politics, and the Chinese national value system has always renewed itself in response to the questions of the times. Wang Xuedian, Dean of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies at Shandong University, argued that Confucianism opposes the excessive expansion of the gap between rich and poor, regulating the distribution of interests through policies such as "securing the people's livelihood" [3] and "light corvée and low taxes." Such ideals possess a profound inherent fit with the "common prosperity" emphasized by the socialist market economy. At present, we must both release market vitality and utilize multiple constraints—moral, institutional, and legal—to prevent the disorderly expansion of capital, ensuring that economic development always serves the well-rounded development of the individual and the harmonious progress of society.
Zhang Xinbin, a researcher at the Henan Academy of Social Sciences, argued that the essence of the "Second Combination" lies in the fact that the Communist Party of China, as the governing party, must first truly believe in and uphold its own culture. As China increasingly approaches the center of the world stage, many key issues require searching for answers within the "Second Combination." Qin Lu, a professor at the Department of Literature and History of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), focused on consolidating cultural subjectivity and constructing an independent knowledge system in international communication. She argued that "civilizational self-awareness" is the key to understanding the developments and changes of the New Era, and that China’s international communication bears the dual mission of "combining breaking down and building up." She proposed: under the premise of respecting diversity, how should a universal order universally called for by the globe be constructed, and what role will China play in it? This is the key to constructing a "civilizational outlook for the New Era."
Embracing the Era of Digital Intelligence and Promoting the Integration of Culture and Technology
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Explore effective mechanisms for the integration of culture and technology, achieve the digital empowerment and information-based transformation of cultural construction, and transform the advantages of cultural resources into advantages for cultural development." The continuous iteration of digital-intelligent technology brings new opportunities for cultural development. AIGC, the Metaverse, VR, multi-modality... how to promote better integration of culture and technology and empower cultural prosperity with technological progress became another hot topic of discussion at this annual conference.
Ye Zhenzhen, Vice President of the People's Daily, shared reflections on digital-intelligent empowerment based on the new media practices of the People's Daily. In his view, digital-intelligent technology is by no means a one-way "empowerment" of humans, but a deep, two-way reconstruction of value concepts, cultural expression, and public order. One must be adept at using platforms to consolidate the innovation and creativity of the masses, skillfully use AI to enrich the "desktop tools" for civilizational inheritance, tell the story of Chinese concepts well, achieve the multi-dimensional transformation of cultural value through a healthy ecological cycle, and take the initiative to create digital standards for Chinese culture. Yang Jihong, Director of the Social Education Programs Center of China Media Group, introduced the achievements of the "Comprehensive Digitalization Project of Chinese Civilization." The team utilized generative AI, micron-level scanning, and other technologies to digitally restore cultural heritage sites such as Dunhuang and Sanxingdui. They even completed a series of "activations," such as using Wang Xianzhi's fragmentary calligraphy as a base and using AI for intelligent generation and imitation to complete all 919 characters of the Ode to the Nymph of the Luo River scroll.
Xu Xiaoke, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of Beijing Normal University, provided an in-depth analysis of AIGC's reconstruction of cultural content productive forces. "AIGC has triggered a fundamental shift in the paradigm of cultural content creation. It is no longer just a tool to improve content production efficiency, but is driving cultural consumption from 'viewing content' toward 'personalized, deep experience, and new IP' by reshaping the ways culture is accessed, experienced, and participated in." Hu Fang, a professor at the School of Marxism of Sichuan University, suggested based on field research in Sichuan, Yunnan, and other places that the cultural industry should respond more promptly to consumer demands for "differentiated IP experiences" and "emotional value." Simultaneously, through organizational consolidation, strategic orientation, and practical support, it should encourage long-term state-owned capital investment and cultivate new business formats of "Culture + All Industries."
Many experts in the discussion also mentioned the need to be alert to the risks brought by technological integration. Li Jinsha, an associate professor at the School of Publishing of the Communication University of China, reminded that while blockbuster content driven by AIGC can briefly ignite attention, it is often difficult to sustain. "Algorithms favor shallow, high-arousal content, making it difficult to satisfy the needs of users seeking deep interpretation. This easily exacerbates the generational gap in public cultural discussion and the risk of professional talent leaving the field." Zhou Dan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy at CASS, suggested noting that "algorithmic hallucinations" and the "feeding" of low-quality linguistic data by artificial intelligence can breed systemic misinformation. Meanwhile, the lowering of the creative threshold by technology also exacerbates the homogenization and low-quality nature of cultural products, bringing dilemmas regarding the ownership of intellectual property.
Responding to the Call of the Times and Promoting the Prosperity of New Mass Literature and Art under Internet Conditions
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Internet technology and new media have changed the forms of literature and art, given birth to a large number of new types of literature and art, and brought about profound changes in literary and artistic concepts and practices." The burgeoning development of "new mass literature and art" is a highly representative cultural phenomenon of the internet era. How new mass literature and art will develop in the process of stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation and developing socialist culture was another focus of attention for the experts.
He Guimei, a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, titled her speech "How ‘Everyone as an Artist’ is Possible." Reviewing the development process of People's Literature and Art, she argued that we should currently make full use of the new production and communication systems and contexts formed by the improved cultural literacy of the masses and the media revolution. Under conditions where the masses can fully participate in literary and artistic practice, we should envision a "participatory scheme" for the idea that "everyone is an artist." Xiao Weiguang, a professor at the School of Media and Communication of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, argued that new mass literature and art is by no means merely a cultural phenomenon stimulated by technology; it is deeply rooted in the structural changes of China’s socio-cultural soil. It is both a necessary extension and qualitative change in the digital era of the millennia-long historical lineage of "cultural downward shift" [4], and a concentrated reflection of the unprecedented awakening, cultivation, and consolidation of the cultural subjectivity of the masses on the solid foundation of universalized education and the benefits of social development in the New Era.
Liu Gang, President of the Xinhua News Agency Research Institute, argued that the development of new mass literature and art must properly handle five pairs of relationships: upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, theory and practice, social benefits and economic benefits, elegance and vulgarity, and the humanities and technology. This ensures its development direction does not deviate from the value coordinate or weaken its cultural foundation, stimulates its endogenous vitality, strengthens its ability to respond to the times, and builds a system of theoretical discourse with Chinese characteristics, style, and spirit. Gao Shimin, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, reflected on three questions: "Between professional literary and art institutions (the main force) and the creative vitality of the people, how can we reconstruct the relationship of guidance and interaction? How can we promote the 'canonization' of 'peak' works in the ocean of new mass literature and art? In the process of the 'de-organization' and 're-organization' of literature and art, what role should the system play to cultivate a healthy new mass subject? We must study the new masses, new subjects, new trends, new ethics, and new values; only then can we truly respond to the era’s requirement of 'stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation.'"
Continuing the Chinese Cultural Context and Promoting the Systematic Protection of Cultural Heritage
Only by properly protecting and inheriting cultural heritage can we better continue the Chinese cultural context in the great cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Maintain a heart of reverence for history and love for culture, adhere to the principles of protection first, rational utilization, and minimal intervention, and promote the systematic protection and unified supervision of cultural heritage." Regarding the practice and theoretical development of cultural heritage protection in our country, scholars offered many reflections.
Ren Hui, a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, analyzed the vital significance of institutional innovation for the systematic protection of cultural heritage. The "Categorized Protection Mechanism" newly proposed in the master plan for the Yangtze River National Cultural Park is an operational institutional regulation made under the concept of systematic protection. "This mechanism can achieve a multi-dimensional unity of material and non-material, individual units with 'points' and 'sections,' and protection with utilization, as well as cross-departmental and cross-regional coordination." Yang Yuzhen, a professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University, argued that traditional cities and landscapes formed a pattern of harmonious coexistence at the material, humanistic, and historical levels. Urban construction in the New Era should, based on inheriting the historical experience of landscapes, seek goodness, truth, and beauty, so that the contemporary city as a localized part, the landscape, and the people promote one another, each showcasing its own beauty and all sharing in beauty together [5]. In the view of Chen Yunsong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing University, the system of ancient Chinese cities holds an important position in the history of civilization and carries great significance in the mutual learning between civilizations. Digital-intelligent technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence should be fully utilized to achieve a leap from the construction of ancient city theoretical systems and digital basic information construction to the intelligent restoration of historical appearance and panoramic presentation, thereby providing a Chinese solution for the protection and inheritance of urban civilization for the globe.
Rong Xinjiang, a professor in the Department of History at Peking University, suggested that as China and other Eastern countries have become the main force in applying for [World] Heritage status, constructing protection criteria consistent with their own heritage characteristics is not only related to our country’s practical needs but also represents a contribution of wisdom to Eastern cultural heritage. In the future, solid practice in site protection and inheritance should be closely integrated with the theoretical construction of an independent knowledge system. "Regarding the work of protecting and inheriting cultural heritage, it should be elevated to the height of cultural self-awareness, with a heart of reverence for history, culture, and ecology, regarding it as a noble cause to guard national memory and belonging," said Li Gongzhong, a professor at the School of History of Nanjing University.
Improving Governance Capabilities in the Cultural Field under Informationized Conditions and Opening New Paths for Cultural Governance
Improving governance capabilities in the cultural field under informationized conditions is an inevitable requirement for advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Adhere to the leadership of the Party, improve governance capabilities in the cultural field under informationized conditions, and consolidate the Party's governing foundation and mass foundation ideologically, spiritually, and culturally." Centered on the governance challenges and coping strategies brought by technological change, experts engaged in exchange. Wang Yan, a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, summarized that the Party's cultural leadership in the digital era is manifested in four aspects: leading the development of digital culture, dominating the construction of digital civilization, grasping the orientation of online public opinion, and auditing digital capital. "Upholding the Party's cultural leadership is the fundamental strategy for resolving cultural contradictions in the digital era; it is an inevitable choice for adhering to Chinese cultural subjectivity, and a solid guarantee for guiding digital culture toward the positive and the good." Zhang Ruitao, a professor at the China University of Petroleum (East China), suggested that cultural think tanks can reshape or aggregate diverse cultural forces and activate cultural kinetic energy. They should focus on planning around the "Seven Key Efforts" [6] of Xi Jinping Cultural Thought, align with national strategic needs, and integrate think tanks into the ecological support system of cultural governance modernization to contribute think tank strength to the construction of a culturally strong country.
Zhang Zhiqiang, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at CASS, analyzed that the core challenge of governance in the cultural field under informationized conditions lies in the fact that virtual subjects or the representation systems of digital construction will shape the self-perception and value judgments of real subjects in the real world. Facing the "dual subjects" of humans and AI, one must always persist in the subjectivity of the people, stimulate the innovation and creativity of the masses, and restore the technical nature of artificial intelligence to its status as a tool.
The successful holding of this annual conference has effectively promoted the study and practice of Xi Jinping Cultural Thought. It has not only built an important platform for deepening the research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Cultural Thought but also consolidated wisdom and strength for cultural construction in the New Era. Looking to the future, the academic community should study deeply and grasp thoroughly Xi Jinping Cultural Thought, further deepen its research and interpretation, and promote the transformation of Xi Jinping Cultural Thought into core academic elements of relevant disciplines, leading the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
(Compiled by Chen Zhiyin) Source: Guangming Daily (February 13, 2026) Editor: Hui Hui