The 2023 Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Historical Materialism and the 8th Tianjin Contemporary Chinese Marxism Forum Held in Tianjin
On November 26, 2023, the "2023 Annual Conference of the China Society of Historical Materialism and the 8th Tianjin Forum on Contemporary Chinese Marxism" was held in Tianjin. The event was hosted by the China Society of Historical Materialism, the Tianjin Federation of Social Science Circles, and Tianjin Normal University; organized by the School of Marxism at Tianjin Normal University and the Tianjin Association for the Study of Contemporary Chinese Marxism; and co-organized by the editorial department of Marxist Studies (Makesizhuyi Yanjiu) and the Institute of New Era Marxism at Tianjin Normal University.
The opening ceremony was attended by various leaders and experts, including Wang Liwen, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice Chairman of the Tianjin Federation of Social Science Circles and concurrently Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee; Qu Kai, Party Committee Secretary of Tianjin Normal University; Hou Huiqin, President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Dean of the Institute of New Era Marxism at Tianjin Normal University; Ai Silin, Vice President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Dean of the Institute for Contemporary China Studies at Tsinghua University; Jiang Yingchun, Vice President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Party Committee Secretary of the School of Information Management at Nanjing University; Yuan Yinchuan, Vice President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Professor at the School of Marxism at Wuhan University; Yang Shengping, Vice President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Director of the Center for Globalization and Cultural Studies at Capital Normal University; Yan Xiaofeng, Vice President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Dean of the School of Marxism at Tianjin University; Feng Yanli, Vice President of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Dean of the School of Marxism at Chongqing University; Li Jianguo, Secretary-General of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Director of the editorial department of Marxist Studies; and Yan Feng, member of the Party Leadership Group of the Tianjin Federation of Social Science Circles. Also in attendance were deputy secretaries-general and executive directors of the China Society of Historical Materialism, experts and scholars from the national Marxist theoretical circle, and over 400 participants from more than 150 institutions, including the Central Party School, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Peking University, Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, Fudan University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The opening ceremony was chaired by Ma Lei, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tianjin Normal University.
Qu Kai noted that Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology upon which our Party and country are founded [1], and it serves as the defining characteristic of China’s higher education institutions. This meeting is the first national high-end forum hosted by our university's Institute of New Era Marxism since its establishment, and it is of great significance for the in-depth advancement of the systematization and academic theorization of contemporary Chinese Marxism. The university will fully leverage the role of higher education as a main force in consolidating the Marxist ideological front. Grounded in the overall situation of the undertakings of the Party and the state, the university will continuously deepen the reform and innovation of ideological and political theory courses in the New Era, further the research and interpretation of Marxist theory, and allow contemporary Chinese Marxism to radiate an even more brilliant light of truth.
Focusing on the mission of the China Society of Historical Materialism, Hou Huiqin explained the necessity of mastering the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era through the perspective of historical materialism. He outlined three dimensions: "the need to meet the challenges of the historical task of building a powerful socialist country as contemporary China embarks on the Party's second centenary journey" [2]; "the need to respond to the challenges of a volatile and changing world period where disorder and conflict are superimposed"; and "the need to address the upcoming challenges of the artificial intelligence era." He emphasized that the New Era is a period that requires theoretical thinking and a scientific worldview more than ever, and that scholars must shoulder the responsibility of Marxist theoretical innovation and theoretical arming to make greater contributions in their respective positions.
Wang Liwen stated that this forum, which brought together top masters and famous scholars from across the country, is a major academic event for the social science circles of Tianjin. It is of great significance for the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture [3] and for continuously deepening the systematic research and academic interpretation of the Party's innovative theories. He expressed his hope that the participating experts and scholars could aggregate more innovative achievements, build further consensus, and provide a stronger theoretical voice for deepening the systematic research and academic interpretation of contemporary Chinese Marxism, thereby better fulfilling the new cultural mission of the New Era.
Following the opening ceremony, Professor Hou Huiqin delivered a keynote report titled "The Consistent Application of Historical Materialism and the 'Two Combinations'." The keynote was chaired by Hao Qingjie, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Society of Historical Materialism and Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Higher Education. In the subsequent expert reporting session, presentations were delivered by Ai Silin, Jiang Yingchun, Yuan Yinchuan, Yang Shengping, Yan Xiaofeng, Feng Yanli, and other prominent scholars including Wang Yan, Wang Yonggui, Zan Ruili, Zhang Zhidan, Zhao Huanchun, Tian Pengying, Song Chaolong, Liu Fengyi, Lu Zhongping, Xie Xiaojuan, Wang Binbin, Zhu Dapeng, Zhang Ling, Li Baogeng, He Li, Wang Fang, Tian Haijian, and Cui Fazhan.
Their reports focused on topics including: "Cultural Issues in the Process of Modernization," "The Innovation and Development of Marxist Cultural Theory in the New Era," "Common Features of Modernization and Chinese Characteristics," "Cultural Modernity and the Construction of Modern Chinese Culture," "Adhering to the 'Second Combination' [4] as a Successful Magic Weapon for Building the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation," "Multi-dimensional In-depth Grasp of the Scientific Connotation and Practical Requirements of Chinese-path Modernization," "Regulating the Wealth Accumulation Mechanism from the Perspective of Common Prosperity," "The Original Contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture," "My Views on Theoretical System Research and Academic Interpretation," "Philosophical Reflections on the Laws of Ideological Innovation," "Deeply Grasping the 'Two Combinations' to Consolidate the Subjectivity of Chinese Culture," "Premises and Methods for Consolidating Cultural Subjectivity," "In-depth Understanding of High-quality Development through the System of Economic Laws," "The Theoretical Origins, Traits, and Contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture," "The New Cultural Mission of Ideological and Political Education," and "The Generative Logic, Developmental Course, and Practical Approaches to Modernization Characterized by Harmony Between Humanity and Nature." The expert reports were chaired by Li Jianguo, Zheng Chengjun (Vice President of Beijing Second Foreign Language University), and Li Zhaoyang (Executive Dean of the School of Marxism at Tianjin Normal University).
During the parallel forum sessions, deans and professors from the Schools of Marxism at universities such as Guangxi University, Huaqiao University, and Hebei University of Technology delivered keynote speeches. These sessions were chaired by Liu Jun, Song Tianguang, Chen Ke, Du Juan, Fang Zhangdong, Guan Yingming, Ma Qinan, and Deng Zhe.
Finally, Yang Renzhong, Executive Dean of the Institute of New Era Marxism at Tianjin Normal University, chaired the forum's concluding session, and Li Jianguo delivered the closing remarks.
Online Editor: Tong Xin Source: China Social Sciences Net, 2023-12-02