Gong Yun: Continuously Opening New Frontiers in the Adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese Context and the Needs of the Times
Since the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has taken Marxism as its guiding ideology, applying Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods to observe, grasp, and lead the times. Proceeding from China’s realities and maintaining historical initiative, the Party has continuously advanced the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, using evolving theory to guide evolving practice. It has created great achievements worthy of history and the people, fully demonstrating that guidance by scientific Marxist theory is the Party's distinct political character and powerful political advantage. This has proven that such guidance is the fundamental basis for the Party to firm up its ideals and convictions and to grasp historical initiative.
The Fundamental Path to Achieving Theoretical Innovation
Advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism is a process of pursuing, revealing, and practicing truth. The "Two Combinations" [1] represent the CPC’s summation of the historical experience of Sinicizing and modernizing Marxism and constitute its fundamental path.
Engels pointed out that "Marx's theory of history is the fundamental condition for any unshakable and consistent revolutionary tactic; to find this tactic, one only needs to apply this theory to the economic and political conditions of one's own country." The Sinicization of Marxism means ensuring that Marxism, which originated in Europe, possesses Chinese national characteristics and forms in both content and form, becoming part of a Chinese culture that the Chinese people "use daily without realizing it" [2]. Lenin noted that "Marxism is not a dead dogma, not an immutable doctrine, but a living guide to action, and as such it cannot but reflect the unusually abrupt changes in the conditions of social life." The modernization of Marxism means combining Marxism with the characteristics of the times, ensuring it keeps pace with temporal development, continuously absorbs new contemporary content, and provides scientific answers to the questions of the age. Advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism through the "Two Combinations" is an important experience behind the CPC's continuous success.
Combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities is a consistent principle of the CPC. In 1938, Mao Zedong pointed out in On the New Stage: "For Communists who are part of the great Chinese nation and are connected to it by flesh and blood, to talk about Marxism apart from Chinese characteristics is only abstract and empty Marxism. Therefore, the Sinicization of Marxism—ensuring that in every manifestation it bears Chinese characteristics, which is to say, applying it according to China’s characteristics—has become a problem that the whole Party urgently needs to understand and solve." In 1982, Deng Xiaoping noted in his opening speech at the 12th National Congress of the CPC: "To combine the universal truth of Marxism with the concrete realities of our country, to blaze a path of our own, and build socialism with Chinese characteristics—this is the basic conclusion we have reached after summing up long-term historical experience." General Secretary Xi Jinping has stated: "We must examine the realistic foundation and practical needs of Marxism's development in the contemporary era with a broader vision. We must persist in a problem-oriented approach, focus on what we are currently doing, listen to the voice of the times, more deeply promote the combination of Marxism with the specific realities of contemporary China's development, and continuously open up new horizons for the development of 21st-century Marxism." It is precisely through long-term practice that the Party has combined the universal principles of Marxism with China's specific realities, continuously advancing theoretical innovation and creation. By using developing Marxism to guide new practices, the Party achieved three leaps in the Sinicization of Marxism, united and led the people to great victories in the New Democratic Revolution, socialist revolution and construction, and reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, thereby ushering in the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture is a major innovation in the CPC’s efforts to Sinicize and modernize Marxism. Mao Zedong pointed out: "Today’s China is a development of the China of history; we are Marxist historicists, and we must not sever history. From Confucius to Sun Yat-sen, we should summarize and inherit this precious legacy." He further noted: "Chinese Communists are the inheritors of all the finest traditions of our nation’s culture, thought, and morality, seeing all these traditions as something connected to themselves by flesh and blood, and will continue to carry them forward. The Yenan Rectification Movement [3] carried out by the CPC in recent years—against subjectivism, sectarianism, and stereotyped Party writing—is intended to further integrate the revolutionary science of Marxism-Leninism with Chinese revolutionary practice, Chinese history, and Chinese culture." In its long-term practice, the Party has always adhered to Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods, taking wisdom from China's fine traditional culture in close combination with the conditions of the new era. Particularly since socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, and alongside the progress of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the Party’s understanding of China’s fine traditional culture has become more comprehensive and profound. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "China has firm confidence in its path, theory, and system; at its essence, this is cultural confidence based on the inheritance of over 5,000 years of civilization." "Without the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, where would 'Chinese characteristics' come from? If not for these Chinese characteristics, how could we have the successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we have today?"
The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "To persist in and develop Marxism, we must combine it with China’s fine traditional culture. Only by taking root in the fertile soil of the history and culture of one’s own country and nation can the tree of Marxist truth flourish." The introduction of this "Second Combination" is a deepening and expansion of the "First Combination." It broadens the path of Sinicizing Marxism and signifies that the Party’s understanding of the laws governing the development of Marxist Sinicization has reached a new height, reflecting the Party’s historical and cultural consciousness, as well as its historical and cultural confidence.
Creating a Contemporary Paradigm of Theoretical Innovation
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, new changes in the situation at home and abroad and new requirements in practice have made it urgent for the CPC to provide in-depth answers, through the combination of theory and practice, to a series of major questions of the times regarding the development of the Party and state’s undertakings and the Party’s governance of the country. With Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, Chinese Communists have insisted on combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture, founding Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They have defined the basic policy for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and proposed a series of new concepts, thoughts, and strategies for state governance, achieving a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a brilliant paradigm of combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities. First, it combines with the greatest reality: that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era. Summarizing the lessons of over 500 years of world socialism, it posits that the leadership of the CPC is the most defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the system. It established a series of original viewpoints—such as the decisive role of the market in resource allocation and the better play of the government's role—creatively answering the major question of the times: what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics should be upheld and developed in the New Era, and how to uphold and develop it. This pushed socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new stage, greatly demonstrating the advantages of scientific socialism and advancing the cause of world socialism.
Second, it combines with the reality of socialist modernization in the New Era. By summarizing the experiences and lessons of global modernization, especially the historical experience of socialist modernization since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it creatively answered the major question of the times: what kind of great modern socialist power should be built, and how to build it. It revealed the scientific connotation, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese-path modernization, greatly enriching and developing world modernization theory.
Third, it combines with the reality of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era. By summarizing the lessons of Marxist party-building in the history of the international communist movement and the historical experience of the CPC’s century-long "self-revolution"—particularly the practice of self-revolution in the New Era—it creatively answered the major question of the times: what kind of long-term governing Marxist party should be built, and how to build it. It found the "second answer" [4] to escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in our times, and a vivid paradigm of the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture.
First, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics demonstrates the historical logic of the development of Chinese civilization. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has followed a unique developmental path. The pursuit of the ideal society of "Great Unity" (Datong) where "the world belongs to all" (Tianxia wei gong) has been an unchanging sentiment for thousands of years. Scientific socialism, which advocates public ownership, is highly compatible with Chinese culture’s advocacy of Grand Unity. The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics emerged from the great practice of over 40 years of reform and opening up, from the continuous exploration of over 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic, from the profound summation of the 180-year developmental course of the Chinese nation in modern times, and from the inheritance of the 5,000-year-old civilization. It possesses deep historical origins and a broad realistic foundation. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of Chinese social development. It is scientific socialism rooted in Chinese soil, reflecting the will of the Chinese people, and adapting to the requirements of the development and progress of China and the times. It is the only path to comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, accelerating socialist modernization, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
Second, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era draws upon the ideological essence of China’s fine traditional culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping stated: "The Chinese nation has a profound cultural tradition and has formed a distinctive ideological system, reflecting the knowledge, wisdom, and rational speculation accumulated by the Chinese people over thousands of years. This is our unique advantage. Chinese civilization continues the spiritual lineage of our country and nation; it needs both to be passed down through the generations and to advance with the times by weeding through the old to bring forth the new. We must strengthen the excavation and elucidation of China’s fine traditional culture, ensuring that the most basic cultural genes of the Chinese nation stay compatible with contemporary culture and coordinated with modern society." China’s fine traditional culture sustains the continuous life of the nation. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era profoundly absorbs its ideological essence and continuously endows it with new contemporary connotations.
Third, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted in the fertile cultural soil of Chinese civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "National conditions vary; every country’s political system is unique, decided by its own people, and is the result of long-term development, gradual improvement, and endogenous evolution based on that country’s historical inheritance, cultural tradition, and economic and social development. The reason the political system of socialism with Chinese characteristics works, has vitality, and is efficient is that it grew out of Chinese social soil." General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to institutional building, profoundly grasping the historical, theoretical, and practical logic of the system. By drawing governance wisdom from China’s fine traditional culture, he has promoted the maturation and crystallization of the system, continuously elevating the Party’s level of state governance.
Fourth, Chinese socialist culture originates from China’s fine traditional culture. Without the inheritance and development of civilization, and without the promotion and prosperity of culture, the Chinese Dream cannot be realized. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Socialist culture with Chinese characteristics originates from the fine traditional Chinese culture nurtured by the nation's 5,000-year history of civilization; it is forged in the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created by the people under the Party's leadership during revolution, construction, and reform; and it is rooted in the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics." Leading by example, General Secretary Xi Jinping has firmed up historical and cultural confidence, persisted in "making the past serve the present" and "weeding through the old to bring forth the new," and integrated the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of China’s fine traditional culture and the common values that the masses "use daily without realizing it." This has consolidated the historical and mass foundations for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, allowing Marxism to take firm root in China and opening up new horizons for its Sinicization and modernization.
Practice knows no bounds, and likewise, theoretical innovation knows no bounds. Composing a new chapter in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism is the historical responsibility of Chinese Communists in the New Era. On the new journey, we must persist in the "Two Combinations," [5] persist in the application of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and master the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must continuously advance theoretical innovation based on practice and scientifically answer the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times, allowing the light of truth from contemporary Chinese Marxism to shine even more brilliantly.
On the new journey, we must continue to advance the Sinicization of Marxism. To comprehensively build a modern socialist country, it is necessary to clearly recognize the historical coordinates and the stage of development in which our country is situated. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Correctly recognizing the historical coordinates and stage of development of the cause of the Party and the people is the fundamental basis for our Party to define the central tasks of a given stage and to formulate its lines, principles, and policies. It is also an important experience of our Party in leading the revolution, construction, and reform toward continuous victory." Following a long period of struggle by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, we have comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, realized the First Centenary Goal, and entered a new stage of development [6] in comprehensively building a modern socialist country. This new stage of development has raised a series of major theoretical and practical questions, requiring that the latest achievements in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism be continuously enriched and developed.
To this end, it is necessary to persist in putting the people first, maintain a firm stance on the side of the people, grasp the aspirations of the people, respect the creativity of the people, and concentrate the wisdom of the people. We must persist in self-confidence and self-reliance, maintaining a firm faith in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and a firm conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, while strengthening our confidence in our path, theory, system, and culture. We must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground, treating science with a scientific attitude and pursuing truth in a spirit of truth. We must remain unswerving in adhering to the basic principles of Marxism, the comprehensive leadership of the Party, and socialism with Chinese characteristics, while keeping pace with the times, adapting to the development of practice, and guiding new practice with new theory. We must persist in a problem-oriented approach, focusing on new problems encountered in practice, deep-seated problems in reform, development, and stability, the urgent anxieties and hopes of the masses, [7] major issues in the changing international situation, and prominent problems facing Party building, so as to continuously propose new concepts, new ideas, and new methods that truly solve these problems. We must persist in a systems-oriented approach, excelling at viewing reality through history and perceiving essence through phenomena. We must handle the relationships between the whole and the part, the present and the long term, the macro and the micro, primary and secondary contradictions, and the particular and the general. We must continuously enhance our capacity for strategic thinking, historical thinking, dialectical thinking, systems thinking, innovative thinking, rule-of-law thinking, and bottom-line thinking, providing a scientific ideological method for forward-looking thinking, overall planning, and the holistic advancement of all undertakings of the Party and the state.
On the new journey, we must continue to advance the modernization of Marxism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Although the era we live in has undergone great and profound changes compared to the era of Marx, from the broad perspective of the 500-year history of world socialism, we are still in the historical era indicated by Marxism. This is the scientific basis for us to maintain firm confidence in Marxism and a conviction in the inevitable victory of socialism." The Communist Party of China is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation; it is also a party that seeks progress for humanity and the Great Unity [8] of the world. Today’s world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The international political and economic situation is undergoing profound transformation, and the global landscape is in a historical process of accelerated evolution. Humanity stands at a crossroads, unsure of which way to go. The competition and contest between the two systems of socialism and capitalism present new characteristics, generating a large number of profound and complex realistic problems and raising many theoretical tasks that urgently require answers. The complexity of the world's problems and the difficulty of solving them have increased significantly today, requiring us to expand our global vision, gain deep insight into the trends of human development and progress, and respond actively to the universal concerns of people in all countries. We must draw on and absorb all the outstanding achievements of human civilization with an open mind, contribute to solving the common problems facing humanity, promote the construction of a better world, and drive the development of world socialism into a new stage.
On the new journey, Chinese Communists hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, deeply study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, and, in the process of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, deeply promote the "Two Combinations," striving to compose a new chapter in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism!
(The author is the Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Executive Deputy Director of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and a Research Fellow.)