Li Jie: Deeply Understanding the Concept of "Establishing a Greater View of History"
● To establish a Big History perspective, one must first establish a scientific outlook on time and space. A scientific outlook on time and space is a research philosophy that examines the historical development of human society from a perspective that connects the past, present, and future, as well as China and the world. It can be applied to historical research, to the study of current reality, and to the study of the future. ● To establish a Big History perspective, one must study problems using the viewpoint of long historical cycles, research problems based on historical positioning, study problems by grasping important historical nodes, and master the internal connections between history, reality, and the future.
Establishing a Big History perspective is a requirement General Secretary Xi Jinping has placed on the study of the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the New Era. He pointed out: “Establish a Big History perspective, analyze the mechanisms of evolution and explore historical laws from the long river of history, the great tides of the times, and the shifting winds of global affairs, propose corresponding strategies and tactics, and increase the systematic, predictive, and creative nature of our work.” This requirement is equally applicable to the study of both Chinese and world history.
Establishing a Big History perspective requires, first and foremost, the establishment of a scientific outlook on time and space
Historical development, historical shifts, historical events, and historical figures all occur or exert influence under specific conditions of time and space. In this sense, without time and space, there is no history. Therefore, to establish a Big History perspective, one must first establish a scientific outlook on time and space. A scientific outlook on time and space is a research philosophy that examines the historical development of human society from a perspective that connects the past, present, and future, as well as China and the world. It can be applied to historical research, to the study of current reality, and to the study of the future.
This scientific outlook on time and space possesses its own complete coordinate system. The horizontal axis of this system is the timeline of the historical development of human society—from the origins of humanity to the entry into recorded history, and further into the ancient, modern, and contemporary history of human society. This constitutes the historical segment of the timeline, belonging to the past tense. According to a general historical outlook on time and space, one’s research mission would be fulfilled upon reaching contemporary history along this timeline of human origins. However, for a Big History perspective, this is far from sufficient. One must also “use history to reflect reality and look far into the future.” Applied to the study of CPC history, this requires “seeing clearly why we were successful in the past and understanding how we can continue to be successful in the future through the Party’s century of struggle, thereby becoming firmer and more conscious in remembering our original aspiration and founding mission and creating a bright future on the new journey.” Thus, it can be said that this scientific outlook on time and space is one that bridges history, reality, and the future along its timeline; it embodies the essential requirements of a Big History perspective and serves as a spatial-temporal view that is both governed by and an integral part of that perspective.
Turning to the vertical axis of this scientific coordinate system—the spatial axis of human historical development—it reflects the relationship between one's own country and the world. The origins of humanity were originally tied by blood, initially forming various primitive tribes. As humanity entered class society and ethnic distinctions gradually emerged, states appeared. Different people, through various geographical and blood ties, belonged to different nations. As history developed in this way, so too did historians. To a large extent, their research reflects class positions and national (ethnic) stances. At the same time, although the historical development of various countries differs, it is always governed by the common laws of human development. Moreover, since the dawn of the modern era, with the development of social productive forces, scientific and technological progress, the expansion of culture and education, and the improvement of human transportation and communication, the historical development of various nations has become increasingly integrated into world history. Today, a world historical pattern has formed in which "you are in me and I am in you"—a state of mutual interdependence. Under these circumstances, historical research needs to break through previous narrow horizons and small-scale frameworks. Even more, it needs to break through the various forms of racial supremacism formed within such horizons and frameworks, and instead establish an outlook on time and space that bridges the nation and the world in accordance with the requirements of a Big History perspective. Of course, this scientific outlook does not exclude historical research based on a national standpoint. On the contrary, upholding Chinese tradition and Chinese characteristics, and remaining firm in a Chinese stance and Chinese expression, is precisely the prerequisite for Chinese historiography to engage with the world. Promoting a patriotism characterized by a broad mind and a sense of mission is also a glorious tradition of Chinese historiography. Specifically, CPC history research must not only have a clear Chinese stance but also fully demonstrate how the Party’s century of struggle fundamentally changed the future and destiny of the Chinese people, opened the correct path for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, displayed the powerful vitality of Marxism, and profoundly influenced the course of world history—reflecting both a Chinese standing and global aspirations. From the general trends and requirements of world civilizations, emphasizing the commonality of human historical development is predicated on fully respecting the diversity of national development. “Civilizations exchange because of diversity, learn from each other through exchange, and develop through mutual learning.” [1] "Appreciating one's own beauty, appreciating the beauty of others, and sharing in the beauty of all" [2]—this is the true cosmopolitanism in historical research.
When examining this coordinate system of scientific time and space as a whole, one finds that not only is the timeline continuous, but the spatial axis is as well. This spatial axis does not merely remain at a single point intersecting with the timeline; rather, as a cross-section connecting world history and national history, it unfolds at any given point in the history of human social development from antiquity to the present. Contemporary archaeology confirms this: as early as the prehistoric era, the breadth and frequency of interaction among humans exceeded our imagination. Therefore, connecting history, the present, and the future, and bridging the nation and the world, is both a requirement for establishing a Big History perspective and an internal requirement for the deepening and expansion of historical science itself.
The establishment of a scientific outlook on time and space is by no means an "unfounded rumor" [3], nor is it subjective fantasy; rather, it possesses a deep tradition within excellent Chinese historiography. In his "Letter to Ren An," the famous Western Han dynasty historian Sima Qian proposed that his historiographical thought was to "examine the boundary between heaven and man, comprehend the changes of the past and present, and establish the words of a single school." [4] The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), which ranks first among the Twenty-Four Histories, was written in adherence to this historiographical thought. Of course, the grand ambition to "examine the boundary between heaven and man and comprehend the changes of the past and present" could only truly be realized after the advent of historical materialism. In the process of promoting the Sinicization of Marxism, Mao Zedong proposed: "Today’s China is a development of the China of history; we are Marxist historicists, and we should not sever history. From Confucius to Sun Yat-sen, we should summarize and inherit this precious legacy." Subsequently, while guiding the Central Study Group in researching Party history during the Yan’an Rectification Movement [5], Mao Zedong further proposed the "ancient-modern/Chinese-foreign method" in his speech "How to Study the History of the CPC." He believed that this method "is to clarify the specific time and specific space in which the problem under study occurred, and to study the problem as a historical process under specific historical conditions. The so-called 'ancient and modern' refers to historical development; the so-called 'Chinese and foreign' refers to China and foreign countries—to our side and the other side." He emphasized: "In studying the history of the CPC, we should take China as the center and 'sit our bottoms' on China. We must also study the world's capitalism and socialism, but we must clarify their relationship to the study of CPC history." The "ancient-modern/Chinese-foreign method" proposed by Mao Zedong is the inheritance and development of Sima Qian's "examining the boundary between heaven and man and comprehending the changes of the past and present," re-establishing it on the foundation of historical materialism.
Establishing a Big History perspective also requires addressing several other important issues
It should be further pointed out that establishing a Big History perspective requires solving the following important problems.
First, one must study problems using the viewpoint of long historical cycles. Engaging in reflection and research through comparative analysis of long historical cycles is a basic requirement of a Big History perspective. This requires placing a major historical event or stage of development within the long river of history to understand and grasp it. Only then can one accurately grasp its evolutionary mechanisms, fundamental laws, major influence, and historical status, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of "the blind men touching the elephant," [6] "a single leaf obscuring the view," [7] or "possessing the vision of a mouse." [8] For example, to profoundly understand the great historical significance and fundamental laws of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee and the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, we must examine these two sessions within the 40-plus years of the history of reform and opening up and the 70-plus years of the history of the People's Republic of China, rather than merely examining the short period before and after these sessions. Through this, we can profoundly realize that after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, the CPC scientifically summarized the basic experiences and laws of socialist construction at home and abroad, promoted the great practice of reform and opening up, creatively proposed the theory of the primary stage of socialism, and formed the Party's basic line for this stage. For the first time in human history, it took the establishment and perfection of a socialist market economy as the goal of economic structural reform, taking a critical step in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee further systematically summarized the successful experience of reform and opening up, proposed letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better performing the role of the government, and realized another instance of advancing with the times and innovative development in socialist market economy theory. It also defined the general goal of comprehensively deepening reform as upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, leading reform and opening up into a new stage of comprehensive deepening. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In the 40-plus year course of reform and opening up, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee was epoch-making, opening a new historical period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization; the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee was also epoch-making, opening a New Era of comprehensively deepening reform and promoting reform through systematic and integrated design, creating a new situation for our country's reform and opening up." Furthermore, in explaining the profound historical implications of reform and opening up, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Viewed from the Big History of several millennia, change and openness are, on the whole, the historical norm in China. The Chinese nation continuing toward the future with a posture of reform and opening up has a long-standing historical origin and deep cultural roots."
Second, one must research problems based on historical positioning. Defining the historical position—according to the stages of social development and the principal social contradiction, as well as changes in the conditions of the Party, the country, and the world—is a successful experience of the CPC and an important criterion for establishing a Big History perspective. We say that research on historical events and figures needs to be placed within specific socio-historical conditions and environments; ultimately, this means making objective and historical judgments based on the historical position at the time. For example, to understand the formation of the second period of CPC-Kuomintang cooperation and the United Front Against Japanese Aggression, we must clearly understand the historical position of the Chinese nation at that time. We must clearly understand the CPC's scientific judgment of the historical position based on the characteristics of the Sino-Japanese national contradiction rising to become the primary domestic contradiction. Only then can we profoundly understand and analyze the series of major strategic and tactical adjustments and major decisions made by the CPC Central Committee following the Zunyi Meeting and the Wayaobu Meeting, as well as the major shifts in domestic class relations caused by them. Only then can we profoundly recognize that the political line of the CPC Central Committee represented by Comrade Mao Zedong during this period was correct, and understand the shift in the Comintern's attitude toward the CPC. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the scientific judgment made by General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding the New Era and the new stage is likewise the result of a scientific judgment of the historical position of the Party and the country. The report of the 19th National Congress clearly stated: "Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era. This means that the Chinese nation, which has endured so much suffering since the dawn of modern times, has achieved a tremendous transformation: it has stood up, grown rich, and is becoming strong; it now embraces the brilliant prospects of rejuvenation." This scientific conclusion on our historical position was made precisely based on the changes in the principal social contradiction in China in the New Era. When charting the "14th Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly summarized the historical experience of China’s modern development and closely integrated the CPC’s century of exploration and struggle with the great process of modernization and the extraordinary journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He proposed the major judgment that China has entered a "new stage of development" and scientifically analyzed the historical, theoretical, and realistic basis of this conclusion. At a surface level, these scientific analyses and judgments regarding the New Era, the new stage of development, the principal social contradiction, and the major changes in the historical position of the Party and the state are directed at the present; however, in substance, they bridge the history and reality of the CPC through the evolution of developmental stages and contradictions. This provides us with a sense of depth, weight, and thoroughness in studying problems through the lens of long historical cycles.
Third, we must grasp key historical junctures when researching problems. Historical development is a unity of continuity and stages. In the long river of historical development, there are times of surging waves and times of trickling streams; there are always numerous important historical landmarks and turning points. Around these historical nodes, historical development manifests as periodic changes. For example, when discussing the historical origins and historical inevitability of socialism with Chinese characteristics, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically reviewed the 500-year course of world socialist development [9] and the more than 5,000-year development process of Chinese civilization, emphasizing: "This path was not easily won. It was forged through the 30-plus years of great practice since reform and opening up; it was forged through more than 60 years of continuous exploration since the founding of the People's Republic of China; it was forged through a profound summation of the 170-plus years of the Chinese nation's development since the beginning of modern times; and it was forged through the inheritance of the more than 5,000 years of the Chinese nation's long civilization. It possesses deep historical origins and a broad foundation in reality." To take another example, when expounding on the great significance and far-reaching influence of the May Fourth Movement [10], General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in a 'big picture' view of history (大历史观) and understand and grasp the May Fourth Movement by situating it within the 5,000-plus-year history of Chinese civilization, the 170-plus-year history of struggle of the Chinese people since the beginning of modern times, and the 90-plus-year history of struggle of the Communist Party of China. We must conduct research from the height of combining historical logic, practical logic, and theoretical logic, and across various fields including political history, intellectual history, cultural history, and social history since the May Fourth Movement. We must summarize historical laws, reveal historical trends, and clearly explain why the May Fourth Movement has such a significant and far-reaching influence on contemporary China's development and progress. We must clearly explain why Marxism became the guiding ideology for the cause of China's revolution, construction, and reform; why the Communist Party of China was able to shoulder the historical responsibility of leading the people to realize national independence, people's liberation, and the prosperity and strength of the country and the happiness of the people; and why socialism was able to take root in China and undergo continuous improvement and development. We should guide people to take history as a mirror and a teacher, and to strengthen their confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics."
Fourth, we must grasp the intrinsic connection between history, reality, and the future. Connecting history, reality, and the future is a basic requirement of a "big picture" view of history. "Using history to reflect reality and gaze into the distance of the future" also leverages the disciplinary advantage of CPC history research as both a textbook and a source of nourishment. In this regard, General Secretary Xi Jinping has set an example for us. For instance, when expounding on the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, General Secretary Xi Jinping reviewed the history since 1840 and noted: "The yesterday of the Chinese nation can be described as, 'The strong pass was like a wall of iron' [11]. Since the beginning of modern times, the gravity of the suffering endured by the Chinese nation and the magnitude of the sacrifices made have been rare in world history. However, the Chinese people never yielded, rising up in constant struggle, finally taking their destiny into their own hands and beginning the great process of building their own country, fully demonstrating the great national spirit centered on patriotism. The today of the Chinese nation can be described as, 'The correct path in the world of men is one of vicissitude' [12]. Since reform and opening up, we have summarized historical experience, conducted continuous and arduous exploration, and finally found the correct path for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, attaining achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. This path is socialism with Chinese characteristics. The tomorrow of the Chinese nation can be described as, 'The day will come when I shall ride the wind and break the waves' [13]. Through more than 170 years of continuous struggle since the Opium War, a bright prospect for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has appeared. Today, we are closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any period in history, and we have more confidence and capability than at any period in history to achieve this goal."
The important role of historical thinking is to use history as a mirror for today. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes placing the major theoretical and practical problems encountered in promoting reform, development, and stability in the New Era; the major theoretical and practical problems encountered in adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era; and the major theoretical and practical problems encountered in governing the Party, the military, and the country in the New Era within a long historical cycle. We must examine them with a "big picture" view of history that links the historical, the contemporary, and the future, so as to more profoundly understand where we came from, where we have reached today, and where we are going, thereby grasping the general trend of development and the overarching direction. "Only within the long river of the entirety of human development can one perceive the essence of historical movement and the direction of the development of the times." It is precisely this kind of large-scale, wide-horizon, and grand-perspective overview and crystallization that embodies the uniqueness of the "big picture" view of history consistently advocated by General Secretary Xi Jinping.