The Logic and Growth Of Huxiang Spirit: "New Revolution" to "New Era"

Author: Hu Xiao (Associate Professor, School of Marxism, Central South University), Chen Ziyi (Master's Degree, School of Marxism, Central South University)

In September 2020, when General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Hunan, he encouraged Hunan to build "three highlands", practice the "four new" mission, and draw a grand blueprint for The development of Hunan. In view of the special geographical location in which Hunan is located, not only the transition zone between the eastern coastal area and the central and western regions, but also the combination of the Yangtze River Open Economic Belt and the coastal open economic belt, the general secretary pointed out that it is necessary to seize the major opportunity of industrial gradient transfer and state support for the development of the central and western regions, improve the overall quality and competitiveness of the economy, and accelerate the formation of a new development pattern with reasonable structure, optimized methods, regional coordination, and integration of urban and rural areas. In this regard, Hunan proposed to accelerate the implementation of the "one belt, one road" development strategy, and use the "three highs and four new" strategy to lead the future development direction of Hunan, making it an important support for the rise of the central region and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Looking back on the course of a hundred years of struggle, Huxiang Dadi has always undertaken the heavy responsibility of history for more than a hundred years, and the people of Huxiang have formed spiritual qualities such as worrying about the world, daring to be the first, and daring to dedicate, enriching the connotation of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, providing a steady stream of spiritual power for the future development of the new Hunan, and also undertaking the mission of the times for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

First, the new Hunan: the value of the Huxiang spirit

The unique geographical environment of the Huxiang area has created the personality of special groups and bred the spirit of Huxiang. In the long historical course of the development of Huxiang culture, from Qu Yuan, who "the road is long and the road is long, and I will seek from top to bottom," to Wei Yuan, who "opened his eyes to the world" in modern times, Zeng Guofan, the founder of the Xiang Army, Tan Sitong, who "lashed out at the program and the five constants," and then to the proletarian revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, the main founder and leader of the People's Republic of China, it was their contributions that had an important impact on the Huxiang region and formed the spirit unique to Huxiang. Chen Duxiu once wrote in "Welcoming the Spirit of Hunan People": "What is the spirit of Hunan people? If the Chinese nation is dead, unless the people of Hunan are dead. The writer Tang Haoming summed up the Huxiang spirit in eight words, "Heart to the world, dare to be the first", and scholar Zhou Xingwang expounded the Huxiang spirit from four aspects, namely simplicity and righteousness, bravery and martial arts, practical application through the ages, and unremitting self-improvement.

The spirit of Huxiang has both the stoic spirit of "the road is long and its cultivation is far away, and I will seek up and down", and the heroic spirit of "although Chu has three households, the death of Qin will be Chu". The huxiang spirit is constantly inherited, integrated and innovated in the historical foundation, and from the development of the "new revolution" to the "new era", the people of Huxiang have actively carried forward the character of daring to be the first and innovating independently. From the historical base point to the new practical coordinates, we must practice the huxiang spirit, and deeply understand the important spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech, formulate a leading "three highs and four new" strategy, undertake the heavy responsibility of promoting social development, and strive to create a new situation for the development of modern new Hunan.

Second, the new revolution: the historical basis of the Huxiang spirit

At the critical juncture of national peril and the critical moment of China's future destiny and development, the people of Huxiang have always walked in the forefront, attaching importance to the country's social welfare and worrying about the people's livelihood and suffering. From the old democratic revolution to the new democratic revolution, groups of Hunan people are at the forefront of society. During the old revolutionary period, there were 79 founding elders of the League, and Hunan accounted for 1/4 of it, reaching 20 people, of which Huang Xing, Song Jiaoren and Chen Tianhua were the main generals. In the first two years of the establishment of the League in 1905, there were 979 members, and Hunan had 158 people, accounting for 16%, which was the province with the largest number of members. On Yuelu Mountain, nearly 60 Xiang martyrs who died for the old revolution are buried, "blood stained yellow flowers, souls returned to Yuelu; famous in history, the first to build China", "recreate the republican system and destroy the imperial system, and stay in the magnificent and magnificent mountain." The emergence of many revolutionaries in Hunan is inseparable from the geographical environment and cultural environment of Huxiang, and the regional culture of Hunan has created the character of the local people who are determined to forge ahead and have the courage to take responsibility, which has a strong vitality, and also provides spiritual nourishment for the struggle of the revolutionaries in the later period of the new democratic revolution.

When the May Fourth Movement broke out in 1919, China moved from the "old revolution" to the "new revolution", and the Chinese proletariat began to appear on the stage of history as an independent political force. In the face of an unprecedented national crisis and social crisis, countless people with lofty ideals explored the road of saving the country and the people in the revolution, and during this period, more talents emerged in Huxiang. In the early stage of the first Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, there were 7399 cadets in the 1st to 5th phases of the Whampoa Military Academy, including 2189 young people in Hunan. From the Xinmin Society issuing the precursor to the founding of the party, to the red boats in the South Lake riding the wind and waves, and then to lighting up countless red sparks later, the talents of Xiang nationality among the communists are even more important, and a large number of Huxiang revolutionaries have left indelible footprints in the course of the party's hundred years.

When Inspecting Hunan, General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned that Hunan is a red hot land, and a large number of communists have composed heroic songs that touched the earth and the earth. The former site of the Xinmin Society, located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, is an important carrier of the historical memory of the "new revolution." In 1917, Cai and Sen moved their family from Twin Peaks to Changsha in order to study in Changsha, a place called "Liu Jiatai" surrounded by graves, desolate location, and cheap rent. After Cai and Sen moved here, classmates Mao Zedong, Xiao Zisheng, Zhang Kundi, etc. often came to his house to gather, talked all night, discussed the principle of saving the country and the people here, and began to brew the establishment of a revolutionary society, which was also the first place in Hunan to contact and publicize communist ideas. On April 14, 1918, Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen, and He Shuheng formally established the Xinmin Society in Cai Hesen's home, and established the purpose of "innovating scholarship, improving character, and improving people's hearts and customs". When the Xinmin Society was founded, there were only 21 people, and later with the continuous expansion of influence, in addition to the First Normal School, there were also Changsha progressive students and teachers such as Changjun Middle School and Zhounan Girls' School. The xinmin society established the policy of "transforming China and the world", so most of the members of the Xinmin society have chosen the path of Marxist ideals, inspiring Huxiang students to explore the road of saving the country and saving the people on the road to study. In 1920, the Xinmin Society launched the Hunan People's Autonomy Movement, advocating "Xiangren Autonomy", and Mao Zedong and Cai Hesen also put forward the idea of establishing a Communist Party in correspondence. By 1921, full ideological and organizational preparations had been made for the founding of the Communist Party of China, especially for the founding of the Party in Hunan, and was known as the "pioneer of party building."

Over the past hundred years, the old site of the Xinmin Society has demonstrated the inheritance of the Huxiang spirit as a carrier of local memory, and successive governments have also attached importance to the protection of the old site of the Xinmin Society. In order to commemorate the merits of the Xinmin Society, the Hunan Provincial People's Government announced the old site of the Xinmin Society as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit in 1983 and restored it to its original appearance to educate and enlighten future generations; in 1985, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun respectively wrote inscriptions for the Xinmin Society "Cai Hesen's Former Residence" and "Former Site of the Founding Meeting of the Xinmin Society"; in 1993, the Changsha Municipal Government named the road leading to the memorial hall Xinmin Road; in 2005, the Changsha Municipal People's Government invested funds again to comprehensively repair the Memorial Hall of the Xinmin Society. It makes it a highlight of Changsha's historical and cultural city. On June 19, 2021, the former site of the Xinmin Society was officially named the "National Patriotism Education Demonstration Base" by the Central Propaganda Department, which fully affirmed the role played by the Xinmin Society in the new revolutionary period. After a hundred years of ups and downs, the former site of the Xinmin Society is still located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, opposite the Xinmin Primary School on Xinmin Road. On September 1 every year, Xinmin Primary School organizes first-grade students to visit the old site of the Xinmin Society and attend the first political science class; in June every year, the sixth grade graduates will return to the old site of the Xinmin Society to attend the last political science class of the primary school. The old site of the Xinmin Society will continue to witness the changes and development of a new era as the carrier of the Huxiang spirit.

Third, the new era: the practical coordinates of the Huxiang spirit

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that it is necessary to use history to reflect reality, look at the future from a distance, and see clearly in the past in the party's century-old struggle why we can successfully understand how we can continue to succeed in the future, so as to more firmly and consciously remember the original mission and create a better future in the new journey. On the eve of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Hunan, and he proposed, "Focus on building a national important advanced manufacturing industry, scientific and technological innovation with core competitiveness, and a highland for reform and opening up in inland areas, break new ground in promoting high-quality development, show new deeds in building a new development pattern, show new responsibilities in promoting the rise of the central region and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and strive to write a new chapter in Hunan in the new era of adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics." "As an important province in the rise of the central region, Hunan should conscientiously study the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, base itself on the new starting point of the centenary of the party, draw the strength of the Huxiang spirit from the past history, inherit and innovate the Huxiang spirit accumulated in the past, and devote itself with confidence to the practice of building a modern new Hunan in the new era, and promote the development of the cause of socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics."

At the historical intersection of the "two hundred years" goal, Hunan Province conscientiously studied the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee and combined it with the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on inspecting Hunan, comprehensively implemented the "three highs and four new" strategy, created "three highlands" and practiced the "four new missions". Hunan also has the conditions for the implementation of "three highs and four new": on the basis of the economy, Hunan's total economic volume will exceed 4 trillion yuan, forming 3 trillion industries and 14 hundred billion industries such as equipment manufacturing, manufacturing industry accounts for more than 90% of industrial added value, high-tech industries have achieved more than 14% growth for many years, high-tech enterprises have increased to more than 8,000, and the momentum of economic development is good; in terms of policy support, national strategies and policies provide new regional development space, "The Belt and Road" The strategy has expanded the open pattern of inland areas, and the development of a new round of scientific and technological revolution has also brought impetus to the development of Hunan industry. Through the "three highs and four new" to help The future development of Hunan, on the one hand, it is conducive to further comprehensively giving play to Hunan's comparative advantages in advanced manufacturing, scientific and educational resources, open platforms and comprehensive transportation systems, and injecting new vitality into high-quality industries; on the other hand, the overall development of Hunan Province is still in the middle and late stages of industrialization, and there are still problems of unbalanced and insufficient development in terms of innovation investment and per capita financial strength, and there is still a certain gap with advanced provinces. Therefore, we must continuously improve the quality level of various work and gather wisdom for the construction of a modern new Hunan.

At present, "three highs and four new" has become the consensus of the province towards a new journey.

Strive to build "three highlands", which are important national advanced manufacturing highlands, scientific and technological highlands with core competitiveness, and reform and opening up highlands in inland areas. First, the primary task of the "three highs and four new" strategy is to take the advanced manufacturing industry as the focus of development, promote the modernization of the industrial base and industrial chain, combine the advanced manufacturing industry with the modern service industry and the new generation of information technology, and promote the transformation and upgrading of the industry, so as to promote the development of other industries. Second, to build a scientific and technological highland of core competitiveness, we must consistently grasp the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry, implement the requirements of the general secretary in detail, closely focus on the goal of building an important national advanced manufacturing center, vigorously implement the innovation-driven development strategy, further enhance the scientific and technological innovation strength of enterprises, deeply cultivate the real economy, integrate into the new development pattern, carry forward the "three-bull spirit", and promote the high-quality development of Changsha's manufacturing industry to a higher level. It is necessary to put innovation in the first place, accelerate the deep integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, talent chain, policy chain, capital chain, and service chain, build a demonstration area for independent innovation in Changzhutan, Xiangjiang New Area, Yuelu Mountain National University Science and Technology City, Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park and other major platforms, develop key products that can be internationally recognized, of high quality, and can achieve new breakthroughs in technology, adhere to the organic combination of social and economic benefits, and make Hunan contributions to the key core technology battle. Third, to build a highland for reform and opening up in inland areas, it is necessary to promote the deepening reform of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises, reform the financing system, optimize the market-oriented allocation of factors, explore a new path for the development of inland areas, and provide reference for other provinces and regions. In terms of external affairs, we will actively establish economic ties with emerging markets in Japan, South Korea, Europe, the United States, and Latin America, promote the "going out" of products, actively attract investment in the headquarters of leading enterprises, create a good investment environment, and build a high-level open economic system.

To fulfill the "four new" mission, the "four new" mission itself reflects the practical requirements of the new development stage, new development concept and new development pattern. It is required to break new paths in promoting high-quality development, show new deeds in building a new development pattern, show new responsibilities in promoting the rise of the central region and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and strive to write a new chapter in Hunan in the new era of adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. Implement the new development concept, change the previous conservative inertial thinking, use systematic concepts to carry out overall thinking, and comprehensively deal with key problems encountered on the road of development. We should also always adhere to the party's leadership, put political construction in the first place, enhance the political ability of party members and cadres, dig deep into the resources of Huxiang, and carry forward the spirit of struggle. At the same time, it is also necessary to avoid empty talk, emphasize practical work, implement various policies in place, adjust policies according to changes in the needs of the masses, implement a number of key people's livelihood projects and strengthen the construction of ecological civilization, realize that Hunan has made substantial progress in promoting common prosperity, accumulate more experience, and make the achievements of reform and development not only benefit the people of Huxiang, but also highlight Hunan's responsibility in the coordinated development of the central region and the overall development of the whole country.

The "three highs and four new" strategy closely combines the service of "the great power of the country" with the advantages of Hunan, is guided by the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech when he inspected Hunan, and is formulated according to the objective situation of Hunan Province, and plans the current and future development path of Hunan Province. Linking the goal of building a modern new Hunan with the goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country reflects the spirit of the Hunan people of "striving to build bridges"; having identified a goal, the whole province unites and struggles for the "three highs and four new" strategy, reflecting the sense of responsibility of the Hunan people who regard the world as their own responsibility; using the new development concept to implement the central authorities' decision-making and deployment, ensuring the implementation and implementation of the plan, and reflecting the pragmatic style of the Hunan people in applying it to the world and seeking truth from facts. The huxiang spirit has still been inherited and carried forward in the new era, and constantly encourages the people of Huxiang to make greater contributions to China's development on the new journey of modernization.

Fourth, the new chapter: the great mission of the Huxiang spirit

Taking the Long March road of the new era and making efforts to write a new chapter in the development of Hunan is the great mission entrusted to the people of Hunan by the spirit of Huxiang, and it is also the ardent expectation that General Secretary Xi Jinping placed on the people of Huxiang. A generation has a generation's mission, and a generation has a generation's responsibility. From revolution, construction to reform, from "new revolution" to "new era", the history of the development of the Huxiang spirit is the history of continuous inheritance and development, and in the historical process of the development of the Huxiang spirit, the Huxiang spirit is the source of strength for the people of Hunan and leads generation after generation of people to forge ahead on the road of development. In the new era, the Huxiang spirit should actively adapt to the development of the times, promote the development of society, and provide more powerful spiritual strength for the people's production and life and the practical development of society. Thought is the precursor to action, and theory is the guide to practice. On the new "road to catching up with the examination", Hunan will take the centenary of the founding of the party as a new prologue, resolutely implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on inspecting Hunan, continuously promote the new great project of party building in the new era, work hard with one heart and one mind, forge ahead, strive to create a new situation in the development of modern new Hunan, and turn the grand blueprint drawn by General Secretary Xi Jinping for Hunan into a beautiful reality.

Source: Hunan Education Television