On June 2, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in his important speech at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development that to continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a cultural power, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new historical starting point, we must strengthen cultural self-confidence, adhere to our own path, and achieve spiritual independence. This is the new direction pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping for cultural inheritance and innovation in the new era, and the new requirements for cultural development and prosperity.
1. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must persist in being problem-oriented and elevate China's experience to Chinese theory. This is the fundamental path to achieve cultural innovation and development innovation. Theory is the "solution" and "answer" to the tasks and problems of the times. The reason why a theory can be called a truly innovative theory is that it answers the questions of the times and fulfills the tasks of the times. The reason why the theoretical systems of different eras have so many forms is that different eras face different problems and tasks, and thus have different answers to these questions and tasks. The key to cultural innovation lies in whether it provides a solution to the problems of the times and accomplishes the tasks of the times, whether it sees reason in the process and the way in the instrument, discovers the universal from the particular, promotes the general from the individual, summarizes the Chinese theory from the Chinese problem and Chinese practice, and then uses the Chinese theory to guide the Chinese practice. In the words of Confucius, it is whether or not you have achieved "going down to school and going up".
Life and practice are the source of all knowledge. It is impossible for any concept or thought to be the ultimate cause and source of the emergence and development of theories. We must not be under the illusion of proceeding from a certain cultural concept and cultural form to construct and develop the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. On the contrary, we should proceed from the practice of the material life of society and the ongoing practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics to think about and study the objective requirements put forward by the times, and to think about and answer the questions and tasks put forward by the times. The main content of contemporary Chinese culture can only come from our ongoing practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Therefore, the cultural innovation and development of contemporary China must be based on the great historical practice and contemporary practice of the Chinese nation, and summarize China's experience with Chinese principles. Adhere to the problem-oriented, listen to the voice of the times, respond to the call of the times, earnestly study and solve the major and urgent problems faced by the party and the country, earnestly study the law of the ruling of the Communist Party of China, earnestly study the law of China's socialist construction, and earnestly study the law of the development of human society, and strive to reveal the law of the development of the mainland and human society, so as to provide Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for the development of the world.
2. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must adhere to the guidance of Marxism, build a people-centered socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and realize spiritual independence and self-determination. "Adhering to the guidance of Marxism is the fundamental mark that distinguishes contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences from other philosophical and social sciences." Marxism is a science that studies how to achieve the emancipation of the proletariat and all mankind, and how to realize the free and all-round development of every individual. In short, it is a study that studies how to realize the people's yearning for a better life and live a good life. Therefore, to persist in using Marxism to guide the development of contemporary Chinese culture is in fact to persist in taking the people as the center, firmly standing on the standpoint of the broadest masses of the people, and closely centering on the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people to build and develop socialist culture with Chinese characteristics.
"Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology for us to build the party and the country and to rejuvenate the party and the country." The CPC and all Chinese people rely on Marxism to build the party and the country, and Marxism also depends on Marxism to rejuvenate the party and the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "without Marxist beliefs and communist ideals, there would be no Communist Party of China and no socialism with Chinese characteristics", and "once a Marxist party abandons its belief in Marxism, socialism and communism, it will collapse". Similarly, without Marxism, there would have been no socialist New China. The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Upholding and Improving the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting the Modernization of the National Governance System and Governance Capacity, adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, clearly puts forward the "fundamental system of upholding the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field", which provides a fundamental basis for us to adhere to the use of Marxism to guide the development of contemporary Chinese culture.
Adhering to the guidance of Marxism, closely centering on the interests of the broadest masses of the people, and building and developing contemporary Chinese culture well are determined by the basic nature of mainland society. "The ideas of the ruling class are the dominant ideas in every age. That is to say, a class is the dominant material force in society, and at the same time the dominant spiritual force in society. The culture of conceptual forms belongs to the category of superstructure, and any superstructure is a reflection of, and ultimately serves, the economic base. No matter what kind of country or social system, no matter ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, there is no exception. When the ruling class is the exploiter, this culture expresses the desire of the exploiter; When the ruling class is a toiler, this culture is an expression of the aspirations of the toilers. It is difficult for any country or nation to sustain its existence without a dominant culture that reflects and maintains its economic base. Therefore, unswervingly upholding the guiding position of Marxism and taking a clear-cut stand to guide the development of contemporary Chinese culture with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is determined by the fundamental nature of socialism on the mainland and the vital interests of the broad masses of the people.
3. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must adhere to the position of Chinese culture, persist in using Chinese culture as the carrier, persist in using the past for the present, and build a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. The 19th and 20th National Congresses of the Communist Party of China (CPC) clearly raised the issue of adhering to the position of Chinese culture. "The development of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics is to take Marxism as the guide, adhere to the position of Chinese culture, base itself on the reality of contemporary China, and combine the conditions of the current era to develop a national, scientific, and popular socialist culture that is oriented to modernization, the world, and the future", "Adhere to the position of Chinese culture, refine and display the spiritual identity and cultural essence of Chinese civilization, accelerate the construction of Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system, tell Chinese stories well, spread Chinese voices, and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China."
Only by not forgetting the original can we open up the future, and only by being good at inheritance can we innovate better. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "If there is no Chinese civilization of 5,000 years, where is there any Chinese characteristics? If it were not for Chinese characteristics, how could we have such a successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics today", "Chinese culture, which has lasted for thousands of years, is a profound foundation for the growth and development of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics", "Excellent traditional culture is the foundation for the inheritance and development of a country and a nation, and if it is lost, it will cut off the spiritual lifeline". The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the "root" and "soul" of the Chinese nation, and the foundation of the inheritance and development of the country and the nation.
To develop contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must adhere to the position of Chinese culture, consider contemporary Chinese culture in the long river of the development of Chinese culture and civilization, and integrate contemporary Chinese culture into the development of the entire Chinese culture and civilization. If Marxism is not integrated with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, it will only be a culture that is external to us, that is, a culture without roots, and it will not be possible for it to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in the land of China. If the excellent traditional Chinese culture is not integrated with Marxism and the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, it will still be an ancient culture, and it will not be possible to become a new socialist culture that reflects, safeguards, and represents the interests of the broad masses of the people.
To uphold the stance of Chinese culture is to open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the basis of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, and to integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the combination of Marxism and China's excellent traditional culture "results in mutual achievement, creating an organic and unified new cultural life, making Marxism Chinese, China's excellent traditional culture modern, and making the new culture formed through 'combination' a cultural form of Chinese-style modernization."
Fourth, to build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must adhere to the principle of using the foreign culture for China, actively absorb the beneficial achievements of foreign culture, promote the localization of foreign culture, and constantly cultivate and create a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the new era. To innovate and develop contemporary Chinese culture, it is necessary to uphold openness and inclusiveness, adhere to the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, inherit and develop the excellent traditional Chinese culture, promote the localization of foreign culture, and constantly cultivate and create a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
With regard to foreign cultures, we must not only oppose blind xenophobia, but also oppose blind worship and wholesale absorption without analysis. Lenin said: "Proletarian culture should be the lawful development of all knowledge created by mankind under the oppression of capitalist, landlord and bureaucratic society." Mao Zedong said, "With regard to foreign cultures, the policy of xenophobia is wrong, and we should try our best to absorb progressive foreign cultures as a reference for the development of China's new culture; The policy of blind transfer is also wrong, and it should be based on the actual needs of the Chinese people and critically absorb foreign cultures," and "China should absorb a large number of foreign progressive cultures as raw materials for its own cultural food, and this kind of work has not been done enough in the past." For foreign cultures, on the one hand, we must see that "the stones of other mountains can attack jade", and on the other hand, we must see that "oranges born in Huainan are oranges, and those born in Huaibei are oranges". The development of contemporary Chinese culture cannot be separated from the common achievements of human civilization. It is necessary to adhere to the principle of self-reliance and use for our own use, absorb the beneficial achievements of foreign cultures, and build and develop a self-directed philosophical and social science knowledge system for Chinese people who are oriented to and solve Chinese practice and Chinese problems.
Fifth, to build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must adhere to the basic method of upholding integrity and innovation, and make use of different ideological resources to continuously promote the development of contemporary Chinese culture. Integrity and innovation embody the Marxist concept of scientific innovation, and are the ideological improvement of the character of Marxism's open and developmental theory. Only by keeping integrity can we not lose our way and not make subversive mistakes, and only by innovating can we grasp the times and lead the times. We should treat science with a scientific attitude, pursue truth in the spirit of truth, and inherit and develop Chinese culture.
To uphold integrity is to uphold the integrity of Marxism, contemporary Chinese Marxism, Marxism in the 21 st century, and Chinese culture. Innovation is to excavate new materials, discover new problems, put forward new viewpoints, construct new theories, refine new theories with learning and rationality, and summarize new practices with regularity on the basis of upholding integrity and centering on what we are doing. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must adhere to the principle of using the past for the present and the foreign for China, integrate various resources, and constantly promote knowledge innovation, theoretical innovation, and method innovation." We must persist in not forgetting our origins, absorbing foreign countries, and facing the future, not only looking inward and in-depth studying major issues related to the national economy and people's livelihood, but also looking outward and actively exploring major issues related to the future and destiny of mankind. It not only looks forward and accurately judges the development trend of socialism with Chinese characteristics, but also looks backward and is good at inheriting and carrying forward the essence of China's excellent traditional culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition not only points out the direction and path for the inheritance and development of contemporary Chinese civilization, but also provides an operable path and method for the innovation and development of contemporary Chinese culture, and effectively solves the century problem of cultural inheritance and development.
(The author is a professor at the School of Marxism at Peking University and executive vice president of the Institute of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Peking University)
Author: Sun Xiguo
Source: China Social Sciences Daily, Issue 2666, June 7, 2023
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