——Commenting on Han Qingxiang's "Chinese-style Modernization Creates a New Form of Human Civilization"
■Hu Chenghuai
Han Qingxiang, a first-class professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Administration), has a new work "Chinese-style Modernization Creates a New Form of Human Civilization", which uses "Chinese theory" to provide an in-depth interpretation of Chinese-style modernization and the new form of human civilization it has created. This is a high-quality work with political height, theoretical depth, and breadth of vision.
Western countries are the pioneers of modernization, and have accumulated experience and lessons, which can become an important frame of reference for Chinese-style modernization. Seizing this point, Han Qingxiang presents the reader with the evolutionary logic of Western modernization and modernity at the beginning. With the continuous evolution from enlightenment modernity to classical modernity, the power of reason and freedom has been constantly exerted, and it has played an important role in breaking through the old order and creating a new social life. As this process progressed, rationality was alienated into instrumental rationality, the view of history and progress was reduced to a linear path, and with the emergence of the dominant advantage of the West, the Western model of modernization was made into a unique and universal model. This is the so-called "Western-centrism", which has fallen into the trap of equating modernization with Westernization.
Once we fall into a misunderstanding, the role of Western modernization, which is a "stone from other mountains", will change from "attacking jade" to "stumbling". Therefore, it is of great significance to clarify the progressive factors and limitations of Western modernization for us to deeply analyze the generative logic and future development of Chinese modernization. The author has demonstrated a broad academic vision, profound theoretical accumulation, and accurate conceptual summary ability. This book divides the theoretical system of "Western-centrism" into ten aspects. Western modernization is a modernization that follows a linear path, a modernization of singular civilizations, a modernization that only embodies the superiority of Western nations, a modernization that advocates natural human rights, a modernization that firmly believes in the concept of social evolution, a modernization that upholds instrumental rationality, a modernization that advocates universal values, a modernization that takes "civilizing" other nations as its "mission", a modernization that takes the only philosophy as the underlying logic, and a beautiful myth that wears the cloak of civilization.
Compared with the West, China's modernization process began with a passive defense against the impact of the Western modernization trend, and its historical starting point was when China faced the West's strong ships and guns in the last years of the Qing Dynasty and began to seek self-improvement and reform. The Westernization Movement, the Wuxu Reform, the Xinhai Revolution, the May Fourth Movement, and the New Culture Movement were the earliest attempts to promote modernization on the mainland. Since the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921, China has changed from a passive defensive response to the impact of Western modernization to a proactive response. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that "on the basis of long-term exploration and practice since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening up, and through the innovative breakthroughs in theory and practice since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our Party has successfully promoted and expanded Chinese-style modernization." "This process is the unity of historical practice and theoretical construction. Han Qingxiang proposed that from the "four modernizations", to "socialist modernization", and then to the "modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity", it reflects and embodies the historical evolution of the mainland's modernization; The four important theses of "taking your own path", "the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics", "the new path of Chinese-style modernization" and "Chinese-style modernization" put forward in the party's important documents reflect the logical evolution of theoretical construction.
The emergence of Chinese-style modernization is aimed at the shortcomings of Western modernization, and it is the paradigm of replacing "Western-centrism" with another paradigm. Absorbing the continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and other characteristics of the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, Chinese modernization can overcome the shortcomings and chronic diseases of Western modernization and Western civilization, complete the transcendence of them, provide a new choice for those countries and nations in the world that want to accelerate development while maintaining their independence, provide a new path for mankind to achieve modernization, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to solving human and world problems. In this regard, Han Qingxiang concluded: In terms of historical view, Chinese-style modernization surpasses the "historical single-line theory" with the "multi-line theory of history"; In terms of world view, "world pluralism" surpasses "world monism"; In terms of values, the "common value theory of all mankind" surpasses the "universal value theory"; In terms of the concept of civilization, the "theory of mutual learning among civilizations" surpasses the "theory of clash of civilizations"; In terms of the concept of democracy, the theory of "people's democracy in the whole process of development" surpasses the theory of "liberal democracy"; In terms of ecology, the "theory of harmonious symbiosis" transcends the trend of "narrow anthropocentrism"; In terms of national outlook, "national beauty and commonality" surpasses the "theory of national superiority"; In terms of the concept of human nature, "focusing on others" transcends "focusing on personal self and for me"; In terms of the concept of human destiny, the concept of "actively building a community with a shared future for mankind" surpasses the "mission theory of civilization and enlightenment" of the West; In terms of philosophy, "the equality of the host and the master" transcends the "opposition between the subject and the object".
Looking at the book, from the perspective of "breaking", it destroys the myth of "modernization = Westernization", the prejudice of "Western-centrism", and historical nihilism and cultural nihilism. From the perspective of "establishment", this paper clarifies the deep logic and basic principles of Chinese-style modernization, as well as the historical process and internal mechanism of Chinese-style modernization to create a new form of human civilization, and contributes a new paradigm to the construction of the theoretical system and discourse system of Chinese-style modernization. In the dialectic of "breaking" and "establishing", Chinese modernization as an organic whole is presented and revealed, its practical basis, historical logic, far-reaching influence, and world significance are sorted out, and a complete picture of Chinese-style modernization and the new form of human civilization is depicted.
Han Qingxiang's research is a major achievement in the study of Chinese modernization and the new form of human civilization, which will inspire us to go to the depths of the study of Chinese modernization and the new form of human civilization, and is of great significance for the construction of the "China theory" of modernization and the study of human civilization and the theme of Marxism in the 21st century.
(The author is the former dean of the Institute of Marxism of the Party School of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, and a senior expert hired back)
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