It is precisely because of taking root in the vast land of China and sucking the cultural nutrients of Chinese civilization that the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics has accumulated rich and profound heritage.
The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the "root" of the innovative theory of the Communist Party of China. The traditional culture of the Chinese nation should adhere to the principle of "keeping the right and not the old, respecting the ancient and not retro".
In the future, we will continue to promote Chinese-style modernization in the "two combinations" and promote the rejuvenation of Chinese civilization.
The best inheritance of history is to create a new history; The greatest tribute to human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization.
Text | Shensen
On June 2, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development that it is the only way to open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the basis of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, and to combine the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality and China's excellent traditional culture. This is the understanding of the regularity that we have drawn in the course of exploring the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is the greatest magic weapon for us to achieve success.
"The only way" and "the greatest magic weapon" are incisive summaries of the great significance of the "two combinations". The road of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been taken out under the guidance of Marxism and from the history of Chinese civilization for more than 5,000 years. The "two combinations" have laid a solid foundation for the road, given the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics a broader and far-reaching historical depth, and expanded the cultural foundation of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
This is the Nishan Holy Realm in Qufu City, Shandong Province (taken on June 8, 2023) Photo by Guo Xulei / This magazine
"Two combinations" is the only way to go
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, why is our socialism different? Why is it so vibrant and energetic? The key lies in Chinese characteristics. The key to Chinese characteristics lies in the "two combinations".
The outstanding continuity of the Chinese civilization has fundamentally determined that the Chinese nation will inevitably follow its own path. It is no accident that we have opened up the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, but is determined by the mainland's historical inheritance and cultural traditions.
Taking root in China is the result of the choice of history, the people, and culture. The excellent traditional Chinese culture contains the principles of the world for the public, the people for the state, the government for virtue, the reform of the old and the new, the meritocracy, the unity of nature and man, the unremitting self-improvement, the virtue, the belief and harmony, and the good-neighborliness, etc., which are an important embodiment of the cosmology, the world, the society, and the moral outlook accumulated by the Chinese people in their long-term production and life, and are highly compatible with the values of scientific socialism.
After the founding of the Communist Party of China, it united and led the Chinese people through the new democratic revolution and socialist revolution and construction, and embarked on a broad road of socialism with Chinese characteristics that conforms to the basic tenets of Marxism and contains the genes of excellent traditional Chinese culture.
Since the beginning of reform and opening up, our party has led the people to create a miracle of rapid economic development and long-term social stability that is rare in the world, and has opened, defended and consolidated the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the historical process of promoting reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Chinese communists have persisted in promoting the process of Sinicizing Marxism and modernizing it with the "two combinations."
After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has promoted the cause of the Party and the country to achieve historic achievements and historic changes, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.
General Secretary Xi Jinping adheres to the "two combinations", constantly deepens his understanding and thinking about socialism with Chinese characteristics, puts forward many major assertions and important ideas, opens up a new realm of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and further expands the cultural foundation of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing the first centenary goal is a key step towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which fully demonstrates the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. In 2020, great historic achievements were made in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and a decisive victory was achieved in the decisive battle against poverty. In the "Book of Songs", the eternal chant of "the people also stop working, and they can be well-off" transcends dreams and shines into reality in socialist China.
Common prosperity is a basic goal of Marxism and a basic ideal of the Chinese people since ancient times. From Confucius's advocacy of "not suffering from widowhood but suffering from inequality, not suffering from poverty but suffering from anxiety", to Mozi's advocacy of "the powerful should help others, the rich should reluctantly divide others, and the Taoist should persuade and teach others"...... Common prosperity is deeply rooted in the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
Our party has always taken the eradication of poverty, the improvement of people's livelihood and the gradual realization of common prosperity as its unswerving goals. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) put the realization of common prosperity for all people in a more important position, and regarded the realization of common prosperity for all people as one of the essential requirements of Chinese-style modernization.
From all-round well-off to common prosperity, the lofty ideals of communism, the common belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the beautiful expectations of the Chinese nation for thousands of years are closely condensed. It is precisely because of taking root in the vast land of China and sucking the cultural nutrients of Chinese civilization that the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics has accumulated rich and profound heritage.
Highlight the profound cultural heritage
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is first and foremost socialism, which comes from Marxism; At the same time, the simple socialist elements of Chinese culture also provided the cultural basis for China's acceptance of Marxism. To build socialism with Chinese characteristics, our path is getting broader and firmer.
-- The "two combinations" have deepened the theoretical foundation of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Marxism is a theory that speaks for and for the people, was founded to change the destiny of the people, and has been enriched and developed in the practice of the people's pursuit of liberation, and the people's creative practice is an inexhaustible source of Marxist theoretical innovation.
The history of our party is a history of constantly advancing the Sinicization of Marxism and the modernization of Marxism, and it is a history of constantly advancing theoretical innovation and theoretical creation. The reason why the Communist Party of China is able and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good is, in the final analysis, the practice of Marxism and the practice of Marxism in the Chinese era.
The integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality has enabled socialism with Chinese characteristics to show vigorous vitality in continuous theoretical and practical innovations. The power of Marxist truth has activated the great civilization created by the Chinese nation over thousands of years, and has once again burst out with powerful spiritual power.
The Chinese Communists are firm believers and practitioners of Marxism, as well as faithful inheritors and promoters of China's excellent traditional culture. The "second combination" is another emancipation of the mind, which enables us to make full use of the precious resources of China's excellent traditional culture in a broader cultural space and explore future-oriented theoretical and institutional innovations.
We must strengthen our historical and cultural self-confidence, persist in using the past for the present and bringing forth the new, comprehensively excavate the treasure house of China's more than 5,000-year-old civilization under the guidance of Marxism, use Marxism to activate the excellent factors full of vitality in China's excellent traditional culture and endow it with new connotations of the times, inject the great spirit and rich wisdom of the Chinese nation into Marxism at a deeper level, and effectively integrate the essence of Marxist thought with the essence of China's excellent traditional culture, and integrate it into a new theoretical advantage. Constantly climbing new heights of thought.
-- The "two combinations" extend the historical foundation of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Our party has opened up and explored the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics with the "two combinations", giving Marxism a deeper historical foundation for the Sinicization and modernization.
China's specific reality is a high degree of condensation of China's historical development over the past thousands of years, and its essence is Chinese practice, Chinese history, and Chinese culture. The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the crystallization and essence of the wisdom of the Chinese civilization, the root and soul of the Chinese nation, and the foundation for us to gain a firm foothold in the turmoil of world culture. Only when Marxism takes root in the land of China and is integrated with the excellent historical culture and culture inherited on the mainland for thousands of years and the values that the broad masses of the people use every day without realizing it, can we cultivate the historical heritage of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The history of our party leading the people in revolution, construction, and reform has proved that the "two combinations" are the greatest magic weapon for our success. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the product of the "two combinations", which grows in the land of China and is itself a continuation of the development process of Chinese civilization for thousands of years. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the historical choice of the Chinese people since modern times, reflecting the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China's social development.
The "two combinations" have enabled socialism with Chinese characteristics to continue to show a deeper historical charm. Only by understanding China from the perspective of its long historical continuity can we understand ancient China, modern China, and future China.
The history of Chinese civilization stretching for thousands of years has formed and cultivated the unique value system of Chinese civilization, embodying the unique spiritual realm of the Chinese nation that has continued to develop since ancient times, making Chinese civilization prosperous in continuous integration, integration, innovation and sublimation, and providing deep historical support for socialism with Chinese characteristics.
-- The "two combinations" have expanded the cultural foundation of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The "two combinations" have clarified the deep cultural roots of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The excellent traditional Chinese culture nurtured in the long development of civilization on the mainland, and the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture nurtured in the great struggle of the party and the people, have accumulated the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation and represent the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation. In the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism and the excellent traditional Chinese culture, we can better understand the unique cultural roots of our taking the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
There are many important elements of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, which together shape the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization, such as continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peace. These characteristics are in harmony with and mutually fulfilling the characteristics of Marxism, such as its scientific, people's, practical, and open-minded nature. Through the "two combinations", a new cultural life form of organic unity has been created, so that Marxism has become Chinese, China's excellent traditional culture has become modern, and it has been forged into a majestic spiritual force for building a modern socialist country in an all-round way.
The "two combinations" demonstrate the profound cultural heritage of the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the "root" of the innovative theory of the Communist Party of China. The traditional culture of the Chinese nation should adhere to the principle of "keeping the right and not the old, respecting the ancient and not retro".
The spiritual characteristics and development forms of Chinese civilization that emphasize benevolence, people-orientedness, integrity, justice, harmony and harmony contain and profoundly demonstrate the profound cultural heritage of China's path. The "second combination" has effectively stimulated the innovative and creative vitality of China's excellent traditional culture. Under the nourishment of Marxism, China's excellent traditional culture is undergoing creative transformation and innovative development.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in the morning light (taken on December 15, 2023) Photo by Liu Dawei/This magazine
Promote and expand Chinese-style modernization
In the new era, our party has successfully promoted and expanded Chinese-style modernization and created a new form of human civilization. The formation and expansion of the Chinese path to modernization has demonstrated the strong vitality and great superiority of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Chinese modernization adheres to independence and self-determination, proceeds from China's specific reality, transcends the narrowness of the Western modernization model, changes the pattern and map of world modernization, and creates a new form of human civilization.
As a modernization with a huge population, the scale of Chinese modernization exceeds the total population of the existing developed countries, and after its realization, it will completely rewrite the map of the modern world. Modernization, as the common prosperity of all the people, transcends the disadvantages of capitalist modernization and the disparity between the rich and the poor; Modernization, as the coordination of material civilization and spiritual civilization, has overcome the drawbacks of materialistic expansion associated with Western modernization; Modernization, as a harmonious coexistence between man and nature, has eliminated the disadvantages of alienation of the relationship between man and nature that accompanies Western modernization; Modernization, which follows the path of peaceful development, has broken the logic of capitalist modernization that "a strong country must be hegemonic".
The Chinese path to modernization is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese civilization, contains the endowment of Chinese civilization, and continues the bloodline of Chinese civilization.
What kind of modernization path a country chooses is closely related to the country's historical and cultural traditions. The path of Chinese-style modernization integrates the social ideal of the world for the public and the harmony of the world, the governance ideology of the people as the foundation of the state and the government as the virtue, the tradition of coherence and pluralism in Kyushu, and the feelings of the family and the country that are responsible for the prosperity and death of the country, etc., which are embodied in the top-level design and policy measures to promote Chinese-style modernization, and jointly build the institutional foundation, cultural foundation and civilization connotation of Chinese-style modernization.
The best inheritance of history is to create a new history; The greatest tribute to human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization.
With regard to the essence of China's excellent traditional culture that meets the needs of the development of the times and serves the Chinese-style modernization, it is necessary to actively carry out creative transformation and innovative development. In the future, we will continue to promote Chinese-style modernization in the "two combinations" and promote the rejuvenation of Chinese civilization.
(Author's Affiliation: Academy of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China)