Thought is the precursor to action, and theory is the guide to practice. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has taken the overall situation into account, put forward a major original thesis of "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation", put the strengthening of the theoretical system of the community of the Chinese nation in an important position, and guided the research of ethnic theory to be upright, innovative, pioneering and enterprising, showing a new atmosphere and moving towards a new journey.
1. Adhere to ideological guidance, and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work provide a fundamental basis for theoretical research
As a unified multi-ethnic country, properly handling ethnic issues and doing a good job in ethnic work has a bearing on the long-term peace and stability of the country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, how can ethnic work adapt to the new era and create a new situation? General Secretary Xi Jinping has deep thinking on this major theoretical and practical issue.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has always attached great importance to the study of ethnic theory, and has placed it in an important position to plan and promote.
In May 2014, the Second Central Xinjiang Work Forum was held in Beijing. At this meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly put forward the major thesis of "the sense of community of the Chinese nation". At the Central Conference on Ethnic Work held in September of the same year, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the need to "persist in laying a solid ideological foundation for the community of the Chinese nation", pointing out that the party's ethnic theory, principles and policies are correct, the path of solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics is correct, the overall ethnic relations on the mainland are harmonious, and the work of ethnic groups on the mainland is successful.
Since then, General Secretary Xi Jinping has explained in depth the profound connotation and great significance of forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation on many occasions, and made important arrangements for the research of ethnic theory.
In October 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China officially wrote "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" into the Party Constitution.
In March 2018, the first session of the 13th National People's Congress passed an amendment to the Constitution, and the term "Chinese nation" was written into the country's fundamental law for the first time.
In September 2019, at the National Commendation Conference for Ethnic Unity and Progress, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "we should do a good job in all aspects of work with the sense of community of the Chinese nation as the main line", pioneered the "four commons" view of the history of the Chinese nation, and pointed out that it is necessary to strengthen the research on basic theoretical issues and major practical issues in the field of ethnic groups, innovate the discourse system of socialist ethnic theory and policy with Chinese characteristics, and enhance its influence and appeal in the world.
In August 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again emphasized the great significance of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation at the Seventh Central Forum on Work in Tibet, pointing out that it is necessary to excavate, sort out and publicize the historical facts of exchanges and integration of various ethnic groups in Tibet since ancient times, guide the people of all ethnic groups to see the direction and future of the nation, deeply understand that the Chinese nation is a community with a shared future, and promote exchanges and integration of all ethnic groups. A month later, at the third central Xinjiang work forum, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to strengthen the study of the history of the Chinese national community and the pattern of pluralism and integration of the Chinese nation.
At the Central Ethnic Work Conference held in August 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping comprehensively and systematically summarized our party's important ideas on strengthening and improving ethnic work in the new era, summarized and refined the party's century-old theory and practical experience in ethnic work, profoundly revealed the internal laws of the development of the Chinese nation, scientifically answered major questions such as "how to see" and "what to do" in ethnic work in the new era, and provided a powerful ideological weapon for promoting the high-quality development of the party's ethnic work in the new era.
In October 2022, the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, unswervingly follow the correct path of solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, adhere to and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, strengthen and improve the party's ethnic work, and comprehensively promote the cause of national unity and progress.
In 2023, when General Secretary Xi Jinping went deep into Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other places to investigate, he clearly pointed out that forging a strong sense of Chinese national community is the main line of the party's ethnic work in the new era, and it is also the main line of all work in ethnic areas. In October of the same year, when General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the ninth collective study of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, he specifically emphasized that to forge the sense of community of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to build a scientific and complete theoretical system of the community of the Chinese nation. Based on the long history of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to integrate the Marxist theory of nationalities with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture, follow the historical and theoretical logic of the development of the Chinese nation, and scientifically reveal the principles, theories, and philosophies of the formation and development of the Chinese nation.
A series of important expositions, rooted in the deep soil of the history of the Chinese nation, shine with the light of Marxist truth, form General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, open up a new realm of Marxist ethnic theory in China and the era, and point out the way forward for the party's ethnic work in the new era.
"Strengthening the construction of the theoretical system of the community of the Chinese nation is an important part of forging the ideological consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation and accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics." Wang Yanzhong, director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "We must be guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, use the discourse system with Chinese characteristics and our own theoretical methods to tell the story of the Chinese national community, make it clear that the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system are a reliable guarantee for the common development and progress of all ethnic groups on the mainland, and make it clear that the Chinese nation is a community with a shared future with a strong identity and cohesion. Clearly explain the obvious superiority of the correct path of resolving the national issue with Chinese characteristics. ”
2. Shouldering the mission of the times, focusing on forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation and promoting the construction of the theoretical system of the community of the Chinese nation
Constructing a scientific and complete theoretical system of the Chinese national community is an important task for forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation. This is not only the proper meaning of accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, but also the mission of the times to gain an in-depth understanding of the history of the pluralism and integration of the Chinese nation, firmly follow the correct path of solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, innovate and promote the party's ethnic work practice, continuously enhance the cohesion of the Chinese nation, and realize the common march of all ethnic groups towards socialist modernization. In the new era and new journey, all localities and departments have fundamentally followed General Secretary Xi Jinping's important ideas on strengthening and improving ethnic work, focused on the main line, innovated measures, and actively promoted the construction of a theoretical research system.
Adhere to theoretical guidance. The United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission hosted a seminar on General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, emphasizing continuous efforts in learning and understanding, propaganda and interpretation, and the integration of knowledge and action; The United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, and the relevant business departments of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission hosted two sessions of the Research Forum on Strengthening the Sense of Community of the Chinese Nation, focusing on the themes of "Strengthening the Sense of Community of the Chinese Nation and Realizing the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation" and "Chinese-style Modernization and the Construction of the Community of the Chinese Nation". The National Social Science Fund has set up a major project of "Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project", focusing on the Marxist concept of ethnic integration and community thought, taking practice as the observation and problem-oriented, promoting the "two combinations" of ethnic theory and policy research around the important tasks of ethnic work in the new era, and constantly introducing original theoretical achievements based on Chinese history, interpreting Chinese practice, and answering Chinese questions.
Establish a correct view of history. Innovate and implement the compilation project of "History of Exchanges, Exchanges and Integration of the Chinese Nation". The mainland has a continuous tradition of historical revision, but most of them are the history of the Central Plains Dynasty. It is precisely for this reason that there is still a market for some erroneous historical views in society and abroad, and it is particularly urgent and necessary to establish a correct historical outlook. The relevant historiographical research work adheres to the "four commons" view of the history of the Chinese nation, comprehensively uses multidisciplinary research methods and the latest achievements of history, ethnology, archaeology, linguistics, sociology and other disciplines, narrates the history of the exchanges, exchanges and integration of various ethnic groups and the formation of a pluralistic and integrated Chinese nation from the perspective of the Chinese nation as a whole, deeply presents the common and holistic characteristics of the Chinese nation in the development process, and accelerates the construction of a historical material system of the Chinese national community.
Identify the research direction. Focusing on the main line of "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation", guide the academic community to carry out relevant research. All localities and units have deepened school-local cooperation, established research bases at all levels, guided the theoretical community to continuously summarize China's experience with Chinese principles, elevated China's experience to Chinese theory, promoted the improvement of the theoretical framework of the Chinese national community, and gradually formed a research matrix. The United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission jointly issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of the Theoretical Research System for Strengthening the Sense of Community of the Chinese Nation". It has become a general consensus in the academic community to carry out research on forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation from multiple disciplines and perspectives, and taking the Chinese nation as the research object and enhancing commonality has increasingly become the mainstream of the academic community, attracting more outstanding scholars and more comprehensive research institutions to join the research position of the community of the Chinese nation, and providing important intellectual support for the study of the community of the Chinese nation.
▲As the first national unified textbook on forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation, "Introduction to the Community of the Chinese Nation" has been ordered nearly 1.5 million copies since its publication.
Compile and use teaching materials well. As the first national unified textbook on forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation, "Introduction to the Community of the Chinese Nation" has ordered nearly 1.5 million copies since its publication. In July this year, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Ministry of Education jointly issued a circular to make specific arrangements for learning and making good use of the "Introduction" teaching materials; at present, nearly 1,000 colleges and universities use the "Introduction" to carry out education and teaching, more than 550 colleges and universities have been included in the training program and officially opened courses, and undergraduate colleges and universities in eight provinces and autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang have achieved full coverage.
"The Introduction is a 'golden textbook' that consolidates the theoretical foundation of the Chinese nation's community studies. It echoes the urgent need of the whole society for teaching materials, reflects the latest achievements in the study of the Chinese national community, and shows the positions, views and discourses of Chinese scholars on the issue of the Chinese national community. Zhu Luchuan, an associate professor at the School of History at Beijing Normal University, said.
3. Create a new situation of practice and promote the close connection and interconnection between theory and practice
The Tao cannot be sitting, and the truth cannot be empty talk. The value of theory lies in guiding practice, and the purpose of learning is all about application. All localities and departments adhere to the integration of learning, thinking and application, and the integration of knowledge, belief and action, and promptly transform the results of theoretical research into a strong support for telling the story of the Chinese nation and a strong driving force for cohesion and forge ahead.
▲The propaganda group of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission went to the National Development and Reform Commission to carry out a special lecture on the awareness of the community of the Chinese nation.
Expand the propaganda front. The State Ethnic Affairs Commission has set up a propaganda group composed of leading cadres, experts and scholars to strengthen the sense of community of the Chinese nation; Party schools (administrative colleges) and socialist colleges at all levels have incorporated education on forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation into the main class; All localities have carried out the party's national theory and policy "100,000 people" propaganda activities, set up "theoretical propaganda light cavalry" and "pomegranate seed propaganda team" to go deep into the grassroots level, put fresh ideas and thorough theories, and let the party's innovative theories "fly into the homes of ordinary people", effectively promote the cadres and masses of all ethnic groups to grasp the practical requirements of casting a strong sense of community of the Chinese nation, and promote General Secretary Xi Jinping's important ideas on strengthening and improving ethnic work and the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee to take root and bear fruit.
Innovate the way you communicate. All localities have implemented the Chinese cultural visual image project, displaying visual symbols that embody the characteristics of Chinese culture and the spirit of the Chinese nation in public spaces such as squares, streets, and commercial blocks, and enhancing the "five identities" through the internal endowment of meaning and the external appearance of images. The State Ethnic Affairs Commission has built an international communication brand "Tao Zhonghua", integrated internal and external resources of the system, reconstructed the national external propaganda system, and produced and released graphic and audio-visual content such as interviews with famous experts from all walks of life, ideological and theoretical interpretations, historical stories of ethnic integration, and stories of mutual learning between civilizations. All kinds of museums, education bases, and cultural venues in various places collate and interpret the historical connotation of the exchanges and blending of various ethnic groups in history, optimize the exhibition display, spatial layout, and interactive experience, and give new vitality to cultural relics, ancient books, ruins, and living heritage, so that the "Sanjiao" collections can be "lived", "moved", and "trendy".
Rich expressions. Deeply combine the theoretical research results with the "Tourism to Promote the Exchange, Exchange and Integration Plan of Various Ethnic Groups", excavate and display the rich resources that reflect the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization in various places, launch themed cultural tourism routes, standardize explanations and tour guides, so that the people of all ethnic groups can not only see how the Central Plains culture is transmitted to the ethnic areas in the tourism experience, but also see the unique charm of the integration and development of various ethnic cultures.
"The leap of theory is not reflected in the unconventionality of words and sentences, nor in the self-consistency and self-proof of logic, but in the final analysis, it must be reflected in answering practical questions and leading the development of practice. Once theory has mastered the masses, it will also become a material force. Liu Baoming, a researcher at the Central Academy of Ethnic Cadres, said.
The light of thought illuminates the road ahead, and the learning boom is surging in China. The party's innovative theories have turned into the strongest voice, reaching the hearts of the people and echoing in the land of China, gathering an indestructible majestic force.