General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his important speech at the conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: "Why the Communist Party of China can, why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, in the final analysis, is because of Marxism!" "Why does Marxism work? The key lies in the fact that the Communist Party of China has chosen Marxism and constantly sinicized it, and then innovated and created a series of theoretical achievements in the sinification of Marxism with theoretical guidance, explanatory power, and practical power, and can successfully guide the great practice of China's revolutionary construction and reform. The century-old history of the Communist Party of China is a history of constantly promoting the sinification of Marxism, condensing many valuable experiences. These experiences are invaluable spiritual treasures and are of extremely important enlightenment significance for continuing to promote the sinification of Marxism on the new road of catching up with examinations.
Over the past hundred years, Marxism has profoundly changed China, and China has greatly enriched Marxism. Armed with Marxist theory, in the process of uniting and leading the people to create a new historical glory of Chinese civilization, the Communist Party of China has adhered to the unity of emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, the unity of cultivating the yuan and consolidating the foundation and abiding by righteousness and innovation, constantly opened up new realms of Marxism, founded Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory, formed the important thinking of "three represents" and the scientific concept of development, and founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era.
In the great achievements of creating the new-democratic revolution, socialist revolution and construction, Mao Zedong Thought was founded and developed, and the first historical leap in the sinification of Marxism was realized. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 created a situation of socialist revolution, and the victory of the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 ushered in a new era of socialist revolution. This had an extremely important impact on the Chinese revolutionary movement, and a large number of intellectuals with rudimentary communist ideas, including Comrade Mao Zedong, grew up and realized that to achieve the liberation of the people and national independence, the happiness of the people and the prosperity of the country, it is necessary to use Marxism-Leninism to guide the Chinese revolution. Therefore, integrating Marxism with China's reality and forming a Sinicized Marxism has become the basic requirement of the times. But in semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, the conditions for revolution are very different from those of the proletarian revolution in the capitalist countries of the West, as analyzed by Marx and Engels, and are not the same as those of the Russian proletarian revolution as analysed by Lenin. China has its own special national conditions, that is, the peasants account for the overwhelming majority of the population, the scattered small-scale peasant economy and small-scale production methods exist widely, and they are also suffering aggression and oppression by Western powers. This determines that the Chinese revolution should have its own special laws. In close connection with China's national conditions and the conditions of the times at that time, the use of Marxism-Leninism to guide the Chinese revolution, the search for a revolutionary road and revolutionary strategy suited to China's actual conditions, the discovery of the laws of the Chinese revolution and the scientific theoretical generalization, and thus better guiding the practice of the Chinese revolution were the primary tasks of the Chinese Communists represented by Mao Zedong. Our Party creatively applied Marxism-Leninism, the "telescope and microscope," to find and scientifically grasp the characteristics and laws of the Chinese revolution, and to open up the revolutionary road of encircling the cities with the countryside and finally winning victory in the whole country. Mao Zedong Thought was formed and matured in the process of integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese revolution and the reality of Chinese society.
In the great achievements of creating reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, a theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been formed, and the second historical leap in the sinification of Marxism has been realized. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, economic globalization and the trend of multipolarization in the world have accelerated, and competition in comprehensive national strength has become increasingly fierce. The new scientific and technological revolution and the major scientific and technological discoveries, inventions and wide applications it has brought about have also caused unprecedented major changes in the global economic pattern, the pattern of interests and the pattern of security. Linked to these changes, from the late 1970s onwards, a wave of reform and adjustment with the central goal of enhancing comprehensive national strength arose around the world. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Communists, with Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao as the main representatives, have seized the opportunity of the times and unswervingly pushed forward the new great social revolution of reform and opening up. Our party emancipated the mind, sought truth from facts, advanced with the times, sought truth and pragmatism, united and led the people to persist in taking economic construction as the central task, adhered to the four cardinal principles, successfully realized the great historic change from a highly centralized planned economic system to a vibrant socialist market economic system, from a closed and semi-closed to an all-round opening up, achieved a historic breakthrough from the relatively backward productive forces to the world's second largest economic aggregate, and realized the historic leap in the people's living standards from insufficient food and clothing to an overall well-off and to an all-round well-off. In this unprecedented reform and opening up in history, our party has deeply considered and systematically answered the three basic questions on socialism with Chinese characteristics, namely, "what is socialism, how to build socialism, what kind of party to build, how to build the party, what kind of development to achieve, and how to develop." In the process of continuing to promote the sinification of Marxism, our party has creatively put forward a series of new major theoretical viewpoints and strategic ideas, and successively formed Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thinking of the "three represents" and the scientific concept of development. Thus realizing the second historical leap in the sinification of Marxism.
In the great achievements of creating socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was founded, and the sinification of Marxism was once again a new development that advanced with the times. After long-term efforts, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in the process of comprehensively deepening reform, profound changes have taken place in the world, national and party conditions. Judging from the world situation, the world is in a major change situation unprecedented in a century, anti-globalization and trade protectionism are strengthening, global governance chaos is frequent, the complexity of international relations is unprecedented, and the competition between Different institutional models, development paths and values brought about by China's rule and Western chaos is becoming increasingly prominent. From the perspective of national conditions, China's reform has entered a tough period and a deep-water area, the economic development situation is facing the growth rate shift period, the structural adjustment pain period, the new and old kinetic energy conversion period "three phases" superimposed, China's economy has shown a new normal, the requirements for improving quality and efficiency, transformation and upgrading are more urgent, and the main contradiction in our society has become a contradiction between the people's growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and insufficient development. Judging from the party's conditions, the "four major tests" and "four dangers" facing our party still exist, and the world's largest Marxist ruling party with more than 95 million party members is facing the world conditions, national conditions, and new tasks in the new era, how to carry out self-revolution to strengthen the building of advanced nature and purity, and then lead the social revolution, which is in the first place in party building. The changes in the conditions of the world, the country, the party, and the development of various undertakings in our country have put forward to our party the major issue of the times of "what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the new era, and how to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics." The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has systematically answered this major topic from the perspective of combining theory and practice from a new perspective, put forward a series of new ideas, new ideas and new strategies in terms of domestic and foreign affairs, national defense, governing the party and the country and the army, comprehensively enriching and developing the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics and creating Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era.
The vitality of theory lies in constant innovation and guiding practice. Promoting the sinification of Marxism in the light of reality is the sacred duty of Chinese communists. In this process, our party has adhered to the organic unity and interaction of practical innovation and theoretical innovation, and has accumulated rich historical experience. Deeply understanding and deeply summarizing these experiences will help us learn from history and create the future.
The key to adhering to Marxism lies in mastering and mastering its positions, viewpoints, and methods. Marxism's "true scriptures" and "true" views in its position. Without understanding, familiarizing, or even adhering to the "classics" of Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods, it is impossible to solve the Chinese problem and it is impossible to promote the sinification of Marxism well. The lessons and lessons of the international communist movement and our party's century-long struggle show that under any historical conditions and no matter what new changes occur, the Marxist stand, viewpoint, and method are always our party's sharp ideological weapons for correctly understanding, grasping, and applying the law governing the ruling of the Communist Party, the law governing socialist construction, and the law governing the development of human society, and the spiritual weapon for our party to understand and transform the world. Proficiently mastering the method of applying Marxist positions and viewpoints is our party's housekeeping skill and the fundamental prerequisite for promoting the sinification of Marxism. Mao Zedong Thought, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era are the theoretical innovations of our party in applying Marxist positions and viewpoints to study and solve various major theoretical and practical problems in China's revolutionary construction and reform.
The key to adhering to problem awareness and problem orientation lies in constantly correctly understanding China's national conditions and responding to China's practical demands. Theoretical innovation is inseparable from practice, and arises from in-depth thinking and problem solving of practice. In the course of a century of struggle, the CPC has accurately judged and successfully resolved and completed the main contradictions and historical tasks in different historical stages. In grasping the contradictions between the Chinese nation, the Chinese people and feudalism, bureaucratic capitalism and imperialism, seeking solutions to the historical tasks of people's liberation, national independence and social change, and responding to the needs of a series of practical issues such as "where is the Chinese revolution going?", Mao Zedong Thought was formed and enriched. In accurately judging and grasping that the main contradiction in society is not a class contradiction, but a contradiction between the people's growing material and cultural needs and backward social production, we have sought to solve the historical tasks of the people's happiness, national prosperity and strength, and national rejuvenation, responded to the needs of major theoretical and practical issues such as "what is socialism and how to build socialism," founded Deng Xiaoping Theory, and formed the important thinking of "three represents" and the scientific outlook on development. In accurately judging and grasping the contradiction between the people's growing need for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development, seeking the realization of the historical tasks of socialist modernization and power, common prosperity of the people, and national rejuvenation, and responding to the practical needs of the major theoretical and practical issue of "what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the new era, and how to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics", Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era was founded.
The key to adhering to the mass viewpoint and mass line lies in scientifically summing up and refining and sublimating the collective wisdom of the whole party and the people of the whole country. The main body of theoretical innovation and practical innovation is the party and the masses. The Chinese Communists, with Mao Zedong as the main representative, created a Marxist mass viewpoint and mass line in the course of the revolution. Over the past hundred years, the great and rich practice of revolution, construction, and reform carried out by the people of all nationalities under the leadership of the Communist Party of China has been the main raw material and material for forming a series of achievements in the sinification of Marxism. The formation of a series of achievements in the sinification of Marxism is inseparable from the process of our party persisting in coming from the masses, concentrating the rich raw materials and materials and creative ideas accumulated in practice through investigation and study, and transforming them into scientific theories through logical upgrading; it is inseparable from the process of persisting among the masses, returning theory to practice and becoming an action guide for revolution, construction, and reform, so as to promote the development of practice in the correct direction and create still greater practical achievements, and to create conditions for further carrying out the sinification of Marxism. Adhering to the mass viewpoint and mass line is the source of vitality for the sinification of Marxism.
The key to adhering to the combination of Marxism and China's excellent traditional culture lies in the creative transformation and innovative development of China's outstanding traditional culture. In his important speech on July 1, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that "persisting in integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture" is not only the basic experience of the sinification of Marxism, but also the fundamental requirement for promoting the sinification of Marxism. China's excellent traditional culture is the spiritual lifeblood of the Chinese nation, which subtly affects the way of thinking and behavior of the Chinese, provides rich nourishment for the endless growth and development of the Chinese nation, and also provides fertile soil for Marxism to take root, blossom and bear fruit in China. In the process of promoting the sinification of Marxism, our party has excavated, inherited, and carried forward the essence of China's excellent traditional culture and integrated it with Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods. On the one hand, we should use the power of Marxist truth to activate China's outstanding traditional culture, so that Chinese culture can show a new style of the times; on the other hand, our party's innovative theory is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of China's excellent traditional culture, and while embodying the great national characteristics, it constantly promotes the creative transformation and innovative development of China's outstanding traditional culture, so that China's historical experience, national wisdom, and national spirit can be integrated into Marxism, and Marxism will thus glow with new truth. From Mao Zedong Thought to Deng Xiaoping Theory, from the important thinking of "three represents" to the scientific concept of development, and then to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, these two are all good embodiments of the combination of these two.
The century-old history of the sinification of Marxism tells us that the reason why Marxism works in China is because Marxist theory can be constantly sinicized and proved correct in our great struggle and practice.
Today, in the face of the world's unprecedented changes in a century, how can China seize the opportunity and respond to the challenges? The inevitable requirement is to accurately judge the spatio-temporal coordinates and new historical tasks of the development of Marxism in China with a high degree of historical consciousness, respond to the great practical demands of comprehensively building a socialist modern power and building a community with a shared future for mankind, constantly innovate and create theoretical achievements in the new form of sinification of Marxism, and better promote the sinification of Marxism, so as to ensure that Marxism is becoming more and more "capable", and thus ensuring that the COMMUNIST Party of China is becoming more and more "capable" and that socialism with Chinese characteristics is becoming more and more "good". World socialism is becoming more and more "prosperous."
In the new journey, we must also respond to the great practical needs of "what kind of socialist modern power to build and how to build a socialist modern power" with a high degree of historical consciousness, creatively transform and innovate the development of China's excellent traditional culture, and look for national genes and Chinese elements for promoting the development of Marxism in China. With a high degree of historical consciousness, we continue to pay attention to the development of world socialism, respond to the practical demands of "how to promote world socialism out of the trough", actively study the new practices and new theories of the world socialist movement, and supplement nutrients for promoting the sinification of Marxism in practical reference. With a high degree of historical consciousness, we should respond to the practical needs of "creating a new road for the modernization of human society and how to create a new road for modernization", "absorb all the outstanding achievements of civilization created by mankind with a broad vision, and promote the development of Marxism with vivid and rich contemporary Chinese practice", and promote the sinification of Marxism in the comparison of civilizations. With a high degree of historical consciousness, we will respond to the practical needs of "what kind of community of human destiny to build and how to build a community of human destiny", think about the fate of ourselves and all mankind, and continue to provide Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for solving world problems with the developing Sinicization of Marxism. In these senses, we can say that when the sinification of Marxism is not completed, it is only when it is carried out.
(Author: He Xinyuan, Deputy Director and Researcher, Research Department of Marxism sinicization, Institute of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)