A rich and prosperous culture is an indicator and important support for a nation’s prosperity. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as its core has endeavored to build a strong socialist culture with a series of new concepts, thoughts and strategies to further answer why should we build a strong socialist culture and how do we build it, showing Chinese logic in building a strong socialist culture and establishing its guidance and support in theory.
The Chinese nation has made great contributions to human development and progress with a strong sense of cultural awareness. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as its core have been taking the lead in building a great socialist culture by pursuing the goal of national rejuvenation, shouldering the mission of creating new glory for Chinese culture and adopting a development path of socialist culture featuring Chinese characteristics.
It is based on our Party’s deep grip on cultural significance to develop a strong culture. With regard to cultural development, Xi stressed a larger scope to put it into the historical trend of the world and our country. History tells us that every leap of human society and every stride of human civilization are along with the historical progress in culture. Culture is an important strength for a nation to survive and develop. Throughout the history of Chinese nation, the destiny of culture and nation are closely related to each other. Culture has always been spiritual support for the Chinese nation to overcome difficulties. It is a lesson drawn from the history and a logic we must follow to move forward to advance a prosperous culture with high-level cultural awareness.
It is an internal requirement for developing the socialism with Chinese characteristics and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation to build a great culture. The socialism with Chinese characteristics we develop demands coordinated development of material and spiritual civilization. In this course, the development and prosperity of culture are not only an indispensable part of developing socialism with Chinese characteristics but also spiritual conditions and intellectual support for realizing the goal of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. With the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we are approaching the great goal of national rejuvenation. Standing at the new historical starting point, we are rich in material and spiritual resources to develop and prosper culture. Meanwhile, a massive upsurge in people’s cultural demand has seen to set up higher demand for cultural development and prosperity.
It is a task of the times to build a great culture in the competition of overall national strength. Currently, culture has become increasingly crucial amid a more fierce competition in overall national strength Most countries have rolled out responding strategies to leverage strength and forge ahead in culture. Currently, culture still remains a western-dominated landscape in general though our cultural soft power is rising. Xi stressed that we will not only let the rest of the world know “Chinese food”, but also “Chinese academy”, “Chinese theory” and “Chinese philosophy and social sciences”, which demands robust improvement in China’s cultural soft power.
Comrade Xi Jinping explained the direction and principles of building a great socialist culture, and delivered a profound answer to handle the basic relations between “unity and diversity”, “past and present”, “China and foreign countries” and “people and culture” in cultural development as well as further disclosed the law of building a strong socialist culture.
It is urged to uphold Marxism as our guiding principle. The key to develop a socialist culture for our nation-a culture that is sound and people-oriented, that embraces modernization, the world, and the future, is that we need to follow the guidance of Marxism which is also the soul of socialist system and culture. The reiteration of the guidance of Marxism gives a profound answer to the essence and content of culture desired to be developed, and makes clear socialist nature and path in building a great culture.
It is urged to uphold the people-centered philosophy. The interests of people are the fundamental position of Marxism as they are the essence of socialist culture. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, our party made clear the people-centered development, which is integrated into various requirements in building a great culture and frequently mentioned in Xi’s remarks on building a great culture. The people-centered cultural development is set to ensure that culture serves people, lauds people, takes root in people and relies on people. It has answered the purpose and way of developing a prosperous culture.
It is essential to absorb fine traditional culture. How should we treat our own history? How should we treat our traditional culture? These are major problems that any country and nation must deal with in the course of modernization It is crucial to inherit and carry forward fine traditional Chinese culture in building a great socialist culture. Comrade Xi reiterated the historical significance and modern values of fine traditional Chinese culture, stressing the endeavor to give full play to the role of fine traditional culture. In order to give full play to role of fine traditional Chinese culture, we need to respect and ponder on more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization so as to draw from the past, discard the dross and eliminate the false. The reiteration on inheriting and carrying forward fine traditional culture has made clear our scientific methodology in handling the relation between the past and the present in the new era.
It is urged to insist on innovation-driven method. Comrade Xi Jinping called for great endeavor to carry forward fine traditional Chinese culture, and also reiterated the efforts to not only keep it alive and build on its heritage from one generation to the next, but also adapt itself to the changing times and break new ground. Efforts should be stepped up to promote the creative evolution and development of fine traditional Chinese culture and integrate it into modern culture to fulfill the mission of educating people with culture. Moreover, Xi also underlined the innovation in culture by focusing on the reality and embracing the future when answering new questions of the times and responding to new needs for development. The great attention to innovation demonstrated the fundamental requirement for cultural development, and made clear the in-depth drive for building a great culture.
It is urged to pursue openness-oriented strategy. Openness is the only path to national prosperity and development, as well as an internal requirement for improving cultural creativity. While cultural openness refers to not only proactively absorbing fine outcomes of foreign civilizations, but also embracing the world to showcase the glamour of the Chinese civilization in global stage. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Comrade Xi Jinping reiterated that we should integrate fine foreign cultural resources and focus on disseminating the values of modern China, building national image, and intensifying international right of speech and international communication. The outstanding remarks on cultural opening-up and implementation of going-global strategy have established basic principles for the relations between China and foreign countries in cultural development.
It is urged to adopt the talent-centered view. Culture is created by human. There must be numerous outstanding cultural figures in a great culture. To build a great culture, it is required to maintain the people’s principal position, respect people’s innovation and creation, and strengthen cultural personnel development. Xi reiterated the role of talents in building a great culture. He said that a large number of eminent figures with moral integrity and outstanding artistic are needed to create fine works and promote innovation in literature and art. Moreover, the talents should be placed as the first priority with enduring efforts to build the philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. Meanwhile, Xi also set goal for cultural personnel development, and proposed the clear-cut requirements for personnel’s self-cultivation and.improvement. The talent-centred view has reflected our Party and nation’s profound cognition of nourishing talents.
Since the 18th CPC National People’s Congress, the equal importance has been placed on the cultural content and cultural restructuring in building a great socialist culture. Xi has made systemic remarks on nurturing and spreading the socialist core values, prospering and developing socialist literature and art, speeding up the development of the philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, doing a better job in public communication, building internet culture and deepening the cultural restructuring, which offered important guidance on building a great socialist culture.
The core values are the soul of a stronger cultural soft power. The cultural soft power of a county has been determined by its core values in essence. To build a great socialist culture, the fundamental task is to proactively cultivate and carry forward core socialist culture, and boost the enduring and profound spiritual strength of our country. It is also our mission to establish core values for a sound cultural system and the modernization of the national governance system and capacity Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Comrade Xi underlined the importance of cultivating and spreading core socialist values. We are obliged to study Xi’s remarks to integrate the core values with education, system, article and practice among the public, and ensure their dully implementation.
Literary and art represent the look of an era. At the symposium for literature and art, Xi has explained the significance of literature and art in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and building a great culture by quoting Lu Xun’s sentence that the literature and art should put in the first place to shape citizen’s spiritual world. Outstanding artistic works reflect the cultural creativity and level of a country and a nation. The excellent artistic works we need should be free from stereotypes and cater for common requirements and features, namely spreading Chinese values in modern times, demonstrating the spirit of the Chinese civilization, reflecting aesthetic pursuit of the Chinese people, and incorporating the integration of insights, arts and appreciation. Besides, the artistic works are also required to have positive energy and the ability to appeal, warm hearts, enlighten thoughts and gain long-lasting popularity among people.
The style of the philosophy and social sciences shapes a sophisticated, powerful and confident country. A strong socialist culture must have distinct philosophy and social sciences. At the symposium for the philosophy and social sciences, Comrade Xi explained how to develop philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. To develop philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, it is urged to follow the guidance of Marxism and continue to adapt Marxism to China’s conditions in keeping up with the times and increase its appeal to the people as well as develop Marxism in the 21st century and in modern China. Meanwhile, we should display the Chinese style in guiding principle, academic disciplines and system as well as discourse system by basing China and borrowing from other countries, taping the history and adapting to the modern times, caring for the humanity and embracing the future.
The public communication is an important strength that exerts great influence on social development, as well as a significant approach to enhance cultural cohesiveness and international influence. At the symposium for the Party’s public communication, Xi regarded it as a top priority in governing the country with 48 letters in short for the Party’s missions and responsibilities against the new historical background. The media workers are obliged to shoulder the missions and responsibilities by upholding the Party spirit, putting in place Marxist outlook on the media, maintaining the right tone in public communication, spreading positive information, obeying the laws of communication, improving means of communication and creating new ones, as well as promoting the integrated development of the media. It is urged to strengthen international right of speech and enhance the real effects of the media by taking the time, scale and effect into account.
The key to build a strong socialist culture is to enhance the cultural creativity of the whole nation, which demands deepening reform on the cultural system. While the reform on the cultural system should handle the relations between ideological nature and industrial features, and between social effect and economic effect. It is required to follow the direction of advanced socialist culture and put social effect as top priority. When addressing nurturing and spreading core socialist values, prospering and developing literature and art, and developing the philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics as well as doing a better job in public opinion, Xi has explained relevant reform on the system. We should follow Xi’s guidance to implement the Plan of Deepening the Reform on Culture and stimulate the cultural creativity of the whole nation.
Xi Jinping noted, “The Chinese nation has created a long history of Chinese civilization. Therefore, the Chinese nation will be sure to create a new glory for Chinese civilization,” The Chinese People have full confidence in creating a new glory for Chinese culture and building a great socialist culture. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi also underlined the confidence in culture while stressing the confidence in path, theory and system. He said, “The confidence in culture has represented a fundamental, and profound force.” The strong cultural confidence is essential for the Chinese people to create a new glory in culture.
Our confidence in culture derives from rich traditional cultural resources and strong cultural creativity. A civilization of more than 5,000 years has represented treasured cultural property of the Chinese nation and valuable cultural resources of cultural innovation. Meanwhile, the Chinese nation also has rich national endowment for innovation and strong cultural creativity. As Comrade Xi Jinping said, “Both history and present circumstances attest that the Chinese nation has strong cultural creativity. Every critical moment throughout the history, culture could herald the destiny of the country, as well as lead applause and cheers for millions of people and the great motherland.” To this end, the Chinese nation could weather through the dangerous situation and difficulties since the beginning of the modern times, and blaze a new path for the nation and its culture to approach the goal of national rejuvenation.
Our confidence in culture derives from strong material foundations, spiritual deposits and a sound system for a new glory in culture. Since the founding of New China (1949), especially after the reform and opening-up (1978), our country has seen remarkable achievements in economy and society that offer strong foundations, spiritual deposits and a sound system for cultural development and prosperity. In the meantime, people, as the creator of culture, have seen overall improvement in cultural quality. It is for sure that the Chinese civilization will thrive with new vigor and vitality as the economy and society develop. The Chinese nation is confident about striving for a right path.
Our cultural confidence derives from deep cultural awareness. In the course of advancing national rejuvenation and building a great socialist culture, we have a deeper cultural awareness based on our profound understanding of current conditions, as well as experience and lessons of building a culture and unremitting exploration on the law of culture. This awareness proves a grip on the significance and law of culture, a socialist path with Chinese characteristics we have found for cultural development and a profound and strong desire for national rejuvenation in modern China. The nation who had a glorious history will be aware of the significance of rejuvenation; the nation who weathered through sorrows will have such a strong desire for national rejuvenation. This strong desire has served as a inexhaustible source for the Chinese nation to unremittingly seek for innovation and make new contributions to human civilizations.