Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development
Xi Jinping
Reporter Ju Peng from Xinhua News Agency/Photo taken
Today, we are holding a symposium on cultural inheritance and development. Before the symposium, I visited the newly built China National Version Museum and the Archaeological Museum of the Chinese Academy of History, which was very rewarding.
The establishment of the Chinese Academy of History and the Chinese National Version Museum is a major decision made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese nation has a human history of millions of years, a cultural history of ten thousand years, and a civilization history of over five thousand years. This visit to the Chinese Academy of History and the National Version Museum of China has given me a deeper sense of the long and profound history of Chinese culture and the vastness and profoundness of Chinese civilization. Only by comprehensively and deeply understanding the history of Chinese civilization can we more effectively promote the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture, and more effectively promote the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and the construction of modern Chinese civilization.
Culture is related to the foundation and destiny of a country. During this period, I have been contemplating the major issue of promoting the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and building modern civilization of the Chinese nation. This is also the reason for holding this symposium. Here, I will talk about three questions.
1、 Deeply grasp the prominent characteristics of Chinese civilization
There are many important elements in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, such as the social ideal of putting the world under heaven and achieving universal harmony, the governance philosophy of putting the people at the foundation of the country and governing with virtue, the unified tradition of integrating the nine provinces and diversity, the patriotism of maintaining harmony and stability, the spiritual pursuit of carrying things with virtue and promoting morality, the economic ethics of enriching the people and balancing righteousness and profit, the ecological concept of harmony between heaven and man, the philosophy of seeking truth from facts and integrating knowledge and action, the thinking method of adhering to both sides and maintaining harmony, and the way of communication of believing, building harmony, and being kind to neighbors, all of which together shape the Chinese civilization. Highlighting characteristics.
Chinese civilization has outstanding continuity. Chinese civilization is the only great civilization in the world that has been continuously developed in the form of a nation to this day. This fully proves that Chinese civilization has the cultural subjectivity and strong vitality of self-development, responding to challenges, and opening up new opportunities. The profound patriotism and historical consciousness have laid the foundation for the Chinese nation to maintain unity, and have become the spiritual support for the continuous rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through countless difficulties and dangers. The continuity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that the Chinese nation will inevitably follow its own path. If we do not understand China from its long-standing historical continuity, it is impossible to understand ancient China, modern China, and future China.
Chinese civilization has outstanding innovation. Chinese civilization is a revolutionary and flourishing civilization, intertwined with deep currents and magnificent waves. Continuation is not stagnation, let alone rigidity, but a historical progress process supported by innovation. The Chinese nation has always created its own material civilization, spiritual civilization, and political civilization with the spirit of "striving for innovation, innovation, and innovation". For a long period of history, it has stood tall as the most prosperous and powerful civilization in the world. The innovation of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines the enterprising spirit of the Chinese nation to uphold integrity and respect the past, as well as the fearless character of the Chinese nation to face new challenges and accept new things.
Chinese civilization has outstanding unity. The long-standing tradition of great unity in Chinese civilization has formed a unity of diversity, unity, and concentration. The pursuit of unity through inward cohesion is both a prerequisite and a result of the continuity of civilization. Unity and unity are blessings, while division and turmoil are disasters. They are valuable lessons learned by the Chinese people at the cost of blood. The unity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines the integration of various ethnic cultures of the Chinese nation, and the firm cohesion even in the face of major setbacks. It determines the common belief that the land cannot be separated, the country cannot be chaotic, the nation cannot be separated, and the civilization cannot be interrupted. It also determines that national unity will always be the core of China's core interests, and that a strong and unified country is the fate of all ethnic groups.
Chinese civilization has outstanding inclusiveness. Chinese civilization has never used a single culture to replace multiculturalism, but has gathered multiculturalism into a common culture, resolving conflicts, and building consensus. Chinese cultural identity transcends regional and local customs, blood lineages, religious beliefs, etc., and integrates the vast ethnic groups with significant internal differences into a diverse and integrated Chinese nation. The more inclusive you are, the more you gain recognition and maintenance, and the more continuous you will be. The inclusiveness of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines the historical orientation of communication, exchange, and integration among the Chinese nation, determines the harmonious pattern of diverse and coexisting religious beliefs in China, and determines the open mind of Chinese culture to embrace world civilization.
Chinese civilization has outstanding peacefulness. Peace, harmony, and harmony have been the concepts that have been passed down in Chinese civilization for over 5000 years, advocating the construction of a world of unity between oneself and the group through moral order, and prioritizing others in interpersonal relationships. Advocate for harmonious transportation and oppose isolation and blockage; Advocate for symbiosis and progress, oppose the strong following oneself; Advocate for harmony and oppose the law of the jungle. The peaceful nature of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a maintainer of the international order. It also determines that China continuously pursues cultural exchange and mutual learning rather than cultural hegemony. It also determines that China will not impose its own values and political system on others. It also determines that China insists on cooperation, does not engage in confrontation, and will never engage in a small circle of "same party and differences".
2、 Deeply understand the significant significance of "two combinations"
Building on the profound foundation of over 5000 years of Chinese civilization, we must open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, and combine the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and excellent traditional Chinese culture. This is our regular understanding obtained in exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have always emphasized the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities, and now we have explicitly proposed the "second integration". I have said, if it weren't for China's 5000 year civilization, where would there be any Chinese characteristics? If it weren't for Chinese characteristics, how could we have such a successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics today? Only by standing on the magnificent 5000 year history of Chinese civilization can we truly understand the historical inevitability, cultural connotations, and unique advantages of China's path.
The experience of both positive and negative aspects of history shows that "two combinations" are the greatest magic weapon for us to achieve success.
Reporter Ju Peng from Xinhua News Agency/Photo taken
Firstly, the premise of "combination" is mutual agreement. "Combination" is not a forced combination. Marxism and excellent traditional Chinese culture have different sources, but they have a high degree of compatibility with each other. For example, the pursuit of harmony and integrity in society is in line with the ideals and beliefs of communism and socialism, the governance ideology of putting the people first and governing with morality is in line with the political concept of putting the people first, and the responsibility of reform and self-improvement is in line with the revolutionary spirit of communists. Marxism grasps the essence of human beings from the perspective of social relations, and Chinese culture also places people within the realm of the country and the world, opposing the view of individuals as isolated individuals. Mutual compatibility is the key to organic integration. It is in this sense that we can say that the CPC is not only a firm believer and practitioner of Marxism, but also a faithful successor and promoter of China's excellent traditional culture.
Secondly, the result of "combination" is mutual achievement. "Combination" is not a "puzzle" or a simple "physical reaction", but a profound "chemical reaction" that creates an organic and unified new cultural life form. On the one hand, Marxism has brought advanced ideological theories to China, activated the genes of Chinese civilization with the light of truth, led China into the modern world, and promoted the life renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization. From people-oriented to democratic, from Kyushu to the community of the Chinese nation, from the coexistence of all things to the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, from the prosperity of the people to common prosperity, Chinese civilization has opened up new horizons and achieved a leap from tradition to modernity, developing a modern form of Chinese civilization. On the other hand, the excellent traditional Chinese culture has enriched the cultural life of Marxism, promoted the new leap of Marxism to continuously realize the sinicization and modernization, and demonstrated an increasingly distinctive Chinese style and Chinese style. sinicized Marxism has become the essence of the times of Chinese culture and Chinese spirit. The "second combination" makes Marxism Chinese, Chinese excellent traditional culture modern, and the new culture formed through the "combination" become the cultural form of Chinese path to modernization.
Reporter Ju Peng from Xinhua News Agency/Photo taken
Thirdly, the combination has solidified the foundation of the road. Why is our socialism different? Why can it be vibrant and full of vitality? The key lies in Chinese characteristics. The key to Chinese characteristics lies in the combination of the two. The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is first and foremost socialism, which comes from Marxism; At the same time, the simple socialist elements in Chinese culture also provide the cultural foundation for China to accept Marxism. Building socialism with Chinese characteristics, our path is becoming wider and more firm. In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, one important reason why the cause of the Party and the state has achieved historic achievements and undergone historic changes is that we have adhered to the "two combinations". The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics was guided by Marxism and has also emerged from over 5000 years of Chinese civilization history; The second combination has given the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics a broader and more profound historical depth, expanding the cultural foundation of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Chinese path to modernization is the grand road to building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation. Chinese path to modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern strength, and Chinese civilization endows Chinese path to modernization with profound connotation. Chinese path to modernization is the modernization of continuing the ancient civilization, rather than the modernization of eliminating the ancient civilization; It is a modernization that has grown from the land of China, not simply copying the modernization of other countries; It is the result of civilization renewal, not the product of civilization rupture. Chinese path to modernization is the old and new destiny of the Chinese nation and will certainly promote the rejuvenation of Chinese civilization.
Fourthly, "integration" has opened up space for innovation. "Integration" itself is innovation, while also opening up a vast space for theoretical and practical innovation. The second combination enables us to grasp the initiative of ideology and culture, and effectively apply it to the path, theory, and system. From this perspective, the people's congress system and political consultation system created by our party are deeply related to the people-oriented ideology of Chinese civilization, the concept of universal governance, the governance traditions of "republic" and "consultation", and the political wisdom of "inclusiveness, seeking common ground while reserving differences". We did not adopt a federal or federal system, but instead established a single system of state and implemented a system of regional ethnic autonomy. This is in line with the trend of internal cohesion and diversified integration of the Chinese nation, and inherits the traditional Chinese cultural unity of nine provinces, six contracts, and one country. More importantly, the "second combination" is another ideological liberation, allowing us to fully utilize the precious resources of excellent traditional Chinese culture in a broader cultural space, and explore future oriented theoretical and institutional innovations.
Fifth, "integration" consolidates cultural subjectivity. Any culture must have its own subjectivity in order to stand firm, move far, have leadership, cohesion, shaping, and radiating power. The CPC has always attached importance to culture. In the new era, we have increased our cultural confidence on the basis of self-confidence in the road, theory and system. Cultural confidence comes from our cultural subjectivity. This subjectivity was established by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC; It was established on the basis of creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture, inheritance of revolutionary culture, and development of advanced socialist culture, drawing on and absorbing all outstanding achievements of human civilization; It was established by combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and excellent traditional Chinese culture. The establishment of the socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics for the new era is the most powerful manifestation of this cultural subjectivity. With cultural subjectivity, there will be a firm self in the cultural sense, cultural self-confidence will have a fundamental basis, the CPC will have a strong cultural force to lead the times, the Chinese nation and the Chinese people will have a solid cultural foundation for national identity, and the Chinese civilization will have a distinctive cultural characteristic of exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations in the world.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi/Photo
The second combination is a profound summary of our party's historical experience in the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, a profound grasp of the development laws of Chinese civilization, indicating that our party's understanding of the Chinese path, theory, and system has reached a new height, indicating that our party's historical self-confidence and cultural confidence have reached a new height, and that our party's consciousness in promoting cultural innovation in inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture has reached a new height.
3、 Better shoulder new cultural missions
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has placed cultural construction in an important position in the overall work of leading the Party and the people in promoting governance and governance. After years of unremitting efforts, the development of cultural inheritance has presented a new atmosphere and created a new situation, and the construction of a socialist cultural power has taken solid steps.
In practice, we continuously deepen our understanding of the regularity of cultural construction and propose a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and judgments. These important viewpoints are a theoretical summary of the practical experience of the Party's leadership culture construction in the new era, and are the fundamental guidelines for doing a good job in propaganda, ideological and cultural work. They must be persistently implemented and continuously enriched and developed in the long term.
Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural nation, and build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the new era. Here, I emphasize three points.
Firstly, strengthen cultural confidence. Confidence is the key to self-improvement. A nation with cultural confidence can stand firm, stand firm, and travel far. The Chinese civilization has lasted for thousands of years and has endured numerous hardships, which is a miracle of human civilization and a source of confidence for us. Strengthening cultural confidence means sticking to one's own path. The primary task of strengthening cultural confidence is to base ourselves on the great historical and contemporary practices of the Chinese nation, summarize Chinese experience with Chinese principles, elevate Chinese experience into Chinese theory, neither blindly follow various dogmas nor copy foreign theories, and achieve spiritual independence and autonomy. We should integrate cultural confidence into the spiritual temperament and cultural character of the entire nation, cultivate an upward and rational attitude, and maintain a peaceful mindset.
Secondly, uphold openness and inclusiveness. Openness and inclusiveness have always been a source of vitality for the development of civilization, and a significant symbol of cultural confidence. The vastness of Chinese civilization is attributed to the open and inclusive attitude of Chinese culture since ancient times. Adhering to openness and inclusiveness means actively learning and borrowing from all the excellent achievements of human civilization. Whether it is to enhance the cohesion and appeal of advanced culture internally or to enhance the dissemination and influence of Chinese civilization externally, it cannot be separated from the integration of China and foreign countries and the connection between ancient and modern times. After long-term efforts, we have more conditions than ever before to resolve the "ancient and modern struggle between China and the West", and there is also a more urgent need than ever before for a group of cultural achievements that integrate the ancient and modern, and the East and the West. We must adhere to the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, inherit and develop excellent traditional Chinese culture, promote the localization of foreign cultures, and continuously cultivate and create socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
Thirdly, we must adhere to integrity and innovation. For cultural construction, maintaining integrity is the key to not losing oneself and direction, while innovation is the key to grasping and leading the times. Uprightness is the fundamental system of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, the fundamental requirement of "two combinations", the cultural leadership of the CPC and the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. Innovation creates new ideas, new discourse, new mechanisms, and new forms. Under the guidance of Marxism, we must truly make the past serve the present, the foreign serve China, make dialectical choices, and innovate, achieving an organic connection between tradition and modernity. Cultural workers in the new era must uphold the spirit of integrity and innovation, continue the historical context, and write a magnificent chapter of the contemporary era.
Comrades! The best inheritance of history is to create new history, and the greatest respect for human civilization is to create new forms of human civilization. I hope everyone can take on their mission, work together to create a new culture that belongs to our era, and build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation!
