Drawing the Power of Identity from Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture in Society | Tradition | Culture

Authors: Tang Yuhuan and Peng Zhengde

The core function of culture is to shape identity, which is the deepest level of identity and a solid foundation for political identity. The excellent traditional culture formed by the Chinese nation in the long-term development process contains rich ideological elements that enhance emotional identity and national confidence, as well as a powerful force to unite people's hearts and integrate society. To comprehensively build a socialist modernized country and promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to deeply explore the ideological resources that promote cultural and political identity in the excellent traditional culture of China, and draw the power of identity from it.

The Great Harmony Ideal of "The World is Public"

The Great Harmony Society is a beautiful ideal proposed by ancient Chinese philosophers, which has a broad social foundation and profound historical influence in traditional Chinese culture. Its core concept is "the world is for the public". The Book of Rites, Book of Rites and Rites, proposes that "the path of the great way is for the public under heaven." The L ü shi Spring and Autumn Annals explain "the public under heaven" as: "The world is not a world of one person, but a world of all." In the view of ancient philosophers, only when "the world" is shared by all people can the rule of rulers gain widespread recognition from the people, and the whole society will have a prosperous era of harmony, friendship, abundant clothing and food, and stability and order.

Throughout the thousands of years of history in China, the idea of "the world is for the public" has persisted and has always shone as a value proposition. The pre Qin philosopher Xunzi advocated "the establishment of a ruler for the people", the famous Western Han official Gu Yong advised the emperor to "not be selfish with one surname, tomorrow will be the world of the world", the late Ming and early Qing philosopher Gu Yanwu believed that the monarch should "treat the people of the world with a public heart", Huang Zongxi proposed the "public interest" value system of "not taking one's own interests for profit, but making the world benefit from them", Wang Fuzhi emphasized that "the world is not the private of one surname", and the ancient peasant uprising slogan of "equal status, equal wealth" all reflect the value orientation of "the world is public". In modern times, the idea of "the world is for the public" was integrated into the political proposition of the Chinese people to explore the way out for the country. Hong Xiu made every effort to establish the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" with "equal land, equal food, equal clothing, and equal wealth". Kang Youwei's depiction of the "Great Harmony World" with equality for all, the establishment of a public government, and the abolition of private property in the "Book of Great Harmony". Sun Yat sen's desire to achieve a "Great Harmony Society" of national prosperity and strength through the Three Principles of the People was deeply influenced by the idea of "the world is for the public".

The profound historical accumulation and extensive social foundation of the idea of "the world is for the public" have provided an ideological environment for the dissemination of Marxism in China, as well as a suitable social soil for the growth of socialism in China.

The people-oriented ideology of "putting the people first"

The people-oriented ideology is an important political and moral concept and political value orientation in traditional Chinese culture. The records in the Book of Documents about "only Yin is for the people" and "respecting virtue and protecting the people" are the beginning of China's people-oriented ideology. Afterwards, various scholars and schools of thought further elaborated on the people-oriented ideology. For example, Guan believed that "the prosperity of politics lies in obeying the people's hearts; the abandonment of politics lies in rebelling against the people's hearts", Laozi advocated "loving the people and governing the country" and "taking the people's hearts as the heart", Confucius proposed "frugal use and loving the people" and "wealth" to love and enrich the people, Mencius emphasized "the people are precious, the state is secondary, and the ruler is light", Xunzi compared the relationship between the ruler and the people to the relationship between boats and water, warning rulers that "water carries boats, and water capsizes boats". These discussions deeply explain the principle of "the people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is solid and peaceful", adding intellectual treasures to traditional Chinese culture. After the Han Dynasty's emphasis on Confucianism, the people-oriented ideology was inherited and developed, becoming an important governing philosophy for rulers throughout history.

From the perspective of value theory, traditional Chinese people-oriented thinking provides value orientation and legitimacy basis for political governance. The people-oriented ideology regards valuing, being close to, and loving the people as important criteria for evaluating the moral character and legitimacy of a monarch's political power. Objectively, it helps guide the monarch to implement benevolent governance and gain recognition from the people for its political rule. However, traditional people-oriented thinking emphasizes that the purpose of "valuing the people" is to achieve "peace" and maintain the autocratic rule of the monarch, thus having obvious historical limitations. With the development of the economy and society, traditional Chinese people-oriented thinking has undergone a transformation, marked by Huang Zongxi's idea of "putting the world first and the ruler as the guest". This idea regards the monarch as the culprit of "poisoning the liver and brain of the world and dispersing the children of the world", thus subverting the orthodox concept of "putting the monarch first" and giving new connotations to traditional people-oriented thinking.

The CPC has inherited the essence of the traditional people-oriented thought, and has carried out creative transformation and innovative development of the traditional people-oriented thought. It has established the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, led and supported the people to be the masters of the country, unswervingly developed socialist democratic governance, and worked hard to achieve common prosperity for all people. The party's original mission, mass line, and governing philosophy all shine with the glory of the people-oriented thought. Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized that Communist Party members must "serve the people wholeheartedly and never detach themselves from the masses; everything should be based on the interests of the people.". Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out that "everything we do must be in line with the interests of the people.".It is precisely because the CPC has always been people-oriented in its governing practice that it has received the firm support and heartfelt support of the people, gathered the strength of the people of all ethnic groups in the country, and made great achievements in socialist modernization.

The patriotic sentiment of "sacrificing life for righteousness"

Patriotism is the core of the Chinese national spirit, rooted in the fertile soil of our country's history and culture, and contains a powerful force to promote national and ethnic identity. In the history of the development of the Chinese nation, patriotism has a long history. The concept of Emperor Yao's "harmony with all nations", the spirit of Great Yu's "hard work and worry" and "three times passing through the family but not entering" to manage floods, the sentiment of his son's "striving for the benefit of the country, life and death with it", and Qu Yuan's ambition of "preserving the monarch and promoting the country" reflect the patriotic thinking of ancient politicians who took the world as their own responsibility from different perspectives; The verses in the Book of Songs, such as "Wang Yu sets out to conquer the kingdom" and "Xiu my spear and spear, and share the same grudge with my son," express the patriotic sentiment of the common people in resisting foreign aggression and defending their country. Therefore, as early as the pre Qin period, patriotism had become an important component of China's traditional culture, flowing in the bloodline of the Chinese nation.

In the process of the development of Chinese civilization, traditional culture has endowed patriotism with the basic characteristic of "sacrificing life for righteousness". "Yi" is a universally recognized value concept among the various schools of thought in the pre Qin period. Among various schools of thought, Confucianism has made many discussions on "righteousness". When there is a conflict between righteousness and profit, the value orientation of Confucianism is very clear, which is to prioritize righteousness over profit. Mencius said, "Life is also what I desire, and righteousness is also what I desire; the two cannot be achieved simultaneously. Those who sacrifice life for righteousness have also had a significant and far-reaching impact on patriotic thought.". After being imprisoned by the Xiongnu, Su Wu would rather die than surrender, "lying on the snow and swallowing it together with felt and fur", never surrendering; Huo Qubing constantly warned himself to resist the Xiongnu, saying, "If the Xiongnu are not extinct, why should our family behave?"; Qi Jiguang "did not go up to the Wangxiangtai for ten years" and eradicated the Japanese invasion that had been a disaster for many years; Lin Zexu expressed his aspirations through poetry: "If we strive to benefit the country through life and death, we should not avoid it due to misfortune and good fortune."; Deng Shichang aspired to kill the enemy and serve the country. Before sacrificing himself, he claimed that he had "died in the sea, righteous, and how could he seek to survive?". These heroic figures represent numerous patriotic figures in traditional society, and their patriotic sentiments of sacrificing their lives for justice are a powerful spiritual driving force that inspires the Chinese people to uphold national sovereignty and dignity.

The CPC has inherited the patriotic tradition of the Chinese nation, shouldered the historical mission of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation at the time of national internal and external troubles and national survival, led the people to carry out the arduous revolutionary struggle, and demonstrated the patriotic feelings of "sacrificing life for righteousness" with the spirit of heroic and selfless sacrifice under the new historical conditions.At present, the Party is leading the people in their struggle to achieve the second centenary goal. It is necessary to further promote the patriotic spirit in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, let the spirit of patriotism shine with new vitality, and gather a magnificent force.

The Great Governance Concept of "Pure Wind and Beautiful Customs"

The great rule of the world is a political concept highly revered in traditional Chinese culture. In the classics of various schools of thought in the pre Qin period, there are many discussions on "governing the world", such as Emperor Shun's poem "Drum Five Strings and Song of the Southern Wind", King Wu of Zhou's poem "Hanging Arch and Governing the World", Confucius's belief in "not yielding to the highest rites and governing the world", and Han Feizi's belief that "if the relationship between the monarch and his subjects, father and son, and husband and wife is smooth, then governing the world". These discussions reflect the ancient philosophers' yearning for a peaceful country and a safe society. In the view of ancient philosophers, to achieve great governance of the world, not only should there be saints and honest officials, but also simple folk customs and good customs. The foundation of the world lies in the country, the foundation of the country lies in the home, and the foundation of the family lies in the body. Only when everyone has high moral character, abides by laws and regulations, and each family respects the old, loves the young, and prospers harmoniously, can the whole country be stable and orderly, and the world can achieve great governance. The cultivation of personal morality and family virtues requires a good social atmosphere, as the saying goes, "a pure wind is enough to wash away the impurities of a hundred generations", and "beautiful customs" can achieve "national security".

The essence of purifying social atmosphere and advocating good customs is to play the role of moral education in social governance. The governance of ancient Chinese society mainly relied on the rule of virtue and the rule of propriety. Among them, the rule of virtue is the foundation of the rule of propriety, and "propriety" is manifested in various customs and habits. Its core is moral norms, and the rule of propriety is essentially the rule of virtue, with important social education functions. Therefore, traditional society attaches great importance to cultivating good social customs. One important aspect of Laozi's portrayal of a "small country with few people" society is to make the people "enjoy its customs"; Zhuangzi believed that in order for a sage to govern the world, it is necessary to "shake the hearts of the people and make them become a religion and a common practice."; Xunzi advocated for "wide education and beautiful customs", advocating the use of ritual and moral education to "transform nature and rebel", and achieving "peace for all, beauty and goodness for all" through changing customs and traditions; Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty pointed out that "to be the key to politics, distinguishing between customs and traditions is the top priority."; Cui Dunshi of the Song Dynasty believed that "the thickness of folk customs is related to the governance of the world"; In the Ming Dynasty, Ye Boju advocated that "the way of seeking governance should not be preceded by proper customs"; The Blue Ding Yuan of the Qing Dynasty sighed, "Throughout history, governance has been all about customs.". The most important function of simplicity and beauty is to shape identity. The internalization of moral requirements and adherence to social norms by social members implies identification with culture and political order.

In the new era, the Party and the state vigorously advocate and cultivate socialist core values, promote the formation of civilized customs in the whole society, and guide all members of society to uphold great virtues, abide by public morals, and be strict with private morals, which is to inherit the cultural tradition of honesty and beauty.Only by widely practicing the core socialist values and creating a strong atmosphere of morality and goodness in the whole society can we promote social harmony and stability, enhance people's cultural and political identity, and gather the strength of unity and struggle to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Guangming Daily

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