Expanding the breadth and depth of cultural and economic research (academic roundtable)
How should we understand the relationship between culture and economy? What experiences and inspirations have been formed by the integration and development of culture and economy in our country? What aspects should cultural and economic research be deepened from? This academic roundtable invites experts and scholars to discuss these issues.
——Editor
Host:
Reporter Zhang Yitian, Yin Peng, Zheng Yanbing, Wang Yingdi
Guest:
Pang Jinju, former Vice President of Nankai University
Ma Feng, Dean of the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Management Cadres
Ren Ping, a distinguished professor at Suzhou University
Wei Pengju, Dean of the Institute of Culture and Economics at Central University of Finance and Economics
①
Fundamentally speaking, culture is determined by the economy, and economic forces provide a material platform for cultural forces to exert their effectiveness. However, any economy cannot do without the support of culture.
Pang Jinju: In general, economy refers to the social production and reproduction activities of human society based on material production, including production, distribution, exchange, and consumption. Culture can be broadly or narrowly defined. The broad definition of culture refers to the total amount of material and spiritual wealth created by human society in the process of historical development, while the narrow definition of culture refers to the form of social consciousness and the corresponding systems and organizational structures. Economy, as the most fundamental activity for human survival and development, arises and develops simultaneously with the emergence and development of humanity; Culture, whether in a broad or narrow sense, has emerged and developed alongside human socio-economic activities.
From the general law of human social development, economic development determines cultural development, and culture is a reflection of a certain socio-economic form, which significantly affects socio-economic development. The two interact and jointly promote the progress of human society. The discourse of Marxism on the relationship between economic foundation and superstructure is the fundamental principle for understanding and grasping the relationship between culture and economy. It should be pointed out that culture can be divided into advanced culture and backward culture. Advanced culture plays a positive and promoting role in economic development, while backward culture hinders or even destroys economic development.
In the history of our country, there has been a tradition of compiling classics and strengthening cultural construction on the basis of economic prosperity and social stability, while promoting economic prosperity and social development through cultural construction. This contains a profound philosophy of mutual promotion between culture and economy.
Ma Feng: The relationship between culture and economy is ancient and constantly new. Chinese philosophers have long recognized the fundamental role of economy in culture, proposing important ideas such as "knowing etiquette when storing granaries, and knowing honor and disgrace when clothing and food are sufficient.". At the same time, ancient economic thought in our country contained strong humanistic values, pursuing "serving the people and the world" and emphasizing the role of human factors in economic activities. For example, for thousands of years, China has formed commercial groups with regional cultural characteristics, such as Shandong merchants, Huizhou merchants, Jin merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Fujian merchants, reflecting the shaping role of culture and people as cultural carriers in shaping economic forms.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening up, our understanding of the relationship between culture and economy has gradually deepened. On the one hand, culture has ideological attributes, and ideology determines the direction and path of cultural progress; The material form of culture or cultural products, like general commodities, have economic attributes. On the other hand, sustained and healthy economic development cannot be separated from human factors and the supportive role of culture; Economic development cannot be solely based on indicators or data. Culture endows economic development with profound humanistic value. Once advanced culture is combined with the most active human factors in productivity, it will greatly improve the quality of labor, expand the breadth and depth of labor objects, and enhance human ability to transform nature and create wealth.
Ren Ping: Culture and economy are like two wheels of human social development, they interact with each other and jointly promote social development and progress. From the perspective of world history, the economic development of a country often drives cultural development, while culture also silently integrates into economic activities, providing support and impetus for economic development. For example, in ancient Greece, residents along the Aegean coast engaged in mutual trade, promoting the economic development of city states and nurturing corresponding philosophical ideas and institutional culture, promoting the economic prosperity and trade development of each city state; The ancient Silk Road not only opened up trade routes between China and related countries, but also paved the way for cultural exchange and civilization dissemination among countries in economic and trade development; Wait a minute. From the perspective of materialist history, there exists a relationship between economy and culture that determines and is determined, as well as between action and reaction. This provides an important foundation for us to further examine the integration, interaction, and development of culture and economy.
Wei Pengju: Most ancient and modern Chinese and foreign philosophers emphasized the positive role of moral concepts in economic development. For example, ancient Chinese people attached great importance to the distinction between righteousness and profit, believing that both individuals and countries should pursue wealth based on "morality". Only economic activities that meet the common social values are meaningful and sustainable. As Dong Zhongshu once said, "To maintain friendship without seeking profit, to understand the way without considering the merits.". In the Western tradition of knowledge, the importance of virtue has also been emphasized since ancient Greece. For promoting social progress, the significance and value of virtue should be higher than material wealth; For achieving personal value, the pursuit of spiritual wealth in a cultural sense is also more noble than simply pursuing material wealth. For example, Adam Smith analyzed the promoting role of moral concepts in the healthy development of the economy and society in "On Moral Sentiments".
The study of the relationship between culture and economy roughly includes three levels: at the macro level, Marx and Engels' research on the laws of human social development shows that the economy is the foundation, and cultural development is generally constrained by the economic foundation, but there are also active reactions; At the meso level, modern cultural industry research has found that cultural products and services have market value just like other commodities; At the micro level, research on the cultural construction of microeconomic entities and the impact of cultural environment on economic entities shows that a certain social cultural environment always has an assimilation effect on the people living in it.
②
"The so-called cultural economy is a collective term for cultural and economic culturalization, which essentially refers to the integration, interaction, and development of culture and economy."
Pang Jinju: China is an ancient civilization with a long history, and its agricultural civilization has long been at the forefront of the world. On the basis of economic development, China has formed a brilliant culture, such as the idea of putting the people first, ensuring peace, prosperity, and happiness for the people, the idea of being down-to-earth and seeking truth from facts, the idea of applying knowledge to practical situations, integrating knowledge and action, and practicing practice, the idea of frugality, self-restraint, and avoiding luxury, and so on. This also contains important ideas for solving the difficulties faced by contemporary humanity.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening up, China has adhered to the dual focus and hard work of material civilization and spiritual civilization in socialist modernization construction, and has achieved significant achievements. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has adhered to economic construction as the center, while placing cultural construction in an important position in overall work, consolidating the common ideological foundation of unity and struggle among the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups in the country. In the practice of promoting the coordinated development of material civilization and spiritual civilization, we have deepened our understanding of the regularity of the integration of culture and economy, such as adhering to economic construction as the center, and adhering to the coordinated and common development of economy and culture; Strengthen cultural confidence, persist in following one's own path, elevate China's economic development experience into Chinese theory, and achieve cultural and spiritual independence and autonomy; Strengthen the excavation and elucidation of economic ideas in excellent traditional Chinese culture, and carry out creative transformation and innovative development to coordinate it with modern economic and social development; Adhering to openness and inclusiveness, adept at absorbing all outstanding achievements of human civilization, cultivating and creating socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and providing rich nourishment for economic development in the new era; Wait a minute.
Ren Ping: China has gained a lot of experience and inspiration in the integration and development of culture and economy. The key points to choose from are as follows:
One is that culture provides a profound foundation for the economic prosperity and development of a country or a nation. For example, traditional Chinese culture emphasizes "the great virtue of heaven and earth is called life", and in economic activities, attention is paid to highlighting the human factor and playing the role of humans; Emphasize the importance of prioritizing righteousness over benefits, and prioritize values such as morality and integrity when seeking benefits; Wait a minute. Today, the humanistic spirit contained in excellent traditional Chinese culture, along with Marxist values, guides and supports China's economic development, enabling the socialist market economy to break free from the Western market economy's excessive pursuit of material satisfaction. While improving the cultural quality of products and services, it also injects spiritual power into improving the quality of economic development.
Secondly, to better promote the integration and development of culture and economy, it is necessary to continuously deepen the understanding and grasp of the mechanism of mutual promotion and progress between economic and cultural economy. For example, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province has made many explorations in the combination of tradition and modernity, with historical and cultural inheritance, high-tech innovation, and high-quality development complementing each other; Zhejiang Hangzhou correctly handles the relationship between protecting traditional culture and developing modern economy, promoting modern economic development through the transformation and utilization of traditional culture, and allowing economic development to feed back the inheritance and protection of culture.
The integration and development of culture and economy is conducive to enhancing social cohesion. For example, inheriting and developing excellent traditional Chinese culture in economic and social development, using Chinese excellent traditional culture to cultivate socialist core values, is conducive to exerting the role of socialist core values in consolidating the heart and casting the soul, cultivating the cultural heritage of economic development, and achieving stable economic development and social harmony and stability.
Ma Feng: Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the pace of cultural and economic integration and development in China has significantly accelerated, forming rich practical experience. One is the integration and symbiosis of culture and economy, which has expanded the space for industrial development. Currently, the cultural industry has become an important field for the integration and development of culture and economy, and is increasingly becoming a pillar industry of the national economy. Unlike some Western countries where the cultural industry originated from the "cultural industry", which emphasizes entertainment and profit oriented development, China's cultural industry development adheres to the principle of prioritizing social benefits, integrating social and economic benefits, and is committed to meeting the spiritual and cultural needs of the people and enhancing their spiritual strength. The second is the mutual empowerment of culture and economy. The integration and interaction between culture and the three industries not only promote innovation in cultural forms, but also accelerate the development of related industries such as cultural creativity and design services; The integration of culture and technology has given rise to many new cultural formats such as digital creativity, online audiovisual, digital entertainment, and online broadcasting, extending the cultural industry chain. The third is the increasingly prominent functional role of the deep integration of culture and tourism in serving major national strategies. For example, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism focuses on national major strategies, developing cultural industry clusters such as the Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, Yangtze River Delta, and Chengdu Chongqing regions, as well as cultural industry belts such as the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Grand Canal. It collaborates with relevant departments to implement the cultural industry empowerment plan for rural revitalization, fully leveraging the role of the cultural industry as both "pocket rich" and "brain rich", demonstrating the huge effect of cultural soul empowerment and promoting the implementation of national major strategies.
Wei Pengju: Over 2000 years ago, Confucius proposed the concept of "education for the rich and the poor", believing that population reproduction is the foundation of a country's existence and development, economic prosperity provides guarantees for people's peaceful living and work, strengthens cultural education and promotes cultural prosperity on the basis of realizing the first two, and provides spiritual strength for social harmony and national strength. This thought has a profound impact on the development of Chinese society, and it is also instructive for us to promote Chinese path to modernization today.
From the great practices since the reform and opening up, especially in the new era, ideological and cultural development has enhanced economic vitality, and economic prosperity has promoted cultural confidence and self-improvement. One important reason why our country can create two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability is to inspire the innovative spirit of the whole society with the power of ideology and culture, as well as the excellent character of diligence and thrift. At the same time, the historic leap in China's economic strength has also enhanced the cultural consciousness and confidence of the whole society, boosted domestic cultural consumption and international cultural trade. For example, the "culture+" consumption prosperity characterized by "China-Chic" drives the overall social consumption to be active; The rapid development of foreign cultural trade has led to a continuous increase in the total import and export volume and trade surplus of cultural products in recent years. We adhere to putting the people at the center, actively promoting the coordinated development of spiritual and material civilization, and promoting the material and spiritual prosperity of all people.
③
Our promotion of theoretical innovation is a theoretical innovation based on practice, rather than just sitting in an ivory tower.
Ma Feng: Since the beginning of the new century, China's practice of integrating culture and economy has become increasingly rich, which has also promoted relevant academic research. One is to closely follow the development of cultural economy and strengthen practical research, including cultural industry agglomeration, cultural finance, cultural technology, cultural consumption, international cultural trade, etc. Secondly, it has formed a multi-level and diversified research perspective. At the macro level, it mainly includes top-level design research on cultural and economic development, research on the promoting effect and driving mechanism of Chinese cultural elements on social and economic development, etc; At the meso level, research on the modern cultural industry system and modern cultural market system has been highly effective. Research on key industries, important categories, and major formats tends to be refined, and research on the characteristics and laws of cultural production, consumption, dissemination, trade, and other aspects is increasingly valued; At the micro level, emphasis is placed on studying the impact of group culture, traditional culture, and other factors on enterprise production and operation management, individual decision-making, and other aspects. Thirdly, disciplinary construction and talent cultivation have been strengthened. Cultural industry research has given rise to multiple interdisciplinary fields such as art economics, creative economics, aesthetic economics, and regional cultural economics. Some universities have published textbooks related to cultural economics, and "cultural industry management" has become a undergraduate specialty in the discipline category of the Ministry of Education. Some universities have carried out graduate training work. However, it should be noted that compared with the rapid development of cultural and economic practices, the relevant academic research achievements and disciplinary construction are still preliminary. The research team's disciplinary background is mostly in humanities such as philosophy, literature, and history. Although the number of researchers with social science backgrounds such as economics is gradually increasing, the total number is still relatively small, and related research still needs to be further expanded and deepened.
Pang Jinju: In recent years, the achievements in the research on the cross integration of culture and economy in China mainly include the following aspects: in terms of theoretical research, the categories of cultural industry, cultural industry, and cultural economy are defined, the characteristics of cultural economy and its differences and connections with cultural industry are explained, and the relationship between the development of cultural industry and the transformation of economic development mode is explained; Wait a minute. In terms of policy research, measures have been proposed to establish a sound modern cultural public service system, guide and promote cultural consumption, and attach importance to expanding cultural exports. In terms of disciplinary construction, propose the category of cultural economics and preliminarily construct the theoretical framework of cultural economics; Some universities offer courses related to cultural economics, develop textbooks on cultural economics, and pilot programs in cultural economics. These achievements have contributed wisdom and strength to promoting reform and opening up and socialist modernization construction, and also promoted in-depth research and development of China's cultural economy.
Wei Pengju: Currently, research on cultural economy can be roughly divided into two directions: firstly, analysis is conducted around the characteristics and trends of cultural economization, with a focus on cultural industry research. Cultural industry research is increasingly becoming a comprehensive and holistic analysis of cultural and economic phenomena under modern market economy conditions, including media industry, entertainment industry, creative industry, etc. Some higher education institutions and research institutes in our country have established cultural industry research institutions. Since 2004, a large number of universities have established cultural industry related disciplines and majors, gradually establishing a cultural industry talent training system that includes undergraduate, master's, and doctoral education as well as non degree training. The second is to analyze relevant cultural phenomena from the perspective and methods of economics, such as exploring the impact of Confucian culture, dialect differences, cultural distance, etc. on economic and trade activities, especially corporate behavior.
Ren Ping: On the basis of examining different cultural and economic forms, the academic community has strengthened summarization and summarization, and has initially formed several academic achievements, mainly including: clarifying that cultural and economic research should examine the relationship between culture and economy as a whole, exploring the characteristics of economic and cultural economic promotion, and forming a regular understanding of the integration and development of culture and economy; It is clear that cultural and economic research should attach importance to the human factor, adhere to the people-centered approach, and fully reflect the requirements of the new development concept; While deepening theoretical research, strengthen case studies to provide practical support for cultural and economic development.
④
"It is the lofty pursuit of Chinese path to modernization to be both material and spiritual."
Ma Feng: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn a grand blueprint for building a socialist modern country in an all-round way and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese path to modernization.Secondly, we should closely focus on the Chinese characteristics, essential requirements and major principles of Chinese path to modernization, and focus on the inherent links between culture and economy, and the characteristics and laws of coordinated development. Thirdly, we should focus on promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture, and deepen research around promoting the deep integration and high-quality development of culture and tourism.
Pang Jinju: To strengthen cultural and economic research, efforts need to be made in the following main areas and aspects: firstly, to strengthen the research on the relationship between culture and economy in the basic principles of Marxism, especially in the latest achievements of Marxism's sinicization and modernization. The second is to strengthen the summary of our practical experience in promoting the overall layout of the "Five in One" initiative, promoting high-quality development, and actively developing advanced socialist culture in contemporary China, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The third is to strengthen the exploration and elucidation of the content related to the mutual promotion of economic development and cultural prosperity in the excellent traditional Chinese culture. The fourth is to strengthen research on the development status and experience of foreign cultural economy. The fifth is to define the relevant categories of cultural economics. Six is to summarize and refine the regular understanding of the operation and development of cultural economy, and based on this, construct a systematic theory. This requires interdisciplinary joint research and continuous progress and breakthroughs.
Ren Ping: Taking the achievements that have been made in academia as a new starting point for research, we can promote it in the following aspects in the future: First, we should deeply understand and grasp the rejection and transcendence of Chinese path to modernization to the western capital centered modernization and materialism expansion modernization, and promote and deepen the research on cultural economy in the process of promoting the coordinated development of material civilization and spiritual civilization and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The second is to focus on summarizing and summarizing the essential connotation, basic characteristics, historical causes, main functions, and internal laws of cultural economics, and to make efforts in scientific, systematic, and systematic aspects. The third is to examine successful cases of cultural and economic forms, summarize the experience and inspiration of cultural and economic integration and development from practical research, and continuously deepen the understanding of the laws of cultural and economic operation. The fourth is to strengthen research on the key links, necessary paths, basic characteristics, main functions, and operational rules of economic and cultural economic transformation and promotion, laying a foundation for theoretical innovation and creation.
⑤
"Contemporary China is undergoing the most extensive and profound social transformation in its history, as well as the most grand and unique practical innovation in human history. This unprecedented great practice will undoubtedly provide strong impetus and vast space for theoretical creation and academic prosperity."
Pang Jinju: In the new era, we must strengthen the construction of cultural and economic theory, adhere to Marxism as the guide, learn and draw on all beneficial achievements of human civilization, promote the intersection and integration of economics with culture, art, aesthetics, education, philosophy, history, law and other disciplines, and build a cultural economy that is based on China's national conditions, in line with China's reality, and with Chinese characteristics. Specifically, it is necessary to grasp the following fundamental and directional aspects:
The excellent economic and cultural ideas formed in the more than 5000 years of civilization history of the Chinese nation; The theoretical achievements in cultural economics that have been achieved in both domestic and international academic circles.
The second is to adhere to the unity of people, science, practice and openness, adhere to the problem orientation, apply scientific methodology, focus on analyzing the practice of cultural and economic integration and development in the process of Chinese path to modernization, deepen the understanding of the laws of China's cultural and economic development, and reveal the general laws of cultural and economic development on this basis.
The third is to strive to establish and interpret new categories. Category is the generalization and reflection of human thinking on the universal essence of objective things. Strengthening the construction of cultural and economic theory not only requires innovating and proposing a series of new categories, but also endowing them with new connotations based on the absorption and reference of existing cultural and economic categories at home and abroad, so that they not only have distinct Chinese characteristics, but also reflect the generality of cultural and economic development.
The fourth is to promote the systematic and theoretical development of cultural economics. We will conduct in-depth research on a series of major issues in China's cultural economy, focusing on guiding economic development with new development concepts, promoting the prosperity of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and meeting the needs of the people for a better life. For example, the combination of historical and cultural inheritance with technological innovation and high-quality development, the mechanisms, methods, micro foundations, market systems, macro management of cultural and economic integration development, cultural and economic growth, cultural economy and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and so on. Based on this, we will construct China's independent knowledge system of cultural economics.
Wei Pengju: In the new era, to strengthen the construction of cultural and economic theory, we must adhere to the "two combinations", apply the perspective and method of "six must adhere", and explore cultural and economic paradigms with Chinese characteristics; To focus on cultural and economic forms, strengthen field investigations, obtain fresh experiences from them, and summarize and refine them; We need to strengthen the construction of talent teams, improve the talent training system, and promote the development of cultural economics towards specialization and refinement.
One is to integrate research resources, consciously apply the basic principles of Marxism, draw wisdom and nourishment from excellent traditional Chinese culture, absorb and draw on beneficial research achievements from abroad, and strengthen the discipline construction of cultural economics with Chinese characteristics. The second is to strengthen the research foundation, focus on systematic and theoretical construction, and build an academic system of cultural economics that combines theoretical, practical, national, and contemporary characteristics. The third is to adhere to integrity and innovation, break through the limitations of Western cultural studies and economics in terms, concepts, theories, and categories, timely research, propose, and apply new ideas, concepts, and methods with Chinese characteristics, propose new concepts, categories, and expressions that are easy to understand and accept by the international community, and create a cultural and economic discourse system with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese style.
