Zhang Hao and Li Sihan: Understanding the Significant Significance of "Two Combinations" from a Strategic Perspective Culture | China | Strategy
Article | Zhang Hao and Li Sihan
We must deeply understand the significant significance of the "Two Combinations" from a strategic perspective, firmly grasp the historical initiative in continuously promoting the "Two Combinations", and continue to write brilliant chapters on the new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation with more firm historical confidence and stronger historical consciousness.
Opening up a new realm of Marxism with Chinese characteristics and modernization
Over a hundred years ago in old China, poverty, weakness, and bullying were hard labels that could not be erased; More than a hundred years later, the new China, which is independent, prosperous, and strong, is a new face of rebirth. Such an earth shaking change benefited from the fact that the CPC took Marxism as an ideological weapon to solve the practical problems of China's revolution, construction and reform. However, it is not an easy task to have a correct understanding and scientific treatment of Marxism. In the development history of our party, there have been two typical erroneous tendencies towards Marxism: one is a dogmatic tendency that emphasizes the importance of theory and underestimates practical experience; Another is the empirical tendency that emphasizes the importance of practice and underestimates theoretical guidance. Both of these erroneous tendencies make Marxism disconnected from China's specific reality, and inevitably bring serious harm to the cause of the Party. History and practice tell us why the CPC can and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good. In the final analysis, it is the Marxist line, which is Chinese and contemporary; The reason why Marxism works is because it constantly combines with China's specific realities and excellent traditional Chinese culture, thus taking root on the land of China and constantly achieving theoretical innovation on the basis of practice.
As contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st century Marxism, Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era is a vivid embodiment of "two combinations" to promote theoretical innovation. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era adheres to the basic principles of Marxism, based on China's specific reality, absorbs the nutrients of Chinese excellent traditional culture, and deepens the understanding of the laws of the Communist Party's governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development with a new perspective. It scientifically answers the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times. It is the essence of Chinese culture and Chinese spirit, it is also a shining example of the "arrow" of Marxism shooting at China. The establishment of Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era has realized a new leap in the modernization of Marxism in China and opened up a new realm of the modernization of Marxism in China.
Provide profound cultural heritage for Chinese path to modernization
For more than a hundred years, the CPC, in the historical process of uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups in the country to carry out revolution, construction and reform, has gone through countless hardships to explore the path of Chinese path to modernization, and has created impressive miracles in the history of the development of the Chinese nation and the progress of human society. The establishment of this path stems from the methodological guidance of Marxism on the one hand, and is rooted in the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation that has lasted for more than 5000 years on the other hand. The combination of Marxism and China's excellent traditional culture provides a profound cultural heritage for Chinese path to modernization.
The reason why Marxism and excellent traditional Chinese culture can combine to produce a good chemical reaction is due to their mutual compatibility. Although Marxism and excellent traditional Chinese culture have different origins, the values embodied in excellent traditional Chinese culture, such as serving the people, putting the people at the foundation of the country, governing with virtue, reforming the old and innovating, appointing people based on merit, harmony between heaven and humanity, self-improvement, carrying virtue, promoting trustworthiness and harmony, and being kind to neighbors, are highly consistent with the values of scientific socialism. Mutual compatibility is the key to organic integration. The result of "combination" is mutual achievement. "Combination" is not a platter, not a simple physical reaction, but a profound chemical reaction, which has created an organically unified new cultural life body, making Marxism become Chinese, Chinese excellent traditional culture become modern, and the new culture formed through "combination" become a cultural form of Chinese path to modernization.
Chinese path to modernization endows Chinese civilization with modern strength, and Chinese civilization also endows Chinese path to modernization with profound connotation. The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the most profound cultural soft power of the Chinese nation, and also the cultural fertile soil for the roots of Chinese path to modernization. Its organic combination with Marxism has made the Chinese path to modernization road have a broader and deeper historical depth, and expanded the civilized foundation of the Chinese path to modernization road. The unique cultural traditions, historical destiny, and basic national conditions determine that we must inevitably take a development path that suits our own characteristics.
Promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with cultural confidence and self-improvement
A nation that wants to achieve rejuvenation alone cannot cope with various risks and challenges on the path of progress with strong material strength. It also requires strong spiritual support, and cultural confidence is the most basic, profound, and long-lasting force in the development of a country or a nation. Without a high level of cultural confidence and self-improvement, and without the prosperity of culture, there can be no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
How can we achieve cultural confidence and self-improvement? On the one hand, Chinese culture has a long and rich history, and Chinese civilization has been vast and profound for over 5000 years without interruption, forming the factual basis for cultural confidence and self-improvement. A comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the history of Chinese civilization will reveal the five prominent characteristics it possesses: continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peace. These are the genetic codes that enable it to inherit and continue, maintain vitality, be timeless, and stand firm in the forest of world civilization. On the other hand, cultural confidence and self-improvement are based on cultural subjectivity, and the combination of the two consolidates cultural subjectivity, showcasing historical and cultural confidence.The so-called "self centeredness, for my own use" is precisely this cultural subjectivity that provides a solid foundation for cultural confidence and self-improvement.
Creating a new form of human civilization through the modern civilization of the Chinese nation
The combination of the two has created a new cultural life form, achieved the modern form of Chinese civilization, and formed the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The connotation of modern civilization of the Chinese nation is extremely rich. All the creations led by the contemporary Communist Party of China, including material civilization, political civilization, spiritual civilization, social civilization, ecological civilization, as well as the political culture, military ideology, diplomatic ideology of the Party, belong to the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.
As a scientific product of the "two combinations", the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a product of the compatibility and mutual achievement between the basic principles of Marxism and the excellent traditional culture of China. Through the "second combination", it continuously consolidates the cultural subjectivity in the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional culture of China, and fully utilizes the precious resources of the excellent traditional culture of China to explore future oriented theoretical and institutional innovations. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not a simple inheritance or negation of the traditional Chinese civilization, but a new form of civilization formed under the leadership of the CPC, under the guidance of Marxism, adhering to the position of Chinese culture, based on the reality of contemporary China, combined with the conditions of the current era, and integrating socialism, Chinese civilization and modernization.
The formation of modern civilization of the Chinese nation represents a path of continuous rebirth of ancient Chinese civilization, revealing a more complete and reasonable modern civilization landscape that is different from the Western led modern civilization. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is deeply rooted in the excellent traditional culture of China, reflecting the advanced essence of scientific socialism, drawing on and absorbing all the achievements of human civilization, and representing the development direction of human civilization progress. This form of civilization is not only different from the socialist civilization formed through previous explorations, but also surpasses the capitalist civilization form. This form of civilization shines with the brilliance of the basic principles of Marxism, and is also integrated with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, excellent revolutionary culture, advanced socialist culture and the essence of world civilization. It is a new form of human civilization.
