【Forum】Consolidating the Guiding Position of Marxism in the Ideological FieldJin Minqing

Consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field

Jin Minqing

Ideological work is the work of establishing the heart and soul of the country and the nation, and it has a bearing on the future and destiny of the party, on the long-term peace and stability of the country, and on the cohesion and centripetal force of the nation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to ideological work and established and adhered to the fundamental system of Marxism's guiding position in the ideological field. At the end of 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again emphasized the need to "consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, and further strengthen mainstream values, mainstream public opinion, and mainstream culture in the convergence and integration of various cultures." To forge ahead on a new journey and better undertake a new cultural mission, we must thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Cultural Thought, hold high the banner of Marxism unswervingly, and ensure that the foundation of socialism with Chinese characteristics is permanent and the course is not biased.

One

Consolidating the guiding position of Marxism in the mainland's ideological field is the fundamental ideological guarantee for the party and the people to unite as one and always advance in the correct direction. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "The reason why our party has been able to make major achievements in various historical periods of revolution, construction and reform, and to lead the people to accomplish arduous tasks that are impossible for other political forces in China is fundamentally because it has mastered the scientific theory of Marxism and continuously promoted theoretical innovation in the light of new realities, so that the party has mastered a powerful force of truth." This important exposition has profoundly revealed the important experience and fundamental point of the CPC's major achievements over the past 100 years, and has highlighted the extreme importance of upholding the guiding position of Marxism.

The establishment of the guiding position of Marxism is the choice of history and the choice of the people. In modern times, the Chinese people have made arduous efforts to save the country from peril and achieve national rejuvenation, but all of them have failed, and in the final analysis, there is no guidance from advanced theories and no leadership of advanced political parties armed with advanced theories. The October Revolution brought Marxism-Leninism to China with the sound of a cannon, and the Communist Party of China came into being in close integration between Marxism and the Chinese workers' movement. Since its founding, our party has always held high the banner of Marxism and guided China's revolution, construction, reform, and the great practice of the new era to constantly advance from victory to victory.

Having the guidance of Marxist scientific theory is the foundation for our party to strengthen its beliefs and convictions and grasp the initiative in history. For more than 100 years, it is precisely because of the guidance of Marxist scientific theory that our party has been able to clearly understand the main contradictions, establish the main tasks, find the correct road, and formulate correct policy decisions in various historical periods, and has been able to have a clearer understanding, be more active in practice, and constantly win new victories on the road ahead. For example, during the period of the new democratic revolution, under the guidance of Marxism, the party clearly recognized that the contradiction between imperialism and the Chinese nation and between feudalism and the masses of the people was the main contradiction in modern Chinese society, defined the central task of opposing imperialism and feudalism, explored the correct path of the new democratic revolution, and led the people to win the great victory of the new democratic revolution. For another example, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Marxism, the Party has realized that the main contradiction in mainland society in the new era is the contradiction between the people's growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development, and has made it clear that the central task of the Party and the country on the new journey is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups across the country to build a modern socialist country in an all-round way, realize the second centenary goal, and comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization; The Party adheres to the people-centered development philosophy, coordinates and promotes the overall layout of the "Five-in-One" and the "Four Comprehensives", and the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, getting rich to becoming strong. On the road ahead, we must firmly uphold the soul of Marxism, and on the fundamental issue of upholding the guiding position of Marxism, we must be unswerving, and we must not waver in the slightest at any time and under any circumstances.

Consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field with a solid institutional guarantee. In the process of leading the governance of the country in the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has elevated the adherence to the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field to the level of the fundamental system, emphasizing the need to "adhere to the fundamental system of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field", and improving the work system of arming the whole party, educating the people, and guiding practice with the party's innovative theories, improving the learning system at all levels such as the theoretical study center group of the party committee (party group), and implementing the responsibility system for ideological work. The rich connotations of this system are elaborated. The broad masses of party members and cadres must profoundly understand that upholding the fundamental system of Marxism's guiding position in the ideological field has a bearing on the long-term development of the cause of the party and the country, and on the direction of progress and development of the mainland's culture. It is necessary to strengthen the awareness of the system, establish the authority of the system, do a good job in the implementation of the system, and earnestly embody this fundamental system in adhering to the correct political direction, public opinion orientation, and value orientation, and implement it in the work concept, ideas, and measures, so as to provide a strong ideological guarantee and strong spiritual strength for the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.

Two

For more than 100 years, the Communist Party of China has persisted in taking Marxism as the fundamental guiding ideology for building the party and the country and rejuvenating the party and the country, and has persevered in promoting the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, providing correct ideological guidance for China's revolution, construction and reform. In the new era and new journey, to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, the most important thing is to unswervingly adhere to the guiding position of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The "two establishments" are major political achievements made by our party in the new era. A strong core of leadership and scientific theoretical guidance are fundamental issues that have a bearing on the future and destiny of the party and the country and the success or failure of the cause of the party and the people. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the cause of the Party and the country has been able to achieve historic achievements and historic changes, which is fundamentally due to the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism, Marxism in the 21st century, and the essence of Chinese culture and Chinese spirit. On the new journey, to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, it is necessary to profoundly understand the decisive significance of the "two establishments," strengthen the "four consciousnesses," strengthen the "four self-confidences," and achieve the "two safeguards," implement the responsibility system of the chairman of the Central Military Commission, and constantly improve political judgment, political understanding, and political execution.

To do a good job in the party's ideological work in the new era, we must be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In the new era, we have fundamentally reversed the passive situation that once appeared in the ideological field, and the cultural self-confidence of the whole party, the whole army, and the people of all nationalities in the country has been markedly enhanced, and their spiritual outlook has become more energetic. However, we must also be soberly aware that the struggle and contest in the ideological field have not ceased for a moment. On the road ahead, in the face of the test of high winds and turbulent waves, and even stormy seas, we have no room for compromise or concession in the struggle in the ideological field, and we must win a complete victory. To consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, in contemporary China, it is necessary to unswervingly adhere to the guiding position of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, effectively resist the corruption and erosion of various erroneous ideas, and build a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership, a socialist spiritual civilization with strong vitality and creativity, and a soft power of Chinese culture with strong appeal and influence. We will continue to gather the majestic power to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Three

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It is our new cultural mission in the new era to continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a cultural power, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point." On the way forward, to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, we must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Cultural Thought, shoulder the new cultural mission, and do a good job in ideological work in the new era with a high degree of theoretical consciousness.

To shoulder the new cultural mission, we must consciously adhere to the "two combinations". The "two combinations" profoundly reveal the essential requirements of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and also clarify the methods and paths of propaganda, ideological, cultural, and ideological work in the new era. To fully implement the "two combinations" in ideological work in the new era, it is necessary to use Marxism to observe, grasp, and lead the times, and constantly deepen the understanding of the laws governing the Communist Party, socialist construction, and the development of human society; We will continue to integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture, emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts, uphold integrity and innovation, and form major theoretical innovations that keep pace with the times to better guide new development practices and always maintain the vitality of Marxism; Strengthen historical self-confidence and cultural self-confidence, promote cultural creation in the course of practice and creation, achieve cultural progress in the course of historical progress, and integrate the essence of Marxist ideology with the essence of China's excellent traditional culture and with the common values that the people use every day without realizing it, so that Marxism can be deeply implanted in the fertile soil of China's history and culture and take deep roots in the land of China.

To shoulder the new cultural mission, we should adhere to the "six musts" and make good use of it. We must adhere to the supremacy of the people, adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, provide the people with better spiritual and cultural products, and meet the people's richer spiritual and cultural needs; We must adhere to self-confidence and self-reliance, consolidate cultural subjectivity, adhere to spiritual independence and self-confidence, and firmly follow the cultural development path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; We must adhere to integrity and innovation, inherit and carry forward the Chinese civilization under the guidance of Marxism, develop and innovate in persistence, and form a strong historical initiative for cultural development in the new era; We must adhere to the problem-oriented, focus on the outstanding problems of imbalance and inadequacy in cultural construction, enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of the work, lay a solid foundation, and make up for the weaknesses; We must adhere to the system concept, firmly establish the awareness of the overall situation, fully mobilize the subjective initiative and creativity, and realize the organic connection, benign interaction and coordinated development of all aspects and fields of construction; We must insist on keeping the world in mind, based on China and facing the world, and inject more ideological and cultural strength into the world while creating new brilliance of Chinese culture with broad feelings for the world and taking responsibility for the world.

Shouldering the new cultural mission, we should adhere to openness, inclusiveness, and innovation. Based on the historical characteristics and contemporary development of the Chinese nation, we should summarize China's experience with Chinese principles and tell Chinese stories well with Chinese theories. With a more open mind and a more positive attitude, we should learn from all the outstanding achievements of civilization, effectively solve the "dispute between ancient and modern China and the West", integrate China and foreign countries, connect ancient and modern, enhance the cohesion and appeal of advanced culture internally, and enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization externally; On the premise of sticking to the soul and roots, we should innovate the content and form of ideological work, so that the past can be used for the present, the foreign for China, dialectical trade-offs, and the new, so as to build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation in the process of continuing the historical context and composing a good chapter of the contemporary Chinese nation.

Source: Thought Torch

Author: Jin Minqing (Secretary of the Party Committee, Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)