Special Article丨 The logic and essential requirements of the formation of new cultural lifeforms

On April 1, 2024, the opening ceremony of the exhibition "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles – Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries" was held at the Wenhua Hall of the Palace Museum in Beijing

　　Culture is the soul of a nation and a country, and it is also the common spiritual home of the people living in this country. To comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, it is inevitable to promote the prosperity of culture. On June 2, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development: "It is the only way to open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the basis of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, and to combine the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality and China's excellent traditional culture." The result of "combination" is mutual achievement, creating an organic and unified new cultural life. This clearly tells us that the new cultural life is the product of "combination", especially the "second combination" has created the Chinese form of Marxism and the modern form of China's excellent traditional culture.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The 'second combination' makes Marxism Chinese, the excellent traditional Chinese culture modern, and the new culture formed through the 'combination' becomes the cultural form of Chinese-style modernization." These important assertions have pointed out the direction and provided fundamental guidance for the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. Accurately grasping the logic and essential requirements of the formation of new cultural life forms is of great significance for us to promote the continuous development and growth of new cultural life forms at a new historical starting point.

　　Firm cultural self-confidence is a prominent feature of the new cultural life

　　Strengthening cultural self-confidence is an extremely important point of view in Xi Jinping's cultural thought, and it is also a prominent feature of the new cultural life. The report of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China for the first time clearly put forward "establishing a high degree of cultural consciousness and cultural self-confidence", and the reports of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China both took "strengthening cultural self-confidence" as the main title of the cultural construction part, highlighting the important role and basic position of cultural self-confidence in the cultural construction of the new era. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "To strengthen self-confidence in the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, theoretical self-confidence, and institutional self-confidence, in the final analysis, it is necessary to strengthen cultural self-confidence, and cultural self-confidence is a more basic, deeper, and more lasting force." ”

　　The so-called firm cultural self-confidence means that in the face of the strong impact of external culture, we must believe in the strong vitality of the Chinese cultural life in which we live, recognize the value of the Chinese cultural life, and adhere to the subjectivity of the Chinese cultural life. To strengthen cultural self-confidence, we must not only have firm conviction and strong confidence in the excellent traditional Chinese culture nurtured in the development of civilization for more than 5,000 years, but also have firm conviction and strong confidence in the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created in the course of revolution, construction, and reform under the leadership of the party. Together, these cultures constitute the backbone of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, accumulate the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation, and represent the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation.

　　The new cultural organism must strengthen cultural self-confidence. As a kind of cultural life, only self-confidence and self-improvement can win respect and create new brilliance. Without firm cultural self-confidence, it is impossible to create a cultural life with strong vitality, nor can it create a cultural life with strong vitality. The Chinese people have stood up, not only in the fact that the Chinese people have since been freed from the oppression of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism, but also in the independence of the Chinese nation in the national spirit, that is, the Chinese people have also stood up in spirit. Material poverty is not socialism, spiritual poverty is not socialism, and the people's yearning for a better life includes both the urgent pursuit of material life and the urgent pursuit of spiritual life. Only when material wealth and spiritual wealth go hand in hand, can the new cultural life form flourish forever.

　　The new cultural life has reason to strengthen cultural self-confidence. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In today's world, if you want to say which political party, which country, and which nation can be confident, then the Communist Party of China, the People's Republic of China, and the Chinese nation have the most reason to be confident." "The cultural self-confidence of the new cultural organism is based on cultural self-consciousness. We should not only know the historical origin and formation process of the new cultural lifeform, but also know the distinctive characteristics and development trend of the new cultural lifeform, so that we can have self-knowledge of our own culture. Only by comprehensively and deeply studying and understanding the historical traditions of Chinese culture and enhancing historical and cultural cognition can we continuously enhance cultural self-confidence. The cultural consciousness we emphasize means that we must have an in-depth study and understanding of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, the revolutionary culture, and the advanced socialist culture, and fully understand the distinctive characteristics and powerful advantages of these cultures.

　　The Chinese civilization is the only great civilization in the ancient world that has maintained continuity and developed in the form of a state, and its long-term economic and cultural leadership has created a highly self-confident and self-reliant Chinese nation. China is one of the earliest countries in the world with developed civilization, and the Chinese nation has created a splendid Chinese culture. Chinese culture has a strong cohesion and charisma, and has spread to all countries in the world with its advanced nature, which has had a significant impact on world culture. The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the crystallization of the cultural production of the Chinese ancestors for thousands of years, and the ideological concepts, humanistic spirit, and moral norms contained in it still profoundly affect the moral norms, thinking cognition, and aesthetic taste of contemporary Chinese, and are an inexhaustible source for creating new cultural lifeforms.

　　In modern times, due to the aggression of foreign powers and the decay of feudal rule, the Chinese nation has fallen into a deep crisis and suffered many vicissitudes. Some people have doubts or even denies traditional culture, and some high-level intellectuals have put forward a pessimistic argument of "total westernization." However, a group of China's backbones, represented by the Chinese Communists, have not lost their self-confidence. They adhered to the subjectivity of Chinese culture, adhered to the guidance of Marxism, and fought bravely for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the construction of a new culture of the Chinese nation. In the process of revolution, construction, and reform, the Communist Party of China has united and led the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country to form a new democratic culture of anti-imperialist and anti-feudalism among the masses of the people, and to continuously develop a national, scientific, and popular socialist culture that is oriented to modernization, the world, and the future. These cultures are the landmark achievements of our party in consciously promoting cultural innovation on the basis of inheriting the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and they are also important resources for creating new cultural lifeforms.

　　It should be noted that the cultural self-confidence of the new cultural life is not blind self-confidence. True self-confidence is to look at each other, not look up, not look down. Today, when we talk about cultural self-confidence, we still need to look at the world with a broad view, compare the advantages and shortcomings of the development of various nations and countries, find out the direction of the development of Chinese culture in the world, and absorb all the achievements of civilization created by mankind with a broad mind. Integrate cultural self-confidence into the new cultural life, into the spiritual temperament and cultural character of the whole nation, develop a high-spirited spirit and a rational and peaceful attitude, and stand tall among the nations of the world with self-confidence and self-improvement.

　　The "two combinations" create an organic and unified internal logic of a new cultural life

　　General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on strengthening cultural self-confidence is the unity of worldview and methodology, giving us a new perspective on cultural issues. Strengthening cultural self-confidence prompts us to re-examine what is the "Chinese characteristics" of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Why is our socialism different? Why is it so vibrant and energetic? The key lies in Chinese characteristics. The key to Chinese characteristics lies in the "combination of the two". The "two combinations", especially the "second combination", are the logical necessity for us to strengthen our cultural self-confidence, and also the fundamental requirement for the development and growth of new cultural life in the new era.

　　The process of "integration" is a process in which the Chinese communists take Marxism as the guide to realize the party's original aspiration and mission. Before and after the introduction of Marxism into China, various Western social trends of thought poured into China, and pragmatism, anarchism, liberalism and other trends of thought also had a certain influence, but Marxism finally came to the fore. The introduction of Marxism gave birth to and guided the establishment of the Communist Party of China, and since then the face of China has begun to change fundamentally. Marxism and the excellent traditional Chinese culture "have a high degree of compatibility with each other", and the ideas of the world for the public and the people for the state contained in the excellent traditional Chinese culture are an important embodiment of the Chinese people's cosmology, world outlook, social outlook, moral outlook, and ecological outlook, and are highly consistent with the values of scientific socialism.

From a philosophical point of view, many ideas of Marxist philosophy can be found in ancient Chinese philosophy. In order to realize the original aspiration and mission of the party, the Chinese communists use the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint and method to analyze the traditional Chinese culture, find the commonalities and fits between the two, and creatively transform and innovatively develop the excellent traditional Chinese culture in combination with the specific reality of China, so as to integrate the two into one, so as to create an organic and unified new cultural life. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It is in this sense that we can say that the Communist Party of China is not only a firm believer and practitioner of Marxism, but also a faithful inheritor and promoter of China's excellent traditional culture. ”

　　The new cultural life form is the product of the organic integration and mutual achievement of the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture, and Marxism provides ideological guidance and action guidelines for the creation of a new cultural life form. Fit doesn't mean you need to be able to integrate, you need to combine the two organically. Organic bonding is not a "platter" that is hard to put together, not a simple physical reaction, but a profound chemical reaction. Physical reactions cannot produce new things, chemical reactions can not only produce new things, but also contain the factors of the original substance, which is an organic combination of the original factors. The new cultural life is the crystallization of the chemical reaction between the basic tenets of Marxism and the excellent traditional Chinese culture. On the one hand, the light of truth of the advanced theory of Marxism has activated the genes of Chinese civilization. On the other hand, the excellent traditional Chinese culture has enriched the cultural life of Marxism. The combination of the two cultural lives gave birth to a new thing, that is, an organic and unified new cultural life.

This new cultural life form is an organically unified, energetic, vigorous and promising new culture, which is not only a modern form of Chinese culture, but also a new socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and represents the forward direction of advanced culture in human society. The new cultural life form continues the lifeblood of Chinese culture, but it is not a retro traditional Chinese culture, but a promotion of the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization, so that the excellent traditional Chinese culture has become a modern culture; The new cultural life body has absorbed the essence of the cultural life of Marxism, promoted the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and made contemporary Chinese Marxism the essence of the Chinese culture and Chinese spirit.

　　Creating a new cultural life is a process of continuous integration and dynamic development, which is never so easy, and requires wisdom and courage. The Chinese Communists, represented by Comrade Mao Zedong, have made tremendous contributions to the creation of a new cultural life. Mao Zedong stressed the need to use Marxist methods to critically summarize the legacy from Confucius to Sun Yat-sen. As early as 1940, Mao Zedong pointed out in "On New Democracy": "Chinese culture should have its own form, which is the national form. He also argued that China's new culture should be "a national, scientific, and popular culture." Deng Xiaoping and other party and state leaders also stressed the need to promote the Sinicization of Marxism and the modernization of Marxism, emphasized the criticism and inheritance of traditional Chinese culture, and creatively put forward new concepts with strong characteristics of excellent traditional Chinese culture in practice, such as the "household contract system", "moderately prosperous society", "one country, two systems", "governing the country by virtue", "people-oriented", "harmonious society", "harmonious world", and so on.

General Secretary Xi Jinping even emphasized: "The 'second combination' is another emancipation of the mind. General Secretary Xi Jinping consciously put forward a series of new ideas, new concepts and new methods of governing the country with distinctive Chinese characteristics in accordance with the requirements of the "second combination", and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a major result of this combination. Our party has clearly put forward the "second combination", that is, to strengthen historical and cultural self-confidence, to look at the road we have traveled based on the history of Chinese civilization of more than 5,000 years and the new stage of the development of the Chinese nation, to consciously organically integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, to build a solid cultural foundation for the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to open up a broad cultural space for theoretical and practical innovation, and to consolidate the subjectivity of Chinese culture.

　　Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the mission and goal of the new cultural life

　　The fundamental purpose of strengthening cultural self-confidence and developing and expanding a new cultural life in accordance with the fundamental requirements of the "two combinations" is to promote the great development and prosperity of culture, build a socialist cultural power, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made strategic arrangements for cultural construction, and by 2035, it is necessary to basically realize socialist modernization, basically build a cultural power, and significantly enhance the country's cultural soft power. At the symposium on cultural inheritance and development, 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." "From building a cultural power to building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has continuously promoted the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and created a new situation with firm cultural self-confidence.

　　Inherit and carry forward the fine genes of ancient Chinese civilization. Chinese civilization has outstanding characteristics such as continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peace, which are shaped and nurtured by many important elements of China's excellent traditional culture. The excellent traditional Chinese culture is a rich cultural treasure house with inexhaustible cultural resources, which have not yet been fully studied and utilized. Marx pointed out: "Human anatomy is a key to monkey anatomy. The signs of higher animals in lower animals can only be understood when the higher animals themselves have been recognized. "Standing in the new direction of the historical development of the Chinese nation, we are better equipped to fully understand the characteristics of Chinese civilization, understand the value of Chinese excellent traditional culture, continue the ancient Chinese civilization, and inherit the excellent Chinese cultural genes. Adhere to the "two combinations", deeply protect, interpret and apply the excellent traditional Chinese culture, enhance the ability of the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and let the achievements of ancient Chinese civilization shine with new glory in the new cultural life.

　　Inclusive of all the outstanding achievements of human civilization. The hallmark of cultural self-confidence is openness and inclusion. Chinese civilization is the result of multicultural exchanges, integration and sublimation, and openness and inclusiveness are the distinctive characteristics of Chinese civilization. From the perspective of Chinese history, the more confident the dynasty, the more open and inclusive it is. On the contrary, self-discipline and arrogance often lead to the decline of civilization. In the history of the development of Chinese culture, foreign cultures have become an important part of our cultural life through our absorption and transformation. Since the beginning of modern times, Western modern civilization has achieved overwhelming superiority in the world, but Western modern civilization is not purely a product of the West, it is deeply influenced by Chinese civilization, Indian civilization and Islamic civilization. Modernization originated in the West, and it is the unity of commonality and individuality, and it is wrong to copy and reject Western civilization. We should learn from all the outstanding achievements of human society with an open mind, solve the "dispute between ancient and modern China and the West", and create a culture that blends the ancient and the modern and connects the East and the West.

　　Based on the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics. According to Marxism, culture as a superstructure is determined by the economic base. Fundamentally speaking, socialist culture with Chinese characteristics is a reflection of the socialist economy and politics with Chinese characteristics. The advanced socialist culture must be compatible with the development of the advanced socialist productive forces, and the level of socialist economic and political development with Chinese characteristics ultimately determines the growth and development rate of the socialist cultural life with Chinese characteristics. The advanced socialist culture represented by the core socialist values is an important achievement in our cultural construction since the beginning of reform and opening up.

China's cultural soft power must be built on the basis of hard power, and the construction of a socialist cultural power and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation must be closely integrated with the promotion of Chinese-style modernization. Transform the practical experience of Chinese-style modernization into explanatory and convincing Chinese theories, endow Chinese civilization with modern strength, and let Chinese civilization endow Chinese civilization with profound heritage of Chinese-style modernization. We must also persist in promoting cultural construction with the people as the center, give full play to the initiative of the people, stimulate the vitality of cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation, let all sources of cultural creation fully flow, continuously develop and expand new cultural lifeforms, and create new forms of human civilization.

　　(Source: Frontline, Issue 5, 2024; Authors: Zhang Shikun and Zhou Wenzhang, special researcher of Beijing Xi Jinping Research Center for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, lecturer at Chinese Renmin University, professor of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Administration), former vice president of the National Academy of Administration, respectively. ）