In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader proposed that Socialism with Chinese characteristics should adhere to the road of cultural development, stimulate the cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation, and build a socialist cultural power. Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture, together with Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theory System and Socialism with Chinese characteristics System, was written into party constitution by the Congress, which promoted the status and function of culture to a new height, which was of great significance for the whole party to deepen its understanding of Socialism with Chinese characteristics and fully grasp the connotation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. It was a major theoretical innovation and development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the new era.
1. Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture is an important part of the basic connotation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Ideological culture is the blood of the nation, the spiritual home of the people, and an important part of the people’s needs for a better life. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core has deeply thought about the major functions and spiritual connotations of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture, and given full play to the role of culture in strengthening the foundation and leading the inspiration in realizing socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, thus reaching a new realm of cultural consciousness.
In the report of the 19th National Congress, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader made a new exposition on the great significance and profound connotation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road, theoretical system, system and culture, pointing out that "Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road is the only way to realize socialist modernization and create a better life for the people, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theory System is the correct theory to guide the Party and people to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Socialism with Chinese characteristics System is the fundamental institutional guarantee for the development and progress of contemporary China, and Socialism with Chinese characteristics Culture is a powerful spiritual force to inspire the whole party and people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead courageously". This determines the status of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture on a deeper and more important level. Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture is not only juxtaposed with economic, political, social and ecological civilization construction, as a component of the overall layout of the Five in One, but also juxtaposed with roads, theoretical systems and institutions, as an important part of the basic connotation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. This new understanding, new orientation and new judgment has expanded and deepened the theory of scientific socialism, developed and advanced Marxist cultural theory, and is a major theoretical innovation and development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the new era.
Second, Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture is a powerful spiritual force that inspires the whole party and people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead courageously.
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture originated from the excellent traditional Chinese culture nurtured by the 5,000-year civilization history of the Chinese nation, and was cast in the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created by the Party leading the people in revolution, construction and reform. These three precious cultural resources accumulate the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation, represent the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation, and are a powerful spiritual force that inspires the whole party and people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead courageously.
The endless and profound Chinese excellent traditional culture is the outstanding advantage of the Chinese nation. The rich philosophical thought, humanistic spirit, enlightenment thought and moral concept of Chinese excellent traditional culture can provide beneficial enlightenment for people to understand and transform the world, to govern the country and politics, and to moral construction.
The passionate revolutionary culture is a culture formed in the great practice of the new-democratic revolution led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Revolutionary culture is a culture of adhering to ideals and beliefs, full of revolutionary passion and praising dedication. Under the guidance of revolutionary culture, countless communist party people and revolutionary martyrs, with their blood and lives, wrote a magnificent movement of the China revolution, and stood up the unyielding spiritual backbone of the Chinese nation.
Vibrant advanced socialist culture is a national, scientific and popular socialist culture guided by Marxism and facing modernization, the world and the future. The advanced socialist culture, not only baptized by the world tide, but also influenced by the times, shapes the national image with colorful cultural styles such as theory, scholarship, literature, film and television, network, etc., leads the social fashion, educates people to establish and adhere to the correct world outlook, outlook on life, values, historical outlook, national outlook, national outlook, cultural outlook and moral outlook, and continuously injects vigorous vitality and ideological wisdom to realize the Chinese nation’s great rejuvenation of the Chinese dream.
Three, Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture is the leading direction of building a socialist cultural power.
Culture is the spiritual highland, value system and scientific creation of a nation, and it is an important soft power to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist modernization power. Adhering to Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s culture means building a socialist cultural power, promoting the prosperity of socialist culture, promoting the goal of "two hundred years" with a cultural power, allowing Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture to strengthen its foundation for the Chinese dream, and promoting national rejuvenation with cultural rejuvenation.
To promote the prosperity of socialist culture and build a strong socialist culture, we must take the spiritual requirements of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture as the guide. First, we must firmly grasp the leadership of ideological work, promote the modernization and popularization of Marxism in China, build a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leading force, and make all the people closely United in ideals, beliefs, values and moral concepts. Second, we should cultivate and practice socialist core values, strengthen education guidance, practice cultivation and system guarantee, give play to the leading role of socialist core values in national education, the creation of spiritual civilization and the creation, production and dissemination of spiritual and cultural products, integrate socialist core values into all aspects of social development, and transform them into people’s emotional identity and behavior habits. Third, we should strengthen ideological and moral construction, improve people’s ideological awareness, moral standards and civilized accomplishment, deepen publicity and education on Socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese dream, carry forward the national spirit and the spirit of the times, strengthen education on patriotism, collectivism and socialism, and guide people to establish a correct view of history, nationality, country and culture. Fourth, we must prosper and develop socialist literature and art, strengthen the creation of realistic themes, and constantly introduce masterpieces of the party, the motherland, the people and the heroes, enhance the originality of literature and art, and promote literary innovation. Fifth, we must promote the development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries, deepen the reform of cultural system, improve the public cultural service system, improve the modern cultural industry system and market system, strengthen cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and improve the country’s cultural soft power.Create a new glory of Chinese culture.
(Author: China, Associate Professor of the International China Institute of Culture, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Guan Yongqian, a researcher at the Center for Collaborative Innovation)