Keep Pace with the Times to Enhance Governance Capacity in the Cultural Sector

The fortunes of a state rise and fall with its culture; a nation is strong when its culture thrives. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed during the 17th group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee that we must “anchor the strategic goal of building China into a cultural powerhouse by 2035,” “continuously develop socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for the New Era that possesses strong ideological guidance, spiritual cohesion, value appeal, and international influence, constantly strengthen the people’s spiritual strength, and consolidate the cultural foundation for building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation.” He further emphasized “upholding the Party’s leadership, enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector under the conditions of informatization, and consolidating the Party’s governing foundation and mass base ideologically, spiritually, and culturally.” [1]1 The “anchoring pillar” (定海神针) is a Chinese idiom literally meaning the “needle to stabilize the sea,” a metaphor borrowed from the novel Journey to the West for something that stabilizes a volatile situation. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s forceful words scientifically guide the direction and path for building a socialist cultural powerhouse on the new journey of the New Era. We must unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, continuously improve cultural governance capacity, unleash the boundless power of culture, and enable the flourishing development of culture to empower and forge the soul of Chinese-path modernization.

文化兴国运兴，文化强民族强。习近平总书记在中共中央政治局第十七次集体学习时强调，“锚定2035年建成文化强国的战略目标”，“不断发展具有强大思想引领力、精神凝聚力、价值感召力、国际影响力的新时代中国特色社会主义文化，不断增强人民精神力量，筑牢强国建设、民族复兴的文化根基”。“坚持党的领导，提升信息化条件下文化领域治理能力，在思想上、精神上、文化上筑牢党的执政基础和群众基础。”习近平总书记掷地有声的话语，科学指引着新时代新征程建设社会主义文化强国的前进方向和路径。我们要坚定不移走中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，不断提升文化治理能力、发挥文化无穷力量，让文化的繁荣发展为中国式现代化赋能铸魂。

Uphold the Party’s Leadership, Consolidate the Party’s Governing Foundation and Mass Base

坚持党的领导，筑牢党的执政基础和群众基础

Culture concerns the foundation of the state and the fortunes of the nation. Party leadership, as the leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, is not only the “anchoring pillar” of the continuous development of the Party and the state, but also the most fundamental and reliable guarantee for enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector and promoting cultural prosperity. In the process of enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector, we must always uphold Party leadership and ensure that cultural governance work always advances in the correct direction. Party leadership is reflected not only in grasping the direction of cultural development, but also in every aspect of improving the cultural governance system, the formulation and implementation of cultural policies, and the allocation and utilization of cultural resources. At the same time, it provides stable policy guidance and unified strategic objectives for cultural construction, ensuring the directionality and consistency of cultural governance, avoiding the uncertainty brought by market fluctuations, and thus providing a solid guarantee for the long-term development of cultural undertakings. Against the backdrop of rapid economic globalization and informatization, Party leadership strengthens ideological security and the guidance of core socialist values in the cultural sector, ensuring the precise implementation and effective execution of cultural policies. By strengthening Party leadership, we continuously enhance governance capacity in the cultural sector under the conditions of informatization, promote innovation in the concepts, methods, means, and mechanisms of propaganda, ideology, and cultural work, consolidate the Party’s governing foundation and mass base ideologically, spiritually, and culturally, provide a solid political guarantee for cultural governance, stimulate the cultural creativity of the broad masses of the people, and push forward the continuous development of socialist cultural undertakings.

文化关乎国本、国运。党的领导，作为中国特色社会主义事业的领导核心，不仅是党和国家事业不断发展的“定海神针”，更是提升文化领域治理能力、推动文化繁荣兴盛的最根本、最可靠的保证。在提升文化领域治理能力的过程中，必须始终坚持党的领导，确保文化治理工作始终沿着正确的方向前进。党的领导不仅体现在对文化发展方向的把握上，更体现在对文化治理体系的完善、文化政策的制定与执行、文化资源的配置与利用等各个环节，同时为文化建设提供了稳定的政策导向和统一的战略目标，确保了文化治理的方向性与一致性，避免因市场变动而带来的不确定性，从而为文化事业的长期发展提供坚实保障。在经济全球化与信息化快速发展的背景下，党的领导强化了文化领域的意识形态安全和社会主义核心价值观引领，确保了文化方针政策的精准落实与有效执行。通过加强党的领导，不断提升信息化条件下文化领域治理能力，推进宣传思想文化工作理念、方法、手段、机制创新，在思想上、精神上、文化上筑牢党的执政基础和群众基础，为文化治理提供坚实的政治保障，激发广大人民群众的文化创造活力，推动社会主义文化事业不断向前发展。

Adhere to the Principle of Upholding Fundamental Principles and Breaking New Ground, and Consolidate the Ideological Cornerstone of Cultural Governance

坚持守正创新，夯实文化领域治理的思想基石

Adhering to the fundamental institution of Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological domain is the ideological cornerstone of enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Ideology determines the direction and development path of culture.” Only by clearly adhering to Marxism can we ensure that our country’s culture advances in the correct direction. Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology for the founding of the Party and the state; it is not only a scientific theory guiding cultural development but also the core and soul of building socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. In the process of enhancing cultural governance capacity, we must always adhere to Marxism’s guiding position, uphold the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, [2]2 Xi Jinping Thought on Culture (习近平文化思想) is the component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era concerning cultural development, formally established at the National Conference on Publicity, Ideology, and Culture in 2023. arm our minds with the latest achievements in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, guide practice, and promote work. By strengthening the study and research of Marxist theory, deepening the understanding of the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s concrete realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture, we must preserve the CPC’s cultural leadership and the Chinese nation’s cultural subjectivity, fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture in cultural construction, explore theoretical and institutional innovations oriented toward the future, realize the organic connection between tradition and modernity, develop a socialist culture that is national, scientific, and mass-oriented, oriented toward modernization, the world, and the future, continuously improve the theoretical level and practical capacity of cultural governance, and constantly build Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength.

坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位的根本制度，是提升文化领域治理能力的思想基石。习近平总书记指出，“意识形态决定文化前进方向和发展道路”。只有旗帜鲜明地坚持马克思主义，才能确保我国文化沿着正确的方向前进。马克思主义是我们立党立国的根本指导思想，不仅是引领文化发展的科学理论，也是新时代中国特色社会主义文化建设的核心和灵魂。在提升文化治理能力的过程中，必须始终坚持马克思主义的指导地位，坚持习近平文化思想的指引，用马克思主义中国化的最新成果武装头脑、指导实践、推动工作。通过加强马克思主义理论的学习和研究，深化对马克思主义基本原理和中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合的认识，守住中国共产党的文化领导权和中华民族的文化主体性，在文化建设中全面贯彻习近平文化思想，探索面向未来的理论和制度创新，实现传统与现代的有机衔接，发展面向现代化、面向世界、面向未来的，民族的科学的大众的社会主义文化，持续提升文化治理的理论水平和实践能力，不断构筑中国精神、中国价值、中国力量。

Adhere to the Integration of Culture and Technology, and Promote the Intelligent Transformation of Cultural Governance

坚持文化和科技融合，推动文化领域治理智能化转型

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we should explore effective mechanisms for the integration of culture and technology, realize digital empowerment and information-based transformation of cultural construction, and transform cultural resource advantages into cultural development advantages. We must accelerate the improvement of the cultural management system and the production and operation mechanism, coordinate technological innovation and institutional innovation, build a modern cultural industry system, promote high-quality development of the cultural industry, and realize digital empowerment and information-based transformation of cultural construction. At the same time, we must make full use of modern information technology means, innovate cultural governance methods, and improve governance efficiency. This requires us to integrate new quality productive forces represented by advanced technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence into cultural governance, provide new momentum for cultural governance, and realize the intelligent, precise, and efficient governance of culture. In addition, the modernization of cyberspace governance is a key link in modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity. Under the digital backdrop, by strengthening the construction of online culture, creating a good online cultural ecology, and enhancing the capacity for online cultural governance, we must ensure that cyberspace becomes an important front for spreading positive energy and promoting the main theme.

习近平总书记指出，探索文化和科技融合的有效机制，实现文化建设数字化赋能、信息化转型，把文化资源优势转化为文化发展优势。要加快完善文化管理体制和生产经营机制，通过技术创新和制度创新的协同，构建现代文化产业体系，促进文化产业高质量发展，实现文化建设数字化赋能、信息化转型。同时，充分利用现代信息技术手段，创新文化治理方式，提高治理效率。这要求我们在文化治理中融入大数据、云计算、人工智能等先进技术为代表的新质生产力，为文化治理提供新的动能，实现文化治理的智能化、精准化和高效化。另外，网络空间治理现代化是实现国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的关键一环。在数字化背景下，通过加强网络文化建设，营造良好的网络文化生态，提升网络文化治理能力，确保网络空间成为传播正能量、弘扬主旋律的重要阵地。

Adhere to Cultural Confidence, and Stimulate the Cultural Innovation and Creativity of the Whole Nation

坚持文化自信，激发全民族文化创新创造活力

Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, deeper, and more enduring force in the development of a country and a nation. Cultural confidence is not only recognition and affirmation of one’s own culture but also a kind of spiritual determination and resilience, and more importantly, an internal driving force for cultural innovation and development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Without the flourishing and prosperity of Chinese culture, there will be no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” This shows that cultural confidence is not only the power source for cultural development but also an important guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization, [3]3 The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization was adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC in July 2024, outlining reforms in many sectors, including culture. adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, made systematic arrangements for comprehensively deepening the reform of the cultural system and mechanisms. On the one hand, deepening the reform of the cultural system and mechanisms is the key to stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation, and also the core of enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector. Through reform, we can break down the institutional and mechanical barriers that hinder cultural development and release the potential of cultural innovation and creativity. On the other hand, creating a good cultural ecology is an important condition for stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation. A good cultural ecology is conducive to promoting the expression of the individuality of cultural subjects and forming a strong synergy for cultural innovation. To this end, we must fully promote academic democracy and literary and artistic democracy, providing writers, artists, and experts and scholars with a good environment to take root in life and concentrate on creation. At the same time, high-level cultural talents are an important force driving cultural innovation and creativity. Therefore, we need to increase the cultivation and support of cultural talents, respect the laws of talent growth, build a large-scale, well-structured, and innovative high-level cultural talent team, and provide an important guarantee for the continuous burst of cultural innovation and creativity.

文化自信是一个国家、一个民族发展中更基本、更深沉、更持久的力量。文化自信不仅是对自身文化的认同和肯定，还是一种精神定力和韧性，更是推动文化创新和发展的内在动力。习近平总书记指出，“没有中华文化繁荣兴盛，就没有中华民族伟大复兴。”这表明文化自信不仅是文化发展的动力源泉，更是实现中华民族伟大复兴的重要保障。党的二十届三中全会通过的《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的决定》，对全面深化文化体制机制改革作出系统部署。一方面，深化文化体制机制改革是激发全民族文化创新创造活力的关键，也是提升文化领域治理能力的核心所在。通过改革，可以破除束缚文化发展的体制机制障碍，释放文化创新创造的潜能。另一方面，营造良好的文化生态是激发全民族文化创新创造活力的重要条件。良好的文化生态有利于促进文化主体个性的发挥，形成强大的文化创新合力。为此，需要充分发扬学术民主、文艺民主，为作家、艺术家和专家学者提供扎根生活、潜心创作的良好环境。同时，高水平的文化人才是推动文化创新创造的重要力量。因此，需要加大对文化人才的培养和支持力度，尊重人才成长规律，建设一支规模宏大、结构合理、锐意创新的高水平文化人才队伍，为推动文化创新创造活力持续迸发提供重要保障。

Adhere to Gathering Strength and Forging the Soul, and Promote Core Socialist Values

坚持凝心铸魂，弘扬社会主义核心价值观

Against the backdrop of global cultural diversity and integration, with various ideological trends colliding, enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector has become an important strategic task for safeguarding national cultural sovereignty and security. The key to cultural governance lies in firmly grasping the dominant power of ideology, taking core socialist values as the guide, consolidating cultural confidence, and guarding cultural security. Ideological security is an important part of national security, directly related to the stability of the political system and the consolidation of political power, and is also an important barrier to ensuring the stability of national cultural sovereignty and cultural security. By enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector, we can not only effectively resist the infiltration of foreign cultures but also consolidate the uniqueness and subjectivity of local culture, ensuring the dominant position of core socialist values. Core socialist values, as the concentrated embodiment of the contemporary Chinese spirit, condense the common value pursuits of all the people and point the direction for cultural innovation and development. Promoting core socialist values can provide deep-level value guidance for cultural governance, enabling cultural innovation to proceed on the correct value track, and promoting cultural diversity and flourishing development. In the process of enhancing cultural governance capacity, we must always adhere to core socialist values as the fundamental guideline, and continuously build Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength. This will not only consolidate the foundation of national cultural governance but also help build a cultural brand with international appeal, enhancing the international dissemination power and influence of national culture. At the same time, we must also strengthen the construction of mainstream values, mainstream public opinion, and mainstream culture, and develop and expand positive, healthy, and upward ideological culture.

在全球文化多元交融的背景下，各种思潮激荡，推动文化领域治理能力的提升已成为维护国家文化主权和安全的重要战略任务。文化治理的关键在于牢牢把握意识形态主导权，以社会主义核心价值观为引领，筑牢文化自信，守护文化安全。意识形态安全是国家安全的重要组成部分，直接关系到政治制度稳定、政权稳固，也是确保国家文化主权稳固、文化安全的重要屏障。通过提升文化领域治理能力，不仅能够有效抵御外来文化的渗透，还能巩固本土文化的独特性与主体性，确保社会主义核心价值观的主导地位。社会主义核心价值观作为当代中国精神的集中体现，凝结着全体人民共同的价值追求，为文化创新发展指明了方向。弘扬社会主义核心价值观，能够为文化治理提供深层次的价值引领，使文化创新在正确的价值轨道上前行，推动文化多样性和繁荣发展。在文化治理能力提升的过程中，必须始终坚持以社会主义核心价值观为根本遵循，不断构筑中国精神、中国价值和中国力量。这不仅能夯实国家文化治理的根基，还有助于构建具有国际吸引力的文化品牌，提升国家文化的国际传播力与影响力。同时，还要加强主流价值、主流舆论、主流文化的建设，发展壮大积极健康向上的思想文化。

Enhancing governance capacity in the cultural sector is an inevitable requirement for building a socialist cultural powerhouse in the New Era and an important guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Anchoring the strategic goal of building China into a cultural powerhouse by 2035, we must adhere to the guiding position of Marxism, unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, actively explore the modernization path of the cultural governance system and governance capacity, take stronger ideological guidance, value appeal, cultural cohesion, and international communication power as benchmarks, and continuously deepen the process of Chinese-path modernization. In the future, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, through continuously building a healthy, open, and vibrant cultural governance ecology, we will show the world a socialist cultural powerhouse image full of confidence, innovation, and enterprise, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to promoting the progress of human civilization and global cultural diversity.

提升文化领域治理能力是新时代建设社会主义文化强国的必然要求，是实现中华民族伟大复兴的重要保障。锚定2035年建成文化强国的战略目标，必须坚持马克思主义的指导地位，坚定不移走中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，积极探索文化治理体系与治理能力的现代化路径，以更强的思想引领力、价值感召力、文化凝聚力、国际传播力为标杆，推动中国式现代化进程不断深入。未来，坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指引，通过持续构建健康、开放、充满活力的文化治理生态，向世界展示一个充满自信、创新进取的社会主义文化强国形象，为推动人类文明进步和全球文化多样性贡献中国智慧和中国方案。

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧