The Logical Evolution of the Core Implications of the CPC’s Original Aspiration and Founding Mission

Seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation is the original aspiration and founding mission of the Communist Party of China. Looking back at the Party’s century-long struggle, the long-term practice of fulfilling this original aspiration and founding mission has enabled the Party to unite and lead the Chinese people in changing the destiny of the country and the nation, opening a new path of Chinese-path modernization for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and profoundly influencing the course of world history. Standing in the New Era and the new journey, an in-depth examination and analysis of the theoretical logic, historical logic, and practical logic of the core implications of this original aspiration and founding mission is of extremely great theoretical value and practical significance for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.

为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴，是中国共产党的初心使命。回溯党百余年奋斗历程，践行初心使命的长期实践使党团结带领中国人民改变了国家前途命运，开辟了实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国式现代化新道路，深刻影响了世界历史进程。立足新时代新征程，深入考察和分析这一初心使命核心意蕴的理论逻辑、历史逻辑与实践逻辑，对于以中国式现代化全面推进中华民族伟大复兴具有极其重大的理论价值和实践意义。

I. The Theoretical Implications of the CPC’s Original Aspiration and Founding Mission

一、中国共产党初心使命的理论意蕴

“The original aspiration of Communists comes not only from simple feelings toward the people and a persistent pursuit of truth, but is even more established on the scientific theory of Marxism.”[n1] As a Marxist political party, generations of Chinese Communists, in persistently combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture, have scientifically answered the fundamental question of “what is the original aspiration and founding mission, why establish such an original aspiration and founding mission, and how to fulfill it.”

“共产党人的初心，不仅来自于对人民的朴素感情、对真理的执着追求，更建立在马克思主义的科学理论之上。”作为马克思主义政党，一代代中国共产党人在坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合中，科学回答了“什么是初心使命、为什么要确立这样的初心使命以及怎样践行初心使命”这一根本问题。

When scientifically answering the question of “what” the original aspiration and founding mission is, the Communist Party of China clearly defined its original aspiration and founding mission as seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Marx and Engels, in *The Communist Manifesto*, based on the value stance of the international proletariat and its party working for the interests of all humanity, used historical materialism to analyze the limitations of capitalist relations of production and the roots of class antagonism, and through the logical analysis and argument that “the fall of the bourgeoisie and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable,”[n2] revealed the historical inevitability of communism replacing capitalism. With the scientific thesis that “the proletarian movement is the independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority,”[n3] they revealed the inner unity between the lofty ideals for which the proletariat strives and the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people. They expounded that the proletariat, as the “gravediggers” of the bourgeoisie, can achieve its own emancipation only through the universal emancipation of humanity, confirming the consistency of the proletariat’s emancipation with the emancipation of all humanity, and providing the basis for the theoretical generalization of the proletariat’s world mission. Lenin, based on Russia’s basic national conditions of economic and cultural backwardness and the social reality of prominent national problems, inherited and upheld Marx and Engels’ thought on the historical mission of the proletariat. He pointed out that the liberation of the working class and the liberation of the oppressed nations are important components of the proletariat’s historical mission of emancipating all humanity, and advocated that the proletariat, through organizing and uniting the working class in alliance with all oppressed laboring classes, establish a “socialist society” and, on the basis of this social system, follow the principles of scientific social production and fair distribution to make the common fruits of social labor “enjoyed by all working people.”[n4] As a proletarian political party, based on an understanding of “the general basic characteristics of the proletariat” and especially the “particular advantages” of the Chinese proletariat,[n5] as well as the fundamental laws of the Chinese revolution, the Communist Party of China has consistently, in the historical process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, fulfilled its original aspiration and founding mission which dialectically unifies the Party’s class mission, the destiny of the Chinese nation, and the well-being of the people’s lives—that is, striving for national independence and the liberation of the people, and achieving national prosperity and the common prosperity of the people. On the basis of inheriting and developing the Marxist thought on people-orientedness, it has formed the core value concept of “people supremacy”[n6] with Chinese characteristics, that is, adhering to the people’s standpoint as the fundamental political standpoint, adhering to the people-centered development thought, “taking promoting common prosperity for all the people as the focal point of seeking happiness for the people,”[n7] and striving unremittingly to advance the construction of a modern socialist power and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and to realize the people’s aspiration for a better life.

中国共产党在科学回答初心使命“是什么”的问题时，明确了自己为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的初心使命。马克思恩格斯在«共产党宣言»中立足国际无产阶级及其政党为全人类谋利益的价值立场，运用唯物史观分析资本主义生产关系局限性和阶级对立的根源问题，以“资产阶级的灭亡和无产阶级的胜利是同样不可避免的”逻辑分析和论证，揭示了共产主义代替资本主义的历史必然；以“无产阶级的运动是绝大多数人的，为绝大多数人谋利益的独立的运动”的科学论断，揭示了无产阶级为之奋斗的崇高理想与广大人民群众根本利益的内在统一；阐述了无产阶级作为资产阶级的“掘墓人”，只有在人的普遍解放中才能实现自身解放，确证了无产阶级的解放同全人类解放的一致性，为无产阶级的世界使命担当提供了理论概括的依据。列宁基于俄国经济文化落后的基本国情和民族问题凸显的社会现实，继承并坚持马克思恩格斯关于无产阶级历史使命思想，指出劳动阶级的解放和被压迫民族的解放是无产阶级解放全人类历史使命的重要组成部分，主张无产阶级通过组织和联合工人阶级同一切被压迫劳动阶级的联盟建立“社会主义社会”，并在这一社会制度基础上遵循科学社会生产和公平正义分配原则，以实现社会共同的劳动成果“归全体劳动者享受”。中国共产党作为无产阶级政党，基于对“一般无产阶级的基本特点”特别是中国无产阶级的“特出的优点”，以及对中国革命根本规律的认识，在不断推进马克思主义中国化的历史进程中始终践行党的阶级使命、民族前途命运和人民生活福祉辩证统一的初心使命，即争取民族独立、人民解放和实现国家富强、人民共同富裕，并在继承和发展马克思主义人民性思想的基础上，形成了具有中国特色的“人民至上”核心价值理念，即坚持把人民立场作为根本政治立场，坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，“把促进全体人民共同富裕作为为人民谋幸福的着力点”，为推进社会主义现代化强国建设和中华民族伟大复兴、实现人民对美好生活的向往而不懈奋斗。

When deeply answering the question of “why” it establishes the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, the Communist Party of China made clear that the original aspiration and founding mission is a distinct manifestation of the CPC’s advanced nature as a proletarian party. Based on the irreconcilable contradictions of capitalist society, Marx and Engels systematically discussed the practical subject role of Communists in highly developing productive forces, transforming relations of production, and ultimately promoting the replacement of social formations at each stage of breaking with traditional ownership relations. “The Communists are not a special party opposed to other working-class parties,”[n8] and therefore can consciously assume the consciousness of the common interests of all class members and shoulder the historical mission of “abolishing private property.” “They have no interests separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole,”[n9] therefore the Communists are the most resolute and consistently driving part of the working-class parties in all countries, capable of leading the working class in opposing the existing system and establishing public ownership. Facing the conflicts and contradictions of the coexistence of feudal remnants and capitalist expansion in the era of imperialism, Lenin, based on the standard of dividing epochs by class status, proposed that the proletariat, as “the advanced fighters for political freedom and democratic institutions,”[n10] “is the only class capable of uniting all the exploited working people in the struggle against the bourgeoisie and of completely removing the bourgeoisie.”[n11] The proletarian party is the only party capable of shouldering the great mission of advancing the proletarian political revolution to a social revolution, and therefore can represent the fundamental interests of the entire proletariat and other laboring classes, and can consciously strive for the liberation of the vast masses of the people. The Communist Party of China is an advanced proletarian party established on the basis of the Chinese working class. The Chinese proletariat suffered triple oppression from imperialism, the bourgeoisie, and feudal forces, “and the severity and cruelty of this oppression are rarely seen among the nations of the world.”[n12] Therefore, they were more resolute and thorough in the revolutionary struggle than any other class. “When the Chinese proletariat first appeared on the revolutionary stage, it came under the leadership of its own revolutionary party—the Communist Party of China—and became the most class-conscious class in Chinese society.”[n13] Most of the Chinese proletariat came from bankrupt peasants, so they “have a natural bond with the vast peasantry, which facilitates the formation of a close alliance between them and the peasants.”[n14] As soon as the Communist Party of China was established, it set the lofty ideal of realizing communism and the original aspiration and founding mission of realizing the liberation of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people. The CPC’s original aspiration and founding mission deeply embodies the advanced nature, purity, and people-orientation of the proletarian party; it is a Chinese-style expression of the historical mission of the proletariat. It fundamentally demonstrates that the Communist Party of China, as a proletarian party, can transcend the limitations of all previous classes and parties in pursuing their own interests and lead the Chinese people from victory to victory. The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission determines the advanced nature and correctness of China’s leadership, theoretical choices, path exploration, and other aspects, becoming a powerful guide for persistently realizing the people’s happiness and national rejuvenation on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

中国共产党在深入回答“为什么”要确立为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴这一初心使命时，明确了初心使命是中国共产党作为无产阶级先进政党特质的鲜明体现。基于资本主义社会不可调和的矛盾，马克思恩格斯系统论述共产党人在与传统的所有制关系决裂的各个阶段高度发展生产力、变革生产关系，最终推动社会形态更替的实践主体作用。“共产党人不是同其他工人政党相对立的特殊政党”，因此能够自觉承担全部阶级成员共同利益的意识以及肩负起“消灭私有制”的历史使命；“他们没有任何同整个无产阶级的利益不同的利益”，因此共产党人是各国工人政党中最坚决和始终起推动作用的部分，能够领导工人阶级反对现存制度，建立公有制。面对帝国主义时代封建残余和资本主义膨胀并存的冲突与矛盾，列宁依据阶级地位划分时代的标准，提出无产阶级作为“争取政治自由与民主制度的先进战士”，“是唯一能够团结一切被剥削劳动者对资产阶级进行斗争、把资产阶级完全铲除的阶级”；无产阶级政党是唯一能够担负推进无产阶级政治革命转向社会革命伟大使命的政党，因而能够代表整个无产阶级和其他劳动阶级的根本利益，能够自觉地为广大人民群众的解放而奋斗。中国共产党是以中国工人阶级为基础建立起来的无产阶级先进政党。中国无产阶级深受帝国主义、资产阶级、封建势力三重压迫，“而这些压迫的严重性和残酷性，是世界各民族中少见的”，因此他们在革命斗争中比任何阶级都坚决和彻底；“中国无产阶级开始走上革命的舞台，就在本阶级的革命政党—中国共产党领导之下，成为中国社会里比较最有觉悟的阶级”；中国无产阶级大多出身于破产农民，因而他们“和广大的农民有一种天然的联系，便利于他们和农民结成亲密的联盟”。中国共产党一经成立，就确立了实现共产主义的远大理想和实现中华民族与中国人民解放的初心使命。中国共产党的初心使命深刻蕴含了无产阶级政党的先进性、纯洁性和人民性，是无产阶级历史使命的中国式表达，从根本上彰显了中国共产党作为无产阶级政党能够摆脱以往一切阶级及其政党追求自身利益的局限，带领中国人民从胜利走向胜利。党的初心使命决定了中国领导力量、理论选择、道路探索等方面的先进性和正确性，成为在中国特色社会主义道路上坚持实现人民幸福和民族复兴的有力遵循。

When correctly answering the question of “how” to uphold the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, the Communist Party of China has always taken Marxism as its guide and adhered to the program of striving for socialism and communism. To realize the historical mission of the proletariat, Marx and Engels successively proposed abolishing bourgeois private property, establishing public ownership, implementing distribution according to work, establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat, and “increasing the total of productive forces as rapidly as possible,”[n15] in order to achieve the transition from capitalism to socialism and communism. At the same time, they also pointed out that “the mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political and intellectual life,”[n16] thereby showing that different countries and nations, based on differences in their level of social productive forces and historical and cultural traditions, will inevitably exhibit different characteristics in their development paths, revealing that the realization of communism is a historical process formed by achieving several revolutionary stage objectives, and elucidating the dialectical unity between the current movement and the ultimate goal. This laid an important theoretical foundation for the proletarian party to uphold its original aspiration and founding mission. On the basis of adhering to and creatively applying the basic principles of Marxist science, Lenin demonstrated that “socialism may triumph first in a few or even in a single capitalist country,”[n17] achieving a major leap from scientific socialism from theory to practice, and establishing the world’s first socialist state. Lenin pointed out that socialism built under conditions of economic and cultural backwardness could only be “socialism in its primary form.”[n18] At the same time, through his theory on the national and colonial questions,[n19] Lenin guided and supported the national liberation movements of colonial and semi-colonial countries, laying a theoretical foundation for China and other Eastern countries to successively achieve victory in the proletarian revolution. Under the historical conditions of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, the Communist Party of China led the Chinese revolutionary movement. Chinese Communists never concealed their political propositions: “Our future program or our maximum program is to advance China into a socialist and communist society.”[n20] The Party’s over one hundred years of history fully prove that to remain true to the original aspiration and founding mission, Chinese Communists must uphold the guiding position of Marxism, adhere to combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture (the Two Integrations);[n21] must bear in mind the program established at the Party’s founding to strive for communism and socialism, and firmly uphold the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics; must adhere to confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics (the Four Confidences);[n22] must firmly believe that the Party takes the people as the foundation for its cause and the basis of its prosperity, and fully arouse the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the vast masses; and must maintain the Party’s advanced nature and purity, continuously improve its leadership level and governance capacity, and strengthen its ability to resist risks and prevent corruption. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The cause advances without end, and the Communists’ original aspiration can never change. Only by never forgetting the original aspiration can we reassure history and our predecessors, can we win the people’s hearts and the times, and can we do our work well and forge ahead with unstoppable momentum.”[n23]

中国共产党在正确回答“怎么样”坚守为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴这一初心使命问题时，始终以马克思主义为指导，坚持为社会主义、共产主义而奋斗的纲领。为实现无产阶级的历史使命，马克思恩格斯相继提出废除资产阶级私有制、建立公有制、实行按劳分配、建立无产阶级专政，“并且尽可能快地增加生产力的总量”，以实现从资本主义向社会主义、共产主义的过渡。同时，他们还指出“每一历史时代主要的经济生产方式和交换方式以及必然由此产生的社会结构，是该时代政治的和精神的历史所赖以确立的基础”，进而表明不同国家和民族基于本国社会生产力发展水平与历史文化传统的差异，其发展道路必然呈现出不同特点，揭示了实现共产主义是通过达成若干革命阶段目标而形成的历史过程，并阐明了当前运动与最终目标之间辩证统一的关系，由此为无产阶级政党坚守初心使命奠定了重要的理论基础。列宁在坚持和创造性运用马克思主义科学主义基本原则的基础上，论证了“社会主义可能首先在少数甚至在单独一个资本主义国家内获得胜利”，实现了科学社会主义从理论到实践的重大飞跃，建立了世界上第一个社会主义国家。列宁指出，在经济文化落后的条件下建设的社会主义只能是“初级形式的社会主义”。同时，列宁还通过民族殖民地理论，指导和支持殖民地半殖民地国家民族解放运动，为中国等东方国家先后取得无产阶级革命胜利奠定了理论基础。中国共产党在半殖民地半封建社会历史条件下领导了中国革命运动，中国共产党人从来不隐瞒自己的政治主张：“我们的将来纲领或最高纲领，是要将中国推进到社会主义社会和共产主义社会去的。”党的百余年历史充分证明，中国共产党人要坚持不忘初心、牢记使命，必须坚持马克思主义的指导地位，坚持马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合；必须牢记党从成立起就确定的为共产主义、社会主义而奋斗的纲领，坚定共产主义远大理想和中国特色社会主义共同理想；必须坚持中国特色社会主义的道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信；必须坚信党把人民作为立业之本、兴业之基，充分发挥广大人民群众的积极性、主动性、创造性；必须保持党的先进性和纯洁性，不断提高领导水平和执政能力，增强抵御风险和拒腐防变能力。正如习近平总书记所指出：“事业发展永无止境，共产党人的初心永远不能改变。唯有不忘初心，方可告慰历史、告慰先辈，方可赢得民心、赢得时代，方可善作善成、一往无前。”

II. The Historical Implications of the CPC’s Original Aspiration and Founding Mission

二、中国共产党初心使命的历史意蕴

Viewing the core implications of the CPC’s original aspiration and founding mission from a historical perspective, they are concentratedly manifested in the Party’s persistent adherence to the unity of the maximum program and the minimum program,[n24] closely linking the struggle for the lofty ideal of communism with the common ideals of each historical period, and continuously advancing the development of the Party’s and the people’s cause.

从历史视域观照中国共产党初心使命的核心意蕴，集中表现为党始终坚持最高纲领与最低纲领的统一，把为共产主义远大理想而奋斗同为各个历史时期的共同理想而奋斗紧密衔接起来，不断推进党和人民事业的发展。

“During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the main tasks facing the Party were opposing imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, striving for national independence and the liberation of the people, and creating the fundamental social conditions for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”[n25] In July 1921, the Communist Party of China emerged as the times required in the combination of Marxism with the Chinese workers’ movement. Facing the contradiction between imperialism and the Chinese nation, and the contradiction between feudalism and the masses of the people, the Party formulated and implemented the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal democratic revolutionary program, unified with the maximum program of realizing communism, thereby establishing the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. In the early days of the Party’s founding and during the Great Revolution,[n26] the Party led the workers’ movement, youth movement, peasant movement, and women’s movement, relying on the working class and peasants and all other laboring masses, and organized and established a large mass party in the great anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle. With the promotion and assistance of the Communist Party of China, the Kuomintang successfully completed its reorganization, and the two parties jointly organized and established a democratic united front. The Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army advanced with irresistible force, setting off a climax of the Great Revolution. However, because the Party was subjected to the combined pressure of imperialism and feudal forces at this time, the bourgeoisie wavered severely, and the united front experienced sharp polarization; moreover, due to the failure to combine the basic principles of Marxism with revolutionary practice, the Great Revolution ultimately ended in failure. The Party learned from the harsh reality that without revolutionary armed force, it was impossible to defeat the counter-revolution in arms, and impossible to change the destiny of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. Through continuously deepening its understanding of the nature and prospects of the Chinese revolution, the Party clarified that the way out for the Chinese revolution must rely on class struggle to establish a dictatorship of the worker-peasant alliance, and creatively opened up a new revolutionary path of encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing state power by armed force,[n27] which became a new starting point of decisive significance for the Chinese revolution, promoting the historic transformation of the Chinese revolution from the failure of the Great Revolution to the rise of the Agrarian Revolutionary War.[n28] In repeated counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns,[n29] the Party further recognized the necessity of independently solving China’s revolutionary practical problems. Through the Zunyi Meeting,[n30] it began to establish Comrade Mao Zedong’s leading position in the Party Central Committee, reversing the passive situation of the Chinese revolution’s decline. As Japanese imperialism intensified its aggression against China, the Sino-Japanese national contradiction rose to become the principal contradiction. Based on the tripartite task of consolidating peace, winning democracy, and achieving total resistance against Japan, the Party rapidly and broadly mobilized the national salvation movement against Japan, expanded the people’s revolutionary armed forces, opened up vast enemy rear battlefields and anti-Japanese base areas, implemented the program of the total resistance line, and carried out the Great Production Campaign[n31] and economic construction, accumulating conditions for establishing democratic political power and promoting social progress. After the Kuomintang reactionaries tore up the Political Consultative Conference resolutions[n32] and blatantly launched the full-scale civil war, the Party firmly complemented the People’s Liberation War with democratic movements in KMT-controlled areas,[n33] won the People’s Liberation War, overthrew the reactionary KMT government, toppled the “three big mountains”[n34] that oppressed the Chinese people, and formulated a political program for establishing New China from political, economic, and cultural aspects. It accomplished the great leap from thousands of years of feudal autocratic politics to people’s democracy, and from then on the Chinese nation opened a new era on the magnificent road to great rejuvenation.

“新民主主义革命时期，党面临的主要任务是，反对帝国主义、封建主义、官僚资本主义，争取民族独立、人民解放，为实现中华民族伟大复兴创造根本社会条件。”1921年7月，中国共产党在马克思主义与中国工人运动的结合中应运而生。面对帝国主义与中华民族的矛盾、封建主义与人民大众的矛盾，党制定并实施了反帝反封建的民主革命纲领，与实现共产主义的最高纲领相统一，进而确立了为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的初心使命。建党之初和大革命时期，党领导工人运动、青年运动、农民运动、妇女运动，依靠工人阶级及农民等一切劳动群众，在反帝反封建伟大斗争中组织建立起一个大的群众性政党。在中国共产党的推进和帮助下，国民党顺利完成改组工作，国共两党共同组织建立起民主主义联合战线，国民革命军北伐势如破竹，掀起大革命高潮。但由于党在这一时期遭受帝国主义和封建势力的联合压力，资产阶级发生严重动摇、统一战线出现剧烈分化，又因未能将马克思主义基本原理同革命实践相结合，大革命最终走向失败。党从残酷的现实中认识到，没有革命的武装就无法战胜武装的反革命，无法改变中国人民和中华民族的命运。党通过不断深化对中国革命性质和前途问题的认识，明确了中国革命的出路必须依靠阶级斗争建立工农联盟专政，独创性地开辟了农村包围城市、武装夺取政权的革命新道路，成为中国革命具有决定意义的新起点，推动中国革命从大革命失败到土地革命战争兴起的历史性转变。党在多次反“围剿”斗争中进一步认识到独立自主解决中国革命实际问题的必要性，通过遵义会议开始确立毛泽东同志在党中央的领导地位，扭转了中国革命颓败的被动局势。随着日本帝国主义步步加深对华侵略，中日民族矛盾上升为主要矛盾。党基于巩固和平、争取民主和实现全面抗战的三位一体任务，迅速地普遍地发动抗日救亡运动，扩大人民革命武装，开辟广大敌后战场和抗日根据地，实行全面抗战路线的纲领，开展大生产运动和经济建设，为建立民主政权、推进社会进步积累了条件。而在国民党反动派撕毁政协决议、悍然发动全面内战后，党又坚定地以人民解放战争和国统区民主运动相互配合，打赢人民解放战争，推翻国民党反动政府，推翻了剥削压榨中国人民的“三座大山”，从政治、经济、文化等方面制定了建立新中国的政治纲领，完成了从几千年的封建专制政治向人民民主的伟大飞跃，中华民族从此开启了通往伟大复兴壮阔道路的新纪元。

“During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the main tasks facing the Party were realizing the transition from New Democracy to socialism, carrying out socialist revolution, and advancing socialist construction, to lay the fundamental political prerequisite and institutional foundation for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”[n35] After the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China, as a comprehensive and long-term ruling party, actively advanced the construction of various tasks in politics, economy, ideology, military affairs, and other fields, making important preparations for the complete completion of the democratic revolutionary tasks and the transition to the socialist revolution. The Party carried out the land system reform movement[n36] and the Party consolidation movement[n37] across the country, clearing the way for the complete unification of the mainland of the motherland. Through stabilizing prices and unifying financial and economic work, it rapidly restored the national economy and initiated planned economic construction. It advanced land system reform and various social democratic reforms, giving society an entirely new look. Particularly, winning the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea[n38] safeguarded national security and protected the people’s property safety. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the nascent state power was consolidated, and New China quickly rose from the ruins. In the context of socialist factors exceeding expected growth, the Party, in accordance with the general line for the transition period,[n39] advanced socialist transformation[n40] in parallel with socialist industrialization, greatly improving the overall layout of national industry and basically establishing a socialist economic system characterized mainly by public ownership of the means of production and distribution according to work. To consolidate the state power of the people’s democratic dictatorship, the Party led the establishment of the system of people’s congresses,[n41] the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC,[n42] and the system of regional ethnic autonomy,[n43] providing institutional guarantees for the people being the masters of the country and laying an important foundation for all progress and development in China. By leading the people in completing the socialist revolution and abolishing all systems of exploitation, the Party achieved the most extensive and profound social change in the history of the Chinese nation. In the process of exploring the path of China’s own socialist construction, on the basis of proposing “taking the Soviet Union as a mirror,”[n44] the Party further formed the ideological understanding of the need to carry out a “Second Integration” of the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with China’s specific realities.[n45] Mao Zedong Thought was greatly enriched and developed during this period, correctly recognizing that socialist society is a very long historical stage, strictly distinguishing and correctly handling contradictions between ourselves and the enemy and contradictions among the people, and correctly handling the ten major relationships in China’s socialist construction.[n46] It established an independent and relatively complete industrial system and national economic system; established a series of basic systems from the central to the local level; and formulated innovative work policies such as “long-term coexistence and mutual supervision”[n47] and “letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.”[n48] In international affairs, by restoring China’s lawful seat and all its lawful rights in the United Nations,[n49] it promoted the formation of an international community pattern upholding the One-China principle,[n50] improved China’s security environment, and greatly enhanced its international standing. During this period, although the Party’s work suffered mistakes and experienced twists and turns, the original theoretical achievements and pioneering practical accomplishments made by the Party in exploring socialist construction provided rich theoretical preparation, solid material foundation, and valuable historical experience for initiating socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully proving that the Chinese people are not only good at destroying an old world, but also good at building a new world.

“社会主义革命和建设时期，党面临的主要任务是，实现从新民主主义到社会主义的转变，进行社会主义革命，推进社会主义建设，为实现中华民族伟大复兴奠定根本政治前提和制度基础。”新中国成立后，中国共产党作为全面和长期执政的政党，积极推进政治、经济、思想、军事等各项任务的建设，为彻底完成民主革命任务和过渡到社会主义革命做出重要准备。党在全国各地开展土地制度改革运动和整党运动，为实现祖国大陆完全统一扫清道路；通过稳定物价、统一财经工作，迅速恢复国民经济并开展有计划的经济建设；推进土地制度及各方面社会民主改革，社会面貌焕然一新；特别是取得抗美援朝战争胜利，捍卫了国家安全、维护了人民群众财产安全。在中国共产党的有力领导下，新生国家政权得以巩固，新中国迅速从废墟中站起。在社会主义因素超过预期增长的现实背景下，党依据过渡时期的总路线，将社会主义改造同社会主义工业化并行，极大改善了国家工业整体布局，基本建立起以生产资料公有制和按劳分配为主要特征的社会主义经济制度。为巩固人民民主专政的国家政权，党领导确立人民代表大会制度、中国共产党领导的多党合作和政治协商制度、民族区域自治制度，为人民当家作主提供了制度保证，奠定了我国一切进步和发展的重要基础。党通过领导人民完成社会主义革命，消灭一切剥削制度，实现了中华民族有史以来最为广泛而深刻的社会变革。而在探索中国自己社会主义建设道路的过程中，党在提出“以苏为鉴”的基础上，进一步形成了要把马克思列宁主义基本原理同中国具体实际进行“第二次结合”的思想认识。毛泽东思想在这一时期得到极大的丰富和发展，正确认识到社会主义社会是一个很长的历史阶段，严格区分和正确处理敌我矛盾和人民内部矛盾，正确处理我国社会主义建设的十大关系；建立起独立的比较完整的工业体系和国民经济体系，确立了从中央到地方的一系列基本制度；制定了“长期共存、互相监督”“百花齐放、百家争鸣”等创新性工作方针。国际方面，通过恢复我国在联合国的合法席位及一切合法权利，推动形成国际社会坚持一个中国原则的格局，改善了中国的安全环境，极大地提升了国际地位。这一时期，虽然党的工作发生过失误、经历过曲折，但党在探索社会主义建设的过程中取得的独创性理论成果和开拓性实践成就，为开创中国特色社会主义提供了丰富的理论准备、扎实的物质基础和宝贵的历史经验，充分证明中国人民不但善于破坏一个旧世界，而且善于建设一个新世界。

“During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the main tasks facing the Party were continuing to explore the correct path for China to build socialism, liberating and developing the social productive forces, enabling the people to shake off poverty and become prosperous as quickly as possible, and providing a new and dynamic institutional guarantee and rapid material conditions for development for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”[n51] At the beginning of the new period, on the basis of deeply summing up both positive and negative experience in socialist construction, the Party made the historic decision to implement reform and opening up. Through the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee,[n52] it reestablished the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, the political line of socialist modernization centering on economic construction, and the organizational line with democratic centralism as its fundamental principle. With the continuous advancement of reform and opening up and modernization, the Party deeply recognized that it must lead the development of the cause with theoretical innovation, and uphold and develop Marxism based on China’s basic national conditions and the inherent laws of economic and social development; must continuously update the strategic deployments and strategic arrangements for reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and plan and advance the construction of the country’s economic, political, cultural, and social undertakings; must unswervingly adhere to the Four Cardinal Principles,[n53] leading the people to jointly break down a series of ideological and institutional obstacles hindering the development of the country and the nation; must take the accomplishment of the great cause of national reunification as a historical responsibility, and advance the steady development of all causes of the Party and the state as a whole; must unequivocally oppose hegemonism and power politics, and promote lasting world peace and common prosperity; and must concentrate on Party building, comprehensively advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and better transform the Party’s institutional advantages into governance effectiveness, providing strong support for strengthening supervision and restriction over power. By continuously promoting the combination of the basic principles of Marxism with the reality and characteristics of China’s modernization, the Party formed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving a new leap in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context. It achieved a historic breakthrough from a relatively backward state of productive forces to becoming the world’s second largest economy, and a historic leap in people’s living standards from insufficient food and clothing to overall moderate prosperity (xiaokang) and then towards moderate prosperity in all respects,[n54] advancing the great leap of the Chinese nation from standing up to becoming prosperous. The practice of the new period fully proved that the Party took the original aspiration and founding mission of seeking national prosperity and the people’s well-being as the internal driving force for reform and opening up to proceed steadily and achieve lasting success, adhered to the unity of the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the lofty ideal of communism, and successfully blazed the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation was further elevated under the new historical conditions.

“改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，党面临的主要任务是，继续探索中国建设社会主义的正确道路，解放和发展社会生产力，使人民摆脱贫困、尽快富裕起来，为实现中华民族伟大复兴提供充满新的活力的体制保证和快速发展的物质条件。”新时期伊始，党在深刻总结社会主义建设正反两方面经验的基础上，作出实行改革开放的历史性决策，通过党的十一届三中全会重新确立实事求是的思想路线、以经济建设为中心的社会主义现代化建设的政治路线和民主集中制为根本原则的组织路线。随着改革开放和现代化建设事业的不断推进，党深刻认识到，必须以理论创新引领事业发展，立足我国基本国情和经济社会发展内在规律坚持和发展马克思主义；必须不断更新改革开放和社会主义现代化建设的战略部署和战略安排，谋划和推进国家经济、政治、文化和社会各项工作建设；必须毫不动摇坚持四项基本原则，领导人民共同奋斗破除阻碍国家和民族发展的一系列思想和体制障碍；必须把完成祖国统一大业作为历史重任，整体性推进党和国家各项事业稳步发展；必须旗帜鲜明反对霸权主义和强权政治，促进世界持久和平、共同繁荣；必须聚精会神抓好党的建设，纵深推进全面从严治党，推动党的制度优势更好转化为治国理政的行动效能，为强化对权力的监督和制约提供有力支撑。党通过持续推进马克思主义基本原理同中国现代化实际与时代特征相结合，形成了中国特色社会主义理论体系，实现了马克思主义中国化新的飞跃，实现了从生产力相对落后的状况到经济总量跃居世界第二的历史性突破，实现了人民生活从温饱不足到总体小康、奔向全面小康的历史性跨越，推进了中华民族从站起来到富起来的伟大飞跃。新时期的实践充分证明，党把谋求民族富强、人民福祉的初心使命作为改革开放行稳致远的内驱动力，坚持中国特色社会主义共同理想与共产主义远大理想相统一，成功开创了中国特色社会主义道路。党为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的初心使命在新的历史条件下得到进一步提升。

“Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era. The main task faced by the Party is to achieve the First Centenary Goal, embark on the new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal, and continue advancing toward the grand goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” [50]50 The First Centenary Goal is to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the Communist Party of China in 2021; the Second Centenary Goal is to build a great modern socialist country in all respects by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049. The Party, based on promoting the strategic global situation of realizing national rejuvenation and combining the changes in the new development stage and historical orientation, has put forward new modernization development strategies. On the one hand, the important achievements made in reform and opening up and socialist modernization, as well as the notable results achieved in the great new project of Party building, have laid a solid foundation, created favorable conditions, and provided important guarantees for the courageous advance of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics; on the other hand, under the new circumstances, the Party’s governance environment is complex, and the “Four Tests” and “Four Dangers” [51]51 The “Four Tests” refer to the tests of governance, reform and opening up, the market economy, and the external environment; the “Four Dangers” refer to the dangers of spiritual slackening, insufficient capability, detachment from the people, and corruption. are more sharply placed before the whole Party; the Chinese economy has entered a new normal, downward pressure on growth has increased, structural adjustment brooks no delay, the problems of unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unsustainable development remain prominent, and reform and opening up have entered a tough period and deep-water zone; various social trends of thought coexist, harboring the danger of shaking Marxist faith and the ideal and belief of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the development of the social economy and the principles of social morality show a state of incompatibility, a series of long-accumulated chronic ailments affecting the Party’s governance and rejuvenation of the country, social prosperity and stability, and the people’s well-being, as well as newly emerging prominent contradictions and problems, urgently need to be resolved. To this end, the Party Central Committee, sizing up the situation, making overall plans, uniting and leading the whole Party, the entire military, and all ethnic groups of the country to be confident, self-reliant, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, and to take overall charge of the “Four Greats” historical mission, [52]52 The “Four Greats” refer to the great struggle, the great project (Party building), the great cause (socialism with Chinese characteristics), and the great dream (the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation). the cause of the Party and the country has made historic achievements and undergone historic changes. Specifically, at the level of Party building, comprehensively strengthen Party leadership, deepen the great new project of Party building in the New Era, comprehensively and strictly govern the Party with increasing systematic, creative, and practical effectiveness, and the Party’s image is entirely new; at the level of political building, focus on developing whole-process people’s democracy, highlight the unique advantages of the democratic system with Chinese characteristics, continuously raise the institutionalized, standardized, and procedural levels of socialist democratic politics with Chinese characteristics, and basically form the overall framework of law-based governance in all respects; at the level of economic building, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping’s economic thought, adhere to the new development concept, make historic leaps in the country’s economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and composite national strength, and significantly enhance the systemic, coordinated, and holistic nature of economic development; at the level of cultural building, advance Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to enter the mind and heart, make the Party’s leadership over ideological work more secure, significantly enhance governance capability, widely cultivate and practice core socialist values across society, gradually improve the public cultural service system, make the Chinese nation and the Chinese people more confident, independent, and self-reliant, and burst forth with a strong historical consciousness and initiative; at the level of social building, eradicate absolute poverty as a whole, build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, basically establish a social security system covering both urban and rural residents, basically construct a social governance model and pattern of co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits, and make the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security more substantive, more secure, and more sustainable; at the level of ecological civilization building, take major steps in building a Beautiful China, significantly increase environmental governance efforts, and bring about global changes in ecological environmental protection. In addition, the Party has also achieved a series of important accomplishments in comprehensively deepening reform, opening up, national defense and military building, safeguarding national security, upholding “one country, two systems,” and advancing national unification. These important achievements have provided more complete institutional guarantees, more solid material foundations, and more active spiritual strength for the Party to adhere to its original aspiration and founding mission.

“中国特色社会主义进入新时代。党面临的主要任务是，实现第一个百年奋斗目标，开启实现第二个百年奋斗目标新征程，朝着实现中华民族伟大复兴的宏伟目标继续前进。”党立足推进实现民族复兴战略全局，结合新的发展阶段和历史方位变化提出了新的现代化发展战略。一方面，改革开放和社会主义现代化建设所取得的重要成就和党的建设新的伟大工程取得的显著成效，为中国特色社会主义事业的勇毅前行奠定了坚实基础、创造了良好条件、提供了重要保障；另一方面，新形势下党面临的执政环境是复杂的，“四大考验”“四种危险”更加尖锐地摆在全党面前；中国经济呈现新常态、增长下行压力加大、结构调整刻不容缓，发展中不平衡、不协调、不可持续的问题依然突出，改革开放进入攻坚期和深水区；各种社会思潮并存潜伏着动摇马克思主义信仰和中国特色社会主义理想信念的危险，社会经济的发展和社会道德的原则呈现出不适配的状态，一系列影响党执政兴国、社会繁荣稳定、人民幸福安康的沉疴痼疾长期积累及新出现的突出矛盾和问题亟待解决。为此，党中央审时度势、统筹谋划，团结带领全党全军全国各族人民自信自强、守正创新，统揽“四个伟大”历史使命，党和国家事业取得历史性成就、发生历史性变革。具言之，党的建设层面，全面加强党的领导，深入推进新时代党的建设新的伟大工程，全面从严治党系统性创造性实效性不断提高，党的面貌焕然一新；政治建设层面，聚焦发展全过程人民民主，彰显中国特色民主制度的独特优势，我国社会主义民主政治制度化、规范化、程序化水平不断提高，全面依法治国总体格局基本形成；经济建设层面，在习近平经济思想的科学指引下，坚持新发展理念，国家经济实力、科技实力、综合国力实现历史性跃升，经济发展系统性、协同性、整体性明显增强；文化建设层面，推进习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想入脑入心，党对意识形态工作领导权更加牢固，执政能力显著增强，全社会广泛培育和践行社会主义核心价值观，公共文化服务体系日益健全，中华民族和中国人民更加自信、自立、自强，焕发出强烈的历史自觉和主动精神；社会建设层面，整体消除绝对贫困、全面建成小康社会，覆盖城乡居民的社会保障体系基本建立，共建共治共享的社会治理模式和格局基本构建，人民群众获得感、幸福感、安全感更加充实、更有保障、更可持续；生态文明建设层面，美丽中国建设迈出重大步伐，环境治理力度明显加大，生态环境保护工作发生全局性变化。此外，党在全面深化改革、对外开放、国防和军队建设、维护国家安全、坚持“一国两制”和推进祖国统一等层面也取得了一系列重要成就。这些重要成就为党坚守初心使命提供了更为完善的制度保证、更为坚实的物质基础、更为主动的精神力量。

III. The Practical Implications of the Original Aspiration and Founding Mission of the Communist Party of China

三、中国共产党初心使命的实践意蕴

Adhering to and developing Marxism, adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, “is a process of pursuing truth, revealing truth, and practicing truth,” and is also the process by which the Communist Party of China continues to adhere to its original aspiration and founding mission on the new journey of the New Era. The 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: “The central task of the Communist Party of China is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups across the country to comprehensively build a great modern socialist country, achieve the Second Centenary Goal, and comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.” This indicates the Party’s target task and fundamental path for comprehensively building a great modern socialist country by the middle of the 21st century, laying a more solid theoretical and practical foundation for practicing the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission.

坚持和发展马克思主义、推进马克思主义中国化时代化，“是一个追求真理、揭示真理、笃行真理的过程”，也是中国共产党在新时代新征程上继续坚守初心使命的过程。党的二十大指出：“中国共产党的中心任务就是团结带领全国各族人民全面建成社会主义现代化强国、实现第二个百年奋斗目标，以中国式现代化全面推进中华民族伟大复兴。”这就指明了党在21世纪中叶全面建成社会主义现代化强国的目标任务和根本路径，为践行党的初心使命奠定了更为坚实的理论与实践基础。

“Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China. It contains both the common features of modernization in all countries and the Chinese characteristics based on our own national conditions.” Chinese-path modernization breaks the previous limitations of modernization road assumptions of “learning from the West” or “learning from Russia,” and is characterized by a huge population size, common prosperity for all the people, coordination between material and cultural-ethical progress, harmony between humans and nature, and taking a peaceful development path. Facing the accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century in the world and new opportunities and challenges for China’s development, we must uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, so that the Party always remains the most reliable mainstay, stabilizer, and ballast stone for all the people when storms strike, ensuring the correct direction of China’s socialist modernization; adhere to the socialist path with Chinese characteristics, adhere to keeping the path unchanged and will unchanged, and firmly grasp the fate of China’s development and progress in our own hands; adhere to the people-centered development thinking, letting the fruits of modernization benefit all the people more and more fairly; adhere to deepening reform and opening up, strive to solve deep-seated institutional barriers, and better transform China’s institutional advantages into national governance effectiveness; adhere to carrying forward the fighting spirit, enhance the ambition, backbone, and confidence of the whole Party and the entire people, and open up new horizons for the cause by tenacious struggle. This requires the whole Party to start from the height of the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission on the new journey of the New Era, to more deeply understand and grasp the people-centered development thinking, solidly promote common prosperity for all the people, continuously meet the people’s needs for a better life, comprehensively build a great modern socialist country, open up a new realm of Chinese-path modernization, highlight the modern strength of Chinese civilization, and create a new form of human civilization.

“中国式现代化，是中国共产党领导的社会主义现代化，既有各国现代化的共同特征，更有基于自己国情的中国特色。”中国式现代化打破了以往“师法于西”抑或“师法于俄”的现代化道路设想局限，表现为人口规模巨大、全体人民共同富裕、物质文明和精神文明相协调、人与自然和谐共生、走和平发展道路的特征。面对世界百年未有之大变局加速演进、我国发展面临新的机遇和挑战，必须坚持和加强党的全面领导，使党始终成为风雨来袭时全体人民最可靠的主心骨、稳定器、压舱石，确保我国社会主义现代化建设的正确方向；坚持中国特色社会主义道路，坚持道不变、志不改，把中国发展进步的命运牢牢掌握在自己手中；坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，让现代化建设成果更多更公平惠及全体人民；坚持深化改革开放，着力破解深层次体制机制障碍，把我国制度优势更好转化为国家治理效能；坚持发扬斗争精神，增强全党全国各族人民的志气、骨气、底气，依靠顽强斗争打开事业发展新天地。这就要求全党必须从新时代新征程党的初心使命高度出发，更加深入理解和把握以人民为中心的发展思想，扎实推进全体人民共同富裕，不断满足人民对美好生活的需要，全面建成社会主义现代化强国，开辟中国式现代化新境界，彰显中华文明的现代力量，创造人类文明新形态。

Adhere to the people-centered development thinking, solidly promote common prosperity for all the people, and continuously meet the people’s needs for a better life. Since reform and opening up, through “allowing some regions and some people to get rich first” to drive the realization of “common prosperity,” the material living standard of the Chinese people has made great progress. Entering the New Era, in order to adapt to the transformation of the principal social contradiction, the people’s needs for a better life have been upgraded and expanded both horizontally and vertically, from emphasizing “quantity” to emphasizing “quality,” and from emphasizing “survival” to emphasizing “development.” Based on the unique national conditions of China’s huge population size, large economic volume, and vast land resources, realizing common prosperity is bound to be a long-term systematic project. Therefore, adhering to the people-centered development thinking and promoting common prosperity for all the people is the fundamental starting point and practical foothold for the Party to practice its original aspiration and founding mission in the New Era. The people’s needs for a better life are reflected not only in the material level but also in the spiritual and cultural life, specifically manifested in the growing needs for democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, and security. Based on the current conditions and development foundation where China’s economic strength has made historic leaps, national comprehensive strength has continuously increased, and the people’s lives have been improved in all aspects, in order to achieve substantial progress in promoting common prosperity for all the people, we must both firmly grasp the central task of economic construction, let all sources of social wealth fully flow, continuously thicken the material foundation for realizing common prosperity, and improve the people’s living standards, and also continuously improve the distribution system, build a coordinated and matching institutional system of primary distribution, redistribution, and tertiary distribution, give full play to the maximization of the role of primary distribution, adjust the proportion and fairness of redistribution, reasonably guide the regular mechanism of tertiary distribution, increase the intensity of regulation through taxation, social security, transfer payments, etc., and strengthen employment safety-net assistance for disadvantaged groups, making the people’s lives happier and more beautiful. We should continuously consolidate the material conditions for the people’s happy lives, promote the comprehensive progress of society, and conform to the people’s new expectations for a better life.

坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，扎实推进全体人民共同富裕，不断满足人民对美好生活的需要。改革开放以来，通过“一部分地区、一部分人可以先富起来”带动实现“共富”，我国人民的物质生活水平取得长足进步。进入新时代，为了适应社会主要矛盾的转变，人民对美好生活的需要由重“量”向重“质”和由重“生存”向重“发展”横纵两方面提升和拓展。基于我国人口规模巨大、经济体量宏大和国土资源广大的独特国情，实现共同富裕必然是一个长期实践的系统工程。因此，坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，促进全体人民共同富裕，是新时代党践行初心使命的根本出发点和实践落脚点。人民对美好生活的需要既体现在物质层面，又体现在精神文化生活方面，具体表现为对民主、法治、公平、正义和安全等方面产生的日益增长的需求。立足现阶段我国经济实力实现历史性跃升、综合国力不断增强、人民生活得到全方位改善的现实条件和发展基础，为推动全体人民共同富裕取得实质性进展，既要紧紧抓住经济建设这一中心任务，让一切创造社会财富的源泉充分涌流，不断厚植实现共同富裕的物质基础，提高人民生活水平，又要不断完善分配制度，构建初次分配、再分配、第三次分配协调配套的制度体系，充分发挥初次分配作用最大化，调节再分配比重和公平性，合理引导第三次分配经常性机制，加大税收、社会保障、转移支付等调节力度，加强困难群体就业兜底帮扶等，使人民生活更加幸福美好。应通过不断夯实人民幸福生活的物质条件，促进社会的全面进步，以顺应人民对美好生活需要的新期待。

Comprehensively build a great modern socialist country and open up a new realm of Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Changes unseen in a century in the world are accelerating, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, international power comparison is undergoing profound adjustment, and China’s development faces new strategic opportunities.” This major thesis profoundly observes the changes in the world, the times, and history, and provides scientific guidance for us to correctly understand and grasp the new strategic opportunities on the new journey and adopt scientific and effective response measures. We must strengthen awareness of opportunities and risks, accurately identify changes, respond scientifically, and actively seek change. We must firmly grasp and make good use of new strategic opportunities, but also be good at turning crises into opportunities, capturing and creating opportunities from the difficulties at hand, to get off to a good start for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. On the one hand, a series of advanced theories and practical change decisions of the Party promote the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics to be full of vitality, and the construction of a great modern socialist country moves toward a higher level of development; on the other hand, the heavy task of maintaining economic quality and stable growth, the number of challenges in reform and development contradictions, and the huge test of the rise and fall of political parties are unprecedented. Facing new problems and new challenges, it is necessary to closely integrate the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission with the development of the country, the nation, and the people. Comprehensively building a great modern socialist country is a great and arduous undertaking. Facing the strategic opportunities and risk challenges of the new development stage, we must adhere to system thinking, promote coordinated regional development, build a modern industrial system, and promote high-level opening up. This is both an important basis for continuously expanding new development space for China and an inherent requirement for comprehensively advancing the construction of a strong country. We must prevent and resolve risks in recognizing, responding to, and seeking change, comprehensively grasp the important period of strategic opportunity for China’s development, and be good at nurturing opportunities in crises and opening new bureaus in changing situations. We must fully grasp, accurately understand, and comprehensively implement the new development concept, ensure that advocating innovation, focusing on coordination, promoting greenness, cultivating openness, and promoting sharing work together, and build a new development pattern. We must accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, vigorously implement the innovation-driven development strategy, make technological self-reliance and self-strengthening the strategic support for national development, adhere to quality first, efficiency priority, and promote quality change, efficiency change, and power change, so as to achieve comprehensive economic and social progress and the overall improvement of national “hard power” and “soft power” with a higher level of dynamic balance between supply and demand, making the people materially prosperous and spiritually rich.

全面建成社会主义现代化强国，开辟中国式现代化新境界。习近平总书记指出：“世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展，国际力量对比深刻调整，我国发展面临新的战略机遇。”这一重大论断深刻洞察世界之变、时代之变、历史之变，为我们正确认识和把握新征程上新的战略机遇，采取科学有效的应对举措提供了科学指引。必须增强机遇意识、风险意识，准确识变、科学应变、主动求变，既要牢牢把握、用好新的战略机遇，又要善于化危为机、从眼前的困难中捕捉和创造机遇，为全面建设社会主义现代化国家开好局、起好步。一方面，党的一系列先进理论构建与实践变革决策推动中国特色社会主义事业焕发勃勃生机，社会主义现代化强国建设迈向更高水平发展；另一方面，经济保质稳量增长任务之重、改革发展矛盾挑战之多、政党兴衰成败考验之大前所未有，面对新问题、新挑战必然要求把党的初心使命与国家、民族、人民的发展紧密结合在一起。全面建成社会主义现代化强国是一项伟大而艰巨的事业，面对新发展阶段的战略机遇和风险挑战，必须坚持系统观念、促进区域协调发展、建设现代化产业体系、推进高水平对外开放。这既是不断拓展我国发展新空间的重要基点，也是全面推进强国建设的内在要求。要在识变应变求变中防范化解风险，全面把握我国发展重要战略机遇期，善于在危机中育先机、于变局中开新局。要完整把握、准确理解、全面贯彻新发展理念，确保崇尚创新、注重协调、倡导绿色、厚植开放、推进共享协同发力，构建新发展格局。要加快发展新质生产力，大力实施创新驱动发展战略，把科技自立自强作为国家发展的战略支撑，坚持质量第一、效益优先，推动质量变革、效率变革、动力变革，以更高水平的供需动态平衡实现经济社会全面进步、国家“硬实力”和“软实力”全面提升，使人民的物质生活富足、精神生活富有。

Highlight the modern strength of Chinese civilization and create a new form of human civilization. Building the new culture of the Chinese nation is unified with the construction of a strong country, national rejuvenation, and people’s happiness. At the critical period when the construction of a strong country, national rejuvenation, and people’s happiness are deeply advanced, we must more profoundly grasp the development laws of Chinese civilization, activate the spiritual genes of Chinese civilization with the truth light of Marxism, and inject strong spiritual motivation and inexhaustible ideological vitality for continuing to practice the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission on the new journey of the New Era. First, shoulder the new cultural mission, adhere to and develop the civilizational orientation of the value propositions of scientific socialism. Adhere to integrating the universality of scientific socialist civilization with the particularity of Chinese civilization, adhere to starting from China’s actual conditions, focus on solving the prominent problems faced by comprehensively deepening reform and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era, produce a Chinese answer sheet that meets the requirements of the times, and strive to confirm its high compatibility with the value propositions of scientific socialism through diversified realistic combinations. Second, continue the cultural endowment of the Chinese nation, consolidate the foundation of cultural confidence and self-strengthening, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. Marxism must be rooted in the fertile soil of the country’s and the nation’s culture to flourish, must “link up the ideological essence of Marxism with the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture, and link up with the common values that the masses use daily but are not aware of,” adhere to making the past serve the present, bringing forth the new from the old, and in the high unity of the cultural characteristics, ideological consensus, and future goals of all ethnic groups, strengthen historical confidence, enhance cultural consciousness, and elevate the shared spiritual realm of the Chinese nation. Third, adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, and shoulder the new cultural mission in promoting the Two Integrations. Building the new culture of the Chinese nation is the practical practice of the ideal paradigm of the comprehensive development of the human being in a socialist country, highlighting the original aspiration and founding mission of the Communist Party of China to seek progress for mankind and seek great harmony for the world. As the world’s common risks and challenges increasingly intensify, we must learn from and absorb all outstanding achievements of human civilization, carry out epochal inheritance and creative transformation of the excellent values originating from Chinese civilization in modernization construction, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, highlighting the common value pursuit of all mankind.

彰显中华文明的现代力量，创造人类文明新形态。建设中华民族的新文化与强国建设、民族复兴、人民幸福相统一。在强国建设、民族复兴、人民幸福不断深入推进的关键时期，更要深刻把握中华文明的发展规律，以马克思主义真理之光激活中华文明的精神基因，为新时代新征程继续践行党的初心使命注入强大精神动力和不竭思想活力。一是担负新的文化使命，坚持和发展科学社会主义价值观主张的文明取向。坚持把科学社会主义文明的普遍性与中华文明的特殊性相融合，坚持一切从中国实际出发，必须着眼解决新时代全面深化改革、全面从严治党所面临的突出问题，交出一张符合时代发展要求的中国特色答卷，努力做到以多样化的现实结合确证其与科学社会主义价值主张的高度契合。二是赓续中华民族文化禀赋，筑牢文化自信自强根基，推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化和创新性发展。马克思主义必须植根本国、本民族文化沃土才能根深叶茂，必须“把马克思主义思想精髓同中华优秀传统文化精华贯通起来、同人民群众日用而不觉的共同价值观念融通起来”，坚持古为今用、推陈出新，在各民族文化特质、思想共识、前途目标的高度统一中坚定历史自信、增强文化自觉，提升中华民族共有精神境界。三是坚持以习近平文化思想为指导，在推进“两个结合”中担当新的文化使命。建设中华民族的新文化是人的全面发展理想范式在社会主义国家的文明实践，彰显了中国共产党为人类谋进步、为世界谋大同的初心使命。随着人类共同面临的世界性风险与挑战与日俱增，必须借鉴吸收人类一切优秀文明成果，把源自中华文明的优秀价值观念在现代化建设中进行时代化传承和创造性转化，推动构建人类命运共同体，彰显全人类的共同价值追求。

To sum up, the original aspiration and founding mission of the Communist Party of China is a major proposition that combines theory and practice, connects history and reality, and unifies knowledge and action. Its core implications are rich and far-reaching. From the three basic dimensions of theory, history, and practice, deeply understanding and mastering the core implications of this major proposition is undoubtedly of extremely important theoretical value and practical significance for the Communists of China to advance the great social revolution through self-revolution on the new journey of the New Era, and to advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through the building of a strong country with Chinese-path modernization.

综上所述，中国共产党的初心使命是一个理论与实践相结合、历史与现实相贯通、知与行相统一的重大命题，其核心意蕴丰富而深远。从理论、历史和实践三个基本维度，深入理解和掌握这一重大命题的核心意蕴，对于中国共产党人在新时代新征程以自我革命推进伟大社会革命，以中国式现代化强国建设推进中华民族伟大复兴，无疑具有极其重要的理论价值和实践意义。

(The authors are professors and doctoral supervisors of the Marxist Department of Northeast Normal University; doctoral students of the Marxist Department of Northeast Normal University)

（作者系东北师范大学马克思主义学部教授、博士生导师；东北师范大学马克思主义学部博士研究生）

Online editor: Ma Jingren

网络编辑：马京仁