A Profound Grasp of “The Essence of Modernization Is the Modernization of People”

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has led the people of the whole country in writing a new chapter of the “two miracles” [1]1 The “two miracles” refer to the simultaneous achievement of rapid economic development and long-term social stability., successfully advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization. History and reality have fully proven that Chinese-path modernization is the broad road to building a strong country and rejuvenating the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that “the essence of modernization is the modernization of people,” profoundly revealing the foundational and fundamental status of “the modernization of people” within Chinese-path modernization, identifying the fundamental force for Chinese-path modernization and indicating its value orientation. An in-depth explanation of the core essence, important value, and practical path of this important thesis is of great significance for advancing Chinese-path modernization and contributing Chinese wisdom to the cause of human modernization.

党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央带领全国人民书写了“两大奇迹”新篇章，成功推进和拓展了中国式现代化。历史和现实充分证明，中国式现代化是强国建设、民族复兴的康庄大道。习近平总书记强调，“现代化的本质是人的现代化”，深刻揭示了“人的现代化”在中国式现代化中的基础性、根本性地位，为中国式现代化找到了根本力量、指明了价值方向。深入阐释这一重要论断的核心要义、重要价值与实践路径，对推进中国式现代化、为人类现代化事业贡献中国智慧意义重大。

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General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that “Chinese-path modernization is a people-centered modernization,” that “we must adhere to the principle of putting the people first and highlight the people-centered nature of the direction of modernization,” and that “the ultimate goal of modernization is to realize the free and comprehensive development of people.” This series of important expositions indicates that modernization is by no means a “piling up of things,” but rather a systemic project focused on “human development.” All economic growth, technological innovation, and institutional improvement must revolve around “people,” be driven by “people,” serve “people,” and take the comprehensive upgrading of people’s ideas, capabilities, and rights as the ultimate benchmark.

习近平总书记强调，“中国式现代化是以人民为中心的现代化”，“要坚守人民至上理念，突出现代化方向的人民性”，“现代化的最终目标是实现人自由而全面的发展”。这一系列重要论述表明，现代化绝非“物的堆砌”，而是聚焦“人的发展”的系统性工程，所有经济增长、技术革新、制度完善，都要围绕“人”展开、由“人”驱动、为“人”服务，以“人”的思想观念、能力素质、权利保障的全面升级为最终标志。

People are the fundamental driving force of modernization — driving breakthroughs in various fields of modernization through “the upgrading of people’s capabilities.” General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “The people are the creators of history and the most solid foundation and deepest force for advancing modernization.” Modernization is a process in which “people” actively transform the world and promote social progress, with its impetus originating from the modernizing advancement of people in dimensions such as needs, capabilities, and rights. People’s needs for survival, development, and spiritual enrichment are the basic driving forces for the development of modernization in various fields. As material living standards improve, the people’s needs shift from “material and cultural needs” to “needs for a better life.” To meet the people’s demands for “more stable jobs, a more beautiful ecological environment,” and so on, China has promoted economic transformation and upgrading and ecological civilization construction, giving rise to new industries such as green energy and smart environmental protection. The improvement of people’s labor skills and the upgrading of their modes of cooperation are the core driving forces of industrial modernization. From manual labor to intelligent manufacturing, the essence is a historic leap for humanity from “physical labor” to “mental labor” and “digital labor.” The strengthening of people’s awareness of rights promotes institutional modernization. In the New Era, China has promulgated and implemented the Civil Code, developed whole-process people’s democracy, promoted institutional improvement, and ensured that more people can equally participate in national governance and fairly share the fruits of modernization.

人是现代化的根本动因——以“人的能力升级”驱动各领域的现代化突破。习近平总书记指出：“人民是历史的创造者，是推进现代化最坚实的根基、最深厚的力量。”现代化是“人”主动改造世界、推动社会进步的过程，动力源于人在需求、能力、权利等维度的现代化进阶。人的生存、发展和精神需求是各领域现代化发展的基本动因，随着物质生活改善，人民需求从“物质文化需要”转向“美好生活需要”，为满足人民“更稳定的工作、更优美的生态环境”等诉求，我国推动经济转型升级与生态文明建设，催生绿色能源、智慧环保等新产业。人的劳动技能提升、协作方式升级是产业现代化的核心动力，从手工劳动到智能制造，本质是人类从“体力劳动”向“脑力劳动”“数字劳动”的历史性跨越。人的权利意识增强推动制度现代化。新时代我国颁布实施民法典，发展全过程人民民主，推动制度完善，保障更多人能够平等参与国家治理、公平享有现代化成果。

People are the ultimate goal of modernization — guiding the direction of modernization in various fields with “the free and comprehensive development of people.” The core goal of modernization is not “material abundance” itself, but the free and comprehensive development of “people.” General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that “political parties must anchor themselves to the people’s aspiration for a better life, respond to the people’s desire for civilizational progress, and strive to achieve material prosperity, political clarity, spiritual abundance, social stability, and ecological livability, so that modernization can better respond to the people’s various demands and multi-level needs.” The purpose of material modernization is to free people from poverty, provide them with safer living environments and more convenient living conditions; its essence is to guarantee people’s right to life and survival. For example, the comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty has lifted nearly 100 million rural poor out of poverty and enabled them to lead a moderately prosperous life. The purpose of educational modernization is to enable people to acquire knowledge, enhance their thinking abilities, and realize their self-worth; its essence is to promote the comprehensive improvement of people’s capabilities. The purpose of cultural modernization is to free people from traditional prejudices and gain spiritual freedom; its essence is to respect people’s spiritual needs and personality development. The purpose of social modernization is to consolidate the baseline of people’s development and institutional guarantees.

人是现代化的最终目的——以“人自由而全面的发展”统领各领域的现代化方向。现代化的核心目标不是“物质丰富”本身，而是“人”自由而全面的发展。习近平总书记强调，“政党要锚定人民对美好生活的向往，顺应人民对文明进步的渴望，努力实现物质富裕、政治清明、精神富足、社会安定、生态宜人，让现代化更好回应人民各方面诉求和多层次需要”。物质现代化的目的，是让人摆脱贫困、获得更安全的居住环境、更便捷的生活条件，本质是保障人的生命权和生存权，如脱贫攻坚战的全面胜利让近1亿农村贫困人口脱贫、过上全面小康的生活；教育现代化的目的，是让人获得知识、提升思维能力、实现自我价值，本质是促进人的能力全面提升；文化现代化的目的，是让人摆脱传统偏见、获得精神自由，本质是尊重人的精神需求与个性发展；社会现代化的目的，是夯实人的发展底线与制度保障。

People are the core benchmark of modernization — testing the quality of modernization in various fields with “the degree of people’s modernization.” To judge whether a society has achieved modernization, one cannot look only at material indicators; one must also look at the degree of development of “people’s” modernization, that is, whether people’s ideas, qualities, and rights match modern society. At the level of ideas, whether hierarchical concepts from traditional society have been broken down, and whether people possess the modern consciousness of democracy, freedom, equality, and rule of law advocated by the core socialist values — this is the core indicator of a society’s transition from tradition to modernity. At the level of capabilities, whether people possess the abilities to engage in modern economic, political, cultural, and social activities, such as the ability to use smart devices and understand digital information to meet the demands of the digital age, and the ability to participate in public affairs and social governance through voting, supervision, and other means to meet the demands of modern democratic politics and social construction — these are the foundations for individuals to integrate into modern society. At the level of rights, whether the people enjoy the various rights granted by modern society — this is the “people-centered benchmark” of institutional modernization.

人是现代化的核心标尺——以“人的现代化程度”检验各领域的现代化成色。判断一个社会是否实现现代化，不能只看物质指标，更要看“人”的现代化发展程度，即人的观念、素养、权利是否与现代社会相匹配。观念层面，传统社会的等级观念等是否被打破，人是否具备社会主义核心价值观所倡导的民主、自由、平等、法治等现代意识，这是社会从传统转向现代的核心标志；能力层面，人是否具备现代经济、政治、文化、社会等活动能力，如适应数字化时代要求使用智能设备、理解数字信息的能力，适应现代民主政治和社会建设要求通过投票、监督等方式参与公共事务与社会治理的能力等，这是个体融入现代社会的基础；权利层面，民众是否享有现代社会赋予的各项权利，这是制度现代化的“人本标尺”。

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“The essence of modernization is the modernization of people” is not an abstract value declaration, but a scientific judgment made by General Secretary Xi Jinping based on Marxist theory, the historical experience of human modernization, and the practical needs of Chinese-path modernization. It possesses important theoretical, historical, and practical value.

“现代化的本质是人的现代化”并非抽象的价值宣示，而是习近平总书记基于马克思主义理论、人类现代化历史经验以及中国式现代化实践需求作出的科学判断，具有重要的理论、历史与现实价值。

A creative development of the Marxist theory of “the free and comprehensive development of people.” Although Marx and Engels did not explicitly propose the concept of “the modernization of people,” through their exposition of propositions such as the essence of people, alienated labor, and the liberation and comprehensive development of people, they formed the theory of the free and comprehensive development of people, providing the theoretical source for “the modernization of people.” In his “Theses on Feuerbach,” Marx pointed out that “the essence of man is no abstraction inherent in each single individual. In its reality it is the ensemble of the social relations.” This view clarifies that “the essence of the modernization of people is the optimization of concrete social relations.” Accordingly, Marx believed that the developmental form of people is always internally isomorphic with the mode of production and social relations of a specific historical stage. From “dependence on persons” to “dependence on things,” the essence is the constraint of social relations on people’s development; “the modernization of people” is precisely the process of gradually breaking through dependent relations and attaining “free individuality.” In *The German Ideology*, Marx and Engels clearly stated that the all-round development of individuals would cease to be an ideal only when the external world’s driving role in the actual development of individual talents is controlled by the individuals themselves. They took “realizing the free and comprehensive development of each individual” as the ultimate goal of “the modernization of people.” General Secretary Xi Jinping, based on the practice of Chinese-path modernization in the New Era, has placed “the modernization of people” at the core of Chinese-path modernization, emphasizing that “we insist on taking the realization of the people’s aspiration for a better life as the starting point and落脚点 [2]2 The Chinese term 落脚点 (luòjiǎodiǎn) literally means “foothold” or “point of landing,” and in this context signifies the ultimate point of reference or final goal. of modernization,” ensuring that modernization always unfolds around “the free and comprehensive development of people.”

对马克思主义“人的自由全面发展”理论的创造性发展。马克思恩格斯虽未明确提出“人的现代化”概念，但通过阐释人的本质、异化劳动、人的解放与全面发展等命题，形成了人的自由全面发展理论，为“人的现代化”提供了理论源泉。马克思在《关于费尔巴哈的提纲》中指出，“人的本质不是单个人所固有的抽象物，在其现实性上，它是一切社会关系的总和”，这一观点明确了“人的现代化本质是具体社会关系的优化”。据此，马克思认为，人的发展形态始终与特定历史阶段的生产方式、社会关系内在同构，从“对人的依赖”到“对物的依赖”，本质上都是社会关系对人的发展的制约；而“人的现代化”，正是逐步突破依赖关系，获得“自由个性”的过程。马克思恩格斯在《德意志意识形态》中明确指出，个人的全面发展，只有到了外部世界对个人才能的实际发展所起的推动作用为个人本身所驾驭的时候，才不再是理想。他们将“实现每个人的自由全面发展”作为“人的现代化”的终极目标。习近平总书记立足新时代中国式现代化实践，将“人的现代化”置于中国式现代化的核心位置，强调“我们坚持把实现人民对美好生活的向往作为现代化建设的出发点和落脚点”，让现代化始终围绕“人自由而全面的发展”展开。

A historic transcendence of the predicament of “the alienation of people” in capitalist modernization. In the process of human modernization, Western capitalism pioneered the path of modernization, but its inherent logic of “capital-centeredness” has meant it has never been able to eliminate the fundamental opposition between “capital accumulation” and “human development.” Marx’s critique that “the worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces” has evolved in the contemporary era into problems such as “economic aggregate expansion lagging behind improvements in people’s livelihoods,” “technological progress squeezing employment,” and “material abundance alongside spiritual emptiness,” proving that the modernization path of “simply pursuing material growth while neglecting human value” is unsustainable. Chinese-path modernization, by taking “the modernization of people” as its driving force, goal, and benchmark, fundamentally avoids this drawback. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that “whether a modernization path can ultimately succeed and remain stable depends on whether it adheres to a people-centered approach,” highlighting the essential difference between Chinese-path modernization and Western modernization. From the “fostering intelligence + fostering aspiration” approach in the fight against poverty to cultivate the self-development capacity of the poor, to implementing the rural revitalization strategy to promote equal access to basic public services in urban and rural areas, and to building demonstration zones for common prosperity to narrow regional and group disparities, Chinese-path modernization has consistently guided the direction of development with “the modernization of people.”

对资本主义现代化“人的异化”困境的历史性超越。在人类现代化进程中，西方资本主义率先开启现代化进程，但“以资本为中心”的内在逻辑，导致其始终无法消除“资本增殖”与“人的发展”的根本对立。马克思批判的“工人生产的财富越多，他就越贫穷”，在当代演变为“经济总量扩张与民生福祉滞后”“技术进步与就业挤压”“物质丰富与精神空虚”等问题，证明“单纯追求物质增长、忽视人的价值”的现代化道路不可持续。中国式现代化以“人的现代化”为动力、目的和标尺，从根本上避免了这一弊端。习近平总书记强调，“现代化道路最终能否走得通、行得稳，关键要看是否坚持以人民为中心”，凸显了中国式现代化与西方现代化的本质区别。从脱贫攻坚战中“扶智+扶志”培育贫困群众自我发展能力，到实施乡村振兴战略推动城乡基本公共服务均等化，再到建设共同富裕示范区缩小区域、群体差距，中国式现代化始终以“人的现代化”引领发展方向。

The practical demand for resolving the development challenges of “the modernization of people” in the New Era. The process of modernizing people always resonates at the same frequency as changes in the principal contradiction in society. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “The principal contradiction facing

破解新时代“人的现代化”发展难题的现实要求。人的现代化进程始终与社会主要矛盾变化同频共振。习近平总书记指出，“我国社会主要矛盾已经转化为人民日益增长的美好生活需要和不平衡不充分的发展之间的矛盾”。“人的现代化”面临的主要矛盾，即人民的高阶发展诉求与社会支撑能力不足的矛盾，具体体现为三个方面。一是需求全面升级与供给结构性失衡的矛盾。人民需求从“物质文化需要”转向“美好生活需要”，如对优质教育的需求与城乡教育资源差距的矛盾，本质是人民的现代化需求与供给端适配能力的落差。二是机会均等诉求与资源分配不均的矛盾。中国式现代化是全体人民共同富裕的现代化，但城乡、区域、群体间的资源分配差距仍在一定程度上存在，导致部分群体难以平等享有现代化成果。三是能力适配要求与发展滞后的矛盾。中国式现代化对“人的能力”提出更高要求，但部分群体能力仍存在短板。如基层治理创新需要干部具备数字化能力，但部分乡镇干部数字素养薄弱。为此，破解新时代“人的现代化”发展难题，就成为中国式现代化进程中的一项紧迫任务。

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At present, China is in a critical period of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. It is necessary to take “the modernization of the person” as the value thread running through the entire process of Chinese-path modernization, and to realize the modernization of the person in the course of advancing Chinese-path modernization.

当前，我国正处于以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键时期。必须将“人的现代化”作为贯穿中国式现代化全过程的价值主线，在推进中国式现代化中实现人的现代化。

Steadily implement the strategic deployment of Chinese-path modernization, providing strong support for “the modernization of the person.” The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC incorporated “more marked and substantive progress in the well-rounded development of the person and common prosperity for all the people” into the overall goal of China’s development by 2035. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee made systematic arrangements in the areas of the economy, science and technology, education, and the people’s livelihood. Looking to the future, in the economic sphere, it is necessary to continue to advance the building of a modern industrial system, focus on cultivating strategic emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and bio-manufacturing, deepen reforms in the market-based allocation of factors of production, accelerate the construction of a unified national data factor market, break down barriers to the flow of factors between urban and rural areas, create a platform for fair competition in employment and development for different groups, promote the transformation of economic growth from “scale expansion” to “quality and efficiency,” and ensure that the fruits of development more precisely meet the needs of people’s capacity enhancement. In the sphere of science, technology and education, it is necessary to deepen the construction of the “Four New” [3]3 The “Four New” (四新) refers to new engineering disciplines, new medical disciplines, new agricultural disciplines, and new liberal arts, a set of educational reforms aimed at aligning higher education with emerging industrial and social needs. — new engineering disciplines, new medical disciplines, new agricultural disciplines, and new liberal arts — focus on building national-level industry-education consortia, promote the deep integration of vocational education with industrial demand; increase investment in basic research, promote a steady expansion in the scale of total social R&D expenditure, implement a special plan for young scientific and technological talents, improve the two-way flow mechanism for scientific research personnel, and enhance the innovation capacity of talent. In the sphere of the people’s livelihood, it is necessary to strengthen the employment-first strategy, accelerate the establishment of a long-term care insurance system, promote the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education, and safeguard people’s basic development rights and interests through the equalization of public services. At the institutional level, it is necessary to deepen reforms in areas such as the household registration system and social security, remove institutional and mechanistic obstacles that constrain the well-rounded development of the person, and provide institutional guarantees for “the modernization of the person.”

稳步落实中国式现代化战略部署，为“人的现代化”提供有力支撑。党的二十大报告将“人的全面发展、全体人民共同富裕取得更为明显的实质性进展”纳入2035年我国发展的总体目标，党的二十届三中全会从经济、科技、教育、民生等领域作出系统安排。着眼未来，经济领域，要持续推进现代化产业体系建设，重点培育人工智能、生物制造等战略性新兴产业，深化要素市场化配置改革，加快全国统一数据要素市场建设，破除城乡要素流动壁垒，为不同群体创造公平竞争的就业与发展平台，推动经济增长从“规模扩张”向“质量效益”转变，让发展成果更精准对接人的能力提升需求。科教领域，需深化新工科、新医科等“四新”建设，重点打造国家级产教联合体，推动职业教育与产业需求深度耦合；加大基础研究投入，推动全社会研发经费投入规模稳步扩大，实施青年科技人才专项计划，健全科研人才双向流动机制，提升人才创新能力。民生领域，要强化就业优先战略，加快建立长期护理保险制度，推进义务教育优质均衡发展，以公共服务均等化保障人的基本发展权益。制度层面，需深化户籍、社保等领域改革，破除制约人全面发展的体制机制障碍，为“人的现代化”提供制度保障。

Rely on the upgrading of demand and the enhancement of capacity for “the modernization of the person” to inject endogenous impetus into Chinese-path modernization. On the one hand, respond to the people’s needs for a better life, promote the upgrading of the consumption structure from a “survival-oriented” to a “development-oriented” and “enjoyment-oriented” type, cultivate new growth points such as the silver economy and green consumption around needs in health, education, and culture, and force the transformation of the industrial system toward high-end, intelligent, and green development. For example, in response to the national health needs of the entire population, accelerate the construction of national medical centers, promote the integration of the medical industry with digital technology, both meeting the broad masses of the people’s demand for high-quality medical care and driving the development of the biomedical industry. On the other hand, focus on enhancing people’s modern capacities, build a lifelong learning system, advance “Internet + vocational skills training,” carry out customized training for new industries and new business forms, and enhance workers’ ability to adapt to modern industries; improve the innovation incentive mechanism, support mass entrepreneurship and innovation, encourage individuals to unleash their creative vitality in areas such as the digital economy and the platform economy, and enable more people to become subjects of innovation. At the same time, respect the principal position of the person, improve the mechanism for participation in grassroots governance, promote the orderly participation of citizens in public affairs decision-making, so that Chinese-path modernization always conforms to the developmental will of the people, forming an endogenous cycle of “demand driving supply, capacity driving innovation.”

依托“人的现代化”的需求升级与能力提升，为中国式现代化注入内生动力。一方面，顺应人民美好生活需要，推动消费结构从“生存型”向“发展型”“享受型”升级，围绕健康、教育、文化等需求，培育银发经济、绿色消费等新增长点，倒逼产业体系向高端化、智能化、绿色化转型，如针对全民健康需求，加快国家医学中心建设，推动医疗产业与数字技术融合，既满足广大人民群众对优质医疗的需求，又带动生物医药产业发展。另一方面，聚焦人的现代能力提升，构建终身学习体系，推进“互联网+职业技能培训”，针对新产业、新业态开展定制化培训，提升劳动者适应现代化产业的能力；完善创新激励机制，支持大众创业、万众创新，鼓励个体在数字经济、平台经济等领域释放创造活力，让更多人成为创新主体。同时，尊重人的主体地位，健全基层治理参与机制，推动公民有序参与公共事务决策，使中国式现代化始终贴合人的发展意愿，形成“需求牵引供给、能力推动创新”的内生循环。

Establish a mutually reinforcing mechanism, realizing the modernization of the person and the well-rounded development of the person in the course of advancing Chinese-path modernization. First, strengthen institutional articulation, incorporate indicators of “the modernization of the person” into the evaluation system for Chinese-path modernization, and when formulating strategies for economic development, scientific and technological innovation, etc., simultaneously plan measures for cultivating people’s capacities and safeguarding their rights and interests. For example, in industrial planning, clearly define targets for training skilled personnel; in coordinated regional development, coordinate the layout of public service resources, ensuring that Chinese-path modernization always advances around the development of “the person.” Second, establish a dynamic adaptation mechanism, regularly monitor changes in people’s needs and the state of their capacity development, and promptly adjust the focus of modernization advancement. For instance, when emerging industries generate a large demand for skilled positions, simultaneously increase investment in vocational training; when changes in the demographic structure bring about an upgrading of elderly care needs, accelerate the construction of the elderly care service system, achieving resonance between Chinese-path modernization and the developmental needs of the person. Third, carry the value orientation of “adhering to a people-centered approach” throughout the entire process of advancing Chinese-path modernization and the modernization of the person. By improving the income distribution system and expanding the middle-income group, let the fruits of Chinese-path modernization benefit all the people more and more fairly. The people’s fighting spirit and innovative vitality, stimulated in the course of sharing the fruits, will in turn advance the construction of Chinese-path modernization, forming a closed loop of “strategy supporting people’s development, people empowering strategic advancement,” and manifesting the fundamental superiority of Chinese-path modernization.

建立互促机制，在推进中国式现代化进程中实现人的现代化、人的全面发展。其一，强化制度衔接，将“人的现代化”指标纳入中国式现代化考核评价体系，在制定经济发展、科技创新等战略时，同步规划人的能力培育与权益保障举措，如在产业规划中明确技能人才培养目标，在区域协调发展中统筹公共服务资源布局，确保中国式现代化始终围绕“人”的发展推进。其二，建立动态适配机制，定期监测人的需求变化与能力发展状况，及时调整现代化推进重点。如，当新兴产业催生大量技能岗位需求，同步加大职业培训投入；当人口结构变化带来养老需求升级，加快养老服务体系建设，实现中国式现代化与人的发展需求同频共振。其三，将“坚持以人民为中心”的价值取向贯穿推进中国式现代化与人的现代化全过程。通过完善收入分配制度、扩大中等收入群体，让中国式现代化的成果更多更公平惠及全体人民，人民在共享成果中激发的奋斗热情与创新活力，又将推进中国式现代化建设，形成“战略支撑人发展、人赋能战略推进”的闭环，彰显中国式现代化的根本优势。

(Author: Zhang Ruifen, specially appointed researcher of the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, professor at the School of Marxism, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications)

（作者：张瑞芬，系北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、北京邮电大学马克思主义学院教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧