Deepening Research on the Spiritual Pedigree of Chinese Communists

Promoting the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists, which originates from the great founding spirit of the Party, can provide spiritual impetus for advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, furnish rich nourishment for strengthening Party building, and supply spiritual resources for cultivating new generations capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation. Continuously deepening research on the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists holds significant academic value for deepening research on the Party’s innovative theories and for constructing the discipline of CPC history and Party building.

弘扬以伟大建党精神为源头的中国共产党人精神谱系，能够为推进中国特色社会主义伟大事业提供精神动力，为加强党的建设提供丰厚滋养，为培养担当民族复兴大任的时代新人提供精神资源。不断深化中国共产党人精神谱系研究，对于深化党的创新理论研究和构建中共党史党建学具有重要的学术价值。

Accurately Grasping the Scientific Connotation

准确把握科学内涵

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC [1]1 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in 2012, marking the beginning of the New Era under Xi Jinping’s leadership., the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the study, publicity, and promotion of the revolutionary spirit of Chinese Communists, putting forward the concept of “the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists originating from the great founding spirit of the Party,” thereby achieving a major innovation in the discourse system. The spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists is used as a metaphor for the relationships among a series of spirits originating from the great founding spirit of the Party and the whole they constitute. It is like a sapling from the same root, planted in fertile soil, receiving sunlight and rain, growing strong and luxuriant through wind and rain, eventually becoming a towering tree. It should be noted that this new concept is “the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists,” or in certain contexts, “the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists” is used rather than “the spiritual pedigree of the CPC.” The emphasis on “Chinese Communists” (ren) is for three reasons: first, the spiritual pedigree is created by “people” (ren) and is also inherited and carried forward by people, thereby highlighting the subjectivity and practicality of the spiritual pedigree. Second, the spiritual pedigree is a vast system composed of numerous individual spirits; the formulation “the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists” is more precise and appropriate, capable of reflecting richness and openness, and also conducive to publicity and promotion. Third, some specific spirits within the spiritual pedigree were not independently constructed by the CPC. Among the spirits already released, some were independently formed by the CPC, such as the great founding spirit of the Party and the Zunyi Conference spirit [2]2 The Zunyi Conference (1935) was a pivotal meeting of the CPC during the Long March that established Mao Zedong’s leadership., while others, such as the great spirit of the War of Resistance, were forged by the Chinese nation’s joint resistance. At the same time, some spirits were jointly forged by the broad masses of the people, including Chinese Communists, such as the Yimeng spirit [3]3 The Yimeng spirit refers to the revolutionary spirit of the people in the Yimeng Mountain area during the Chinese Civil War. and the Saihanba spirit [4]4 The Saihanba spirit refers to the spirit of afforestation and ecological construction by CPC members and workers in Hebei Province since the 1960s.. Regardless of the type of spirit, Chinese Communists have played an extremely important leading and exemplary role, so the concept of “the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists” is more rigorous and more conducive to uniting the broad masses of the people in common struggle.

党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央高度重视中国共产党革命精神的研究和宣传弘扬，提出了“以伟大建党精神为源头的中国共产党人精神谱系”，实现了话语体系的重大创新。中国共产党人精神谱系用于比喻发源于伟大建党精神的一系列精神之间的关系以及构成的整体。犹如一棵同根的树苗，植根沃土，接受阳光雨露，历经风吹雨打茁壮成长、枝繁叶茂，终于成为参天大树。需要注意的是，这个新概念是“中国共产党人精神谱系”，或在一定语境下用“中国共产党人精神谱系”而非“中国共产党精神谱系”。之所以强调“人”，一是由于精神谱系是由“人”创造的，也是由人来传承和发扬，由此强调了精神谱系的主体性和实践性。二是精神谱系是由众多个体精神构成的庞大体系，用“中国共产党人精神谱系”的概括更为准确到位，能够体现丰富性和开放性，也有利于宣传与弘扬。三是精神谱系中的有些具体精神并非中国共产党独立构建。在已经发布的精神中，有些精神是中国共产党独立形成的，比如伟大建党精神、遵义会议精神等，有些精神比如伟大抗战精神是中华民族共同抗战所铸就的。同时，有些精神是包括中国共产党人在内的广大人民群众共同锻造的，比如沂蒙精神、塞罕坝精神等。无论哪种精神，中国共产党人都发挥了极为重要的引领和垂范作用，所以用“中国共产党人精神谱系”的概念更为严谨，更有利于团结广大人民群众共同奋斗。

Strengthening Academic Rigor and Seriousness

强化学理性和严肃性

The spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists, originating from the great founding spirit of the Party, is a vast system and organic whole with rich connotations, profound thought, and vivid vitality. Whether it is a specific spiritual form or the entire spiritual pedigree, research needs to be continuously deepened according to the principle of integrating history and theory. It is necessary not only to explain the scientific connotation and contemporary value of the great spirit but also to deeply excavate historical materials, basing the summary and generalization of basic connotations on solid and reliable historical facts, and continuously enhancing the academic rigor of research on the spiritual pedigree. Even for spiritual forms whose unified connotations have not yet been determined, research should be strengthened, with each expressing their views and a hundred schools of thought contending [5]5 “A hundred schools of thought contending” is a Mao-era slogan encouraging academic debate, derived from the Warring States period.; truth becomes clearer through debate. Even if consensus is temporarily difficult to reach, it is still a process of deepening research and a process of education and publicity.

以伟大建党精神为源头的中国共产党人精神谱系是内涵丰富、思想深刻、生动鲜活的庞大系统、有机整体。无论是一种精神样态还是整个精神谱系，都需要按照史论结合原则不断深化研究，既要阐释伟大精神的科学内涵和时代价值，也要深入挖掘史料，把基本内涵的总结概括建立在厚重可靠的史实基础之上，不断提升精神谱系研究的学理性。即使对于尚未确定统一内涵的精神样态，也要加强研究，各抒己见、百家争鸣，真理越辩越明，即使暂时难以达成共识，也是不断深化研究的过程和宣传教育的过程。

In the process of researching the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists originating from the great founding spirit of the Party, the spirits included in the first batch of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists, as sorted out by the Central Propaganda Department and approved by the Party Central Committee, should serve as the basis. First, a cautious attitude should be adopted toward the re-refinement and generalization of some revolutionary spirits from the Party’s history. The figures and events supporting a great spirit must have a solid historical foundation and academic argumentation, must have universal social significance, and must withstand the test of history. Second, some localities or departments may produce advanced figures and deeds in practice, thereby proposing spirits named after figures or events, which have played a positive role. This should be affirmed and encouraged, and can be regarded as the broad mass foundation of the spiritual pedigree. If a certain spirit, through extensive publicity and in-depth excavation, grows in value and influence and is recognized by authoritative departments, it can naturally be included in the spiritual pedigree, because the spiritual pedigree is inherently continuously inherited and enriched in practice. However, it is necessary to prevent arbitrarily elevating a certain spirit and simply categorizing it as a component of the spiritual pedigree. Third, spirits required as work style and spiritual demeanor should not be broadly classified into the spiritual pedigree. We often emphasize promoting the spirit of unity, the spirit of struggle, etc. Such requirements are very necessary and have practical relevance, and they will also play an important role in practice. However, such requirements and calls are different from those spirits with specific references. It is necessary to prevent incorporating all kinds of requirements bearing the word “spirit” into the spiritual pedigree, thereby diluting the role of the spiritual pedigree and subsequently affecting its seriousness and scientific nature. From a practical perspective, the stronger the spirit we require, the better. For example, the spirits of Lei Feng [6]6 Lei Feng (1940–1962) was a model soldier of the PLA, posthumously promoted as a symbol of selfless service. and Jiao Yulu [7]7 Jiao Yulu (1922–1964) was a county Party secretary in Henan, celebrated for his dedication to fighting poverty and natural disasters., which we have continuously publicized for a long time, have been promoted with great intensity and sustained duration, influencing several generations; this is the effect of a strong spirit.

在研究以伟大建党精神为源头的中国共产党人精神谱系的进程中，要以党中央批准中宣部梳理的纳入第一批中国共产党人精神谱系的精神为依据。一是对于党的历史上一些革命精神的重新提炼和概括，应采取慎重态度。支撑伟大精神的人物和事件，要有扎实的史料基础和学理论证，要有普遍的社会意义，要经得住历史检验。二是一些地方或部门在实际中会涌现出一些先进人物和先进事迹，由此提出一些以人物或事件命名的精神，发挥了积极作用，对此应该给予肯定和鼓励，可以视为精神谱系的广泛群众基础。如果某种精神经过广泛宣传、深入挖掘，价值和影响越来越大，经过权威部门认定，当然也可以纳入精神谱系，因为精神谱系本来就是在实践中不断传承和丰富发展的。但要防止随意拔高某种精神，简单地归纳为精神谱系的组成部分。三是不宜把作为工作作风和精神风貌要求的精神笼统地归入精神谱系。我们经常强调要发扬团结精神、奋斗精神等，这样的要求都是非常必要的，也有现实针对性，在实践中也会发挥重要作用。然而，这样的要求和号召与那些具体指向的各种精神是有区别的。要防止把带有“精神”字样的各种要求都纳入精神谱系，从而淡化精神谱系的作用，继而影响精神谱系的严肃性和科学性。从实际出发，我们要求的精神越强越好。例如，长期以来，我们持续宣传的雷锋精神、焦裕禄精神等，力度大、持续时间长，影响了几代人，这就是精神强的效果。

In-depth research, inheritance, and promotion of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists originating from the great founding spirit of the Party is a systematic project. Exploring the generative logic of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists from the perspective of the Two Integrations [8]8 The Two Integrations refer to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture.; exploring the positive role of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists in promoting and expanding Chinese-path modernization from the perspective of Chinese-path modernization; explaining the functional positioning of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists from the perspective of the first-level discipline of CPC history and Party building, providing more academic support and intellectual support for discipline construction, and contributing academic wisdom to accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics and constructing an independent knowledge system of China; examining the common value of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists from a broad global perspective; and so on—these are all major academic issues and practical topics that require continued efforts to explore.

深入研究和传承弘扬以伟大建党精神为源头的中国共产党人精神谱系是系统性工程。从“两个结合”的视角深入探讨中国共产党人精神谱系生成逻辑；从中国式现代化的视角深入探讨中国共产党人精神谱系对推动拓展中国式现代化发挥的积极作用；从中共党史党建学一级学科的视角阐释中国共产党人精神谱系的功能定位，为学科建设提供更多学理支撑和智力支持，为加快构建中国特色哲学社会科学，建构中国自主的知识体系贡献学术智慧；从世界大视野来审视中国共产党人精神谱系的共同价值；等等，都是需要继续努力探索的重大学术问题和现实课题。

(The author is a professor and Dean of the Institute of CPC History and Party Building at Beijing Normal University)

（作者系北京师范大学中共党史党建研究院院长、教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心