Learning, Thinking, and Practicing the Profound Philosophy of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought integrates the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the finest traditional Chinese culture, advancing cultural creation while continuing the historical lineage, promoting cultural progress while inheriting Chinese civilization, and endowing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with deeper cultural connotations and broader civilizational dimensions. This requires us to understand it deeply, grasp it thoroughly, and comprehend it profoundly.

习近平文化思想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，在赓续历史文脉中推进文化创造，在传承中华文明中推动文化进步，赋予中华民族伟大复兴更为深刻的文化内涵和更为宽广的文明维度，需要我们深入理解、深入把握、深刻领悟。

Adhering to a people-centered approach, consistently upholding the value orientation of cultural construction in the New Era

坚持以人民为中心，始终秉持新时代文化建设的价值导向

The masses are the creators of material and spiritual wealth, as well as the decisive force in social and historical change; respecting the principal position of the masses is a basic requirement of Marxist theory. As Marx stated, “History does nothing; it ‘possesses no immense wealth,’ it ‘wages no battles.’” [1]1 A paraphrase of Marx’s critique of the Young Hegelians in *The Holy Family* (1845), emphasizing that history is made by real people, not abstract forces. Rather, it is the cultural practice of the masses that creates the spiritual achievements that enable humanity to advance. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “The greatest difference between human society and the animal world is that people have spiritual needs; the people’s demand for spiritual and cultural life exists at all times.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, speech at a symposium on literature and art (2014), collected in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 2. Looking back at the development process of modern Chinese civilization, it is not difficult to find that as long as the people’s standpoint is upheld, the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics will radiate vigorous vitality; as long as the subjectivity of the masses in cultural creation is stimulated, the broad masses will burst forth with vigorous cultural innovation vitality in their cultural practice. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, standing at the theoretical height of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, examines the spiritual needs, cultural rights, and cultural subjectivity of the people in the New Era within a grand historical perspective, respecting the initiative and activity of the masses in spiritual and cultural creation; throughout the cultural blueprint of the New Era, it consistently runs the thread of people-centeredness through the roadmap and task plan of cultural construction, precisely evaluating the satisfaction and sense of gain of the overwhelming majority of the people with cultural construction—this is the value orientation of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought.

人民群众是物质财富和精神财富的创造者，亦是社会历史变革的决定性力量，尊重人民群众的主体地位是马克思主义理论的基本要求。正如马克思所言，“历史什么事也没有做，它‘不拥有任何惊人的丰富性’，它‘没有进行任何战斗’”，而是人民群众的文化实践创造着人类得以前行的精神成果。习近平总书记深刻指出：“人类社会与动物界的最大区别就是人是有精神需求的，人民对精神文化生活的需求时时刻刻都存在。” 纵观中华民族现代文明的发展历程，我们不难发现，只要坚守人民立场，中国特色社会主义文化建设就会因此焕发出蓬勃生命力；只要激发出人民群众文化创造的主体性，广大人民就会在文化实践中迸发出蓬勃的文化创新活力。习近平文化思想站在辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义的理论高度，在大历史观中审度新时代人民的精神需求、文化权益、文化主体性，尊重人民群众在精神文化创造中的积极性和主动性；在新时代的文化画卷中自始至终将人民性这条主线贯穿文化建设的路线图和任务书，精准评判绝大多数人民群众对文化建设的满意度和获得感，是习近平文化思想的价值旨归。

“The people’s aspiration for a better life is our goal of struggle”—this is the solemn commitment made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to the people of all ethnic groups across the country. Undoubtedly, the people’s aspiration for a better life certainly includes a better spiritual life. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought is rooted in the fiery practice of developing socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, holding high the banner of educating people through culture and benefiting the people through culture, adhering to a people-centered creative orientation, and creating art that satisfies the people. It does a good job of cultural work that resonates with the people’s voices and meets their demands, ensuring that the garden of literature and art forever blooms for the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Developing cultural undertakings is a basic way to meet the people’s spiritual and cultural needs and guarantee their cultural rights and interests.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, speech at a meeting on cultural and ethical progress (2016). The *Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought* (hereinafter referred to as the *Outline*) emphasizes: “Strive to improve the level of public cultural services, so that the people can enjoy a more substantial, richer, and higher-quality spiritual and cultural life, and cultivate the whole nation’s uplifting and enterprising spiritual temperament.” [4]4 *Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought* (2024), a Party-authorized study guide. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought encompasses a series of strategic deployments that benefit the people’s spiritual world: building public cultural service platforms, promoting cultural interaction and exchange between urban and rural areas, comprehensively carrying out cultural activities that benefit the people, such as nationwide reading activities, nationwide fitness activities, and nationwide literary and artistic activities, improving cultural systems and mechanisms, and constructing management and operation systems for cultural industries, cultural products, and public welfare occupations, making the spiritual world of the Chinese nation more profound and substantial. In short, the people-centeredness of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought takes whether the people are satisfied, happy, and agreeable as the highest criterion for evaluating the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, and takes realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental spiritual and cultural interests of the broadest masses as the starting point and goal of cultural construction.

“人民对美好生活的向往就是我们的奋斗目标”，这是以习近平同志为核心的党中央向全国各族人民做出的郑重承诺。毫无疑问，人民对美好生活的向往当然是包括美好精神生活于其中的。习近平文化思想立足于中国特色社会主义文化发展的火热实践，高举以文化人、以文惠民的旗帜，坚持以人民为中心的创作导向，创造人民满意的艺术。做好贴合人民心声、符合人民诉求的文艺工作，让文艺的百花园永远为人民绽放。习近平总书记指出：“发展文化事业是满足人民精神文化需求、保障人民文化权益的基本途径。”《习近平文化思想学习纲要》（以下简称《纲要》）强调：“着力提升公共文化服务水平，让人民享有更加充实、更为丰富、更高质量的精神文化生活，涵养全民族昂扬奋发的精神气质。”习近平文化思想涵括一系列惠及人民精神世界的战略部署：建设公共文化服务平台，促进城乡之间文化的互动和交流，全面开展全民阅读活动、全民健身活动、全民文艺活动等文化惠民活动，完善文化体制机制，构建文化产业、文化产品、公益性职业管理运行体制，使得中华民族的精神世界更加厚重深邃。简言之，习近平文化思想的人民性就是以人民满意不满意、开心不开心、同意不同意作为新时代中国特色社会主义文化建设的最高评判标准，就是以实现好、维护好、发展好最广大人民根本的精神文化利益为文化建设的出发点和落脚点。

Adhering to dialectical thinking, firmly grasping the key line of cultural construction in the New Era

坚持辩证思维，牢牢把握新时代文化建设的关键线

Innovative cultural development in the New Era is a profound revolution in the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. It is necessary to correctly understand, grasp, and handle a series of dialectical relationships of unity of opposites in cultural construction in the New Era. As the core of materialist dialectics, the law of the unity of opposites reveals the fundamental content of the universal connection of things and the fundamental driving force of eternal development, fundamentally answering the question of why things develop. To grasp the basic theme, mission of the times, historical responsibility, and global commitment of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, it is necessary to fully recognize the dialectical contradictions in the process of cultural development. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought insists on applying dialectical thinking, comprehensively grasping a series of dialectical relationships such as nationality and globality, tradition and modernity, substance and function, and examining the socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the New Era and its development within the thinking laws of the unity of opposites in materialist dialectics, firmly grasping the key line of cultural construction in the New Era.

新时代文化创新发展是国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的一场深刻革命，必须认识好、把握好、处理好新时代文化建设中的一系列对立统一的辩证关系。作为唯物辩证法的核心，对立统一规律揭示了事物普遍联系的根本内容和永恒发展的根本动力，从根本上回答了事物为什么发展的问题。把握习近平文化思想的基本主题、时代使命、历史责任和世界担当，必须充分认识文化发展进程中的辩证矛盾。习近平文化思想坚持运用辩证思维，全景式把握民族性与世界性、传统性与现代性、体与用等一系列辩证关系，在唯物辩证法对立统一的思维规律中考量新时代中国特色社会主义文化及其发展，牢牢把握新时代文化建设的关键线。

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought inherits and develops the Marxist cultural theory on world history and spiritual exchange, advocating the exertion of cultural subjectivity to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Promoting exchanges, integration, and mutual learning among various human civilizations is the only way to make the world more beautiful and the lives of people in all countries better.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, speech at the UNESCO headquarters (2014). In short, Xi Jinping’s cultural thought takes the debate between the ancient and the modern, and between China and the West, as its basic field. In the process of cultural development, it not only addresses the “ancient-modern” issue but also does not neglect the “China-West” issue, advocating the correct understanding and handling of the relationship between the nationality and globality of culture. “Things are not uniform; that is the nature of things.” [6]6 A classical Chinese saying from *Mencius*, Book III, Part I, Chapter 4, used to affirm natural diversity. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, on the basis of following the theoretical logic, practical logic, and historical logic of cultural development, both insists on cultural subjectivity, upholds the fundamental stance of the finest traditional Chinese culture, and realizes the creative transformation and innovative development of the finest traditional Chinese culture; and insists on cultural globality, upholds the concept of openness and inclusiveness, and provides a steady stream of Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength for solving world problems and promoting the progress of human civilization. The inherent differences within human civilization are precisely where the charm of civilization lies, and exchanges and mutual learning that cross civilizational forms and cultural patterns are the best portrayal of the dialectical unity of cultural nationality and globality.

习近平文化思想继承和发展了马克思主义文化理论关于世界历史与精神交往的思想，主张发挥文化主体性促进文明交流互鉴。习近平总书记指出：“推进人类各种文明交流交融、互学互鉴，是让世界变得更加美丽、各国人民生活得更加美好的必由之路。”简言之，习近平文化思想以古今中西之争为基本场域，在文化发展过程中，既解决“古今”问题，又不忽视“中西”问题，主张正确认识和处理文化的民族性和世界性的关系。“物之不齐，物之情也。”习近平文化思想注重在遵循文化发展理论逻辑、实践逻辑、历史逻辑的基础上，既坚持文化主体性，坚守中华优秀传统文化的根本立场，实现中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化、创新性发展；又坚持文化世界性，秉承开放包容理念，为解决世界难题和推动人类文明进步提供源源不断的中国智慧和中国力量。人类文明内在的差异性原本就是文明魅力之所在，而跨越文明形态和文化样态的交流互鉴是文化民族性和世界性辩证统一关系的最好写照。

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought contains the innovative viewpoint of “continuing the Chinese cultural lineage through creative transformation and innovative development,” advocating the correct understanding and handling of the dialectical relationship between tradition and modernity in cultural development. The *Outline* emphasizes, “Advance cultural creation while continuing the historical lineage, and promote cultural progress while inheriting Chinese civilization.” [7]7 *Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought* (2024). Xi Jinping’s cultural thought further confirms the significance of ideological emancipation initiated by the Second Integration, [8]8 The Second Integration refers to the combination of the basic principles of Marxism with the finest traditional Chinese culture, formally proposed by Xi Jinping in 2023 as a deepening of the Two Integrations. further deeply grasps the basic laws of the development of Chinese civilization, indicating that our Party’s theoretical and practical innovation in the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics has reached a new height, and its understanding of tradition and modernity in cultural development has been elevated to a new level. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought defines the relationship between tradition and modernity from the overall height of civilizational evolution. It not only deeply grasps the tension between tradition and modernity with an open, developmental, and penetrating mode of thinking, but also, by excavating the symbiotic relationship between the finest traditional Chinese culture and modern civilization, resolves the paradox of tradition and modernity in cultural development, realizing the leap from tradition to modernity.

习近平文化思想蕴含“要在创造性转化和创新性发展中赓续中华文脉”的创新观点，主张正确认识和处理文化发展中传统与现代的辩证关系。《纲要》强调，“在赓续历史文脉中推进文化创造，在传承中华文明中推动文化进步”。习近平文化思想进一步确证了“第二个结合”所开启的思想解放意义，进一步深刻把握了中华文明发展的基本规律，表明我们党对中国特色社会主义文化建设的理论创新和实践创新达到了新高度，对文化发展中传统与现代的认知提升到了新水平。习近平文化思想从文明演进的整体高度界定了传统与现代的关系，既以开放性、发展性、贯通性的思维模式深刻把握传统与现代的张力，又以挖掘中华优秀传统文化和现代文明的共生关系，破解了文化发展中传统与现代的悖论，实现传统向现代的跨越。

Adhering to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, stimulating the vitality of cultural construction in the New Era

坚持守正创新，激发新时代文化建设的活力

General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly discerned the intrinsic relationship between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture, deeply grasped the inherent laws of Marxist theoretical innovation and the development of socialist culture, and clearly put forward the major proposition of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture. This highlights the continuous deepening of the Communist Party of China’s understanding of the basic laws of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, reveals the inevitable path for our Party to promote theoretical innovation and cultural prosperity, and marks a new sublimation of the Party’s theoretical creativity, cultural subjectivity, and spiritual independence. The outstanding continuity of Chinese civilization determines that China’s cultural development must take its own path; the outstanding innovativeness of Chinese civilization determines that China’s cultural development must be theoretical innovation based on practice, completing the old nation’s new mission [9]9 “The old nation’s new mission” (旧邦新命) is a classical Chinese expression from the *Book of Songs* (《诗经》), later used by philosophers like Feng Youlan to mean a civilization renewing itself while preserving its ancient roots. of the Chinese nation through the interplay of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought upholds the dialectical unity of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground. It not only ensures the dominant position of Marxism as the mainstream ideology and the cultural subjectivity established through the inheritance and innovation of fine traditional Chinese culture, but also meets the spiritual and cultural needs of the people for a better life, highlights the innovative development of culture, and continuously enriches the people’s spiritual life.

习近平总书记深刻洞察马克思主义和中华优秀传统文化的内在关系，深刻把握马克思主义理论创新和社会主义文化发展的内在规律，鲜明提出把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的重大命题，彰显了中国共产党对马克思主义中国化时代化基本规律认识的不断深化，揭示了我们党推动理论创新和文化繁荣的必由之路，标志着党的理论创造性、文化主体性、精神独立性实现了新的升华。中华文明的突出连续性决定了中国文化发展必然要走自己的路，中华文明突出的创新性决定了中国文化发展必然是建立在实践基础上的理论创新，在守正与创新的互动中完成中华民族的旧邦新命。习近平文化思想坚持守正与创新的辩证统一，既确保了马克思主义作为主流意识形态的主体地位和中华优秀传统文化传承创新确立的文化主体性，又契合了人民对美好生活的精神文化需要，彰显文化创新性发展，不断丰富人民精神生活。

The “fundamental principles” upheld by Xi Jinping’s cultural thought include both the “soul vein” of the basic principles of Marxist cultural theory—such as the relationship between social existence and social consciousness, the economic base and the superstructure, the theory of people’s all-round development, the Marxist theory of spiritual production, the Marxist theory of world history, and the cultural essence and subject of cultural creation—and the “root vein” of important value concepts in fine traditional Chinese culture, such as literature conveying the Way [10]10 “Literature conveying the Way” (文以载道) is a traditional Chinese concept, originating from the Song dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi, meaning that literary works should serve as vehicles for moral and philosophical truths., literature transforming people, moral education and ethical norms, and cultural exchange and coexistence of civilizations. The “new ground” broken by Xi Jinping’s cultural thought involves, on the one hand, using the light of Marxist truth to activate the vitality of fine traditional Chinese culture and endow it with new contemporary connotations, making traditional culture modern; on the other hand, enriching the cultural life of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture, promoting the continuous adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and making Marxism Chinese.

习近平文化思想所坚守的“正”，既包括马克思主义文化理论中社会存在与社会意识、经济基础与上层建筑的关系，人的全面发展理论，马克思主义精神生产理论，马克思主义世界历史理论，文化本质和文化创造主体等基本原则的“魂脉”，亦包括中华优秀传统文化中文以载道、文以化人，道德教化、伦理规范，文化交流、文明共生等重要价值理念的“根脉”。习近平文化思想所创之“新”，一方面是用马克思主义真理之光激活中华优秀传统文化的生命力并赋予其新的时代内涵，让传统文化成为现代的；另一方面以中华优秀传统文化充实马克思主义的文化生命，推动马克思主义不断实现中国化时代化，让马克思主义成为中国的。

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought focuses on the concrete practice of cultural development in the New Era, is based on the specific tasks of cultural development in the New Era, and is grounded in the mission and responsibility of cultural construction in the New Era. On the basis of applying the Marxist worldview and methodology, it continuously promotes the contemporary innovation of fine traditional Chinese culture, and in the organic integration of history, the present, and the future, it constantly advances the principle of making the past serve the present and weeding through the old to bring forth the new. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought consistently upholds the guiding role of Marxism in the development of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, contributing the dialectics of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground to China’s cultural transformation and development. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought scientifically grasps the major contemporary issues of cultural construction in the New Era, scientifically understands the internal logic of cultural development in the New Era, scientifically predicts the direction of cultural development in the New Era, fully unleashes the subjectivity of the people in cultural creation, promptly responds to the difficulties encountered in cultural construction in the New Era, breaks through traditional thinking, and innovatively proposes new concepts, new methods, new theses, new mechanisms, new discourses, and new measures, allowing the Party’s innovative theories to penetrate deeply into the hearts of hundreds of millions of people.

习近平文化思想着眼于新时代文化发展的具体实践，立足于新时代文化发展的具体任务，落脚于新时代文化建设的使命担当，在贯彻运用马克思主义世界观和方法论的基础上不断推进中华优秀传统文化的时代化创新，在历史、现在与未来的有机结合中不断推动古为今用、推陈出新。习近平文化思想始终坚持马克思主义对中国特色社会主义文化发展的指导地位，为中国社会的文化变革和发展贡献了守正与创新的辩证法。习近平文化思想科学把握新时代文化建设的重大时代课题，科学认识新时代文化发展的内在逻辑，科学预判新时代文化发展走向，充分发挥人民群众文化创造的主体性，及时回应新时代文化建设遇到的困境，突破传统思维，创新性提出新理念、新方式、新论断、新机制、新话语、新举措，让党的创新理论深入亿万人民心中。

(This article is a phased result of the National Social Science Fund project “Research on the Philosophical Foundation and Methodological Innovation of the Second Integration” (24BKS038))

（本文系国家社科基金项目“第二个结合的哲学基础与方法论创新研究”（24BKS038）阶段性成果）

(The author is Dean and Professor of the School of Marxism at Tianjin Medical University)

（作者系天津医科大学马克思主义学院院长、教授）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧