Guided by Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, Strive to Build a New Form of “the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation”

On 28 October 2022, during his inspection tour in Anyang, Henan, General Secretary Xi Jinping for the first time put forward “building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation” and stressed, “We must study and understand Chinese civilization more deeply, make the past serve the present, and provide reference for better building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.” On 2 June 2023, at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping again emphasised and pointed out: “Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural country, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era. We must strengthen cultural confidence, shoulder the mission, strive with vigour, and jointly work to create a new culture belonging to our era and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.” On 7 July of the same year, when listening to the work report of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, he pointed out: “Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an inevitable requirement for advancing Chinese-path modernisation and an important component of the construction of socialist cultural-ethical progress.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on “building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation” is an important component of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought. We must take Xi Jinping’s cultural thought as guidance, strive to build the modern civilisation of the Chinese nation, advance Chinese-path modernisation, build a great modern socialist country with Chinese characteristics, and realise the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

2022年10月28日，习近平总书记在河南安阳考察时首次提出“建设中华民族现代文明”，并且强调，“更深地学习理解中华文明，古为今用，为更好建设中华民族现代文明提供借鉴”。2023年6月2日，习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上再次强调并指出：“在新的起点上继续推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国、建设中华民族现代文明，是我们在新时代新的文化使命。要坚定文化自信、担当使命、奋发有为，共同努力创造属于我们这个时代的新文化，建设中华民族现代文明。”同年7月7日，他在听取江苏省委和省政府工作汇报时指出：“建设中华民族现代文明，是推进中国式现代化的必然要求，是社会主义精神文明建设的重要内容。”习近平总书记关于“建设中华民族现代文明”的重要论述是习近平文化思想的重要内容。必须以习近平文化思想为指导，努力建设中华民族现代文明，推进中国式现代化，建设中国特色社会主义现代化强国，实现中华民族伟大复兴。

I. Taking historical materialism and the Marxist view of civilisation as the theoretical basis, scientifically understand and correctly grasp the important discourse of the classical Marxist writers on “building the modern civilisation of the Chinese nation”

一、以唯物史观和马克思主义文明观为理论依据，科学理解、正确把握马克思主义经典作家关于“建设中华民族现代文明”的重要论述

To comprehensively and scientifically understand, grasp, and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on “building the modern civilisation of the Chinese nation,” we must first apply the standpoint, viewpoint, and method of historical materialism, master the Marxist view of civilisation, understand social civilisation historically, dialectically, and concretely, and endow social civilisation with a Marxist scientific definition. Only in this way can we truly clarify “what is the modern civilisation of the Chinese nation and how to build the modern civilisation of the Chinese nation.”

全面、科学地理解、把握和落实习近平总书记关于“建设中华民族现代文明”的重要论述，首先要运用唯物史观的立场、观点和方法，掌握马克思主义文明观，历史、辩证、具体地认识社会文明，赋予社会文明以马克思主义的科学定义。唯有如此，才能真正搞清楚“什么是中华民族现代文明，怎样建设中华民族现代文明”。

The classical Marxist writers did not produce specialised works to systematically expound on the issue of social civilisation. However, from their classical expositions concerning social civilisation, we can learn and understand how they applied the standpoint, viewpoint, and method of historical materialism to understand and elaborate on the issue of social civilisation, and from this, we can summarise their basic views and fundamental perspectives on social civilisation, thereby comprehending the Marxist view of civilisation. The Marxist view of civilisation is the general view and overall perspective on human social civilisation formed by applying the standpoint, viewpoint, and method of historical materialism to analyse and understand the nature, characteristics, course, and condition of human social civilisation, and to summarise the laws of development and trends of human social civilisation. When the Marxist view of civilisation regards human social civilisation, it first proceeds from the broad perspective of the Marxist philosophical worldview and historical outlook, starting from a scientific analysis of the movement of the fundamental social contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, and from the perspective of the objective laws of the evolution of major historical epochs and social formations, to understand the social phenomenon of civilisation.

马克思主义经典作家并没有专门著述集中阐释社会文明问题，但从他们涉及社会文明的经典论述中，可以学习理解他们是怎样运用唯物史观的立场、观点和方法认识阐述社会文明问题的，进而从中概括出他们关于社会文明的基本看法和基本观点，领悟出马克思主义文明观。马克思主义文明观就是运用唯物史观的立场、观点和方法分析认识人类社会文明的性质、特征、历程与状况，概括人类社会文明的发展规律和趋势而形成的关于人类社会文明的总看法、总观点。马克思主义文明观看待人类社会文明，首先是从马克思主义哲学世界观、历史观的大视野出发，从生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的社会基本矛盾运动的科学分析入手，从人类大的历史时代和社会形态演变的客观规律着眼来认识人类文明这种社会现象。

First, when the classical Marxist writers used terms such as “civilisation,” “civilised system,” “civilised country,” “civilised state,” “civilised society,” “industrial and civilised society,” “modern civilisation,” “civilised nation,” and “European civilisation” in specific contexts, in general, the word “civilisation” specifically referred to capitalist social civilisation and the capitalist social civilised system. They applied historical materialism to elaborate on, critique, and expose capitalist social civilisation in the most thorough manner, yet one most consistent with historical dialectics. While affirming the historical progressiveness of capitalist social civilisation and affirming “the great civilising influence of capital,” they proceeded from the fact that class struggle, determined by the fundamental contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, is the driving force for the development and progress of civilisation in class society, and profoundly exposed the class-exploitative nature and hypocrisy of capitalist social civilisation. They believed that the basis of the capitalist “civilised system” is the exploitation of surplus value. The exploitation of surplus value causes capitalist society to become increasingly polarised, splitting into the owners of capital and the wage workers who possess nothing but their labour power, creating two fundamentally opposed classes, namely “the bourgeois or the bourgeoisie” and “the proletarians or the proletariat.” The class basis of capitalist social civilisation is the class division and opposition between the bourgeoisie and the working class, founded on the exploitation of surplus value. The bourgeoisie exploits the surplus value of the working class and exploits and oppresses all oppressed and exploited countries, nations, and working masses; this is the basis of the capitalist “civilised system” and the most fundamental characteristic of capitalist social civilisation. They explicitly pointed out that capitalist social civilisation is “bourgeois civilisation” and “the civilisation of capital,” exposing the exploitative class nature of its social civilisation. They believed that the capitalist social civilised system serves the interests of the bourgeoisie, oppressing the proletariat and the broad masses of working people internally and engaging in imperialist aggression externally.

第一，马克思主义经典作家在特定语境下使用“文明”“文明制度”“文明国度”“文明国家”“文明社会”“工业的文明的社会”“现代文明”“文明民族”“欧洲文明”等字眼时，一般情况下，其“文明”二字特指资本主义社会文明、资本主义社会文明制度。他们运用唯物史观对资本主义社会文明进行了最彻底的，又最符合历史辩证法的阐述、批判和揭露。他们在肯定资本主义社会文明的历史进步性，肯定“资本的伟大的文明作用”的同时，从生产力与生产关系的基本矛盾所决定的阶级斗争是阶级社会文明发展进步的动力出发，深刻地揭露了资本主义社会文明的阶级剥削本质及其虚伪性。他们认为资本主义社会“文明制度”的基础就是剩余价值剥削，剩余价值剥削使得资本主义社会越来越分裂，分裂成资本的所有者和除劳动力之外一无所有的雇佣工人，创造了两个根本对立的阶级即“资产者或资产阶级”“无产者或无产阶级”。资本主义社会文明的阶级基础就是建立在剩余价值剥削基础之上的资产阶级和工人阶级的阶级分裂和对立。资产阶级剥削工人阶级的剩余价值，剥削压迫一切被压迫被剥削的国家、民族和劳动人民群众，是资本主义社会“文明制度”的基础，这是资本主义社会文明最根本的特征。他们明确指出资本主义社会文明就是“资产阶级文明”“资本的文明”，揭露了其社会文明的剥削阶级本质。他们认为资本主义社会文明制度是为资产阶级利益服务的，对内压迫无产阶级及广大劳动群众，对外进行帝国主义侵略。

Second, standing on the standpoint of the proletariat, when analysing the ills and development trends of capitalist social civilisation, the classical Marxist writers strongly condemned and castigated capitalist social civilisation as a “criminal civilisation” and a “false civilisation” that suppresses the proletariat. They explicitly pointed out that whenever the proletariat rises up to resist the bourgeoisie, the “civilisation and justice of the system show their true ferocious face,” and sarcastically remarked that the bourgeoisie’s bloody suppression of the proletariat is truly “a ‘progress of civilisation’,” thoroughly exposing the ferocious class nature, hypocrisy, and deceptiveness of capitalist social civilisation. They clearly stated that capitalist social civilisation is “the last stage of the old civilisation,” and that this “old civilisation” will inevitably be replaced by a “truly universal civilisation,” namely communist social civilisation. They clearly believed that capitalist social civilisation creates the social conditions for the proletariat of the whole world to unite, realise the proletarian socialist revolution, and establish the political rule of the proletariat in order to overthrow capitalist society. The proletariat is the material force for creating communist social civilisation, and only the dictatorship of the proletariat and the socialist state can achieve and have already achieved a “high degree of civilisation,” revealing the development trend of future social civilisation.

第二，马克思主义经典作家站在无产阶级的立场上，在分析资本主义社会文明的弊端和发展趋势时，强烈谴责和鞭笞资本主义社会文明是镇压无产阶级的“罪恶的文明”“虚假的文明”，明确指出每当无产阶级起来反抗资产阶级的时候，资本主义“制度的文明和正义就显示出自己真正的凶残面目”，讽刺资产阶级对无产阶级的血腥镇压“真是‘文明的一个进步’”，彻底揭露了资本主义社会文明的凶残的阶级本性和虚伪性、欺骗性。他们明确指出资本主义社会文明是“旧文明的最后阶段”，这种“旧文明”一定会被“真正的普遍的文明”，即共产主义社会文明所代替。他们明确认为，资本主义社会文明创造了全世界无产阶级联合起来，实现无产阶级社会主义革命，建立起无产阶级政治统治，以推翻资本主义社会的社会条件，无产阶级是创造共产主义社会文明的物质力量，无产阶级专政、社会主义国家才能够达到而且已经达到“高度的文明”，揭示了未来社会文明的发展趋势。

Third, the classical Marxist writers criticised the idealist view of civilisation held by some Western bourgeois politicians and scholars, who regard social civilisation as the result of purely spiritual movement. They clearly pointed out that the formation and progress of social civilisation are the results of the development of social productive forces, the results of the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production, and the results of the social practice of the masses of the people. Proceeding from the “five social formations” theory of the evolutionary development laws of human social formations—primitive society, slave society, feudal society, capitalist society, and the transition through socialist society to communist society (socialist society being the first stage of communist society)—they summarised the different stages and different forms of the evolution and development of human social civilisation, from the origin of civilisation in primitive communal ownership, through slave civilisation, feudal civilisation, capitalist wage-labour civilisation, to the future society’s “truly universal civilisation,” namely socialist ownership and communist public ownership civilisation, thereby revealing the objective laws of the historical development of human social civilisation.

第三，马克思主义经典作家批判了一些西方资产阶级政治家和学者把社会文明视为纯粹精神运动的结果的历史唯心主义文明观，明确指出社会文明的形成和进步是社会生产力发展的结果，是生产力与生产关系矛盾运动的结果，是人民群众社会实践的结果。他们从人类社会形态演变发展规律的原始社会、奴隶社会、封建社会、资本主义社会，到经社会主义社会过渡至共产主义社会（社会主义社会是共产主义社会的第一阶段）“五种社会形态”学说出发，概括了人类社会文明演进发展经过原始社会公社所有制起源文明、奴隶制文明、封建制文明、资本主义雇佣劳动制文明到未来社会的“真正的普遍的文明”，即社会主义所有制、共产主义公有制文明的不同阶段及其不同形式，揭示了人类社会文明历史发展的客观规律。

For example, when Engels used the term “civilization,” he sometimes also referred to and borrowed Morgan’s periodization of the historical development of human society, employing the term “epoch of civilization.” He divided the “epoch of civilization” into “ancient civilization” and “modern civilization.” It must be pointed out here that the “ancient civilization” Engels spoke of should also include the initial, nascent, and originating civilization of primitive society. This is because Engels borrowed Morgan’s formulation that “the epoch of civilization is the period in which the further processing of natural products is learned.” This statement implies that the emergence of civilization begins with humanity learning to process natural products, turning natural materials into tools, such as Paleolithic and Neolithic implements. In fact, in primitive society, humans began to learn to process natural materials into tools of production and articles of daily use, thereby initiating the origin of social civilization, which is the starting point of the emergence of “ancient civilization.” Of course, they regarded the division of labor, the commodity exchange and production arising from the division of labor, and the emergence of private property, classes, and the state as important markers of the formation of social civilization and humanity’s entry into the “epoch of civilization.” This is not contradictory to Engels’ agreement with the judgment that the origin of “ancient civilization” began with the making of tools. His use of “ancient civilization” sometimes also includes the originating civilization of primitive society. However, the originating civilization of primitive society does not specifically mean that humanity had already entered the “epoch of civilization.” In Engels’ view, the “epoch of civilization” specifically refers to social civilization since human society entered class society. The “ancient civilization” he spoke of, in a certain sense, also includes the initial, nascent civilization of primitive society, or the originating civilization of primitive society, while slave society, beginning with the dissolution of the public ownership system of primitive society, entered the “epoch of civilization.” According to Engels’ criteria for marking humanity’s entry into the “epoch of civilization,” “ancient civilization” refers to slave society civilization and feudal society civilization, while “modern civilization” refers to capitalist society civilization.

譬如，恩格斯在使用“文明”一词时，有时也参照并借用摩尔根对人类社会历史发展的分期，使用了“文明时代”一词。他把“文明时代”划分为“古代文明”和“现代文明”。这里需要指出的是，恩格斯所讲的“古代文明”，还应包括初始的、萌发的、起源的原始社会文明。因为恩格斯借用了摩尔根的说法，“文明时代是学会对天然产物进一步加工的时期”。这个论述包含着文明的产生是从人类学会对天然产物的加工开始的，把天然物加工成工具，如旧石器、新石器。实际上，在原始社会，人类开始学会加工天然物为生产工具和生活用品，也就开始了社会文明的起源，此为“古代文明”产生的起始点。当然，他们把分工、由分工产生的商品交换与生产，私有制、阶级和国家的产生作为社会文明形成、人类进入“文明时代”的重要标志。这同恩格斯赞同关于“古代文明”起源是从制造工具开始的判断并不矛盾。他关于“古代文明”的说法有时也包括原始社会的起源文明。但原始社会的起源文明并不特指人类已进入“文明时代”。在恩格斯那里，“文明时代”特指人类社会进入阶级社会以来的社会文明。他所讲的“古代文明”在某种意义上也包括原始社会起始的、萌发的文明或称原始社会起源文明，而从原始社会公有制解体以来的奴隶社会就进入了“文明时代”。按照恩格斯关于人类进入“文明时代”的划分标志，“古代文明”指的是奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明，“现代文明”指的是资本主义社会文明。

Fourth, although the classical Marxist writers sometimes borrowed the term “state of barbarism” used by Westerners to refer to the state of social civilization before capitalist society, they fundamentally differed from the narrow bourgeois historical viewpoint of the West. They highly affirmed the “ancient civilization” that preceded capitalist social civilization. In contrast, some Western bourgeois politicians and scholars regard the “ancient civilization” of human society, especially the “ancient civilization” of Eastern nations, as a “state of barbarism,” propagating narrow bourgeois idealist historical views such as the “theory of Western civilization as the center.” They call “ancient civilization” “barbaric” in order to disparage “ancient civilization,” particularly the “ancient civilization” of Eastern nations. This is fundamentally different from the Marxist view of civilization held by Marx and Engels, who highly affirmed “ancient civilization,” especially the civilization created by Eastern nations. As Mao Zedong pointed out in his 1958 conversation with a delegation of young people from Black Africa, “Because our China has not occupied other countries in the past or present, and will not occupy the United States or Britain as colonies in the future, we have always been a civilized country.” [2]2 Karl Marx, letter to Pavel Annenkov, 28 December 1846, in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 38, p. 96. In his 1959 conversation with leaders of communist parties from some Latin American countries, he further pointed out that it is necessary to refute the absurd claims and superstitious notions that disparage Eastern civilization, such as “Western civilization” and “Eastern barbarism,” “Westerners are a civilized people” and “Easterners are a barbaric people,” as asserted by some Western bourgeois politicians. Mao Zedong resolutely opposed the view of some Western bourgeois politicians and scholars who “say we are barbaric and uncivilized,” believing that “this must be turned around.” [3]3 The “five forms of society” (五种社会形态) refer to the Marxist periodization of human history into primitive communism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, and communism (including socialism as its first stage). The truly barbaric countries should be the imperialist bandits who cruelly oppress, exploit, and slaughter the people of colonial and semi-colonial countries, while Eastern nations are civilized countries because they have never occupied or colonized other countries.

第四，马克思主义经典作家虽然在用语上有时也借用西方人使用的“野蛮状态”字眼，代指资本主义社会之前的社会文明状态，但他们与西方狭隘的资产阶级历史观点根本不同，他们高度肯定资本主义社会文明之前的“古代文明”。而一些西方资产阶级政治家和学者把人类社会的“古代文明”，特别是东方民族的“古代文明”视为“野蛮状态”，宣扬“西方文明中心论”等资产阶级狭隘的唯心主义历史观点。他们把“古代文明”称为“野蛮”，是贬损“古代文明”，尤为贬损东方民族“古代文明”。这同马克思、恩格斯高度肯定“古代文明”，特别是东方民族创造的“古代文明”的马克思主义文明观是根本不同的。正如毛泽东在1958年同黑非洲青年代表团的谈话中指出，因为“我们中国过去、现在都没有占领别的国家，将来也不会去占领美国、英国作殖民地，所以我们始终是文明国家”。他在1959年同拉丁美洲一些国家共产党领导人的谈话中进一步指出，要破除某些西方资产阶级政治家所说的“西方文明”“东方野蛮”“西方人是文明民族”“东方人是野蛮民族”的贬损东方文明的荒谬说法和迷信观念。毛泽东坚决反对一些西方资产阶级政治家和学者“说我们野蛮、不文明”的观点，认为“这要翻过来”。真正野蛮的国家应当是残酷压迫、剥削、杀戮殖民地半殖民地人民的帝国主义强盗，而东方民族是文明国家，因为他们从不占领、殖民他国。

Fifth, the classical Marxist writers insisted on using the viewpoint and method of class and class struggle to understand and analyze the issue of social civilization in class society, revealing the class nature of social civilization in class society. They pointed out that the history of the development of human social civilization since the dissolution of the public ownership system of primitive society is a history of class struggle. For example, Engels believed that at the end of primitive society, the first great split between the exploiting class and the exploited class occurred, and from then on, class division and opposition “continued to exist throughout the entire period of civilization,” that is, the entire “epoch of civilization.” He pointed out that “slavery,” “medieval serfdom,” and “modern wage labor” are the three institutional forms of private ownership of the means of production specific to slave society, feudal society, and capitalist society. These are the three unique “forms of servitude” of the three major periods of the entire “epoch of civilization,” and these “three forms of servitude” have always accompanied the “epoch of civilization.” He called “modern wage labor,” that is, the capitalist wage-labor system, “concealed slavery.” Engels’ exposition shows that the so-called “epoch of civilization” has always contained the “three forms of servitude” of slave society civilization, feudal society civilization, and capitalist society civilization. He believed that the “epoch of civilization” since slave society began with the division of labor and the commodity exchange and production arising from it. Economically, it has four characteristics: the emergence of money capital, interest, and usury; the emergence of a commercial class; the emergence of private land ownership and mortgage; and the emergence of slave labor. In terms of the characteristics of the family form, it gave rise to the individual family characterized by the rule of men over women through monogamous marriage. Politically, its characteristic is the emergence of the state, “the state is the epitome of civilized society,” [4]4 “Five forms of social civilization” (五种社会文明形态) is a term derived from the “five forms of society” doctrine, applying the same sequential framework to the concept of civilization. and “in essence it is a machine for suppressing the oppressed and exploited class.” [5]5 Friedrich Engels, *The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State* (1884), in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 128. He also pointed out other characteristics of the “epoch of civilization,” such as the old division of labor between town and country and the system of inheritance of private property. Through his analysis of the characteristics of the “epoch of civilization,” Engels indicated that the “epoch of civilization,” whether “ancient civilization” (i.e., slave society civilization, feudal society civilization) or “modern civilization” (i.e., capitalist society civilization), all possess the characteristics of class exploitation, class oppression, class contradictions, the opposition between town and country, and the old division of labor. He exposed the class-exploitative essence of the “forms of servitude” civilization of any previous class society and revealed the development history of the entire “epoch of civilization” of class society from “ancient civilization” (slave society civilization, feudal society civilization) to “modern civilization” (capitalist society civilization).

第五，马克思主义经典作家坚持用阶级和阶级斗争的观点认识和分析阶级社会的社会文明问题，揭示了阶级社会社会文明的阶级性，指出自原始社会公有制解体以来的人类社会文明发展史就是阶级斗争的历史。譬如，恩格斯认为，在原始社会末期发生了剥削阶级和被剥削阶级的第一次大分裂，从此阶级的分化与对立就“继续存在于整个文明时期”，即整个“文明时代”。他指出，“奴隶制”“中世纪的农奴制”“近代的雇佣劳动制”，就是奴隶社会、封建社会和资本主义社会的三大生产资料私有制的制度形式，这是整个“文明时代”三大时期所特有的“三大奴役形式”，这“三大奴役形式”始终伴随着“文明时代”。他把“近代的雇佣劳动制”，即资本主义的雇佣劳动制称为“隐蔽的奴隶制”。恩格斯的阐述表明，所谓“文明时代”，始终存在着奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明和资本主义社会文明“三大奴役形式”。他认为，奴隶社会以来的“文明时代”是由分工及分工引起的商品交换和生产开始的。在经济上有四个特征，即出现了货币资本、利息和高利贷，出现了商业阶层，出现了土地私有与抵押，出现了奴隶劳动。在家庭形式特征上，出现了以专偶婚制男人对女人统治为特征的个体家庭。在政治上的特征，便是出现了国家，“国家是文明社会的概括”，“本质上都是镇压被压迫被剥削阶级的机器”。他还指出了“文明时代”其他特征，即出现了城乡对立的旧式分工，私有财产继承制度。通过对“文明时代”特征的分析，恩格斯指明“文明时代”，无论是“古代文明”，即奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明，还是“现代文明”，即资本主义社会文明，都具有阶级剥削、阶级压迫、阶级矛盾、城乡对立、旧式分工的特征，揭露了人类以往的任何阶级社会的文明都具有“奴役形式”文明的阶级剥削本质，揭示了整个阶级社会的“文明时代”从“古代文明”（奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明）到“现代文明”（资本主义社会文明）的发展历史。

Through the above summary of the classical Marxist writers’ classic expositions, arguments, and evidence on social civilization, one can grasp the basic views and perspectives of the classical Marxist writers on human social civilization, clearly understand how they used the basic principles and basic methods of historical materialism to analyze and understand the issue of social civilization, and thereby correctly understand and elucidate the Marxist view of civilization.

通过以上对马克思主义经典作家阐述社会文明的经典论述、论点、论据的综述，可以领悟到马克思主义经典作家关于人类社会文明的基本看法和观点，清楚地认识到他们是怎样运用唯物史观的基本原理和基本方法来分析认识社会文明问题的，进而正确认识和阐发马克思主义文明观。

The term “civilization,” in its broadest sense, can have multiple different usages, different referents, and different connotations. It can be used from different disciplinary perspectives such as history, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, and archaeology. For example, usages include Eastern civilization, Western civilization, ancient civilization, modern civilization, industrial civilization, agricultural civilization, nomadic civilization, slave society civilization, feudal society civilization, capitalist society civilization, and socialist society civilization. When the classical Marxist writers used the term “civilization” and expounded on issues of social civilization, they consistently applied the stance, viewpoint, and method of historical materialism, embodying the Marxist view of civilization. When the classical Marxist writers used the term “civilization,” they did so with strict qualifications, endowing the concept of civilization with a definition based on historical materialism.

“文明”一词，从最广泛的意义上来说，可以有多种不同的用法、不同的所指、不同的内涵。可以从历史学、民族学、人类学、社会学、考古学等不同的学科视角来使用“文明”一词。如，东方文明、西方文明、古代文明、现代文明、工业文明、农业文明、游牧文明、奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明、资本主义社会文明、社会主义社会文明等用法。马克思主义经典作家在使用“文明”用语、阐述社会文明问题时，贯穿了唯物史观的立场、观点和方法，体现了马克思主义文明观。马克思主义经典作家在使用“文明”一词时是有着严格限定的，对文明概念赋予了唯物史观的界定。

First, take the nature, condition, and level of the social productive forces as the fundamental criterion for understanding the emergence, development, nature, condition, and level of human social civilization. The classical Marxist writers held that productive forces are the ultimate driving force of the progress of human social civilization, that the masses of the people are the creators of social civilization, that the productive practice of the masses of the people creates social civilization, and that the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, is the true cause of the progress of human social civilization. For example, Marx equated “all the progress of civilization” with “all the increase of the social productive forces,” [1]1 Karl Marx, “Wage Labour and Capital” (1849), in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 9, p. 211. holding that civilization is an object created by the worker. He also pointed out that “in order not to lose the results already achieved, in order not to lose the fruits of civilization, people are compelled to change all the social forms inherited from the past as soon as the mode of their intercourse [commerce] no longer corresponds to the productive forces they have acquired,” [2]2 Karl Marx, letter to Pavel Annenkov, 28 December 1846, in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 38, p. 96. holding that the progress of civilization is the result of the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production.

第一，把社会生产力的性质、状况、水平作为认识人类社会文明产生、发展及其性质、状况、水平的根本标准。马克思主义经典作家认为生产力是人类社会文明进步的最终动力，人民群众是社会文明的创造者，人民群众的生产实践创造了社会文明，生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的矛盾运动是人类社会文明进步的真正原因。譬如，马克思将“文明的一切进步”等同于“社会生产力的一切增长”，认为文明是工人创造的对象。他还指出，“为了不致丧失已经取得的成果，为了不致失掉文明的果实，人们在他们的交往［commerce］方式不再适合于既得的生产力时，就不得不改变他们继承下来的一切社会形式”，认为文明进步是生产力与生产关系矛盾运动的结果。

Second, to judge the nature, condition, and level of a social civilization, one should first analyze the nature, condition, and level of the social formation in which that social civilization is situated. Proceeding from the fundamental cause of the development and change of human society—the basic contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure—following the principle of the general laws of the development and evolution of the forms of human society, and based on the doctrine of the “five forms of society” [3]3 The “five forms of society” (五种社会形态) refer to the Marxist periodization of human history into primitive communism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, and communism (including socialism as its first stage). in the succession of social formations, the classical Marxist writers regard human social civilization as a historical process of the successive development of “five forms of social civilization,” [4]4 “Five forms of social civilization” (五种社会文明形态) is a term derived from the “five forms of society” doctrine, applying the same sequential framework to the concept of civilization. revealing the law of the continuous development of human social civilization from lower to higher levels.

第二，判断一个社会文明的性质、状况、水平，首先应该分析该社会文明所处的社会形态的性质、状况、水平。马克思主义经典作家从生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的基本矛盾引起人类社会发展变化的根本原因出发，遵循人类社会形态发展演变的一般规律的原理，依据人类社会形态更替的“五种社会形态”学说，把人类社会文明看成“五种社会文明形态”依次发展的历史进程，揭示了人类社会文明不断由低级向高级的发展规律。

Third, in class society, social civilization has a distinct class character; class analysis must be applied to the social civilization of class society, and the phenomena of civilization in class society must be viewed from the standpoint of class and class struggle. For example, both Marx and Engels regarded the emergence of classes and the state as important markers of humanity’s entry into the “epoch of civilization.” [5]5 Friedrich Engels, *The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State* (1884), in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 128. Engels pointed out that civilization is the quality of society. Sociality is the developmental characteristic of human civilization, and class character is the concentrated expression of the sociality of civilization in class society. Marx pointed out: “When civilization first began, production began to be based on the antagonism of ranks, estates, and classes, and finally on the antagonism between accumulated labor and direct labor. Without antagonism there is no progress. This is the law that civilization has followed up to the present day.” [6]6 Karl Marx, “The Poverty of Philosophy” (1847), in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 6, p. 132. Another example: Marx and Engels held that from the “ancient civilization” of slave society, which followed the dissolution of the primitive communal ownership of the means of production, to the “ancient civilization” of feudal society, and then to the “modern civilization” of capitalist society, these have all been social civilizations of class exploitation and opposition, whose foundation is “the exploitation of one class by another,” [7]7 Friedrich Engels, “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State,” in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 128. that “every step forward in civilization is also a step forward in inequality,” [8]8 Friedrich Engels, “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State,” in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 129. and that “the state is the epitome of civilized society” [9]9 Friedrich Engels, “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State,” in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 131. and “in all cases is essentially a machine for the suppression of the oppressed, exploited class.” [10]10 Friedrich Engels, “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State,” in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 132.

第三，在阶级社会中，社会文明有着鲜明的阶级性，必须对阶级社会的社会文明进行阶级分析，要用阶级和阶级斗争的观点看待阶级社会的文明现象。譬如，马克思恩格斯都把阶级、国家的产生看作是人类进入“文明时代”的重要标志。恩格斯指出，文明是社会的素质。社会性是人类文明的发展特性，阶级性是文明社会性在阶级社会的集中表现。马克思指出：“当文明一开始的时候，生产就开始建立在级别、等级和阶级的对抗上，最后建立在积累的劳动和直接的劳动的对抗上。没有对抗就没有进步。这是文明直到今天所遵循的规律。”又如，马克思恩格斯认为，从原始社会公有制解体以来的奴隶社会的“古代文明”开始，到封建社会的“古代文明”，一直到资本主义社会的“现代文明”，都是阶级剥削与对立的社会文明，其基础是“一个阶级对另一个阶级的剥削”，“文明每前进一步，不平等也同时前进一步”，“国家是文明社会的概括”，“在一切场合在本质上都是镇压被压迫被剥削阶级的机器”。

Applying the class viewpoint and class analysis method to the class analysis of the civilization of class society, the classical Marxist writers profoundly revealed that the civilization of class-exploitative society is a civilization built on the foundation of class opposition and class exploitation, holding that class struggle is the driving force of the development and progress of human social civilization since the emergence of class society. The opposition and struggle between classes is the objective law that the development of civilization follows. Just as Mao Zedong pointed out in 1949 in “Cast Away Illusions, Prepare for Struggle”: “Class struggle, the victory of some classes, the elimination of others—this is history, this is the history of civilization for several thousand years.” [11]11 Mao Zedong, “Cast Away Illusions, Prepare for Struggle” (1949), in *Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung*, vol. 4, p. 428. The history of human social civilization since the dissolution of primitive communal ownership of the means of production is the history of class struggle.

马克思主义经典作家运用阶级观点和阶级分析方法对阶级社会的文明进行阶级分析，深刻揭示了阶级剥削社会文明是建立在阶级对立和阶级剥削基础上的文明，认为阶级斗争是阶级社会以来人类社会文明发展进步的动力。阶级与阶级之间的对立与斗争就是文明发展所遵循的客观规律。正如1949年毛泽东在《丢掉幻想，准备斗争》中指出的那样：“阶级斗争，一些阶级胜利了，一些阶级消灭了。这就是历史，这就是几千年的文明史。”自原始社会公有制解体以来的人类社会文明史就是阶级斗争的历史。

Fourth, civilization is a historical category; one cannot use an abstract, eternal, transhistorical “universal civilization” to measure concrete social civilizations under different social formations, different classes, and different historical conditions. The classical Marxist writers held that social civilization is a social phenomenon and possesses sociality. They fully elucidated that human social civilization is historical and concrete, that there has never been an abstract, supra-class, “universal” social civilization, and that one must never use an immutable so-called “universal civilization” standard to measure social civilizations of different social formations, different classes, and different types.

第四，文明是一个历史的范畴，不能用抽象的、永恒的、超历史的“普世文明”衡量不同社会形态、不同阶级、不同历史条件下的具体社会文明。马克思主义经典作家认为社会文明是社会现象，具有社会性。他们充分阐明人类社会文明是历史的、具体的，从来就没有抽象的、超阶级的、“普世”的社会文明，绝不能用一成不变的所谓“普世文明”标准来衡量不同社会形态、不同阶级、不同类型的社会文明形态。

Fifth, the social civilization of any given social formation is historically progressive relative to the social civilization of the preceding social formation, and each has made contributions to the development of human social civilization. The old social civilization of class-exploitative society will be replaced by the new social civilization of future society—this is a historical necessity. For example, the classical Marxist writers gave a dialectical-historical evaluation of the progressiveness of bourgeois social civilization, affirming “the great civilizing influence of capital.” [12]12 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse* (1857–1858), in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 28, p. 94. Another example: Marx and Engels held that the social civilization of capitalist society, built on the foundation of the opposition and struggle between the two major classes of capitalist society, is an “old civilization” that inevitably gives rise to the proletarian socialist revolution, and through the dictatorship of the proletariat it will be replaced by a new form of civilization—“the true, universal civilization,” [13]13 The phrase “true, universal civilization” (真正的普遍的文明) is a paraphrase of the Marxist concept of communist civilization as the end of class antagonism. that is, socialist and communist civilization.

第五，任何一个社会形态的社会文明相对前一个社会形态的社会文明都是具有历史进步意义的，都对人类社会文明的发展作出了贡献。阶级剥削社会的旧的社会文明将被未来社会的新的社会文明所取代，这是历史的必然。譬如，马克思主义经典作家对资产阶级社会文明的进步性给予历史辩证法的应有的评价，肯定了“资本的伟大的文明作用”。又如，马克思恩格斯认为，建立在资本主义社会两大阶级对立与斗争基础上的资本主义社会文明是“旧的文明”，必然引起无产阶级社会主义革命，经过无产阶级专政从而为新的文明形态——“真正的普遍的文明”，即社会主义、共产主义文明所替代。

Sixth, resolutely overcome the idealist conception of history’s view of civilization with the historical materialist view of civilization. Standing on the ground of historical materialism, the classical Marxist writers thoroughly criticized the narrow, idealist conception of history’s view of civilization held by some Western bourgeois politicians and scholars, who argue that human social civilization is a pure product of spirit, advocate a binary division of the history of human social civilization into “barbarism—civilization,” claim that before capitalist society there was a “state of barbarism” and that “capitalist society is the end point of civilization,” and propagate the “Western-centric theory of civilization.” For example, Engels criticized the idealist view of history that attributes “the rapid advance of civilization entirely to the head, to the development and activity of the brain,” [14]14 Friedrich Engels, “Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy” (1886), in Marx and Engels, *Collected Works*, vol. 26, p. 386. pointing out that the historical activity that drives the progress of civilization should be based on the actual material production and life “needs” of the people, not on the thinking of a few individuals. The “clash of civilizations” theory [15]15 “Clash of civilizations” theory (文明冲突论) is a thesis advanced by American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington in his 1996 book *The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order*, arguing that post-Cold War conflicts would be primarily cultural rather than ideological or economic. currently advocated by Samuel Huntington is a contemporary variant of the idealist conception of history’s view of civilization criticized by the classical Marxist writers; the “clash of civilizations” theory obliterates the fact that the history of human civilization is the history of class struggle, attempting to replace the theory of class struggle with a transhistorical, abstract “clash of civilizations” theory.

第六，坚决用历史唯物主义文明观战胜历史唯心主义文明观。马克思主义经典作家站在唯物史观的立场上彻底批判了一些西方资产阶级政治家和学者论证人类社会文明是纯粹精神的产物，主张人类社会文明史“野蛮—文明”二元划分论，鼓吹资本主义社会之前是“野蛮状况”，“资本主义社会是文明的终点”，宣扬“西方文明中心论”的资产阶级狭隘的历史唯心主义文明观。譬如，恩格斯批判了把“迅速前进的文明完全被归功于头脑，归功于脑的发展和活动”的唯心史观观点，指出推动文明进步的历史活动应该基于现实的物质生产生活“需求”，而不是少数人的思维。如今塞缪尔·亨廷顿所鼓吹的“文明冲突论”，是当年马克思主义经典作家所批判的唯心史观文明观的当代变种，“文明冲突论”抹杀人类文明史就是阶级斗争的历史，企图用超历史的、抽象的“文明冲突论”代替阶级斗争的理论。

From the expositions of the classical Marxist writers, the basic content and basic viewpoints of the Marxist view of civilization can be clearly sorted out, that is, the Marxist general view and fundamental principles concerning social civilization. Although Marx and Engels did not give a clear definition of civilization, it can be seen from their expositions on the issue of social civilization that civilization is a social phenomenon of human social progress, an important category that embodies, marks, and measures the condition, nature, and degree of human social progress, and the embodiment, marker, and generalization of the nature and degree of the condition of human social progress. One must learn to use the standpoint, viewpoint, and method of historical materialism to conduct historical, concrete, dialectical, and class analysis and understanding of the issue of social civilization.

从马克思主义经典作家的论述中，可以清晰地梳理出马克思主义文明观的基本内容和基本观点，即马克思主义关于社会文明的总的看法和基本原理。马克思、恩格斯虽然没有对文明给予明确的定义，但是从他们涉及社会文明问题的论述中可以看出，文明是人类社会进步的社会现象，是体现、标志、衡量人类社会进步的状况、性质和程度的重要范畴，是人类社会进步状况的性质和程度的体现、标志和概括。必须学会运用唯物史观的立场、观点和方法，对社会文明问题作历史的、具体的、辩证的、阶级的分析和认识。

II. The Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation Is Not Some Other Civilization, but a “New Form of Human Civilization” of the Comprehensive Development of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

二、中华民族现代文明不是什么别的文明，而是中国特色社会主义的全面发展的“人类文明新形态”

The nature, content, and significance of “the modern civilization of the Chinese nation” should be understood from the following aspects.

关于“中华民族现代文明”的性质、内涵与意义，应当从以下几个方面来理解。

First, from the perspective of historical materialism and the Marxist view of civilization, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not some other civilization, but rather the “new form of human civilization” of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Looking back across the history of human social development, human civilization has already experienced the originating civilization of primitive society, the civilization of slave society, and the civilization of feudal society. At present, it is situated in the stage of capitalist social civilization, while simultaneously being in the historical process in which socialist social civilization gradually replaces capitalist social civilization. In the contemporary course of world history, humanity has already created the first stage of communist social civilization—socialist social civilization—which replaces capitalist social civilization and is superior to it. From the originating civilization of primitive society onward, all civilizations up to capitalist social civilization have been civilizations of class-exploiting societies. The civilizations of class-exploiting societies are all social civilizations built on the foundation of cruel class oppression, class exploitation, class antagonism, and class struggle. The civilizations of class-exploiting societies are interwoven with exploitation, oppression, war, bloodshed, and slaughter. Capitalist social civilization has created a greater social civilization than any previous society, yet it still has not overcome the ills of class-exploiting social civilization; it still exhibits polarization and antagonism, struggle and bloodshed, it still harbors various social dark sides, and it still faces extremely uncivilized social problems.

第一，从唯物史观、马克思主义文明观的意义上判定，中华民族现代文明不是什么别的文明，而是中国特色社会主义的“人类文明新形态”。纵观人类社会发展历史，人类文明已经经历了原始社会起源文明、奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明，当下正处于资本主义社会文明阶段，同时又处于社会主义社会文明逐步取代资本主义社会文明的历史进程中。在当代世界历史进程中，人类已经创造了代替资本主义社会文明、高于资本主义社会文明的共产主义社会文明的第一阶段——社会主义社会文明。原始社会起源文明以后至资本主义社会文明都是阶级剥削社会的文明，阶级剥削社会的文明都是建立在残酷的阶级压迫、阶级剥削、阶级对立和阶级斗争基础之上的社会文明。阶级剥削社会文明是与剥削、压迫、战争、流血、杀戮交织在一起的。资本主义社会文明创造了比以往任何社会更伟大的社会文明，但它仍然没有克服阶级剥削社会文明的弊端，存在着两极分化与对立、斗争与流血，存在着种种社会阴暗面，存在着极为不文明的社会问题。

In 1920, in “Greeting International Working Women’s Day,” Lenin pointed out: “Only the dictatorship of the proletariat, only a socialist state, can achieve—and has already achieved—a high degree of civilization.” We say that the October Revolution led by Lenin established the first socialist state in human history and inaugurated a new epoch in human history. What is called a new epoch is the birth of a new social form that replaces the old social form: socialist society has created a new form of human civilization that is advanced relative to capitalist society. Although Soviet socialism, as a new form of human social civilization, perished midway, the success of socialism with Chinese characteristics has allowed the new form of socialist social civilization to be continued and inherited. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has brought forth the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, created a new type of social civilization form in human history, and is a new form of human civilization that will thoroughly replace capitalist social civilization.

列宁在1920年《迎接国际劳动妇女节》中指出：“只有无产阶级专政，只有社会主义国家才能够达到而且已经达到了高度的文明。”我们说，列宁领导的十月革命建立了人类历史上第一个社会主义国家，开创了人类历史的新纪元。所谓新纪元，就是代替旧的社会形态的新的社会形态诞生了，社会主义社会创造了先进于资本主义社会的人类文明新形态。尽管苏联社会主义作为人类社会文明的新形态中途夭折了，但中国特色社会主义的成功，使得社会主义社会文明新形态得以接续与传承。中国特色社会主义造就了中华民族现代文明，创造了人类历史上新型的社会文明形态，是将要彻底替代资本主义社会文明的人类文明新形态。

Second, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an advanced social civilization that is the historical and concrete unity of material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization. From the division of human society into the two major social phenomena of the material and the spiritual, it can be divided into two major social civilization phenomena: material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization. Material-form civilization can be abbreviated as material civilization, and ideational-form civilization can be abbreviated as spiritual civilization. Human social civilization is the historical, concrete, and dialectical unity of material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization. For example, bronze ware is the material form of Chinese slave-society civilization; it is material-form civilization. The material raw materials of bronze ware, through technical processes such as mining, smelting, and casting, became a symbol of civilization in Chinese slave society; this is material civilization. However, the inscriptions and decorative patterns on bronze ware, which embody the slave system’s thought of “rule by rites” and aesthetic thought, are all ideational-form civilization, spiritual civilization; the hierarchical “rite” system of slave society embodied in bronze ware is, in turn, institutional-form civilization. Thus, bronze ware itself is the historical and concrete unity of material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization, and it is also a manifestation of the economic civilization, political civilization, cultural civilization, institutional civilization, and ecological civilization of slave society. Ideational-form civilization must take material-form civilization as its material bearer, and material-form civilization must take ideational-form civilization as its spiritual embodiment. Material-form civilization cannot be separated from ideational-form civilization, and ideational-form civilization cannot be separated from material-form civilization. Any material-form civilization, if it is not permeated by thought, concepts, technology, and so forth, cannot constitute a material-form civilization. Therefore, every social civilization is a unity of material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization, a unity of material civilization and spiritual civilization. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a “new form of civilization” of socialism with Chinese characteristics in which material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization are highly unified; it is a social civilization unity in which material civilization and spiritual civilization are closely linked and indispensable.

第二，中华民族现代文明是物质形态的文明与观念形态的文明的历史的、具体的统一的先进社会文明。从人类社会物质与精神两大社会现象来划分，可以分为物质形态的文明和观念形态的文明两大社会文明现象。物质形态的文明可以简称为物质文明，观念形态的文明可以简称为精神文明。人类的社会文明是物质形态的文明和观念形态的文明的历史的、具体的、辩证的统一。譬如，青铜器是中国奴隶社会文明的物质形态，是物质形态的文明。青铜器的物质原料经过采矿、冶炼、浇注等技术工艺，成为中国奴隶社会的文明象征，是物质的文明。然而，青铜器上的文字镌刻、纹饰等所体现的奴隶制的“礼治”思想，所体现的美学思想，又都是观念形态的文明，是精神的文明；青铜器所体现的奴隶社会等级森严的“礼”仪制度又是制度形态的文明。可见青铜器本身就是物质形态的文明和观念形态的文明的历史的、具体的统一，也是奴隶社会经济文明、政治文明、文化文明、制度文明、生态文明的体现。观念形态的文明必须以物质形态的文明作为物质担当，物质形态的文明又要以观念形态的文明作为精神体现。物质形态的文明不能离开观念形态的文明，观念形态的文明也不能离开物质形态的文明。任何物质形态的文明如果没有思想、观念、技术等渗透其中，就无法构成物质形态的文明。所以，任何社会文明都是物质形态的文明与观念形态的文明的统一体，是物质文明与精神文明的统一体。中华民族现代文明是物质形态的文明与观念形态的文明高度统一的中国特色社会主义“文明新形态”，是物质文明与精神文明密切联系、缺一不可的社会文明统一体。

Third, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a systematic social civilization system that is a “five-sphere integrated plan” [16]16 The Five-Sphere Integrated Plan (五位一体) refers to the overall plan for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, encompassing economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress. of economy, politics, culture, institutions, and ecology. From the division of society into the three major spheres of economy, politics, and culture, human social civilization can also be called economic-form civilization, political-form civilization, and cultural-form civilization, abbreviated as economic civilization, political civilization, and cultural civilization. Material civilization and spiritual civilization, and economic civilization, political civilization, and cultural civilization, are distinctions of social civilization from different angles, different spheres, and different scopes. They are not sharply separated from each other but are interconnected, interactive, overlapping, and interpenetrating. Economic civilization, political civilization, and cultural civilization each contain both the aspect of material-form civilization and the aspect of ideational-form civilization. For example, economic civilization is primarily material-form civilization, but it also contains ideational-form civilization; the economic thought permeating economic operations and the economic system is ideational-form civilization. The same is true of political civilization and cultural civilization: they contain both material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization, with the ideational-form civilization component being relatively greater than the material-form civilization component.

第三，中华民族现代文明是经济、政治、文化、制度、生态“五位一体”的系统的社会文明体系。从社会经济、政治、文化三大领域来划分，人类社会文明又可称为经济形态文明、政治形态文明、文化形态文明等三个方面，简称为经济文明、政治文明、文化文明。物质文明和精神文明，经济文明、政治文明和文化文明是从不同的角度、不同的领域、不同的范围对社会文明的区分，它们之间不是截然分开的，而是相互联系、相互作用且交叉与重叠。经济文明、政治文明和文化文明都各自包含物质形态的文明和观念形态的文明两大方面。譬如，经济文明即以物质形态的文明为主，但又包含观念形态的文明，渗透在经济运行、经济制度之中的经济思想就是观念形态的文明。政治文明、文化文明也是如此，它们既包含物质形态的文明，也包含观念形态的文明，观念形态的文明成分相比物质形态的文明成分更多一些。

Human social civilization is not only ideational-form civilization but also material-form civilization; it is not only cultural-form civilization but also economic-form, political-form, institutional-form, and ecological-form civilization. Institutional-form civilization and ecological-form civilization are generalizations of specific social civilization phenomena from another side. Institutional civilization and ecological civilization run through material civilization and spiritual civilization and penetrate the three major spheres of economy, politics, and culture. To regard human social civilization merely as ideational-form or as cultural-form civilization is an incomplete understanding of social civilization. Precisely because social civilization is a unity of material-form civilization and ideational-form civilization, social civilization ought to be an all-round, multi-level social civilization existing in a systematic manner.

人类的社会文明不仅仅是观念形态的文明，也是物质形态的文明；不仅仅是文化形态的文明，也是经济形态的、政治形态的文明和制度形态的、生态形态的文明。制度形态的文明与生态形态的文明是从另一个侧面对特定社会文明现象的概括。制度文明与生态文明贯穿物质文明和精神文明，贯通经济、政治和文化三大领域。仅仅把人类社会文明看作观念形态的，或看作文化形态的文明，都是对社会文明的不全面的认知。正因为社会文明是物质形态的文明与观念形态的文明的统一体，所以社会文明就应当是全方位、多层次的以系统方式存在的社会文明。

The foundation of social civilization is economic-form civilization, that is, economic civilization. Economic civilization is constituted mainly by the mode of production of material means, that is, the unity of productive forces and relations of production; it is constituted by all the means of production and means of subsistence created by human social production; it is constituted by the economic base of society. In human history, economic civilization has passed through the economic civilization of the primitive commune’s public ownership mode of production, the economic civilization of the slave society’s slave-owner private ownership mode of production, the economic civilization of the feudal society’s landlord land-private-ownership self-sufficient natural economy mode of production, the economic civilization of the capitalist society’s capital private ownership large-scale production mode of production, and the economic civilization of the communist public ownership mode of production (the incomplete public ownership economic civilization of socialist society is its prerequisite and preparation). Of course, in each different country, nation, and region, economic civilization also possesses its own national characteristics.

社会文明的基础是经济形态的文明，即经济文明。经济文明主要由物质资料的生产方式，即生产力与生产关系的统一而构成的，是由人类社会生产所创造的全部生产资料和生活资料构成的，是由社会的经济基础构成的。人类历史上的经济文明经历了原始公社公有制生产方式的经济文明，奴隶社会奴隶主私有制生产方式的经济文明，封建社会地主土地私有制的自给自足自然经济的生产方式的经济文明，资本主义社会资本私有制的大生产生产方式的经济文明，共产主义公有制的生产方式的经济文明（社会主义社会不完全的公有制的经济文明是其前提与准备）。当然，在每个不同国家、民族和区域又具有各自民族特色的经济文明。

The political superstructure of social civilization is political civilization. The political superstructure refers to the state and its armed forces, police, courts, prisons and other coercive institutions; the political superstructure is the political civilization of human society. In the historical epochs of different social formations in the development of human society, political civilization advances progressively. The political civilization of slave society is more mature and progressive than that of primitive society; the political civilization of feudal society is more mature and progressive than that of slave society; the political civilization of capitalist society is more mature and progressive than that of feudal society. The political civilization of communist society both inherits the excellent elements of the political civilization of all previous social formations and overcomes the historical limitations of the political civilization of all past social formations; it is necessarily a new form that transcends the political civilization of capitalist society and a new type of political civilization that eliminates all the ills of the civilization of class society.

社会文明的政治的上层建筑是政治文明。政治上层建筑是指国家，及其军队、警察、法庭、监狱等强力机构，政治的上层建筑就是人类社会的政治文明。在人类社会发展的不同社会形态的历史时代，政治文明是不断递进发展的。奴隶社会的政治文明就比原始社会的政治文明更成熟、更进步，封建社会的政治文明就比奴隶社会的政治文明更成熟、更进步，资本主义社会的政治文明就比封建社会的政治文明更成熟、更进步。共产主义社会的政治文明既继承之前一切社会形态政治文明的优秀成分，又克服以往一切社会形态政治文明的历史局限，必定是超越资本主义社会的政治文明的新形态，是清除一切阶级社会文明弊端的新型政治文明。

Culture and civilization are two categories that are closely related, mutually compatible, and overlapping, yet each has its own connotation and extension. The scope of application of culture is much narrower than that of civilization. Mao Zedong pointed out: “A given culture (as an ideological form) is a reflection of the politics and economics of a given society, and it in turn exerts a great influence and effect upon the politics and economics of that society; economics is the base, and politics is the concentrated expression of economics. This is our basic view of the relationship between culture and politics and economics, and of the relationship between politics and economics.” [17]17 Mao Zedong, “On New Democracy” (1940), Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung, Vol. II, p. 340. Human society is composed of three major spheres: economics, politics, and culture. Economics is the base; politics is the concentrated expression of economics. Culture is one sphere, one aspect, one level of human society; it is the reflection, embodiment, sublimation, and summation of the economics and politics of that society, and at the same time it exerts a counteractive force on the development of economics and politics, either promoting or hindering it.

文化与文明是两个既密切关联、相互契合、互有重合，又具有各自内涵和外延的范畴。文化的适用范围要比文明窄得多。毛泽东指出：“一定的文化（当作观念形态的文化）是一定社会的政治和经济的反映，又给予伟大影响和作用于一定社会的政治和经济；而经济是基础，政治则是经济的集中的表现。这是我们对于文化和政治、经济的关系及政治和经济的关系的基本观点。”人类社会是由经济、政治、文化三大领域构成的。经济是基础，政治是经济的集中表现。文化是人类社会的一个领域、一个方面、一个层次，是该社会经济、政治的反映、体现、升华和概括，同时又给予经济、政治的发展以反作用力，或是促进作用，或是阻碍作用。

In class society, culture is subordinate to a given class and possesses a distinct class character. “In the world today, all culture, all literature and art belong to definite classes and are geared to definite political lines. There is in fact no such thing as art for art’s sake, art that stands above classes, art that is detached from or independent of politics.” [18]18 Mao Zedong, “Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art” (1942), Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung, Vol. III, p. 86. In class society, a given culture is the culture of a given class, serving the interests of a given class and the class struggle of that class. Culture is created by human beings in social practice. The cultural life of human beings is the deepening and elevation of economic life and political life; culture is the continuation and reflection of economics and politics.

在阶级社会中，文化是从属于一定的阶级的，具有鲜明的阶级性。“在现在世界上，一切文化或文学艺术都是属于一定的阶级，属于一定的政治路线的。为艺术的艺术，超阶级的艺术，和政治并行或互相独立的艺术，实际上是不存在的。”在阶级社会中，一定的文化就是一定阶级的文化，是为一定的阶级利益、一定的阶级斗争服务的。文化是人类在社会实践中创造的。人类的文化生活是经济生活、政治生活的深化与提升，文化是经济、政治的继续与反映。

In the Marxist perspective, culture has two layers of meaning: a broad sense and a narrow sense. In the broad sense, culture is the sum total of all social material and spiritual achievements created by human beings, including economic and political achievements. In the narrow sense, culture refers to spiritual achievements determined by economics and politics, and is also an ideological form. Culture can be divided into two major categories: culture in material form and culture in ideological form. A given culture in material form must take culture in ideological form as its core, essence, and reflection; a given culture in ideological form must take a given culture in material form as its carrier and bearer; the two are unified. Take religion as an example: it belongs to the category of the ideological superstructure and is a given social cultural phenomenon, i.e., religious culture. Temples, churches, and halls are religious culture in material form, while religious doctrines, beliefs, thoughts, and theories are culture in ideological form; the two are a unified religious culture. Religious culture is both culture in ideological form and is manifested through religious culture in material form, such as temples, churches, halls, scriptures, and ritual implements.

在马克思主义视域中，文化有广义和狭义两层含义。从广义上看，文化是一切人类创造的社会物质和精神成果的总和，包括经济的、政治的成果；从狭义上看，文化是指由经济、政治所决定的精神成果，又是观念形态的东西。文化可以分成物质形态的文化和观念形态的文化两大类，一定的物质形态的文化必定以观念形态的文化为内核、实质和反映，而一定的观念形态的文化必定以一定物质形态的文化为载体和担当，二者是统一的。就拿宗教来说，它属于意识形态的上层建筑范畴，是一定的社会文化现象，即宗教文化。寺庙观堂是物质形态的宗教文化，而宗教的教义、信仰、思想、理论则是观念形态的文化，二者是统一的宗教文化。宗教文化既是观念形态的文化，又是通过宗教的寺庙观堂、经书神器等物质形态的文化体现出来。

In short, culture in material form and culture in ideological form are inseparable and together constitute the unity of the phenomenon of social culture. According to the distinction between culture in the broad sense and culture in the narrow sense, in the broad sense culture includes culture in material form and culture in ideological form; in the narrow sense, culture specifically refers to culture in ideological form, such as ideological theory, literature and art, science and education, etc. Culture is an important content, aspect, and sphere of social civilization, and also an important embodiment and marker of civilization. It can also be said that culture and civilization are both connected and distinct, both overlapping and separate. Civilization is the total achievement and total marker of social progress. Culture is an important embodiment of social civilization. Civilization includes culture; culture is one aspect, one content, one embodiment, one marker of civilization. It can be said that culture is the concentrated manifestation of the phenomenon of social civilization, also referred to as cultural civilization. Of course, it is incomplete to confine social civilization solely to culture in ideological form, such as spirit, thought, and consciousness.

总之，物质形态的文化与观念形态的文化是不可分割的，共同构成社会文化现象的统一体。按照广义文化和狭义文化的区分，从广义上看，文化包括物质形态的文化与观念形态的文化；从狭义上看，文化又特指观念形态的文化，如思想理论、文学艺术、科学教育等。文化是社会文明的重要内容、方面和领域，也是文明的重要体现和标志。也可以说，文化与文明既有联系又有区别，既有重合又有分别。文明是社会进步的总成果、总标志。文化是社会文明的一个重要体现。文明包括文化，文化是文明的一个方面、一个内容、一个体现、一个标志。可以说，文化是集中体现出来的社会文明现象，也称为文化文明。当然，仅仅把社会文明局限于精神、思想、意识等观念形态的文化是不全面的。

Institutional civilization is a special form of social civilization. Institutional civilization is social civilization existing in institutional form; it is the indicator of the nature, state, characteristics, and level of social civilization, and an important marker of the degree of social civilization. The level of institutional civilization in a given society marks the level of progress of that society’s civilization. The more human social civilization develops, the higher the degree of institutional civilization. Institutional civilization runs through all spheres, all aspects, and all levels of human society, such as the economic system, political system, cultural system, and party system; it embodies both civilization in material form and civilization in ideological form. The higher the degree of institutional civilization, the higher the degree of social civilization. Institutional civilization is also a cultural phenomenon; it is the elevation, summation, and reflection of economics and politics by human beings. The core of institutional civilization is the institutional cognition of human ideological theory; it is embodied both in the political superstructure and in the ideological superstructure. To strengthen the construction of social civilization, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of institutional civilization.

制度文明是一种特殊的社会文明形态。制度文明是以制度形态存在的社会文明，是社会文明性质、状态、特征和水平的显示器，是社会文明程度高低的重要标志。一个社会的制度文明的水平标志着该社会文明的进步水平。人类社会文明愈发展，制度文明程度就愈高。制度文明贯穿经济、政治、文化等人类社会的一切领域、一切方面、一切层面，如经济制度、政治制度、文化制度、政党制度等，既体现物质形态的文明，又体现观念形态的文明。制度文明程度越高，社会文明程度就越高。制度文明也是一种文化现象，是人类对经济、政治的提升、概括和反映。制度文明核心是人类的思想理论的制度认知，既体现在政治的上层建筑，又体现在意识形态的上层建筑。加强社会文明建设，必须加强制度文明建设。

Ecological civilization is also a special form of social civilization. Ecological civilization embodies the state, degree, and level of human understanding, transformation, and protection of nature, and reflects the relationship between human beings and nature. Since the formation of human society, human beings have had a relationship with nature involving the understanding, transformation, protection, and utilization of nature. Humanized nature is the result of human understanding, transformation, protection, and utilization of nature. In the course of social development in which human beings transform and utilize nature, human beings have both benefited from nature’s bounty and suffered nature’s punishment. People have gradually come to realize that the relationship between human beings and nature must be properly handled, maintaining harmony between human beings and nature. Human beings must not only transform and utilize nature, taking from nature, but also love nature and protect nature. The degree of human understanding of nature, the degree of transformation and utilization, and the degree of love and protection are also a manifestation of the progress of human civilization. As human society developed into capitalist society, with the development of capitalist industrialization, the unrestrained expansion of capital has made nature’s punishment and retaliation against human beings increasingly severe. Far-sighted individuals in capitalist society have put forward ecological views on protecting the environment and protecting nature, but it is impossible to completely establish a harmonious relationship between human beings and nature by relying on the capitalist system. Only by relying on an advanced social system, such as the socialist system, can a true ecological civilization be built. The construction of ecological civilization is an inevitable result of the development of social civilization to a certain degree; only socialism can build a true ecological civilization.

生态文明也是一种特殊的社会文明形态。生态文明体现的是人类对自然的认识、改造和保护的状态、程度和水平，反映了人与自然的关系。自从人类社会形成以来，人类就与自然发生着对自然的认识、改造、保护和利用的关系。人化自然就是人认识、改造、保护和利用自然的结果。在人类改造、利用自然的社会发展历程中，人既受到大自然的恩惠，又受到大自然的惩罚。人们逐步认识到，必须正确处理好人与自然的关系，保持人与自然的和谐。人不仅要改造利用自然，取自自然，还要热爱自然、保护自然。人对自然的认识程度、改造利用程度、热爱保护程度同样也是人类文明进步的一种表现。人类社会发展到资本主义社会，随着资本主义工业化发展，资本无序扩张使得自然对人类的惩罚与报复越来越严厉。资本主义社会的有识之士提出了保护环境、保护自然的生态观，然而靠资本主义制度是无法彻底建立人与自然和谐关系的。只有靠先进社会制度，如社会主义制度，才能建设真正的生态文明。生态文明建设是社会文明发展到一定程度的必然结果，只有社会主义才能建设真正的生态文明。

Civilization in institutional form and civilization in ecological form are generalizations of the phenomenon of a given social civilization from another perspective. Institutional civilization and ecological civilization run through material civilization and cultural-ethical progress, and connect the three major spheres of economics, politics, and culture.

制度形态的文明与生态形态的文明是从另一个侧面对特定社会文明现象的概括。制度文明与生态文明贯穿物质文明和精神文明，贯通经济、政治和文化三大领域。

Any civilization of human society simultaneously possesses aspects that are superior to the civilization of the society preceding it and also has historical limitations. This is true whether it is civilization in material form or civilization in ideological form, or economic civilization, political civilization, cultural civilization, institutional civilization, ecological civilization, etc. For example, socialist social civilization is the first stage or preparatory stage of communist social civilization; it has created a social civilization more advanced and more mature than capitalist social civilization, but compared to the higher stage of communist social civilization, it still has aspects that are imperfect and immature. Capitalist political civilization has created a civilization superior to all political civilizations in previous human history, but the political civilization of capitalist society has unavoidable drawbacks and defects, which are also unavoidable for the political civilization of any social formation.

人类社会任何一种文明都同时具有较之前社会的文明更为优越的方面，也具有历史局限性方面。无论是物质形态的文明，还是观念形态的文明，抑或是经济文明、政治文明、文化文明、制度文明、生态文明等，都是如此。譬如，社会主义社会文明是共产主义社会文明的第一阶段或准备阶段，它创造了比资本主义社会文明更先进、更成熟的社会文明，但相较于高级的共产主义社会文明，它还具有不完善、不成熟的方面。资本主义政治文明创造了较之以往人类历史一切政治文明更为优越的文明，但资本主义社会的政治文明存在着不可避免的弊端和缺陷，这也是任何一种社会形态的政治文明所不可避免的。

Human social civilization is not merely civilization in its conceptual form, but also civilization in its material form; it is not merely civilization in its cultural form, but also civilization in its economic and political forms, and still more civilization in its institutional and ecological forms. To regard human social civilization solely as conceptual civilization, or solely as cultural civilization, is an incomplete understanding of social civilization. Precisely because social civilization is a unity of material-form civilization and conceptual-form civilization, social civilization ought to be a social civilization that exists in a comprehensive, multi-layered, systematic manner.

人类的社会文明不仅仅是观念形态的文明，也是物质形态的文明；不仅仅是文化形态的文明，也是经济形态的、政治形态的文明，更是制度形态的、生态形态的文明。仅仅把人类社会文明看作观念形态的，或看作是文化形态的文明，都是对社会文明的不全面的认知。正因为社会文明是物质形态的文明与观念形态的文明的统一体，所以社会文明就应当是全方位、多层次的以系统方式存在的社会文明。

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a comprehensive, systematic, and all-round new form of human civilization. It includes not only material-form civilization but also conceptual-form civilization; it is a comprehensive, systematic, and advanced socialist social civilization system with Chinese characteristics that encompasses economic civilization, political civilization, cultural civilization, institutional civilization, and ecological civilization. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation, as a new form of human civilization under socialism with Chinese characteristics, ought to be a civilization in which material civilization and cultural-ethical progress are organically integrated and jointly flourish, a civilization in which the economy, politics, culture, institutions, and ecology develop in an all-round way. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has created a new form of social civilization in human history: “the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.” The comprehensively developing modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the necessary path toward the highest stage of civilization, the stage of the free and all-round development of the human person, which is gradually attained in communist society.

中华民族现代文明是全面的、系统的、全方位的人类文明新形态。它不仅包括物质形态的文明，还应包括观念形态的文明，是包括经济文明、政治文明、文化文明、制度文明和生态文明的全面的、系统的、先进的中国特色社会主义社会文明体系。中华民族现代文明，作为中国特色社会主义的人类文明新形态，应当是物质文明和精神文明有机结合、共同繁荣的文明，应是经济、政治、文化、制度、生态文明全面发展的文明。中国特色社会主义创造了人类历史上社会文明的新形态“中华民族现代文明”。全面发展的中华民族现代文明，是逐步达到共产主义社会人的自由全面发展最高境界的文明形态的必然途径。

III. Comprehensively Advance the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation through Chinese-Path Modernization, and Accelerate the Building of the New Form of “Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation”

三、以中国式现代化全面推进中华民族伟大复兴，加快建设“中华民族现代文明”新形态

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not some other social civilization; it is a new form of civilization under socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is a social civilization that is the historical, concrete, and dialectical unity of material-form civilization, i.e., material civilization, and conceptual-form civilization, i.e., cultural-ethical progress. It is a social civilization system of the “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan” — economy, politics, culture, institutions, and ecology. It is a new form of social civilization that is consistent with, coordinated with, and connected to the free and all-round development of the human person in future communist society. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, the following points must be achieved.

中华民族现代文明，不是什么别的社会文明，而是中国特色社会主义的文明新形态，是物质形态的文明即物质文明，与观念形态的文明即精神文明历史的、具体的、辩证的统一的社会文明，是经济、政治、文化、制度、生态“五位一体”的社会文明体系，是与未来共产主义社会人的自由全面发展相一致、相协调、相连接的新型社会文明形态。建设中华民族现代文明，必须做到以下几点。

First, always adhere to the socialist orientation. Since the dissolution of primitive communal public ownership, all societies have been class societies. The civilization of any class society has a distinct class character. In any society, the civilization that occupies the dominant position is the social civilization of the ruling class that occupies the dominant position, and it inevitably carries certain historical limitations. This is true of slave society civilization, feudal society civilization, and capitalist society civilization alike. Only communist society, which eliminates class distinctions and antagonisms, is the most advanced new form of social civilization in human history. The civilization of its transitional society (socialist society) is the most progressive social civilization to date, a new form of civilization in transition toward the most civilized communist society for humanity. Socialist social civilization creates the conditions, provides the prerequisites, and makes the preparations for eliminating classes and for the transition to the most progressive, most comprehensive, and highest form of communist social civilization for humanity. So-called transhistorical, universal, abstract social civilization simply does not exist; the pursuit of transhistorical, universal, abstract social civilization is nothing but a deceptive trick. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must first uphold the socialist nature of civilization. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a new form of civilization under socialism with Chinese characteristics. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must always adhere to the socialist orientation and unswervingly take the socialist path. To uphold the socialist orientation of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must always adhere to the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, uphold the people’s democratic dictatorship, and uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China.

第一，始终坚持社会主义方向。自原始公社公有制解体以来的一切社会都是阶级社会，任何阶级社会的文明都具有鲜明的阶级性，任何社会占统治地位的文明都是占统治地位的统治阶级的社会文明，都必然带有一定的历史的局限性。无论是奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明，还是资本主义社会文明，都是如此。只有消灭阶级差别与对立的共产主义社会才是人类历史上最先进的新型社会文明形态，其过渡社会（社会主义社会）的文明是迄今为止最为进步的社会文明，是向着人类最文明的共产主义社会过渡的文明新形态。社会主义社会文明为消灭阶级，为过渡到人类最进步、最全面、最高级的共产主义社会文明创造了条件，提供了前提和准备。所谓超历史的、普世的、抽象的社会文明是根本不存在的，追求超历史的、普世的、抽象的社会文明，不过是骗人的把戏。建设中华民族现代文明，必须首先坚持文明的社会主义性质。中华民族现代文明是中国特色社会主义的文明新形态。建设中华民族现代文明，必须始终坚持社会主义方向，坚定不移地走社会主义道路。坚持中华民族现代文明的社会主义方向，必须始终坚持以马克思列宁主义为指导，坚持人民民主专政，坚持中国共产党的集中统一领导。

Second, always adhere to a people-centered approach, and build and develop a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the civilization of the people, the civilization of the vast majority. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must always adhere to a people-centered approach, taking the people’s needs, the people’s sharing, the people’s delight and acceptance, the people’s conscious willingness, and the people’s initiative as principles. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must take the free and all-round development of the human person as the purpose, promote material civilization and cultural-ethical progress by “grasping with both hands and making both hands hard,” and insist on the comprehensive and coordinated development of the “five major civilizations” — economy, politics, culture, institutions, and ecology.

第二，始终坚持以人民为中心，建设和发展全面的、协调的、可持续发展的中华民族现代文明。中华民族现代文明是人民的文明，是绝大多数人的文明，建设中华民族现代文明必须始终坚持以人民为中心，以人民的需求、人民的共享、人民的喜闻乐见、人民的自觉自愿、人民的首创为原则。建设中华民族现代文明必须以人的自由全面发展为宗旨，推进物质文明和精神文明“两手抓”“两手都要硬”，坚持经济、政治、文化、制度、生态“五大文明”全面协调发展。

Third, always adhere to building an advanced socialist culture and building a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and guiding force. If the modern civilization of the Chinese nation develops, progresses, and prospers further but departs from socialist cultural-ethical progress and the guidance of advanced socialist culture, it will lose its vitality and will be unable to sustain its development. The civilization of the Chinese nation has continued uninterrupted to this day precisely because it has been sustained and nourished by the roots, veins, and soul of cultural-ethical progress and advanced culture. If we focus only on building material civilization but neglect building cultural-ethical progress, neglect building advanced socialist culture, and neglect building a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and guiding force, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation will lose its roots and soul, and may even be interrupted or extinguished. To ensure that the civilization of the Chinese nation continues to develop, endures through the ages, remains unbroken, and burns with vigorous flame, we must always attach great importance to building advanced socialist culture and build a culturally strong socialist country with Chinese characteristics. The most important thing in strengthening the building of advanced socialist culture is to uphold the guiding position of Marxism in the realm of ideology, vigorously strengthen the building of Marxist theory, take the core socialist values as the guide, and strive to build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

第三，始终坚持建设社会主义先进文化，建设具有强大凝聚力和引领力的社会主义意识形态。中华民族现代文明再发展、再进步、再繁荣，如果离开社会主义精神文明，离开社会主义先进文化的引领，就会丧失生命力，不可能再持续发展下去。中华民族文明绵延至今从未中断，就是靠精神文明和先进文化的根脉和魂魄的维持与滋养。如果只注重物质文明建设，而不注重精神文明建设，不注重社会主义先进文化的建设，不注重建设具有强大凝聚力和引领力的社会主义意识形态，中华民族现代文明就会丧失根与魂，就会中断甚至泯灭。要始终保持中华民族文明的持续发展、经久不衰、连续不绝、鼎火旺盛，必须始终高度重视社会主义先进文化建设，建设中国特色社会主义文化强国。加强社会主义先进文化建设，最重要的就是坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位，大力加强马克思主义理论建设，以社会主义核心价值观为引领，努力建设中华民族现代文明。

Fourth, always adhere to inheriting, developing, and enhancing the excellent traditional Chinese culture, ensuring that Chinese culture has a long history, flourishes luxuriantly, and develops sustainably. To promote and enhance the excellent traditional Chinese culture, we must adopt a scientific attitude toward traditional Chinese culture and achieve critical inheritance. We must resolutely oppose the two absolutist attitudes of either completely negating or completely affirming traditional Chinese culture. We should stand on the Marxist position to conduct a scientific analysis of traditional Chinese culture, distinguish the good from the bad, discard the dross, absorb the essence, and form a new form of socialist civilization with Chinese characteristics. We must oppose both historical restorationism and cultural restorationism, and also oppose historical nihilism and cultural nihilism. We must integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and continuously advance the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, placing this at the forefront of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Marxism is the soul and guide for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must adhere to the guidance of Marxism, take the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture as the main line, and lead the sustained development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

第四，始终坚持继承、发扬和光大中华优秀传统文化，保证中华民族文化源远流长、枝繁叶茂、永续发展。弘扬光大中华优秀传统文化，必须对中华传统文化采取科学的态度，做到批判式的继承。坚决反对对中华传统文化的一概否定或一概肯定的两种绝对主义态度。应站在马克思主义的立场上对中华传统文化进行科学的分析，分清良莠，剔除糟粕，吸收精华，形成中国特色的社会主义文明新形态。既要反对历史复古主义和文化复古主义，又要反对历史虚无主义和文化虚无主义。要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，不断推进马克思主义中国化时代化，放在建设中华民族现代文明的首位。马克思主义是建设中华民族现代文明的灵魂与指南，建设中华民族现代文明必须坚持以马克思主义为指导，以实现马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际、同中华优秀传统文化相结合为主线，引领中华民族现代文明持续发展。

Fifth, always adhere to absorbing and incorporating advanced foreign civilizations, and build an open and inclusive modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not a closed, rigid social civilization system; it absolutely does not reject any foreign excellent civilization. The traditional civilization of the Chinese nation is both a social civilization formed through the integrated development of multiple ethnic groups and a social civilization that absorbs and incorporates advanced foreign civilizations. To build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we oppose both indiscriminate borrowing and closed-doorism. We must critically receive advanced foreign civilizations, taking Marxist learning as the foundation, Chinese learning as the substance, and Western learning for practical use, making them serve our own purposes and be used by us.

第五，始终坚持兼收并蓄国外先进文明，建设开放包容的中华民族现代文明。中华民族现代文明不是封闭的、僵化的社会文明体系，绝不拒绝任何外来优秀文明。中华民族传统文明既是多民族融合发展的社会文明，也是兼收并蓄国外先进文明的社会文明。建设中华民族现代文明，既反对拿来主义，又反对关门主义，要批判式地接收国外先进文明，以马学为本、中学为体、西学为用，为我所有、为我所用。

Sixth, always adhere to advancing the building of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization is the necessary path for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the modernization of a huge population, the modernization of common prosperity for all the people, the modernization of the coordination of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, and the modernization of taking the path of peaceful development. Chinese-path modernization refutes the fallacious argument that “modernization equals Westernization, equals privatization, equals capitalization,” and independently takes a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Only by advancing and developing Chinese-path modernization can we build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

第六，始终坚持以中国式现代化推进中华民族现代文明建设。中国式现代化是建设中华民族现代文明的必由之路。中国式现代化是中国特色社会主义的现代化，是人口规模巨大的现代化，是全体人民共同富裕的现代化，是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化，是人与自然和谐共生的现代化，是走和平发展道路的现代化。中国式现代化破除了“现代化等于西方化，等于私有化，等于资本主义化”的歪理邪说，独立自主地走出一条中国特色社会主义的民族复兴大道。只有推进和发展中国式现代化，才能建设中华民族现代文明。

Seventh, always adhere to the Chinese characteristics of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation with Chinese features, Chinese style, and Chinese manner. The fundamental feature of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is its Chinese characteristics. The most fundamental aspect of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is to preserve the Chinese national character. If the Chinese national character is lost, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation will also be lost.

第七，始终坚持中华民族现代文明的中国特色，建设具有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派的中华民族现代文明。中华民族现代文明其根本特征就是中国特色，建设中华民族现代文明最根本的就是保持中华民族特性，失去了中华民族特性，也就失去了中华民族现代文明。

(Author’s biography: Wang Weiguang, Professor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Tenured Professor at Nankai University, and Dean of the 21st Century Marxism Research Institute)

（作者简介：王伟光，中国社会科学院大学教授、南开大学终身教授、21世纪马克思主义研究院院长）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心