“The Core of Cultural Creation Lies in the People”: Theoretical Logic, Real-World Reflection, and Construction for the Era

The April 16 issue of *Qiushi* journal published an important article by General Secretary Xi Jinping, “Accelerating the

4月16日出版的《求是》杂志发表习近平总书记的重要文章《加快建设文化强国》，强调“始终坚持文化建设着眼于人、落脚于人”，并明确提出“文化创造核心在人”。“文化创造核心在人”这一重要论断精准揭示了文化发展的本质规律，有力回应了新时代文化强国建设的迫切现实需求，为当代中国文化发展提供了极具现实意义的思想启迪。

1. Theoretical Logic: A Multi-Dimensional Examination Centered on Human Subjectivity

1.理论逻辑：以人的主体性为核心的多维审视

From the perspective of theoretical origins, the important thesis that “the core of cultural creation lies in the people” is firmly rooted in the classical interpretation of human subjectivity within Marxist philosophy. Marx pointed out in the *Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844* that “man not only thinks, but also affirms himself in the objective world through all his senses.” Cultural creation, as a form of practice through which human subjects affirm themselves, has an obvious theoretical core: human subjectivity drives the entire process of cultural generation and evolution—from germination, through growth, to prosperity—constituting the fundamental dynamic mechanism of this grand journey. As a “conscious species-being,” [1]1 “Conscious species-being” (有意识的类存在物) is a key concept from Marx’s *Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844*, referring to humans as beings whose productive activity is conscious and directed toward their species, distinguishing them from animals. in the broad field of cultural practice, man essentially externalizes his abundant inner spiritual power into concrete, perceptible objectified results. This creative process is by no means accidental or arbitrary; it necessarily takes human subjectivity as its logical foundation. From the poetic condensation of the simple and tenacious character of the ancient people in the *Book of Songs*, [2]2 The *Book of Songs* (《诗经》) is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BCE, traditionally compiled by Confucius. to the symbolic reconstruction of Buddhist art and Central Plains civilization in the Dunhuang murals, [3]3 The Dunhuang murals are a vast collection of Buddhist cave paintings and sculptures at the Mogao Caves in Gansu Province, created from the 4th to the 14th centuries, representing a fusion of Indian, Central Asian, and Chinese artistic traditions. to the全民文化参与 of short video platforms in the digital age, every person is a participant in and promoter of cultural creation. All this irrefutably confirms the scientific validity and truth of the important thesis that “the core of cultural creation lies in the people.”

从理论渊源来看，“文化创造核心在人”这一重要论断，牢牢植根于马克思主义哲学对人的主体性本质的经典诠释之中。马克思在《1844年经济学哲学手稿》中指出，“人不仅通过思维，而且以全部感觉在对象世界中肯定自己”。文化创造，作为人类主体自我确证的一种实践形态，其理论内核显而易见：人的主体性驱动着文化从萌芽、生长到繁荣的整个生成与演进过程，构成了这一宏大历程的根本动力机制。人作为“有意识的类存在物”，在文化实践的广阔场域里，本质上是将自身丰沛的内在精神力量，外化为具体可感的对象化成果。这一创造性的过程，绝非偶然或随意，而是必然以人的主体性作为逻辑基石。从《诗经》中对先民质朴而坚韧品格的诗性凝练，到敦煌壁画中佛教艺术与中原文明的符号重构，再到数字时代短视频平台的全民文化参与，每个人都是文化创造的参与者与推动者。这无不确凿印证了“文化创造核心在人”这一重要论断的科学性与真理性。

This important thesis is also an extension and embodiment of human capital theory within the cultural field. At the level of the creator, it manifests as the ability to keenly capture aesthetic images, as well as the capacity for deep deconstruction and reconstruction of symbolic systems. This ability enables creators to transform abstract emotions and thoughts into cultural works rich in appeal and artistic value, endowing the works with unique aesthetic charm and spiritual connotation. At the level of the manager, it manifests as the cross-cultural communication skills demonstrated in the process of operating the cultural industry. By virtue of this ability, managers can integrate resources from various parties, coordinate different interest demands, and build bridges for cultural exchange and cooperation within a multicultural context.

这一重要论断同时也是人力资本理论在文化领域的延伸与体现。在创作者的维度，它体现为敏锐捕捉审美意象的能力，以及对符号系统进行深度解构与重构的能力。这种能力使得创作者能够将抽象的情感、思想转化为富有感染力和艺术价值的文化作品，赋予作品独特的审美魅力与精神内涵。在管理者的层面，它表现为其在文化产业运营过程中所展现出的跨文化沟通能力。凭借这种能力，管理者能够在多元文化的语境中，整合各方资源，协调不同的利益诉求，搭建起文化交流与合作的桥梁。

Furthermore, the sustainability of cultural creation deeply depends on the logic of talent symbiosis from the perspective of cultural ecology. Cultural creation is like a natural ecosystem, requiring the synergistic symbiosis and mutual empowerment of multiple subjects. The cultural outlook of “each appreciating its own beauty, and appreciating the beauty of others” [4]4 “Each appreciating its own beauty, and appreciating the beauty of others” (各美其美，美人之美) is a phrase coined by Chinese sociologist Fei Xiaotong (1910–2005), advocating for cultural self-respect and mutual appreciation among different cultures. is a profound appeal for the diversity of cultural ecology. This appeal emphasizes the unique value of talents of different types, levels, and backgrounds within the field of cultural creation. Many examples from history and reality corroborate this view: only when talents with different roles—such as creators, researchers, disseminators, and managers—form an organic and benign interaction in the process of cultural creation can a cooperative network of mutual inspiration and synergistic progress be constructed; only when leading figures at the “apex” of the talent structure, with their outstanding creativity and guiding power, form a clearly layered and mutually supportive gradient structure with the grassroots talents at the “base” level, who possess a solid foundation and broad participation, can cultural creation present a vibrant, diverse, and prosperous scene, like “all things competing for freedom under the frosty sky.” [5]5 “All things competing for freedom under the frosty sky” (万类霜天竞自由) is a line from Mao Zedong’s 1925 poem “Changsha,” depicting a vibrant natural scene as a metaphor for dynamic struggle and vitality. In such an ecological environment, cultural creation can advance orderly through intergenerational inheritance, while simultaneously achieving its own iterative upgrading and sustainable development driven by cross-border integration and innovation.

此外，文化创造的可持续性还深深依赖于文化生态学视野下的人才共生逻辑。文化创造如同自然生态系统，需要多元主体的协同共生与相互赋能。“各美其美，美人之美”的文化观，是对文化生态多样性的深切吁求。这一吁求强调了在文化创造场域中，不同类型、层次和背景的人才所具备的独特价值。历史与现实中的诸多实例都佐证了这一观点：当创作者、研究者、传播者、管理者等不同角色定位的人才，在文化创造过程中形成有机的良性互动，方能构建起相互激发、协同共进的合作网络；当处于人才结构“塔尖”的领军人物，凭借其卓越的创造力和引领力，与“塔基”层面的基层人才所具备的扎实基础和广泛参与度，形成层次分明、相互支撑的梯度结构时，文化创造方能呈现出如“万类霜天竞自由”般生机勃勃、多元繁荣的景象。在这样的生态环境中，文化创造得以在代际传承中有序推进，同时在跨界融合的创新驱动下，实现自身的迭代升级与生生不息的可持续发展。

In the final analysis, cultural creation originates from the subjective practice of human beings, that is, “the core lies in the people.” This is not only the philosophical interpretation of the essence of culture by Marxism, nor only the vivid embodiment of human capital theory in the field of spiritual production, but also the inevitable demand for the sustainable development of the cultural ecology. Only by deeply understanding and earnestly implementing the important thesis that “the core of cultural creation lies in the people,” and placing human subjectivity at the core of cultural development, can we accurately grasp the fundamental driving force of cultural development and lay a solid theoretical foundation for building a culturally strong country in the New Era.

文化创造归根结底源于人的主体性实践，即“核心在人”。这不仅是马克思主义对文化本质的哲学阐释，是人力资本理论在精神生产领域的生动体现，更是文化生态实现永续发展的必然诉求。唯有深刻领会并切实贯彻“文化创造核心在人”这一重要论断，将人的主体性置于文化发展的核心位置，才能精准把握文化发展的根本动力，为新时代文化强国建设筑牢坚实的理论根基。

2. Practical Reflection: Precisely Responding to the Development Demands of Prioritizing Talent in the Cultural Field

2.现实观照：精准回应文化领域人才优先的发展诉求

Currently, the collision of diverse cultures and the integration of culture and technology have given rise to a number of new cultural business forms, and the enthusiasm for cultural innovation among the entire population is unprecedentedly high. However, problems such as talent shortages, structural imbalances, and insufficient incentives constrain the depth and breadth of cultural innovation. First, the issue of creativity urgently needs to be addressed, and a structural shortage of creative talent still objectively exists. Second, the evaluation system for cultural and artistic talent still needs optimization, leading to “genius-type” talents being constrained by “standards” and “craftsman-type” talents being lost due to insufficient incentives. Third, there is a capability gap in “culture going global”; there is a severe shortage of cross-border talents who understand the connotation of Chinese culture and possess international communication capabilities, and the talent gap restricts the enhancement of cultural soft power. The important thesis that “the core of cultural creation lies in the people” precisely responds to the practical problems in the current development of cultural talent in our country, guiding us to systematically implement policies from three aspects—strategic positioning, adherence to laws, and ecological construction—to build a “full-cycle empowerment” system for the development of cultural talent.

当前，多样文化碰撞、文化和科技融合，催生出一批新型文化业态，全民文化创新热情空前高涨。但是，人才短缺、结构失衡、激励不足等问题制约着文化创新的深度与广度。首先，创造性问题亟待解决，创造性人才的结构性短缺仍然客观存在。其次，文化艺术人才评价体系尚需优化，导致“天才型”人才受“标准”束缚，“工匠型”人才因激励不足流失。再次，文化走出去存在能力缺口，懂中国文化内涵且具有国际传播能力的跨界人才严重不足，人才断层制约文化软实力提升。“文化创造核心在人”的重要论断，精准回应了当前我国文化人才发展的现实问题，指引我们从战略定位、规律遵循、生态营造三个层面系统施策，构建“全周期赋能”的文化人才发展体系。

First, in terms of strategic positioning, it is necessary to establish the core concept of “talent priority” in cultural development, incorporate the construction of the cultural talent team into the top-level design of the national strategy, and construct a systematic implementation framework integrating “top-level design—resource allocation—effect evaluation.” At the level of top-level design, build a gradient training system led by leading talents, supported by young talent reserves, and underpinned by grassroots talent, clarifying the scale targets, capability matrices, and career development paths for talents at each level, forming a full-cycle training mechanism covering “apex leadership—body support—base stability.” At the level of resource allocation, establish a graded and categorized investment system for the central and local governments, innovate a diversified investment and financing model of “government guidance funds + social capital,” guide social forces to participate in talent cultivation through policy tools such as tax incentives and project subsidies, and build a resource supply pattern with multi-subject collaboration. At the level of effect evaluation, construct a development evaluation model including core indicators such as talent growth rate, structural optimization degree, and innovation contribution value, incorporate the effectiveness of cultural talent development into the government performance assessment system, establish a special supervision mechanism, and ensure the precise implementation of strategic planning through closed-loop management of dynamic monitoring, mid-term evaluation, and final acceptance.

其一，在战略定位上需确立“人才优先”的文化发展核心理念，将文化人才队伍建设纳入国家战略顶层设计，构建“顶层设计—资源配置—效果评估”三位一体的系统化实施框架。在顶层设计维度，构建领军人才引领、青年人才储备、基层人才支撑的梯度培养体系，明确各层次人才的规模目标、能力矩阵与职业发展路径，形成覆盖“塔尖引领—塔身支撑—塔基稳固”的全周期培养机制。在资源配置维度，建立中央与地方分级分类投入体系，创新“政府引导基金+社会资本”的多元化投融资模式，通过税收优惠、项目补贴等政策引导社会力量参与人才培养，构建多主体协同的资源供给格局。在效果评估维度，构建包含人才成长率、结构优化度、创新贡献值等核心指标的发展评估模型，将文化人才发展成效纳入政府绩效考核体系，建立专项督查机制，通过动态监测、中期评估、终期验收的闭环管理，确保战略规划精准落地。

Second, in terms of adhering to laws, it is necessary to construct a talent development mechanism that conforms to the characteristics of cultural creation. Given that cultural creation has the characteristics of individualization and long cycles, the talent mechanism must break out of the rut of “standardized training.” In the innovation of training models, focus on building a full-cycle growth chain of “incubation—enhancement—leadership,” providing a precise cultivation system for different stages of talent development: for young talents in the “seedling stage,” establish an incubation plan for “new cultural forces,” integrating “one-stop” cultivation services such as creative residencies, mentor pairing, and achievement exhibitions; for backbone talents in the “growth stage,” implement a “cross-border integration training project,” promoting the establishment of collaborative training mechanisms between art academies, technology enterprises, and cultural heritage institutions, strengthening cross-domain knowledge empowerment; for leading talents in the “mature stage,” establish a “master studio” system, granting them autonomous authority over resource allocation, team formation, and project decision-making, building an innovation ecosystem led by high-end talents tackling key problems. In the reform of the evaluation system, establish a three-dimensional evaluation system of “classified evaluation + multiple indicators,” achieving a shift in orientation from “only standards” to “valuing characteristics”: for creative talents, focus on assessing the ideological depth, artistic innovation, and social influence of their works, constructing a dynamic evaluation model including dimensions such as aesthetic value and cultural communication power; for academic talents, highlight original theoretical contributions and the ability to transform practice, incorporating decision-making consultation achievements into the evaluation scope, forming a differentiated evaluation mechanism that respects the laws of cultural creation.

其二，在规律遵循上需构建契合文化创造特性的人才发展机制。鉴于文化创造具有个性化、长周期的特征，人才机制必须突破“标准化培养”的窠臼。在培养模式创新上，着力打造“孵化—提升—领军”的全周期成长链条，针对人才发展不同阶段提供精准化培育体系：针对“幼苗期”的青年人才，设立“文化新力量”孵化计划，集成创作驻留、导师结对、成果展演等“一站式”培育服务；针对“成长期”的骨干人才，实施“跨界融合培养工程”，推动艺术院校与科技企业、文博机构建立协同培养机制，强化跨领域知识赋能；针对“成熟期”的领军人才，建立“大师工作室”制度，赋予其资源调配、团队组建、项目决策权等自主权限，构建高端人才领衔攻关的创新生态。在评价体系改革上，建立“分类评价+多元指标”的立体评估体系，实现从“唯标准”到“重特质”的导向转变：对创作人才，侧重考量作品的思想深度、艺术创新性及社会影响力，构建包含审美价值、文化传播力等维度的动态评价模型；对学术人才，突出原创理论贡献与实践转化能力，将决策咨询成果等纳入评价范畴，形成尊重文化创造规律的差异化评价机制。

Third, in terms of ecological construction, efforts must be focused on building a habitat for cultural talent where “those near are delighted, those far come,” [6]6 “Those near are delighted, those far come” (近者悦、远者来) is a classical Chinese idiom from the Analects of Confucius, originally describing the effect of virtuous governance in attracting and retaining people. achieving the dual satisfaction of emotional identification and value realization for talent. In terms of emotional identification, by creating a warm sense of cultural belonging, existing talent can obtain emotional nourishment in their creative practice. It is necessary not only to improve the supporting services of physical spaces such as cultural and creative industry parks and artists’ studios, but also to construct a creative ecology that respects individuality and encourages trial and error, allowing talent to gain a sense of spiritual belonging in a free and relaxed environment, so that the career platform and emotional belonging empower each other and grow together. In terms of value realization, an open and inclusive attitude should be adopted to create a field of value attraction. On the one hand, platforms such as international cultural talent summits and cross-field innovation platforms should be used to showcase the broad prospects and innovation opportunities of China’s cultural development. On the other hand, a “direct express lane for achievement transformation” mechanism should be established, opening up the entire chain from creative incubation to market application and social value transformation, so that the innovative achievements of talent can not only gain academic recognition and social identity, but also achieve the organic unity of economic value, social value, and cultural value.

其三，在生态营造上需着力构建“近者悦、远者来”的文化人才栖息地，实现人才情感认同与价值实现的双重满足。在情感认同上，通过营造有温度的文化归属感让现有人才在创作实践中获得情感滋养，既要完善文化创意园区、艺术家工作室等物理空间的配套服务，更要构建尊重个性、鼓励试错的创作生态，让人才在自由宽松的环境中获得精神归属感，使事业平台与情感归属相互赋能、共生共长。在价值实现上，以开放包容姿态打造价值引力场，一方面借助国际文化人才峰会、跨领域创新平台等载体展现我国文化发展的广阔前景与创新机遇，另一方面建立“成果转化直通车”机制，打通从创意孵化到市场应用、社会价值转化的全链条通道，让人才创新成果既能获得学术认可与社会认同，又能实现经济价值、社会价值与文化价值的有机统一。

3. Contemporary Construction: Enhancing Cultural Consciousness in the Pursuit of People’s All-Round Development

3.时代建构：在追求人的全面发展中增强文化自觉

The evolutionary trajectory of human civilization profoundly confirms that the flourishing and prosperity of culture has always resonated in sync with the awakening of human subjectivity. In the contemporary context of building a socialist cultural power, the important thesis that “the core of cultural creation lies in the people” is not only a theoretical anchoring of the laws of cultural development, but also points to a deeper proposition: only by taking the all-round development of the people as the logical starting point and value orientation can the contemporary construction of cultural consciousness be realized in creative practice.

人类文明的演进轨迹深刻印证，文化的繁荣兴盛始终与人的主体性觉醒同频共振。在建设社会主义文化强国的时代语境下，“文化创造核心在人”的重要论断不仅是对文化发展规律的理论锚定，更指向一个深层命题：唯有以人的全面发展为逻辑起点和价值旨归，才能在创造性实践中实现文化自觉的时代建构。

The value elevation of cultural talent is essentially a process of self-affirmation accomplished in cultural creation. Only by breaking free from the constraints of project assessments, data indicators, and the like can the creative subject fully engage in “creative running”: on the one hand, it is necessary to break down rigid creative barriers and optimize the achievement transformation mechanism, giving talent more autonomy in topic selection, planning, and artistic expression; on the other hand, it is necessary to build a benign ecology of “tolerance for error and trial—incentive and empowerment,” providing creators with soil for sinking into the spiritual world and deeply cultivating artistic connotation. Enabling the creative subject to achieve a deep excavation of the spiritual world, and thereby produce works with both ideological depth and artistic vitality, is not only the ultimate affirmation of their value, but also the essential manifestation of cultural inheritance and innovation.

文化人才的价值升华，本质上是在文化创造中完成自我确证的过程。创作主体只有挣脱项目考核、数据指标等的束缚，才能全身心投入“创造性奔跑”：一方面要打破僵化的创作壁垒、优化成果转化机制，让人才在选题策划、艺术表达上拥有更多自主权；另一方面要构建“容错试错—激励赋能”的良性生态，为创作者提供沉潜精神世界、深耕艺术内涵的土壤。让创作主体实现对精神世界的深度开掘，进而产出兼具思想厚度与艺术生命力的作品，这既是对其价值的终极确证，也是文化传承与创新的本质体现。

The systematic and complex nature of cultural creation determines that it must be the product of the coordinated resonance of multiple subjects. In the construction of the cultural ecology, it is necessary to break down the domain barriers of “industry-university-research-application,” promote the deep integration of cultural and artistic institutions, schools, enterprises, and other subjects, and build an innovation network of “creative incubation—intellectual support—industrial implementation,” so that cultural creativity can be truly transformed into cultural innovation momentum through technological transformation and market application. In the construction of the talent team, leading talents are needed to play a guiding role, gathering innovation resources with academic influence and creative appeal; at the same time, grassroots talents are indispensable for forming a “spark-like force,” [7]7 “Spark-like force” (星火之势) alludes to Mao Zedong’s famous phrase “a single spark can start a prairie fire,” used here to describe the potential of grassroots talent to generate widespread cultural innovation. consolidating the foundation of cultural innovation through extensive practical exploration and creative accumulation. When “tower-top leadership” and “tower-base support” form an organic linkage, individual wisdom can converge into a surging wave of cultural innovation. In international collaboration, a “transnational cultural talent pool” and normalized exchange mechanisms should be established, relying on carriers such as artist residency programs, joint creation workshops, and cross-civilization dialogue forums to break down the “encoding-decoding” barriers in cultural dissemination, enabling the spiritual core of Chinese stories to be accurately translated in different cultural contexts, and promoting exchange and mutual learning among different civilizations.

文化创造的系统性与复杂性，决定了其必然是多元主体协同共振的产物。在文化生态构建上，需打破“产学研用”的领域壁垒，推动文化艺术机构、院校、企业等主体深度融合，搭建“创意孵化—智力支持—产业落地”的创新网络，让文化创意通过技术转化与市场应用，真正转化为文化创新动能。在人才队伍建设上，既需要领军人才发挥引领作用，以学术影响力与创作号召力凝聚创新资源；也离不开基层人才形成“星火之势”，通过广泛的实践探索和创意积累夯实文化创新的基底。当“塔尖引领”与“塔基支撑”形成有机联动，个体智慧就能汇聚成文化创新的澎湃浪潮。在国际协作上，应创设“跨国文化人才库”与常态化交流机制，依托艺术家驻留计划、联合创作工坊、跨文明对话论坛等载体，破解文化传播中的“编码解码”壁垒，让中国故事的精神内核在异文化语境中实现精准转译，推动不同文明的交流互鉴。

Standing at a new historical juncture, the important thesis that “the core of cultural creation lies in the people” has become a vivid interpretation of the people-centered development thought in the cultural field. It is not only a contemporary response to the Marxist theory of the free and all-round development of the people, but also the key to solving the practical issues in building a cultural power. When the creative potential of every cultural talent is unleashed, and when the individual’s “spiritual microcosm” resonates in harmony with the nation’s “grand vision of civilization,” the magnificent picture of a socialist cultural power will surely unfold in the dialectical unity of “people’s all-round development” and “enhanced cultural consciousness.” This is not only the necessary path for the Chinese nation to achieve cultural self-reliance on the journey of Chinese-path modernization, but also a vivid footnote of the new form of human civilization in the cultural dimension.

站在新的历史方位，“文化创造核心在人”的重要论断已经成为坚持以人民为中心的发展思想在文化领域的生动诠释。它既是对马克思主义关于人的自由全面发展理论的当代呼应，更是破解文化强国建设中现实课题的关键之匙。当每个文化人才的创造潜能得以发挥，当个体的“精神小宇宙”与民族的“文明大愿景”形成共振和鸣，社会主义文化强国的壮美图景必将在“人的全面发展”与“文化自觉提升”的辩证统一中徐徐铺展。这既是中华民族在中国式现代化征程中实现文化自强的必由之路，更是人类文明新形态在文化维度的生动注脚。

(Author: Zhang Zhenpeng, Professor at the Institute of Cultural Industries, Shenzhen University)

（作者：张振鹏，系深圳大学文化产业研究院教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心