The Fundamental Guidance for Enhancing National Cultural Soft Power in the New Era

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, as the cultural chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, profoundly expounds the significance of enhancing national cultural soft power, clarifies the conceptual framework for enhancing national cultural soft power, and designs the action pathways for enhancing national cultural soft power. It provides the fundamental guidance for enhancing national cultural soft power on the new journey of the New Era, and must be deeply studied, comprehended, and fully implemented.

习近平文化思想作为习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的文化篇，深刻阐述了提升国家文化软实力的重要意义，明确了提升国家文化软实力的思路理念，设计了提升国家文化软实力的行动路径，为新时代新征程提升国家文化软实力提供了根本遵循，必须深刻学习领会，全面贯彻落实。

The Significance of Enhancing National Cultural Soft Power

提升国家文化软实力的重要意义

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought systematically discusses the significance of enhancing national cultural soft power. This is the value orientation for advancing the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, creating a new form of human civilization, and enhancing national cultural soft power, and must be deeply understood.

习近平文化思想系统论述了提升国家文化软实力的重要意义。这是推进新时代中国特色社会主义文化建设，创造人类文明新形态，提升国家文化软实力的价值指向，必须深刻领会。

Cultural soft power occupies a core level within a nation’s comprehensive national strength. Cultural power develops on the basis of hard power such as economic aggregate, military armaments, and technological products, while at the same time exerting a counteractive effect on these hard powers. On the one hand, culture is the soul of a nation. “The strength of a country or a nation is always supported by cultural prosperity.” [1]1 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the opening ceremony of the 10th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 9th National Congress of the China Writers Association, November 30, 2016. The cultural environment formed by policies, regulations, social customs, and especially the spiritual temperament forged by a nation over a long period, not only profoundly influences the forward development of society but also indirectly affects the development of hard power. History and practice have proven that only the attraction and cohesion of thought and spirit are intrinsic, powerful, and enduring. On the other hand, the development of hard power is essentially realized through people. Whether the people who develop hard power possess the scientific spirit and cultural literacy required for social development usually affects the actual effectiveness of hard power. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out that what is most core and highest in reflecting a nation’s comprehensive strength is still cultural soft power; it concerns the cohesion of a nation’s spirit and vitality. [2]2 Paraphrase of Xi Jinping’s remarks at the 12th collective study session of the Politburo of the 18th CPC Central Committee, December 30, 2013. The power of culture can become the “booster” of economic development, the “navigation light” of political civilization, and the “adhesive” of social harmony.

文化软实力在国家综合实力中居于核心层面。文化实力是在经济总量、军事武装、科技产品等硬实力基础上发展起来的，同时文化实力对这些硬实力具有反作用。一方面，文化是一个民族的灵魂。“一个国家、一个民族的强盛，总是以文化兴盛为支撑的。”方针政策、规章制度、社会习俗，尤其是一个民族长期以来铸就的精神气质等融合的文化环境，不仅深刻地影响着社会的向前发展，而且间接地影响着硬实力的发展。历史和实践证明，只有思想上精神上的吸引力和凝聚力，才是内在的强大的持久的。另一方面，发展硬实力，本质上还是要通过人来实现。发展硬实力的人是否具有社会发展所需要的科学精神与文化素养，通常会影响硬实力所发挥的实际效能。习近平总书记指出，体现一个国家综合实力最核心的、最高层的，还是文化软实力，这事关一个民族精气神的凝聚。文化的力量能够成为经济发展的“助推器”、政治文明的“导航灯”、社会和谐的“黏合剂”。

Cultural soft power plays a strategic role in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The fortunes of culture are intertwined with the fortunes of the nation; the cultural lineage is connected to the national lineage. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out that enhancing national cultural soft power is related to the realization of the “Two Centenary Goals” [3]3 The “Two Centenary Goals” refer to: (1) completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC (founded in 1921); (2) building China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China (founded in 1949). and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The rise of a powerful country is not only a process of developing hard power such as economic aggregate, military armaments, and technological products, but also a process of developing soft power such as ideological and moral quality, national cohesion, and cultural influence. It is necessary to adhere to the coordinated development of hard power and soft power. Looking at the history of human development, those countries that have maintained long-term prosperity and stability have not only created strong material civilization but have also often created the spiritual civilization that led that era. Under the international situation where changes unseen in a century are accelerating, to grasp the initiative in competition, it is necessary to enhance cultural soft power. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “Enhancing national cultural soft power is not only related to our country’s positioning in the world cultural pattern but also related to our country’s international status and international influence.” [4]4 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the 12th collective study session of the Politburo of the 18th CPC Central Committee, December 30, 2013.

文化软实力在中华民族伟大复兴进程中具有战略作用。文运同国运相牵，文脉同国脉相连。习近平总书记指出，提高国家文化软实力，关系“两个一百年”奋斗目标和中华民族伟大复兴中国梦的实现。一个强国的崛起，不仅仅是经济总量、军事武装、科技产品等硬实力的发展过程，而且是思想道德素质、民族凝聚力、文化影响力等软实力发展的过程，要坚持硬实力与软实力协调发展。纵观人类发展史，那些历史上保持长期繁荣稳定的国家，不仅创造了强大的物质文明，往往也创造了引领那个时代的精神文明。在世界百年未有之大变局加速演进的国际形势下，要掌握竞争的主动权，就必须提升文化软实力。习近平总书记强调：“提高国家文化软实力，不仅关系我国在世界文化格局中的定位，而且关系我国国际地位和国际影响力。”

The Core Content of Enhancing National Cultural Soft Power

提升国家文化软实力的核心内容

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought has deeply considered the content of cultural soft power, put forward a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new judgments, greatly expanded the breadth and depth of propaganda, ideology, and cultural work in the New Era, enriched Marxist cultural theory, and provided theoretical principles and action guidelines for enhancing national cultural soft power.

习近平文化思想对文化软实力的内容进行了深入思考，提出了一系列新思想新观点新论断，极大拓展了新时代宣传思想文化工作的广度和深度，丰富了马克思主义文化理论，为提升国家文化软实力提供了理论原则和行动指南。

Accelerating the construction of a Chinese discourse system is the decisive prerequisite for enhancing national cultural soft power. Discourse is used to express meaning, but once it is used to construct identity and make people voluntarily follow or be forced to obey, discourse has the power to influence others. Enhancing national cultural soft power ultimately requires that the recipients can understand the culture being disseminated. This necessitates expressing cultural concepts through a certain discourse. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a Chinese discourse system, “speaking in language that the masses can understand and are willing to listen to, letting the Party’s innovative theories ‘fly into the homes of ordinary people’,” [5]5 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work, August 19, 2013. creating new concepts, new categories, and new expressions that connect China and the world, mastering the dominant power of discourse, fully transforming our country’s development advantages and comprehensive strength into discourse advantages, and better disseminating the Chinese path, Chinese spirit, and Chinese image.

加快构建中国话语体系是提升国家文化软实力的决定性前提。话语用来表意，可一旦用以构建认同，并使人自愿跟从或被迫服从，话语就具有影响他人的权力。提升国家文化软实力归根到底是要让受传播者能够理解所传播的文化，这就需要通过一定的话语把文化理念表达出来，因此要构建中国话语体系，“讲人民群众听得懂、听得进的话语，让党的创新理论‘飞入寻常百姓家’”，打造融通中外的新概念、新范畴、新表述，掌握话语的主导权，把我国发展优势和综合实力充分转化为话语优势，更好地传播中国道路、中国精神、中国形象。

Accelerating the construction of a Chinese narrative system is a strategic task for enhancing national cultural soft power. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “We are capable of doing China’s things well; are we not capable of telling China’s stories well? We should have this confidence!” [6]6 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work, August 19, 2013. Storytelling is the best way of international communication; it can trigger people’s thinking, move the audience, and generate resonance. It is necessary to adopt the communication concept of “convincing people with reason, moving people with emotion, taking ourselves as the mainstay, and connecting China and the world,” “focusing on shaping cognition, communicating public opinion, and winning people’s hearts,” [7]7 Paraphrase of language from the “Opinions on Strengthening and Improving International Communication Capacity Building to Effectively Disseminate Chinese Voices and Tell Chinese Stories,” issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, 2021. objectively and truthfully telling the story of China’s development, embedding the Chinese path, Chinese theory, Chinese system, Chinese spirit, and Chinese strength into various wonderful and concise story carriers, and disseminating the concepts of Chinese culture well.

加快构建中国叙事体系是提升国家文化软实力的战略任务。习近平总书记强调：“我们有本事做好中国的事情，还没有本事讲好中国的故事？我们应该有这个信心！”讲故事是国际传播的最佳方式，能够引发人们的思考，感染听众，产生共鸣。要以“以理服人，以情动人，以我为主，融通中外”的传播理念，“聚焦塑造认知、沟通民意、争取人心”，客观真实地讲好中国发展的故事，把中国道路、中国理论、中国制度、中国精神、中国力量寓于各种精彩、精练的故事载体中，传播好中华文化理念。

Strengthening international communication capacity building is an important means of enhancing national cultural soft power. “Lagging behind leaves one vulnerable to attack, poverty leaves one vulnerable to hunger, and being voiceless leaves one vulnerable to criticism.” [8]8 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work, August 19, 2013. To expand the influence of Chinese culture and enhance national cultural soft power, it is necessary to break the long-standing situation where Western countries monopolize the advantages of international communication, change the situation of “having reason but being unable to articulate it” and “being able to articulate it but unable to spread it,” continuously optimize the explanatory techniques and communication intensity of our country’s cultural concepts and values, strengthen top-level design and research layout, grasp the laws of international communication, adopt targeted communication methods for different regional and national communication groups, promote the globalized, regionalized, and segmented expression of Chinese stories and Chinese voices, and strive to build world-class communication media to provide platform support for spreading Chinese stories and Chinese voices.

加强国际传播能力建设是提升国家文化软实力的重要手段。“落后就要挨打，贫穷就要挨饿，失语就要挨骂。”扩大中华文化影响力，提升国家文化软实力，必须打破长期以来西方国家独占国际传播优势的局面，改变“有理说不出”“说了传不开”的情况，不断优化本国文化理念与价值观念的阐释技巧与传播力度，加强顶层设计和研究布局，掌握国际传播规律，面对不同区域国家的传播群体，有针对性地采取相应的传播方式，推进中国故事和中国声音的全球化表达、区域化表达、分众化表达，着力打造国际一流传播媒体，为传播中国故事和中国声音提供平台支撑。

Daring to struggle and being adept at struggle are the basic principles for enhancing national cultural soft power. The great struggle with new historical characteristics includes both struggles over hard power and contests over soft power. Currently, ideological struggles between major powers are becoming increasingly fierce, showing characteristics of concealment, intensity, and depth, and international public opinion confrontations and struggles have become more acute and complex. We must inherit and carry forward the spirit of struggle in the cultural field, dare to struggle against reactionary propaganda forces, conduct targeted and effective public opinion struggles, and actively and proactively spread the Chinese voice.

敢于斗争、善于斗争是提升国家文化软实力的基本原则。新的历史特点的伟大斗争，既包括硬实力的斗争，也包括软实力的较量。当前，大国之间意识形态斗争愈发激烈，显现出隐蔽化、白热化、深层次的表征，国际舆论交锋斗争也更加尖锐复杂。我们要在文化领域继承与发扬斗争精神，敢于与反动宣传势力作斗争，有针对性、有实效性地进行舆论斗争，积极主动地传播中国声音。

Practical Requirements for Enhancing National Cultural Soft Power

提升国家文化软实力的实践要求

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought has clear logic, a reasonable structure, and rich content. The Party’s understanding of the laws governing the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics has reached a new height, providing specific pathway choices for enhancing national cultural soft power.

习近平文化思想逻辑清晰、结构合理、内容丰富，党对中国特色社会主义文化建设规律的认识达到新高度，为提升国家文化软实力提供了具体的路径选择。

Strengthen theoretical and academic research to consolidate the academic foundation for enhancing national cultural soft power. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “The foundation supporting the discourse system is the philosophy and social sciences system. Without one’s own philosophy and social sciences system, there is no discourse power.” [9]9 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at a symposium on philosophy and social sciences, May 17, 2016. Enhancing national cultural soft power requires adhering to the Two Integrations, [10]10 The Two Integrations refer to: (1) integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities; (2) integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with the best of traditional Chinese culture. The latter is also known as the Second Integration. properly grasping the organic unity of firm political stance and the innovativeness of scientific exploration, strengthening philosophy and social sciences research, thoroughly clarifying major issues such as comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization from the ideological and theoretical perspective, systematically and academically researching and interpreting Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, using profound academic logic to clearly explain why the Communist Party of China can succeed, why Marxism works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, and promoting the Party’s innovative theories to take deeper root in the hearts of the people.

加强理论与学术研究，为提升国家文化软实力夯实学理基础。习近平总书记指出：“支撑话语体系的基础是哲学社会科学体系。没有自己的哲学社会科学体系，就没有话语权。”提升国家文化软实力，需要坚持“两个结合”，把握好政治立场坚定性与科学探索的创新性的有机统一，加强哲学社会科学研究，从思想理论上把以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业等重大问题搞清楚搞明白，体系化、学理化研究阐释习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想，用深刻的学理逻辑讲清楚中国共产党为什么能、马克思主义为什么行、中国特色社会主义为什么好，推进党的创新理论更加深入人心。

Perfect the systems and mechanisms for cultural construction and dissemination, providing institutional guarantees for enhancing national cultural soft power. We must attach great importance to the issue that ideology concerns flags, concerns paths, and concerns national political security, improve the responsibility system for ideological work, and continuously refine the mechanisms for guiding public opinion and coordinating responses to public sentiment. Resolutely resist money worship, hedonism, extreme individualism, and historical nihilism, cultivate and practice the core socialist values, and promote the normalization and institutionalization of ideal and belief education. Optimize the supply mechanism for cultural services and cultural products, and stimulate cultural creativity. Make good use of science and technology to realize digital empowerment and information-based transformation of cultural construction, and explore effective mechanisms for the integration of culture and technology. Control and manage cybersecurity, and improve the long-term mechanism for online ecological governance. Advance the restructuring of the international communication landscape, deepen the reform and innovation of the international communication mechanisms of mainstream media, and build a more effective international communication system.

完善文化建设与传播体制机制，为提升国家文化软实力提供制度保障。要高度重视意识形态关乎旗帜、关乎道路、关乎国家政治安全的问题，完善意识形态工作责任制，不断完善舆论引导机制和舆情应对协同机制。坚决抵制拜金主义、享乐主义、极端个人主义和历史虚无主义，培育和践行社会主义核心价值观，推动理想信念教育常态化制度化。优化文化服务和文化产品供给机制，激发文化创造活力。利用好科学技术，实现文化建设数字化赋能、信息化转型，探索文化和科技融合有效机制。管控好网络安全，健全网络生态治理长效机制。推进国际传播格局重构，深化主流媒体国际传播机制改革创新，构建更有效力的国际传播体系。

Advance the construction of a cultural talent team, laying the organizational foundation for enhancing national cultural soft power. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that on the new journey of the New Era, we must deeply grasp the needs of Chinese-path modernization for education, science and technology, and talent, strengthen the supporting role of education for science and technology and talent, and further create a vibrant situation where talents emerge in large numbers, each is put to the best use, and their abilities are fully utilized. Education, science and technology, and talent are the foundational and strategic supports for Chinese-path modernization. To enhance national cultural soft power, we must focus on cultivating cultural talents, create a favorable development environment, stimulate talent vitality, gather development forces, promote cultural innovation through talent cultivation, and build a high-quality cultural talent team capable of creating timeless masterpieces, producing excellent cultural products that the people love and enjoy, and effectively disseminating the Chinese path, Chinese concepts, and Chinese propositions to the world.

推进文化人才队伍建设，为提升国家文化软实力奠定组织基础。习近平总书记强调，新时代新征程，必须深刻把握中国式现代化对教育、科技、人才的需求，强化教育对科技和人才的支撑作用，进一步形成人才辈出、人尽其才、才尽其用的生动局面。教育、科技、人才是中国式现代化的基础性、战略性支撑，提升国家文化软实力，必须注重培养文化人才，营造良好的发展环境，激发人才活力，汇集发展力量，以人才培养推动文化创新，建设一支能够打造传世精品，能够创作出人民群众喜闻乐见的优秀文化产品，能够把中国道路、中国理念、中国主张向世界宣介出去的高素质文化人才队伍。

(The author is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the South China Normal University Research Base of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Research Center of the Ministry of Education)

（作者系教育部习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心华南师范大学研究基地特约研究员）

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