The Two Integrations Guide the Restoration of Chinese Civilization

Chinese civilization has a long and continuous history, and its cultural life-body is deep and vast. Over more than five thousand years, Chinese civilization has created and accumulated a rich and excellent traditional culture, which contains many political thought traditions and governance wisdom deeply imbued with concern for the people.

中华文明历史悠久，源远流长，其文化生命体深厚而广大。五千多年的中华文明创造和积累了丰富而优良的传统文化，其中蕴含着许多深富民本关怀的政治思想传统和治国理政智慧。以习近平文化思想为指引，运用马克思主义理论和方法，充分挖掘和阐发中国政治思想传统和治国理政智慧，使之实现创造性转化和创新性发展，无疑是“两个结合”的题中应有之义，亦是中华文明实现重光的必由之路。

Three Major Characteristics of the Chinese Political Thought Tradition

中国政治思想传统的三大特色

Looking back on the history of Chinese civilisation, it is not difficult to discover that during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods — the axial age of the Chinese spirit, when academic thought flourished — the hundred schools of thought, in order to respond to the challenges of their times, bore in mind the rise and fall of the world and concerned themselves with the order and chaos of the state, diligently engaging in deep reflection and systematic exploration of the ideal way of governance for administering the state. Thereby they laid the ideological foundation for the Chinese political thought tradition and for the enduring and expandable nature of Chinese civilisation. What, then, are the characteristics of this ideological foundation? Mr Liang Qichao once stated that, since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, China’s political thought has possessed three major characteristics: cosmopolitanism, populism or people-centred doctrine, and socialism.

回望中华文明的历史，我们不难发现，在春秋战国时期这一学术思想勃兴的中国精神轴心时代，诸子百家为了回应时代的挑战，胸怀天下之兴亡、关切国家之治乱，汲汲于深入反思和系统探求治国为政的理想治道，从而奠定了中国政治思想传统和中华文明可大可久的思想根基。那么，这一思想根基究竟具有什么样的特色呢？梁启超先生尝言，自春秋战国以来，我国政治思想便具三大特色，即世界主义、平民主义或民本主义、社会主义。

In the history of Chinese civilisation, the political conviction and intellectual tradition of people-centred doctrine can be traced back far and remain ever fresh. It can be traced to the ideological tradition of revering Heaven and valuing the people, or respecting Heaven and protecting the people, in the Three Dynasties of high antiquity. “The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is secure, the state is tranquil” (The Book of Documents, “Songs of the Five Sons”) can be regarded as a classic expression of the people-centred political concept. By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the rise of the Confucian, Mohist and Daoist schools meant that their political thought all bore a distinct and strong people-centred character. They advocated moral transformation and benevolent governance, securing the people’s livelihood, guaranteeing the people’s subsistence, respecting the people’s will, winning the people’s hearts, or else universal love, non-offence, frugality and benefiting the people, or again conforming to the people’s sentiments and taking the hearts of the common people as one’s own heart. Although the specific content of their proposals may have differed in various ways, the core meaning was nothing other than emphasising a fundamental insight into governance: that establishing a ruler is for the sake of the people, and therefore ensuring the people’s survival and welfare should be an important principle of the way of governing the state.

在中华文明的历史上，民本主义的政治信念与思想传统可谓源远流长而历久弥新，它可以上溯至上古三代尊天重民或敬天保民的思想传统，“民惟邦本，本固邦宁”（《尚书·五子之歌》）可谓是对民本主义政治理念的经典表述。降至春秋战国，儒、墨、道诸子兴起，其政治思想盖莫不具有鲜明而浓厚的民本主义特色，他们主张德化仁政、制民之产、保障民生、尊重民意、赢得民心，或者兼爱非攻、节用利民，又或者顺应民情，以百姓心为心。虽然其具体主张内容或有这样那样的差异，但其核心要义不外乎强调对治国理政的根本见解，即立君所以为民，故保障人民之生存与福祉当为治国理政之道的重要原则。

For thinkers and statesmen with moral conscience, it was impossible to remain unmoved by the suffering of the people trapped in deep misery. The various schools all “thought to use their Way to change the world” (General Meaning of Literature and History, “Tracing the Way, Part Two”), precisely in order to rescue the people from hanging upside down and save them from fire and water. Yet why were the people trapped in such a state? It was mainly caused by social injustice, the inevitable result of class oppression and exploitation as well as the disputes and conflicts among states. Precisely for this reason, the political doctrines of the various schools all centred on solving the problems of national economy and people’s livelihood. The greatest characteristic of their economic theories was that “they always placed distribution first, and production second”, with distribution aiming at the ideal of achieving social justice and equal distribution of wealth between rich and poor, to the extent that “the discussions of Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, Xunzi, Shang Yang, Han Fei, and even Xu Xing and Bai Gui — none of them lacked a socialist colouring”.

对于深陷水深火热之中的人民的苦难，任何富有道德良知的思想家和政治家都不可能无动于衷，诸子各家皆“思以其道易天下”（《文史通义·原道中》），正是为了解民于倒悬，拯民于水火。然而，人民何以会深陷于倒悬和水火之中呢？主要是由社会不公造成的，是阶级的压迫和剥削以及国家彼此间的纷争和冲突的必然结果。正唯如此，故诸子的政治学说莫不以解决国计民生问题为中心，而其生计学说的最大特色则是“常以分配论为首位，而生产论乃在次位也”，而分配以实现社会公正、贫富均平为理想目标，以致“孔墨孟荀商韩以至许行白圭之徒，其所论列，殆无一不带有社会主义色彩”。

At the same time, the political doctrines of the various schools all aimed at pursuing peace and unification of the world. Their doctrine of pacifying the world was precisely a cosmopolitanism that took the common welfare of all humanity as its goal, forming a movement of the spirit of the age at that time. As Mr Qian Mu said: Among the pre-Qin masters, there was truly no one who held a narrow nationalism. The general academic thought of the time all embraced a “world view”. Hence it was said: When the self is cultivated, the family is regulated; when the family is regulated, the state is well governed; when the state is well governed, the world is at peace. As stated in The Great Learning, cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and pacifying the world — advancing layer by layer, expanding continuously — this was a human enterprise that could be enduring and expandable, and the ultimate goal of pacifying the world was the realisation of the ideal of a human community of one family under Heaven and great harmony in the world.

与此同时，诸子的政治学说亦莫不以追求天下的和平统一为目标，其平天下主义也就是以人类全体之共同福祉为鹄的世界主义，形成了当时的一种时代精神的运动。诚如钱穆先生所言：先秦诸子，实在没有一个人抱著狭义的国家主义。当时一般学术思想，都抱有一种“天下观”，所以说：身修而后家齐，家齐而后国治，国治而后天下平。如《大学》所言，修身、齐家、治国、平天下，层层递进，不断扩展，此乃是一项可大可久的人类事业，而天下治平的终极目标便是天下一家、世界大同人类共同体理想的实现。

The Introduction of Marxism and the Rebirth of Ancient China

马克思主义的传入与古老中国的新生

Needless to say, the lofty and far-reaching political ideals contained in the above political thought tradition, due to various subjective and objective reasons and the limitations of historical conditions, could not fully exert their influence and effect, and thus inevitably suffered from the malady of being lofty but not grounded. Historically speaking, the course of development of Chinese civilisation was not smooth sailing. Our country and nation often fell into dynastic cycles of order and chaos, prosperity and decline. Internal divisions and conflicts, invasions and crises of domination by foreign peoples occurred repeatedly. In modern times, China encountered and experienced the “darkest moment” of national humiliation, loss of sovereignty, and the threat of national extinction caused by the carving up, encroachment, aggression and bullying by the great powers.

毋庸讳言，上述政治思想传统中所蕴含的崇高而深远的政治理想，由于种种主客观方面的原因和历史条件的限制，无法完全发挥其影响与作用，故难免发生高明而不落实之病。历史地讲，中华文明的发展历程并非一帆风顺，我们的国家和民族在过去常常陷入治乱盛衰的王朝循环当中，内部的分裂与纷争、外来异族的侵侮与入主危机不断发生，近代中国更是遭遇和经历了由列强瓜分蚕食、侵略欺凌所引发的丧权辱国、亡国灭种的“至暗时刻”。

Stimulated by the great change of the eastward invasion of Western power — a change unseen in a millennium — the Chinese nation rose up in resistance over the past hundred years, urgently pursuing and even exclusively imitating the West in seeking national wealth and strength and national rejuvenation. However, after making every effort to absorb and learn from the strengths of Western technology, Western institutions and Western learning, and after various attempts, the Chinese people ultimately accepted Marxism and chose the socialist road. It can be said that the introduction of Marxism, the New Democratic Revolution led by the Communist Party of China, and the founding of New China truly changed the fate of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, enabling them to finally emerge from the predicament of national decline and existential crisis in modern times.

受西力东侵这一数千年未有之大变局的刺激，百余年来中华民族奋起反抗、急起直追，甚至唯泰西是效以谋求国家富强和民族复兴。不过，在尽量吸纳学习西艺、西制和西学之优长并进行了种种尝试后，中国人民最终接受了马克思主义，并选择了社会主义道路。可以说，马克思主义的传入、中国共产党领导的新民主主义革命和新中国的成立真正改变了中国人民和中华民族的命运，使之最终走出近代以来国家衰败和民族危亡的境地。

Why, then, did the Chinese people choose to accept Marxism and willingly take the socialist road? This is inseparable from the long-standing and profound Chinese political thought tradition and the national consciousness that emphasises the people-centred spirit of “the people as the foundation of the state”, the socialist conviction that yearns for social justice and equal distribution of wealth between rich and poor, and the cosmopolitan thought that takes great harmony in the world as its ultimate ideal. Precisely because of this, progressive Chinese not only pursued the ideal of democracy and republic, but also more readily accepted socialist ideas. The introduction of Marxism, because it took the liberation of the oppressed and exploited labouring masses as its goal and the communist ideal of liberating all humanity as its objective, was most akin and most compatible with the above three major characteristics of Chinese political thought, and most capable of producing resonance and sympathy, for they shared the lofty ideals and broad-minded sentiments of caring for the people’s welfare, pursuing social justice and equality, and bearing the common people of the world in mind.

那么，中国人民何以选择接受马克思主义并愿意走社会主义道路呢？这与悠久深厚的中国政治思想传统和国民意识中强调民为邦本的民本主义精神、向往社会公正和贫富均平的社会主义信念以及以世界大同为终极理想的平天下主义思想是密不可分的。正因为如此，先进的中国人不仅追求民主共和的理想，也更容易接受社会主义思想。马克思主义的传入，因其以解放受压迫和剥削的劳苦大众为鹄的、以解放全人类的共产主义理想为目标，与中国政治思想的上述三大特色最为亲缘和最相契合，亦最能产生同鸣共振，因为它们共同拥有关切民生福祉、追求社会公正均平和胸怀天下苍生的崇高理想与博大情怀。

Facts have proven that the Chinese Communists, having accepted Marxism, precisely in the process of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with the concrete realities of the Chinese revolution, ultimately became the faithful inheritors and steadfast promoters of fine traditional Chinese culture. The Communist Party of China, taking Marxism as its theoretical weapon, guiding the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, fundamentally solving the people’s actual and practical survival needs, leading the Chinese people to victory in the New Democratic Revolution, and establishing New China — this not only enabled ancient China to finally emerge from the predicament of national crisis and achieve rebirth, but also enabled Chinese culture to escape crisis and emerge from difficulty, bringing vitality to the rejuvenation of the great Chinese civilisation.

事实证明，接受了马克思主义的中国共产党人，正是在将马克思主义基本原理同中国革命具体实际相结合的过程中，最终成为中华优秀传统文化的忠实继承者和坚定弘扬者。中国共产党以马克思主义作为自己的理论武器，指导中国革命的具体实践，从根本上解决人民现实的实际生存需要，领导中国人民夺取了新民主主义革命的胜利，建立了新中国，这不仅使古老中国最终走出民族危亡的困境而获得新生，也使中国文化摆脱危机走出困境，给伟大中华文明的复兴带来了生机。

“Old State, New Mandate” and the Resplendence of Chinese Civilisation

“旧邦新命”与中华文明的重光

It is undeniable that modern Chinese have always faced the cultural problem of the contention between the ancient and the modern, and between China and the West. This is a problem that our country and nation must confront and resolve in the process of advancing towards modernisation. Ultimately, it is what Mr Feng Youlan called the problem of the “old state, new mandate”. The so-called “old state” refers to the motherland, the Chinese nation; the “new mandate” refers to modernisation, to building socialism.

不可否认，近代以来的中国人始终面临着古今中西之争的文化难题，这是我们国家和民族在迈向现代化进程中所必须面对和解答的。说到底，也就是冯友兰先生所说的“旧邦新命”问题。所谓“旧邦”，就是祖国，就是中华民族，而“新命”，就是现代化，就是建设社会主义。

However, the realisation and completion of the historical mission or task of the “old state, new mandate” has not been smooth sailing. For if, in dealing with the perplexing contention between the ancient and the modern, and between China and the West, especially the relationship between tradition and modernity, one finds it difficult to strike a balance, one will inevitably fall into confusion and deviation, and may even cause serious setbacks to China’s modernisation construction. In the process of building the socialist modernisation cause with Chinese characteristics, the same problem is faced. How, then, can we better complete the historical task and grand goal of the “old state, new mandate”, realise the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and build a powerful modern socialist country with Chinese characteristics? To this end, since the founding of New China, our Party has always adhered to a firm people’s standpoint, always adhered to the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, always represented the people, taken root among the people, relied on the people, and done everything for the people, always firmly followed the mass line, from the masses and to the masses, and always led the Chinese people on the socialist path with Chinese characteristics towards common prosperity.

然而，“旧邦新命”的历史使命或任务的实现与完成，并非一帆风顺，因为在处理困扰着人们的古今中西之争特别是传统与现代的关系问题时如果难以得其平衡的话，就难免要陷于迷惘和偏失之中，甚至使中国的现代化建设事业遭受严重挫折。在中国特色社会主义现代化事业的建设进程中，也面临着同样的问题。那么，如何才能更好地完成“旧邦新命”的历史课题与宏伟目标，实现中华民族伟大复兴，建设一个具有中国特色的社会主义现代化强国？为此，新中国成立后，我们党始终坚持坚定的人民立场，始终坚持全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨，始终代表人民、植根人民、依靠人民、一切为了人民，始终坚定走群众路线，从群众中来、到群众中去，始终领导中国人民走共同富裕的中国特色社会主义道路。

In the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping, with far-sighted vision, has taken the people’s aspiration for a better life as the goal of struggle, clearly put forward a people-centered development philosophy, and led the Chinese people to achieve the first centenary goal of eradicating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. General Secretary Xi Jinping not only concerns himself with the well-being and

新时代，习近平总书记高瞻远瞩，把人民对美好生活的向往作为奋斗目标，明确提出以人民为中心的发展思想，领导中国人民实现脱贫攻坚、全面建成小康社会的第一个百年奋斗目标。习近平总书记不仅心系中国人民的福祉安康和中华民族的伟大复兴，而且胸怀天下，提出全球发展、全球安全和全球文明三大倡议，提出构建休戚与共的人类命运共同体，推动世界朝着更美好的方向发展。“中国人总愿意与天下之人，同进于大道，同臻于乐利。有什么办法，可以使天下的人，同进于大道，同臻于乐利，中国人总欣然接受。”毫无疑问，作为“文明大国”的卓越政治家和“人民领袖”，习近平总书记治国理政的思想充分体现了在毫不动摇坚持马克思主义指导地位的前提下，赓续与弘扬中国政治思想的三大特色，即民本主义、社会主义和世界主义，不仅激活了古老的中国智慧，更在实践中将之创造性转化和创新性发展到崭新境界。

During the period of the New Democratic Revolution and the period of socialist construction, Marxism, in the process of integrating with China’s concrete realities, thoroughly transformed the face of ancient China with its unparalleled revolutionary spirit and practical wisdom for transforming social reality, enabling it to gain a new life. However, with the continuous acceleration and deepening of reform and opening up, we have come to clearly recognize that allowing the soul-thread of Marxism as the guiding ideology and the root-thread of fine traditional Chinese culture to remain in a state of mutual estrangement and mutual neglect cannot possibly build a truly vibrant and powerful modern socialist country. To build our country into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful, and to achieve the grand goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we cannot do without the guidance of the soul-thread of Marxism; at the same time, we must attach great importance to the rich nourishment left to us by the Chinese civilization of over five thousand years, and we must deeply root ourselves in the fertile soil of fine traditional Chinese culture. On June 2, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development, clearly stating: “To open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the profound foundation of over five thousand years of Chinese civilization, integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s concrete realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture is the only way.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development” (June 2, 2023), in Qiushi, 2023, no. 17.

新民主主义革命时期和社会主义建设时期，马克思主义在同中国具体实际相结合的过程中，以其无与伦比的改造社会现实的革命精神和实践智慧，彻底改变了古老中国的面貌，使之获得了新的生命。然而，随着改革开放进程的不断加速和持续深化，我们清醒认识到，任由马克思主义指导思想的魂脉与中华优秀传统文化的根脉一直处于彼此疏离和相互轻忽的基础上，不可能建成一个真正富有生机与活力的强大的社会主义现代化国家。要把我们的国家建设成为富强民主文明和谐美丽的社会主义现代化强国，实现中华民族伟大复兴的宏伟目标，离不开马克思主义的魂脉指引，同时也必须高度重视五千多年中华文明留给我们的丰厚滋养，必须将我们的根深深地扎在中华优秀传统文化的沃土当中。2023年6月2日习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上发表重要讲话，明确指出：“在五千多年中华文明深厚基础上开辟和发展中国特色社会主义，把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是必由之路。”

Indeed, as General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, the “integration” can not only make both sides “mutually achieve” [3]3 “Mutually achieve” (互相成就) refers to the idea that the integration of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture allows each to fulfill and enhance the other., thereby creating “an organically unified new cultural life-form” and “making Marxism Chinese and making fine traditional Chinese culture modern,” but it can also consolidate our “path foundation,” “giving the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics a broader and deeper historical dimension and expanding the cultural foundation of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The “integration” will also inevitably enable the spirit of people-centeredness, the socialist conviction, and the cosmopolitan ideal in the Chinese political thought tradition to shine again in the process of advancing the cause of Chinese-path modernization, that is, developing whole-process people’s democracy, achieving common prosperity for all the people, promoting harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and creating a new form of human civilization, and so on. This is both a great victory for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times and a historical testimony to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the new radiance of Chinese civilization; this is both where our cultural confidence lies and where our confidence in the “old state taking on a new mission” [4]4 “Old state taking on a new mission” (旧邦新命) is a classical Chinese expression, originally from the Book of Songs, meaning an ancient state or civilization taking on a new historical mission; it is often used in contemporary Chinese discourse to describe the rejuvenation of Chinese civilization. rests, because the great practice of “the Two Integrations” and “the old state taking on a new mission” will surely provide powerful spiritual motivation and a guide to action for the new radiance of Chinese civilization.

诚如习近平总书记指出的那样，“结合”不仅可以使双方“互相成就”，从而造就“一个有机统一的新的文化生命体”“让马克思主义成为中国的，中华优秀传统文化成为现代的”，而且可以筑牢我们的“道路根基”，“让中国特色社会主义道路有了更加宏阔深远的历史纵深，拓展了中国特色社会主义道路的文化根基”。“结合”也必将使中国政治思想传统中的民本主义精神、社会主义信念和世界主义理想，在推进中国式现代化建设事业亦即发展全过程人民民主、实现全体人民共同富裕、促进人与自然和谐共生、推动构建人类命运共同体和创造人类文明新形态等的进程中重放光芒，这既是马克思主义中国化时代化的伟大胜利，也是中华民族伟大复兴和中华文明重光的历史见证；这既是我们的文化自信所在，也是我们对“旧邦新命”的信心所系，因为“两个结合”和“旧邦新命”的伟大实践必能为中华文明的重光提供强大精神动力与行动指南。

(Author: Lin Cunguang, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Political Science and Public Administration, China University of Political Science and Law, and Distinguished Expert of the “Taishan” Scholars Program at the Confucius Research Institute)

（作者：林存光，系中国政法大学政治与公共管理学院教授、博士生导师，孔子研究院“泰山”学者特聘专家）

Online Editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆