Grasping the Theoretical Contributions and Practical Requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture from the Dimension of Upholding Cultural Subjectivity

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is both a theoretical summation of the practical experience and basic laws of the Communist Party of China’s leadership in the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, and a guide to action for the Chinese people to shoulder new cultural missions at a new starting point in the New Era, continue to promote cultural prosperity and development, constantly forge new brilliance in Chinese culture, and strive to build a socialist cultural power. The important exposition and practical requirements concerning upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation constitute a major component of the scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and represent a major original contribution and a significant practical requirement of this thought. Upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is an inherent requirement of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, and is an important manifestation and distinctive feature of the Chinese nation’s journey from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong. The basic requirement of Chinese-path modernization in cultural construction is precisely to uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, thereby highlighting the value concepts, institutional advantages, practical methods, and ideal goals of Chinese-path modernization in cultural construction, and enabling the great ship of Chinese-path modernization to sail steadily forward through wind and waves. Upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation more prominently underscores the subjective status, purposive demands, and value pursuits of China’s cultural construction in the New Era, more clearly demonstrates from the perspective of cultural construction the distinctive feature of Chinese-path modernization as an organic combination of universality and particularity, and more comprehensively indicates from a holistic height that upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is a grand systematic project. Within the discourse system and internal logical structure of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation as a grand systematic project mainly involves a development strategy composed of “four fundamentals”: firm cultural confidence is the fundamental conviction for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation; upholding the Party’s cultural leadership is the fundamental guarantee for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation; adhering to the “Two Integrations” is the fundamental path for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation; and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is the fundamental strategy for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. These “four fundamentals” possess a very rigorous logical interrelationship; they are closely linked and indispensable, forming an organic whole with a tight internal logic that is interconnected and interactive, fully reflecting the distinct value orientation and practical direction of theoretical and practical innovation in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

习近平文化思想既是新时代中国共产党领导中国特色社会主义文化建设实践经验和基本规律的理论总结，又是指导中国人民在新时代新的起点上肩负新的文化使命、继续推动文化繁荣发展、不断铸就中华文化新辉煌、努力建设社会主义文化强国的行动指南。关于坚守中华民族的文化主体性的重要论述和实践要求，是习近平文化思想的科学体系的重要内容之一，是习近平文化思想的一大原创性贡献和重大实践要求。坚守中华民族的文化主体性是以中国式现代化全面推进中华民族伟大复兴的题中应有之义，是中华民族从站起来、富起来到强起来的重要体现和显著特征。中国式现代化在文化建设上的基本要求，就是必须坚守中华民族的文化主体性，从而凸显中国式现代化在文化建设上的价值理念、制度优势、实践方式、理想目标，推动中国式现代化巨轮在搏击风浪中行稳致远。坚守中华民族的文化主体性，更加凸显新时代我国文化建设的主体性地位、目的性诉求和价值性追求，更加从文化建设角度展示出中国式现代化具有的普适性与特殊性有机结合的鲜明特征，更加从整体性高度指明坚守中华民族的文化主体性是一个宏大的系统工程。在习近平文化思想的话语体系和内在逻辑结构中，坚守中华民族的文化主体性作为宏大系统工程，主要关涉由“四个根本”所组成的发展战略，即坚定文化自信是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本信念，坚持党的文化领导权是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本保障，坚持“两个结合”是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本路径，促进文明交流互鉴是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本方略。这“四个根本”有着十分严密的逻辑关联性，它们环环紧扣，缺一不可，形成一个具有紧密内在逻辑并相互联系和相互作用的有机整体，充分体现出习近平文化思想理论创新和实践创新的鲜明价值导向与实践指向。

I. Firm Cultural Confidence Is the Fundamental Conviction for Upholding the Cultural Subjectivity of the Chinese Nation

一、坚定文化自信是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本信念

The important exposition on firm cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is a major theoretical proposition repeatedly emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, a key component of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, and an important aspect reflecting the original theoretical contributions of this thought. At the same time, it fully embodies the distinct practical orientation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture links cultural confidence with cultural subjectivity, revealing that upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation requires firm cultural confidence as a fundamental conviction. With firm cultural confidence, one can develop profound recognition and firm belief in the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation; upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation will then have confidence and strength, as well as consciousness and dynamic creativity, and the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation can be genuinely demonstrated. The purpose of firm cultural confidence is precisely to uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, ensuring that the Chinese nation, with spiritual and cultural independence and self-reliance, steadily advances Chinese-path modernization, and unequivocally declares to the world that modernization has no single fixed model, is by no means Westernization or Americanization, and is by no means a rupture with the history and culture of one’s own nation. China’s problems must be addressed from its basic national conditions and solved by the Chinese people themselves. In the interconnected flow of adhering to Marxism as the soul vein and fine traditional Chinese culture as the root vein, and on the basis of firm cultural confidence, we must strengthen confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, and confidence in the system, unswervingly follow China’s own path of modernization development, and contribute Chinese strength to the progress of human civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We must adhere to a firm belief in Marxism, a firm conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strengthen confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, confidence in the system, and confidence in the culture.” [1]1 The “Four Confidences” (四个自信) refers to confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a slogan formally introduced by Xi Jinping in 2016. General Secretary Xi Jinping regards cultural confidence as the foundation of the “Four Confidences,” thereby also reflecting the great value of cultural confidence as a fundamental conviction in supporting the spirit of the Chinese nation and promoting the development of Chinese civilization. This helps us further deepen our understanding of the significance of upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation and points the way for how the path of Chinese-path modernization should be taken and how to walk it more steadily.

关于坚定文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性的重要论述，是党的十八大以来习近平总书记反复强调的一个重大理论学说，是构成习近平文化思想的重要内容，也是反映习近平文化思想的原创性理论贡献的重要方面，同时，充分体现了习近平文化思想的鲜明实践指向。习近平文化思想将文化自信和文化主体性联系起来，揭示了坚守中华民族的文化主体性要以坚定的文化自信作为根本信念，有了坚定的文化自信，就能对中华民族的文化主体性产生深刻认同和坚定信念，坚守中华民族的文化主体性就有了底气和力量，也就有了自觉性和能动创造性，中华民族的文化主体性就能名副其实地展示出来。而坚定文化自信的目的，就是为了坚守中华民族的文化主体性，确保中华民族以精神文化上的独立自主和自强不息稳步地推进中国式现代化，理直气壮地向全世界表明，现代化并没有定于一尊的模式，绝不是西方化或美国化，也绝不是与本民族的历史文化决裂。中国的问题必须从中国的基本国情出发，由中国人自己来解答，要在坚持马克思主义这个魂脉和中华优秀传统文化这个根脉的脉脉相通中，在坚定文化自信的基础上，坚定道路自信、理论自信、制度自信，坚定不移地走中国自己的现代化发展道路，为人类文明进步贡献中国力量。习近平总书记指出，“我们要坚持对马克思主义的坚定信仰、对中国特色社会主义的坚定信念，坚定道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信”。习近平总书记将文化自信作为“四个自信”的基础，由此也体现了文化自信作为一种根本信念，对于支撑中华民族精神和促进中华文明发展的重大价值，有助于我们进一步加深对坚守中华民族的文化主体性重要意义的认识，为中国式现代化道路怎么走以及如何走得更稳健指明了方向。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping, based on the strategic overall situation of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, has repeatedly emphasized “cultural confidence” and profoundly expounded on it in close connection with upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, providing a theoretical basis for people to deeply grasp the connotation, contemporary value, and far-reaching significance of Chinese-path modernization. At the 13th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee on February 24, 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping first proposed the proposition of “enhancing cultural confidence and value confidence.” [2]2 The 18th CPC Central Committee refers to the leadership body elected at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. Subsequently, in a series of important speeches—including the speech at the Forum on Literature and Art Work on October 15, 2014; the speech at the meeting with foreign representatives attending the second “Understanding China” International Conference on November 3, 2015; the speech at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences on May 17, 2016; the speech at the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC on July 1, 2016; the 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 on November 30, 2016; the speech at the symposium at the Dunhuang Academy on August 19, 2019; the speech at the National Conference on Commending Model Units and Individuals for Ethnic Unity and Progress on September 27, 2019; the speech during the inspection of the Affiliated Yingcai School of Hou Kong Middle School in the Macao Special Administrative Region on December 19, 2019; the speech at the National Commendation Conference for Fighting the COVID-19 Epidemic on September 8, 2020; the speech at the Symposium of Experts and Representatives in the Fields of Education, Culture, Health, and Sports on September 22, 2020; the speech at the 23rd collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee on September 28, 2020; the speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the China Writers Association on December 14, 2021; and the speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development in June 2023—he repeatedly emphasized the need to firm up cultural confidence from the height of the unity of historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic, and regarded cultural confidence as a more fundamental, broader, and deeper confidence, as well as a more basic, deeper, and more enduring force.

党的十八大以来，习近平总书记立足于中国特色社会主义事业的战略全局，反复强调“文化自信”，并将文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性紧密地结合起来予以深刻阐述，对于人们深刻地把握中国式现代化的内涵、时代价值、深远意义提供了学理性根据。在2014年2月24日十八届中央政治局第十三次集体学习时，习近平总书记首次提出要“增强文化自信和价值观自信”的命题。此后，在2014年10月15日召开的文艺工作座谈会上的重要讲话，在2015年11月3日会见第二届“读懂中国”国际会议外方代表时的讲话，在2016年5月17日哲学社会科学工作座谈会上的讲话，在2016年7月1日庆祝中国共产党成立95周年大会上的讲话，在2016年11月30日中国文联十大、中国作协九大开幕式上的讲话，在2019年8月19日敦煌研究院座谈时的讲话，在2019年9月27日全国民族团结进步表彰大会上的讲话，在2019年12月19日视察澳门特别行政区濠江中学附属英才学校时的讲话，在2020年9月8日全国抗击新冠疫情表彰大会上的讲话，在2020年9月22日教育文化卫生体育领域专家代表座谈会上的讲话，在2020年9月28日主持十九届中央政治局第二十三次集体学习时的讲话，在2021年12月14日中国文联十一大、中国作协十大开幕式上的讲话，在2023年6月文化传承发展座谈会上的讲话等一系列重要讲话中，都从历史逻辑、理论逻辑和实践逻辑相统一的高度反复强调要坚定文化自信，并将文化自信作为一种更基础、更广泛、更深厚的自信，也作为一种更基本、更深沉、更持久的力量。

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourse on strengthening cultural confidence is closely linked to the proposition of upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, and it points out the practical requirements of Chinese-path modernization in cultural construction. Chinese-path modernization develops through the mutual interdependence and mutual promotion of cultural confidence and the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. In his speech at the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the important thesis of “cultural subjectivity,” holding that cultural confidence comes from cultural subjectivity. In a series of subsequent important speeches, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly used the proposition of “cultural subjectivity,” with related expressions including: “cultural subjectivity,” “the subject of Chinese culture,” “our cultural subjectivity,” and “the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation.” Following the logic from the particular to the universal, cultural subjectivity can be divided into the individual, the group (nation, state), and the species, and these are closely linked and mutually influencing and interacting. The cultural subjectivity of which General Secretary Xi Jinping speaks mainly refers to the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. In this context of cultural subjectivity existing as a general meaning, the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is also closely related to cultural subjectivity in its group and individual meanings. From the perspectives of the long history, traditional concepts, ideological system, spiritual lineage, unique advantages, value status, and future direction of Chinese culture, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly reveals the dialectical relationship between strengthening cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, as well as their contemporary value. He points out: “The Chinese nation has a profound cultural tradition, forming a distinctive ideological system, which embodies the knowledge, wisdom, and rational speculation accumulated by the Chinese people over thousands of years. This is our unique advantage. Chinese civilization continues the spiritual lineage of our nation and state; it requires not only passing on the torch from generation to generation and guarding it from age to age, but also advancing with the times and innovating.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development” (June 2, 2023), *Qiushi* Journal, 2023, no. 17. This shows that the Chinese nation has ample reason, rich foundation, and unique advantages to strengthen cultural confidence in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization, and on this basis, firmly uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. At the same time, it points out that strengthening cultural confidence and upholding cultural subjectivity means stimulating the endogenous driving force and innovative vitality of the entire nation, enhancing the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation as a whole by strengthening each individual’s awareness of cultural subjectivity, establishing their status of cultural subjectivity, improving their quality of cultural subjectivity, and exerting their capacity for cultural subjectivity, thereby calling on the Chinese people to actively participate in the practice of Chinese-path modernization, shoulder the new cultural mission of the New Era, and continuously create new brilliance for Chinese culture.

习近平总书记关于坚定文化自信的重要论述是与坚守中华民族的文化主体性命题紧密关联的，指明了中国式现代化在文化建设方面的实践要求。中国式现代化是在文化自信和中华民族的文化主体性的相互依存和相互促进中发展的。习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上的讲话中提出了“文化主体性”的重要论断，认为文化自信就来自文化主体性。在其后一系列重要讲话中习近平总书记多次使用“文化主体性”这个命题，相关表述有：“文化主体性”“中华文化的主体”“我们的文化主体性”“中华民族的文化主体性”。按照从特殊到普遍的逻辑，文化主体性有个体、群体（国家、民族）和类的划分，它们之间是紧密联系和相互影响、相互作用的关系。习近平总书记所讲的文化主体性，主要是指中华民族的文化主体性，在这个作为一般意义而存在的文化主体性的语境中，中华民族的文化主体性又是与作为群体意义和个体意义上的文化主体性密切关联的。习近平总书记从中华文化的悠久历史、传统理念、思想体系、精神血脉、独特优势、价值地位、未来走向等方面，深刻地揭示了坚定文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性的辩证关系及当代价值，指出：“中华民族有着深厚文化传统，形成了富有特色的思想体系，体现了中国人几千年来积累的知识智慧和理性思辨。这是我国的独特优势。中华文明延续着我们国家和民族的精神血脉，既需要薪火相传、代代守护，也需要与时俱进、推陈出新。”这说明中华民族有充分理由、有丰厚底蕴、有独特优势在推进中国式现代化进程中坚定文化自信，并在此基础上牢固地坚守中华民族的文化主体性；同时指明了坚定文化自信和坚守文化主体性就是要激发全民族的内生动力和创新活力，以每一个个体的文化主体性意识的增强、文化主体性地位的确立、文化主体性素质的提升、文化主体性能力的发挥，增强作为一个整体的中华民族的文化主体性，从而号召中国人民积极投身中国式现代化实践，肩负起新时代新的文化使命，不断地铸就中华文化新辉煌。

The cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is a kind of cultural autonomy and dynamic creativity manifested by the Chinese nation through its continuously created and accumulated value concepts, ideological systems, language and culture, and spiritual symbols in its long historical development. This attribute fully demonstrates the degree of confidence the Chinese nation has in the significant value of its own culture, its contribution to human civilization, and the prospects for its innovative development. Therefore, the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is built on the basis of cultural confidence, a cultural subjectivity that is continuously strengthened by taking cultural confidence as the support of a powerful spiritual force. Only by strengthening cultural confidence and promoting cultural innovation on this basis can the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation be consolidated and developed; and only by upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation can cultural confidence be further strengthened and cultural innovation promoted in practice. Upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation lies first in having firm conviction. This firm conviction comes from a high degree of confidence in the value concepts and truth-force of Chinese culture, the high-quality spiritual products of Chinese culture, and the brilliant development prospects of Chinese culture. The purpose of strengthening cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is to have a clear understanding of a series of major issues, such as where Chinese culture comes from, what historical position it currently occupies, and how it will move toward the future, thereby inspiring the spirit and energy to promote the development of Chinese-path modernization and promoting the overall high-quality development of all undertakings, including cultural construction.

中华民族的文化主体性是中华民族在长期历史发展中以其不断创造和世代积淀的价值理念、思想体系、语言文化、精神标识等表现出来的一种文化上的自主性和能动创造性，这种属性充分彰显出中华民族对于自身文化的重大价值、对于人类文明的贡献以及创新发展前景的自信程度。因此，中华民族的文化主体性是建立在文化自信基础上，将文化自信作为强大精神力量的支撑而得到不断强化的文化主体性。只有坚定文化自信并在此基础上推动文化创新，才能巩固和发展中华民族的文化主体性；而只有坚守中华民族的文化主体性，才能在实践中进一步坚定文化自信并推动文化创新。坚守中华民族的文化主体性，首先在于要有坚定的信念。这种坚定的信念来自对于中华文化的价值理念和真理性力量、中华文化的优质精神产品、中华文化的光辉发展前景等方面的高度自信。坚定文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性，其目的就是要对中华文化从哪里来、现在处于什么样的历史方位、又将如何走向未来等一系列重大问题有清醒的认识，从而鼓舞推动中国式现代化发展的精气神，促进包括文化建设在内的各项建设整体高质量发展。

Whether viewed historically or from the practice of Chinese-path modernization in which we are currently engaged, the Chinese nation is the most qualified and conditioned, the most confident and well-founded, and the most capable and competent to talk about cultural confidence and uphold its own cultural subjectivity. Any mentality of cultural inferiority and self-abandonment, or any advocacy of “wholesale Westernization,” is erroneous, fundamentally unacceptable, and practically unworkable. The Chinese nation, as an organic whole, has always existed and developed as a subject with excellent qualities, profound cultural genes, and a unique cultural life entity. The formation of the concept of the “Chinese nation” is closely related to the contribution of Liang Qichao. [4]4 Liang Qichao (1873–1929) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher, and reformist during the late Qing dynasty, whose writings and political activities were influential in the intellectual transition from traditional to modern China. In his 1902 article “On the General Trend of National Competition,” he explicitly used the concept of the “Chinese nation,” aiming to awaken the national subject consciousness of the people, actively carry out activities for national salvation and survival, promote constitutional reform and the construction of a nation-state, and stand proudly among the world’s outstanding nations through spiritual and cultural independence. After the Xinhai Revolution, [5]5 The Xinhai Revolution (1911–1912) was the revolution that overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty, the Qing, and established the Republic of China. the concept of the “Chinese nation” gained broader recognition and use, strengthening the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, enhancing people’s sense of identity and pride in the unified whole of the Chinese nation,凝聚ating powerful national will and national spirit, promoting the unity of the entire nation in the tide of national salvation and survival, cultivating and strengthening national strength, and enabling the Chinese nation to develop continuously and vigorously after experiencing various hardships and obstacles. Therefore, the Chinese nation is not only a community of survival and development in a specific time and space, but also a spiritual and cultural community with value consensus, value identity, and emotional belonging. As a spiritual and cultural community, the Chinese nation not only accumulates all the wisdom and all the civilizational achievements formed in its difficult and tortuous historical development, but also contains a powerful spiritual and cultural force that drives it to move steadily toward the future. This constitutes the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation and provides ample reason for having firm cultural confidence. The excellent traditional Chinese culture nurtured in the development of civilization over more than 5,000 years, and the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture formed in the Party’s great struggle uniting and leading the Chinese people, all embody the deepest, most vigorous, most dynamic, and most resilient spiritual and cultural pursuits of the Chinese nation, represent the unique spiritual and cultural symbols of the Chinese nation, and provide rich spiritual and cultural nourishment for strengthening cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “With cultural subjectivity, there is a firm self in the cultural sense, cultural confidence has a fundamental support, the Communist Party of China has a powerful cultural force to lead the times, the Chinese nation and the Chinese people have a solid cultural foundation for national identity, and Chinese civilization has a distinctive cultural characteristic for exchange and mutual learning with other world civilizations.” [6]6 This passage profoundly elaborates the dialectical relationship between cultural confidence and the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, clarifying that the purpose of strengthening cultural confidence is to uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. By upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, socialist cultural construction will have a strong self and clear cultural consciousness and cultural creativity. Therefore, strengthening cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation are of great significance for improving the leadership of the ruling Party, the cohesion of advanced culture, the appeal of Chinese culture, the influence of international communication, the persuasiveness of Chinese discourse, the guiding power of international public opinion, and the affinity of China’s image.

无论是从历史上看，还是从我们正在从事的中国式现代化实践来看，中华民族是最有资格和条件、最有底气和底蕴、最有实力和能力谈论文化自信和坚守自己的文化主体性的。任何文化自卑自弃的心理、“全盘西化”的主张都是错误的，是根本要不得的，在实践中都是行不通的。中华民族作为一个有机整体，从来都是作为一个具有优秀品质、深厚文化基因、独特文化生命体的主体而存在和发展的。“中华民族”这个概念的形成，与梁启超的贡献密切相关。他在1902年发表的《论民族竞争之大势》一文中明确使用“中华民族”的概念，目的是唤起民众的民族主体意识，积极开展救亡图存活动，推动维新变法和民族主义国家的建设，以精神文化上的独立自主屹立于世界优秀民族之林。辛亥革命后，“中华民族”的概念得到了更广泛的认同和使用，强化了中华民族的文化主体性，增强了人们对于中华民族这个统一整体的认同感和自豪感，凝聚起了强大的民族斗志和民族精神，推动着全民族在救亡图存的浪潮中团结一致，培植和壮大了民族力量，促使中华民族在历经种种艰难险阻之后生生不息地发展下来。因此，中华民族既是一个在特定时空中生存和发展的共同体，又是一个有着价值共识、价值认同、情感归属的精神文化共同体。中华民族作为一个精神文化共同体，不仅积淀着中华民族在艰难曲折的历史发展中形成的全部智慧与全部文明成果，而且还蕴含着推动自身不断坚定地走向未来的强大精神文化力量。这是构成中华民族的文化主体性并具有坚定文化自信的充分理由。在5000多年文明进步发展中孕育的中华优秀传统文化，在党团结带领中国人民伟大斗争中孕育形成的革命文化和社会主义先进文化，都积淀着中华民族最深层、最旺盛、最具活力、最有韧性的精神文化追求，代表着中华民族独特的精神文化标识，为坚定文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性提供了丰富的精神文化滋养。习近平总书记深刻指出：“有了文化主体性，就有了文化意义上坚定的自我，文化自信就有了根本依托，中国共产党就有了引领时代的强大文化力量，中华民族和中国人民就有了国家认同的坚实文化基础，中华文明就有了和世界其他文明交流互鉴的鲜明文化特性。”这段话，深刻地阐述了文化自信和中华民族的文化主体性之间的辩证关系，道明了坚定文化自信的目的在于坚守中华民族的文化主体性。坚守中华民族的文化主体性，社会主义文化建设就有了坚强的自我和明确的文化自觉性、文化创造性。因此，坚定文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性对于提高执政党的领导力、先进文化的凝聚力、中华文化的感召力、国际传播的影响力、中国话语的说服力、国际舆论的引导力、中国形象的亲和力等，都有十分重大的意义。

II. Upholding the Party’s Cultural Leadership is the Fundamental Guarantee for Upholding the Cultural Subjectivity of the Chinese Nation

二、坚持党的文化领导权是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本保障

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on upholding the Party’s

习近平总书记关于坚持党的文化领导权和关于坚守中华民族的文化主体性的重要论述，从文化建设高质量发展的维度进一步突出了中国式现代化的价值诉求和实践要求，是习近平文化思想中最为重要的两大理论基石。中国新民主主义革命取得胜利、社会主义革命和建设以及改革开放事业不断取得成功的实践充分证明，办好中国的事情，关键是加强党的领导。党的文化领导权是坚持党的全面领导不可或缺的重要内容，鉴于党的宣传思想文化工作的重要性，这项领导权显得尤为必要和重要。坚持党的文化领导权是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本保障，这是由中国共产党的初心使命、执政地位、领导能力、巩固党的执政基础、维护意识形态安全、组织动员人民群众参与文化建设的实践等所决定的。习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上指出：“中国共产党领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征，是中国特色社会主义制度的最大优势，是党和国家的根本所在、命脉所在，是全国各族人民的利益所系、命运所系。”着力加强党对宣传思想文化工作的领导，位于新时代党的宣传思想文化工作的“七个着力”要求之首，处于管总体、管全局、管方向的重要地位，对于其他六个方面起着重大的引领和保障作用，在思想上和行动上都只能加强，而丝毫不能有任何动摇和削弱。在坚守中华民族的文化主体性问题上，党始终处于主体性地位，肩负着主体性责任，发挥着主体性功能。发挥党对于坚守中华民族的文化主体性的作用，就是要加强党对宣传思想文化工作的全面领导，并在这一过程中充分体现出领导能力和领导绩效，从而巩固党的执政根基，提高党的领导能力。因此，必须从讲政治、讲原则、讲党性、讲全局、讲能力的高度，充分认识坚持党的文化领导权对于新时代坚守中华民族的文化主体性的极端重要性。

Upholding the Party’s cultural leadership, from the perspective of its most crucial content and most essential requirement, “means upholding the Party’s leadership over ideological work.” Comprehensively strengthening the Party’s leadership over ideological work, preventing and defusing political risks in the ideological sphere, is a prominent manifestation of upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation in the New Era by adhering to the Party’s cultural leadership. Practice has proven that the ideological defense line is the most important line of defense; once it cannot be held, other defense lines will inevitably collapse immediately. Fortifying the ideological defense line is a fundamental measure for responding to all risks and challenges. Ideology, as the ideological superstructure, is a reflection of the economic base, the core of culture, and a system of theories and values formed on the basis of highly abstracting and refining culture. Ideology plays an important role in guiding and regulating culture, determining culture’s value orientation, development path, and direction of progress, and is of vital importance to the development of political parties, states, and nations. The essential attribute of ideology is its class character, which determines that ideology has distinct value attributes and value orientation, indicating that ideological work is an extremely important task for the Party, concerning the Party’s future and destiny, the long-term stability and comprehensive competitiveness of the state, the cohesion and centripetal force of the Chinese nation, and the worldview, outlook on life, and values of the people. Ideological work is work that establishes the heart for the state and the soul for the nation; it is work of fundamental, overarching, and strategic significance. Therefore, strengthening the Party’s leadership over ideological work and giving full play to its leadership role is fundamental to ensuring that the mainstream socialist ideology firmly occupies a dominant position. Marx pointed out in the *Grundrisse der Kritik der Politischen Ökonomie (1857–1858)*: “If we consider it from the perspective of ideas, then the dissolution of a certain form of consciousness is enough to bring down an entire epoch.” [7]7 Karl Marx, *Grundrisse der Kritik der Politischen Ökonomie (1857–1858)*. The English translation follows the standard rendering of this passage. In a society where classes and class antagonisms exist, the ideological sphere has never been value-neutral, value-free, or value-marginalized; the increasingly fierce cultural competition of modern times has increasingly concentrated on and been reduced to competition in the ideological sphere. The struggle in the ideological sphere is long-term and complex, mainly involving fierce struggles over different political values, ethical and moral views, and historical and cultural perspectives formed by different doctrines, systems, paths, and cultures. In the process of Chinese-path modernization in the New Era, erroneous arguments such as “the theory of Marxism being outdated,” “the theory of separation of powers,” “the theory that modernization means Westernization,” “the theory of the uselessness of traditional culture,” and “the theory of ideological neutrality” all pose major challenges to the dominant position of China’s mainstream ideology and can lead to major political risks in the ideological sphere. If this position in the ideological sphere cannot be held, fundamental, overarching, and catastrophic problems of the socialist system changing its nature, color, and flavor will arise. Only by upholding the Party’s cultural leadership can we ensure that the Party’s guiding position in the ideological sphere is not shaken, that the core socialist values occupy a dominant position, that the theory of Chinese-path modernization takes root in people’s hearts and transforms into immense practical force, that while adhering to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities, we also integrate them with the best of traditional Chinese culture, uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, and consolidate the common ideological foundation for the unity and struggle of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country. In today’s era, where the three major development trends of economic globalization, cultural diversification, and information networking intertwine and influence each other, exerting broad and profound impacts on the global socio-economic structure and cultural values, development opportunities and risks and challenges coexist. China’s cultural security, with the security of socialist ideology as its core, appears particularly prominent and important. Unlike tangible, hard security such as traditional state sovereignty security, territorial security, national defense security, as well as economic security, food security, traffic security, and personal security, which can be felt and touched, cultural security with the security of socialist ideology as its core is an intangible, invisible, soft security at the level of spiritual and cultural values. The security of socialist ideology occupies the most hidden and most important position in the overall national security, like the heart and brain of national security, concerning the rise and fall of national fortunes and the safety of the nation. The security of China’s socialist ideology mainly refers to the Party and the state ensuring, through strengthening cultural construction, that Marxist ideology always occupies the position of mainstream ideology and fully exerts its guiding function within the national system of spiritual and cultural values, and ensuring that the best of traditional Chinese culture is inherited and innovated, so as to provide spiritual and cultural support for Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “To uphold fundamental principles, we must uphold the fundamental system of Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological sphere, uphold the fundamental requirements of the ‘Two Integrations,’ and uphold the Chinese Communist Party’s cultural leadership and the Chinese nation’s cultural subjectivity.” [8]8 Xi Jinping, speech on cultural work, 2023. Therefore, upholding the Party’s cultural leadership is an important magic weapon for ensuring that China’s cultural construction always advances in the socialist direction and effectively avoids major deviations and subversive errors in the cultural field.

坚持党的文化领导权，从最关键内容和最本质要求上看，“就是坚持党对意识形态工作的领导权”。全面加强党对意识形态工作的领导，防范和化解意识形态领域的政治风险，是新时代通过坚持党的文化领导权而坚守中华民族的文化主体性的突出表现。实践证明，思想防线是最为重要的防线，一旦守不住，其他防线必然会即刻土崩瓦解。筑牢思想防线，是应对一切风险挑战的根本举措。意识形态作为思想上层建筑，是对经济基础的反映，是文化的内核，是在对文化进行高度抽象和概括提炼基础上形成的理论体系和价值观念。意识形态发挥着引领和规范文化的重要作用，决定文化的价值取向、发展道路和前进方向，对政党、国家、民族的发展起着至关重要的作用。意识形态的本质属性是阶级性，由此决定意识形态具有鲜明的价值属性和价值导向性，说明意识形态工作是党的一项极端重要的工作，事关党的前途命运、国家长治久安和综合竞争力，事关中华民族的凝聚力和向心力，事关人民群众的世界观、人生观、价值观。意识形态工作是为国家立心、为民族立魂的工作，是一项具有根本性、全局性和战略性意义的工作。因此，加强党对意识形态工作的领导权以及发挥好领导力，是确保社会主义主流意识形态牢牢地占据主导性地位的根本。马克思在《政治经济学批判（1857—1858年手稿）》中指出：“如果从观念上来考察，那么一定的意识形式的解体足以使整个时代覆灭。”在存在着阶级和阶级对立的社会里，意识形态领域从来都不是价值中立、价值无涉、价值边缘化的，现代日趋激烈的文化竞争已经越来越集中到、归结到意识形态领域的竞争。意识形态领域的斗争具有长期性和复杂性，主要涉及不同主义、不同制度、不同道路和不同文化所形成的不同政治价值观、伦理道德观、历史文化观等诸多方面的激烈斗争。在新时代中国式现代化进程中，那些“马克思主义过时论”“三权分立论”“现代化就是西方化论”“传统文化无用论”“意识形态中立论”等错误论调，都会对我国主流意识形态的主导地位构成重大挑战，会导致意识形态领域出现重大政治风险。如果意识形态领域这块阵地守不住，就会出现社会主义制度变质变色变味的根本性、全局性、灾难性问题。只有坚持党的文化领导权，才能确保党在意识形态领域的指导地位不动摇，确保社会主义核心价值观处于主导地位，确保中国式现代化理论深入人心并化作巨大的实践伟力，确保在坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合的同时又同中华优秀传统文化相结合，坚守住中华民族的文化主体性，夯实全党全国各族人民团结奋斗的共同思想基础。在今天这个经济全球化、文化多元化、信息网络化这三大发展趋势相互交织和相互影响，对全球的社会经济结构、文化价值观产生广泛而深刻影响的时代，发展机遇和风险挑战并存，我国以社会主义意识形态安全为内核的文化安全问题显得尤为突出和重要。与传统意义上的国家主权安全、领土安全、国防安全以及经济安全、食品安全、交通安全、人身安全等一些可感可触的硬性安全不同，以社会主义意识形态安全为内核的文化安全则是一种处于精神文化价值层面的看不见、摸不着的隐性和软性安全。社会主义意识形态安全在国家总体安全中处于最为隐蔽和最为重要的地位，犹如国家安全的心脏和大脑，事关国运兴衰、民族安危。我国社会主义意识形态安全主要是指党和国家通过加强文化建设确保马克思主义意识形态在国家精神文化价值体系中始终占据主流意识形态地位并充分发挥主导功能，确保中华优秀传统文化得以传承和创新，以利于为中国式现代化提供精神文化力量的支撑。习近平总书记指出：“守正，守的是马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位的根本制度，守的是‘两个结合’的根本要求，守的是中国共产党的文化领导权和中华民族的文化主体性。”因此，坚持党的文化领导权，是确保我国文化建设始终沿着社会主义方向前进、有效避免文化领域出现重大偏离和颠覆性失误的重要法宝。

The cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is not shaped solely through theoretical propaganda and subjective will, but is cultivated through the vivid practice of cultural construction. The cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is by no means abstract or empty; it is concrete and substantive, implemented in real, specific individuals, and manifested through the functioning of these individuals’ subjective practical activities. The relationship between the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation and the individual subjectivity of its citizens is one of the universal and the particular. Any universal is always embodied in the particular and must be expressed through the particular; without the particular, there is no universal. At the same time, every particular involves the universal; the particular is a particular within the universal and always reflects the universal. The cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is both a holistic spiritual-cultural existence and something expressed through the subjectivity of its citizens. Only by upholding the Party’s cultural leadership can cultural construction be consciously placed in a more prominent position, transforming the Party’s cultural leadership into a powerful cultural leading force. The Party’s cultural leadership is formed and functions under the effect of cultural leading force, and is manifested as influence and appeal through emphasis on leading, ability to lead, and skill in leading. The Party’s cultural leadership and the Party’s cultural leading force interact and generate each other in a two-way process. The Party’s cultural leadership determines the emergence and functioning of the Party’s cultural leading force, while the Party’s cultural leading force influences the Party’s cultural leadership. The Party’s cultural leading force is the Party’s capacity level for actively exercising cultural leadership power and for organizing, guiding, and steering the people’s participation in cultural construction. A strong Party cultural leading force will, in practice, transform into effective mobilization and organizational capacity for the broad masses, thereby, through strong cultural cohesion and centripetal force, enhancing the cultural confidence and cultural creativity of all citizens of the nation. By promoting the full expression of each individual’s subjectivity among the Chinese nation, it stimulates the powerful endogenous driving force and immense innovative vitality for the whole society to participate in cultural construction and to innovate and create advanced culture. In practice, it inherits and develops fine traditional Chinese culture, promotes revolutionary culture, develops advanced socialist culture, drives high-quality development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries, promotes cultural prosperity and flourishing in the New Era, continuously raises China’s cultural soft power, builds China into a great modern socialist country that is materially abundant and culturally-ethically advanced, better meets the people’s growing spiritual-cultural needs, enhances international discourse power and communication capacity, and elevates China’s cultural soft power by expanding the international influence of Chinese culture.

中华民族的文化主体性不是单凭理论宣传和主观意志就能塑造出来的，而是通过文化建设的生动实践培育出来的。中华民族的文化主体性绝不是抽象的、空洞的主体性，而是具体的、实在的主体性，是落实到现实的具体的人身上，通过现实的人的主体性实践活动的作用发挥而体现出来的。中华民族的文化主体性与中华民族国民的个体主体性是一般与个别的关系。任何一般总是寓于个别之中的，要通过个别体现出一般，如果没有个别也就没有一般。同时，任何个别都会涉及一般，个别是一般中的个别，都会体现出一般。中华民族的文化主体性，既是一种整体性的精神文化存在，又是通过中华民族国民的主体性表现出来的。只有坚持党的文化领导权，才能自觉地把文化建设摆在更加突出的位置，促使党的文化领导权转化为强大的文化领导力。党的文化领导权是在文化领导力作用下形成并发挥功能的，是在注重领导、能领导、会领导中体现出来的影响力和感召力。党的文化领导权与党的文化领导力是双向互动并双向生成的。党的文化领导权决定党的文化领导力的产生和作用发挥，党的文化领导力影响着党的文化领导权。党的文化领导力是党主动行使文化领导权力，对人民群众参与文化建设的组织、指导、引领的能力水平。强大的党的文化领导力会在实践中转化为对于广大人民群众的有效动员力和组织力，从而以强大的文化凝聚力和向心力，增强全民族所有国民的文化自信心和文化创造能力，通过促进中华民族每一个个体主体性的充分发挥，激发出全社会参与文化建设和创新创造先进文化的强大内生动力和巨大创新活力，在实践中传承好和发展好中华优秀传统文化，弘扬好革命文化，发展好社会主义先进文化，推动文化事业和文化产业得到高质量发展，促进新时代文化繁荣兴盛，不断提高我国的文化软实力，将我国建设成为物质富足和精神富有的社会主义现代化强国，更好地满足人民群众日益增长的精神文化需求，增强国际话语权和传播力，在扩大中华文化的国际影响力中提升我国文化软实力。

III. Upholding the “Two Integrations” is the Fundamental Path for Upholding the Cultural Subjectivity of the Chinese Nation

三、坚持“两个结合”是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本路径

The construction of a socialist cultural power is advanced under the guidance of Marxist theory and through the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. The cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is firmly established by upholding the soul of Marxism and the root of fine traditional Chinese culture. The practice of cultural construction proves that to uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to “always uphold the soul of Marxism and the root of fine traditional Chinese culture,”[9]9 This quotation is from Xi Jinping’s speech at the symposium on cultural heritage and cultural development in June 2023. and must always adhere to the “Two Integrations,” that is, upholding the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with fine traditional Chinese culture. This is the worldview and methodology for advancing the development of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, reflects the essence and objective laws of socialist cultural construction, is an important principle that must always be upheld in the practice of cultural construction, is also the fundamental path for promoting the upholding and development of the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, and is a powerful driving force for promoting the prosperity and flourishing of socialist culture.

社会主义文化强国建设是在马克思主义理论指导下，在促进中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展中推进的，中华民族的文化主体性是通过坚守马克思主义这个魂脉和中华优秀传统文化这个根脉而牢固地确立起来的。文化建设的实践证明，要坚守中华民族的文化主体性，就必须“始终坚守马克思主义这个魂脉、中华优秀传统文化这个根脉”，必须始终坚持“两个结合”，即坚持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，这是推进中国特色社会主义文化发展的世界观和方法论，反映了社会主义文化建设的本质和客观规律，是必须在文化建设实践中始终坚守的一条重要原则，也是促进中华民族的文化主体性得以坚守和发扬的根本路径，是推动社会主义文化繁荣兴盛的强大动力。

Upholding the “Two Integrations” is a major theoretical viewpoint first explicitly proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping in his important speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China. It endows Marxism with distinct contemporary characteristics, national characteristics, and practical characteristics, highlights the contemporary value of fine traditional Chinese culture, reveals the issues of how to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times and how to promote the development of fine traditional Chinese culture in a modern direction, clarifies the rationality, legitimacy, and inevitability of firm cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, correctly answers a series of major questions such as why to build socialist culture, what kind of socialist culture to build, and how to build socialist culture, reveals the profound foundation and significant value of enhancing cultural confidence and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, and powerfully promotes theoretical innovation and practical innovation. Subsequently, in many important speeches, General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly emphasized upholding the “Two Integrations” and provided a comprehensive and systematic exposition of upholding the “Two Integrations.”

坚持“两个结合”，是习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的重要讲话中首次明确提出的一个重大理论观点，既赋予马克思主义鲜明的时代特色、民族特色和实践特色，又突出了中华优秀传统文化的当代价值，揭示了如何推动马克思主义中国化时代化以及如何促进中华优秀传统文化朝着现代化方向发展的问题，道明了坚定文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性的合理性、正当性和必然性，正确地回答了为什么要建设社会主义文化、建设什么样的社会主义文化以及怎样建设社会主义文化等一系列重大课题，揭示了增强文化自信和坚守中华民族的文化主体性的深厚底蕴和重大价值，强有力地推动着理论创新和实践创新。此后，在多次重要讲话中，习近平总书记反复强调要坚持“两个结合”，并对坚持“两个结合”做了全面而系统的阐述。

The proposal and systematic theoretical exposition of the “Two Integrations” is a significant achievement demonstrating the scientific system, original contributions, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought. It is also an important symbol reflecting the distinctive feature of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought as “understanding the substance and applying it, with substance and application interlinked,”[10]10 “明体达用、体用贯通” (ming ti da yong, ti yong guan tong) is a classical Chinese philosophical formulation, here used to characterize Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought as integrating fundamental principles (ti) with their practical application (yong). highlighting the high regard that the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their main representative, hold for Marxism as the guiding ideology and for fine traditional Chinese culture. It further enriches and develops the profound connotation and practical pathways for Marxism to integrate into practice, into the times, into people’s hearts, and into the national spirit. It reflects the inheritance and promotion of fine traditional Chinese culture, which has a long historical tradition and broad and profound theoretical content. It demonstrates the mission and responsibility of building a socialist cultural power with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner. It helps us to maintain strategic resolve in building a socialist cultural power, to uphold and consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological domain, to utilize the valuable ideological resources of Chinese culture, to consolidate the due dominant position of the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, to powerfully advance the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, to promote the continuous creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture along with the practice of Chinese-path modernization, and to better enrich the practical content of Chinese-path modernization and the new form of human civilization.

“两个结合”的提出和理论上的系统性阐述，是展示习近平文化思想的科学体系、原创性贡献和实践要求的一大显著成果，也是反映习近平文化思想“明体达用、体用贯通”这一鲜明特征的重要标志，彰显了以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人对马克思主义指导思想以及对中华优秀传统文化的高度重视，进一步丰富和发展了马克思主义融入实践、融入时代、融入人心、融入民族精神的深刻内涵和实践途径，体现了对有着源远流长的历史传统和博大精深的理论内容的中华优秀传统文化的传承和发扬，展示了建设具有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派的社会主义文化强国的使命担当；有助于我们在建设社会主义文化强国中始终保持战略定力，坚持和巩固马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位，利用好中华文化的宝贵思想资源，巩固好中华民族的文化主体性应有的主体地位，强有力地推进马克思主义中国化时代化，推动中华优秀传统文化随着中国式现代化实践而不断得到创造性转化和创新性发展，更好地增添中国式现代化和人类文明新形态的实践内容。

From the perspective of the relationship and significance of adhering to the “Two Integrations”[11]11 The “Two Integrations” (两个结合) refers to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture, a key formulation in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is a matter of great importance concerning political stance and fundamental principles, a proposition with distinct ideological attributes, and also a major practical proposition concerning the success or failure of Chinese-path modernization. For Chinese culture to stand firm, remain stable, and go far while facing modernization, the world, and the future, it is necessary both to fully leverage the guiding role of Marxism and to uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. The firm establishment of the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation requires the guidance of scientific theory and concrete measures to consolidate the foundation. In the “Two Integrations,” “the basic tenets of Marxism” is always the subject, the theoretical guidance and ideological leadership; “integration” is the concrete measure, the vivid practice, the intermediary linking theory and practice closely; the objects of integration with the basic tenets of Marxism are China’s specific realities and the fine traditional Chinese culture. The integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities highlights the use of the basic tenets of Marxism to observe and solve China’s specific practical problems; the fundamental method is to link theory with practice, proceed from reality in everything, and seek truth from facts. The integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with the fine traditional Chinese culture addresses the issues of Marxism taking root in China and how to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of the fine traditional Chinese culture. The “Two Integrations” are not a simple addition, producing not a simple “physical reaction,” but a “chemical reaction” that, through mutual interaction and mutual achievement, promotes the formation and development of a new cultural life-form. The basic tenets of Marxism are a scientific theory that fits China’s realities and aligns with the fine traditional Chinese culture, guiding China to achieve successful practices from the New Democratic Revolution to the socialist revolution, construction, reform, and opening up. This proves that Marxism is the guiding ideology for our Party’s founding and governance, and for the nation’s rise and prosperity; it suits China’s national conditions, conforms to the laws of the times’ development, and enjoys deep popular support, radiating powerful truth-force in practice. The basic tenets of Marxism are also principles that align with the value concepts of the fine traditional Chinese culture. Adhering to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with the fine traditional Chinese culture is a natural and inevitable objective result, and also a major opportunity for the creative transformation and innovative development of the fine traditional Chinese culture. Value concepts advocated by the fine traditional Chinese culture, such as “people-oriented,” “when the great Way prevails, the world is for all,” “the Way emulates nature, and heaven and humanity are one,” “upholding trust and fostering harmony,” “the benevolent love others,” “harmony generates things, sameness leads to stagnation,” “as Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so the noble person ceaselessly strives for self-improvement; as Earth’s disposition is solid and supportive, so the noble person cultivates virtue to carry all things,” and “when all under heaven love each other, order prevails; when they hate each other, chaos ensues,”[12]12 These are classical Chinese philosophical and ethical maxims drawn from texts such as the *Analects*, *Mencius*, *Daodejing*, *Book of Documents*, and *Zhuangzi*, among others, used here to illustrate alignment with Marxist concepts. are highly aligned with Marxist historical materialism, social development ideals, dialectical view of nature, and moral-ethical views, and have major practical significance for guiding socialist cultural construction and promoting the development of human civilization. Therefore, Marxism, as a scientific theory that profoundly reflects the laws of human social development, the laws of nature’s development, and the laws of people’s free and comprehensive development, did not suffer from “acclimatization problems” after being transmitted to China; instead, it took deep root in Chinese soil and effectively guided China’s practice. With the passage of time and the development of practice, Marxism has not become outdated; on the contrary, it increasingly shines with the brilliance of truth. Marxism cannot be discarded; once discarded, the soul-vein is lost; it must become a heirloom passed down through generations. The fine traditional Chinese culture is a witness to the continuous civilizational history of the Chinese nation over more than 5,000 years, a sedimentation of the deepest spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, containing the most fundamental spiritual-cultural genes and unique spiritual-cultural symbols of the Chinese nation, serving as the spiritual-cultural home and spiritual-cultural foundation of the Chinese nation, making indelible contributions to the progress of human civilization, and representing China’s strong cultural soft power and unique advantage. The fine traditional Chinese culture cannot be discarded; once discarded, the root-vein is lost; therefore, it is necessary to return to the source and open up the new, and keep pace with the times. Only by adhering to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the fine traditional Chinese culture can it be ensured that the cultural development of Chinese-path modernization is both steadily advanced under the guidance of Marxism and deeply rooted in the fine traditional Chinese culture, maintaining vigorous vitality by conforming to the people’s will, suiting national conditions, and staying grounded. In the organic integration where the soul-vein of Marxism and the root-vein of the fine traditional Chinese culture interpenetrate, it is ensured that socialist cultural construction can firmly base itself on China’s national conditions, face China’s realities, solve China’s problems, and form a cultural development path with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, it can effectively resist and overcome erroneous tendencies in the cultural field such as “historical nihilism” and “cultural revivalism,”[13]13 “Cultural revivalism” (文化复古主义) refers to a tendency to uncritically restore or exalt pre-modern Chinese traditions without adapting them to contemporary conditions, seen as an error opposite to historical nihilism. eliminate practices of blindly copying foreign cultural values and cultural construction models, resist strange arguments of cultural inferiority, self-abandonment, and self-destruction, as well as erroneous tendencies such as cultural isolationism and conservatism, actively prevent and defuse ideological risks, safeguard national cultural security, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of the fine traditional Chinese culture in the practice of Chinese-path modernization, so that the fine traditional Chinese culture continuously radiates new vitality in modern society, thereby firmly upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation through spiritual-cultural independence, initiative, and dynamic creativity.

从坚持“两个结合”对于坚守中华民族的文化主体性的关系以及意义来说，坚守中华民族的文化主体性，是一个事关重大的政治立场问题、根本原则问题，是一个具有鲜明意识形态属性的命题，也是一个事关中国式现代化成败得失的重大实践论命题。面向现代化、面向世界、面向未来的中华文化要立得住、站得稳、行得远，既需要充分发挥马克思主义的指导思想作用，又与坚守中华民族的文化主体性是分不开的。中华民族的文化主体性的牢固确立，需要科学理论的指导和固本强基的实际举措。在“两个结合”中，“马克思主义基本原理”始终是主语，是理论指导和思想引领，“结合”是实际举措，是生动实践，是将理论与实践紧密联系起来的中介，马克思主义基本原理所结合的对象是中国具体实际以及中华优秀传统文化。马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合，突出的是运用马克思主义基本原理去观察和解决中国具体实际问题，根本方法是理论联系实际，一切从实际出发，实事求是。马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，解决马克思主义扎根中国大地以及如何推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化和创新性发展问题。“两个结合”并不是简单相加，产生的不是简单的“物理反应”，而是在相互作用和相互成就后促进新的文化生命体形成与发展的“化学反应”。马克思主义基本原理是切合中国实际以及与中华优秀传统文化相契合的科学理论，指导中国取得了从新民主主义革命到社会主义革命、建设和改革开放的成功实践，这证明马克思主义是我们立党立国和兴党兴国的指导思想，适合中国国情、符合时代发展规律和深得人心，在实践中焕发出强大的真理性力量。马克思主义基本原理也是与中华优秀传统文化的价值理念具有契合性的原理，坚持马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，是顺理成章的一种客观必然性结果，也是中华优秀传统文化得以创造性转化和创新性发展的重大契机。中华优秀传统文化倡导的“以民为本”“大道之行也，天下为公”“道法自然，天人合一”“讲信修睦”“仁者爱人”“和实生物，同则不继”“天行健，君子以自强不息；地势坤，君子以厚德载物”“天下兼相爱则治，交相恶则乱”等价值理念，与马克思主义的唯物史观、社会发展理想、辩证自然观、道德伦理观等具有高度的契合性，对指导社会主义文化建设和促进人类文明发展具有重大现实意义。因此，马克思主义作为深刻地反映人类社会发展规律、自然界发展规律以及人的自由而全面发展规律的科学理论，传到中国后并没有出现水土不服现象，而是深深扎根于中国大地有效地指导中国的实践。随着时间的推移和实践的发展，马克思主义不但没有过时，相反，越来越闪耀着真理的光辉。马克思主义不能丢，一旦丢弃了，魂脉就没有了，必须成为世代相传的传家宝。中华优秀传统文化是5000多年中华民族连绵不断的文明历史的见证，是中华民族最深沉的精神追求的积淀，包含着中华民族最根本的精神文化基因和独特精神文化标识，是中华民族的精神文化家园和精神文化根基，为人类文明进步作出了不可磨灭的贡献，是我国的强大文化软实力和独特优势。中华优秀传统文化不能丢，一旦丢弃了，根脉就没有了，因此，必须返本开新和与时俱进。只有坚持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，才能确保中国式现代化的文化发展既始终在马克思主义的指导下扎实推进，又深深地扎根于中华优秀传统文化之中，在顺民心、合国情和接地气中始终保持旺盛的生机活力。在马克思主义这个魂脉和中华优秀传统文化这个根脉的脉脉相通有机结合中，确保社会主义文化建设能坚定地立足中国国情，面向中国实际，解决中国问题，形成具有中国特色的文化发展道路。同时，能够有效地抵制和克服文化领域的“历史虚无主义”和“文化复古主义”等错误倾向，杜绝盲目照抄照搬外来文化价值观和文化建设模式的做法，抵制文化自卑自弃和自毁自灭的怪论，以及文化封闭主义、保守主义等错误倾向，积极地防范和化解意识形态风险，捍卫国家文化安全，推动中华优秀传统文化在中国式现代化实践中得到创造性转化和创新性发展，使中华优秀传统文化在现代社会中不断焕发出新的生机活力，从而以精神文化上的独立自主性和能动创造性牢牢地坚守住中华民族的文化主体性。

The new cultural mission indicated by Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought is accomplished through cultural innovation. The reason why adhering to the “Two Integrations” is regarded as the fundamental path for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation also lies in the fact that the “Two Integrations” themselves are innovation, opening up a broad avenue of innovation and providing a worldview and methodology for guiding innovation. The emphasis on the “Two Integrations” in the New Era means that there must be greater intensity, more initiative, and more effective results in path innovation, theoretical innovation, institutional innovation, and cultural innovation; it means that Marxism will continuously develop and innovate in the process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times; it means that the fine traditional Chinese culture will radiate new vitality by continuously absorbing the nourishment of Marxist thought and theory. Adhering to the “Two Integrations” will promote greater conceptual renewal and ideological emancipation for the entire Chinese nation in the New Era, help us shoulder the new cultural mission of the New Era in a broader space for cultural innovation and more intense global cultural competition, and, with firm cultural confidence, conscious cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, and a subject’s enterprising spirit of ceaseless self-improvement and vigorous effort, fully utilize the precious intellectual resources of the basic tenets of Marxism and the fine traditional Chinese culture to discover new problems, study new situations, strive to create a new culture belonging to our era, and live up to this great era of innovation, which is constantly discarding the old and fostering the new.

习近平文化思想指明的新的文化使命是在文化创新中完成的。之所以将坚持“两个结合”作为坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本路径还在于，“两个结合”本身就是创新，开辟了宽广的创新大道，提供了指导创新的世界观和方法论。新时代强调“两个结合”，意味着要更大力度、更加主动、更有成效地进行道路创新、理论创新、制度创新、文化创新，意味着马克思主义在中国化时代化的进程中会不断发展和创新，意味着中华优秀传统文化会在不断汲取马克思主义思想理论养料中焕发出新的生机活力。坚持“两个结合”会促进整个中华民族在新时代有更大的观念更新和思想解放，有助于我们在更加广阔的文化创新空间中，在更加激烈的全球性文化竞争中，肩负起新时代新的文化使命，以坚定的文化自信、自觉的中华民族的文化主体性，以及自强不息、奋发有为的主体进取精神，充分运用马克思主义基本原理和中华优秀传统文化的宝贵思想资源，发现新问题，研究新情况，努力创造属于我们这个时代的新文化，以无愧于我们所处的这个不断革故鼎新、推陈出新的伟大创新时代。

IV. Promoting Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations Is the Fundamental Strategy for Upholding the Cultural Subjectivity of the Chinese Nation

四、促进文明交流互鉴是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本方略

The history of human civilization fully demonstrates that the progress and development of civilization are achieved through exchange and mutual learning, and the degree of such progress and development is often directly proportional to the degree of exchange and mutual learning. Exchange and mutual learning in the production of material goods drive tool innovation, technological improvement, and scientific advancement, promoting the development of material productive forces; exchange and mutual learning between spiritual cultures promote an increase in information, growth in knowledge, and progress in ideas, promoting the development of spiritual and cultural productive forces. Exchange and mutual learning among civilizations inject powerful momentum and fresh vitality into cultural development, driving culture toward prosperity and progress through mutual exchange and mutual achievement; this is the fundamental strategy for consolidating and enhancing the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. Historically, it was precisely through rich exchanges with other civilizations, through continuous absorption, integration, and innovation, that Chinese civilization formed a profound, extensive, and ever-renewing system of Chinese culture, thereby fully demonstrating the unique spiritual and cultural character and distinct cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. Today’s China is an open China; exchange and mutual learning among civilizations are more frequent, more diverse in form, and more remarkable in effect. A journey of ten thousand li can be started in the morning and reached by evening; conversations across oceans feel as if they are right before one’s eyes. The two-way operation of exchange and mutual learning among civilizations in the real world and in the cyber world drives the rapid development and profound transformation of material productive forces and spiritual and cultural productive forces, pushing human civilization steadily toward greater richness, diversity, and depth. The cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is expressed all the more prominently because of exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. One of the major requirements of the “seven efforts” [14]14 "Letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend" (百花齐放、百家争鸣) is a policy on culture and the arts first articulated by Mao Zedong in 1956, encouraging diversity in artistic and academic expression within the framework of socialism. proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping for the Party’s propaganda, ideological, and cultural work is to make efforts to strengthen the building of international communication capacity and promote exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. Under circumstances where global interactions and connections are ever closer, and where the space for cultural innovation and the ecology of cultural innovation are increasingly full of opportunities and challenges, promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations is not only an important component of the scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, but also a major theoretical contribution and practical requirement of that thought, and, moreover, the fundamental strategy for upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation.

人类文明史充分说明，文明进步发展是在交流互鉴中实现的，文明进步发展程度与交流互鉴程度往往成正比例关系。物质资料生产方面的交流互鉴推动着工具革新、工艺改进和科技进步，推动物质生产力发展；精神文化之间的交流互鉴促进信息增多、知识增长和观念进步，推动精神文化生产力发展。文明交流互鉴为文化发展注入强大动力和全新活力，推动文化在相互交流和相互成就中繁荣进步，是巩固和促进中华民族的文化主体性的根本方略。历史上，中华文明正是在与其他文明的丰富交流中不断吸收、融合和创新，才形成了博大精深、辉光日新的中华文化体系，从而也才充分显示出中华民族的独特精神文化品格和鲜明文化主体性。今天的中国是开放的中国，文明交流互鉴更加频繁、方式更加多样、成效更加显著。万里之程，朝发夕至；隔洋对话，如在眼前。现实世界的文明交流互鉴和网络世界的文明交流互鉴双向运行，推动物质生产力和精神文化生产力迅猛发展和深刻变革，促进人类文明不断朝着丰富性、多样性、深刻性方向发展。中华民族的文化主体性因为文明交流互鉴而更为突出地表现出来。习近平总书记对党的宣传思想文化工作提出的“七个着力”的重大要求之一，就是着力加强国际传播能力建设、促进文明交流互鉴。在全球交往联系更加紧密的情况下，在文化创新空间和文化创新生态越来越充满机遇与挑战的态势下，促进文明交流互鉴，既是习近平文化思想的科学体系的重要内容，也是习近平文化思想的一大理论贡献和实践要求，更是坚守中华民族的文化主体性的根本方略。

Promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations and upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation constitute a dialectical unity; upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation is realized in the process of promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. Exchange and mutual learning among civilizations drive the enhancement and development of the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. Lessons from both history and reality show that no matter how excellent a civilization was in the past, if it cut off exchange and mutual learning with the outside world, the water of civilization would inevitably run dry, and the flower of civilization would inevitably wither. The reason Chinese civilization has been able to develop continuously and enduringly for more than 5,000 years is precisely that the Chinese nation has always possessed the cultural confidence and cultural subjectivity to engage in exchange and mutual learning among civilizations and to draw widely on the strengths of others. The cultural value of “harmony in diversity” [15] is an important concept in traditional Chinese culture and an important intellectual wisdom and guide for action in the Chinese culture’s adeptness at exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. The Western Zhou thinker Shi Bo put forward the view that “harmony generates new things, while sameness leads to no continuation” [16], emphasizing that diverse cultural exchanges can promote mutual achievement, thereby achieving cultural prosperity and driving social progress in civilization. On this basis, Confucius proposed the view that “the gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity; the petty person seeks uniformity but not harmony” [17], holding that only by earnestly listening to and adopting different opinions and suggestions, and respecting the diversity of ideological and cultural viewpoints, can one become a gentleman. These profound insights guided the Chinese nation, in the process of upholding cultural subjectivity, to carry out proactive exchange and mutual learning among civilizations in order to promote the practical activities of its own civilizational enhancement.

促进文明交流互鉴与坚守中华民族的文化主体性是辩证统一的关系，坚守中华民族的文化主体性是在促进文明交流互鉴中实现的。文明交流互鉴推动着中华民族的文化主体性的提升和发展。历史和现实的经验教训都表明，历史上再优秀的文明，如果断绝了与外界的交流互鉴，文明之水必然断流，文明之花必然枯萎。中华文明5000多年之所以能绵延不断、经久不衰地发展，就在于中华民族一直具有文明交流互鉴、博采众长的文化自信和文化主体性。“和而不同”的文化价值观是中国传统文化的一个重要理念，是中华文化善于进行文明交流互鉴的重要思想智慧和行动指南。西周思想家史伯提出了“和实生物，同则不继”的观点，强调多样性文化交流能促进相互成就而达到文化繁荣，推动社会的文明进步。孔子在此基础上提出“君子和而不同，小人同而不和”的观点，认为只有认真听取和采纳不同的意见建议，尊重思想文化观点的多样性，才能成为君子。这些深刻见解，指导着中华民族在坚持文化主体性进程中开展积极主动的文明交流互鉴以促进自身文明提升的实践活动。

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture possesses a broad vision of exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, and has profoundly elaborated on global issues such as advocating exchange and mutual learning among different civilizations, promoting the common values of all humanity, and building a community with a shared future for mankind, demonstrating the humanistic sentiments and universal human feelings of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping has also profoundly elaborated on how to deeply understand the importance and necessity of strengthening and improving China’s international communication work under the new circumstances, and has put forward practical requirements such as shouldering the major historical task of presenting a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China, strengthening the building of international communication capacity, vigorously promoting integrity and innovation in international communication, enhancing China’s international discourse power and influence, and effectively carrying out guidance of international public opinion and ideological struggle. General Secretary Xi Jinping is deeply concerned with how to actively promote Chinese culture to go global, explaining and recommending to the world more outstanding culture with Chinese characteristics, embodying the Chinese spirit, and containing Chinese wisdom. He has profoundly elaborated on how to explain China’s views on development, civilization, security, human rights, ecology, international order, and global governance; how to transform China’s institutional advantages, organizational advantages, and human resource advantages into communication advantages, accelerate the building of a Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system, carry out various forms of people-to-people and cultural exchange activities in depth, enhance the effectiveness and affinity of international communication, and comprehensively improve the efficiency of international communication; and how to use the new ethos of the New Era to shape and purify cyberspace, and jointly build a beautiful spiritual home online. These elaborations provide ideological guidance and practical direction for promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations.

习近平文化思想具有开阔的文明交流互鉴视野，对倡导不同文明交流互鉴、弘扬全人类共同价值、构建人类命运共同体等全球性问题进行了深刻阐述，彰显出习近平文化思想的人文情怀和人类情怀。习近平总书记还就如何深刻认识新形势下加强和改进我国国际传播工作的重要性和必要性进行了深刻阐述，提出了要围绕担当起展示真实、立体、全面的中国这一重大历史任务，加强国际传播能力建设，大力推进国际传播守正创新，提升我国国际话语权和影响力，有效开展国际舆论引导和舆论斗争等实践要求。习近平总书记十分关心如何积极推动中华文化走出去，向全世界阐释推介更多具有中国特色、体现中国精神、蕴藏中国智慧的优秀文化问题，就如何阐述好我国的发展观、文明观、安全观、人权观、生态观、国际秩序观和全球治理观，如何把我国的制度优势、组织优势、人力优势转化为传播优势，加快构建中国话语和中国叙事体系、深入开展各种形式的人文交流活动、增强国际传播的实效性和亲和力、全面提升国际传播效能，如何以新时代新风塑造和净化网络空间，共建网络美好精神家园等进行了深刻阐述，为促进文明交流互鉴提供了思想指导和实践遵循。

Regarding the ways in which exchange and mutual learning among civilizations promote cultural development, General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly elaborated from the perspective of how the exchange and mutual learning of diverse cultures within the Chinese nation promotes civilizational progress, and how Chinese civilization, through exchange and mutual learning with world civilizations, promotes the development of human civilization. With a profound historical consciousness, he has revealed the driving forces and basic laws of civilizational progress and development. On the one hand, the exchange and mutual learning among the diverse cultures of the Chinese nation itself has promoted the development of Chinese culture in a direction that is both unified and diverse. In this regard, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The reason Chinese culture is so splendid and profound lies precisely in its inclusive character of absorbing everything. Unfolding the long scroll of history, from King Wuling of Zhao adopting the clothing and cavalry of the Hu people [18], to Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei carrying out sinicization reforms [19]; from ‘every household in Luoyang learning Hu music’ to ‘all the Qiang people singing Han songs across ten thousand li’; from frontier ethnic groups adopting ‘upper garments and lower skirts’ and ‘elegant songs and Confucian attire’ to the Central Plains’ prevalence of ‘upper garments and lower trousers’ and Hu-style clothing and hats, as well as the lion dances, huqin, and qipao [20] seen everywhere today—all these demonstrate the mutual learning and integration of the cultures of various ethnic groups. The cultures of all ethnic groups shine upon each other, and Chinese culture is ever new through the ages; this is the root of our strong cultural confidence today.” On the other hand, the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese culture and world cultures has both enriched Chinese civilization itself and promoted the progress and development of world civilization: “Civilizations become colorful through exchange, and civilizations become rich through mutual learning. Any civilization, no matter in which country or which nation’s social soil it arises, is fluid and open. This is an important law of the spread and development of civilization. In the long process of evolution, Chinese civilization has obtained rich nourishment from exchanges with other civilizations, and has also made important contributions to the progress of human civilization. The opening of the Silk Road, the large numbers of envoys sent to Sui and Tang China, the westward journeys of Faxian and Xuanzang to seek scriptures, and Zheng He’s seven voyages to the Western Seas [21] are all vivid examples of exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations. Confucianism was originally a Chinese body of learning, but it has long since gone global and become a part of human civilization.” These vivid and rich important expositions by General Secretary Xi Jinping help deepen our understanding of the importance and necessity

对于文明交流互鉴促进文化发展的方式，习近平总书记从中华民族多样性文化交流互鉴促进文明进步以及中华文明在与世界文明交流互鉴中推动人类文明发展的角度进行了深刻阐述，以深厚的历史意识揭示了文明进步发展的动力和基本规律。一方面，中华民族自身多样性文化之间的交流互鉴，促进了中华文化朝着既具有统一性又具有多样性的方向发展。对此，习近平总书记指出：“中华文化之所以如此精彩纷呈、博大精深，就在于它兼收并蓄的包容特性。展开历史长卷，从赵武灵王胡服骑射，到北魏孝文帝汉化改革；从‘洛阳家家学胡乐’到‘万里羌人尽汉歌’；从边疆民族习用‘上衣下裳’‘雅歌儒服’，到中原盛行‘上衣下裤’、胡衣胡帽，以及今天随处可见的舞狮、胡琴、旗袍等，展现了各民族文化的互鉴融通。各族文化交相辉映，中华文化历久弥新，这是今天我们强大文化自信的根源。”另一方面，中华文化与世界文化的交流互鉴，既丰富了中华文明自身又推动着世界文明的进步发展，“文明因交流而多彩，文明因互鉴而丰富。任何一种文明，不管它产生于哪个国家、哪个民族的社会土壤之中，都是流动的、开放的。这是文明传播和发展的一条重要规律。在长期演化过程中，中华文明从与其他文明的交流中获得了丰富营养，也为人类文明进步作出了重要贡献。丝绸之路的开辟，遣隋遣唐使大批来华，法显、玄奘西行取经，郑和七下远洋等，都是中外文明交流互鉴的生动事例。儒学本是中国的学问，但也早已走向世界，成为人类文明的一部分”。习近平总书记这些生动而丰富的重要论述，有助于我们加深对于文明交流互鉴的重要性、必要性的认识，也有助于提高我们促进文明交流互鉴的能力水平。

Thus it can be seen that the reason why promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations helps to uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation lies in the fact that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are not simple imitation or copying, but rather require maintaining the subjectivity, uniqueness, and richness of one's own culture in the process of such exchanges and mutual learning, continuously carrying out creative activities of discarding the outdated and bringing forth the new in civilization, and forming a cultural development mode, development path, and development achievements with Chinese characteristics. Chinese civilization is a civilization that advances with the times. Only by strengthening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations can it develop and grow stronger amid the "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend"[14]14 "Letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend" (百花齐放、百家争鸣) is a policy on culture and the arts first articulated by Mao Zedong in 1956, encouraging diversity in artistic and academic expression within the framework of socialism. of its own diverse cultures, and can it also continuously absorb all the outstanding achievements of human civilization, promote the integration, interaction, and mutual achievement of traditional culture and modern culture, regional civilizations and global civilizations, constantly enrich its own cultural connotations, stimulate the driving force and vitality of the entire nation's cultural innovation and creation, raise the level of cultural development and civilizational progress, and thereby achieve the goal of continuously upholding the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation. At the same time, this also helps to firmly uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation in the process of promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and continuously enhancing the international influence of Chinese culture.

由此可见，促进文明交流互鉴之所以有助于坚守中华民族的文化主体性，就在于文明交流互鉴并不是简单模仿或照搬，而是要在文明交流互鉴中保持自身文化的主体性、独特性和丰富性，不断进行推陈出新的文明创造活动，形成具有中国特色的文化发展方式、发展道路和发展成果。中华文明是与时俱进的文明，只有加强文明交流互鉴，才能在自身多样性文化“百花齐放、百家争鸣”中发展壮大，也才能不断地吸收人类文明的一切优秀成果，推动实现传统文化与现代文化、区域文明与全球文明的交融互动并相互成就，不断丰富自身的文化内涵，激发全民族的文化创新创造的动力和活力，提升文化发展和文明进步水平，从而达到不断坚守中华民族的文化主体性的目的。同时，这也有助于在促进文明交流互鉴和不断提升中国文化的国际影响力进程中牢牢地坚守住中华民族的文化主体性。

(The author is a Distinguished Professor at Soochow University, a doctoral supervisor at the School of Marxism of Soochow University, and a chief expert at the Dongwu Think Tank of Soochow University)

（作者系苏州大学特聘教授，苏州大学马克思主义学院博士生导师，苏州大学东吴智库首席专家）

Online editor: Ma Jingren

网络编辑：马京仁