Painting the Picture of the Era with Distinctive Concepts — The “Background Color” Emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping

“Background color” originally refers to the first layer of coloring in a painting, and it is also the hue that determines the overall tone of the entire work, metaphorically representing the most important and least changeable essential attribute of each thing. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly used the figurative expression “background color” on various occasions. Deeply studying and comprehending the essential meanings contained within it helps us to always bear in mind the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission, and to devote ourselves to the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era with a more resolute and more conscious posture.

“底色”原意为绘画时的第一层着色，也是决定整幅画作色调的颜色，代指每个事物中最重要的、最不易改变的本质属性。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记在不同场合多次运用“底色”这一形象表达。深入学习领悟其中所蕴含的精华要义，有助于我们时刻牢记党的初心使命，以更加坚定、更加自觉的姿态投身新时代中国特色社会主义事业。

On May 2, 2018, during an inspection at Peking University, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology for our Party and our country, and it is also the most vivid background color of our universities. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Marx’s birth, and in the hearts of people around the world, Marx remains the greatest thinker to this day. Higher education institutions are an important force among the “five armies” [1]1 The “five armies” (五路大军) refers to the five main sectors of philosophy and social sciences research in China: universities, Party schools, research institutes, military academies, and policy research departments. of philosophy and social sciences in our country. On the journey of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the Party and the state have a more urgent need for higher education than ever before. To build world-class universities with socialism with Chinese characteristics and cultivate pillars of rejuvenation and pioneers of national strength for socialism, we must firmly grasp the correct political direction in running schools, ensure the dominant position of Marxism in the ideological sphere of higher education, and strive to build universities into strong bastions for studying and propagating Marxism. While brightening the vivid Marxist background color of our universities, we must take root in China’s unique history, unique culture, and unique national conditions, adhere to the Two Integrations, continuously advance knowledge innovation, theoretical innovation, and methodological innovation, accelerate the construction of China’s independent knowledge system, and transform confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, confidence in the system, and confidence in the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics into confidence in running world-class universities with Chinese characteristics, truly achieving the goal of educating people for the Party and cultivating talents for the country.

2018年5月2日，习近平总书记在北京大学考察时强调，马克思主义是我们立党立国的根本指导思想，也是我国大学最鲜亮的底色。今年是马克思诞辰200周年，在世界人民心目中马克思至今依然是最伟大的思想家。高校是我国哲学社会科学“五路大军”中的重要力量，在全面推进中华民族伟大复兴的征程中，党和国家对高等教育的需求比以往任何时候都更为迫切。建设世界一流的中国特色社会主义大学，为社会主义培养复兴栋梁、强国先锋，应牢牢把握办学正确政治方向，确保马克思主义在高校意识形态领域的主导地位，努力把高校建设成为学习和宣传马克思主义的坚强阵地。在擦亮我国高校马克思主义鲜亮底色的同时，必须扎根于中国独特的历史、独特的文化、独特的国情，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，不断推进知识创新、理论创新、方法创新，加快构建中国自主的知识体系，把中国特色社会主义道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信转化为办好中国特色世界一流大学的自信，真正做到为党育人、为国育才。

On May 18, 2018, at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized comprehensively promoting green development. Green is a symbol of life, the background color of nature, and even more so the foundation of a better life and the expectation of the people. Promoting green development and fostering harmony between humanity and nature are important features of Chinese-path modernization, an inherent requirement for advancing the construction of a Beautiful China, and an internal demand for meeting the people’s needs for a better life. Facts have proven that promoting green, low-carbon development and pursuing high-quality development are unified and consistent in essence and goals; the two complement and reinforce each other. We can neither sacrifice the ecological environment for the sake of economic development nor abandon economic development on the pretext of environmental protection. The key to balancing ecological and environmental protection with economic development lies in planning development from the perspective of harmony between humanity and nature, continuously deepening the understanding of the laws of ecological civilization construction, seizing the source of resource utilization and the key of industrial structure adjustment, supporting high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment, achieving the greatest economic benefits with the least environmental cost, shouldering the responsibility that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” and realizing the green development miracle of production growth, affluent living, and a sound ecology.

2018年5月18日，习近平总书记在全国生态环境保护大会上强调，全面推动绿色发展。绿色是生命的象征、大自然的底色，更是美好生活的基础、人民群众的期盼。推动绿色发展，促进人与自然和谐共生，是中国式现代化的重要特征之一，也是推进美丽中国建设的应有之义，还是满足人民美好生活需要的内在要求。事实证明，推动绿色低碳发展和走高质量发展之路，在本质上、目标上具有统一性和一致性，二者相辅相成、相得益彰。我们既不能为了追求经济发展而牺牲生态环境，也不能以保护环境为理由而放弃经济发展。兼顾生态环境保护和经济发展，关键在于站在人与自然和谐共生的高度谋划发展，不断深化对生态文明建设规律的认识，抓住资源利用这个源头和产业结构调整这个关键，以高品质生态环境支撑高质量发展，用最少的环境代价取得最大的经济效益，扛起“绿水青山就是金山银山”的责任，实现生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的绿色发展奇迹。

On May 28, 2021, at the joint conference of the 20th Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the 15th Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 10th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the New Era requires even more the inheritance and promotion of the patriotic spirit that takes the destiny of the nation and the country as its own responsibility, and the continued development of the scientist spirit with patriotism as its background color. Patriotism, as an important component of the scientist spirit, is the source of virtue and the foundation of achievement for scientific researchers, and even more so the core of the Chinese national spirit. A person cannot stand without spirit. The achievement of scientific research results cannot be separated from the accumulation of knowledge and the arduous exploration of the unknown world, nor can it be separated from the spiritual driving force that inspires exploration. Promoting the scientist spirit with patriotism as its background color is not only an objective need for the development of scientific and technological innovation but also a concrete manifestation of shouldering the heavy responsibilities of the era. To accelerate the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, fully implement the innovation-driven development strategy, and build a world-leading scientific and technological power, it requires the vast majority of scientific researchers to firmly establish the patriotic background color of cherishing the motherland and serving the people, forge the excellent qualities of scaling new heights and seeking no fame or fortune in overcoming difficulties, take meeting the needs of the country and the people as the starting point of scientific and technological work, combine scientific research results with social development, write papers on the land of the motherland, use the self-reliance and self-strengthening of Chinese scientists to uphold the backbone of the nation, and use the achievements of scientific and technological innovation to support the hope of the nation.

2021年5月28日，习近平总书记在中国科学院第二十次院士大会、中国工程院第十五次院士大会、中国科协第十次全国代表大会上强调，新时代更需要继承发扬以国家民族命运为己任的爱国主义精神，更需要继续发扬以爱国主义为底色的科学家精神。爱国主义作为科学家精神的重要内容，是科研工作者的立德之源、立功之本，更是中华民族精神的核心。人无精神不立。科研成果的取得离不开知识的积累和对未知世界的艰辛探索，更离不开启迪探索的精神原动力。发扬以爱国主义为底色的科学家精神，这既是科技创新发展的客观需要，也是肩负时代重任的具体表现。加快实现高水平科技自立自强，全面实施创新驱动发展战略、建设世界科技强国，要求广大科研工作者筑牢胸怀祖国、服务人民的爱国主义底色，在攻坚克难中铸就勇攀高峰、淡泊名利的优秀品质，把满足国家需求和人民需要作为科技工作的出发点，将科研成果同社会发展相结合，把论文写在祖国大地上，用中国科学家的自立自强挺起民族的脊梁，用科技创新成果托举民族的希望。

On June 25, 2021, during the 31st collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that red is the most vivid background color of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China. On the vast land of our country, covering over 9.6 million square kilometers, red resources are scattered like stars in the sky. In the great course of the Party uniting and leading the Chinese people in a century of struggle, the red bloodline has been passed down from generation to generation. The red bloodline is the concentrated embodiment of the political essence of the Communist Party of China and the source of spiritual strength for Chinese Communists in the New Era. The purpose of continuing the red bloodline is to carry forward the Party’s fine traditions and use them as the spiritual driving force for learning from history and creating the future. On the new journey of the New Era, the vast majority of Party members and cadres should use the great founding spirit of the Party [2]2 The great founding spirit of the Party (伟大建党精神) refers to the spirit of the founding of the Communist Party of China, officially summarized as: upholding truth,坚守理想,践行初心,担当使命,不怕牺牲,英勇斗争,对党忠诚,不负人民. to nourish their Party spirit, inherit the courage of Chinese Communists to charge into battle, the ambition to transform heaven and earth, and the confidence to decide the future, take firming up ideals and convictions as a lifelong task, take cultivating feelings for the people as a value orientation, take carrying forward glorious traditions as a driving force for development, integrate the red gene into their blood and forge it into their soul, become practitioners and guardians of red stories, and ensure that the red river traverses time and space, remaining ever new.

2021年6月25日，习近平总书记在十九届中央政治局第三十一次集体学习时强调，红色是中国共产党、中华人民共和国最鲜亮的底色，在我国960多万平方公里的广袤大地上红色资源星罗棋布，在我们党团结带领中国人民进行百年奋斗的伟大历程中红色血脉代代相传。红色血脉是中国共产党政治本色的集中体现，是新时代中国共产党人的精神力量源泉。赓续红色血脉的目的在于弘扬党的优良传统，将党的优良传统作为以史为鉴、开创未来的精神动力。在新时代新征程上，广大党员干部要用伟大建党精神滋养党性修养，传承中国共产党人冲锋陷阵的勇气、改天换地的志气、决胜未来的底气，把坚定理想信念作为终身课题，把厚植为民情怀作为价值取向，把弘扬光荣传统作为发展动力，将红色基因融入血脉、铸进灵魂，当好红色故事的实践者、守护者，让红色长河穿越时空、历久弥新。

On May 10, 2022, at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that struggle is the most vivid background color of youth, and action is the most effective tempering for young people. Only with responsibility and a sense of duty can youth shine. Youth is always new, possessing the greatest enthusiasm for innovation and the strongest driving force for innovation. The development of the cause of the Party and the people cannot be separated from the dedicated struggle of generations of aspiring youth. Only when youth is highly aligned with the cause of the Party and the people can the spectrum of youth be broader and the energy of youth be fully unleashed. A nation will prosper when its young people thrive; a country will be strong when its young people are strong. Youth are the future of the motherland, the hope of the nation, the future and hope of the Party, and an indispensable pioneering force in national rejuvenation. Chinese youth in the New Era are born in the best period of the Chinese nation’s development, possessing rare life opportunities to make achievements and also shouldering the great mission of the era to realize the dream of rejuvenation. Over a century of continuous struggle, the responsibility for rejuvenation is placed on contemporary youth, and the glorious mission belongs to contemporary youth. Chinese youth are stepping up to shoulder their responsibilities; only through struggle can they live up to the prosperity of the era and the expectations of the country. The vast majority of young people should integrate their life struggles into the torrent of the New Era, grow strong in serving the people, temper their will and character in arduous struggle, cultivate deep feelings for the family and the country, and ensure that the Party’s cause is passed on from generation to generation and that national rejuvenation is sustained and developed.

2022年5月10日，习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产主义青年团成立100周年大会上强调，奋斗是青春最亮丽的底色，行动是青年最有效的磨砺。有责任有担当，青春才会闪光。青年是常为新的，最具创新热情，最具创新动力。党和人民事业发展离不开一代又一代有志青年的拼搏奉献。只有当青春同党和人民事业高度契合时，青春的光谱才会更广阔，青春的能量才能充分迸发。青年兴则国家兴，青年强则国家强。青年是祖国的未来、民族的希望，也是党的未来和希望，更是民族复兴中不可或缺的先锋力量。新时代中国青年生逢中华民族发展的最好时期，拥有着建功立业的难得人生际遇，也肩负着圆梦复兴的伟大时代使命。百年接续，复兴的责任赋予当代青年，光荣的使命属于当代青年，中国青年挺膺担当正当时，唯奋斗才不辜负时代之盛、国家之期。广大青年应该把人生奋斗汇入新时代的洪流，在为人民服务中茁壮成长、在艰苦奋斗中砥砺意志品质，厚植家国情怀，确保党的事业薪火相传、民族复兴永续发展。

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧