To Uphold and Develop Marxism, It Must Be Integrated with China’s Fine Traditional Culture

General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed: “China’s fine traditional culture is the ‘root’ of our Party’s innovative theories” and “Right now we must do this with full confidence and pride—to excavate and integrate China’s fine traditional culture, and truly realize adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.” The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC states: “To uphold and develop Marxism, it must be integrated with China’s fine traditional culture.” [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022. Its report is a key political document outlining the Party’s line and policies for the next five years. Proposing the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture further deepens our Party’s understanding of the laws governing the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, manifests the firm cultural confidence and cultural consciousness of Chinese Communists, and carries major theoretical and practical significance.

习近平总书记强调：“中华优秀传统文化是我们党创新理论的‘根’”“我们现在就是要理直气壮、很自豪地去做这件事，去挖掘、去结合中华优秀传统文化，真正实现马克思主义中国化时代化”。党的二十大报告提出：“坚持和发展马克思主义，必须同中华优秀传统文化相结合。”提出把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，进一步深化了我们党对推进马克思主义中国化时代化的规律性认识，彰显了中国共产党人坚定的文化自信与文化自觉，具有重大理论意义和现实意义。

Only by not forgetting history can we open up the future; only by being good at inheriting can we be good at innovating. Marx pointed out that people make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. After Marxism was introduced into China, the propositions of scientific socialism were warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and ultimately took root, blossomed and bore fruit on Chinese soil. This was no accident; it was made possible by the integration of Marxism with the excellent historical culture that China has inherited over several millennia and with the value concepts that the broad masses of the people use daily without conscious awareness. The value concepts of China’s fine traditional culture are highly compatible with the value propositions of scientific socialism, and this provides the prerequisite condition for the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture.

不忘历史才能开辟未来，善于继承才能善于创新。马克思指出，人们自己创造自己的历史，但是他们并不是随心所欲地创造，并不是在他们自己选定的条件下创造，而是在直接碰到的、既定的、从过去承继下来的条件下创造。马克思主义传入中国后，科学社会主义的主张受到中国人民热烈欢迎，并最终扎根中国大地、开花结果，决不是偶然的，而是同我国传承了几千年的优秀历史文化和广大人民日用而不觉的价值观念融通的。中华优秀传统文化的价值观念同科学社会主义价值观主张具有高度契合性，这为马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合提供了前提条件。

General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed: “Without the five-thousand-year Chinese civilization, where would Chinese characteristics come from? And without Chinese characteristics, how could we have the successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that we have today?” “The fact that China has taken this path is inseparable from Chinese culture. The inner genetic code of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that we are taking lies precisely here—it has the gene of China’s fine traditional culture.” China’s fine traditional culture profoundly influences the choice of the Chinese path, the development of Chinese theory, and the construction of the Chinese system; it profoundly influences the promotion of the Chinese spirit, the building of Chinese values, and the gathering of Chinese strength. For example, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the national governance system have a deep foundation in Chinese culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “What kind of state system and national governance system a country chooses is determined by its history, culture, social nature, and level of economic development.” Over thousands of years of historical development, the Chinese nation has created a splendid Chinese civilization and formed a rich body of thought on state systems and national governance. The essence of this thought is an important part of China’s fine traditional culture and a key component of the Chinese national spirit, providing rich cultural nourishment for the formation of our country’s state system and national governance system. Ideas and values in China’s fine traditional culture—such as “As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive for self-improvement,” “Every individual is responsible for the rise and fall of the nation,” “The benevolent person loves others,” “Be kind to others,” and “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself”—possess distinct national characteristics and timeless contemporary value, whether in the past or the present. [2]2 These four classical allusions are drawn from the Confucian tradition and other classical Chinese texts: “As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous…” from the *Book of Changes* (Yijing); “Every individual is responsible…” from Gu Yanwu’s *Record of Daily Knowledge* (Rizhi lu); “The benevolent person loves others” from the *Analects* of Confucius; “Do not do to others…” also from the *Analects*. Since entering the New Era, we have promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture, deeply excavating and elucidating the contemporary value of concepts such as “the world is shared by all,” “the people are the foundation of the state,” “governing with virtue,” “discarding the old and establishing the new,” “appointing people on their merits,” “harmony between humanity and nature,” “ceaseless self-improvement,” “great virtue carries all things,” “cultivating trust and good-neighborliness,” and “being friendly and benevolent toward neighbors.” [3]3 These eight four-character phrases are classical Chinese political and ethical ideals, drawn from sources such as the *Book of Rites* (Liji), the *Analects*, the *Mencius*, and the *Book of Documents* (Shangshu). They have been officially promoted as part of the creative transformation of traditional culture. This has made China’s fine traditional culture an important source for nurturing the core socialist values, and we continuously merge the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of China’s fine traditional culture.

习近平总书记强调：“如果没有中华五千年文明，哪里有什么中国特色？如果不是中国特色，哪有我们今天这么成功的中国特色社会主义道路？”“中国走上这条道路，跟中国文化密不可分。我们走的中国特色社会主义道路，它内在的基因密码就在这里，有中华优秀传统文化这个基因。”中华优秀传统文化深刻影响中国道路的选择、中国理论的发展、中国制度的建构，深刻影响中国精神的弘扬、中国价值的构筑、中国力量的汇聚。比如，中国特色社会主义制度和国家治理体系具有深厚中华文化根基。习近平总书记指出：“一个国家选择什么样的国家制度和国家治理体系，是由这个国家的历史文化、社会性质、经济发展水平决定的。”在几千年的历史发展中，中华民族创造了灿烂的中华文明，形成了关于国家制度和国家治理的丰富思想。这些思想中的精华是中华优秀传统文化的重要组成部分，也是中华民族精神的重要内容，为我国国家制度和国家治理体系的形成提供了丰厚的文化滋养。中华优秀传统文化中的“天行健，君子以自强不息”“天下兴亡，匹夫有责”“仁者爱人”“与人为善”“己所不欲，勿施于人”等思想理念、价值观念，不论过去还是现在，都有其鲜明的民族特色，都有其永不褪色的时代价值。进入新时代以来，我们推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展，深入挖掘和阐发中华优秀传统文化中天下为公、民为邦本、为政以德、革故鼎新、任人唯贤、天人合一、自强不息、厚德载物、讲信修睦、亲仁善邻等的时代价值，使中华优秀传统文化成为涵养社会主义核心价值观的重要源泉，不断把马克思主义思想精髓同中华优秀传统文化精华贯通起来。

China’s fine traditional culture is the root and soul of the Chinese nation, the crystallization of the wisdom and the essence of Chinese civilization. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese people, subtly influencing their ways of thinking and behavior, and serves as a rich nourishment for upholding and developing Marxism and advancing the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Only by proceeding from history toward the future, and by forging ahead while continuing the cultural bloodline of the nation, can we accomplish today’s undertakings.” Only by continuously consolidating the historical and mass foundations for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times can we make Marxism take deep root in China. Over the past century and more, in the process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, the compatibility between China’s fine traditional culture and the value propositions of scientific socialism has become increasingly prominent. Sinicized Marxism, by fully absorbing the characteristics and essence of China’s fine traditional culture, has acquired more Chinese features, Chinese style, and Chinese manner; China’s fine traditional culture, through the truth power of Marxism, has acquired new contemporary features, contemporary spirit, and contemporary connotations.

中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的根和魂，是中华文明的智慧结晶和精华所在，深深植根于中国人内心之中，潜移默化影响着中国人的思想方式和行为方式，是坚持和发展马克思主义、推进马克思主义中国化时代化的丰厚滋养。习近平总书记指出：“只有坚持从历史走向未来，从延续民族文化血脉中开拓前进，我们才能做好今天的事业。”只有不断夯实马克思主义中国化时代化的历史基础和群众基础，才能让马克思主义在中国牢牢扎根。一百多年来，在马克思主义中国化时代化进程中，中华优秀传统文化同科学社会主义价值观主张的契合性不断凸显。中国化马克思主义因充分汲取中华优秀传统文化的特质和精华而更加具有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派；中华优秀传统文化因马克思主义的真理力量而具有新的时代特征、时代精神、时代内涵。

On the new journey, we must continuously strengthen our historical confidence and cultural confidence, further deepen our understanding of the Two Integrations, and continuously enhance the ideological consciousness and action consciousness of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture. [4]4 The Two Integrations (两个结合) refers to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture, first formally proposed by Xi Jinping in his July 1, 2021 speech marking the centenary of the CPC. We must deeply excavate the philosophical thought, humanistic spirit, value concepts, and moral norms contained in China’s fine traditional culture, develop through inheritance and innovate while upholding fundamental principles, better merge the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of China’s fine traditional culture and integrate it with the common value concepts that the masses of the people use daily without conscious awareness, and continuously endow the Party’s innovative theories with distinct Chinese characteristics.

新征程上，我们要不断坚定历史自信、文化自信，进一步深化对“两个结合”的认识，不断增强把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的思想自觉和行动自觉，深入挖掘中华优秀传统文化中蕴含的哲学思想、人文精神、价值理念、道德规范，在继承中发展、在守正中创新，更好把马克思主义思想精髓同中华优秀传统文化精华贯通起来、同人民群众日用而不觉的共同价值观念融通起来，不断赋予党的创新理论鲜明的中国特色。

Online editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗