The Humanistic Implications of China’s Cultural Modernization and Its Construction Path

Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great cause of comprehensive development and all-round progress. Without the flourishing and development of socialist culture, there can be no socialist modernization.” Culture is the soul of a country and a nation. Cultural construction is a major matter concerning the raising of banners, the gathering of people’s hearts, the nurturing of new generations, and the display of the national image; at no time can it be taken lightly. At the same time, “as an important aspect and developmental dimension of modernization, cultural modernization is inevitably the core content and key link of China’s socialist modernization cause.” Therefore, realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the impetus of cultural modernization. Yet cultural modernization has never existed in isolation; it is always constrained by economic modernization, political modernization, and so forth. This has also led many scholars to tend to study cultural modernization from the perspective of the influence of economics and politics on culture, which has some validity. However, culture is the product of human practical activity; the core of cultural modernization is the modernization of people. To advance cultural modernization, in the final analysis, it can only be realized through the active participation of people. Therefore, in the New Era and on the new journey, to vigorously promote China’s cultural modernization, it is necessary to delve into the perspective of “people.”

习近平指出：“中国特色社会主义是全面发展、全面进步的伟大事业，没有社会主义文化繁荣发展，就没有社会主义现代化。”文化是一个国家、一个民族的灵魂，文化建设是事关举旗帜、聚民心、育新人、展形象的大事，任何时候都不能掉以轻心。同时，“文化作为现代化发展的重要方面和发展向度，其现代化必然是我国社会主义现代化事业的核心内容和关键环节”。因此，实现中华民族伟大复兴，需要文化现代化的助力。但文化现代化从来不是孤立的存在，总是受制于经济现代化、政治现代化等的制约。这也使得不少学者倾向于从经济、政治等对文化的影响来研究文化现代化，这是有一定道理的。然而，文化是人类实践活动的产物，文化现代化的核心是人的现代化，推进文化现代化，归根到底要通过人的积极参与才能实现。因此，新时代新征程大力推进我国文化现代化，有必要深入“人”的视角。

I. Cultural Modernization Is an Important Component of Modernization

一、文化现代化是现代化的重要组成部分

“Cultural modernization” is a compound concept of “culture” + “modernization.” An accurate and comprehensive grasp of cultural modernization must delve into a scientific understanding of “culture” and “modernization.”

“文化现代化”是一个“文化”+“现代化”的复合概念，对文化现代化的准确而全面的把握，必须要深入到对“文化”与“现代化”的科学理解中。

“Culture” is a highly controversial concept. Culture in a broad sense is “humanization” (人化), referring to the sum total of material and spiritual achievements created by humanity in the process of transforming the world. Culture in a narrow sense mainly refers to spiritual culture or culture in the form of ideas. Broad culture is too expansive, tending toward all-inclusiveness, making it difficult to distinguish it from the economy, politics, and so forth created by human practical activity. While narrow culture is relative to economy and politics, it “cannot scientifically explain the ‘culture’ that is materialized in real life, and at the same time severs the unified process of human material and spiritual activities.” Therefore, both broad and narrow culture have certain limitations. To further reveal the essence of culture, it is necessary to delve into the specific structural level of culture.

“文化”是一个极具争议的概念，广义的文化即“人化”，是指人类改造世界过程中创造的物质成果和精神成果的总和。狭义的文化主要指精神文化或观念形态的文化。广义的文化过于宽泛，走向了无所不包，难以将人类实践活动创造的经济、政治等区分开，而狭义的文化虽然是相对于经济、政治而言的，但“又不能科学解释现实生活中实体化的‘文化’，同时割裂了人的物质活动与精神活动的相互统一过程”。因此，无论广义的文化，还是狭义的文化，都存在一定的局限性，对文化本质的进一步揭示，有必要深入到文化的具体结构层面。

The most common approach to exploring the attributes of culture from its structure is to divide culture into three levels: first, material culture, created by humanity in the process of transforming nature; second, institutional culture, created by humanity in social practice to better survive and develop; third, spiritual culture, formed by humanity in long-term practical activities, which is the core part of culture. Specifically, material culture is the product of humanity’s continuous transformation of the natural world, directly reflecting humanity’s external construction of nature; it is a perceptible, material-entity culture, such as architecture, clothing, and utensils. Institutional culture is not a product of humanity’s direct action on nature, but a product of the “humanization” of social relations; it is the product of social relations formed by humanity in social practice, especially in interpersonal interactions. It is a social environment created by people that both serves and constrains themselves, aimed at guiding and regulating social relations between people. Spiritual culture is the internal culture formed by humanity in long-term social practice and conscious activities, including certain values, ways of thinking, aesthetic tastes, and so forth. The above cultural structure closely links the relationships between humanity and nature, humanity and society, and humanity and the self. Among these, material culture emphasizes humanity’s external construction of nature; institutional culture emphasizes humanity’s regulation of its own behavior; and spiritual culture emphasizes humanity’s perfection of its own soul.

从文化结构探究文化的属性，最常见的是将文化划分为三层次：一是人类改造自然过程中创造的物质文化；二是人类在社会实践中为了能够更好地生存和发展而创造的制度文化；三是人类在长期的实践活动中，形成的精神文化，这是文化最核心的部分。具体而言，物质文化是人类不断改造自然界的产物，直接反映了人类对自然界的外在建构性，是一种可感知的、物质实体的文化，如建筑、衣服、餐具等；制度文化不是人类直接作用于自然界的产物，而是“人化”社会关系的产物，是人类在社会实践中尤其在人际交往中形成的社会关系的产物，是人们创造的一种既服务自身又约束自身的社会环境，旨在引导和规范人与人之间的社会关系；精神文化是人类在长期的社会实践和意识活动中形成的一定的价值观念、思维方式、审美情趣等内在文化。上述文化结构将人与自然、人与社会、人与自身的关系紧密联结一起，其中，物质文化侧重体现人类对自然界的外在建构性，制度文化侧重体现人类对自身行为的规范性，精神文化侧重体现人类对自我灵魂的完善性。

“Modernization” first originated in 18th-century Europe, with its notable characteristics being transformation, development, and comprehensiveness. Transformation is concentratedly embodied in the fact that “modernization” is a dynamic process of change, a process of the great transformation of human society from traditional agricultural society to modern industrial society since the Industrial Revolution. Development is mainly embodied in “the historical process by which, under the specific international relations pattern after the rise of modern capitalism, economically backward countries catch up with and surpass the world’s advanced level in economy and technology through large-scale technological revolution.” It is the process of industrialization in economically backward countries under the wave of industrialization, generally presenting a process of continuous elevation and transcendence from traditional agricultural society to a higher civilization of modern industrial society. Comprehensiveness is embodied in the fact that the process of transformation and development in “modernization” is not merely a transformation and influence on specific fields and scopes of human society, but a profound transformation and comprehensive transcendence of all aspects of traditional society, including the economy, politics, ecology, ideology and culture, and human development. This in turn presents comprehensive forms such as economic modernization, political modernization, ecological modernization, and human modernization. For this reason, the criteria for measuring modernization constitute a comprehensive system involving the economy, politics, society, culture, ecology, and all other aspects.

“现代化”最早发端于18世纪的欧洲，显著特征是变革性、发展性和全面性。变革性集中体现为“现代化”是一个动态的转变过程，是自工业革命以来人类社会由传统农业社会向现代工业社会大转变的过程；发展性则主要体现为“近代资本主义兴起后的特定国际关系格局下，经济上落后国家通过大搞技术革命，在经济和技术上赶上世界先进水平的历史过程”，是在工业化浪潮下经济落后国家实现工业化的进程，总体呈现为一种传统农业社会向更高文明的现代工业社会的不断提升和超越过程；全面性体现在“现代化”的变革和发展过程，并非仅仅是对人类社会特定领域和具体范围的变革和影响，而是对传统社会的经济、政治、生态、思想文化、人的发展等各个方面的深刻变革和全面超越，进而呈现了经济现代化、政治现代化、生态现代化、人的现代化等全面的形态。正因如此，衡量现代化的标志是一个涉及经济、政治、社会、文化、生态等方方面面的综合体系。

Therefore, “cultural modernization” is the process of constructing modernization in the cultural field, referring to the transformation from traditional culture to modern culture. This transformation is not only a change to culture itself, cultural facilities, and the cultural industry, but also a change to economic culture, political culture, social culture, ecological culture, and so forth, and this change occurs among different regions, different ethnic groups, and different subjects. It can be seen that cultural modernization is, in the final analysis, an important component of modernization. At the same time, further examining cultural structure, cultural modernization includes the modernization of material culture, institutional culture, and spiritual culture.

因此，“文化现代化”是文化领域建设现代化的过程，是指传统文化向现代文化的一种转变。这种转变不仅是对文化本身、文化设施及文化产业等的变革，而且是对经济文化、政治文化、社会文化、生态文化等的变革，且这种变革发生在不同区域、不同民族、不同主体之间。可见，文化现代化归根到底是现代化的重要组成部分。同时，进一步从文化结构来看，文化现代化包含对物质文化、制度文化、精神文化进行现代化的建设。

Of course, culture does not exist in isolation. “A certain culture (as culture in the form of ideas) is a reflection of the politics and economy of a given society, and in turn exerts a great influence and effect on the politics and economy of that society.” This also determines that cultural modernization is both a process of continuous change constrained by political modernization and economic modernization, and a process of continuously reacting upon political and economic development with modern advanced culture. Therefore, cultural modernization can never be separated from other fields of modernization and exist in isolation; it is a process of continuous transformation from tradition to modernity in the cultural field integrated into the process of modernization. This also means that the criteria for measuring cultural modernization constitute a comprehensive whole, but whether this culture adapts to the developmental requirements of modern social productive forces, whether it is conducive to promoting economic prosperity, political democracy, and spiritual abundance for the people in modern society, remains the most critical and important indicator for measuring the level of cultural modernization development.

当然，文化不是孤立存在的，“一定的文化（当作观念形态的文化）是一定社会的政治和经济的反映，又给予伟大影响和作用于一定社会的政治和经济”。这也决定了文化现代化既是一个受制于政治现代化、经济现代化而不断变革的过程，又是一个用现代化的先进文化不断反作用于政治、经济发展的过程。因此，文化现代化始终脱离不了现代化的其他领域而孤立存在，其是一个融合于现代化过程的文化领域从传统向现代不断变革的过程。这也意味着衡量文化现代化的标准是个综合体，但该种文化是否适应现代社会生产力的发展要求，是否有利于促进现代社会经济富强、政治民主、人民精神富足始终是衡量文化现代化发展水平最关键、最重要的指标。

II. The Core of Cultural Modernization Is the Modernization of People

二、文化现代化的核心是人的现代化

Xi Jinping has pointed out: “The essence of modernization is the modernization of people.” Indeed, people are the subjects of modernization; the construction of modernization cannot be separated from the participation of people, and the ultimate beneficiaries of the achievements of modernization construction are also people. So, what is the modernization of people? “The modernization of people” was first proposed by the American sociologist Alex Inkeles. He studied the modernization of people from the perspective of a country’s citizens’ psychological state and ideological level, pointing out: “Many developing countries committed to modernization, only after experiencing long-term birth pangs and difficult labor of modernization, gradually realized that the psychology and spirit of their citizens are still firmly locked in traditional consciousness, constituting a serious obstacle to economic and social development.” That is to say, in Alex Inkeles’s view, the most crucial aspect of the modernization of people is that people’s psychological state, ways of thinking, values, and other ideological levels can adapt to the practical requirements of modern society. This is very reasonable, after all, “all material factors can only be developed and utilized through the human factor.” Whether it is cultural modernization or other modernizations of the economy, politics, society, and ecology, in the final analysis, they can only be realized through the modernization of people.

习近平指出：“现代化的本质是人的现代化”。的确，人是现代化的主体，现代化建设离不开人的参与，现代化建设成果的最终享有者也是人。那么，何为人的现代化？“人的现代化”最早由美国社会学家阿历克斯·英格尔斯提出，他从一个国家国民的心理状态和思想层面出发研究人的现代化，指出：“许多致力于实现现代化的发展中国家，正是在经历了长久的现代化阵痛和难产后，才逐渐意识到：国民的心理和精神还被牢固地锁在传统意识之中，构成了对经济与社会发展的严重障碍。”也就是说，在阿历克斯·英格尔斯看来，人的现代化最关键的是人的心理状态、思维方式、价值观念等意识层面能够适应现代社会的实践要求。这是很有道理的，毕竟“一切物质因素只有通过人的因素，才能加以开发利用”。无论是文化现代化，还是其他的经济、政治、社会、生态等的现代化，归根到底要通过人的现代化才能够实现。

It can be seen that the modernization of people is concomitant with modernization; it refers to the comprehensive capabilities and subjective consciousness that people, as the subjects of modernization, possess to adapt to modern society. That is, it is the process in which various elements such as knowledge and skills, lifestyle, social relations, practical abilities, psychological state, values, and modes of thinking transform and adapt to modern society as people shift from “traditional people” to “modern people.” Therefore, although the modernization of people at the level of consciousness—such as psychological state, modes of thinking, and values—constitutes the core content of the modernization of people, the modernization of people is not limited to these aspects; it also includes other comprehensive capabilities for adapting to modern society.

可见，人的现代化是与现代化相伴而生的，是指作为现代化建设主体的人所具备的与现代社会相适应的综合能力和主体意识，即人从“传统人”向“现代人”转变过程中知识技能、生活方式、社会关系、实践能力、心理状态、价值观念、思维方式等各种要素向现代社会转变和适应的过程。因此，虽然人的心理状态、思维方式、价值观念等意识层面的现代化构成了人的现代化的核心内容，但人的现代化不仅仅局限于这些方面，还包括人适应现代社会的其他综合能力。

Thus, from an overall perspective, the modernization of people mainly involves two dimensions: external material transformation and internal spiritual transformation, and the process of transformation in these two dimensions is precisely the process of cultural generation. On the one hand, external material transformation mainly refers to the modernization of comprehensive capabilities such as knowledge and skills, lifestyle, practical abilities, and social relations that meet the needs of modern social practice; in essence, it is a positive transformation of people’s ability to survive in modern society. In this transformation, people, through practice, continuously enhance their survival capabilities to adapt to modernization, thereby “humanizing” the entire world and creating a splendid and diverse culture. On the other hand, internal spiritual transformation mainly refers to the modernization at the level of consciousness—such as psychological state, values, modes of thinking, and spiritual realm—that meets the needs of modern social practice. This process is not only one in which the “culture” created by external material transformation continuously shapes and influences people, but also one in which people form a modernized culture—that is, countless people continuously internalize, absorb, and integrate modernized culture into their own subjective world. Thus, accompanying the modernization processes of different regions and different ethnic groups, unique regional cultures and ethnic cultures have been formed. Therefore, the process of the modernization of people generates a splendid and diverse culture.

因此，从整体层面来看，人的现代化主要涉及外在物质性变革和内在精神性变革两个维度，而这两个维度的变革过程又是文化的生成过程。一方面，外在物质性变革主要是指适应现代社会实践需要的知识技能、生活方式、实践能力、社会关系等综合能力的现代化，实质是一种人们适应现代社会生存能力的积极变革。在这一变革中，人们在实践中通过不断提升适应现代化的生存能力，对整个世界进行着“人化”，进而创造了绚烂多姿的文化。另一方面，内在精神性变革主要是指适应现代社会实践需要的人的心理状态、价值观念、思维方式、精神境界等意识层面的现代化。这一过程既是一种外在物质性变革所创造的“文化”不断塑造人、影响人的过程，也是一种人们形成现代化的文化的过程，即无数的人将现代化的文化不断内化吸收并融合于自我主观世界的过程，从而伴随不同区域、不同民族的现代化进程形成了独特的区域文化、民族文化。因此，人的现代化过程生成了绚烂多姿的文化。

This also means that the modernization of people is the core of cultural modernization. In advancing the process of cultural modernization, no matter how advanced educational methods and cultural models are introduced by any ethnic group or any country, and no matter how advanced cultural enterprise management models and production methods of other ethnic groups and countries are transplanted, if the psychology and thinking of the people of that ethnic group or country do not reach a level compatible with these advanced educational methods, cultural management models, and cultural production methods, then the cultural modernization of that ethnic group or country will ultimately be nominal. Therefore, the core of cultural modernization has always been the modernization of people.

这也意味着人的现代化是文化现代化的核心。任何民族、任何国家在推进文化现代化进程中，无论引进多么先进的教育方式和文化模式，也无论移植其他民族和国家多么先进的文化企业管理模式和生产方式，如果这个民族和国家的民众的心理和思想达不到与这些先进的教育方式、文化管理模式、文化生产方式相适应的水平，那么这个民族和国家的文化现代化终将是徒有虚名。因此，文化现代化的核心始终是人的现代化。

III. The Distinctive Foundation of China’s Cultural Modernization Is the Supremacy of the People

三、我国文化现代化的鲜明底色是人民至上

The “China” subjectivity of “China’s cultural modernization” endows “cultural modernization” with a unique connotation, which is determined by the essential attribute that China is a socialist country. This is centrally manifested in the fact that the leading subject of “China’s cultural modernization” is the Communist Party of China, its nature is socialist cultural construction, its fundamental direction is serving the people and serving socialism, and its developmental focus is placing social效益 [n] first. These rich connotations all demonstrate the supremacy of the people in China’s cultural modernization.

“我国文化现代化”的“我国”主体性，赋予了“文化现代化”独特的内涵，这是由我国是社会主义国家的本质属性决定的，集中体现在“我国文化现代化”的领导主体是中国共产党、性质是社会主义文化建设、根本方向是为人民服务和为社会主义服务、发展重心是社会效益放首位。这些丰富内涵无不彰显着我国文化现代化的人民至上性。

First, the leading subject of China’s cultural modernization represents the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people. The leading subject is the guide that leads people forward within a group. Direction determines the path; if deviation occurs on the issue of direction, it is easy to make subversive mistakes. As Mao Zedong stated: “The revolutionary party is the guide of the masses; in revolution, there has never been a case where the revolutionary party led the wrong way and the revolution did not fail.” [n] Therefore, the issue of the leading subject in the cultural field is a major issue concerning whom the construction of cultural modernization serves. If this leading subject only represents the interests of a minority, the construction of cultural modernization will inevitably serve that small group. Hence, in advancing cultural modernization, the primary issue is that the leading subject must originate from the people and serve the people. China’s cultural modernization is carried out under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. “The Communist Party is a political party that seeks benefits for the nation and the people; it itself has absolutely no selfish interests to pursue.” [n] The Communist Party of China has always represented the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people, and serving the people wholeheartedly constitutes the essential attribute of our Party. This ensures that the leadership over China’s cultural modernization construction is always firmly in the hands of the people, guarantees that the socialist nature of China’s cultural modernization construction remains unshaken, and ensures that the fruits of China’s cultural modernization construction belong to the people.

其一，我国文化现代化的领导主体代表最广大人民的根本利益。领导主体是一个群体中带领人们前进的向导。方向决定道路，若在方向问题上发生偏离，容易出现颠覆性错误，正如毛泽东所说：“革命党是群众的向导，在革命中未有革命党领错了路而革命不失败的。” 因此，文化领域领导主体问题，是事关文化现代化建设服务于谁的大问题。若这一领导主体只代表少数人利益，文化现代化建设必然会服务于该少部分群体。因此，我们推进文化现代化，首要的问题是领导主体必须来源于人民，服务于人民。我国文化现代化是在中国共产党领导下进行的，“共产党是为民族、为人民谋利益的政党，它本身决无私利可图”。中国共产党始终代表最广大人民的根本利益，全心全意为人民服务构成了我们党的本质属性，保障了我国文化现代化建设的领导权始终牢牢掌握在人民手中，确保了我国文化现代化建设的社会主义性质不动摇，保证了我国文化现代化建设的成果归人民所有。

Second, China’s socialist attribute determines that China’s cultural modernization must meet the people’s growing needs for spiritual life. Western cultural modernization is centered on capital, pursuing the maximization of the economic benefits of culture, thereby neglecting the social benefits of culture, and ultimately embarking on a path of “polarization” in cultural modernization. The pole representing the capitalists controls a large quantity of high-quality cultural resources and enjoys a rich supply of high-grade culture, while the pole representing the broad proletariat degenerates into a consumption machine for capital appreciation amidst the large amount of vulgar, obscene, and kitsch culture produced by capital, ultimately leading a large number of the proletariat toward spiritual poverty. Unlike capitalism, China is a socialist country. “Material abundance and spiritual enrichment are the fundamental requirements of socialist modernization.” [n] Cultural modernization is an important component of modernization. The fundamental requirements of socialist modernization determine that the cultural modernization we advance is one that satisfies the people’s spiritual enrichment, complementing the construction of material civilization dedicated to satisfying the people’s material abundance. In this sense, the nature of China’s cultural modernization is determined by the nature of socialism, aiming to meet the people’s growing needs for spiritual life.

其二，我国的社会主义属性决定了我国文化现代化必须要满足人民日益增长的精神生活需要。西方文化现代化以资本为中心，追求文化的经济效益最大化，进而忽视文化的社会效益，最终走上了一条文化现代化的“极化”路径。代表资本家的一极掌握着大量优质文化资源，享受着丰富的高品质文化供给，而代表广大无产阶级的一极，却在资本制造的大量低俗、恶俗、庸俗文化中沦为了资本增值的消费机器，最终导致大量无产阶级走向了精神贫困。与资本主义不同，我国是社会主义国家，“物质富足、精神富有是社会主义现代化的根本要求”。文化现代化是现代化的重要组成部分，社会主义现代化的根本要求决定了我们推进的文化现代化，是满足人民精神富有的现代化，与致力于满足人民物质富足的物质文明建设相得益彰。从这个意义上讲，我国文化现代化的性质由社会主义的性质所决定，旨在满足人民日益增长的精神生活需要。

Third, the fundamental direction of China’s cultural modernization lies in serving the people and serving socialism. At the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art, Mao Zedong pointed out: “The question of ‘for whom?’ is a fundamental question, a question of principle.” [n] Literature and art are important components of culture. The construction of cultural modernization must adhere to the correct direction and must clarify the “question of ‘for whom?’.” The people are the creators of culture, as well as its inheritors and developers; the builders of China’s cultural modernization have always been the people. For China’s cultural modernization construction to fully leverage the initiative of the “people,” it must adhere to the fundamental direction of “serving the people and serving socialism.” This is not only a requirement of the attributes of a Marxist political party but also an inevitable requirement for ensuring that China’s cultural modernization construction always maintains its socialist nature. The adherence to this fundamental direction in China’s cultural modernization construction effectively safeguards the fundamental interests of the people and demonstrates the supremacy of the people and the significant advantages of China’s cultural modernization.

其三，我国文化现代化的根本方向在于为人民服务和为社会主义服务。在延安文艺座谈会上，毛泽东指出：“为什么人的问题，是一个根本的问题，原则的问题。”文艺是文化的重要组成部分，文化现代化建设必须要坚持正确方向，要搞清楚“为什么人的问题”。人民是文化的创造者，也是文化的传承和发展者，我国文化现代化的建设者始终是人民。我国文化现代化建设要发挥好“人民”的积极性，就必须要坚持“为人民服务、为社会主义服务”这个根本方向。这既是马克思主义政党的属性要求，也是保障我国文化现代化建设始终保持社会主义性质的必然要求。我国文化现代化建设坚持的这个根本方向，有效保障了人民的根本利益，彰显了我国文化现代化的人民至上性和显著优势。

Fourth, the developmental focus of China’s cultural modernization is placing social效益 first. Culture can both boost the economy and promote social development as an industrial form, and it can regulate social and individual behavior and meet people’s spiritual needs as a value form. The former reflects the economic benefits inherent in culture, while the latter reflects the social benefits inherent in culture. As a socialist country, in advancing cultural modernization, we must pay attention to both the economic benefits of culture and the social benefits of culture. “However, compared with social benefits, economic benefits are secondary. When the two benefits and two values conflict, economic benefits must submit to social benefits, and market value must submit to social value.” [n] This is because socialist culture is, in essence, the culture of the people; it originates from the people, serves the people, and belongs to the people. The supremacy of the people constitutes the distinctive foundation of China’s cultural modernization. The social benefits inherent in culture are multifaceted, but meeting people’s spiritual needs is the most crucial and important aspect. As Xi Jinping stated: “To meet the people’s growing spiritual and cultural needs, we must do a good job in cultural construction and increase society’s spiritual and cultural wealth.” [n] This also means that the cultural modernization we are currently advancing—whether it is promoting the improvement of cultural creativity and the quality of cultural life, or fostering the development of cultural undertakings and cultural projects benefiting the people—is essentially aimed at meeting people’s spiritual needs by releasing the social benefits of culture.

其四，我国文化现代化的发展重心是将社会效益放首位。文化既可以作为产业形式提振经济、促进社会发展，也可以作为价值形式规范社会和人的言行、满足人民精神需要。前者体现了文化蕴含的经济效益，后者体现了文化蕴含的社会效益。作为社会主义国家，我们推进文化现代化，既要注重文化的经济效益，也要注重文化的社会效益，“然而，同社会效益相比，经济效益是第二位的，当两个效益、两种价值发生矛盾时，经济效益要服从社会效益，市场价值要服从社会价值”。这是因为社会主义文化从本质上讲是人民的文化，其源于人民、服务人民、属于人民，人民至上构成了我国文化现代化的鲜明底色。文化蕴含的社会效益是多方面的，但满足人的精神需要是最关键、最重要的方面。正如习近平所说：“满足人民日益增长的精神文化需求，必须抓好文化建设，增加社会的精神文化财富。”这也意味着当前我们推进的文化现代化，无论是推动文化创造力和文化生活质量的提高，还是促进文化事业和文化惠民工程的发展，实质主要是通过释放文化的社会效益来满足人民精神需要。

IV. The Humanological Path for Advancing China’s Cultural Modernization in the New Era

四、新时代推进我国文化现代化的人学路径

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation cannot be achieved without the flourishing and prosperity of Chinese culture. The flourishing and prosperity of Chinese culture cannot be achieved without the construction of cultural modernization. This is a complex systemic project that requires long-term unremitting effort. Within it, great attention should be paid to fully bringing into play the subjectivity of “the human,” with the following aspects as the focus.

实现中华民族伟大复兴，离不开中华文化的繁荣兴盛。中华文化的繁荣兴盛，离不开文化现代化建设。这是一个复杂的系统工程，需要长期不懈的努力。其中，应高度注重充分发挥“人”的主体性，重点要做好以下方面。

(I) Achieving Adequate Understanding

（一）认识到位

Thought is the precursor of action. The prerequisite for vigorously advancing China’s cultural modernization is to raise awareness. In real life, when we promote cultural modernization we sometimes fail to reach the ideal state, which is related to our inadequate understanding of the importance of cultural modernization. In fact, the modernization of countries around the world has fully demonstrated that cultural modernization is an inevitable process of the progress and development of human society and plays an important role in promoting the development of human beings and human society.

思想是行动的先导。大力推进我国文化现代化，前提是提高认识。在现实生活中，我们在推进文化现代化时有时未能达到理想状态，与我们对文化现代化的重要性的认识不到位有关。事实上，世界各国的现代化已经充分证明，文化现代化是人类社会进步发展的必然进程，对促进人和人类社会的发展具有重要作用。

First, cultural modernization is the inevitable path to realizing the modernization of the human being. The key to the modernization of the human being is to realize the modernization of subjective consciousness, such as people’s psychological state, values, and mode of thinking. And “the human, in essence, is a cultural human being, not a ‘materialized’ human being.” [8]8 The original Chinese phrase is “人，本质上就是文化的人，而不是‘物化’的人.” This is a quotation from the Chinese Marxist philosophical discourse, emphasizing the distinction between a human being defined by culture and subjectivity versus one reduced to a mere object or thing. Humans create culture, and culture in turn acts upon humans, continuously moistening and shaping people, making them “cultural human beings.” Cultural modernization is also such a process: in the course of the transformation from traditional culture to modern culture, it inevitably acts upon people’s subjective consciousness, enabling people to acquire the psychological state, values, mode of thinking, and spiritual realm needed by modern society; in essence, it is the process of making people modernized.

首先，文化现代化是实现人的现代化的必然路径。人的现代化最关键的是实现人的心理状态、价值观念、思维方式等主体意识的现代化。而“人，本质上就是文化的人，而不是‘物化’的人”。人创造了文化，文化反过来会作用于人，在不断润化人、塑造人中使人成了“文化的人”。文化现代化也是这样的一个过程，即传统文化向现代文化转向过程中，必然会作用于人的主体意识，使人具备现代社会需要的心理状态、价值观念、思维方式、精神境界等，实质是使人走向现代化。

Second, cultural modernization is an important means of realizing human self-emancipation and comprehensive development. Human self-emancipation and comprehensive development are the result of the combined action of many factors, among which a noble ideological realm and a rich spiritual life are indispensable. The process of cultural modernization is both a process in which advanced modern culture moistens people, continuously elevating their ideological realm and thereby achieving ideological emancipation, and a process in which a splendid and diverse modern culture continuously enriches people’s spiritual life, thereby enabling people to achieve more comprehensive development.

其次，文化现代化是实现人的自我解放和全面发展的重要方式。人的自我解放和全面发展是多方面因素共同作用的结果，其中高尚的思想境界和富足的精神生活不可或缺。文化现代化过程，既是一个先进的现代文化润化人，使人不断提升思想境界从而得到思想解放的过程，同时也是一个绚烂多姿的现代文化不断丰富人的精神生活，从而使人得到更加全面发展的过程。

Finally, cultural modernization is the deep-seated force driving humanity toward a more civilized state. Historical materialism holds that historical progress is a process of the unity of social development and human development, and that “real individuals” create all of this. And the process of social development and human development is also a process of continuous cultural development, meaning that cultural modernization is an inevitable aspect of historical progress and constitutes an important dimension of human civilization. At the same time, it in turn acts upon the development of human civilization, i.e., modern culture acts upon human society in its unique form, and in continuously influencing the development of human economy, politics, society, and ecology, it promotes the development of human civilization.

最后，文化现代化是推动人类走向更加文明的深层力量。唯物史观认为，历史进步是社会发展和人的发展相统一的过程，“现实的人”创造着这一切。而社会发展和人的发展过程也是文化的不断发展过程，意味着文化现代化是历史进步的必然方面，构成了人类文明的重要方面，同时又反过来作用于人类文明发展，即现代文化以其独特的形式作用于人类社会，在不断影响人类的经济、政治、社会、生态等的发展中，促进着人类文明的发展。

The important role of cultural modernization in the development of human beings and human society requires us to further enhance our ideological understanding. We must attach great importance to the construction of China’s cultural modernization, earnestly treat the advancement of China’s cultural modernization as a major issue concerning whether the people can realize a beautiful spiritual life and whether the Chinese nation can achieve its great rejuvenation, and continuously strengthen our consciousness in advancing China’s cultural modernization.

文化现代化对人和人类社会发展的重要作用，要求我们要进一步提高思想认识，必须高度重视我国文化现代化建设，切实将推进我国文化现代化作为事关人民能否实现美好精神生活、中华民族能否实现伟大复兴的重大问题，不断增强推进我国文化现代化的自觉性。

(II) Adopting Effective Measures

（二）举措得力

Advancing China’s cultural modernization requires implementing scientific measures. Among them, the most crucial measure is to adhere to the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, continuously promote the modernization of the human being, and strive to build a strong socialist culture in China.

推进我国文化现代化，需要实施科学举措。其中，最关键的举措是要坚持中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，不断推进人的现代化，努力建成文化强国。

The path concerns the future of the country and the lifeline of the nation. The path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics is a broad avenue. In terms of the nature of development, it upholds the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological domain; in terms of the direction of development, it adheres to serving the people and serving socialism; in terms of the driving force of development, it adheres to the creative transformation and innovative development of culture; in terms of the mode of development, it adheres to being guided by the core socialist values; in terms of the content of development, it adheres to developing advanced socialist culture, promoting revolutionary culture, and inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture; in terms of the purpose of development, it aims to meet the people’s growing spiritual and cultural needs; in terms of the influence of development, it is committed to continuously enhancing the country’s cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture. The path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics is based on an all-round, multi-level approach, safeguarding the high-quality development of China’s cultural modernization.

道路关乎国家前途、民族命脉。中国特色社会主义文化发展道路是一条康庄大道，在发展性质上坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位；在发展方向上坚持为人民服务、为社会主义服务；在发展动力上坚持文化的创造性转化和创新性发展；在发展方式上坚持以社会主义核心价值观为引领；在发展内容上坚持发展社会主义先进文化，弘扬革命文化，传承中华优秀传统文化；在发展目的上旨在满足人民日益增长的精神文化需求；在发展影响上致力于不断提升国家文化软实力和中华文化影响力。中国特色社会主义文化发展道路立足全方位、多层面，为我国文化现代化高质量发展保驾护航。

However, the makers and walkers of the path are all human beings. No matter how good the path, it requires the active efforts of people to bring its due efficacy into play. Therefore, to vigorously advance China’s cultural modernization at present, we must focus on promoting the modernization of the human being, earnestly pay attention to enhancing the comprehensive capabilities and subjective consciousness of the Chinese people to meet the needs of modern society at the overall level, and strive to build a strong socialist culture in China, so that all the people can achieve more comprehensive development in modern society. For example, we should further promote the coordinated development of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress, continue to distribute the cake well on the basis of making it bigger, effectively meet the people’s growing material and spiritual needs, and lay a solid material foundation and spiritual support for realizing the modernization of the human being; we should further improve and develop a system of cultural construction institutions that is coordinated with human development, ensuring that more people share in the fruits of cultural modernization development; we should provide more skills assistance and ideological and conceptual education for vulnerable groups to adapt to the requirements of modern social cultural construction, enabling them to better adapt to the cultural construction requirements of modern society and preventing them from becoming “disconnected” from modern society, etc.

然而，道路的制定者和行走者都是人，再好的道路，也需要人的积极作为才能发挥出其应有的功效。因此，当前大力推进我国文化现代化，必须要着眼于推进人的现代化，切实注重从整体层面提升我国人民适应现代社会需求的综合能力和主体意识，努力建成文化强国，让全体人民能够在现代社会得到更加全面的发展。比如，应进一步推进物质文明和精神文明协调发展，在持续做大蛋糕基础上分好蛋糕，有效满足人民日益增长的物质和精神需要，为实现人的现代化奠定扎实的物质基础和精神支撑；应进一步完善和发展与人的发展相协调的文化建设制度体系，确保让更多人共享文化现代化发展成果；应给予弱势群体更多适应现代社会文化建设的技能帮扶和思想观念教育，使他们能够更好适应现代社会的文化建设要求，防止他们与现代社会“脱节”等。

(III) Forming a Joint Force

（三）形成合力

Advancing China’s cultural modernization is a complex systemic project that requires all parties to form a joint force.

推进我国文化现代化是一个复杂的系统工程，需要各方形成合力。

First, the government must play a key role. In the New Era and on the new journey, advancing our cultural modernization will inevitably involve the formulation of cultural policies, the improvement of cultural institutions, the division of departmental responsibilities, and the coordination of the interests of all parties. Without the active intervention of the government in formulating scientific policies, improving relevant institutions, coordinating the interests of all parties, and mobilizing the forces of all parties, the construction of China’s cultural modernization will face great difficulties. At present, we should adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, carry out more scientific top-level design and institutional arrangements for the construction of cultural modernization, especially to strengthen the ideological security defense line in the cultural field, ensure that the socialist nature of China’s cultural modernization construction is not shaken, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, and prosper and develop cultural undertakings and cultural industries.

首先，政府要发挥关键作用。新时代新征程我们推进文化现代化，不可避免会涉及文化政策的制定、文化制度的完善、部门职责的划分、各方利益的协调等。没有政府积极介入其中制定科学政策、完善相关制度、协调各方利益、调动各方力量等，我国文化现代化建设将举步维艰。当前，我们应坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，对文化现代化建设进行更加科学的顶层设计和制度安排，特别要筑牢文化领域的意识形态安全防线，确保我国文化现代化建设的社会主义性质不动摇，推进中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化和创新性发展，繁荣发展文化事业和文化产业。

Second, society must advance in coordination. Although the government plays a key role in advancing China’s cultural modernization, relying solely on the government’s strength is not comprehensive enough. It is also necessary to fully mobilize the forces of the entire society, especially various cultural organizations and cultural enterprises and institutions. They must adhere to the people-centered concept, actively respond to the diverse and multi-level spiritual demands of the people in the New Era, continuously create more high-quality cultural products while keeping pace with the times, fully meet the people’s spiritual needs, and effectively strengthen the people’s spiritual strength.

其次，社会要协同推进。推进我国文化现代化，政府虽然发挥着关键作用，但仅靠政府力量不够全面，还需要将整个社会力量都充分调动起来，尤其是各类文化组织和文化企事业单位，要坚持“以人民为中心”的理念，积极回应新时代人民多样化、多层次的精神诉求，在与时俱进中不断创造出更多优质文化产品，充分满足人民精神需要，切实增强人民精神力量。

Finally, individuals must act proactively. The subject of cultural modernization construction is the human being. This “human being” includes both the collective human being as the government and society, and the individual human being. To accelerate the construction of China’s cultural modernization at present, individuals cannot stand aloof but should actively cater to the needs of national cultural development and actively contribute their strength. In concrete practice, individuals should mainly do two things well: First, individuals should effectively enhance their own subjective consciousness to adapt to the cultural construction of modern society. Individuals should actively cultivate mature psychology, scientific values, advanced modes of thinking, and other subjective consciousness that meet the needs of modern social development, truly complete modernization in thought, and exert more subjective initiative for advancing China’s cultural modernization. Second, individuals should earnestly improve their own practical ability to adapt to the cultural construction of modern society. Only when individual subjective consciousness is implemented in concrete practice can cultural modernization be effectively advanced, and this process also requires individuals to possess corresponding practical abilities; otherwise, no matter how good the thinking, it will ultimately be an armchair strategy. In this regard, individuals, especially the many cultural talents, should earnestly improve their own modernized cultural innovation and creation ability, cultural management ability, cultural production ability, and cultural communication ability, thereby making greater contributions to advancing China’s cultural modernization.

最后，个人要积极作为。文化现代化建设的主体是人，这个“人”既包含作为政府和社会的集体人，也包含个人。当前加快我国文化现代化建设，个人不能置身事外，而应主动迎合国家文化发展的需要积极贡献力量。具体实践中，个人应主要做好两点：其一，个人应有效提升自我适应现代社会文化建设的主体意识。个人要积极培育符合现代社会发展所需的成熟心理、科学价值观念、先进思维方式等主体意识，真正从思想上完成现代化，为推进我国文化现代化发挥更多主观能动性。其二，个人应切实提高自我适应现代社会文化建设的实践能力。个人主体意识只有落实到具体实践中，才能有效推进文化现代化，而这一过程还需要个人具备相应的实践能力，否则再好的思维，终归是纸上谈兵。对此，个人尤其是众多文化人才，应切实提高自我现代化的文化创新创造能力、文化管理能力、文化生产能力、文化传播能力等，从而为推进我国文化现代化做出更多贡献。

Source: Theoretical Perspectives, Issue 7, 2023

文章来源：《理论视野》2023年第7期

Online Editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆