Forging an Organically Unified New Cultural Life Form

At the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded the great significance of the “Two Integrations”[1], emphasizing that the result of “integration” is mutual achievement, forging an organically unified new cultural life form, making Marxism Chinese and making fine traditional Chinese culture modern, and making the new culture formed through “integration” the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important exposition deepened the understanding of the laws of cultural construction, revealed the movement laws and outcome forms of the “Two Integrations”, and pointed out the direction and clarified the path for promoting cultural prosperity, building a strong cultural country, and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation in the New Era.

在文化传承发展座谈会上，习近平总书记深入阐释“两个结合”的重大意义，强调“结合”的结果是互相成就，造就了一个有机统一的新的文化生命体，让马克思主义成为中国的，中华优秀传统文化成为现代的，让经由“结合”而形成的新文化成为中国式现代化的文化形态。习近平总书记的重要论述，深化了对文化建设的规律性认识，揭示了“两个结合”的运动规律和成果形态，为新时代推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国、建设中华民族现代文明指明了方向、明确了路径。

“Integration” is a Profound “Chemical Reaction”

“结合”是深刻的“化学反应”

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “‘Integration’ is not a ‘platter’, not a simple ‘physical reaction’, but a profound ‘chemical reaction’, forging an organically unified new cultural life form.” The reason “integration” is a profound “chemical reaction” is that the prerequisite for “integration” is the high degree of compatibility between Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture; they mutually stimulate and mutually achieve each other, thereby forging an organically unified new cultural life form.

习近平总书记指出：“‘结合’不是‘拼盘’，不是简单的‘物理反应’，而是深刻的‘化学反应’，造就了一个有机统一的新的文化生命体。”“结合”之所以是深刻的“化学反应”，是因为“结合”的前提是马克思主义和中华优秀传统文化存在高度的契合性，二者互相激发、互相成就，从而造就了有机统一的新的文化生命体。

In the process of “integration”, on the one hand, fine traditional Chinese culture enriches the cultural life of Marxism, providing rich historical and cultural nourishment for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, enabling Marxism to take root in the fertile soil of fine traditional Chinese culture, displaying increasingly distinct Chinese style and Chinese manner, and always maintaining vigorous vitality and exuberant energy; on the other hand, Marxism activates the vital factors within fine traditional Chinese culture with the light of truth and endows them with new contemporary connotations, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, making it a new culture that is compatible with contemporary China, coordinated with modern society, and integrated with actual culture, presenting new contemporary value and world significance. The new cultural achievement formed through the profound “chemical reaction” both adheres to the soul vein of Marxism and the root vein of fine traditional Chinese culture, and rationally draws on all outstanding achievements of human civilization, reflects the development trends of the era, and is a cultural life form with systematicity, advanced nature, and leading quality, as well as a cultural form rich in growth potential and vitality; it will inevitably continue to enrich and develop with the deepening of practice.

在“结合”的过程中，一方面，中华优秀传统文化充实了马克思主义的文化生命，为马克思主义中国化时代化提供了丰厚的历史文化滋养，使马克思主义扎根于中华优秀传统文化沃土，显示出日益鲜明的中国风格与中国气派，始终保持蓬勃生机和旺盛活力；另一方面，马克思主义以真理之光激活中华优秀传统文化中富有生命力的优秀因子并赋予其新的时代内涵，推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展，成为同当代中国相适应、同现代社会相协调、同现实文化相融通的新文化，呈现出新的时代价值和世界意义。通过深刻的“化学反应”形成的新的文化成果，既坚守马克思主义这个魂脉和中华优秀传统文化这个根脉，又合理借鉴人类文明一切优秀成果，反映时代发展趋势，是一个具有系统性、先进性、引领性的文化生命体，也是一个富有成长性和生命力的文化形态，必然随着实践深入而不断丰富发展。

Providing a New Logical Starting Point for Resolving the “Dispute between the Ancient and the Modern, China and the West”

为破解“古今中西之争”提供新的逻辑起点

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “After long-term effort, we are more capable than any previous era of resolving the ‘dispute between the ancient and the modern, China and the West’, and we are also more urgently in need than any previous era of a batch of cultural achievements that fuse the ancient and the modern and synthesize China and the West.” The new cultural life form provides rich substance and lays a solid foundation for advancing Chinese-path modernization, and also provides a new logical starting point for resolving the “dispute between the ancient and the modern, China and the West”. The cultural form of Chinese-path modernization “does not forget the original”, inheriting and promoting the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture; “absorbs the external”, drawing on and absorbing all outstanding achievements of human civilization; “faces the future”, conforming to the development trends of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is a culture rooted in China, with a global vision, possessing prominent characteristics and a broad ethos. This new cultural life form manifests the value orientation of Marxism, pursues the coordinated development of material, political, cultural-ethical, social, and ecological civilization, advocates peaceful development, win-win cooperation, focuses on transcending civilizational estrangement through civilizational exchange, transcending civilizational conflict through civilizational mutual learning, and transcending civilizational superiority through civilizational coexistence, continuously enhancing mutual understanding, mutual respect, and mutual appreciation among peoples of all countries and different civilizations. It is distinct from Western capitalist cultural unilateralism, which is characterized by colonial expansion, zero-sum games, and exclusivity.

习近平总书记强调：“经过长期努力，我们比以往任何一个时代都更有条件破解‘古今中西之争’，也比以往任何一个时代都更迫切需要一批熔铸古今、汇通中西的文化成果。”新的文化生命体为推进中国式现代化提供了丰厚底蕴、奠定了坚实根基，也为破解“古今中西之争”提供了新的逻辑起点。中国式现代化的文化形态“不忘本来”、继承和弘扬中华优秀传统文化精华，“吸收外来”、吸收借鉴一切人类文明优秀成果，“面向未来”、符合中国特色社会主义发展趋势，是立足中国、放眼世界，具有突出特性、拥有博大气象的文化。这一新的文化生命体彰显马克思主义的价值取向，追求物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明、生态文明协调发展，崇尚和平发展、合作共赢，注重以文明交流超越文明隔阂、以文明互鉴超越文明冲突、以文明共存超越文明优越，不断增进各国人民以及不同文明间的相互理解、相互尊重、相互欣赏，区别于西方资本主义那种殖民扩张、零和博弈，具有排他性的文化单边主义。

The new cultural life form forged by “integration” follows the laws of civilizational development and adapts to the trends of the times; the new culture formed by “integration” is the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization is deeply rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture, embodies the advanced nature of scientific socialism, draws on and absorbs all outstanding achievements of human civilization, and is a completely new form of human civilization. It breaks the myth of “modernization = Westernization”, deconstructs the discourse system of Western-centrism, manifests the independence and autonomy of our country in matters of modernization, consolidates cultural subjectivity, provides a new choice for humanity to realize modernization, and contributes Chinese wisdom to creating a new form of human civilization and leading the development and progress of world civilization.

“结合”造就的新的文化生命体遵循文明发展规律、适应时代发展潮流，“结合”形成的新文化是中国式现代化的文化形态。中国式现代化深深植根于中华优秀传统文化，体现科学社会主义的先进本质，借鉴吸收一切人类优秀文明成果，是一种全新的人类文明形态。它打破了“现代化=西方化”的迷思，解构了西方中心主义的话语体系，彰显了我国在现代化问题上的独立性、自主性，巩固了文化主体性，为人类实现现代化提供了新的选择，为创造人类文明新形态、引领世界文明发展进步贡献了中国智慧。

Continuously Promoting the Life Renewal and Modern Transformation of Chinese Civilization

不断推动中华文明生命更新和现代转型

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural country, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era.” To better shoulder the new cultural mission, we must adhere to the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, adhere to the soul vein of Marxism and the root vein of fine traditional Chinese culture, continuously open up new realms for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times through the “Two Integrations”, and continuously promote the life renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization.

习近平总书记强调：“在新的起点上继续推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国、建设中华民族现代文明，是我们在新时代新的文化使命。”更好担负起新的文化使命，就要坚持中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，坚守马克思主义这个魂脉和中华优秀传统文化这个根脉，在“两个结合”中不断开辟马克思主义中国化时代化新境界，不断推动中华文明生命更新和现代转型。

The best inheritance of history is to create new history, and the greatest respect for human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization. With the advancement and expansion of Chinese-path modernization, Chinese civilization will inevitably achieve life renewal and modern transformation in accordance with the development of the times, radiating even more vigorous vitality. We must strengthen cultural confidence, adhere to taking our own path, neither blindly following various dogmas nor copying foreign theories, but instead, based on the great historical and contemporary practices of the Chinese nation, use Chinese principles to summarize Chinese experience well, elevate Chinese experience into Chinese theory, and achieve spiritual independence and autonomy. Uphold openness and inclusiveness, with an open attitude and an inclusive mind, more actively learn from and draw on all outstanding achievements of civilization created by humanity, adhere to adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, inherit and develop fine traditional Chinese culture, promote the localization of foreign cultures, continuously cultivate and create socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for the New Era, strive to forge a batch of cultural achievements that fuse the ancient and the modern and synthesize China and the West, making our civilization more dynamic and stronger. Uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, adhere to the fundamental system of Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological domain, adhere to the fundamental requirement of the “Two Integrations”, adhere to the Party’s cultural leadership and the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, while adhering to the roots, keep pace with the times and be brave in innovation, truly achieve making the past serve the present, making foreign things serve China, dialectically selecting, and discarding the old and creating the new under the guidance of Marxism, continuously injecting new impetus into enriching and developing the new form of human civilization.

对历史最好的继承就是创造新的历史，对人类文明最大的礼敬就是创造人类文明新形态。随着中国式现代化的推进和拓展，中华文明也必将顺应时代发展实现生命更新和现代转型，焕发出更加蓬勃的生命力。要坚定文化自信，坚持走自己的路，既不盲从各种教条，也不照搬外国理论，而是立足中华民族伟大历史实践和当代实践，用中国道理总结好中国经验，把中国经验提升为中国理论，实现精神上的独立自主。秉持开放包容，以开放的姿态、包容的胸怀，更加积极主动地学习借鉴人类创造的一切优秀文明成果，坚持马克思主义中国化时代化，传承发展中华优秀传统文化，促进外来文化本土化，不断培育和创造新时代中国特色社会主义文化，努力造就一批熔铸古今、汇通中西的文化成果，使我们的文明更具活力、更加强大。坚持守正创新，坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位的根本制度，坚持“两个结合”的根本要求，坚持中国共产党的文化领导权和中华民族的文化主体性，坚守本根的同时又与时俱进、勇于创新，在马克思主义指导下真正做到古为今用、洋为中用、辩证取舍、推陈出新，不断为丰富和发展人类文明新形态注入新动力。

(The author is a researcher at the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping

（作者为北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员）

Online editor: Zhang Jian

网络编辑：张剑