The Basic Kernel, Main Characteristics, and Value Implications of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the major proposition of “building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation” at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development, and pointed out that “building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is our new cultural mission in the New Era.” [1]1 The Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development was held in Beijing on June 2, 2023. At present, the academic community has made many explorations around the theoretical emergence, philosophical narrative, practical exploration, connotative essence, and value significance of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, providing relatively rich literature references for its theoretical interpretation and also contributing to further promoting its scholarly construction. From creating a new culture to building a modern civilization, this is a leap in the spirit of the Chinese nation from a conceptual form to an overall civilizational framework. Understanding and analyzing the theoretical kernel, characteristics, and value significance of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation not only helps to explore its connotative system from a scholarly perspective but also aids in clarifying its contemporary context. It is an inherent requirement for enhancing the regular understanding and directional grasp of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上提出“建设中华民族现代文明”的重大命题，并指出“建设中华民族现代文明，是我们在新时代新的文化使命”。目前，学界围绕中华民族现代文明的理论出场、哲学叙事、实践探索、内涵旨要和价值意义等作出诸多探索，为中华民族现代文明的理论阐释提供了较为丰富的文献参考，也为进一步推动中华民族现代文明的学理性建构贡献了力量。从创造新文化到建设现代文明，是中华民族精神从观念形态转化为整体文明架构的飞跃。理解和剖析中华民族现代文明的理论内核、特征及价值意义，既有助于从学理上探赜中华民族现代文明内涵体系，也为厘清中华民族现代文明的时代语境提供了帮助，是提升对中华民族现代文明的规律性认识和方向性把握的内在要求。

I. The Basic Kernel of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

一、中华民族现代文明的基本内核

Regarding the definition and basic connotation of civilization, the academic community has already conducted much research and reached a certain degree of consensus. Generally speaking, civilization is a manifestation in which a conceptual form of culture is externalized into material production and institutional forms. There are multiple ways to classify civilization. From a geographical-spatial perspective, civilization can be divided into regional civilizations such as Chinese civilization, ancient Greek civilization, and ancient Babylonian civilization; from the perspective of the basic social production form, civilization can be divided into agricultural civilization, industrial civilization, and commercial civilization. Proposing the “modern civilization of the Chinese nation” is another classification method, dividing civilization from a temporal perspective into ancient civilization (or traditional civilization), modern civilization, and future civilization.

关于文明的定义和基本内涵，学界已经多有研究并取得了一定程度的共识。大体说来，文明是一种观念形态的文化外化为物质生产和制度形态的表现。文明有多种分类法。从地域空间角度，可以把文明分为中国文明、古希腊文明、古巴比伦文明等地域性文明；从社会基础生产形态角度，可以把文明分为农业文明、工业文明、商业文明等。提出“中华民族现代文明”则是另一个分类法，从时间角度把文明分为古代文明（或传统文明）、现代文明与未来文明。

But at the same time, it must be pointed out that the modernity of civilization cannot be attributed solely to temporality; it must also be understood from its nature. In today’s human society, various civilizations coexist, but not all civilizations existing in the world can be called “modern civilizations.” Some civilizations that exist in modernity are not “actual” (现实的) but merely “extant” (现存的). The distinction between “actual” and “extant” comes from Hegel. He said: “As far as determinate being in general is concerned, part of it is appearance, and only part of it is actuality. In everyday life, any fantasy, error, evil, and all bad things, all corrupt and decaying existences, are casually called actuality by people. But even in ordinary feeling, one would feel that an accidental existence does not deserve the good name of actuality. For what is called accidental existence is merely a valueless, possible existence, i.e., something dispensable.” [2]2 This is a paraphrase of Hegel’s distinction between actuality (Wirklichkeit) and mere existence (Dasein), drawn from his *Science of Logic* and *Philosophy of Right*. Engels said: “According to Hegel, actuality is by no means an attribute that any social or political state possesses in all circumstances and all times… Thus, in the course of development, all previously actual things become non-actual, lose their necessity, their right to exist, their rationality; a new, vital actual thing replaces the decaying actual thing… Everything that is extant deserves to perish.” [3]3 This is a paraphrase of Engels’s discussion of Hegel’s dialectic in *Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy* (1886). Marx and Engels applied this view when criticizing capitalist society: “In actuality, and for the practical materialist, i.e., the communist, the whole problem lies in revolutionizing the extant world, practically opposing and changing extant things.” [4]4 This is a paraphrase of a passage from Marx and Engels’s *The German Ideology* (1845-1846).

但同时必须指出，文明的现代性不能仅仅归于时间性，还要从其性质理解。当今人类社会，各种各样的文明并存，但并不是所有的现存于世界的文明都可以称为“现代文明”。有些存在于现代的文明不是“现实的”，而只是“现存的”。关于“现实”和“现存”相区分的思想来自黑格尔。他说：“就定在一般说来，一部分是现象，仅有一部分是现实。在日常生活中，任何幻想、错误、罪恶以及一切坏东西、一切腐败幻灭的存在，尽管人们都随便把它们叫做现实。但是，甚至在平常的感觉里，也会觉得一个偶然的存在不配享受现实的美名。因为所谓偶然的存在，只是一个没有什么价值的、可能的存在，亦即可有可无的东西。”恩格斯说：“根据黑格尔的意见，现实性决不是某种社会状态或政治状态在一切环境和一切时代所具有的属性……这样，在发展进程中，以前一切现实的东西都会成为不现实的，都会丧失自己的必然性、自己存在的权利、自己的合理性；一种新的、富有生命力的现实的东西就会代替正在衰亡的现实的东西……凡是现存的，都一定要灭亡。”马克思恩格斯在批判资本主义社会时即应用了这个观点：“实际上，而且对实践的唯物主义者即共产主义者来说，全部问题都在于使现存世界革命化，实际地反对并改变现存的事物”。

“The mode of life introduced by modernity has, in an unprecedented way, detached us from all types of traditional social orders.” [5]5 This is a paraphrase of Anthony Giddens’s argument in *The Consequences of Modernity* (1990). There is no denying that Western capitalist civilization has greatly liberated and developed social productive forces, pushing human society into the historical process of industrial civilization and information civilization. However, in essence, Western capitalist civilization is merely an “extant” rather than an “actual” civilization; it has lost the necessity of its own existence and cannot truly represent the future direction of human society. A true modern civilization is one that carries forward the past and opens up the future. Such a modern civilization is inherited and developed from ancient civilization, undergoes creative transformation and innovative development, is based on the contemporary real social economic base and development requirements, and at the same time gestates the civilizational form of future society. Such a civilization has actuality and necessity; it possesses strong vitality, like the rising sun, vigorously promoting the development of social civilization. It is in this sense that we should understand the word “modern” in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s proposal to build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

“现代性所引入的生活模式，以前所未有的方式使我们脱离了所有类型的传统社会秩序。”无可讳言，西方资本主义文明极大地解放和发展了社会生产力，把人类社会推入工业文明和信息文明的历史进程。但是，从本质上讲，西方资本主义文明仅仅是“现存”而不是“现实”的文明，它丧失了自身存在的必然性，无法真正地代表人类社会未来的发展方向。真正的现代文明是继往开来的，这样的现代文明由古代文明继承发展而来，经过创造性转化和创新性发展，立足于当代现实社会经济基础和发展要求，同时又孕育着未来社会的文明形态。这样的文明是有着现实性和必然性的，它有着强大的生命力，如旭日东升，有力地推动社会文明的发展。我们应该在这个意义上理解习近平总书记提出的建设中华民族现代文明的“现代”二字。

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a civilizational form formed under the guidance of Marxism with a value orientation toward modernity. Under the guidance of Marxism, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation inherits the spiritual kernel of fine traditional Chinese culture, regarding fine traditional Chinese culture as its important ideological foundation. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation transcends the value orientation of Western capitalist civilization, which replaces real people with abstract “man” and treats people as objects of instrumental rationality. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation takes the realization of human modernization as its value goal, achieves the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese civilization through independent innovation, and relies on the practical foundation of Chinese-path modernization, gradually forming a new form of human civilization encompassing material civilization, political civilization, cultural-ethical progress, social civilization, and ecological civilization.

中华民族现代文明是在马克思主义指导下形成的具有现代性价值指向的文明形态。在马克思主义指导下，中华民族现代文明继承了中华优秀传统文化的精神内核，将中华优秀传统文化视为其重要的思想根基。中华民族现代文明超越了西方资本主义文明以抽象的“人”取代现实的人，把人作为工具理性的对象的价值取向。中华民族现代文明以实现人的现代化为价值旨归，以自主创新实现中华文明的创造性转化和创新性发展，并依托中国式现代化实践的现实基础，逐步形成涵盖物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明以及生态文明的人类文明新形态。

1. The Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation Takes Marxism as Its Theoretical Guidance

1.中华民族现代文明以马克思主义为理论指导

Marxism is the guiding ideology for the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. This is determined by multiple factors, including theoretical, historical, and practical ones.

马克思主义是中华民族现代文明建设的指导思想。这是由理论、历史和现实等多因素共同决定的。

From a theoretical perspective, the connotative structure of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation profoundly reflects the theoretical inheritance of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Modern civilization is not a mere replica of traditional civilization; the “modern” hallmark of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation lies in the addition of Marxism and its adoption as the guiding ideology. The history of constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the history of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture. For example, the Marxist view of mass history is consistent with ideas in Chinese civilization such as “the people are the foundation of the state” and “the ruler is the boat, the people are the water.” [6]6 “The people are the foundation of the state” is from the *Book of Documents* (Shangshu); “the ruler is the boat, the people are the water” is from Xunzi. Through long-term revolutionary practice and theoretical summarization, this has formed the value principle of the Chinese Communists with “serving the people” as the core tenet. The view of the people is both the basic stance of Marxist theory and a political demand consistently upheld by Chinese civilization. The combination of these two has successfully shaped the Chinese Communists’ distinct people’s stance and mass thought, and has also become a key code for the Chinese Communists’ governance of the country. It can be seen that Marxism and Chinese civilization are mutually complementary and mutually reinforcing. Marxism endows the fine traditional ideas of Chinese civilization with modern elements that conform to the progress of the times, as well as scientific and reasonable methodological principles and paths, reshaping the worldview of traditional Chinese thought and making it more suitable for the actual development of contemporary China and the living needs of the people.

从理论方面来说，中华民族现代文明的内涵结构，深刻反映了马克思主义中国化时代化的理论继承。现代文明不是传统文明的重现翻版，中华民族现代文明的“现代”标志就在于加入了马克思主义并以其为指导思想。中华民族现代文明的建构史就是马克思主义中国化时代化、马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的历史。譬如，马克思主义的群众史观与中华文明的“民为邦本”“君舟民水”等思想有着一致性，经过革命的长期实践和理论的总结提炼，形成了中国共产党人以“为人民服务”为宗旨要义的价值原则。人民观既是马克思主义理论的基本立场，也是中华文明一直坚持的政治诉求。这两者的结合，成功塑造了中国共产党鲜明的人民立场和群众思想，也成为中国共产党治国理政的关键密码。可见，马克思主义与中华文明是相互承接、相得益彰的关系。马克思主义赋予了中华文明优秀传统思想以符合时代进步的现代性要素和科学的、合理的方法论原则与路径，重塑了中华文明传统思想的世界观，使其更符合当代中国的发展实际和人民群众的生活需要。

From the perspective of historical practice, after the Opium War, [7]7 The Opium War (1839-1842) was a military conflict between Qing China and Britain, often seen as the beginning of China’s “century of humiliation.” advanced Chinese people had been seeking truth from the West to save the country, but all failed. The October Revolution [8]8 The October Revolution (1917) was the Bolshevik-led seizure of power in Russia. brought Marxism-Leninism to China. Since accepting Marxism, China’s face has taken on an entirely new look. Under the guidance of Marxism, China shook off the bullying of the great powers, established the socialist system, and established the socialist market economy system. The Chinese people have achieved the great leaps of standing up, growing rich, and are now becoming strong. [9]9 “Standing up, growing rich, and becoming strong” is a standard CPC narrative of China’s historical trajectory under Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Xi Jinping, respectively. In contrast, those former socialist countries that abandoned Marxism and turned to Western liberalism in the 1990s experienced a rapid regression in economic and social development, with some even engulfed in war and their people displaced. “Practice tells us that why the Communist Party of China can succeed and why socialism with Chinese characteristics works is, in the final analysis, because Marxism works, and because the Chinese-contextualized and times-adapted Marxism works.” [10]10 This is a direct quotation from Xi Jinping’s report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC (October 2022).

从历史实践看，鸦片战争以后，先进的中国人就一直在向西方寻找救国的真理，但是都失败了。十月革命一声炮响，给中国送来了马克思列宁主义。自从接受了马克思主义，中国的面貌就焕然一新了。在马克思主义指导下，中国摆脱列强欺辱，建立社会主义制度，建立社会主义市场经济体制。中国人民实现了站起来、富起来，如今正在走向强起来的伟大飞跃。反观那些曾经的社会主义国家，在20世纪90年代放弃了马克思主义转向西方自由主义，结果导致了经济社会发展的急速倒退，有的甚至战火纷飞，人民流离失所。“实践告诉我们，中国共产党为什么能，中国特色社会主义为什么好，归根到底是马克思主义行，是中国化时代化的马克思主义行。”

Proceeding from practical needs, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a scientific plan based on the “two overall situations” [11]11 “Great harmony society” (大同社会, datong shehui) and “peace among all nations” (协和万邦, xiehe wanbang) are classical Confucian ideals from ancient Chinese texts, referring respectively to a utopian society of universal harmony and the peaceful coexistence of all states., manifesting Chinese wisdom and Chinese values. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to the contemporary value of Chinese civilization, and relevant discourses and practices have been continuously enriched and developed, providing theoretical support and action guidance for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly discussed the value status and development direction of Chinese civilization, pointing out that “Chinese civilization has a long history of more than 5,000 years and is a powerful spiritual force for the Chinese nation’s unremitting self-improvement, development, and growth,” and that it is necessary to “promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese civilization.” The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not only a theoretical proposition that General Secretary Xi Jinping has consistently upheld and advanced with the times, but

从现实需求出发，建设中华民族现代文明是立足“两个大局”作出的科学谋划，彰显着中国智慧、中国价值。党的十八大以来，中华文明的时代价值受到党中央的高度重视，相关论述和实践不断得到丰富、发展，这为建设中华民族现代文明提供了理论支撑和行动指南。习近平总书记深刻论述了中华文明的价值地位和发展指向，指出“中华文明有着5000多年的悠久历史，是中华民族自强不息、发展壮大的强大精神力量”，必须“推动中华文明创造性转化、创新性发展”。中华民族现代文明既是习近平总书记一以贯之又与时俱进的理论命题，也是凝结在习近平文化思想中的重要内容。建设中华民族现代文明是在中国特色社会主义事业进程中，对中华文明进行继承与创新的重要表征，标志着中国特色社会主义在“两个大局”时代背景下的新发展和新高度。与此同时，如今世界之变、时代之变、历史之变正以前所未有的方式展开。世界百年未有之大变局带来的时代之问和世界之问，急需中国之答。这个世界怎么了，我们该怎么办？以马克思主义为理论指导的中华民族现代文明蕴含着丰富的中国智慧和中国价值，为破解世界发展难题提供了科学武器。马克思主义的世界观强调人的解放和人的自由全面发展，这是中华民族现代文明的最终价值追求和理念原则。构建人类命运共同体理念、“一带一路”倡议、全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议和全球文明倡议等一系列立足中国实践、体现时代特色、引领人类进步的中国智慧和中国方案，无不以马克思主义理论为内核，将人的解放和自由全面发展这一价值诉求呈现于中华民族现代文明的内涵中。

2. The Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation Takes Fine Traditional Chinese Culture as Its Ideological Foundation

2.中华民族现代文明以中华优秀传统文化为思想根基

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, “Fine traditional Chinese culture is our deepest cultural soft power and also the cultural fertile soil in which socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted.” The emergence of the proposition of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation manifests the evolutionary path of the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. This evolutionary path conforms both to the general laws of civilizational development and to the actual construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

习近平总书记指出，“中华优秀传统文化是我们最深厚的文化软实力，也是中国特色社会主义植根的文化沃土”。中华民族现代文明的命题出场彰显了中华优秀传统文化创造性转化和创新性发展的演化进路。这一演化路径，既符合文明发展的一般规律，也贴合中华民族现代文明的建构实际。

Proceeding from the narrow concept of civilization, civilization, as an advanced form of a nation’s cultural development, internally prescribes a nation’s ideological tradition and spiritual accumulation, possessing a distinct character of inheritance. In the writings of Marx and Engels, the epochal division of civilization is distinguished as slave civilization, feudal civilization, capitalist civilization, and communist civilization. However, no matter how the developmental form of civilization changes, the positive elements contained in the previous civilizational form that affect human production and liberation are historically inherited in the spiritual production of society. “Although historical civilizations become ‘the past’ in the history of civilizational development, the past ‘historical’ civilizations also accumulate various elements of ‘modern’ civilization.” Cultural inheritance provides historical evidence and a developmental foundation for the development of civilization. The same is true when we examine the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

从文明的狭义概念出发，文明作为一个民族文化发展的高级形态，内在地规定着一个民族的思想传统和精神积淀，具有鲜明的继承性。在马克思恩格斯笔下，文明的时代划分被区别为奴隶制文明、封建制文明、资本主义文明和共产主义文明。但是，无论文明的发展形态如何变化，前一文明形态包含的影响人的生产和解放的积极要素都会在社会的精神生产中被历史地承继下来。“历史文明虽然在文明发展的历史中成为‘过去’，但在过往的‘历史’文明中也积淀着种种‘现代’文明的元素。”文化的传承给文明的发展以历史的佐证和发展的根基。观之中华民族现代文明亦是如此。

“If we do not understand China from its long-standing historical continuity, it is impossible to understand ancient China, impossible to understand modern China, and even more impossible to understand future China.” The Chinese civilization of more than 5,000 years has long been baptized by the passage of time. Since the New Culture Movement in modern times, it has realized the transformation of the cultural model from tradition to modernity, and has also achieved the conversion of cultural expression from feudalism to freedom, laying the foundation for constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. However, from the perspective of the actual state of the contemporary development of Chinese civilization, the fine traditional Chinese culture and ideological spirit contained and inherited within it still shine brightly, influencing and changing the strategies and policies of the state’s governance, and also influencing and changing the spiritual life of the people. For example, in Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought, the values of “great harmony society” and “peace among all nations” from fine traditional Chinese culture are prominently manifested; in the creation and promotion of cultural products, works that carry the value of fine traditional Chinese culture are more easily accepted by the people, more readily release the charm and value they contain, and can also bring more considerable economic benefits. Therefore, from the macro perspective of civilizational development, the emergence of the proposition of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation must inevitably draw nourishment and value from traditional Chinese civilization. It must not only inherit and promote the cultural concepts and spiritual core carried by traditional Chinese civilization, but also achieve breakthroughs in theoretical narrative and practical evolution through the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. This is an important manifestation and inherent requirement of the law-conforming and reality-conforming nature of the construction and development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

“如果不从源远流长的历史连续性来认识中国，就不可能理解古代中国，也不可能理解现代中国，更不可能理解未来中国。”5000余年的中华文明久经岁月洗礼，自近代新文化运动以来，实现了文化模式的传统向现代的转型，也在文化表达上实现了封建向自由的转换，为建构中华民族现代文明奠定了基础。但是，从中华文明当代发展的现实状况来看，其中蕴含和传承下来的中华优秀传统文化和思想精神仍熠熠生辉，影响和改变着国家治国理政的方略政策，也影响和改变着人民群众的精神生活。比如，在习近平外交思想中就突出地显现了中华优秀传统文化中“大同社会”“协和万邦”的价值观念；在文化产品的创作、推广中，承载中华优秀传统文化价值的作品，更易被人民接受，更易于释放其蕴含的魅力价值，也能够带来更可观的经济效益。因而，从文明发展的宏观视阈出发，中华民族现代文明的命题出场必然要从传统中华文明中汲取营养和价值，既要继承和弘扬传统中华文明承载的文化观念和精神内核，也要在中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化和创新性发展中实现理论叙事和实践演化的突破。这是中华民族现代文明建构发展的合规律性与合现实性的重要体现与内在要求。

3. The Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation Takes Chinese-Path Modernization Construction as Its Practical Foundation

3.中华民族现代文明以中国式现代化建设为实践基础

Chinese-path modernization is the key practical force for realizing the modern transformation of Chinese civilization. The great practice of hundreds of millions of people provides an inexhaustible source for theoretical innovation. The constantly changing contemporary China is endowing Chinese civilization with new connotations and values through the rich practice of Chinese-path modernization, and is promoting the modern evolution of Chinese civilization.

中国式现代化是中华文明实现现代转型的关键实践力量。亿万人民的伟大实践为理论创新提供了不绝的源泉，不断变革的当代中国正在以中国式现代化的丰富实践赋予中华文明新的内涵与价值，并推动着中华文明的现代演进。

Chinese-path modernization provides practical support and comprehensive guarantees for the emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Engels pointed out, “The ultimate causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in the minds of men, not in men’s increasing insight into eternal truth and justice, but in changes in the mode of production and exchange.” The emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is precisely the product of the era of contemporary China’s economic and social development and changes in the mode of production. The development and progress of civilization require not only a solid material foundation, but also a strong organizational structure and a harmonious and stable social environment. Chinese-path modernization is not a modernization of a single material production, but a modernization of comprehensive and coordinated development. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, “Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all the people, of the coordination of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of taking the path of peaceful development.” The deepening and expansion of the contemporary practice of Chinese-path modernization not only provides abundant material resources for the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, but also provides a broad space for cultural development for the modernization of Chinese civilization. The innovation of the mode of production brings about transformations in systems, culture, society, ecology, and other aspects. Chinese-path modernization, “using the rules of the ancients to create its own new life,” integrates concepts such as “unity of heaven and humanity,” “the ideal of great harmony,” and “being kind and good to neighbors” from Chinese civilization with modern practice, endowing these concepts with new discourse scenarios and practical methods, while also endowing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation with genes of scientificity and innovation. In short, Chinese-path modernization and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation are a dialectical relationship of mutual promotion and mutual integration.

中国式现代化为中华民族现代文明的出场提供了实践支撑和全面保障。恩格斯指出，“一切社会变迁和政治变革的终极原因，不应当到人们的头脑中，到人们对永恒的真理和正义的日益增进的认识中去寻找，而应当到生产方式和交换方式的变更中去寻找”。中华民族现代文明的出场正是当代中国经济社会发展与生产方式变革的时代产物。文明的发展和进步既需要坚实的物质基础，又需要强大的组织结构以及和谐稳定的社会环境。中国式现代化不是单一的物质生产的现代化，而是全面协调发展的现代化。正如习近平总书记所指出的，“中国式现代化是人口规模巨大、全体人民共同富裕、物质文明和精神文明相协调、人与自然和谐共生、走和平发展道路的现代化”。中国式现代化的当代实践不断深入和拓展，既为中华民族现代文明的构建提供了充沛的物质资源，又为中华文明的现代化提供了广阔的文化发展空间。生产方式的革新带来制度、文化、社会、生态等多方面的蜕变。中国式现代化“以古人之规矩，开自己之生面”，把中华文明的“天人合一”“大同理想”“亲仁善邻”等思想观念与现代化实践融合，赋予这些思想观念以新的话语场景和实践方式，同时也赋予中华民族现代文明以科学性和创新性基因。总之，中国式现代化与中华民族现代文明是相互促进、互为整体的辩证关系。

Advancing Chinese-path modernization also urgently requires the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Marx pointed out: “The degree to which a theory is realized in a country always depends on the degree to which the theory satisfies the needs of that country.” Looking at world history, every major development in the production of human society has called for and been accompanied by the emergence of a new form of civilization. In modern Chinese history, the needs of the Chinese revolution and socialist construction called for and produced the great achievements of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context—Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. At present, the world is facing changes unseen in a century. China is situated within this great transformation, and the diversity, complexity, and difficulty of its development problems are unprecedented. The value orientation of Chinese-path modernization is to achieve common prosperity in the people’s lives, realize the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, promote the comprehensive enrichment of material things and the all-round development of people, and realize the leap from the “realm of necessity” to the “realm of freedom.” These value pursuits go beyond the traditional categories that emphasize only one aspect of development and call for a new form of civilization. Therefore, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a general trend that conforms to the developmental needs of Chinese-path modernization.

推进中国式现代化也迫切需要建设中华民族现代文明。马克思指出：“理论在一个国家实现的程度，总是取决于理论满足这个国家的需要的程度。”纵观世界历史，人类社会生产的每一次大发展，都呼唤并伴随着新的文明形态的产生。在中国近现代史上，中国革命和社会主义建设的需要呼唤并产生了马克思主义中国化的伟大成果——毛泽东思想、邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想、科学发展观和习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想。当前，世界正面临百年未有之大变局。中国身处这个大变局之中，其发展问题的多样性、复杂性和困难程度可谓前所未有。中国式现代化的价值旨归是要实现人民生活的共同富裕，实现人与自然的和谐共生，促进物的全面丰富和人的全面发展，实现从“必然王国”到“自由王国”的跨越。这些价值追求超出了仅强调某一方面发展的传统范畴，而呼唤着一种新的文明形态。因而，建设中华民族现代文明是顺应中国式现代化发展需要的大势所趋。

4. The Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation Takes the Realization of the Modernization of People as Its Value Orientation

4.中华民族现代文明以实现人的现代化为价值旨归

Chinese-path modernization ultimately aims to realize the modernization of people. “In a certain sense, the modernization of people is an important logical starting point and a main thread of Chinese-path modernization.” General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes, “Strive to use all the spiritual

中国式现代化归根到底要实现人的现代化。“从一定意义上讲，人的现代化是中国式现代化的重要逻辑出发点和一条主线。”习近平总书记强调，“努力用中华民族创造的一切精神财富来以文化人、以文育人”。以文化人，是文明发展的内在追求。中华民族现代文明扬弃了传统型与西方片面现代化的价值理念，在中国式现代化的实践场域内发展，并且承载和表达了中国式现代化的核心价值与本质要求。在中华民族现代文明的视阈下，人的现代化集中体现为实现人民精神富有和促进人类文明进步两个方面。

From the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation requires the liberation and enrichment of the people's spiritual world, achieving the people's spiritual prosperity. Spiritual prosperity is an important content and inherent meaning of human modernization. Human modernization requires both the modernization of people's material life, satisfying the people's happy and secure material enjoyment, and the modernization of people's spiritual life, transforming and liberating people's spiritual world. "Chinese civilization has always incorporated people's spiritual life into life and social ideals." "Both enriching and educating" was the political aspiration of ancient Chinese traditional scholar-officials. They adhered to the consistent concept of social governance that "those who govern the state take enriching the people as the foundation and rectifying learning as the basis," requiring rulers to both satisfy the people's material demands, enabling the people to live and work in peace and contentment, and to enrich the people's cultural life, enabling the people to understand etiquette and know honor and disgrace. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation inherits the positive elements of fine traditional Chinese culture, blends the inherent requirements of Chinese-path modernization for people's spiritual world in the process of actual evolution, and takes the liberation of people and the enrichment of the people's spiritual world as an important development direction. "Material abundance and spiritual prosperity are the fundamental requirements of socialist modernization." For a long time, the Communist Party of China has adhered to taking the enrichment of the people's spiritual world as an important task and goal requirement of cultural construction. Through a series of arduous explorations, the practice and theory of cultural construction led by the Communist Party of China have been enriched and expanded, becoming an important component of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Without the active guidance of advanced culture, without the great enrichment of the people's spiritual world, without the continuous enhancement of the national spiritual strength, a country or a nation cannot stand among the nations of the world." Achieving the people's spiritual prosperity is an important task in solidly promoting common prosperity for all the people. As the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, which is inherently unified with Chinese-path modernization, it has taken the realization of spiritual prosperity as its fundamental value requirement from the very beginning of its theoretical emergence.

从中华民族伟大复兴的战略全局看，中华民族现代文明要求解放和丰富人的精神世界，实现人民精神富有。精神富有是人的现代化的重要内容和题中之义。人的现代化既要求实现人物质生活的现代化，满足人民幸福、安康的物质享受，也要求实现人精神生活的现代化，改造和解放人的精神世界。“中华文明历来把人的精神生活纳入人生和社会理想之中。”“既富且教”是中国古代传统士人的政治诉求。他们坚持把“为国者以富民为本，以正学为基”作为社会治理的一贯理念，要求统治者既要满足人民的物质诉求，使人民安居乐业，又要繁荣人民文化生活，使人民晓礼节、知荣辱。中华民族现代文明传承了中华优秀传统文化的积极要素，在现实演化进程中糅合中国式现代化对人的精神世界的内在要求，把人的解放和丰富人民精神世界作为重要的发展指向。“物质富足、精神富有是社会主义现代化的根本要求。”长期以来，中国共产党坚持把丰富人民群众精神世界作为文化建设的重要任务和目标要求，在一系列艰苦探索中，中国共产党领导的文化建设实践和理论得到了丰富和拓展，成为中华民族现代文明的重要组成部分。习近平总书记强调：“没有先进文化的积极引领，没有人民精神世界的极大丰富，没有民族精神力量的不断增强，一个国家、一个民族不可能屹立于世界民族之林。”实现人民精神富有是扎实推动全体人民共同富裕的重要任务，作为与中国式现代化内在统一的中华民族现代文明，从理论出场开始就把实现精神富有作为其根本的价值要求。

Proceeding from the modern situation of the changes unseen in a century in the world, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation requires promoting the progress of human civilization, allowing itself to become an important mirror for the spiritual prosperity of all mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must vigorously promote the development of cultural undertakings, through cultural exchanges, communicate hearts and minds, broaden horizons, enhance consensus, let people continuously improve their quality through cultural cultivation, and let culture contribute to human progress." Chinese civilization is a form of civilization that has grown through exchanges and mutual learning with world civilizations, possessing strong inclusiveness. This inclusiveness is reflected both in the richness and diversity of its connotation system and in the fraternity and great harmony of its value core. Historically, Chinese civilization has made important contributions to human development. The "Four Great Inventions" [14]14 "Advancing with the times" (与时偕行, yǔ shí xié xíng) is a phrase from the "Wenyan" commentary on the Qian hexagram of the *Book of Changes* (《易·文言》), meaning to move in step with the times. promoted the tremendous progress of human science and technology, enhanced social productive forces, and influenced the Industrial Revolution. The philosophy of life and the experience and wisdom of state governance in fine traditional Chinese culture have become important resources influencing world political development. Marx and Engels affirmed and appreciated the important contributions of Chinese civilization to the development of human history and scientifically foresaw the emergence of "Chinese socialism." [15]15 "Marking the boat to find the sword" (刻舟求剑, kè zhōu qiú jiàn) is a Chinese idiom from the *Lüshi Chunqiu* (《吕氏春秋》), referring to a man who marks his boat where his sword fell overboard, only to search for it later from the same mark, illustrating rigid, outdated thinking. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the contemporary evolution and innovative development of Chinese civilization, inheriting the inherent endowments and excellent qualities of Chinese civilization, inheriting the inclusive attribute of fraternity and great harmony of Chinese civilization, both promoting the historical process of the development of Chinese civilization and influencing the prosperity and development of world civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The future China will surely embrace the world with a more open

从世界百年未有之大变局的现代境况出发，中华民族现代文明要求促进人类文明进步，让其自身成为全人类精神富有的重要镜鉴。习近平总书记强调：“我们要大力推动文化事业发展，通过文化交流，沟通心灵，开阔眼界，增进共识，让人们在持续的以文化人中提升素养，让文化为人类进步助力。”中华文明是在与世界文明交流互鉴中成长的文明形态，具有强大的包容性。这种包容性，既体现在其内涵体系的丰富多元，也体现在其价值内核上的博爱大同。历史上，中华文明为人类发展作出过重要贡献。“四大发明”推动了人类科学技术的巨大进步，提升了社会生产力，影响了工业革命。中华优秀传统文化中的处世哲学以及治国理政的经验与智慧成为影响世界政治发展的重要资源。马克思恩格斯曾肯定和赞赏中华文明对人类历史发展的重要贡献，科学地预见“中国社会主义”的出现。中华民族现代文明是中华文明的时代演化和创新发展，承继了中华文明的内在禀赋和优秀特质，承继了中华文明博爱大同的包容属性，既推动着中华文明发展的历史进程，也影响着世界文明繁荣与发展。习近平总书记指出：“未来之中国，必将以更加开放的姿态拥抱世界、以更有活力的文明成就贡献世界。”中华民族现代文明作为新时代中国文化建设的巨大创新，也将以更富生机、活力和符合时代要求的思想体系，为人类文明进步贡献智慧、提供指引。

II. Main Characteristics of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

二、中华民族现代文明的主要特征

General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development issued a general mobilization order to "build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation." The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an important achievement of the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization in the New Era. Therefore, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation not only inherits the inherent characteristics of Chinese civilization but also blends the distinctive features endowed by the era's environment, concentratedly manifested in main characteristics such as inheritance, people-centeredness, inclusiveness, and peacefulness.

习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上的讲话，发出了“建设中华民族现代文明”的总动员令。中华民族现代文明是新时代中华文明继承与发展的重要成果。因而，中华民族现代文明既承继了中华文明的内在特征，又糅合时代环境赋予的鲜明特色，集中表现为传承性、人民性、包容性与和平性等主要特征。

1. Inheritance of Consolidating the Foundation and Cultivating the Essence, Advancing with the Times

1.固本培元、与时偕行的传承性

Since ancient times, Chinese civilization has placed great emphasis on culture and institutions "advancing with the times" (The Book of Changes, "Wenyan"), [14]14 "Advancing with the times" (与时偕行, yǔ shí xié xíng) is a phrase from the "Wenyan" commentary on the Qian hexagram of the *Book of Changes* (《易·文言》), meaning to move in step with the times. absolutely refraining from the self-arrogance of "marking the boat to find the sword." [15]15 "Marking the boat to find the sword" (刻舟求剑, kè zhōu qiú jiàn) is a Chinese idiom from the *Lüshi Chunqiu* (《吕氏春秋》), referring to a man who marks his boat where his sword fell overboard, only to search for it later from the same mark, illustrating rigid, outdated thinking. Confucius advocated "restoring the rites," but he also pointed out that the rites could not remain unchanged; they must undergo "additions and subtractions" with the development of the times. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Since ancient times, Chinese civilization has continuously developed through inheritance and innovation, constantly sublimated by adapting to changes and responding to circumstances, accumulating the deepest spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, and serving as the rich nourishment for the Chinese nation's endless vitality, development, and growth." The modern civilization of the Chinese nation has not only realized the inheritance and development of the values of Chinese civilization in its ideological system but also achieved inheritance and transformation in its symbolic carriers.

自古以来，中华文明就非常重视文化与制度的“与时偕行”（《易·文言》），绝不搞“刻舟求剑”式的故步自封。孔子主张“复礼”，但他同时指出，礼也不能一成不变，要随着时代发展对礼进行“损益”。习近平总书记指出：“自古以来，中华文明在继承创新中不断发展，在应时处变中不断升华，积淀着中华民族最深沉的精神追求，是中华民族生生不息、发展壮大的丰厚滋养。”中华民族现代文明既在思想体系上实现了对中华文明价值的继承和发展，也在其标识载体上实现了传承和转化。

In terms of the ideological system, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation inherits and develops the values of Chinese civilization, encompassing fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture. It not only preserves the essence of Chinese civilization but also absorbs the outstanding civilizational achievements created by the Chinese nation in modern times, and effectively organically combines the content of inheritance and modernity, fostering a rich connotation with a vast system and profound thought. For example, the national spirit centered on patriotism, the revolutionary tradition centered on self-reliance and hard struggle, and the moral norms centered on collectivism—all of these are both the value core of ancient Chinese civilization and the value expression of the newborn modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

在思想体系上，中华民族现代文明继承和发展了中华文明价值，囊括了中华优秀传统文化、革命文化和社会主义先进文化，既保留了中华文明的精华，也吸收了近代以来中华民族所创造的优秀文明成果，并且有效地将传承性和现代性的内容有机结合，促成体系庞大、思想深邃的丰富内涵。如以爱国主义为核心的民族精神、以自力更生艰苦奋斗为核心的革命传统和以集体主义为核心的道德规范等等，所有这些既是古老中华文明的价值内核，也是新生中华民族现代文明的价值表达。

In terms of symbolic carriers, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation also clearly embodies inheritance and innovation. A symbolic carrier is an objective manifestation of a civilization’s intrinsic value and a material proof of its development and continuity. To date, China possesses 56 world-class historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as countless red revolutionary sacred sites and relics. These historical heritages are not only vivid testimonies to the over 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization but also represent its long-standing cultural lineage and historical inheritance. With their profound depth and precious value, they make the modern civilization of the Chinese nation increasingly radiate a brilliant civilizational charm. The inheritance of symbolic carriers by the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is also manifested in the protection and study of Chinese classics. Chinese classics are the powerful foundation and important carrier of fine traditional Chinese culture, providing deep cultural nourishment and lasting spiritual strength for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. During the Ming Dynasty, the *Yongle Encyclopedia* was compiled; during the Qing Dynasty, the *Complete Library of the Four Treasuries* was compiled; and today, we have also compiled large-scale cultural classics such as the *Confucian Canon* and the *Daoist Canon*, profoundly demonstrating the modern civilization of the Chinese nation’s inheritance, protection, and innovative development of symbolic carriers like Chinese classics.

在标识载体上，中华民族现代文明也鲜明地体现了继承与创新。标识载体是一个文明彰显内涵价值的客观表征，是一个文明发展延续的物质证明。时至今日，中国已拥有56处世界级历史文化遗产，以及无数的红色革命圣地遗迹。这些历史遗产不仅是中华文明5000多年历史的生动见证，更代表了中华文明的悠久文脉和历史传承，并以其深厚底蕴和宝贵价值使中华民族现代文明愈发彰显出璀璨的文明魅力。中华民族现代文明对标识载体的继承，还表现在对中华典籍的保护、研究上。中华典籍是中华优秀传统文化的强大根基和重要载体，为建设中华民族现代文明提供了深厚的文化滋养和持久的精神力量。明代曾编纂《永乐大典》，清代曾编写《四库全书》，而今我们也已经编纂了《儒藏》《道藏》等大型文化典籍，深刻彰显出中华民族现代文明对中华典籍等标识载体的传承保护与创新发展。

2. People-Centeredness and Putting the People First

2.以人为本、人民至上的人民性

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a civilizational form that pursues people-centeredness and putting the people first. It possesses a distinct characteristic of affinity with the people, consistently adhering to a people-centered approach, regarding people as the subject of practice and the subject of evaluation in civilization.

中华民族现代文明是追求以人为本、人民至上的文明形态，有着鲜明的人民性特征，始终坚持以人为本，将人作为文明的实践主体和评价主体。

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation differs from traditional civilizations that upheld the interests of the feudal classes, nor is it a copy of Western capitalist modern civilization. The core of Western modern civilization is the logic of capital; the society it establishes is a society of “dependence on things.” The demand for capital replaces human demand, and human nature is alienated under this civilizational form. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation, in contrast, takes human liberation as its core, a people-centeredness that transcends modernity dominated by the logic of capital. In terms of civilizational concepts, it practices common prosperity for all people, the coordination of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress, and adherence to a path of peaceful development.

中华民族现代文明不同于维护封建阶级利益的传统文明，也不是西方资本主义现代文明的翻版。西方现代文明的核心是资本逻辑，它所建立的社会是“物的依赖性”社会，资本的需求代替了人的需求，人性在这种文明形态下被异化了。中华民族现代文明则是以人的解放为核心的人民性超越以资本逻辑为主导的现代性，在文明理念上践行全体人民共同富裕、物质文明和精神文明相协调以及走和平发展道路。

At the same time, the people-centeredness of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is also manifested in the fact that it is a civilizational form serving the broad masses of the people, a sublimation of a socialist culture that is national, scientific, and popular. Fine traditional Chinese culture contains rich ideas of valuing and caring for the people. For example, “the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is stable, the state is at peace” [16]16 “The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is stable, the state is at peace” (民为邦本，本固邦宁) is a classical Chinese political maxim from the *Book of Documents* (《尚书》), emphasizing the people as the root of the state. is an important political concept. However, due to the limitations of historical conditions, traditional Chinese civilization lacked the economic base, scientific ideological culture, and feasible political system to practice its democratic ideals, thus failing to realize its concept of putting the people first. Today, with the guidance of Marxism, the socialist system and its strong economic base, the Communist Party of China has made “realizing the people’s aspiration for a better life” its goal, winning the heartfelt support of the people, and the fine ideals of traditional Chinese civilization have been realized one by one. The Communist Party of China has always emphasized that the people are both the creators and strivers of civilization, as well as the witnesses and beneficiaries of civilizational achievements. It inherits and promotes the moral concept of “the people as the foundation of the state” from Chinese civilization, taking national prosperity, national rejuvenation, and people’s happiness as its mission. This endows the cultural construction and civilizational form of contemporary China with a distinct people-centered character, giving the modern civilization of the Chinese nation a prominent people-centered trait.

同时，中华民族现代文明的人民性还表现在它是服务于广大人民群众的文明形态，是民族性、科学性、大众性的社会主义文化的升华。中华优秀传统文化中蕴含着丰富的重民、恤民思想。譬如，民为邦本、本固邦宁就是一项重要政治理念。但由于历史条件的限制，传统中华文明缺乏实践其民主理念的经济基础、科学的思想文化和切实可行的政治制度，从而未能实现其人民至上的理念。而今，有了马克思主义指导，有了社会主义制度及其强大的经济基础，中国共产党把“实现人民对美好生活的向往”作为自己的奋斗目标，得到人民群众的衷心拥护，传统中华文明的美好理念逐一成为现实。中国共产党始终强调人民既是文明的创建者和奋斗者，也是文明成果的见证者和享有者，传承和发扬中华文明中民为邦本的道德观念，以国家富强、民族振兴和人民幸福为己任，使当代中国的文化建设和文明形态呈现出鲜明的人民性，赋予了中华民族现代文明突出的人民性特质。

3. Inclusiveness: Absorbing and Drawing on the Strengths of Others

3.兼收并蓄、博采众长的包容性

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “Civilizations are inclusive, and it is through inclusiveness that human civilizations gain the impetus for exchange and mutual learning.” [17]17 Xi Jinping, speech at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, May 15, 2019. Inclusiveness is the most distinctive feature distinguishing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation from other civilizations. In its historical inheritance, the Chinese nation has always adhered to a cultural inclusiveness that is “as vast as the sea admitting all rivers, great tolerance embracing all things” [18]18 “As vast as the sea admitting all rivers, great tolerance embracing all things” (海纳百川，有容乃大) is a Chinese idiom originally from a couplet by Lin Zexu, symbolizing broad-mindedness and inclusiveness., engaging in exchange and dialogue with the cultures of all nations. After the May Fourth Movement [19]19 The May Fourth Movement (1919) was an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal cultural and political movement that is often seen as a watershed in modern Chinese history and a key moment for the introduction of Marxism into China., Marxism took root in China. During the revolutionary practice led by the Communist Party of China, fine traditional Chinese culture and Marxism achieved a “bone-and-flesh integration” from ideological content to value orientation, forming Marxism adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Since reform and opening up, Chinese civilization has engaged more actively in exchange and mutual learning with world civilizations, both absorbing and drawing on all positive factors from the achievements of world civilizations and continuously promoting and demonstrating the ideological charm of Chinese civilization.

习近平总书记强调：“文明是包容的，人类文明因包容才有交流互鉴的动力。”包容性是中华民族现代文明区别于其他文明的最鲜明特征。中华民族在历史传承中始终坚持以海纳百川、有容乃大的文化包容力与世界各民族文化进行交流对话。五四运动以后，马克思主义在中国落地生根，在中国共产党领导的革命实践过程中，中华优秀传统文化与马克思主义实现了从思想内容到价值导向的“骨肉结合”，形成了中国化时代化的马克思主义。改革开放以来，中华文明更积极地与世界文明交流互鉴，既吸收借鉴世界文明成果中的一切积极因素，又不断推广和彰显中华文明思想魅力。

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation embodies the inherent inclusiveness of Chinese civilization. First, this inclusiveness is reflected in the value concept consistently upheld by the Chinese nation: “unity without uniformity” and “harmony in diversity” [20]20 “Unity without uniformity” (物一无文) and “harmony in diversity” (和而不同) are classical Chinese concepts. The former, from the *Guoyu*, suggests that uniformity lacks beauty; the latter, from the *Analects*, advocates harmonious coexistence despite differences.. Internally, among the various ethnic groups of the Chinese nation, there is great civilizational inclusiveness, with mutual respect for each other’s religious beliefs, cultural customs, and lifestyles. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, they actively build a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation. Second, this inclusiveness is also reflected in respecting each country’s choice of modernization path and system. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Each country’s history, culture, and social system have their own unique features, with no one being superior or inferior. The key lies in whether they suit the country’s national conditions.” [21]21 Xi Jinping, speech at a meeting commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, June 28, 2024. Contrary to the universalistic, monolithic view of civilization advocated by Western-style modernization, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation holds that every country has the right to choose its development path and social system based on its own historical and cultural traditions and actual national conditions. Finally, this inclusiveness is also manifested in the exchange and integration of various civilizations. Respecting the civilizational forms of all countries, fully drawing on and absorbing all other excellent civilizational achievements, and absorbing and drawing on the strengths of others are the spiritual core consistently upheld by Chinese civilization in its historical inheritance. We always promote exchange, interaction, and integration among civilizations, enhancing mutual understanding through full exchange, promoting common development through mutually beneficial coexistence, resolutely opposing collision, conflict, superiority, and arrogance among different civilizations, and consistently working to deepen exchange and mutual learning among world civilizations, striving to build a new path of civilizational interaction based on mutual respect and equal treatment, so that human civilization can continuously radiate new vitality.

中华民族现代文明蕴含着中华文明内在的包容性。首先，这种包容性体现在中华民族始终秉持的物一无文、和而不同的价值理念。对于中华民族内部而言，各民族之间以极大的文明包容性相互尊重彼此的宗教信仰、文化风俗和生活习惯，在中国共产党的领导下积极构筑中华民族的共同精神家园。其次，这种包容性还体现在尊重各国现代化道路和制度的选择上。习近平总书记指出：“各国历史文化和社会制度各有千秋，没有高低优劣之分，关键在于是否符合本国国情。”与西方式现代化所主张普世化、一元化的文明观相反，中华民族现代文明主张每个国家都有依据本国历史文化传统和现实国情选择发展道路和社会制度的权利。最后，这种包容性还呈现在各种文明的交流融合之中。尊重各国的文明形态，充分借鉴吸收其他一切优秀文明成果，兼收并蓄、博采众长，是中华文明在历史传承中一以贯之的精神内核。我们始终推动各文明之间的交流交往交融，以充分交流增进彼此理解，以互利共存推动共同发展，坚决反对不同文明之间的碰撞冲突、优越自大，始终坚持推动世界各文明深化交流互鉴，努力构建互相尊重、平等相待的文明交往新路，让人类文明持续焕发出新的生命力。

4. Peacefulness: “Beauty in Diversity” and “Great Harmony Under Heaven”

4.美美与共、天下大同的和平性

Peacefulness is one of the most prominent spiritual identifiers of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. It originates from the dual role of the history and practice of Chinese civilization. Peacefulness also embodies the civilizational aspiration of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation for “beauty in diversity” and “great harmony under heaven” [22]22 “Beauty in diversity” (美美与共) is a concept popularized by sociologist Fei Xiaotong, meaning appreciating the beauty of others while sharing one’s own. “Great harmony under heaven” (天下大同) is a Confucian ideal of a harmonious, universal commonwealth..

和平性是中华民族现代文明最为显著的精神标识之一，它来自中华文明的历史与实践的双重作用。和平性也体现了中华民族现代文明美美与共、天下大同的文明夙愿。

From the perspective of historical evolution, Chinese civilization has for over 5,000 years consistently upheld the value pursuit of “valuing harmony above all else” and “embracing the world with a broad mind” [23]23 “Valuing harmony above all else” (以和为贵) is from the *Analects*; “embracing the world with a broad mind” (胸怀天下) is a contemporary Party expression for a global vision., and has always adhered to the interaction concept of “being kind and neighborly” and “harmonizing all nations” [24]24 “Being kind and neighborly” (亲仁善邻) and “harmonizing all nations” (协和万邦) are classical phrases from the *Zuo Zhuan* and the *Book of Documents*, respectively, advocating benevolent international relations.. In history, the Chinese nation was in a leading position in the world for a long time, yet it never engaged in aggression, expansion, or colonial plunder, always coexisting peacefully and engaging in friendly exchanges with other countries and nations. Whether it was Zhang Qian’s mission to the Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty [25]25 Zhang Qian (164–114 BCE) was a Han dynasty envoy whose missions to Central Asia opened the Silk Road., which opened up the Silk Road for East-West trade, peace, and mutual benefit, or Zheng He’s seven voyages to the Western Seas in the Ming Dynasty [26]26 Zheng He (1371–1433) was a Ming dynasty admiral who led seven large-scale maritime expeditions across the Indian Ocean., which pioneered maritime economic and trade routes for friendly exchanges and mutual benefit, these have all become tales of peaceful international interaction. In modern times, the Chinese nation suffered long-term aggression and humiliation from imperialist powers. The Chinese people, who endured the hardships of war, came to a deeper understanding of the preciousness of peace through their heroic struggles against the aggressors.

从历史演进看，中华文明5000余年来始终秉持以和为贵、胸怀天下的价值追求，始终恪守亲仁善邻、协和万邦的交往理念。中华民族在历史上曾长期处于世界领先地位，但从不搞侵略扩张和殖民掠夺，始终同其他国家和民族和平相处、友好交流。无论是西汉张骞出使西域，开辟了东西方贸易往来、和平互利的丝绸之路，还是明朝郑和七下西洋，开拓出友好交往与互惠共赢的海上经贸通道，都成为中外和平交往的佳话。近代以来，中华民族受到帝国主义的长期侵略和欺辱，饱受战争之苦的中国人民在奋起反抗侵略者的英勇斗争中更加深刻地认识到了和平的珍贵。

From the perspective of practical development, in the course of over a century of struggle to achieve national independence and prosperity led by the Communist Party of China, it has firmly adhered to the principle of integrating patriotism with internationalism, passing the torch of peace from generation to generation. Foreign policy concepts such as “never seeking hegemony, never engaging in expansion, and never seeking spheres of influence” are basic principles for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Since the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China has resolutely opposed hegemonism and power politics, consistently pursued an independent foreign policy of peace, and always dedicated itself to the noble cause of human peace and development. A series of peace initiatives and practices by the Chinese government have fully demonstrated to the world the Chinese nation’s enduring aspiration for and pursuit of peace, while also profoundly revealing the peaceful character of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Looking to the future, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation will always pursue equal coexistence, harmonious coexistence, and peaceful development among all world civilizations, continuously promoting all civilizations to advance hand in hand, jointly driving the constant progress of human civilization.

从实践发展看，中国共产党带领中国人民实现民族独立和国家富强的百余年奋斗历程中，坚定地秉承爱国主义与国际主义相统一的原则，让和平的薪火代代相传。永不称霸、永不扩张、永不谋求势力范围等外交理念是建设中华民族现代文明以及实现中华民族伟大复兴的基本准则。新中国成立以来，中国共产党坚决反对霸权主义、强权政治，始终奉行独立自主的和平外交政策，始终致力于人类和平与发展的崇高事业。中国政府的一系列和平主张与实践，向世界充分展示了中华民族对和平的始终向往与追求，同时也深刻彰显出中华民族现代文明的和平性特征。面向未来，中华民族现代文明将始终追求世界各文明平等相处、和谐共存与和平发展，不断促进各文明携手前进，共同推动人类文明不断进步。

III. The Value Implications of Building the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

三、中华民族现代文明建设的价值意蕴

General Secretary 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.” Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an important measure for constructing a culturally strong socialist country. It is both a continuation of the historical lineage of Chinese civilization and a spiritual talisman that gathers strength for building a strong modernized country. In the process of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, the Chinese people continuously advance the development of the Second Integration, forging new glories of the era, and further manifesting the historical mission and sense of responsibility for constructing a new form of human civilization.

习近平总书记指出：“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。”建设中华民族现代文明是建设社会主义文化强国的重要举措，既是对中华历史文脉的赓续，又是凝聚现代化强国建设力量的精神法宝。中国人民在建设中华民族现代文明的过程中不断推进“第二个结合”向前发展，铸就新的时代辉煌，更是彰显出建构人类文明新形态的历史使命与责任担当。

1. A Glorious Chapter of the Era That Continues the Historical Lineage of Chinese Civilization

1.赓续中华历史文脉的时代华章

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Only by comprehensively and deeply understanding the history of Chinese civilization can we more effectively promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, more forcefully advance the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.” Fine traditional Chinese culture contains a rich and unique worldview and cosmology, as well as a time-honored social view and moral view. These precious spiritual assets are not only the ideological factors for the continuation of the cultural lineage but also the cultural foundation for the Chinese nation to maintain its independent spiritual character. Moreover, they are the powerful source of self-confidence for accelerating the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation on the new journey of the New Era.

习近平总书记指出：“只有全面深入了解中华文明的历史，才能更有效地推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展，更有力地推进中国特色社会主义文化建设，建设中华民族现代文明。”中华优秀传统文化蕴含着丰富且独特的天下观与宇宙观，并且具备历史悠久的社会观以及道德观，这些宝贵的精神财富不仅是文脉赓续的思想因子，也是中华民族保有独立精神品格的文化基底，更是在新时代新征程加快建设中华民族现代文明的强大自信根源。

From the perspective of the development of Chinese civilization, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps to inherit the cultural genes of the nation. In the long river of the development of human civilization, Chinese civilization is the only splendid civilization that has continued uninterrupted to the present day. Some scholars believe that the proposition of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation “historically surveys and demarcates the ‘modern historical orientation’ of Chinese civilization, confirms the ‘contemporary’ historical orientation of Chinese civilization in which contemporary Chinese people find themselves, and stimulates the modern historical consciousness of contemporary Chinese people.” [27]27 The “Second Integration” (第二个结合) refers to the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture, as distinct from the “First Integration” which integrated Marxism with China’s concrete revolutionary and construction practice. It was formally proposed by Xi Jinping in 2021. In the current era, Chinese culture attracts great attention among the world’s national cultures, a very important reason for which lies in the profound historicity and continuity of Chinese civilization itself. The historical practice of the development of human society has proven that the continuity of civilization is crucial to the development of a country and a nation. Only in the continuous development of a nation’s own civilization can the national spirit be inherited, and can cultural genes continuously radiate new strength as the times evolve. Therefore, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation requires us to unswervingly inherit and further promote fine traditional Chinese culture, and resolutely safeguard the “roots” and “soul” of the Chinese nation. Since modern times, fine traditional Chinese culture has provided a continuous source of impetus and support for the modernization of Chinese civilization. The Communist Party of China has led the people to continuously excavate its excellent spiritual qualities, integrate them into the construction of socialist cultural-ethical progress, make them a powerful force driving social progress, and form cultural forms and value concepts that meet contemporary needs on the basis of fine traditional Chinese culture. This process of integration and innovation has provided inexhaustible spiritual support for the century-long struggle of the Communist Party of China and will continue to inspire the Party and the people to march towards an even brighter future.

从中华文明发展的角度讲，建设中华民族现代文明有助于传承民族文化基因。在人类文明发展的历史长河中，中华文明是人类历史上唯一绵延至今的灿烂文明。有学者认为，中华民族现代文明命题的提出，“历史地勘察和标定了中华文明的‘现代历史方位’，确证了当代中国人所处的中华文明的‘当代’历史方位，激发了当代中国人的现代历史意识”。当今时代，中华文化在世界民族文化中备受瞩目，其中很重要的原因在于中华文明本身具有深厚历史性和延续性。人类社会发展的历史实践证明，文明的连续性对国家和民族的发展至关重要。只有在本民族的文明延续发展中，民族精神才得以传承，文化的基因才能随着时代的演进不断迸射出新的力量。因此，建设中华民族现代文明，要求我们坚定不移继承并进一步弘扬中华优秀传统文化，坚决守好中华民族的“根”与“魂”。近代以降，中华优秀传统文化为中华文明的现代化提供了源源不断的动力与支撑。中国共产党带领人民不断挖掘其中的优秀精神品质，并将其融入社会主义精神文明的建设中，使其成为推动社会进步的强大力量，并在中华优秀传统文化的基础上形成了符合当代需求的文化形态和价值观念。这种融合与创新的过程为中国共产党的百年奋进提供了不竭的精神支持，并将继续激励着党和人民迈向更加美好的未来。

2. Gathering the Mighty Force for Building a Strong Modernized Country

2.凝聚现代化强国建设的磅礴力量

Historical materialism emphasizes that the economic base determines the superstructure, and the superstructure has a counteractive effect on the economic base. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is formed on the basis of the great practice of Chinese-path modernization, and in turn, it plays an important role in promoting the development of Chinese-path modernization.

历史唯物主义强调，经济基础决定上层建筑，上层建筑对经济基础具有反作用。中华民族现代文明是在中国式现代化伟大实践基础上形成的，同时又反过来对中国式现代化的发展具有重要的促进作用。

First, the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and cultural confidence mutually construct each other, injecting powerful spiritual strength into guiding all the people to build a great modern socialist country. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that we must strengthen confidence in the path,

第一，建设中华民族现代文明与文化自信相互构建，为引导全体人民建设社会主义现代化强国注入强大的精神力量。习近平总书记强调我们要坚定道路自信、理论自信、制度自信和文化自信，并深刻指出：“文化自信是一个国家、一个民族发展中最基本、最深沉、最持久的力量。”中华民族现代文明建设蕴含文化自信，反过来又进一步强化人民的文化自信，推动着中国特色社会主义的自强、自立与自信的耦合共进。广大人民群众从现代化建设的成果中获得宝贵的精神力量，产生积极的心理效能，增强文化自信的底气，从而更有信心、更积极主动地参与到社会主义现代化强国建设中来。

Second, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps to absorb the advanced achievements of modern civilization, thereby consolidating the scientific nature and advanced nature of the construction of a great modern socialist country. The advanced nature of a civilization is manifested in its strong innovativeness and its scientific truthfulness that conforms to the laws of human social development, and judging whether a civilization is advanced must take the production and life practices of the masses as the test condition. Chinese-path modernization must draw on and absorb all advanced achievements of human civilization, but it does not blindly copy or mechanically imitate them; rather, it discards the dross and selects the essential in practice, and draws on and absorbs them for its own use through critique. To this end, we must enhance our ability to discern the civilizations of various countries in the world, improve our capacity to apply advanced modern civilization, integrate advanced modern civilization into the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, strengthen the correct value pursuit of Chinese-path modernization construction, and consolidate the ideological consensus that upholds science, thereby driving the improvement of the level of civilization in the whole society.

第二，建设中华民族现代文明有助于吸收现代文明先进成果，进而夯实社会主义现代化强国建设的科学性和先进性。文明的先进性表现为其强大的创新性和符合人类社会发展规律的科学真理性，而评判一种文明是否先进，必须以人民群众的生产生活实践为检验条件。中国式现代化要借鉴吸收一切先进的人类优秀文明成果，但不是盲目地照抄照搬，而是在实践中去粗取精，在批判中借鉴吸收、为我所用。为此，我们要增强对世界各国文明的鉴别力，提高对先进的现代文明的运用力，将先进的现代文明融入中华民族现代文明，要强化中国式现代化建设的正确价值追求，凝聚崇尚科学的思想共识，从而带动全社会文明程度的提升。

Third, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps to promote the coordinated development of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress. History has repeatedly proven that the modernization needed by the contemporary Chinese people is a modernization in which material civilization and cultural-ethical progress develop in coordination, and the construction of a great modern socialist country all the more requires coordinating various elements to achieve harmonious development. The coordination of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress is an important manifestation of harmonious development. Today, we have already realized the millennia-old dream of moderate prosperity in all respects, the level of development of social material civilization has been greatly elevated, but the level of development of cultural-ethical progress is relatively lagging behind, the degree of civilization of the whole society needs to be improved, and the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization need to be strengthened. Against this background, promoting the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation can not only provide cultural vitality for the development of social cultural-ethical progress, but is also an inevitable requirement for practicing the Chinese characteristic of coordinated development of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress in Chinese-path modernization.

第三，建设中华民族现代文明有助于促进物质文明与精神文明协调发展。历史一再证明，当代中国人民所需要的现代化是物质文明与精神文明协调发展的现代化，而社会主义现代化强国建设更是需要协调各方面要素以实现和谐发展。物质文明与精神文明的协调就是和谐发展的重要体现。如今，我们已经实现了全面小康的千年梦想，社会物质文明的发展水平大幅提升，但精神文明发展水平相对落后，全社会文明程度有待提升，中华文明的传播力和影响力有待增强。在此背景下，推动构建中华民族现代文明既能为社会精神文明的发展提供文化活力，同时也是践行中国式现代化物质文明与精神文明协调发展这一中国特色的必然要求。

3. Promoting the theoretical innovation of the “Second Integration”

3.推动“第二个结合”的理论创新

The “Second Integration,” which integrates the basic principles of Marxism with the fine traditional Chinese culture, “is our Party’s profound summary of the historical experience of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and a profound grasp of the laws of development of Chinese civilization.” The germination, growth, and development of a new form of a nation’s civilization cannot be separated from the nurturing, nourishment, and empowerment of its own cultural soil. The “Second Integration” is a valuable experience and important measure for the Communist Party of China to continue the historical lineage of more than 5,000 years and shoulder the cultural mission of the New Era, and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not only a scientific product of the “Second Integration,” but can also drive the “Second Integration” to burst forth with strong vitality under different historical conditions.

把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的“第二个结合”，“是我们党对马克思主义中国化时代化历史经验的深刻总结，是对中华文明发展规律的深刻把握”。一个民族文明新形态的萌芽、成长和发展离不开本民族文化土壤的孕育、滋养和赋能。“第二个结合”是中国共产党赓续5000多年历史文脉、肩负新时代文化使命的宝贵经验和重要举措，而中华民族现代文明不仅是“第二个结合”的科学产物，更能推动“第二个结合”在不同历史条件下迸发出强大生机活力。

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps promote a positive interaction between the theoretical elements and value cores of Marxism and Chinese civilization. The history of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times is itself a history of constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. From the time Marxism was introduced into China, Chinese Communists have gradually explored its points of compatibility and integration with Chinese civilization. Marxism and Chinese civilization are not separate; rather, they mutually achieve and complement each other. The truth-force of Marxism awakens and activates the vital and excellent factors within fine traditional Chinese culture, enabling their creative transformation and innovative development to better meet the developmental needs of contemporary society. Chinese civilization possesses a strong inclusiveness; this unique cultural characteristic means that upon contact with Marxism, which sprouted and took shape in Western Europe, a wonderful "chemical reaction" naturally occurs, prompting Marxism to become more suited to China's national conditions and cultural environment, and facilitating the dissemination, acceptance, and understanding of the Marxist discourse system among the broad masses of the people. Today, General Secretary Xi Jinping's emphasis on building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and on deeply advancing the "Second Integration"[28]28 The "Second Integration" refers to the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism with China's fine traditional culture, as proposed by Xi Jinping. It builds on the "First Integration" (combining Marxism with China's concrete realities) and emphasizes the deep fusion of Marxism with the cultural roots of Chinese civilization. requires us to strive to excavate, explore, and practice the intersection points of Marxist scientific truth and Chinese civilization—especially the theories and practices within fine traditional Chinese culture that meet the requirements of the times, reflect the will of the people, and manifest the image of the Chinese nation. This will further help strengthen the historical confidence and cultural confidence of the Party and the people, and promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

建设中华民族现代文明，有助于推动马克思主义与中华文明之间理论要素与价值内核的良性互动。马克思主义中国化时代化的历史就是一部中华民族现代文明的建构史。自马克思主义传入中国开始，中国共产党人就逐步探索其与中华文明的契合性和结合点。马克思主义与中华文明不是割裂的关系，而是相互成就、相得益彰的关系。马克思主义的真理力量唤醒和激活了中华优秀传统文化中富有生命力的优秀因子，使其得到创造性转化和创新性发展，更好满足于当今社会的发展需要。中华文明具有强大的包容性，这种独特的文化特性使其接触到萌芽与生成于西欧的马克思主义，就自然地产生奇妙的“化学反应”，促使马克思主义更适合中国国情和文化环境，推动马克思主义的话语体系在广大人民群众中易于传播、接受、理解。如今，习近平总书记强调建设中华民族现代文明，强调深入推动“第二个结合”，就是要求我们努力挖掘、探索、实践马克思主义科学真理与中华文明，特别是中华优秀传统文化中符合时代进步要求、反映人民群众意愿、彰显中华民族形象的理论与实践的交集点，从而有助于进一步推动党和人民的历史自信、文化自信，推动实现中华民族的伟大复兴。

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps enhance the vitality, communicability, and influence generated by the mutual encounter between Marxist theory and Chinese civilization. "The most valuable and influential spiritual legacy Marx left us is the scientific theory named after him—Marxism." Today, Marxism is still regarded as one of the most influential ideological theories. Especially after the 2008 financial crisis, a wave of "returning to Marx" has generally arisen in both Chinese and foreign academic circles. One scholar has frankly stated: "In today's society, if we do not seriously study the dialectics of Hegel and Marx, we cannot engage in a dialectical critique of society and thought." Chinese civilization, like Marxist theory, is a focal topic of keen attention, research, and discussion around the world. The inclusive Chinese civilization holds great appeal for today's "world in conflict," and many value cores within the traditional thought of Chinese civilization are gradually being understood and accepted by the world. Currently, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation sets new demands for us: on the basis of unwaveringly adhering to Marxism as the guiding ideology, we must take the practical needs of contemporary Chinese social development as the clue to further advance the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, achieving a new theoretical leap through the mutual promotion and joint construction of Marxism and Chinese civilization.

建设中华民族现代文明，有助于促进提升马克思主义理论与中华文明相互碰撞的生命力、传播力和影响力。“马克思给我们留下的最有价值、最具影响力的精神财富，就是以他名字命名的科学理论——马克思主义。”如今，马克思主义依然被视为最具影响力的思想理论。特别是2008年金融危机以后，中外学界普遍掀起了一番“回到马克思”的浪潮。有学者曾坦言：“在今日社会，如果不认真研究黑格尔和马克思的辩证法，我们是无法展开对社会和思想的辩证批判的。”中华文明与马克思主义理论一样，是当今世界争相关注、研究、讨论的焦点话题。兼容并蓄的中华文明对当今“冲突中的世界”充满了吸引力，中华文明传统思想中的许多价值内核也逐渐被世界了解并接受。当前，建设中华民族现代文明对我们提出了新要求，在坚持马克思主义指导思想毫不动摇的基础上，以当代中国社会发展的现实需要为线索进一步推进中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化、创新性发展，在马克思主义与中华文明的相互促进、共同构建中实现新的理论飞跃。

4. The Mission and Responsibility of Constructing a New Form of Human Civilization

4.建构人类文明新形态的使命担当

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new historical starting point is an effective path to grasp the discourse power of civilization, construct a harmonious and beautiful new human order, and create a modern civilization that meets the requirements of human development.

在新的历史起点上建设中华民族现代文明是掌握文明话语权，建设和谐美好的人类新秩序，创造符合人类发展要求的现代文明的有效路径。

Throughout its long historical development, Chinese civilization has not only learned from and absorbed the outstanding civilizational achievements of countries around the world, but has also disseminated its own civilizational achievements—such as agricultural technology, papermaking, printing, gunpowder, and the compass—to all parts of the world. Through friendly exchange, mutual learning, and integration, it has promoted the development of world civilization, a fact that Marx highly praised. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC,[29]29 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in November 2012, marking the beginning of Xi Jinping's leadership and the start of the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the exchange, interaction, and integration of Chinese civilization with world civilizations. On various occasions both domestically and internationally, he has repeatedly emphasized the need to respect the diversity of world civilizations, actively advocate a view of civilization based on equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness, vigorously promote the common values of all humanity, and systematically put forward the theory of the "three transcendences"[30]30 The "three transcendences" refer to Xi Jinping's argument that different civilizations should transcend estrangement through exchange, transcend clashes through mutual learning, and transcend superiority through inclusiveness. of world civilizations and the Global Civilization Initiative.[31]31 The Global Civilization Initiative was proposed by Xi Jinping in March 2023, calling for respect for the diversity of civilizations, common values of humanity, and enhanced international people-to-people exchanges. The proposal and implementation of this series of viewpoints on human civilization constitute the contribution and significance of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation to world civilization. At a critical moment when changes unseen in a century are accelerating and the Western hostile forces' "theory of civilizational conflict with China"[32]32 The "theory of civilizational conflict with China" refers to Western narratives, such as Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" thesis, that frame China's rise as an inevitable civilizational confrontation, which Chinese leaders reject as a pretext for containment. is resurfacing, Chinese civilization will engage with other civilizational forms with an even broader mind, break the "cultural hegemony" and "civilizational superiority" concepts of certain Western countries, and promote Chinese culture to go global and embrace the world with greater confidence and openness. In short, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation can guide the Chinese nation, together with all nations of the world, to promote the construction of an open, inclusive, and harmonious world, advance the continuous progress of all civilizations through exchange and mutual learning, and jointly paint a beautiful picture of the common development of human society.

在长期的历史发展中，中华文明不仅学习吸收世界各国优秀文明成果，同时也将自身的文明成果传播到世界各地，如农业技术、造纸、印刷术、火药、指南针等，通过友好的交流、互鉴、融合，促进了世界文明发展，马克思对此有过高度的评价。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记高度重视中华文明同世界文明的交流交往交融，在国内外不同场合多次强调，要尊重世界文明多样性，积极倡导平等、互鉴、对话、包容的文明观，大力弘扬全人类共同价值，系统提出世界文明“三个超越”理论、全球文明倡议等。这些关于人类文明的一系列观点的提出与落实，正是中华民族现代文明对世界文明的贡献与意义所在。在世界百年未有之大变局加速演进、西方敌对势力“对华文明冲突论”沉渣泛起的关键时刻，中华文明将以更加宽阔的胸怀与其他文明形态交流，破除西方某些国家的“文化霸权”“文明优越”观念，推动中华文化以更加自信开放的姿态走出去拥抱世界。总之，建设中华民族现代文明，能够引导中华民族与世界各民族一道推动构建开放包容的和谐世界，推动各国文明在交流互鉴中不断前进，携手绘就人类社会共同发展的美好画卷。

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps uphold the civilizational concept of peaceful coexistence and construct a harmonious and beautiful new order for human civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "The peaceful nature of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order." Concepts such as harmony is most precious, peace among all nations, and harmony in diversity have long been deeply embedded in the cultural and spiritual genes of our nation. There has never been a gene for aggression or world hegemony in the blood of the Chinese nation. Since the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has held high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win outcomes, promoted the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. It upholds a global governance concept based on extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, resolutely refrains from aggression, expansion, conflict, or confrontation, does not impose its own values or political system on others, does not engage in "clique-building and attacking dissenters" in small circles, and opposes and rejects the "theory of civilizational conflict" and the "theory of civilizational superiority." The proposal and implementation of this series of global concepts and public goods have made important contributions to world peace and development and to the progress of human civilization.

建设中华民族现代文明有助于坚持和平共存的文明理念，建设和谐美好的人类文明新秩序。习近平总书记指出，“中华文明的和平性，从根本上决定了中国始终是世界和平的建设者、全球发展的贡献者、国际秩序的维护者”。和为贵、协和万邦、和而不同等理念早已深深渗入我们民族的文化与精神基因。中华民族的血液中从来就没有侵略他人、称霸世界的基因。新时代以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央高举和平、发展、合作、共赢的旗帜，推动构建人类命运共同体，提出共建“一带一路”倡议、全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议和全球文明倡议，秉持共商共建共享的全球治理观，坚决不搞侵略扩张、冲突对抗，不把自己的价值观念与政治体制强加于人，不搞“党同伐异”的小圈子，反对和摒弃“文明冲突论”“文明优越论”等。这一系列全球理念、公共产品的提出与实施，为世界和平发展、人类文明进步做出了重要贡献。

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation helps transcend the capitalist view of civilization and shape a new form of human civilization. Although capitalist civilization played a certain positive role in history, it is essentially a civilizational form based on private ownership centered on capital, prioritizing capital and pursuing individual self-interest. In such a civilizational form, estrangement and conflict, war, colonial plunder, and aggression are continuous. Especially in recent years, Western capitalist countries have loudly trumpeted the "theory of civilizational conflict" and the "theory that a strong country is bound to seek hegemony," cloaking themselves in the garb of civilization, yet their actions everywhere reveal barbaric conduct, exposing their ugliness, hegemonic nature, and limitations. In stark contrast, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation—this new form of human civilization—possesses inclusiveness, peacefulness, and a people-centered character. It pursues common prosperity for all the people, upholds social fairness and justice, insists on the dominant position of public ownership, advocates achieving modernization through peaceful means, promotes openness and inclusiveness among civilizations, and realizes exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation breaks the single model of Western capitalist modern civilization, creates a socialist modern civilizational form, broadens the vast space for the flourishing development and forward progress of human civilization, and contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for developing countries to escape the predicament of Western civilization and advance the modern process of their own civilizations.

建设中华民族现代文明有助于超越资本主义文明观，塑造人类文明新形态。资本主义文明虽然在历史上起过一定的积极作用，但它本质上是一种以资本为中心的私有制的文明形态，以资本至上，追求个人私利，在这样的文明形态中，隔阂与冲突、战争、殖民掠夺连绵不断。尤其近年来，西方资本主义国家大肆鼓吹“文明冲突论”“国强必霸论”，披着文明的外衣，但其行为却无处不透露出野蛮的行径，暴露其丑陋性、霸道性和局限性。而与之形成鲜明对照的，则是中华民族现代文明这一人类文明新形态所具有的包容性、和平性与人民性，追求实现全体人民共同富裕、维护社会公平正义、坚持公有制的主体地位，主张以和平方式实现现代化，推动各国文明开放包容，实现文明间的交流互鉴。建设中华民族现代文明，打破了西方资本主义现代文明的单一模式，创造出社会主义现代文明形态，拓宽了人类文明繁荣发展以及向前进步的广阔空间，为发展中国家摆脱西方文明的困境，推进本民族文明现代进程贡献了中国智慧与中国方案。

(Author's bio: Li Mengyun, Executive Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the School of Marxism, Zhejiang Gongshang University; Chief Expert and Executive Dean of the Research Institute for Adapting Marxism to the Chinese Context and the Needs of the Times, Zhejiang Gongshang University)

（作者简介：李梦云，浙江工商大学马克思主义学院执行院长、教授、博士生导师，浙江工商大学中国化时代化马克思主义研究院首席专家、执行院长）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心