Upholding the People’s Principal Position in Cultural Development

The *Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization*[1]1 The *Decision* was adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC in July 2024, outlining major reform tasks for the next five years., deliberated and adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, takes “remaining people-centered” as an important principle when elaborating on further deepening reform comprehensively, emphasizing “respecting the people’s principal position and pioneering spirit, responding to the people’s calls with reforms, so that reform is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people.” On the great journey of the New Era, further reforms in the literary and artistic fields focus on cultural systems and mechanisms. We must firmly grasp the people’s principal position in cultural development, actively explore aspects such as creative production services, organizational work mechanisms, improving the market system, promoting the integration of technology and literature/art, and deepening comprehensive governance in the entertainment sector. Through deepening reform, we aim to produce results, cultivate talent, and scale new heights, thereby providing strong spiritual support for achieving the goal of a culturally strong country and for Chinese-path modernization.

党的二十届三中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的决定》在阐述进一步全面深化改革时把“坚持以人民为中心”作为一项重要原则，强调“尊重人民主体地位和首创精神，人民有所呼、改革有所应，做到改革为了人民、改革依靠人民、改革成果由人民共享”。在新时代伟大征程上，文艺领域的进一步改革聚焦在文化体制机制上，应牢牢把握文化建设中的人民主体地位，在创作生产服务、组织工作机制、健全市场体系、促进科技与文艺的融合、深化文娱领域的综合治理等方面进行积极探索，通过深化改革出成果、出人才、攀高峰，为实现文化强国的目标以及中国式现代化提供强有力的精神支撑。

Safeguarding the People’s Cultural Rights Is an Important Connotation of Building a Culturally Strong Country

保障人民的文化权利是文化强国建设的重要内涵

One of the important contents of building a culturally strong country is to safeguard the people’s cultural rights, which is also a significant indicator of letting the people share the fruits of reform and opening up. China has signed and ratified the *International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights* and has implemented it in practice, with the Chinese connotation of cultural rights becoming increasingly clear in practice.

建设文化强国的重要内容之一，就是要保障人民的文化权利，这也是让人民共享改革开放成果的重要标志。我国签署和批准了《经济、社会及文化权利国际公约》，并在实践中对之予以了落实，文化权利的中国内涵也在实践中日益清晰。

Safeguarding cultural rights through cultural development practices and promoting the improvement of the cultural rights system has already seen rich practice in China. On the one hand, the state actively attends to the people’s needs and aspirations, proactively provides the social environmental conditions for the realization of cultural rights, and establishes the people’s principal position in the realization of cultural rights. On the other hand, the masses of the people can actively participate in and advance the development of cultural life, allowing the content and forms of cultural life to reflect their own will. For example, the people’s enthusiasm for participating in intangible cultural heritage activities is high; library construction and museum construction have reached historical highs; rural revitalization is closely integrated with cultural tourism activities, and so on. There are also more specific and vivid examples, such as dragon boat races blossoming everywhere in urban and rural areas, “Village Super League”[2]2 “Village Super League” (村超) refers to a grassroots football tournament in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, which gained widespread popularity online for its local character and festive atmosphere. attracting high attention both domestically and internationally, and city book festivals drawing crowds like tides.

通过文化建设实践来保障文化权利，促进文化权利体系的完善，这在我国已经有了丰富的实践。一方面，国家主动关注人民的需求和愿望，主动提供文化权利实现的社会环境条件，确立了人民在文化权利实现中的主体地位。另一方面，人民群众能够主动参与和推进文化生活的发展，让文化生活的内容和形式体现自己的意愿。比如，人民参与非遗活动积极性高涨、图书馆建设与博物馆建设达到历史最高水平、乡村振兴与文旅活动紧密结合，等等。还有更为具体鲜活的例子，比如龙舟赛在城乡到处开花、“村超”引起了国内外的高度关注、城市书香节人流如潮等。

It is precisely the people’s ever-growing needs for spiritual and cultural life that drive the continuous transformation of social production methods and lifestyles, making people’s desire to safeguard cultural rights even stronger. This requires us to deepen reforms in systems and mechanisms, further optimizing the cultural environment and cultural supervision mechanisms. For instance, further improving public cultural facilities so that people with disabilities can participate more conveniently in public cultural activities; using modern technological means as aids to allow the hearing-impaired to enter museums and concert halls, enjoying art on an equal footing with the hearing-abled. Under conditions of cultural digitalization, how to safeguard the cultural rights of the elderly also needs to be considered within the mechanisms.

正是人们不断增长的精神文化生活需要，推动了社会生产方式和生活方式的不断变革，人们对保障文化权利的愿望才变得更为强烈。这就需要我们在体制机制上进行深化改革，进一步优化文化环境和文化监管机制。比如，进一步做好公共文化设施，让残障者能够更便利地参与公共文化活动，利用现代技术手段作为辅助让听障者走进博物馆，走进音乐厅，平等地与健听者一起欣赏艺术。在文化数字化条件下如何保障老年人的文化权利，也需要在机制上加以考虑。

Stimulating the People’s Subjective Consciousness Is the Central Link in Grasping the People’s Subjectivity in Cultural Development

激发人民主体意识是把握文化建设中人民主体性的中心环节

Continuously strengthening the subjective consciousness of the masses of the people, gathering the mighty force to jointly advance Chinese-path modernization, holds special significance at the critical juncture of advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and realizing Chinese-path modernization.

不断增强人民群众的主体意识，汇聚共同推进中国式现代化的磅礴力量，在推进民族复兴伟业、实现中国式现代化的关键时刻具有特殊的意义。

Marxism holds that great social transformations necessarily require the people, as the subjects of social practice, to possess the subjective consciousness to advance social change. Adhering to the people-centered development philosophy requires relying closely on the people, stimulating the people’s subjective consciousness, gathering the infinite wisdom and creative power inherent in the people, and promoting social change and development. Comrade Deng Xiaoping[3]3 Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) was the paramount leader of China from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, who initiated reform and opening up., in the early period of reform and opening up, highly affirmed the creative vitality of the masses, pointing out: “Many things in reform and opening up were proposed by the masses in practice.” In cultural development, the creativity of the masses is equally full of infinite vitality. Square dancing was spontaneously started by the masses and has become the best vehicle for group literary and artistic activities; once mastered by the masses, Douyin[4]4 Douyin is the Chinese version of TikTok, a short-video platform owned by ByteDance. developed overwhelmingly; drone performances have created the brilliant colors of mass artistic activities. Where there are challenges, the people will respond; where there are needs, the people will find opportunities to satisfy them. Take artistic rural construction, for example; much of it is the spontaneous and conscious behavior of art workers. They apply their knowledge and skills to the artistic practice of rural construction, not only popularizing cultural and artistic knowledge but also driving rural revitalization, gaining development opportunities and economic benefits in the integration of individuals and groups.

马克思主义认为，伟大社会变革必然要求作为社会实践主体的人具有推进社会变革的主体意识。坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，就得紧紧依靠人民，激发人民的主体意识，汇聚蕴藏在人民中的无穷智慧和创造力量，推动社会的变革与发展。邓小平同志在改革开放初期，对群众的创造活力予以高度肯定，他指出：“改革开放中许许多多的东西，都是由群众在实践中提出来的。”在文化建设中，群众的创造力同样是充满着无穷活力的。广场舞是群众自发跳起来的，并成为群体文艺活动的最好载体；抖音一经被群众掌握，就铺天盖地地发展起来；无人机表演创造了群众艺术活动的绚丽色彩。只要有挑战，人民就会有应战；只要有需要，人民就会有寻找满足需要的机会。像艺术乡建，许多都是艺术工作者自发自觉的行为，他们将自己的知识和本领运用到乡村建设的艺术实践之中，不仅普及了文化艺术知识，更带动了乡村振兴，在个体和群体的融合中既获得了发展机会，也赢得了经济利益。

Respecting the people’s principal creation means encouraging the people to create better development spaces and innovation spaces. In the field of cultural development, it is especially necessary to use scientific and technological innovation to lead cultural transformation. The reform of the cultural system is developing rapidly towards the direction of cultural empowerment, showing a trend of technology leading diversified innovation. How to predict and stimulate “new quality productive forces” in the cultural field, how to identify new types of cultural-technology composite talents, how to improve the evaluation mechanism for talents’ innovation capabilities and achievements, how to promote cultural brokerage talents and curatorial talents to play a role in international cultural exchanges, and how to establish optimal mechanisms for cross-cultural exchange and cross-linguistic communication—all these should be explored within the scope of respecting the people’s principal creation.

尊重人民的主体创造，就是要鼓励人民创造更优的发展空间和创新空间，在文化建设领域尤其要以科技创新去引领文化变革。文化体制的改革正朝着文化赋能的方向快速发展，呈现出科技引领多元化创新的趋势。如何预测和催发文化领域的“新质生产力”，如何判定新型的文化科技复合型人才，如何完善对人才创新能力和成果的评价机制，如何推动文化经纪人才、策展人才在国际文化交流中发挥作用，建立跨文化交流和跨语际传播的最优机制，都应该在尊重人民主体创造的范围内加以探索。

In respecting the people’s principal creation, it is also essential to focus on stimulating the subjective consciousness of cultural workers, daring to innovate and being brave in innovation in the field of cultural creation, and promoting high-quality development of culture with fine cultural works. Ten years ago, at the Forum on Literature and Art Work[5]5 The Forum on Literature and Art Work was held by the CPC Central Committee in Beijing on October 15, 2014, where Xi Jinping delivered a key speech on literary and artistic creation., General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out the phenomenon in literary and artistic creation of having quantity but lacking quality, having “plateaus” but lacking “peaks,” and encouraged the vast number of literary and art workers to aim high, overcome impetuousness, “integrate the spirit of innovation throughout the entire process of literary and artistic creation and production, and enhance the original creative capacity of literature and art,” so as to “win the people’s affection and welcome with excellent works of both fine form and fine content.” Cultural and literary workers, facing social practice, best understand the cultural aspirations of the people; they can always find ways to break through in cultural confidence to create new cultural forms. The phenomenon of “breaking the circle”[6]6 “Breaking the circle” (破圈) is a Chinese internet term meaning a work or phenomenon gaining popularity beyond its original niche audience. in culture is often pioneered by grassroots cultural and literary workers. For example, “Tang Palace Night Banquet,” “Underwater Luo Shen,” and the “Guochao”[7]7 “Guochao” (国潮) refers to a trend of Chinese consumers favoring domestic brands and traditional Chinese cultural elements in fashion, design, and entertainment. phenomenon all spread from the artistic circle’s creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture to the whole society. The “archaeology craze” moving from museums to television and the internet, subsequently forming archaeological cultural tourism activities, is also actively participated in and promoted by the masses. “Chinese online literature going overseas” is inseparable from the meticulous polishing of works by online literature creators and the translation work of translators. The state’s adjustment and improvement of cultural and literary reward mechanisms are precisely aimed at greatly liberating artistic productive forces, stimulating the subjective consciousness of cultural and literary workers, and becoming the driving force for promoting high-quality development of culture and literature.

在尊重人民的主体创造上，还要重点激发文化工作者的主体意识，在文化创造领域敢于创新、勇于创新，以文化精品推动文化的高质量发展。十年前，习近平总书记在文艺工作座谈会上就指出了文艺创作方面存在着有数量缺质量、有“高原”缺“高峰”的现象，鼓励广大文艺工作者要志存高远，克服浮躁之气，“要把创新精神贯穿文艺创作生产全过程，增强文艺原创能力”，以“文质兼美的优秀作品赢得人民喜爱和欢迎”。文化文艺工作者面对社会实践，最了解人民群众的文化意愿，他们总是能在文化自信中找到突破的方式以创造新的文化业态。文化中的“破圈”现象经常由基层文化文艺工作者首创，像“唐宫夜宴”“水下洛神”以及“国潮”现象都是从艺术圈对优秀传统文化的创造性转化和创新性发展中推向全社会的。“考古热”从博物馆走向电视和网络，继而形成考古文旅活动，也是人民群众所积极参与推动的。“网文出海”离不开网络文学创作者对作品的精心打磨和翻译工作者的译介。国家对文化与文学奖励机制的调整与完善，就是要极大地解放艺术生产力，激发文化文艺工作者的主体意识，成为推动文化文艺高质量发展的动力。

Promoting the Comprehensive Development of the Individual Is the Core Task of Upholding the People’s Subjectivity in Cultural Development

促进人的全面发展是坚持文化建设中人民主体性的核心任务

The ultimate goal of cultural production and cultural development is the human being. Besides satisfying the people’s needs for spiritual products, it is to cultivate and create modern new individuals compatible with Chinese-path modernization, promoting the comprehensive development of the individual.

文化生产和文化建设的最终目的是人，除了满足人民对精神产品的需要之外，就是要培养和造就与中国式现代化相匹配的现代新人，促进人的全面发展。

When describing the communist vision, Marx said that when material life is greatly abundant, people will have more free time for artistic creation. With the advent of the era of artificial intelligence, people’s free time is also increasing, and the pursuit of values and spirit beyond material life has become more urgent. Cultivating core socialist values and promoting the comprehensive development of the individual have become the core tasks of implementing the people’s subjectivity in cultural development.

马克思在描述共产主义愿景时说过，等到物质生活极大丰富的时候，人们有更多的自由时间进行艺术创造。随着人工智能时代的到来，人们的自由时间也随之增多，对物质生活之外的价值和精神的追求也变得更为急迫。培育社会主义核心价值观，促进人的全面发展，成为文化建设中落实人民主体性的核心任务。

Realizing the liberation of the individual and promoting the comprehensive development of the individual is not limited to safeguarding cultural rights; it must be implemented through concrete social practice activities. In the field of public culture, there is considerable space for promoting the comprehensive development of the individual. Due to the fine division of social labor, the field of cultural value has been divided into different specialized disciplines, such as science, morality, law, philosophy, art, etc. Cultural departments should promote interaction and dialogue between experts and the public through various activities, forming an atmosphere throughout society. The improvement of individual quality is inseparable from the shaping of public group activities. The realization of Marx’s statement that “the environment shapes people” in reality is the importance that cultural systems and mechanisms attach to creating a public cultural environment. The better the people’s material living conditions, the stronger their pursuit of physical health and aesthetic value becomes.

实现人的解放和促进人的全面发展，并不仅仅限于保障文化权利，而是要通过具体的社会实践活动加以落实。在公共文化领域，促进人的全面发展有着很大空间。由于社会分工的精细，文化价值领域被划分成了不同的专门学科，如科学、道德、法律、哲学、艺术等。文化部门应该通过各种活动推广专家与公众的交往和对话，在全社会形成氛围。个人素质的提升离不开公共群体活动的塑造，马克思所说的“环境塑造人”落实到现实就是文化体制机制对公共文化环境创造的重视。人民的物质生活条件越好，对身体健康和美的价值追求也变得越来越强烈。

The establishment of an organizational mechanism for cultural volunteers is a social tacit understanding reached between the government and individuals, and also an important lever for promoting the well-rounded development of the individual. Volunteers improve themselves through volunteer activities; the government uses volunteers to promote the popularization and enhancement of cultural activities; cultural workers, including experts, who join the ranks of cultural volunteers will promote a virtuous cycle and sustained development of culture in the social environment. This is precisely the quality requirement that Chinese-path modernization places on modern new people.

文化志愿者组织机制的建立，是政府与个人达成的社会默契，也是促进人的全面发展的重要抓手。志愿者在志愿者活动中提升自己，政府通过志愿者推动文化活动的普及与提升，文化工作者包括专家加入文化志愿者队伍中，将会促进文化在社会环境中的良性循环和持续发展，这恰恰是中国式现代化对现代新人的素质要求。

In cultural development, upholding the people’s principal position means always adhering to a people-centered approach, safeguarding the people’s cultural rights, respecting the people’s initiative, stimulating the people’s sense of agency and creativity, and, while advancing common prosperity, raising the level of social civility, cultivating modern new people, promoting the well-rounded development of the individual, and providing spiritual support for the realization of Chinese-path modernization.

在文化建设中坚持人民主体性就要始终坚持以人民为中心，保障人民的文化权利，尊重人民的首创精神，激发人民的主体意识和创造意识，在推进共同富裕的同时，提升社会文明程度，培育现代新人，促进人的全面发展，为中国式现代化的实现提供精神支撑。

(Author: former Party Secretary of Jinan University)

（作者：暨南大学原党委书记）

Online editor: Rainbow

网络编辑：彩虹