The Historical Roots, Value Foundations, and Practical Basis of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a brand-new civilizational form developed by the Chinese nation. This civilizational form is the product of civilizational renewal rather than civilizational rupture. It is a modern civilizational form that differs from Western modern civilization, possessing the foundations and characteristics of Chinese civilization, and carries civilizational connotations at both the diachronic and synchronic levels. The emergence and development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation respond to the long-standing theoretical perplexity over whether the Chinese nation can create a unique modern civilization and independently develop modernization. It resolves the dispute between China and the West over modern civilization, demonstrating that the Chinese nation is not only capable of creating a splendid ancient civilization but also of developing a brilliant modern civilization, thereby revealing the outstanding characteristics and strong vitality of Chinese civilization itself.

中华民族现代文明，是中华民族发展出的崭新文明形态，这一文明形态是文明更新而非文明断裂的产物，是区别于西方现代文明、具有中华文明底蕴和特色的现代文明形态，具有历时态与共时态双重层面的文明意涵。中华民族现代文明的生成及其发展，回应了长期以来存在的对于中华民族能否创造出独特现代文明、独立发展现代化的理论困惑，破解了现代文明的中西之争，表明了中华民族不仅有能力创造出辉煌的古代文明，也有能力发展出灿烂的现代文明，展现出中华文明自身的突出特性和强大生命力。

I. The Historical Roots of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

一、中华民族现代文明的历史根源

The emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation was not achieved overnight. In this regard, we must grasp the relationship between "quantitative accumulation" and "qualitative leap." In modern times, faced with the historical predicament of a humiliated civilization, the question of "where is Chinese civilization headed" became a "question of history" and a "question of the times." Through explorations of material instruments, institutional forms, and then ideological culture, the path of Chinese-path modernization ultimately entered the historical process prescribed by Marxism and scientific socialism, finding the ideological key to solving the problems of civilizational and social development. On this basis, the Communist Party of China, guided by Marxism and harboring a strong civilizational consciousness, cultural confidence, and historical initiative, has continuously explored the historical path of the modern transformation of Chinese civilization in practice, promoting the historical creation and contemporary development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Surveying the process of creating the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we can find that it is not water without a source or a tree without roots, but rather possesses profound historical roots. These historical roots can be concretely understood from three dimensions: culture, civilization, and world history.

中华民族现代文明的生成不是一蹴而就的，对此，我们需要把握“量的积累”与“质的飞跃”的关系。近代以来，面对文明蒙尘的历史境遇，中华文明“向何处去”的问题成为“历史之问”与“时代之问”。经由器物的探索、制度的探索到思想文化的探索，中国式现代化道路最终走向了由马克思主义、科学社会主义所规定的历史进程，找到了解决文明发展、社会发展问题的思想钥匙。在此基础上，中国共产党坚持以马克思主义为指导，怀揣着强烈的文明自觉、文化自信与历史主动，在实践中不断探索中华文明现代转型的历史进路，推动中华民族现代文明的历史创造与时代发展。纵览中华民族现代文明的创造进程，我们可以发现，中华民族现代文明不是无源之水、无本之木，而是有着深厚的历史根源的。这种历史根源，可以从文化、文明、世界历史三重维度加以具体理解。

First, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a civilizational creation of the "Two Integrations" [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Cultivating and Practicing the Core Socialist Values” (2014), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 1, Foreign Languages Press, 2014, p. 170.. Its ability to be conceived and formed stems from the internal compatibility and mutual integration between the "root vein" and the "soul vein." There is an intrinsic connection between civilization and culture: culture is the foundation of civilization, and civilization is the sublimation of culture. The gestation, growth, and development of a civilization have their specific laws and depend on the historical and cultural soil in which they are rooted. "Every country and nation's civilization is rooted in its own national soil, and each has its own intrinsic qualities, strengths, and merits." Historical uniqueness and cultural uniqueness are important features that distinguish one civilization from another. Without the root vein shaped by culture, a civilization would find it difficult to mature and take shape, and its uniqueness would be hard to manifest.

第一，中华民族现代文明是“两个结合”的文明创造物，其之所以能够孕育形成，源于“根脉”与“魂脉”之间的内在契合、相互融通。文明与文化之间具有内在的联系，文化是文明的基础，文明是文化的升华。一种文明的孕育、成长、发展，有其特定的规律，有其赖以依存的历史土壤、文化土壤，“每一个国家和民族的文明都扎根于本国本民族的土壤之中，都有自己的本色、长处、优点”。历史独特性、文化独特性，是一种文明区别于另一种文明的重要特征。撇开了文化所塑造的根脉，一种文明也就难以成熟定型，其独特性就难以彰显。

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a modern civilization with "principled heights" precisely because it adheres to the guidance of Marxism and grasps and deepens the "root vein" from a historical dimension. Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and advancing the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times are different aspects of the same historical process, reflecting the historicity and richness of the Communist Party of China's civilizational creation. Viewed from this historical process itself, "the major proposition of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times itself determines that we must never abandon the soul vein of Marxism, nor must we abandon the root vein of fine traditional Chinese culture." The relationship of the "soul vein" to the "root vein" is one of support and guidance. Precisely because it adheres to the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological domain, the Communist Party of China is able to grasp, from the historical height of the laws of human social development, the general trends and concrete realities of the development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and thoroughly grasp the fundamental principles and contemporary requirements of the development of this nation's civilization. Thus, the "soul vein" of Marxism and the "root vein" of fine traditional Chinese culture are integrated. The scientific nature of Marxism activates the vitality of fine traditional Chinese culture, and the essential and excellent components of traditional culture are creatively transformed, becoming indispensable cultural elements for the growth of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

中华民族现代文明是“有原则高度”的现代文明，就是因为其坚持马克思主义的指导，从历史的维度把握与厚植“根脉”。建设中华民族现代文明与推进马克思主义中国化时代化，是同一历史进程的不同方面，体现出中国共产党文明创造的历史性、丰富性。从这一历史进程本身来看，“马克思主义中国化时代化这个重大命题本身就决定，我们决不能抛弃马克思主义这个魂脉，决不能抛弃中华优秀传统文化这个根脉”。“魂脉”之于“根脉”而言，是支撑与引领的关系。正是因为坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位，中国共产党得以从人类社会发展规律的历史性高度，把握中华民族现代文明发展的一般趋势和具体实际，彻底地把握本民族文明发展的根本原则与时代要求。由此，马克思主义的“魂脉”与中华优秀传统文化的“根脉”得以结合起来，马克思主义的科学性激活了中华优秀传统文化的生命力，传统文化中的精华成分、优秀成分得以创造性转化，成为中华民族现代文明生长所不可或缺的文化要素。

It can thus be seen that, as the "root vein," the ideological concepts, humanistic spirit, and moral norms contained in fine traditional Chinese culture are embedded in and fused into the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, constituting a marker of civilizational image, a symbol of civilizational identity, and a declaration of civilizational characteristics. For Chinese civilization, the transition from tradition to modernity does not imply a "rupture." "Fine traditional Chinese culture, with a long history and extensive and profound content, is the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization." Fine traditional Chinese culture essentially embodies the historical and cultural wisdom of the Chinese nation and records the cultural code and cultural genes of the growth and development of Chinese civilization. Chinese civilization and fine traditional Chinese culture are inseparable and interdependent: "China's farming civilization, with its long history and extensive and profound content, is the root of fine traditional Chinese culture." This characteristic of mutual connection is also reflected in the historical process of creating the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The paths by which different nations and countries develop modern civilization cannot be identical; homogenized paths do not conform to the laws of civilizational growth. "Fine traditional Chinese culture is the prominent advantage of the Chinese nation and our deepest cultural soft power." Fine traditional Chinese culture, with its profound cultural soft power, solidifies the root vein of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, becoming an important marker distinguishing this new modern civilizational form from Western modern civilizational forms, and presenting a completely new appearance of modern civilizational development. It is in this sense that the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a modern civilization with historicity.

由此可见，作为“根脉”，中华优秀传统文化所蕴含的思想观念、人文精神、道德规范，蕴含于、熔铸于中华民族现代文明之中，构成了一种文明形象的标识、文明身份的符号、文明特质的宣示。对于中华文明来说，从传统到现代的转型并不意味着“断裂”。“中华优秀传统文化源远流长、博大精深，是中华文明的智慧结晶”，中华优秀传统文化实质上积淀着中华民族的历史文化智慧，记载着中华文明发展壮大的文化密码、文化基因。中华文明与中华优秀传统文化之间是不可分割、相互依存的，“我国农耕文明源远流长、博大精深，是中华优秀传统文化的根”。这种相互联系的特质也体现在中华民族现代文明创造的历史进程之中。不同民族、国家发展现代文明的路径不可能是完全相同的，同质化的路径不符合文明成长的规律。“中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的突出优势，是我们最深厚的文化软实力”。中华优秀传统文化以其所蕴含的深厚文化软实力，筑牢了中华民族现代文明的根脉，成为这一崭新现代文明形态区别于西方现代文明形态的重要标志，展现出现代文明发展的全新样貌。正是在这个意义上，中华民族现代文明是具有历史性的现代文明。

Second, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the modern form of Chinese civilization, the civilizational crystallization of the endogenous evolution of Chinese civilization as a "civilizational life entity." To understand the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, a crucial issue is to clarify its relationship with Chinese civilization. In a word, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the modern form of Chinese civilization, the historical product of the modern transformation of Chinese civilization. Based on this, understanding the outstanding characteristics of the "parent body" of Chinese civilization itself is the key to fully grasping where the modern civilization of the Chinese nation comes from.

第二，中华民族现代文明是中华文明的现代形态，是中华文明这一“文明生命体”内生性演化的文明结晶。理解中华民族现代文明，一个至关重要的问题就是厘清其与中华文明之间的关系。一言以蔽之，中华民族现代文明是中华文明的现代形态，是中华文明现代转型的历史产物。基于此，理解中华文明“母体”自身所具有的突出特性，是全面把握中华民族现代文明从何而来的关键所在。

Chinese civilization is a civilizational life-form; it has experienced periods of flourishing and also periods of decline. The emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the latest manifestation of this civilizational life-form and a vivid confirmation of its powerful vitality. First, Chinese civilization possesses outstanding continuity, which is the fundamental factor in the emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Xi Jinping pointed out: “Chinese civilization has undergone more than five thousand years of historical change, yet it has always been a single continuous lineage, accumulating the deepest spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, representing its unique spiritual identity, and providing rich nourishment for the endless vitality and growth of the Chinese nation.” The continuity of Chinese civilization has multiple manifestations: it is continuity in history and time, continuity in spatial form, continuity in culture and thought, and continuity in ways of life. “The continuity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that the Chinese nation must take its own path.” It is precisely on the basis of this uninterrupted civilizational gene that the Chinese people can unswervingly take their own path, and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation can emerge. Second, Chinese civilization possesses outstanding innovativeness, which is the fundamental driving force for the development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. As a life-form, the vitality of a civilization depends on its own capacity for innovation and the results thereof. A civilization that innovates thrives; a civilization that clings to the old stagnates. With regard to the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, this civilizational innovation is innovation with direction, purpose, and selectivity. It conforms to the trends and currents of world history and Chinese history, conforms to the historical laws of the evolution of modes of production and modes of development, is innovation that is compatible with and adapted to the direction of social history, and is comprehensive and systematic innovation in material civilization, political civilization, cultural-ethical progress, and other aspects. Third, Chinese civilization possesses outstanding unity, which is the fundamental direction for the advance of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. “The long tradition of great unity in Chinese civilization has formed a unity characterized by diversity in unity, solidarity, and centralization.” This unity encompasses multiple levels of meaning, including territory, state, nation, and civilization. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation inherits the historical tradition of great unity and endows it with a modern form of expression, making it a cohesive force for economic and social development and the continuous transmission of civilization, thereby demonstrating the consistent direction of the development of Chinese civilization. Fourth, Chinese civilization possesses outstanding inclusiveness, which is the fundamental source of the vitality of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Chinese civilization is not a closed but an open civilizational life-form. “Chinese civilization is a civilization born on Chinese soil, and it is also a civilization formed through continuous exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations.” The modern civilization of the Chinese nation does not reject the beneficial achievements of Western modern civilization; it is not an exclusive civilization, but a modern civilization that incorporates diverse elements. This inclusiveness contributed to the flourishing of Chinese civilization in history and also contributes to the development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation today. Fifth, Chinese civilization possesses outstanding peacefulness, which is the fundamental principle of interaction for the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Conflict between civilizations is not inevitable; “there is no inherent conflict among various civilizations; what is needed is an eye that can appreciate the beauty of all civilizations.” The beauty of civilization has diverse manifestations: there is the beauty of material civilization (such as architecture and sculpture of various forms) and the beauty of cultural-ethical progress (such as profound philosophical thought and culture). The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a modern civilization that upholds the beauty of each and the common good of all under heaven. It both explores and manifests its own civilizational beauty and appreciates and affirms the civilizational beauty of other civilizations; it not only takes beauty in its own beauty but also takes beauty in the beauty of others.

中华文明是一个文明生命体，其实现了文明的繁盛，也经历过文明的低谷。中华民族现代文明的生成，是这一文明生命体的最新表现形态，也是这一文明生命体具有强大生命力的生动印证。一是中华文明具有突出的连续性，这是中华民族现代文明生成的根本因素。习近平指出：“中华文明经历了五千多年的历史变迁，但始终一脉相承，积淀着中华民族最深层的精神追求，代表着中华民族独特的精神标识，为中华民族生生不息、发展壮大提供了丰厚滋养。”中华文明的连续性具有多重表现，既是历史上、时间上的连续性，又是空间形态上的连续性，既是文化上、思想上的连续性，又是生活方式上的连续性。“中华文明的连续性，从根本上决定了中华民族必然走自己的路。”正是基于这种不曾中断的文明基因，中国人民才能够坚定不移地走自己的路，中华民族现代文明才得以生成。二是中华文明具有突出的创新性，这是中华民族现代文明发展的根本动力。文明作为一个生命体，其生命力取决于文明自身创新的能力及成果。文明创新则蓬勃发展，文明守旧则停滞不前。就中华民族现代文明而言，这种文明的创新，是有方向、有目的、有选择的创新，合乎世界历史与中国历史发展的趋势和潮流，合乎生产方式与发展方式演进的历史规律，是与社会历史走向相契合、相适应的创新，是物质文明、政治文明、精神文明等方面的综合性、系统性创新。三是中华文明具有突出的统一性，这是中华民族现代文明前进的根本方向。“中华文明长期的大一统传统，形成了多元一体、团结集中的统一性。”这种统一性，包含着国土、国家、民族、文明等多重层面的意涵。中华民族现代文明继承了历史上的大一统传统，并赋予其以现代表现形式，使之成为经济社会发展、文明赓续传承的内聚力量，展现出中华文明发展一以贯之的前进方向。四是中华文明具有突出的包容性，这是中华民族现代文明富有生命力的根本源泉。中华文明不是封闭的，而是开放的文明生命体，“中华文明是在中国大地上产生的文明，也是同其他文明不断交流互鉴而形成的文明”。中华民族现代文明并不拒斥西方现代文明的有益成果，并不是排他的文明，而是兼收并蓄的现代文明。这种包容性，在历史上成就了中华文明的兴盛，也成就了现如今中华民族现代文明的发展。五是中华文明具有突出的和平性，这是中华民族现代文明交往的根本原则。文明与文明之间，并不绝对产生冲突，“各种文明本没有冲突，只是要有欣赏所有文明之美的眼睛”。文明之美有着多样的表现，有物质文明之美（如形态各异的建筑、雕塑），有精神文明之美（如深邃的哲思、文化），等等。中华民族现代文明就是坚持美美与共、天下大同的现代文明，既发掘、开显自身的文明之美，又欣赏、肯定其他文明的文明之美，不仅美己之美，更美人之美。

Third, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is both national and global; it is rooted in the nation’s historical and cultural traditions while also drawing on the historical nutrients of the development of human civilization, contributing to the world through its unique civilizational system and civilizational path. The more national it is, the more global it is; the more global it is, the more national it is. Regarding the historical roots of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, one cannot stop at the civilization itself; it must also be understood from the broader scale of world history. That is to say, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation must be observed not only from the historical scale of the development history of the Chinese nation but also from the overall history of the development history of human civilization and the world modernization process.

第三，中华民族现代文明既是民族的，又是世界的，既植根于民族的历史文化传统，又汲取人类文明发展的历史养分，以独特的文明体系、文明道路贡献于世界。越是民族的，就越是世界的；越是世界的，就越是民族的。对于中华民族现代文明的历史根源，不能仅仅停留于其自身，还需要从更广阔的世界历史尺度对其加以把握。这就是说，对中华民族现代文明，不仅要从中华民族发展史的历史尺度来观察，还要立足人类文明发展史、世界现代化历程的整体历史来观察。

From the perspective of the development history of human civilization, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation reveals a profound world-historical significance; it is a Chinese expression of the advanced achievements of human civilization. The development of human civilization has general laws and common characteristics, and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation follows these general laws and embodies these common characteristics. This is centrally manifested in the fact that any civilization that truly embodies world-historical significance cannot be an isolated existence detached from the grand path of human civilization development; it will inevitably reflect the general determinations of civilizational development at different levels. As it is said, “Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Ceremony Marking the Centenary of the Communist Party of China” (2021), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 4, Foreign Languages Press, 2022, p. 9. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is built on the basis of rationally drawing on the advanced achievements of human civilization, while simultaneously combining its own civilizational characteristics, endowing the historical achievements of human civilization with Chinese forms of expression and modern modes of presentation, thereby forging a brand-new modern civilization. It is in this sense that the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is both the modern form of Chinese civilization and the latest achievement and an important component of the development of human civilization. This mutually reinforcing relationship is a historical experience of the development of human civilization. For example, “Confucianism was originally a Chinese body of learning, but it has long since gone global and become a part of human civilization.” The fine traditional Chinese culture “also has important value for solving human problems.” The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an irreplaceable civilizational existence in the garden of human civilizations; it is rooted in the process of human civilization development, is both a historical product of that development, and has made unique contributions to it.

从人类文明发展史来看，中华民族现代文明开显出深远的世界历史意义，是对人类文明先进成果的中国表达。人类文明的发展有一般规律和共性特征，中华民族现代文明遵循这种一般规律、体现这种共性特征。这集中表现为，任何一种真正体现世界历史意义的文明，都不可能是脱离人类文明发展大道的孤立存在，都会在不同层面上体现文明发展的一般性规定。正所谓“人们自己创造自己的历史，但是他们并不是随心所欲地创造，并不是在他们自己选定的条件下创造，而是在直接碰到的、既定的、从过去承继下来的条件下创造”。中华民族现代文明建立在合理汲取人类文明先进成果的基础上，同时又结合自身文明特性，赋予人类文明的历史成果以中国表现形式、现代呈现形态，铸就了崭新的现代文明。正是在这个意义上，中华民族现代文明既是中华文明的现代形态，又是人类文明发展的最新成果与重要组成部分。这种相互成就的关系，是人类文明发展的历史经验。例如，“儒学本是中国的学问，但也早已走向世界，成为人类文明的一部分”。中华优秀传统文化“对解决人类问题也有重要价值”，中华民族现代文明是人类文明百花丛中不可替代的文明存在，其植根于人类文明发展进程，既是人类文明发展的历史产物，又对人类文明发展作出了独特的贡献。

From the perspective of the world modernization process, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation not only embodies the old nation’s new mission of the Chinese nation but also interprets a new dimension of the world modernization process. Modern civilization is shaped within the world modernization process; it belongs to the same historical process, with different facets, as the development of modern production, the construction of modern society, the renovation of modern life, and the establishment of the modern state. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation has its historical uniqueness in the construction of modern production, modern society, modern life, and the modern state. For example, in the construction of modern life and modern society, based on the historic transformation of the principal contradiction in Chinese society, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation takes a good life and a good society as its goal orientation and intrinsic pursuit, striving to realize a higher-quality good life for members of the Chinese national community. Looking further, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation also reflects a historical turn in the development of modern civilization. This turn is prominently manifested in breaking through the stereotype that Western civilization is “universal civilization” and that modern civilization develops in a linear fashion, breaking through the historical narrative that Chinese civilization could hardly undergo a modern transformation, and developing Chinese civilization—a civilization never interrupted in history—to the world-historical height of modern civilization. Modernity is first and foremost a temporal and historical category; modernity is not an era exclusive to the West, but an era in the evolution of human civilization and the development of world history. In terms of preconditions, modernization is not equivalent to Westernization, nor is modern civilization equivalent to Western civilization. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation embodies a diversified turn in the development of modern civilization, breaking through the monolithic, linear narrative of modern civilization—a breakthrough in both historical theory and practice.

从世界现代化历程来看，中华民族现代文明不仅体现出中华民族的旧邦新命，更诠释了世界现代化进程的崭新面向。现代文明是在世界现代化历程中塑造出来的，其与现代生产的发展、现代社会的建构、现代生活的革新、现代国家的建立属于同一历史进程的不同面向。中华民族现代文明在现代生产、现代社会、现代生活、现代国家的建构上，有其历史独特性。例如，在现代生活、现代社会的建构上，立足于中国社会主要矛盾的历史性转化，中华民族现代文明以美好生活、美好社会为目标导向和内在追求，致力于实现中华民族共同体成员更高品质的美好生活。进一步看，中华民族现代文明还体现出现代文明发展的一个历史转向。这种转向突出体现为，突破了西方文明是“普世文明”、现代文明是线性发展的窠臼，突破了中华文明难以现代转型的历史叙事，将中华文明这一历史上从未中断的文明发展到现代文明的世界历史高度。现代首先是一个时间范畴、历史范畴，现代不是专属于西方的时代，而是人类文明演进、世界历史发展中的一个时代。从前置条件来看，现代化并不等于西方化，现代文明也不等于西方文明。中华民族现代文明体现出现代文明发展的多样化转向，突破了一元、线性的现代文明叙事，是一种历史理论与实践的突破。

II. The Value Foundations of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

二、中华民族现代文明的价值根柢

A civilizational system or form contains specific value foundations and embodies particular value orientations. Xi Jinping pointed out: “The Chinese civilization has endured for thousands of years and possesses its own unique value system.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Cultivating and Practicing the Core Socialist Values” (2014), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 1, Foreign Languages Press, 2014, p. 170. A value system is a systematized and integrated set of value orientations. The value system of the Chinese nation is an organic system with multiple dimensions and rich connotations. Among these, the most fundamental value foundation—that is, the foothold of the value system—is the key to grasping the civilizational value orientation. This unique value foundation reveals how the modern civilization of the Chinese nation understands and comprehends the system of civilizational meaning, and embodies the practical demands and far-reaching pursuits of this new form of modern civilization.

一种文明体系、文明形态，包含着特定的价值根柢，蕴含着特有的价值取向。习近平指出：“中华文明绵延数千年，有其独特的价值体系。”价值体系是系统化、体系化的价值取向。中华民族的价值体系是一个有机系统，具有多维面向与丰富意涵。其中最为主要的价值根柢，亦即价值体系的立足点，是把握文明价值取向的钥匙。独特的价值根柢，揭示出中华民族现代文明对于文明意义系统的认识和理解，体现出这一现代文明新形态的现实诉求与深远追求。

First, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation embodies the value demand for national rejuvenation and civilizational flourishing. The emergence and development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation are closely linked to the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation contains a civilizational dimension, reflecting the demand for the modern transformation and modern development of civilization. Indeed, this value demand is intrinsically connected to the historical vicissitudes of the Chinese nation since modern times. Xi Jinping elucidated the historical process and current position of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, stating: “Through more than 170 years of unremitting struggle since the Opium War, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has shown bright prospects.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Ceremony Marking the Centenary of the Communist Party of China” (2021), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 4, Foreign Languages Press, 2022, p. 9. The proposal of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation as a landmark concept is precisely based on the fact that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical stage, entered a critical period, and shown bright prospects, resting on a specific historical foundation. It is precisely with such historical conditions and historical opportunities that a unique modern civilization can be nurtured.

第一，中华民族现代文明蕴含民族复兴、文明繁盛的价值诉求。中华民族现代文明的生成及发展，是与中华民族伟大复兴的历史进程紧密联系在一起的。中华民族伟大复兴蕴含着文明的向度，体现着文明现代转型、现代发展的诉求。诚然，这种价值诉求与近代以来中华民族的历史沉浮有着内在的联系。习近平阐明了中华民族伟大复兴的历史进程与当前方位，指出：“经过鸦片战争以来一百七十多年的持续奋斗，中华民族伟大复兴展现出光明的前景。”中华民族现代文明作为标志性概念的提出，正是立足于中华民族伟大复兴进入不可逆转的历史阶段、进入关键时期、展现出光明的前景，有着特定的历史基础。正是具备了这样的历史条件、历史机遇，才能孕育出独特的现代文明。

The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a historical marker of the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, further confirming from the historical height of the 21st century that the Chinese nation is a great nation in the world. The construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is still “in progress,” not “completed.” At present, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation has already taken an initial form, but its civilizational characteristics need to be further manifested and its civilizational achievements need to be further created. A modern civilization of the Chinese nation with a more mature form, more distinctive features, and deeper foundations is an inherent part of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, revealing the civilizational dimension of that rejuvenation. Xi Jinping pointed out: “With a civilization history of more than 5,000 years, the Chinese nation created a splendid Chinese civilization, made outstanding contributions to humanity, and became a great nation in the world.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Ceremony Marking the Centenary of the Communist Party of China” (2021), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 4, Foreign Languages Press, 2022, p. 7. From this perspective, great nations in the world are all nations with unique civilizational contributions. The process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, in a certain sense, is a course in which the Chinese nation continuously makes new civilizational contributions. The emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is the civilizational expression and civilizational declaration of the rejuvenation process, conforming to the historical logic of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and manifesting its historical inevitability.

中华民族现代文明是实现中华民族伟大复兴的历史标志，从21世纪的历史高度进一步证成了中华民族是世界上伟大的民族。中华民族现代文明的建设仍是“进行时”，而不是“完成时”。当前，中华民族现代文明已经具备了初步的形态，但其文明特质有待进一步彰显、文明成果有待进一步创造。形态更加成熟、特色更加鲜明、底蕴更加深厚的中华民族现代文明，是中华民族伟大复兴的题中应有之义，开显中华民族伟大复兴的文明向度。习近平指出：“中华民族有五千多年的文明历史，创造了灿烂的中华文明，为人类作出了卓越贡献，成为世界上伟大的民族。”由此观之，世界上伟大的民族，都是具有独特文明贡献的民族。中华民族伟大复兴的进程，从一定意义上看就是中华民族不断作出新的文明贡献的历程。中华民族现代文明的生成，是民族复兴进程的文明表达与文明宣示，顺应着中华民族伟大复兴的历史逻辑，彰显着中华民族伟大复兴的历史必然性。

The emergence of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation demonstrates the practical power of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people in civilizational creation, historically realizing the aspirations of progressive Chinese since modern times for the modern transformation of Chinese civilization. Since modern times, the aspiration to build a modern civilization and promote the flourishing of Chinese civilization has always lingered in the minds of Chinese people of insight. The founding of the Communist Party of China shifted the exploration of China’s modern civilization from passive to active, from spontaneous to conscious, and from partial exploration to systematic exploration. The value goal of civilizational flourishing signifies a fundamental change from the historical predicament of civilizational humiliation since modern times, and means that China’s modern civilizational creation has achieved original results and historical progress. Civilizational flourishing is a systematic goal, encompassing the prosperity of material civilization, the enlightenment of political civilization, the abundance of cultural-ethical progress, the progress of social civilization, and the harmony of ecological civilization. The flourishing of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation not only shows that China is capable of creating a modern civilization different from Western civilization, but also displays the charm and depth of Chinese civilization on the world historical stage of the 21st century.

中华民族现代文明的生成，彰显了中国共产党与中国人民进行文明创造的实践伟力，近代以来先进中国人对于中华文明现代转型的憧憬得以历史地实现。近代以来，建设现代文明的憧憬，推动中华文明的繁盛，一直萦绕在中国有识之士的心中。中国共产党的成立，推动中国现代文明的探索从被动转向主动、从自发转向自觉、从局部探索走向系统探索。文明繁盛的价值目标，意味着近代以来文明蒙尘历史处境的根本转变，意味着中国现代文明创造取得原创性成果、历史性进展。文明繁盛是一个系统性的目标，包含物质文明的繁荣、政治文明的昌明、精神文明的丰裕、社会文明的进步、生态文明的和谐。中华民族现代文明的繁盛，既表明中国有能力创造出不同于西方文明的现代文明，又展现出中华文明在21世纪的世界历史舞台上的魅力与底蕴。

Second, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation manifests the value stance of putting the people first and taking people as the foundation. Civilization cannot be simply understood as a grand narrative. Civilization is historical, concrete, and practical; what particularly needs attention is that the value of civilization is endowed by “real individuals” in practice. Those who live within civilization are “real individuals”; civilization without “real individuals” is meaningless, and one cannot discuss civilization in abstraction from concrete people. The system of meaning of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation differs from that of Western modern civilization, possessing its own national characteristics and value demands at the level of value foundation. Among these, a prominent value characteristic of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation lies in adhering to putting the people first and taking people as the foundation, and integrating the people’s standpoint throughout the process of modern civilizational development. This also constitutes the fundamental value marker of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

第二，中华民族现代文明彰显人民至上、以人为本的价值立场。文明并不能简单理解为一种宏大叙事。文明是历史的、具体的、实践的，特别需要关注的是，文明的价值是“现实的个人”在实践中赋予的。生活于文明之中的是“现实的个人”，离开“现实的个人”的文明是无意义的，不能撇开具体的人空谈文明。中华民族现代文明的意义系统，有别于西方现代文明的意义系统，在价值根柢层面有着自身的民族特性与价值诉求。其中，中华民族现代文明的一个突出价值特性，就在于坚持人民至上、以人为本，将人民立场贯穿于现代文明发展的过程之中。这也构成了中华民族现代文明的根本价值标志。

People-centeredness (民本) is a value thread running through the history of ancient Chinese thought. Xi Jinping emphasized: “Benefiting the people, providing them with convenience, ensuring their security, and enriching them are the distinct value orientation of Chinese civilization.” [4]4 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations” (2019), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 3, Foreign Languages Press, 2020, p. 472. This value orientation is one that Chinese civilization has manifested from beginning to end in its development. Xi Jinping elaborated on the contributions of Chinese civilization to human civilization, stating: “China’s papermaking, gunpowder, printing, compass, astronomical calendar, philosophical thought, and people-centered concept (民本理念) have had a far-reaching impact on the world, powerfully advancing the process of human civilization development.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations” (2019), in *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, vol. 3, Foreign Languages Press, 2020, p. 471. In the past, when we discussed the world contributions of Chinese civilization, we paid more attention to the level of “material artifacts” and relatively less to the levels of “thought” and “culture.” Historical contributions at the level of thought and culture are an important part of the world contributions of Chinese civilization. The ancient Chinese thought of people-centeredness historically developed into a complete ideological system, forming distinct value propositions. It emphasized both attention to “people’s livelihood” (民生) at the practical level and attention to “people’s hearts” (民心) at the psychological level, forming unique value concepts and ideological categories with unique ideological value, and is a value product of the development of Chinese civilization.

民本是贯穿中国古代思想史的一条价值线索。习近平强调：“惠民利民、安民富民是中华文明鲜明的价值导向”。这种价值导向，是中华文明发展自始至终都彰显的价值导向。习近平阐述了中华文明对于人类文明的贡献，提出：“中国的造纸术、火药、印刷术、指南针、天文历法、哲学思想、民本理念等在世界上影响深远，有力推动了人类文明发展进程。”在过去，我们对于中华文明的世界贡献，更多关注“器物”层面，而相对较少关注“思想”与“文化”层面。思想文化层面的历史贡献，是中华文明世界贡献的重要组成部分。中国古代的民本思想，历史地发展为一个完整的思想体系，形成了鲜明的价值主张，既强调要关注现实层面的“民生”，又强调要关注心理层面的“民心”，形成了独特的价值概念、思想范畴，具有独特的思想价值，是中华文明发展的价值产物。

Indeed, it must be recognized that the emphasis on putting the people first and taking people as the foundation in the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is not a simple continuation of the ancient Chinese thought of people-centeredness, but rather, from the standpoint of Marxist values, on the basis of creative transformation and innovative development, historically places the people at the center of modern civilizational development. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation advocates that civilizational development should rely on the people and benefit the people, should attend to the people’s growing needs for a better life, should concern itself with people’s comprehensive development and common prosperity for all, should attend to the needs, wishes, and demands of different groups within the people, should implement seeking happiness for the people in the specific links of civilizational development, and should enable the people to enjoy more, richer, and more universally beneficial fruits of civilizational development, thereby achieving a historical transcendence over the capital-first path of modern civilizational development. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a civilization belonging to the members of the Chinese national community, a civilization belonging to all Chinese sons and daughters, with a distinct people’s character.

诚然，必须认识到，中华民族现代文明所强调的人民至上、以人为本，并不是中国古代民本思想的简单延续，而是在马克思主义价值观的立场上，在创造性转化、创新性发展的基础上，将人民历史地置于现代文明发展的中心位置。中华民族现代文明主张文明发展应当依靠人民、惠及人民，应当关注人民日益增长的美好生活需要，应当关切人的全面发展、全体人民共同富裕，应当关注人民群众中不同群体的需要、愿望、诉求，应当将为人民谋幸福落实到文明发展的具体环节，应当让人民享受到更多、更丰富、更普惠的文明发展成果，从而实现了对资本至上现代文明发展道路的历史性超越。中华民族现代文明是属于中华民族共同体成员的文明，是属于全体中华儿女的文明，具有鲜明的人民性。

Third, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation embodies the value vision of a world of great harmony and peace among all nations. It must be pointed out that we cannot discuss modern civilization indiscriminately; we must recognize the institutional attributes of modern civilization. Marx pointed out in “The Future Results of British Rule in India”: “When we turn our gaze from the home of bourgeois civilization to its colonies, bourgeois civilization’s extreme hypocrisy and its barbaric nature stand naked before us, for at home it puts on a respectable appearance, while in the colonies it does not disguise itself at all.” [6]6 Karl Marx, “The Future Results of British Rule in India” (1853), in *Marx and Engels Collected Works*, vol. 12, International Publishers, 1979, p. 221. Behind the progress of bourgeois civilization lie exploitation and oppression, and barbaric acts that deviate from civilization. The modern civilization of capitalism has its inherent, intrinsic, and insurmountable contradictions, which at the world level manifest as political hegemony, economic hegemony, and cultural hegemony, thereby forming a dominant world civilizational system in which the East is subordinate to the West. This so-called form of modern civilization has historical limitations and historical transience.

第三，中华民族现代文明体现天下大同、协和万邦的价值愿景。需要指出的是，我们不能不加区分地谈论现代文明，必须认识到现代文明的制度属性。马克思在《不列颠在印度统治的未来结果》中指出：“当我们把目光从资产阶级文明的故乡转向殖民地的时候，资产阶级文明的极端伪善和它的野蛮本性就赤裸裸地呈现在我们面前，它在故乡还装出一副体面的样子，而在殖民地它就丝毫不加掩饰了。”资产阶级文明进步的背后，蕴含着剥削、压迫，蕴含着与文明相背离的野蛮行径。资本主义的现代文明，有其内在的、固有的、不可克服的矛盾，在世界层面上就表现为政治霸权、经济霸权与文化霸权，由此形成了东方从属于西方的支配性的世界文明体系。这种所谓的现代文明形态具有历史局限性与历史暂时性。

In contrast, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation has developed on the basis of independence and self-reliance, fundamentally different from the modern civilization formed by the West on the basis of colonial plunder, the slave trade, and external oppression. It is a modern civilization oriented historically toward socialism. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation bears the name "Chinese nation"; it is a new form of modern civilization and the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization. However, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation possesses a global vision and a concern for humanity; it does not confine the horizon of civilizational development solely to the interior of that civilization. This civilizational vision of embracing the world has always flowed in the blood of the development of Chinese civilization, constituting a civilizational marker and symbol of Chinese civilization. From a historical perspective, "Chinese civilization has always advocated the Great Harmony under Heaven and harmonious coexistence among all nations." [7]7 "Great Harmony under Heaven" (天下大同) is a classical Confucian ideal of a peaceful, equitable world order; "harmonious coexistence among all nations" (协和万邦) originates from the *Book of Documents* (*Shangshu*), expressing the vision of harmonious relations among all states. The Chinese significance and the world significance of Chinese civilization are organically unified: "Chinese civilization has not only profoundly influenced China's development but has also made major contributions to the progress of human civilization." [8]8 Quotation from Xi Jinping's speech at a symposium on cultural heritage, 2023. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is both rooted in the civilizational development of the Chinese nation itself and actively contributes, through the historical practice of Chinese-path modernization, to the construction of modern civilizations and the development of modernization in countries around the world. The world contribution of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation has a substantive support: by proposing attractive Chinese solutions such as the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, it contributes Chinese wisdom to resolving the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance, and contributes Chinese strength to the reform and development of the global governance system. All of this fully demonstrates the world-embracing sentiment of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

与之相反，中华民族现代文明是在独立自主的基础上发展起来的，根本不同于西方在殖民掠夺、奴隶贸易、对外压迫基础上所形成的现代文明，是以社会主义为历史定向的现代文明。中华民族现代文明冠以“中华民族”之名，是现代文明的新形态，是中华民族文明智慧的结晶。但是，中华民族现代文明具有世界视野、人类情怀，并不是仅将文明发展的视野局限于文明内部。这种胸怀天下的文明视野，一直以来都流淌在中华文明发展的血液之中，构成了中华文明的文明标志和文明符号。从历史的角度来看，“中华文明历来主张天下大同、协和万邦”。中华文明的中国意义与世界意义是有机统一的，“中华文明，不仅对中国发展产生了深刻影响，而且对人类文明进步作出了重大贡献”。中华民族现代文明既立足于中华民族自身的文明发展，又积极通过中国式现代化的历史实践，造福于世界各国现代文明的建构、现代化的发展。中华民族现代文明的世界贡献有着实体性支撑，其通过提出全球文明倡议、全球发展倡议等具有吸引力的中国方案，为破解和平赤字、发展赤字、安全赤字、治理赤字贡献中国智慧，为全球治理体系变革与发展贡献中国力量，这些都充分展现出中华民族现代文明的天下情怀。

III. The Practical Basis of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation

三、中华民族现代文明的实践根基

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation ultimately depends on the creative practice carried out by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The focus of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation lies in the cultural sphere, but it is not confined to the cultural sphere. It is necessary to unify the development of material civilization, political civilization, cultural-ethical progress, social civilization, and ecological civilization, and to integrate the development of institutional civilization throughout, so as to cultivate the practical foundation of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and consolidate its practical basis through systematic, holistic, and comprehensive civilizational construction.

建设中华民族现代文明，归根到底要靠中国共产党团结带领中国人民进行的创造性实践。中华民族现代文明建设的重心在文化领域，但并不局限于文化领域，必须将物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明、生态文明的发展统一起来，将制度文明的发展贯穿其中，以系统性、全局性、整体性的文明建设，厚植中华民族现代文明的实践底蕴，筑牢中华民族现代文明的实践根基。

First, the comprehensive leadership of the Party is the practical cornerstone of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The Party is the key to building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Party leadership must be embodied in the entire process, all fields, and all aspects of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Upholding Party leadership strengthens the institutional advantages of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and provides fundamental guarantees for its construction. First, fully leveraging the Party's political leadership can resolve the issue of the leading force in building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China carries out top-level design, long-term planning, and practical deployment for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, contributes the positive force of the political subject to the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and ensures the steady progress of this construction with a clear political stance, correct political direction, and distinct political principles. Second, fully leveraging the Party's ideological guidance resolves the issue of the theoretical guide for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Upholding the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere is a prominent ideological and cultural advantage of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Xi Jinping emphasizes: "The truth of Marxism has activated the great civilization created by the Chinese nation over thousands of years, causing Chinese civilization to once again burst forth with powerful spiritual strength." [9]9 Quotation from Xi Jinping's speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China, July 1, 2021. Firmly grasping the Party's cultural leadership and leadership over ideological work, taking the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method as the fundamental guideline, using the latest achievements in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times to guide the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, activating the vitality of civilizational construction with the power of truth, enhancing the ideological and theoretical nature of the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and firmly grasping the correct direction of this construction. Third, fully leveraging the Party's mass organizational capacity resolves the issue of the subject foundation in building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a modern civilization that belongs to the broad masses of the people; it is necessary to consolidate the mass foundation of its construction. Practicing the mass line, doing mass work well, maintaining close ties with the masses, and organizing the broad forces of the masses are distinct advantages historically formed by the Communist Party of China in revolution, construction, and reform. These advantages must be further brought into play on the new journey of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, gathering the main合力 (synergy) of subjects for its construction. Fourth, fully leveraging the Party's social appeal resolves the issue of social mobilization in building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The construction of modern civilization is closely linked to the development of modern society. The construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation must be organically combined with the construction of a good society that promotes social harmony, maintains social order, stimulates social vitality, drives social development, and achieves social progress. In summary, to promote the high-quality development and high-level construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to implement the comprehensive leadership of the Party.

第一，党的全面领导是中华民族现代文明的实践基石。建设中华民族现代文明关键在党。党的领导必须体现到中华民族现代文明建设的全过程、各领域、各方面。坚持党的领导，厚植中华民族现代文明的制度优势，为中华民族现代文明建设提供根本保障。一是充分发挥党的政治领导力，能够解决中华民族现代文明建设中的领导力量问题。中国共产党为中华民族现代文明建设做好顶层设计、长远规划、实践部署，以政治主体的积极力量贡献于中华民族现代文明建设，以鲜明的政治立场、正确的政治方向、明晰的政治原则确保中华民族现代文明建设的稳步推进。二是充分发挥党的思想引领力，解决中华民族现代文明建设中的理论指南问题。坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位，是中华民族现代文明的突出思想文化优势。习近平强调：“用马克思主义真理的力量激活了中华民族历经几千年创造的伟大文明，使中华文明再次迸发出强大精神力量。”牢牢把握党的文化领导权、意识形态工作领导权，以马克思主义的立场观点方法为根本遵循，以马克思主义中国化时代化的最新成果指引中华民族现代文明建设，用真理的力量激活文明建设的活力，增强中华民族现代文明建设的思想性、理论性，牢牢把握中华民族现代文明建设的正确方向。三是充分发挥党的群众组织力，解决中华民族现代文明建设中的主体基础问题。中华民族现代文明是属于广大人民群众的现代文明，必须夯实中华民族现代文明建设的群众基础。践行群众路线、做好群众工作，保持同群众的密切联系，组织起广大的群众力量，是中国共产党在革命、建设、改革中历史地形成的鲜明优势，必须在中华民族现代文明建设新征程中进一步发挥好这种优势，凝聚起建设中华民族现代文明的主体合力。四是充分发挥党的社会号召力，解决中华民族现代文明建设中的社会动员问题。现代文明的建构与现代社会的发展是紧密联系在一起的。中华民族现代文明建设要同促进社会和谐、维系社会秩序、激发社会活力、推动社会发展、实现社会进步的美好社会建设有机结合起来。总而言之，推动中华民族现代文明的高质量发展、高水平建设，就必须贯彻落实党的全面领导。

Second, the coordinated development of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress is the practical matrix of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a socialism of comprehensive development, and the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is also a modern civilization of comprehensive development. "To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires both immense development of material civilization and immense development of cultural-ethical progress." [10]10 Quotation from Xi Jinping's speech at the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work, 2013. Material civilization and cultural-ethical progress are the "two wings" of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Their coordinated development can enhance the hard power and soft power, the material strength and spiritual strength of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. On the one hand, to consolidate the material foundation for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to seize the historical opportunities brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, promote the development of new quality productive forces, drive revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep transformation and upgrading of industries, shape new drivers, new forms of business, new models, and new advantages for economic and social development, promote better alignment between relations of production and productive forces, between the superstructure and the economic base, and between national governance and social development, so as to empower the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and consolidate its material foundation. On the other hand, to enhance the spiritual strength for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to closely focus on the new cultural mission, strive to build a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and guiding power, extensively practice the core socialist values, continue to inherit the spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists, promote the high-quality development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation in the process of promoting cultural prosperity and building a socialist cultural power. The new cultural mission has profound civilizational implications; building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an important component of the new cultural mission on the new journey. The focus of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation lies in the cultural sphere, but the achievements in material culture, political culture, social culture, and ecological culture accumulated in different fields of economic and social development also provide important cultural support for its construction. The development of advanced socialist culture and the building of a socialist cultural power promote the vigorous development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation with flourishing cultural strength.

第二，物质文明和精神文明协调发展是中华民族现代文明的实践基质。中国特色社会主义是全面发展的社会主义，中华民族现代文明也是全面发展的现代文明。“实现中华民族伟大复兴，需要物质文明极大发展，也需要精神文明极大发展。”物质文明和精神文明是中华民族现代文明建设的“双翼”，二者的协调发展，能够增强中华民族现代文明的硬实力与软实力、物质力量与精神力量。一方面，夯实中华民族现代文明建设的物质基础，要立足第四次工业革命带来的历史机遇，推动新质生产力发展，推动技术革命性突破、生产要素创新性配置、产业深度转型升级，塑造经济社会发展的新动能、新业态、新模式、新优势，推动生产关系和生产力、上层建筑和经济基础、国家治理和社会发展更好相适应，使之为中华民族现代文明建设赋能，夯实中华民族现代文明的物质基础。另一方面，增进中华民族现代文明建设的精神力量，要紧紧围绕新的文化使命，着力建设具有强大凝聚力和引领力的社会主义意识形态、广泛践行社会主义核心价值观、赓续传承中国共产党人精神谱系，推动文化事业和文化产业的高质量发展，在推动文化繁荣、建设社会主义文化强国的过程中建设中华民族现代文明。新的文化使命具有深远的文明意蕴，建设中华民族现代文明是新征程新的文化使命的重要组成部分。中华民族现代文明建设的重点在文化领域，而经济社会发展不同领域所积淀而成的物质文化、政治文化、社会文化、生态文化成果也都为中华民族现代文明建设提供了重要的文化支撑。社会主义先进文化的发展，社会主义文化强国的建设，以繁荣的文化力量推动中华民族现代文明的蓬勃发展。

Third, innovation and creation are the practical source of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Innovation is the lifeblood of the development of human civilization. From the general perspective of the development of human civilization, civilizational achievements are the product of innovation, and civilizational progress is driven by innovation. “We should use innovation to add momentum to the development of civilization, to activate the living source of civilizational progress, and to continuously create civilizational achievements that transcend time and space and possess enduring charm.” [11]11 Xi From the particular perspective of the development of Chinese civilization, innovation is an inevitable requirement for the development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. “We must promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese civilization, activate its vitality, and let Chinese civilization, together with the colorful civilizations created by the peoples of all countries, provide correct spiritual guidance for humanity.” [12] In the process of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, innovation is all-round, all-encompassing, and deep-level innovation, encompassing theoretical innovation, institutional innovation, and cultural innovation, which together constitute an organic whole of civilizational innovation. Theoretical innovation involves further deepening the theoretical interpretation of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and its laws of development, proposing landmark concepts, original categories, and scholarly propositions under the theoretical framework of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, further deepening the scholarly exploration of the origins and development process of Chinese civilization, and putting forward theoretical innovation achievements that are explanatory, influential, and representative. Institutional innovation requires closely focusing on advancing Chinese-path modernization to further deepen reform comprehensively, [13] further upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, thereby providing a solid institutional guarantee for the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Cultural innovation requires promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, stimulating the cultural innovation and creation vitality of the entire nation, and cultivating a deep cultural foundation for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

第三，创新创造是中华民族现代文明的实践基源。创新是人类文明发展的生命之源。从人类文明发展的一般性角度来看，文明成果是创新的产物，文明进步是由创新牵引的，“我们应该用创新增添文明发展动力、激活文明进步的源头活水，不断创造出跨越时空、富有永恒魅力的文明成果”。从中华文明发展的特殊性角度来看，创新是中华民族现代文明发展的必然要求，“要推动中华文明创造性转化、创新性发展，激活其生命力，让中华文明同各国人民创造的多彩文明一道，为人类提供正确精神指引”。在中华民族现代文明建设的进程中，创新是全方位、全领域、深层次的创新，包含理论创新、制度创新、文化创新等方面，共同构成文明创新的有机整体。理论创新，是进一步深化对中华民族现代文明及其发展规律的理论阐释，提出中华民族现代文明理论框架下的标志性概念、原创性范畴、学理性命题，进一步深化对中华文明起源与发展历程的学理探索，提出具有解释力、影响力、代表性的理论创新成果。制度创新，要求紧紧围绕推进中国式现代化进一步全面深化改革，进一步坚持和完善中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化，为中华民族现代文明建设提供坚实制度保障。文化创新，要求推动中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化、创新性发展，激发全民族文化创新创造的活力，厚植建设中华民族现代文明、实现中华民族伟大复兴的文化底蕴。

Fourth, the building of a community with a shared future for mankind is the practical benchmark of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The history of the development of human civilization has long proven that civilizational diversity is a precious asset for the development of human civilization and a historical law for the continuation and inheritance of human civilization. Civilizational diversity is likewise a beneficial support for the development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. The richness and diversity of paths of civilizational development do not diminish the unique charm of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation itself; on the contrary, in the process of exchange, integration, and confrontation, they will spark growth points and development points for civilization. Especially under the historical conditions of the changes unseen in a century, facing new challenges and new issues in the development of human civilization, a community with a shared future for mankind has become a world-historical vehicle for the exchange and mutual learning of human civilizations. The construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation must be based on the “two overall situations,” [14] promoting its own development through the vivid practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

第四，人类命运共同体构建是中华民族现代文明的实践基准。人类文明发展史早已证明，文明多样性是人类文明发展的宝贵财富，是人类文明赓续传承的历史规律。文明多样性，同样也是中华民族现代文明发展的有益支持。丰富性、多样性的文明发展道路，并不会减损中华民族现代文明自身的独特魅力，反而会在交流、交融、交锋的过程中碰撞出文明的生长点、发展点。特别是在世界百年未有之大变局的历史条件下，面对人类文明发展的新挑战、新课题，人类命运共同体成为人类文明交往互鉴的世界历史载体。中华民族现代文明建设，必须立足“两个大局”，在构建人类命运共同体的生动实践中推动自身发展。

Building a community with a shared future for mankind and constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation point outward and inward respectively, but their practical foundations are isomorphic and consistent, both promoting the flourishing development of human civilization at different levels. From the perspective of value pursuit, we must take the common values of all humanity as the guide, [15] consolidate the value consensus of different civilizations, and promote the value construction and cultural construction of a community with a shared future for mankind through a common recognition of the value pursuit of human civilization, while at the same time grasping, from the value level, the requirements that the development of human civilization places on the development of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. From the perspective of relations of interaction, we must promote international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation, attach importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and attach importance to excavating the intellectual wisdom from different civilizations that is beneficial to the development of modern society and the construction of modern civilization. This involves both promoting the overall development of human civilization through a community with a shared future for mankind and absorbing the modern development wisdom of different civilizations into the practice of constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. It is particularly necessary to point out that in the process of promoting civilizational exchange and mutual learning, it is also necessary to enhance the civilizational consciousness and civilizational confidence in the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Rising from cultural consciousness to civilizational consciousness, and from cultural confidence to civilizational confidence, both deepening the understanding of one’s own civilization and enhancing identification with one’s own civilization, thereby forming a practical consciousness that drives the development of one’s own civilization, is an inherent requirement for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. In summary, we must not forget the original, absorb the foreign, and face the future, [16] with firm civilizational consciousness and civilizational confidence, and with greater confidence and conviction, write a new chapter of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation in the practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

构建人类命运共同体与建设中华民族现代文明，分别指向外与内，但其实践基础具有同构性、一致性，都在不同层面上推动人类文明的繁荣发展。从价值追求层面来看，要以全人类共同价值为引领，凝聚不同文明的价值共识，以对人类文明价值追求的共同体认，推动人类命运共同体的价值构建、文化构建，同时又从价值层面把握人类文明发展对中华民族现代文明发展的要求。从交往关系来看，要推动国际人文交流合作，重视文明的传承与创新，重视挖掘不同文明有益于现代社会发展、现代文明建构的思想智慧，既以人类命运共同体推动人类文明的整体发展，又将不同文明的现代发展智慧吸纳进中华民族现代文明建设的实践中。特别需要指出的是，在推动文明交流互鉴的过程中，还需要增进对中华民族现代文明的文明自觉与文明自信。从文化自觉上升到文明自觉，从文化自信上升到文明自信，既深化对自身文明的认知，又增进对自身文明的认同，形成推动自身文明发展的实践自觉，是建设中华民族现代文明的内在要求。概言之，要不忘本来、吸收外来、面向未来，以坚定的文明自觉、文明自信，更有底气、更有信心地在构建人类命运共同体的实践中谱写中华民族现代文明新华章。

Author: Xiang Jiuyu, Hongyi Distinguished Professor at Wuhan University and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Marxism

作者：项久雨，武汉大学弘毅特聘教授、马克思主义学院博士生导师

Online Editor: Jin Qiu

网络编辑：金秋