Firming Up Cultural Confidence and the New Mission of Social Science Workers in the Era

On 17 May 2016, at a symposium on philosophy and social science work, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “When we speak of firming up confidence in the path, theory, and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, ultimately this means firming up cultural confidence.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Speech at a Symposium on Philosophy and Social Science Work” (17 May 2016). Eight years of cultural development practice have shown that the scientific thesis of “cultural confidence” has not only enriched and developed the theory of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and provided basic guidelines for the practice of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, but has also laid the academic foundation for the formation of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, and has supplied new impetus and powerful energy for the creative practice of Chinese-path modernization and the new form of human civilization that we are now advancing.

2016年5月17日，习近平总书记在哲学社会科学工作座谈会上深刻指出：“我们说要坚定中国特色社会主义道路自信、理论自信、制度自信，说到底是要坚定文化自信。”八年的文化发展实践表明，“文化自信”科学论断的提出，不仅丰富发展了中国特色社会主义文化理论，为中国特色社会主义文化实践提供了基本遵循，也为习近平文化思想的形成奠定了学理基础，为我们正在推进的中国式现代化和人类文明新形态创造实践提供了新的动力和强大能量。

Deeply Understanding the Epochal Significance of Firming Up Cultural Confidence

深刻理解坚定文化自信的时代意义

General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Firming up cultural confidence is a major issue that concerns the rise and fall of the nation’s fortunes, concerns cultural security, and concerns the independence of the national spirit.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Opening Ceremony of a Seminar on the Study and Implementation of the Spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC” (11 January 2022). “Only a nation with cultural confidence can stand firm, stand steady, and go far.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, “Speech at a Symposium on Cultural Heritage” (25 July 2023). In the present era, it is especially important and urgent to view one’s own national culture and foreign cultures with a confident, mature mentality. Firming up cultural confidence is the historical necessity of the correct path for the development of culture with Chinese characteristics. From a historical perspective, cultural confidence is the correct choice for emerging from the modern cultural inferiority complex. Since modern times, with the invasion of Western powers and the rise of various cultural trends, the cultural psychological advantage of the Chinese people has been shattered into fragments, and the cultural self-respect and national self-respect of the Chinese people have been greatly harmed, resulting in a lack of cultural consciousness and cultural confidence, and the spiritual homeland of the Chinese nation has encountered a severe crisis. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly step out of the misunderstanding of “Western-centrism” in both thought and action, and then establish cultural confidence, completing the process of transformation from self-reflection and self-consciousness to confidence in traditional Chinese culture. From a practical perspective, cultural confidence is the internal driving force for realizing the inheritance, innovation, and transcendence of traditional culture. After reform and opening up and rapid development, China has become the world’s second-largest economy, and the cultural field is also undergoing extensive and profound changes. Correctly positioning the historical status of traditional Chinese culture in the history of human civilization concerns the spiritual driving force of the Chinese nation, and further concerns the fundamental direction of human civilization. Only by establishing rational cultural confidence can we, when facing foreign cultures and traditional culture, neither blindly exclude the foreign nor rigidly restore the ancient, effectively promote the integration of traditional culture into the development of the times in a new context, integrate it with modern science and technology, realize cultural innovation and transcendence, and lead the future. Firming up cultural confidence is the core demand for enhancing cultural competitiveness. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “When culture thrives, the nation thrives; when culture is strong, the nation is strong.” [4]4 Xi Jinping, “Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China” (16 The core of culture is values, and the essence of cultural confidence is confidence in values. This unique position and function of values within the cultural system determines their core significance in the cultural system, and also makes confidence in values the inner core of cultural confidence, the deepest-level element that determines the nature and direction of culture, and an important cohesive agent for a country. Only by relying on the guiding position of core values, engaging in self-reflection and self-consciousness regarding excellent traditional Chinese culture, profoundly comprehending the advanced nature of socialist culture, and enriching the connotation of spiritual life, can a strong sense of belonging be established. From a material perspective, cultural confidence is a powerful guarantee for coping with the impact of diverse world cultures. The external manifestation of cultural confidence is the export of cultural products and the strength of cultural brands, demonstrating the attractiveness, influence, and competitiveness of the native culture, thereby achieving cultural self-strengthening. Therefore, we must adhere to exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Only by consciously resisting the erosion of Western culture and values, enhancing cultural confidence, creating new coordinates for our own discourse, improving cultural resilience, and seizing the initiative in discourse, can we occupy a favorable position in international competition. At the same time, we must be able to learn from and absorb the outstanding cultural achievements of the world, enhance our ability to discern and accommodate culture, create and innovate our own cultural products and cultural brands, and thereby thoroughly step out of the real predicament of multicultural conflict, and firmly establish our cultural position and development direction while sharing the fruits of all humanity’s cultural development.

习近平总书记指出：“坚定文化自信，是事关国运兴衰、事关文化安全、事关民族精神独立性的大问题。”“有文化自信的民族，才能立得住、站得稳、行得远。”以自信、成熟的心态来看待本民族文化和外来文化，在当今时代显得尤为重要和迫切。坚定文化自信是中国特色文化发展正确道路的历史必然。从历史层面看，文化自信是走出近代文化自卑的正确选择。近代以来，随着西方列强的入侵和各种文化思潮的兴起，中国人的文化心理优势被冲击得支离破碎，中国人的文化自尊与民族自尊受到了极大伤害，造成文化自觉与文化自信的缺失，中华民族的精神家园遭遇严重危机。因此，有必要从思想上、行动上彻底走出“西方中心论”的误区，进而建立文化自信，完成对中华传统文化由自省自觉到自信的转换过程；从现实层面看，文化自信是实现传统文化传承、创新与超越的内在动力。经过改革开放与快速发展，我国成为世界第二大经济体，文化领域也正在发生广泛而深刻的变革。对中华传统文化在人类文明史中的历史地位进行正确的定位，关系到中华民族的精神原动力，进而关系到人类文明的根本走向。只有树立了理智的文化自信，才能在面对外来文化与传统文化时，既不盲目排外，也不死板复古，切实推动传统文化在新的语境下融入时代发展，融合现代科技，实现文化的创新和超越，引领未来。坚定文化自信是提高文化竞争力的核心诉求。习近平总书记指出：“文化兴则国家兴，文化强则民族强。”文化的核心是价值观，文化自信的本质就是价值观自信。价值观在文化体系中的这种独特地位与功用，决定了它在文化体系中的核心意义，也使得价值观的自信成为文化自信的内核，成为决定文化性质和方向的最深层次要素，成为一个国家重要的聚合剂。立足核心价值观的引领性地位，对中华优秀传统文化自省自觉，深刻领悟社会主义文化的先进性，丰富精神生活内涵，才能建立强烈的归属感；从物质层面看，文化自信是应对世界多元文化冲击的有力保障。文化自信的对外表现是文化产品的输出，文化品牌的强大，彰显出本体文化的吸引力、影响力与竞争力，从而实现文化自强。因此，要坚持文明交流互鉴，只有自觉抵制西方文化和价值观的侵蚀，增强文化自信，创建自身的话语新坐标，提升文化抗压能力，掌握话语主动权，才能在国际竞争中占据有利地位。同时，要能借鉴吸收世界优秀文化成果，增强文化甄别能力和涵容力，创建创新自己的文化产品与文化品牌，进而彻底走出多元文化冲突的现实困境，在共享全人类文化发展成果中坚定文化地位与发展方向。

Accurately Grasping the Core Essentials of Firming Up Cultural Confidence

准确把握坚定文化自信的核心要义

General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, deeper, and more enduring force.” [5]5 The “five prominent features” (五个突出特性) of Chinese civilization were articulated by Xi Jinping at a symposium on cultural heritage and development in June 2023, referring to continuity, innovativeness, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. Analyzed from a horizontal dimension, cultural confidence can be specifically divided into two aspects: first, confidence in the material wealth of the nation’s excellent traditional culture, including natural science, technology, language, and writing; second, confidence in spiritual wealth, including worldview, outlook on life, and values. Within the systematic composition of cultural confidence, the most core significance lies in confidence in spiritual wealth, that is, confidence in core values. The nature of culture is determined by the values it contains, the charm of culture is cultivated and manifested by the values it contains, and the development of culture is guided by the values it contains. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “Core values are the soul of cultural soft power and the focus of cultural soft power construction. This is the deepest-level element that determines the nature and direction of culture.” [6]6 The “unity of heaven and humanity” (天人合一) is a classical Chinese philosophical concept emphasizing harmony between the natural world and human society, rooted in Confucian and Daoist thought. Analyzed from a vertical dimension, cultural confidence can be understood as confidence in three levels of culture: the past, the present, and the future. First, pride in and rational cognition of existing cultural and historical achievements; second, clear understanding of and consciousness regarding the current path of cultural development; third, attention to and conviction in one’s own cultural innovation capability, and hope and confidence in the prospects for future cultural development.

习近平总书记指出：“文化自信是更基本、更深沉、更持久的力量。”从横向维度分析，文化自信可具体分为两个方面：一是对本民族优秀传统文化中的物质财富包括自然科学、技术、语言和文字等的自信；二是对精神财富包括世界观、人生观、价值观等的自信。而在文化自信的系统构成中，最具核心意义的是对精神财富的自信，也就是对核心价值观的自信。文化的性质由其内含的价值观决定，文化的魅力由其内含的价值观培育、彰显，文化的发展由其内含的价值观引导。习近平总书记指出，“核心价值观是文化软实力的灵魂、文化软实力建设的重点。这是决定文化性质和方向的最深层次要素”。从纵向维度来看，文化自信可以理解为对文化的过去、当下与未来的自信三个层面：一是对已有文化历史成就的自豪与理性认知；二是对当下文化发展道路的清晰认识与自觉；三是对自我文化创新能力的关注与确信，对未来文化发展前景的希望与信心。

Thickening and Consolidating the Theoretical Foundation for Firming Up Cultural Confidence

厚植筑牢坚定文化自信的理论根基

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “China’s firm confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, and confidence in the system are essentially based on cultural confidence built on over 5,000 years of civilizational inheritance.” “We must deeply study the origins and characteristics of Chinese civilization and Chinese culture, forming a relatively complete conceptual system of Chinese cultural genes.” The “five prominent features” of Chinese civilization’s renewal and growth are the core of strengthening cultural confidence. At the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping highly summarized the “five prominent features” of Chinese civilization: continuity, innovativeness, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. These features are decisive factors in whether a civilization can sustain its development. From its inception until the 17th century, Chinese civilization maintained a leading position in multiple fields such as thought, science and technology, literature, art, medicine, and astronomy. It demonstrated a powerful capacity surpassing other civilizations in absorbing ancient Greek civilization, Indian civilization, ancient Babylonian civilization, ancient Roman civilization, and steppe civilizations, in accepting Islamic culture and Christian culture, and in digesting and re-creating Buddhist culture. In modern times, China experienced invasion by the great powers and the crisis of national subjugation and extinction. The sons and daughters of China searched high and low, and finally, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, introduced, absorbed, innovated, and developed Marxism, defeated Japanese imperialism, overthrew the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang, completed the New Democratic Revolution, established the People’s Republic of China, and after more than 70 years of effort, once again placed China on the stage of the world’s great powers. Historical experience proves that Chinese culture has not only not lost its foundation due to “eclecticism,” but has repeatedly benefited from this attitude of being all-embracing and incorporating various schools, regaining creative power to achieve nirvana-like rebirth, and repeatedly correcting its course at critical historical junctures. This is a unique spectacle in world civilizational history and a solid cornerstone for our strengthening of cultural confidence. The humanistic value concepts established by Chinese culture are key to reshaping cultural confidence. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Excellent traditional Chinese culture is the cultural root of the Chinese nation. The ideological concepts, humanistic spirit, and moral norms it contains are not only the core of our Chinese thought and spirit but also have important value for solving human problems.” In dealing with the relationship between humans and nature, the values of excellent traditional Chinese culture emphasize “the unity of heaven and humanity,” not taking satisfaction in conquering nature, not taking pleasure in destroying nature, but stressing compliance with nature and guiding it according to circumstances. In dealing with interpersonal relationships, they take “benevolence” as the guiding principle, using “loyalty, friendship, and forgiveness” to regulate external relationships, and “filial piety, fraternal duty, and compassion” to handle family relationships. In dealing with neighborhood relations, they shape the value orientation of “valuing harmony.” In individual value pursuits, they emphasize a moral foundation, taking moral cultivation as the primary criterion for evaluating a person, and starting from self-cultivation to achieve family harmony, state governance, and world peace. In the relationship between righteousness and benefit, they stress valuing righteousness over benefit, advocating that people’s spiritual and moral pursuits should surpass their material benefit pursuits, and that the pursuit of spiritual life happiness is the most enduring happiness. In terms of modes of thinking, they focus on holism and spontaneity, being adept at using the approach closest to the real world to view nature, the human body, external objects, and the environment, which has outstanding methodological significance for solving global problems, environmental problems, and population problems.

习近平总书记指出：“中国有坚定的道路自信、理论自信、制度自信，其本质是建立在5000多年文明传承基础上的文化自信。”“要深入研究中华文明、中华文化的起源和特质，形成较为完整的中国文化基因的理念体系。”中华文明更新成长的“五个突出特性”，是坚定文化自信的核心。在文化传承发展座谈会上，习近平总书记高度概括了中华文明的“五个突出特性”，即连续性、创新性、统一性、包容性、和平性。这些特性是一个文明是否能够持续发展的决定性因素。中华文明从初创到17世纪一直保持着在思想、科技、文学、艺术、医学、天文等多个领域的领先地位，在吸收古希腊文明、印度文明、古巴比伦文明、古罗马文明、草原文明，接纳伊斯兰文化、基督教文化，消化再造佛教文化等方面表现出了超越其他文明的强大能力。近代中国历经列强入侵、亡国灭种的危机，中华儿女上下求索，终于在中国共产党的带领下，引进、吸收、创新和发展马克思主义，打败日本帝国主义，推翻国民党反动统治，完成新民主主义革命，建立中华人民共和国，并经过70多年的努力使中国重新站在了世界大国的舞台之上。历史经验证明，中华文化不仅没有因为“兼收”而失其根本，反而多次受益于这种海纳百川、并蓄诸家的态度，重拾创造之力而实现凤凰涅槃，在历史的关键时期一次又一次导正航向。这是世界文明史上独树一帜的奇观，也是我们坚定文化自信的坚强基石。中华文化确立的人文价值理念，是重塑文化自信的关键。习近平总书记指出：“中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的文化根脉，其蕴含的思想观念、人文精神、道德规范，不仅是我们中国人思想和精神的内核，对解决人类问题也有重要价值。”中华优秀传统文化价值观在处理人与自然的关系上，强调“天人合一”，不以征服自然为满足，不以破坏自然为乐事，讲求顺应自然，因势利导；在处理人际关系上，以“仁爱”为统领，用“忠、友、恕”来规范人的外部关系，用“孝、悌、慈”来处理家庭关系；在处理邻里关系上，塑造了“贵和”的价值取向；在个人价值诉求上，强调道德本位，将道德修养作为人物评价的首要标准，并从修身出发以求齐家、治国、平天下；在义利关系上，强调重义轻利，提倡人的精神道德追求应高出人的物质利益追求，追求精神生活幸福才是最持久的幸福；在思维方式上，注重整体性和自发性，善于用最接近真实世界的思路看待自然、人体、外物、环境，对解决全球问题、环境问题、人口问题等具有突出的方法论意义。

Actively Undertaking the Historical Mission of Strengthening Cultural Confidence

主动担当坚定文化自信的历史使命

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Facing the new situation of exchange, interaction, and confrontation among various ideas and cultures worldwide, how to accelerate the building of a socialist cultural power, enhance cultural soft power, and increase our international discourse power urgently requires philosophy and social sciences to play a better role.” In the New Era of strengthening cultural confidence, social science workers bear a glorious but arduous mission. **Strengthen the political direction.** General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “The vast number of philosophy and social science workers in our country should consciously adhere to the guidance of Marxism, consciously integrate the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics throughout the entire process of research and teaching, and transform it into a clear theoretical consciousness, a firm political conviction, and a scientific method of thinking.” This is an extremely important matter concerning the future and destiny of the Party, national cultural security, the cohesion and centripetal force of the nation, and the building of a socialist cultural power. We must firmly establish political consciousness, responsibility consciousness, and overall situation consciousness, actively cultivate and practice the core socialist values, take adherence to the correct political direction as the primary requirement, run it through the entire process of theoretical research work, regularly analyze and judge new trends and new situations in the ideological sphere, always ensure that the ideological sphere does not change direction or deviate, and ensure that social science research always develops along the correct direction. **Strengthen theoretical consciousness.** General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Adhering to the guidance of Marxism first requires solving the problem of true understanding and true belief.” We must adhere to problem consciousness and problem orientation, highlight the guiding, targeted, and effective nature of theoretical research, thoroughly understand world conditions and national conditions, closely follow the pulse of the times, grasp the general trend of development, go deep into the grassroots, deep into life, deep into reality, discover problems in fiery practice, grasp problems in the concerns of the people, and strive to research and solve difficult problems in economic and social development and reform and opening up, key problems that need to be solved in Party committee and government decision-making, and hot issues that the masses care about and strongly reflect on. **Adhere to innovation-led development.** General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Only through innovation can we grasp the times and lead the times.” Innovation is the primary driving force for development and the key to current cultural construction. We must follow the requirements of “creative transformation and innovative development,” adhere to the Two Integrations, adhere to our own path of cultural innovation and development, achieve the use of Chinese theory to explain Chinese cultural practice, base the sublimation of Chinese theory on Chinese cultural practice, and use the Chinese theoretical system to guide Chinese cultural practice. **Strengthen the people-centered stance.** General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “The people are the creators of history and also the creators of the times.” Cultural products originate from the material production practice of the people. “For Chinese philosophy and social sciences to achieve something, they must adhere to a people-centered research orientation.” Social science workers should always adhere to the academic philosophy of doing scholarship for the people, adhere to the people-centered scientific research orientation, closely link personal academic exploration with the development of the country and the nation, and enhance the attractiveness, appeal, influence, and vitality of social science for the people. **Tell China’s stories well.** General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Chinese culture is both historical and contemporary, both national and global.” For excellent traditional Chinese culture, we must trace its source, find its roots, and seek its soul, accurately identifying the point of integration between history and reality. All social science workers with ideals and aspirations should stand at the forefront of the times, understand the changes of past and present, be the first to voice ideas, actively expound theories and offer suggestions for the Party and the people, and proactively undertake the historical mission of being interpreters, promoters, and disseminators of excellent traditional Chinese culture.

习近平总书记指出：“面对世界范围内各种思想文化交流交融交锋的新形势，如何加快建设社会主义文化强国、增强文化软实力、提高我国在国际上的话语权，迫切需要哲学社会科学更好发挥作用。”新时代坚定文化自信，社会科学工作者使命光荣而艰巨。坚定政治方向。习近平总书记指出：“我国广大哲学社会科学工作者要自觉坚持以马克思主义为指导，自觉把中国特色社会主义理论体系贯穿研究和教学全过程，转化为清醒的理论自觉、坚定的政治信念、科学的思维方法。”这是事关党的前途命运、国家文化安全，事关民族的凝聚力和向心力，事关建设社会主义文化强国的一件极端重要的事情。要牢固树立政治意识、责任意识、大局意识，积极培育和践行社会主义核心价值观，把坚持正确的政治方向作为第一位的要求，贯穿理论研究工作始终，定期分析研判意识形态领域的新动向、新情况，时刻把握意识形态领域不变向、不偏差，确保社会科学研究始终沿着正确方向发展。强化理论自觉。习近平总书记指出：“坚持以马克思主义为指导，首先要解决真懂真信的问题。”要坚持问题意识、问题导向，突出理论研究的指导性、针对性、实效性，吃透世情、国情，紧扣时代脉搏，把握发展大势，深入基层、深入生活、深入实际，在火热的实践中发现问题，在人民群众的关切中把握问题，努力研究和解决经济社会发展和改革开放中的难点问题、党委政府决策需要解决的重点问题、群众关心反映强烈的热点问题。坚持创新引领。习近平总书记指出：“创新才能把握时代、引领时代。”创新是引领发展的第一动力，是当前文化建设的关键。要按照“创造性转化、创新性发展”要求，坚持“两个结合”，坚持走自己的文化创新发展之路，做到用中国理论阐释中国文化实践，立足中国文化实践升华中国理论，用中国理论体系指导中国文化实践。坚定人民立场。习近平总书记指出：“人民是历史的创造者，也是时代的创造者。”文化产品来源于人民群众的物质生产实践。“我国哲学社会科学要有所作为，就必须坚持以人民为中心的研究导向。”社会科学工作者应当始终坚持为人民做学问的学术理念，坚持以人民为中心的科研导向，把个人的学术探索同国家、民族发展紧密联系在一起，增强社会科学对人民群众的吸引力、感染力、影响力和生命力 。讲好中国故事。习近平总书记指出：“中华文化既是历史的、也是当代的，既是民族的、也是世界的。”对中华优秀传统文化要溯到源、找到根、寻到魂，找准历史和现实的结合点。所有有理想、有抱负的社会科学工作者都应该立时代之潮头、通古今之变化、发思想之先声，积极为党和人民述学立论、建言献策，主动担负起中华优秀传统文化阐释者、宣传者、传播者的历史使命。

(Author: Gao Dongxin, Party Secretary and President of Xi’an Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：高东新，西安市社会科学院党组书记、院长）

Online Editor: You Heng

网络编辑：有恒