On the Necessity, Possibility, and Innovative Contributions of the Second Integration

On July 1, 2021, in his important speech at the celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We must uphold the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture” (hereinafter referred to as the “Two Integrations”). The proposal of the “Two Integrations” is groundbreaking, among which the “Second Integration” is an entirely new proposition. On October 16, 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping further elaborated on the profound connotations of the “Two Integrations” in his report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC. On June 2, 2023, in his important speech at a symposium on cultural inheritance and development, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the “Second Integration” is “another ideological emancipation,” and from the five aspects of prominent continuity, prominent innovation, prominent unity, prominent inclusiveness, and prominent peacefulness, he elucidated the genes and roots of fine traditional Chinese culture in the “Second Integration,” greatly expanding the new direction and new space for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, with extremely far-reaching theoretical, practical, global, and historical significance. From June 18 to June 23, 2023, Xinhua News Agency successively published six major in-depth commentaries, providing a profound interpretation of the “Two Integrations.” Subsequently, there was a heated discussion in theoretical circles, yielding fruitful and rich results, such as the profound connotations and major impacts of the “Two Integrations,” the background, theoretical premises, original contributions, and major impacts of the proposal of the “Second Integration.” These theoretical discussions, which embody the national will, the aspirations of the people, and the national spirit in the New Era, have played a powerful role in promoting adherence to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, shouldering the new cultural mission, striving to build a new culture belonging to our era, constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and showcasing the international image of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Inspired by this, this article discusses three issues that require further in-depth research within the “Second Integration.”

2021年7月1日，习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的重要讲话中指出，“坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合”（以下简称“两个结合”）。“两个结合”的提出具有开创性，其中“第二个结合”是一个全新的命题。2022年10月16日，习近平总书记在党的二十大报告中进一步阐述了“两个结合”的深刻内涵。2023年6月2日，习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上的重要讲话中强调，“第二个结合”是“又一次的思想解放”，并从突出的连续性、突出的创新性、突出的统一性、突出的包容性、突出的和平性五个方面，阐明了“第二个结合”的中华优秀传统文化基因、根脉，极大地拓展了马克思主义中国化时代化的新方向和新空间，其理论意义、实践意义、世界意义和历史意义极其深远。2023年6月18日至6月23日，新华社连续推出六篇重磅述评，对“两个结合”作出了深刻解读。此后，理论界进行了热烈讨论，成果丰硕、内容丰富，如“两个结合”的深刻内涵及其重大影响，“第二个结合”提出的背景、理论前提、原创性贡献和重大影响等。这些体现新时代国家意志、人民意愿和民族精神的理论探讨，对坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，担负起新的文化使命，奋力建设属于我们这个时代的新文化，建设中华民族现代文明，展现中国特色社会主义的国际形象，起到了有力的促进作用。受此启发，本文就“第二个结合”中需继续深化研究的三个问题进行探讨。

I. The Necessity of the “Second Integration”

一、“第二个结合”的必要性

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The ‘Second Integration’ is our Party’s profound summary of the historical experience of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and a profound grasp of the laws governing the development of Chinese civilization. It shows that our Party has reached a new height in its understanding of the Chinese path, theory, and system; it shows that our Party has reached a new height in its historical confidence and cultural confidence; it shows that our Party has reached a new height in its consciousness of promoting cultural innovation while inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture.” The “profound summary,” “profound grasp,” and the three “new heights” summarized by General Secretary Xi Jinping carry profound historical implications and significant political meaning.

习近平总书记指出：“‘第二个结合’，是我们党对马克思主义中国化时代化历史经验的深刻总结，是对中华文明发展规律的深刻把握，表明我们党对中国道路、理论、制度认识达到了新高度，表明我们党的历史自信、文化自信达到了新高度，表明我们党在传承中华优秀传统文化中推进文化创新的自觉性达到了新高度。”习近平总书记概括出的“深刻总结”“深刻把握”和三个“新高度”，历史意蕴厚重，政治意义重大。

The “Second Integration” is a process of taking Marxism as the “soul” and fine traditional Chinese culture as the “root” to achieve a new cultural life form. Among these, fine traditional Chinese culture has received the most attention from the academic community. This article focuses here on discussing the necessity of highlighting fine traditional Chinese culture.

“第二个结合”是以马克思主义为“魂脉”，以中华优秀传统文化为“根脉”，成就新的文化生命体的过程。其中，中华优秀传统文化最受学界关注。本文在这里侧重探讨凸显中华优秀传统文化的必要性。

1. Only by comprehensively and deeply studying, researching, grasping, and inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture can we fully understand and unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

1.只有全面深入学习、研究、把握和传承中华优秀传统文化，才能全面理解并坚定不移地走中国特色社会主义道路

The path is fundamental. As a choice of history, the path is the result of the combined forces of history and contains the profound essence of national culture. Mao Zedong said: “Today’s China is a development of historical China. We are Marxist historicists; we must not cut off history. From Confucius to Sun Yat-sen, we should sum it up and inherit this precious legacy.” [1]1 Mao Zedong, “The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War,” October 1938. General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively developed Mao Zedong Thought, standing at the height of the New Era, with profound historical thinking and a grand worldview of history, looking back on the history of exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and profoundly pointed out: “To develop and expand socialism with Chinese characteristics on the deep foundation of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture is the only way. This is the regular pattern we have derived from exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This conclusion, containing rich historical experience and profound philosophy, tells us that to understand “what is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and how to follow it,” to understand today’s China and the Chinese people, and to figure out “why our socialism is different? Why can it be vigorous and full of vitality? The key lies in the Chinese characteristics. The key to Chinese characteristics lies in the ‘Two Integrations.’” However, “Without the five thousand years of Chinese civilization, where would Chinese characteristics come from? Without Chinese characteristics, how could we have such a successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics today?” Therefore, the “Two Integrations” are the “golden key” to understanding and grasping the China of the New Era, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Chinese-path modernization, and the new form of human civilization.

道路具有根本性。道路作为历史的选择，是历史合力作用的结果，蕴含着深厚的民族文化真髓。毛泽东说：“今天的中国是历史的中国的一个发展；我们是马克思主义的历史主义者，我们不应当割断历史。从孔夫子到孙中山，我们应当给以总结，承继这一份珍贵的遗产。”习近平总书记创造性地发展毛泽东思想，站在新时代的高度，以深邃的历史思维、宏大的世界历史观，回眸探索中国特色社会主义道路的历史，深刻指出：“在五千多年中华文明深厚基础上开拓和发展中国特色社会主义，把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际、同中华优秀传统文化相结合是必由之路。这是我们在探索中国特色社会主义道路中得出的规律性认识。”这一包含厚重历史经验和深刻哲理的结论告诉我们，要懂得“什么是中国特色社会主义道路、怎样走中国特色社会主义道路”，要认识今天的中国、中国人，要弄明白“我们的社会主义为什么不一样？为什么能够生机勃勃、充满活力？关键就在于中国特色。中国特色的关键就在于‘两个结合’”。然而，“如果没有中华五千年文明，哪里有什么中国特色？如果不是中国特色，哪有我们今天这么成功的中国特色社会主义道路”？因此，“两个结合”是认识理解和把握新时代的中国、中国特色社会主义道路、中国式现代化、人类文明新形态的“金钥匙”。

Realizing the “Two Integrations” inherently requires “deeply understanding China’s cultural bloodline and accurately grasping the cultural soil that nourishes the Chinese people.” Over thousands of years of arduous pioneering and continuous evolution, the Chinese nation, reading the classics of the Confucian canon and historical records, [2]2 “经史子集” (jīng shǐ zǐ jí) refers to the traditional Chinese four-part classification of books: classics, histories, masters (philosophical works), and literary collections. formed an agricultural mode of production and a pluralistic and integrated pattern of the Chinese nation, giving birth to the splendid and brilliant fine traditional Chinese culture. Fine traditional Chinese culture contains the worldview, methodology, view of history, outlook on life, values, and aesthetics formed and passed down by the Chinese nation through generations in their production and life practices. Its core or essence has been condensed into the cultural genes of the Chinese nation. From the perspective of the relationship between “cultural nourishment” and “modern civilization” in the development of human society, socialism with Chinese characteristics is precisely the form of civilization developed from the more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization into the contemporary New Era of China, and the more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization are precisely the profound national cultural foundation for achieving socialism with Chinese characteristics. If one is ignorant or knows little about the more than 5,000 years of Chinese culture, one naturally cannot fully understand today’s path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping stated very clearly: “The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we have opened up is not accidental; it is determined by our historical heritage and cultural traditions,” “China’s taking this path is inseparable from Chinese culture. The inherent genetic code of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we follow lies right here, with the gene of fine traditional Chinese culture.” For this reason, he requires us to justifiably and proudly excavate and inherit fine traditional Chinese culture, realize the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and truly “organically combine upholding Marxism with promoting fine traditional Chinese culture, and unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

实现“两个结合”，内在地要求“深入了解中国的文化血脉，准确把握滋养中国人的文化土壤”。中华民族在几千年披荆斩棘、前仆后继地不断开拓演进中，读着经史子集，形成了农耕生产方式和中华民族多元一体格局，孕育出了灿烂辉煌的中华优秀传统文化。中华优秀传统文化中蕴含着中华民族世世代代在生产生活实践中形成和传承的世界观、方法论、历史观、人生观、价值观、审美观等，其内核或真髓已凝练为中华民族的文化基因。从人类社会历史发展中“文化滋养”与“现代文明”两者关系的意义上说，中国特色社会主义正是5000多年中华文明发展到当代中国新时代的文明形态，5000多年中华文明正是成就中国特色社会主义厚重的民族文化根基。如若对5000多年的中国文化无知或知之甚少，自然不能全面理解今天的中国特色社会主义道路。习近平总书记讲得很明确：“我们开辟了中国特色社会主义道路不是偶然的，是我国历史传承和文化传统决定的”，“中国走上这条道路，跟中国文化密不可分。我们走的中国特色社会主义道路，它内在的基因密码就在这里，有中华优秀传统文化这个基因”。为此他要求我们理直气壮地、自豪地挖掘、传承中华优秀传统文化，实现马克思主义中国化时代化，真正“把坚持马克思主义同弘扬中华优秀传统文化有机结合起来，坚定不移走中国特色社会主义道路”。

2. Only by comprehensively and deeply studying, researching, grasping, and inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture can we fully understand socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and successfully build a culturally strong country.

2.只有全面深入学习、研究、把握和传承中华优秀传统文化，才能全面理解中国特色社会主义文化，建设好文化强国

Lenin pointed out: “It should be clearly recognized that only by precisely understanding the culture created by the entire process of human development, and only by transforming this culture, can we build a proletarian culture. Without such recognition, we cannot accomplish this task. Proletarian culture is not something that falls from the sky, nor is it something fabricated by those who style themselves as experts in proletarian culture. To claim otherwise is sheer nonsense. Proletarian culture should be the logical development of all the knowledge created by humanity under the oppression of capitalist society, landlord society, and bureaucratic society.” Mao Zedong long emphasized, “China’s long feudal society created a splendid ancient culture. To clear away the development process of ancient culture, to discard its feudal dross and absorb its democratic essence, is a necessary condition for developing a new national culture and enhancing national self-confidence.” The judgments of Lenin and Mao Zedong reveal the laws governing the construction of proletarian culture. These laws are as firm as iron; they can only be followed, not violated. Only by promoting and inheriting the fine traditional Chinese culture well can we truly understand and grasp the laws of cultural construction for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. Mao Zedong also taught us: “What is sensed we cannot immediately comprehend; only what is comprehended can we sense more deeply.” Comprehension is the understanding of the essence and laws of things. Only by comprehending the laws of cultural construction for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era can we enhance cultural confidence and successfully build a culturally strong socialist country with Chinese characteristics. The essence and laws of things reflect the necessary internal connections within things; only through in-depth study of things can they be accurately recognized and grasped. The same applies to the recognition and grasp of the essence and historical development of fine traditional Chinese culture.

列宁指出：“应当明确地认识到，只有确切地了解人类全部发展过程所创造的文化，只有对这种文化加以改造，才能建设无产阶级的文化，没有这样的认识，我们就不能完成这项任务。无产阶级文化并不是从天上掉下来的，也不是那些自命为无产阶级文化专家的人杜撰出来的。如果硬说是这样，那完全是一派胡言。无产阶级文化应当是人类在资本主义社会、地主社会和官僚社会压迫下创造出来的全部知识合乎规律的发展。”毛泽东早就强调，“中国的长期封建社会中，创造了灿烂的古代文化。清理古代文化的发展过程，剔除其封建性的糟粕，吸收其民主性的精华，是发展民族新文化提高民族自信心的必要条件”。列宁、毛泽东的论断揭示的是建设无产阶级文化的规律。规律如铁，只能遵循、不能违背。只有弘扬和传承好中华优秀传统文化，才能真正理解和把握新时代中国特色社会主义文化建设规律。毛泽东还教导我们：“感觉到了的东西，我们不能立刻理解它，只有理解了的东西才更深刻地感觉它。”理解是对事物本质和规律的认识，理解了新时代中国特色社会主义文化建设规律，才能增强文化自信，建设好中国特色社会主义文化强国。事物的本质和规律反映了事物内部的必然联系，只有对事物进行深入研究后才能准确认识和把握，对中华优秀传统文化历史发展的本质与脉络的认识和把握亦是如此。

3. Only by comprehensively and deeply studying, researching, grasping, and inheriting the fine traditional Chinese culture can we successfully build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

3.只有全面深入学习、研究、把握和传承中华优秀传统文化，才能建设好中华民族现代文明

Nowadays, the so-called modern civilization of the United States and other Western capitalist countries has long been “in its declining years,” beset with difficulties both at home and abroad. The modern civilization of the Chinese nation is superior to the so-called modern civilization of the United States and other Western capitalist countries. Its creation necessarily requires the guidance of Marxism, the advantages of an advanced socialist system, and corresponding new quality productive forces with modern science and technology as their core. None of these can be separated from the inheritance of fine traditional Chinese culture. Lenin pointed out: “Proletarian culture must be the logical development of the sum total of knowledge accumulated by mankind under the oppression of capitalist, landlord, and bureaucratic society.” [1]1 Mao Zedong, “The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War,” October 1938. Therefore, it is superior to the culture of capitalist society. This law revealed by Lenin has universality; all countries in the world must follow the general laws of the development of world human civilization and cannot depart from the broad path of world civilizational development. The same applies to building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and it also has its own unique significance.

现如今美国等西方资本主义国家的所谓现代文明早已“夕阳西下”、内外交困。中华民族现代文明高于美国等西方资本主义国家所谓的现代文明，其创建必然需要马克思主义的指导、先进的社会主义制度优势和相应的以现代科学技术为内核的新质生产力，而这些都离不开中华优秀传统文化的传承。列宁指出：“无产阶级文化应当是人类在资本主义社会、地主社会和官僚社会压迫下创造出来的全部知识合乎规律的发展。”所以它高于资本主义社会的文化。列宁揭示的这一规律具有普遍性，世界各国都必须遵循世界人类文明发展的一般规律，而不可能离开世界文明发展大道。建设中华民族现代文明亦是如此，并且还具有自己独有的重要意义。

Chinese civilization is one of the world’s four great ancient civilizations. Why is it the only civilization in human history that has never been severed in its millennia-long continuity? The secret to this “world-historical mystery” lies in the distinctive characteristics that differentiate Chinese civilization from other civilizations. Therefore, it is very important to make every effort to explore the prominent characteristics of the development of Chinese civilization, provide a historical and scientific explanation for them, thereby reveal the mystery, and provide historical reference for building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. This concerns not only the historical height of building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and the creation of a modern Chinese civilization superior to that of the United States and the West, but also the potential to break through people’s previous understanding of the entire history of human civilization, the history of Chinese civilization, and the relationship between the two. It deepens the understanding of socialism with Chinese characteristics from the combination of history and reality, and deepens the understanding of the profound impact of socialism with Chinese characteristics on the development of world civilization. The famous British philosopher Bertrand Russell, with his wisdom and friendly sentiments toward the Chinese people, once praised Chinese civilization as the only surviving and continuous civilization among the world’s great ancient civilizations. Russell believed that since the time of Confucius, the civilizations of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Macedon, and the Roman Empire had all perished one after another, and only Chinese civilization, through continuous reform, had survived to the present day. He argued that certain unparalleled excellent moral qualities of the Chinese people are precisely what modern social life most urgently needs. Russell’s judgment and praise touched upon the issue itself but failed to truly answer the aforementioned “world-historical mystery.”

中华文明是世界四大文明之一，为什么在几千年的绵延中，唯有它成为人类文明史上唯一没有断流的文明？这一“世界历史之谜”的奥秘就在于中华文明具有区别于其他文明的突出特点。因此，着力探寻中华文明发展的突出特点并给予历史的科学的说明，从而揭示其中的奥秘，为建设中华民族现代文明提供历史借鉴，非常重要。这不仅关乎中华民族现代文明建设的历史高度、建成高于美西方现代文明的中华民族现代文明，而且会突破人们以往对整个人类文明发展史、中华民族文明史及两者关系的认知，从历史和现实的结合上加深对中国特色社会主义的认知，加深中国特色社会主义对世界文明发展深刻影响的认知。英国著名哲学家罗素曾以其睿智和对中国人民的友好情怀，盛赞中华文明是世界上几大古国文明中唯一得以幸存和延续下来的文明。罗素认为，自孔子时代以来，埃及、巴比伦、波斯、马其顿和罗马帝国的文明都相继消亡，只有中华文明通过持续不断的改良延续至今，中国人的某些无与伦比的优秀道德品质，正是现代社会生活最最迫切需要的。罗素的论断和赞语接触到了问题本身，但未能真正解答前面所述“世界历史之谜”。

General Secretary Xi Jinping, employing the grand and profound historical perspective of historical materialism, has summarized the “five prominent features” from the developmental history of Chinese civilization spanning over 5,000 years. He points out that Chinese civilization possesses prominent continuity, prominent innovation, prominent unity, prominent inclusiveness, and prominent peacefulness. First, prominent continuity. Chinese civilization has a long history, has been passed down through the ages without interruption, and embodies the spirit of the Chinese nation’s independence and self-determination. This is the fundamental reason that determines that the Chinese nation must take its own path. Second, prominent innovation. Chinese civilization upholds what is right without being conservative, respects antiquity without restoring it, and embodies the unyielding and striving spirit of the Chinese nation. Third, prominent unity. Chinese civilization is an organic whole formed through the integration and fusion of the cultures of all ethnic groups in China, laying the foundation for the “great tradition of great unity under heaven in Chinese culture, where all regions are interconnected, all directions share the same customs, and the whole country is one family.” It embodies the firm belief and value pursuit of unity and common development among all ethnic groups in China. Fourth, prominent inclusiveness. Chinese civilization is national and open, encompassing all rivers and embracing all things. It has the spirit and ability to absorb and fuse the true essence of multiple cultures to enrich and develop itself, embodying an ideological character superior to Western religious culture. Fifth, prominent peacefulness. The peacefulness of Chinese civilization is forged by the stability of long-term agricultural production methods and the self-sufficiency of the community, embodying the spiritual gene of the Chinese nation’s pursuit of peace and its values of pioneering development. Of course, the Chinese nation’s pursuit of peace does not mean it lacks a national martial spirit. As Mao Zedong pointed out, “We Chinese people have the spirit of fighting to the bitter end against our enemies.” [2]2 “经史子集” (jīng shǐ zǐ jí) refers to the traditional Chinese four-part classification of books: classics, histories, masters (philosophical works), and literary collections. As stated in the memorial submitted to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty by the Western Han general Chen Tang: “Those who dare to offend the mighty Han, even if far away, will surely be punished!” Interpreted in modern terms, it can be said: “When friends come, we have good wine; when wolves come, we have shotguns.” The “five prominent features,” which signify the unique spirit of the Chinese nation, reveal the mystery of why Chinese civilization stands out in the world’s civilizational spectrum, has continued unbroken for over 5,000 years, and differs from other world civilizations. It is precisely these “five prominent features” that have allowed the precious spiritual character, lofty value pursuits, common moral ideals, unceasing creative spirit, and the Chinese philosophical thought on governance and statecraft nurtured by fine traditional Chinese culture to be passed down through the ages. Today, these are integrated, and through creative transformation and innovative development, they are forged into the overall form of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. In this sense, the “five prominent features” are precisely the foundation and condition for the “Second Integration.”

习近平总书记运用历史唯物主义宏大而深邃的历史眼光，从中华文明5000余年的发展史中概括出其“五大突出特征”，指出中华文明具有突出的连续性、突出的创新性、突出的统一性、突出的包容性、突出的和平性。一是突出的连续性。中华文明源远流长、流传千古而不断，体现着中华民族独立自主的精神。这是决定中华民族必然走自己的路的根本。二是突出的创新性。中华文明守正不守旧、尊古不复古，体现着中华民族自强不息的拼搏精神。三是突出的统一性。中华文明是中华各民族文化融会贯通后形成的有机整体，奠定了“九州共贯、六合同风、四海一家的中国文化大一统传统”，体现着中华各民族团结统一、共同发展的坚定信念和价值追求。四是突出的包容性。中华文明具有民族性、开放性，海纳百川、兼收并蓄，具有吸收、熔铸多种文化真髓以丰富、发展自己的气魄和能力，体现着优于西方宗教文化的思想品格。五是突出的和平性。中华文明的和平性是由长期的农耕生产方式的稳定性和共同体的自给自足性铸就而成的，体现着中华民族追求和平的精神基因和开拓发展的价值观。当然，中华民族追求和平但不缺乏民族的尚武精神，正如毛泽东指出的，“我们中华民族有同自己的敌人血战到底的气概”。如西汉名将陈汤给汉元帝的上书所云：“明犯强汉者，虽远必诛！”用今人的话解读可谓“朋友来了有好酒，若是豺狼来了迎接它的有猎枪”。标识中华民族独特精神的“五大突出特征”，揭示了中华文明在世界文明谱系中独树一帜、绵延5000余年不断流、区别于世界其他文明的奥秘。正是这“五大突出特征”，使中华优秀传统文化孕育的中华民族宝贵的精神品格、崇高的价值追求、共同的道德理想，生生不息的创造精神，以及治国理政、安邦济世的中国哲学思想得以千古传承，并且在今天又将其整合起来，经过创造性转化、创新性发展，铸成中华民族现代文明的整体形态。从这个意义上说，“五大突出特征”正是“第二个结合”的基础和条件。

The process of the “Second Integration” is also a process of exploring, refining, and elevating the “five prominent features” of Chinese civilization, scientifically grasping the “root” [3]3 The term “root” (根脉) here refers to the foundational cultural lineage of the Chinese nation, as opposed to the “source” (魂脉) of Marxism, in the discourse on the “Two Integrations.” of the national culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, realizing Chinese-path modernization, and creating a new form of human civilization. This is a great historical leap in the developmental history of the Chinese nation. Without comprehensively and deeply studying, researching, grasping, and inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture, one cannot comprehend this process and its inevitability, let alone realize this process with a high degree of historical confidence and historical consciousness. In his important speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “To develop and expand socialism with Chinese characteristics on the profound foundation of over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture is the only way. This is the regular understanding we have gained in exploring the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” “The experience of history, both positive and negative, shows that the ‘Two Integrations’ are our greatest magic weapon for achieving success.” [4]4 This is a direct quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage Development on June 2, 2023. This summary, brimming with immense historical sense and scientific truth, endows us with a high degree of confidence and pride in adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

“第二个结合”的过程，也是探寻、凝练、提升中华文明“五大突出特征”，科学把握中国特色社会主义民族文化的“根脉”，实现中国式现代化，创造人类文明新形态的过程。这是中华民族发展史上的伟大历史性飞跃。如果不全面深入地学习、研究、把握和传承中华优秀传统文化，就无法领悟这一过程及其发生的必然性，也就谈不上以高度的历史自信和历史自觉实现好这一过程。习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上的重要讲话中指出：“在五千多年中华文明深厚基础上开拓和发展中国特色社会主义，把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际、同中华优秀传统文化相结合是必由之路。这是我们在探索中国特色社会主义道路中得出的规律性认识”，“历史正反两方面的经验表明，‘两个结合’是我们取得成功的最大法宝”。这一饱含巨大历史感和科学真理的总结，赋予我们坚持中国特色社会主义道路的高度自信与自豪。

II. The Possibility of the “Second Integration”

二、“第二个结合”的可能性

The reason why Marxism can be integrated with China’s fine traditional culture lies in a certain compatibility between the two, and this compatibility determines the possibility of integrating Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture.

马克思主义之所以能够与中华优秀传统文化相结合，在于二者之间有一种契合性，这种契合性决定了马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化结合的可能性。

1. There exists a relationship between the universal and the particular between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture

1.马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化之间存在一般与个别的关系

Marxism is a correct reflection of the general laws of nature, human society, and human thought. It has absorbed and transformed all that is valuable in the development of human thought and culture over more than two thousand years and is a universal truth. China’s fine traditional culture is a particular relative to Marxism. Dialectics holds that any particular contains the universal. The universal can exist only within the particular and can be expressed only through the particular. This universal law applies fully to the relationship between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. As a universal truth, Marxism not only contains much that is valuable in the development of Chinese culture, but also, in order to play its functional role, must necessarily take root in China’s actual conditions (including the economy, politics, culture, society, ecology, and international environment) and be expressed through this particular of China’s actual conditions. This is the philosophical rationale for the necessary existence of a certain compatibility—that is, a degree of inner unity—between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. This is the perfect integration of the universal Marxist basic principles with the particular national form of China (including Chinese discourse, Chinese manner, Chinese style, Chinese characteristics, etc.), giving birth to a new cultural life-form.

马克思主义是对自然、人类社会和人的思维一般规律的正确反映，它吸收、改造了2000多年来人类思想和文化发展中一切有价值的东西，是一般真理。中华优秀传统文化相对于马克思主义是个别。辩证法认为，任何个别都是一般。一般只能存在于个别之中并只能通过个别表现出来。这一普遍法则，完全适用于马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化的关系。马克思主义作为普遍真理，它不仅包含中华文化发展中许多有价值的东西，而且它要发挥功能作用，必然要植根于中国实际（包括经济、政治、文化、社会、生态、国际环境等）并通过中国实际这一个别表现出来，这就是马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化之间必然存在某种契合性，即一定程度的内在统一性的哲学道理。这就是具有普遍性的马克思主义基本原理和中国具有特殊性的民族形式（包括中国话语、中国气派、中国风格、中国特色等）的完美结合，产生出新的文化生命体。

2. Both Chinese traditional culture and Western traditional culture are ideological forms reflecting social existence and both follow general laws of development

2.中国传统文化与西方传统文化都是反映社会存在的观念形态，均遵循着一般发展规律

Marxists hold that, whether Chinese traditional culture or Western traditional culture, although their specific historical environments, stages of social development (including social systems), and concrete cultural forms are all different, both are ideological forms reflecting complex social existence and, like social existence itself, develop according to general laws. Mao Zedong pointed out: “The productive activities of human society advance step by step from the lower to the higher level; consequently, human knowledge, whether of nature or of society, also advances step by step from the lower to the higher level, that is, from the shallow to the deep, from the one-sided to the many-sided.” [6]6 Mao Zedong, “Practice and the Relationship Between Knowledge and Practice—Between Knowing and Doing,” Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 1. This unity and irresistibility of iron laws historically gave rise to the common attributes that distinguish human beings as humans from animals, and gave rise to certain factors or relations of unity, proximity, or similarity in the social existence and subjective consciousness of people at different stages of social development and under different modes of production. It is precisely because of the objective existence of these factors or relations that the cultures of various nationalities in human society can be transmitted across different eras, that the cultures of different nationalities and different countries can engage in exchange, and that human history can transform from national history into world history, becoming a human society that spans the entire globe. This is another profound reason for the existence of compatibility between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture. For this reason, at the philosophical level, both Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy exhibit the opposition and struggle between materialism and idealism, and between dialectics and metaphysics. The only differences lie in the specific forms, the concrete content of the struggle, and the main characteristics manifested in different historical periods or at different stages of social development.

马克思主义者认为，不论是中国传统文化，还是西方传统文化，尽管具体的历史环境、社会发展阶段（包括社会制度）、具体的文化样态等均不相同，但都是反映复杂的社会存在的观念形态，同社会存在一样，都是循着一般规律而发展的。毛泽东指出：“人类社会的生产活动，是一步又一步地由低级向高级发展，因此，人们的认识，不论对于自然界方面，对于社会方面，也都是一步又一步地由低级向高级发展，即由浅入深，由片面到更多的方面。”这种铁的规律的统一性和不可抗拒性，又历史地产生了人作为人区别于一般动物的共同属性，产生了处在不同社会发展阶段、不同生产方式下的人们在社会存在和主观意识方面的某种统一性或相近性、相似性等因素或关系。正是这些因素或关系的客观存在，人类社会中各民族的文化才有可能在不同时代中传承，不同民族、不同国家的文化才有可能进行交流，人类的历史才能由国别史向世界史转变，成其为遍及世界的人类社会。这是马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化之间存在契合性的又一深刻原因。正因如此，在哲学层面上，无论是中国哲学还是西方哲学，都存在唯物主义与唯心主义、辩证法与形而上学的对立和斗争。只不过在不同的历史时期，或在社会发展的不同阶段，各自的具体形态、斗争的具体内容和彰显的主要特征不同而已。

Lenin said that the history of philosophy is “simply put, the entire history of cognition,” that is, the entire history of human culture. [7]7 Lenin, “On the Question of Dialectics,” Collected Works of Lenin, Vol. 38. Therefore, the thesis that there is compatibility between Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture is grounded in the entire history of philosophy, the history of human cognition, and the history of culture. For example, in their concern for human beings, Marx and Engels stood at the moral high ground of humanity, took as their mission the liberation and free and comprehensive development of human beings, and struggled throughout their lives for human production and life, freedom and liberation, and comprehensive development. The Marxism they founded, as a scientific theory that absorbed and transformed all the excellent achievements of human thought and culture, is a doctrine concerning the liberation of the proletariat and humanity—that is, a science of human liberation. In terms of theoretical character, China’s fine traditional culture differs from Western culture, which is rooted in theocentrism. From the “ancestor worship” of the Yin and Zhou periods to the “establishment of rites and the making of music” by the Duke of Zhou in the Western Zhou period, it gradually moved toward a humanism centered on concern for human beings. Within the patriarchal society centered on the core concepts of “affection for kin” and “respect for the venerable,” it exuded a clear and rich humanistic thought and sentiment, and gradually generated the ancient Chinese humanistic framework supported by Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. In the writings of the pre-Qin philosophers, the propositions advocated by Confucius and Mencius—such as “the benevolent person loves others,” “the people are the most important; the ruler is the least important; the state is secondary”—which emphasize the value of human beings, and the independence and initiative of individual personality they stress, as the essence of Chinese traditional culture, can, after critical analysis, innovative transformation, and creative development, deeply intersect with Marxism. In addition, the cosmology, world view, social view, and moral view in Chinese traditional culture also have a high degree of compatibility with Marxism. General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “After Marxism was introduced into China, the propositions of scientific socialism were warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and ultimately took root in Chinese soil and blossomed and bore fruit. This was no accident; it was a convergence with the excellent historical culture that has been passed down in our country for thousands of years and the values that the broad masses of the people use daily without being aware of it.” [8]8 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Conference Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Marx’s Birth,” May 4, 2018. This summary is a true reflection of historical logic.

列宁说，哲学史“简单地说，就是整个认识的历史”，亦即整个的人类文化史。因此，马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化之间存在契合性的论断，是以整个的哲学史、人类认识史、文化史为根据的。如在对人的关注上，马克思恩格斯站在人类道德的制高点，以人的解放和自由而全面发展为己任，终生为人的生产生活、自由解放、全面发展而艰苦奋斗。他们创立的马克思主义，作为吸收和改造人类思想文化一切优秀成果的科学理论，是关于无产阶级和人类解放的学说，即人的解放学。在理论品格上，中华优秀传统文化与以神本思想为根底的西方文化不同，从殷周时期的“祖先崇拜”到西周时期周公旦“制礼作乐”，逐渐走向了以对人的关怀为核心的人本主义，在以“亲亲”“尊尊”为核心观念的宗法社会里，散发着清晰而浓郁的人文思想和情怀，并逐步生成儒、道、法相互支撑的中国古代人本主义架构。在先秦诸子的著述中，孔孟倡导的“仁者爱人，民为贵，君为轻，社稷次之”等重视人的价值的主张，所强调的个体人格的独立性和主动性，作为中华传统文化中的精华，经过批判分析、创新转化，能够和马克思主义深相交集。此外，还有中华传统文化中的宇宙观、天下观、社会观、道德观等也与马克思主义有高度的契合性。习近平总书记说：“马克思主义传入中国后，科学社会主义的主张受到中国人民热烈欢迎，并最终扎根中国大地、开花结果，绝不是偶然的，而是同我国传承了几千年的优秀历史文化和广大人民日用而不觉的价值观念融通的。”这一概括是对历史逻辑的真实反映。

3. The basic principles of Marxism already contain elements abstracted from China’s historical reality

3.马克思主义基本原理本来就包含着从中国历史实际中抽象出来的要素

In the past, many scholars believed that the basic principles of Marxism only summarized the reality of the West, but this does not tell the whole story. There is no doubt that the basic principles of Marxism were produced mainly by dissecting the modern Western capitalist economic and political relations and by critically absorbing their main cultural resources (such as the philosophical thought of Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach, etc.; the utopian socialist thought of Saint-Simon, Fourier, Owen, etc.; and the classical political economic thought of Adam Smith, David Ricardo, etc.). But it must not be understood from this that the formation and development of the basic principles of Marxism did not include the East, especially China’s historical and cultural resources. When discussing Marx, Lenin long ago pointed out: “He critically re-examined everything that human society had created, without neglecting a single point. Everything that human thought had achieved, he tested in the working-class movement, re-examined, and criticized, thereby drawing conclusions that could not be drawn by those who were confined by the narrowness of the bourgeoisie or bound by bourgeois prejudices.” [9]9 Lenin, “The Tasks of the Youth Leagues,” Collected Works of Lenin, Vol. 31. Lenin also emphasized that Marxism “absorbed and transformed all that is valuable in the development of human thought and culture over more than two thousand years.” [10]10 Lenin, “On Proletarian Culture,” Collected Works of Lenin, Vol. 31.

以往很多学者认为，马克思主义基本原理所概括的只是西方的实际，这并没有说明事情的全部。毫无疑问，马克思主义基本原理主要是对西方近代资本主义经济政治关系进行解剖、从中批判吸收其主要的文化资源（如康德、黑格尔、费尔巴哈等人的哲学思想，圣西门、傅立叶、欧文等人的空想社会主义思想，亚当·斯密、大卫·李嘉图等人的古典政治经济学思想等）而产生的。但绝不能据此理解为马克思主义基本原理的形成与发展不包括东方，特别是中国的历史文化资源。列宁在论及马克思时早就指出：“凡是人类社会所创造的一切，他都有批判地重新加以探讨，任何一点也没有忽略过去。凡是人类思想所建树的一切，他都放在工人运动中检验过，重新加以探讨，加以批判，从而得出了那些被资产阶级狭隘性所限制或被资产阶级偏见束缚住的人所不能得出的结论。”列宁还强调，马克思主义“吸收和改造了两千多年来人类思想和文化发展中一切有价值的东西”。

These thunderous assertions by Lenin are by no means subjective logical deductions; they are conclusions drawn after a solid study of historical classical texts, indicating that the sources of Marxism are by no means limited to Europe or the West. Many documentary materials have already verified Lenin’s assertion. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The brutal aggression of imperialism and the profound suffering of the Chinese people drew Marx’s high attention. During the Second Opium War, Marx wrote more than a dozen articles on China, exposing to the world the truth of the Western powers’ aggression against China and seeking justice for the Chinese people. Marx and Engels highly affirmed the contribution of Chinese civilization to the progress of human civilization, scientifically foresaw the emergence of ‘Chinese socialism,’ and even gave a beautiful name to the new China in their minds—‘the Chinese Republic.’” [11]11 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Conference Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Marx’s Birth,” May 4, 2018. These historical narratives use China’s history to verify Lenin’s above-mentioned thought. According to statistics from relevant experts, in the first Chinese edition of the Complete Works of Marx and Engels, which comprises 50 volumes, there are more than 800 direct references to China, of which more than 90 are in Capital and its manuscripts alone; Marx and Engels on China is a collection of these discussions.

列宁这些振聋发聩的论断绝不是主观的逻辑推论，而是实实在在地研究历史经典文献后得出的结论，指明了马克思主义的来源绝不局限于欧洲或西方。现在有不少文献资料早已对列宁的这一论断作出了验证。习近平总书记指出：“帝国主义的野蛮侵略和中国人民的深重苦难引起了马克思高度关注。第二次鸦片战争期间，马克思撰写了十几篇关于中国的通讯，向世界揭露西方列强侵略中国的真相，为中国人民伸张正义。马克思恩格斯高度肯定中华文明对人类文明进步的贡献，科学预见了‘中国社会主义’的出现，甚至为他们心中的新中国取了靓丽的名字——‘中华共和国’。”这些历史叙事用中国的史实验证了列宁的上述思想。据有关专家统计，在《马克思恩格斯全集》中文第一版50卷中，直接提及中国的地方有800多处，其中仅《资本论》及其手稿就有90多处，《马克思恩格斯论中国》就是这些论述的集成。

In works such as *Capital*, Marx and Engels examined the natural conditions that made China a “natural community,” the pre-capitalist mode of production and its characteristics formed by villages and “family-based land cultivation” and the “unity of small-scale agriculture and household industry,” the “ancient Asiatic form” in industry and its features, the “form of common labor” in water conservancy projects and its significance, the social functions of the state, the impact of capitalist aggression on China’s “closed-door” policy, the influence on China’s “laying of railways,” “use of steam engines and electric power,” and “establishment of large-scale industry,” the impact on the Chinese revolution, and the significance for “promoting the collapse of capitalism in Europe and America.” Here, a few documents are cited for verification.

在《资本论》等著作中，马克思恩格斯考察了中国成为“天然的共同体”的自然条件，村落和“家庭土地耕作”“小农业和家庭工业的统一”所形成的前资本主义生产方式及其特征，工业上的“古亚细亚形式”及其特点，水利工程中的“共同劳动形式”及其意义，国家的社会职能，资本主义侵略对中国“闭关自守”的冲击、对中国“敷设铁路”“使用蒸汽机和电力”及“创办大工业”的影响，对中国革命的影响、对“促进欧洲和美洲资本主义的崩溃”的意义等。这里略举文献加以印证。

First, Marx’s relevant discussions in the *Grundrisse der Kritik der Politischen Ökonomie (1857–1858 Manuscript)*. Marx first proposed the concept of the “Asiatic form of ownership.” He pointed out that China’s natural conditions differ from those of Europe; unlike Europe, China does not have a humid climate, and cultivating land is inseparable from large-scale irrigation facilities. The construction and regular maintenance of large-scale irrigation facilities could only be the undertaking of a “community,” and these irrigation facilities could only belong to the “community.” The absolute form of private land ownership that existed in Europe fundamentally had no basis in China. Therefore, the “Asiatic form of ownership” is a “natural community”; it “is not the result of the common possession (temporary) and utilization of land, but its premise.”

第一，马克思在《政治经济学批判（1857—1858年手稿）》中的相关论述。马克思首次提出了“亚细亚所有制形式”的概念。他指出，中国的自然条件与欧洲不同，中国不像欧洲那样气候湿润，耕作土地离不开大规模的灌溉设施。大规模灌溉设施的建设和定期维护只能是“共同体”的事业，这些灌溉设施也只能属于“共同体”。欧洲那种绝对的土地私有制形式，在中国从根本上就是没有基础的。因此，“亚细亚所有制形式”就是一种“天然的共同体”，它“并不是共同占有（暂时的）和利用土地的结果，而是其前提”。

Second, Marx’s relevant discussions in *Capital*. He pointed out: “Moreover, in China and India, two different ancient Asiatic forms of this industry still exist to this day. The organized system of working machines driven by a central automatic machine through transmission mechanisms is the most developed form of machine production. Here, in place of a single machine, there is a huge mechanical monster, whose body fills entire factory buildings, whose magic is first concealed by the solemn and rhythmic motion of its massive limbs, and then bursts forth in the mad whirl of its countless real working organs.”

第二，马克思在《资本论》中的相关论述。他指出，“此外在中国和印度，直到现在还存在着这种工业的两种不同的古亚细亚的形式。通过传动机由一个中央自动机推动的工作机的有组织的体系，是机器生产的最发达的形态。在这里，代替单个机器的是一个庞大的机械怪物，它的躯体充满了整座整座的厂房，它的魔力先是由它的庞大肢体庄重而有节奏的运动掩盖着，然后在它的无数真正工作器官的疯狂的旋转中迸发出来”。

Third, Engels’s relevant discussions in his letter to Friedrich Adolph Sorge on November 10, 1894. He pointed out: “The war waged in China has dealt a mortal blow to ancient China. Closed-doorism is no longer possible; even for the purpose of military defense, railways must be laid, steam engines and electric power used, and large-scale industry established. In this way, the old economic system of small-scale peasant economy (under which the peasant household itself also manufactured the industrial goods it used), and the entire outdated social system that could accommodate a relatively dense population, are gradually disintegrating. Millions of people will be forced to leave their homes and emigrate abroad; they will even emigrate to Europe, and in large numbers. And once Chinese competition becomes large-scale, it will rapidly create an extremely acute situation for you there and for us here. In this way, the conquest of China by capitalism will at the same time promote the collapse of capitalism in Europe and America.”

第三，1894年11月10日恩格斯在给弗里德里希·阿道夫·左尔格信中的相关论述。他指出，“在中国进行的战争给古老的中国以致命的打击。闭关自守已经不可能了；即使是为了军事防御的目的，也必须敷设铁路，使用蒸汽机和电力以及创办大工业。这样一来，旧有的小农经济的经济制度（在这种制度下，农户自己也制造自己使用的工业品），以及可以容纳比较稠密的人口的整个陈旧的社会制度也都在逐渐瓦解。千百万人将被迫离乡背井，移居国外；他们甚至会移居到欧洲，而且是大批的。而中国人的竞争一旦规模大起来，就会给你们那里和我们这里迅速地造成极端尖锐的形势，这样一来，资本主义征服中国的同时也将促进欧洲和美洲资本主义的崩溃”。

Fourth, Engels’s relevant discussions in his article “Persia and China” from May 1857. He pointed out: “One thing is certain: the hour of death for old China is rapidly approaching. The civil war has already separated the south from the north of the empire, and it seems that the king of the insurgents in Nanjing is no more threatened by the imperial army (though, of course, not by the conspiracies of his own men) than the Son of Heaven in Beijing is threatened by the insurgents. Canton has so far been waging a war on its own against the English and, fundamentally, against all foreigners; while the Anglo-French land and naval forces are massing at Hong Kong, the Cossacks on the Siberian border are slowly but steadily moving their settlements from the Daurian Mountains along the Amur River, and the Russian marines are fortifying the good harbors of Manchuria. The very fanaticism shown by the southern Chinese in their struggle against foreigners seems to indicate that they have become aware of the great danger facing old China; in a few years, we will witness the death throes of the world’s oldest empire and the dawn of a new era for all Asia.”

第四，1857年5月恩格斯在《波斯和中国》一文中的相关论述。他指出：“有一点是肯定无疑的，那就是旧中国的死亡时刻正在迅速临近。国内战争已经把帝国的南方与北方分开，看来起义者之王在南京不会受到帝国军队的危害（当然不能说不会受到他自己手下人阴谋之害），正如天朝皇帝在北京不会受到起义者的危害一样。广州迄今是在独自进行着一种反对英国人、也是根本反对一切外国人的战争；正当英法两国的海陆军向香港集结之际，西伯利亚边界线上的哥萨克缓慢地但是不停地把他们的驻屯地由达斡尔山向黑龙江沿岸推移，俄国海军陆战队则构筑工事把满洲的良好港湾包围起来。中国的南方人在反对外国人的斗争中所表现的那种狂热本身，似乎表明他们已觉悟到旧中国遇到极大的危险；过不了多少年，我们就会亲眼看到世界上最古老的帝国的垂死挣扎，看到整个亚洲新纪元的曙光。”

Fifth, Marx’s relevant discussions in *Capital*. He pointed out: “The increasing dearness of raw materials naturally becomes a stimulus to the utilization of waste. In general, the conditions for this reuse are: that these excretions must be large in quantity, which is only possible under large-scale labor; the improvement of machinery, which enables substances that were originally unusable in their existing form to acquire a form usable in new production; and the progress of science, especially chemistry, which has discovered the useful properties of these wastes. Of course, in small-scale horticultural agriculture, for example in Lombardy, in southern China, and in Japan, such enormous economies have also existed. But in general, the productivity of agriculture under this system is achieved at the cost of a huge waste of human labor power, which then cannot be used in other branches of production.”

第五，马克思在《资本论》中的相关论述。他指出：“原料的日益昂贵，自然成为废物利用的刺激。总的说来，这种再利用的条件是：这种排泄物必须是大量的，而这只有在大规模的劳动的条件下才有可能；机器的改良，使那些在原有形式上本来不能利用的物质，获得一种在新的生产中可以利用的形态；科学的进步，特别是化学的进步，发现了那些废物的有用性质。当然，在小规模园艺式的农业中，例如在伦巴第，在中国南部，在日本，也有过这种巨大的节约。不过总的说来，这种制度下的农业生产率，以人类劳动力的巨大浪费为代价，而这种劳动力也就不能用于其他生产部门。”

Sixth, Marx’s relevant discussions in *Capital*. He pointed out: “How great an obstacle the internal solidity and structure of pre-capitalist, national modes of production present to the dissolving effect of commerce can be clearly seen from the intercourse of the English with India and China. In India and China, the unity of small-scale agriculture and household industry formed the broad basis of the mode of production. In addition, in India there existed the form of the village community based on common land ownership, a form that was also the primitive form in China. In India, the English, as rulers and rent receivers, simultaneously used their direct political and economic power to try to destroy these small-scale economic communities. If their commerce had a revolutionary effect on the mode of production there, it was only insofar as they, through the low price of their commodities, destroyed the spinning and weaving industry—an inseparable part of this unity of agricultural and industrial production from time immemorial—and thereby also destroyed the community. But even here, the process of dissolution was extremely slow for them. In China, it was even slower, because here there was no assistance from direct political power. The enormous economy and saving of time resulting from the direct combination of agriculture and handicraft manufacture offered the most stubborn resistance to the products of large-scale industry; for the price of the products of large-scale industry includes the unproductive costs of the circulation process which these products everywhere have to undergo. In contrast to English commerce, Russian commerce did not touch the economic base of Asian production.”

第六，马克思在《资本论》中的相关论述。他指出：“资本主义以前的、民族的生产方式具有的内部的坚固性和结构，对于商业的解体作用造成了多大的障碍，这从英国人同印度和中国的交往中可以明显地看出来。在印度和中国，小农业和家庭工业的统一形成了生产方式的广阔基础。此外，在印度还有建立在土地公有制基础上的农村公社的形式，这种农村公社在中国也是原始的形式。在印度，英国人曾经作为统治者和地租所得者，同时使用他们的直接的政治权力和经济权力，以图摧毁这种小规模的经济公社。如果说他们的商业在那里对生产方式发生了革命的影响，那只是指他们通过他们的商品的低廉价格，消灭了纺织业，——工农业生产的这种统一体的一个自古不可分割的部分，这样一来也就破坏了公社。但是，就是在这里，对他们来说，这种解体进程也是进行得极其缓慢的。在中国，那就更缓慢了，因为在这里没有直接政治权力的帮助。因农业和手工制造业的直接结合而造成的巨大的节约和时间的节省，在这里对大工业产品进行了最顽强的抵抗；因为在大工业产品的价格中，会加进大工业产品到处都要经历的流通过程的各种非生产费用。同英国的商业相反，俄国的商业则没有触动亚洲生产的经济基础。”

The above citations show that the formation, enrichment, and perfection of the basic principles of Marxism, especially the principles concerning Eastern society in multiple aspects, contain results from the direct study of China’s actual conditions. Furthermore, in the modern cultural exchange between East and West, the excellent traditional Chinese culture was also absorbed by Western thinkers and integrated into their writings. This can be proven by the important discussions on China by thinkers such as Voltaire and Hegel, as well as by the cultural relics displayed in various cultural exhibitions held in recent years during Sino-Western cultural exchange activities. When critically studying the writings of these Western thinkers, the founders of Marxism also selectively absorbed the rich content of excellent traditional Chinese culture through this indirect channel.

以上所引表明，马克思主义基本原理，特别是关于东方社会的多个方面的原理，其形成、丰富和完善包含着直接研究中国实际的成果。此外，在近代东西文化交流中，中华优秀传统文化也同时被西方思想家吸收，并融入其著述中，这可以从伏尔泰、黑格尔等思想家关于中国的重要论述中，以及近年来中西文化交流活动所举办的多种文化展馆里陈列的文物中得到证明。马克思主义创始人在批判地研究这些西方思想家的著述时，也通过这一间接渠道有选择性地接受了中华优秀传统文化的丰富内容。

The above demonstrates that elements of China’s actual conditions contained within excellent traditional Chinese culture have long been integrated, to varying degrees, into the principles of Marxism in different aspects. Since this is the case, saying that there is a compatibility between Marxism and excellent traditional Chinese culture is not a deduction but a scientific conclusion reached after in-depth research on this issue. Explicitly raising this issue here is to remind contemporary Chinese Marxist scholars to enhance their consciousness of inheriting the glorious tradition of their theoretical predecessors, to exert their initiative and creativity, and to advance research in this area to a deeper level.

以上说明，中华优秀传统文化内含的中国实际的要素，早已不同程度地融入马克思主义不同方面的原理之中。既然如此，说马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化之间存在契合性就不是一种推论，而是对这个问题深入研究后得出的科学结论。今天在这里明确提出这个问题，就是提示当代中国马克思主义学者，要增强继承理论前辈光荣传统的自觉性，发挥主动性和创造性，将这方面的研究向纵深推进。

4. In the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities, i.e., the “First Integration,” the fact of the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with excellent traditional Chinese culture was already contained.

4.在马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合，即“第一个结合”中，早已包含马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的事实

The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Proposal of the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International to Dissolve the Communist International,” issued on May 26, 1943, states: “The rectification movement against subjectivism, sectarianism, and Party stereotypical writing that the Communist Party of China has carried out in recent years is precisely to further and deeply integrate the revolutionary science of Marxism-Leninism with the practice of the Chinese revolution, Chinese history, and Chinese culture.” [13]13 The rectification movement (1942–1945) was a Party-wide campaign to correct subjectivist, sectarian, and stereotypical writing styles, aiming to establish Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology. The ancient phrases and allusions used in the works of Mao Zedong, the great pioneer in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, as scholars have verified, were in some cases formed by altering the words of predecessors, in others by changing individual characters or reversing their order in predecessors’ expressions, in still others by simplifying predecessors’ language, and in yet others by original creation. Regardless of the method, each is a product of the integration of the fundamental tenets of Marxism with the finest traditional Chinese culture. There are many such ancient phrases in Mao’s works, for example: “shoot the arrow at the target,” “seek truth from facts,” “listen to both sides and you will be enlightened, heed only one side and you will be benighted,” “the Foolish Old Man removed the mountains,” “regeneration through one’s own efforts,” “a hundred boats jostling in the current,” “Mount Tai,” “a goose feather,” “play safe,” “in the prime of youth,” “know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat,” “the farmer and the snake,” “be rich but not benevolent,” “shiver with cold,” “just to get through the year,” and so on. This demonstrates that the integration of the fundamental tenets of Marxism with the finest traditional Chinese culture is a question to which the Communist Party of China has attached great importance both in theory and in practice.

1943年5月26日《中国共产党中央委员会关于共产国际执委主席团提议解散共产国际的决定》指出：“中国共产党近年来所进行的反主观主义、反宗派主义、反党八股的整风运动，就是要使马克思列宁主义这一革命科学更进一步地和中国革命实践、中国历史、中国文化深相结合起来。”马克思主义中国化的伟大开拓者毛泽东在其著作中使用的古语典故，正如专家们所考证的，有的是将前人之言加以改变而成，有的是将前人言语中的个别字加以改变、或前后调换而就，有的由简化前人言语而来，有的则是自创。无论哪一种情况，都是马克思主义基本原理与中华优秀传统文化相结合的产物。毛泽东著作中这样的古语有很多，如“有的放矢”“实事求是”“兼听则明，偏听则暗”“愚公移山”“自力更生”“百舸争流”“泰山”“鸿毛”“明哲保身”“风华正茂”“知己知彼，百战百殆”“农夫与蛇”“为富不仁”“不寒而栗”“聊以卒岁”，等等。这表明马克思主义基本原理与中华优秀传统文化相结合，是中国共产党在理论和实践上都高度重视的一个问题。

The “Second Integration,” proposed on the basis of the “First Integration,” [14]14 The “First Integration” refers to the integration of the fundamental tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities, formally proposed by Mao Zedong in 1938. both upholds the fundamental principle of the “First Integration” concerning the integration of the fundamental tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities (including the finest traditional Chinese culture) and, in accordance with the new realities of the New Era, [15]15 The New Era refers to the period beginning with the 19th National Congress of the CPC in 2017, characterized by the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. distinctly highlights, advances, and develops this principle in depth.

在“第一个结合”的基础上提出的“第二个结合”，既坚持了“第一个结合”中关于马克思主义基本原理与中国具体实际（包括中华优秀传统文化）相结合的根本原则，又根据新时代新的实际鲜明地凸显并向纵深推进和发展了这一原则。

III. The Innovative Contributions of the “Second Integration”

三、“第二个结合”的创新性贡献

Highlighting the “Second Integration,” that is, upholding the integration of the fundamental tenets of Marxism with the finest traditional Chinese culture, has a major practical significance that converges on one point: advancing the realization of the “new cultural mission for the New Era.” [16]16 The “new cultural mission for the New Era” was articulated by Xi Jinping at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development in June 2023. General Secretary Xi Jinping stated very clearly at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development: “Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural country, and construct the modern civilization of the Chinese nation from a new starting point is our new cultural mission for the New Era.” Realizing the “new cultural mission for the New Era” is the cultural manifestation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and also the concentrated embodiment of the innovative contributions of the “Second Integration.”

凸显“第二个结合”，即坚持马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，其重大现实意义集中到一点，就是推进了“新时代新的文化使命”的实现。习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上讲得非常明确：“在新的起点上继续推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国、建设中华民族现代文明，是我们在新时代新的文化使命。”实现“新时代新的文化使命”是中华民族伟大复兴的文化表征，也是“第二个结合”创新性贡献的集中体现。

Why is the “Second Integration” said to be “another ideological emancipation”? [17]17 “Another ideological emancipation” is a phrase used by Xi Jinping to describe the significance of the “Second Integration,” echoing earlier ideological emancipations in Party history. What are its innovative contributions? Some scholars believe that before the “Second Integration” was proposed, the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context had not formed an open system, had not and was unwilling to absorb the finest traditional Chinese culture with a history of 5,000 years, and even rejected it. This view does not conform to our Party’s consistent position, nor does it accord with historical facts. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has been both an active leader and practitioner of China’s advanced culture and a faithful inheritor and promoter of the finest traditional Chinese culture.” From the very beginning of the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context, it has absorbed and transformed the finest traditional Chinese culture with an open-minded attitude and an eager thirst. The history of the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context is also a history of drawing on, critically absorbing, creatively transforming, and innovatively developing the finest traditional Chinese culture with analysis. Mao Zedong long ago made incisive expositions on the essence, characteristics, methods of realization, and national form of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context. He pointed out: “Marxism must be realized through its integration with China’s specific characteristics and through a certain national form. The great power of Marxism-Leninism lies precisely in its connection with the concrete revolutionary practice of each country. For the Communist Party of China, it is to learn to apply the theory of Marxism-Leninism to China’s specific environment”; “to make Marxism concrete in China, so that in every one of its manifestations it possesses the necessary Chinese characteristics, that is, to apply it according to China’s characteristics, has become a problem that the whole Party urgently needs to understand and solve. Foreign stereotyped writing must be abolished, empty and abstract tunes must be sung less, and dogmatism must be given a rest, to be replaced by a fresh, lively Chinese style and Chinese manner that the Chinese masses love to see and hear.” [18]18 This quotation is from Mao Zedong’s 1938 report “The Role of the Chinese Communist Party in the National War.” What Mao Zedong referred to here as “China’s specific characteristics,” “national form,” “Chinese characteristics,” and “Chinese style and Chinese manner” are holistic concepts encompassing multiple aspects including domestic politics, economy, culture, society, ecology, and even the international environment.

为什么说“第二个结合”是“又一次的思想解放”？其创新性贡献何在？有学者认为，提出“第二个结合”之前马克思主义中国化还没有形成开放体系，没有也不愿吸纳具有5000年历史的中华优秀传统文化，甚至排斥中华优秀传统文化。这种观点不符合我们党的一贯主张，也不符合历史事实。习近平总书记指出：“中国共产党从成立之日起，既是中国先进文化的积极引领者和践行者，又是中华优秀传统文化的忠实传承者和弘扬者。”马克思主义中国化从开始那天起，就以虚怀若谷的态度，如饥似渴地吸收、化用中华优秀传统文化。一部马克思主义中国化的发展史，也是一部有分析地借鉴、批判地吸收、创造性转化和创新性发展中华优秀传统文化的历史。毛泽东早就对马克思主义中国化的本质、特点、实现方式和民族形式等作出精辟的论述。他指出，“马克思主义必须和我国的具体特点相结合并通过一定的民族形式才能实现。马克思列宁主义的伟大力量，就在于它是和各个国家具体的革命实践相联系的。对于中国共产党来说，就是要学会把马克思列宁主义的理论应用于中国的具体的环境”；“使马克思主义在中国具体化，使之在其每一表现中带着必须有的中国的特性，即是说，按照中国的特点去应用它，成为全党亟待了解并亟须解决的问题。洋八股必须废止，空洞抽象的调头必须少唱，教条主义必须休息，而代之以新鲜活泼的、为中国老百姓所喜闻乐见的中国作风和中国气派”。毛泽东这里讲的“我国的具体特点”“民族形式”“中国的特性”“中国作风和中国气派”等，是涵盖国内政治、经济、文化、社会、生态乃至国际环境等多方面在内的整体性概念。

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must “inherit the Chinese cultural tradition of great unity, where all regions are connected, all customs are harmonized, and all under heaven is one family.” [19]19 This phrase draws on classical Chinese concepts of unity and harmony, often cited in discussions of national unity and cultural continuity. What he means by “inherit” is to, under the guidance of historical materialism, through analysis, refinement, transformation, and elevation, integrate the essence of the finest traditional Chinese culture into the new-democratic culture and socialist culture. Because of the specific historical backgrounds in which the “First Integration” and the “Second Integration” were proposed—that is, the differences in the historical period China was in, the stage of social development, the principal contradiction within it, and the specific goals and tasks—the “First Integration” and the “Second Integration” have different concrete connotations and different emphases. However, the fundamental principle and basic content of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times that run through the “Two Integrations” both include the finest traditional Chinese culture. This is determined by the status of “culture concerning the foundation of the state and the fate of the nation.” [20]20 This phrase is a paraphrase of Xi Jinping’s statement that “culture concerns the foundation of the state and the fate of the nation.” A strong culture, guided by certain core values and relying on a certain material and technological foundation, is a symbol of the strength of a country or a nation. If a country or a nation does not have a strong culture, it is as if it has lost its soul. In this sense, the “Second Integration” is a new realm of enrichment, development, and expansion of the internal composition of the “First Integration.” Alternatively, the proposal of the “Second Integration” is a new ideological emancipation based on a comprehensive deepening of the understanding of the laws governing the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and a profound grasp of the principle of inheriting Chinese civilization. Its innovative contributions are specifically manifested in the following three aspects.

习近平总书记指出，要“承继九州共贯、六合同风、四海一家的中国文化大一统传统”。他说的“承继”，就是要在历史唯物主义指导下，经过分析、提炼、改造、提升，把中华优秀传统文化中的精华综合到新民主主义文化和社会主义文化中去。由于“第一个结合”和“第二个结合”提出的具体历史背景，即中国所处的历史时期、社会发展阶段及其内在的主要矛盾、具体目标和任务的不同，“第一个结合”和“第二个结合”有着不同的具体内涵和不同的侧重面，但贯穿于“两个结合”中的马克思主义中国化时代化的根本原则和基础性内容，都包括中华优秀传统文化。这是由“文化关乎国本、国运”的地位决定的。在一定核心价值观引导下依托一定物质技术基础的强大文化，是一个国家、一个民族强大的象征。一个国家或一个民族如果没有强大的文化，就等于失去了灵魂。从这个意义上说，“第二个结合”是“第一个结合”内在构成的丰富、开拓和发展的新境界，或者说，“第二个结合”的提出是在对马克思主义中国化时代化发展规律全面深化认识、对承继中华文明原则深刻把握的基础上，一次新的思想解放。其创新性贡献，具体说有以下三个方面。

1. Elevating the essence of the finest traditional Chinese culture to the height of the principles of the Party’s innovative theory, a height never before reached, thereby opening up a new realm of the principle of “integration.”

1.把中华优秀传统文化的精华跃升到从未有过的党的创新理论原理的高度，开辟了“相结合”原理的新境界

Deng Xiaoping clearly pointed out: “The integration of the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete reality of one’s own country—this statement itself is a universal truth. It contains two aspects: one is called universal truth, and the other is called integration with the country’s concrete reality. We have always held that discarding either aspect is impermissible.” [21]21 The *Journal of Marxist Studies* (*马克思主义研究*) is a leading Chinese academic journal focused on Marxist theory, published under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. For this “universal truth” of “integration,” in the “First Integration,” culture is an element constituting one aspect of “the country’s concrete reality.” In the “Second Integration,” however, fine traditional Chinese culture receives a more profound interpretation through historical materialism, especially historical dialectics—namely, that culture is “a more fundamental, deeper, and more enduring force.” In this sense, fine traditional Chinese culture, as a relatively independent element, is distinctly highlighted and elevated to a position corresponding to that of the “integration” with the fundamental principles of Marxism, becoming one of the two aspects of the “universal truth of Marxism-Leninism” as summarized by Deng Xiaoping, directly interfacing with that “universal truth.” This indicates that the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture, after criticism, transformation, and processing, is directly integrated into the principles of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. In the over 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, fine traditional Chinese culture has, for the first time, been elevated to the new height of the Party’s innovative theoretical principles, thereby greatly advancing the principles of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times to a new realm. Principles are the most fundamental and basic theories within a science; the development of a science’s principles is fundamental and epochal in nature. From this, it can be seen that the proposition of the “Second Integration” constitutes a pioneering contribution to adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Engels pointed out: “Theoretical thought of every age, including our own, is a historical product, which at different times takes very different forms and, therewith, very different contents.” [22]22 "Jing Mu" (静穆) is the pen name or online editorial alias used by the journal's digital platform. This assertion tells us that the innovative contribution of the “Second Integration” epitomizes the theoretical character and developmental laws of Marxism.

邓小平明确指出：“马克思列宁主义的普遍真理与本国的具体实际相结合，这句话本身就是普遍真理。它包含两个方面，一方面叫普遍真理，另一方面叫结合本国实际。我们历来认为丢开任何一面都不行。”对“相结合”这一“普遍真理”来说，“第一个结合”中的文化，是“本国实际”构成中的一个方面的要素，而在“第二个结合”中，中华优秀传统文化得到历史唯物论、特别是历史辩证法的更加深刻的解读，即文化是“更基本、更深层、更持久的力量”。在这个意义上，中华优秀传统文化作为相对独立的要素被鲜明地凸显出来，提升到了与马克思主义基本原理“相结合”的对应地位，成为邓小平概括的“马克思列宁主义的普遍真理”两个方面之一，直接与“马克思列宁主义的普遍真理”对接。这表明，中华优秀传统文化中的精华，经过批判、改造和加工，被直接融入马克思主义中国化时代化原理之中。在中华民族5000余年的文明发展史上，中华优秀传统文化首次被提升到党的创新理论原理的新高度，从而把马克思主义中国化时代化原理大大推进到新的境界。原理是一门科学中最基础、最根本的理论，一门科学原理的发展带有根本性和时代性。由此可见，“第二个结合”命题的提出，是对马克思主义中国化时代化作出的开创性贡献。恩格斯指出：“每一个时代的理论思维，包括我们这个时代的理论思维，都是一种历史的产物，它在不同的时代具有完全不同的形式，同时具有完全不同的内容。”这一论断告诉我们，“第二个结合”的创新性贡献集中体现了马克思主义的理论品格和发展规律。

2. It more clearly defines the fundamental path for realizing the “new cultural mission of the New Era”

2.更加明确了实现“新时代新的文化使命”的根本路径

Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural nation, and construct the modern civilization of the Chinese nation from a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era, and is the clear requirement and concentrated expression of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the cultural sphere. The “Second Integration” was proposed in response to this new cultural mission of the New Era, defining the fundamental path for realizing this grand aspiration.

在新的起点上继续推动文化繁荣，建设文化强国，建设中华民族现代文明，是我们在新时代新的文化使命，是中华民族伟大复兴在文化上的明确要求和集中体现。“第二个结合”应新时代新的文化使命而提出，明确了实现这一宏愿的根本路径。

First, the proposal and adherence to the “Second Integration” have greatly advanced the collection, graded protection, excavation, and research of historical texts and editions. Examples include the intact preservation of monumental works such as the *Yongle Canon* and the *Complete Library of the Four Treasuries*, [23] the meticulous compilation of the *Confucian Canon*, [24] the publication and distribution of the *Renaissance Library*, [25] and the Project on Tracing the Origins of Chinese Civilization. [26] The revitalization of the grand undertaking of compiling histories and classics and continuing the cultural lineage provides solid support from ancient Chinese civilization for constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. At the same time, the proposal of the “Second Integration” will profoundly influence reforms in the cultural and educational fields, strengthen the education of the younger generation in fine traditional Chinese culture, and thereby cultivate a large number of knowledgeable new talents well-versed in both ancient and modern learning, providing ample talent support for constructing the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

第一，“第二个结合”的提出和坚持，极大地推进了历史典籍版本的收集、分级分类保护和挖掘、研究工作。如《永乐大典》《四库全书》等皇皇巨著的完好保护，《儒藏》的精心编纂，《复兴文库》的出版发行，中华文明探源工程等。修史立典、赓续文脉巍巍大业的振兴，为建设中华民族现代文明提供厚实的中华古文明支撑。同时，“第二个结合”的提出将深刻影响文化、教育领域的改革，增强对青年一代中华优秀传统文化的教育，以造就大批知识渊博、学贯古今的新人，为建设中华民族现代文明提供充分的人才支撑。

Second, the proposal and adherence to the “Second Integration” have strengthened the scientific guidance of Marxism over the study and inheritance of fine traditional Chinese culture. The cultural accumulation, theoretical resources, and philosophical essence within fine traditional Chinese culture, having been activated by the more intense illumination of the “bright sunlight,” [27] radiate vigorous vitality, integrate with the pulse of the times, become an active and immense driving force for historical development, and transform into the historical wisdom, national consciousness, cultural cultivation, firm beliefs, and mighty power of today’s Chinese people. This will inevitably greatly advance the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Because Marxism has been more fully nourished by the precious resources of fine traditional Chinese culture, its scientific nature and truth have been more fully tested in China, its people-centered nature and practicality have been more fully implemented in China, and its openness and epochal character have been more fully demonstrated in China. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s emphasis that “to uphold and develop Marxism, it must be integrated with China’s fine traditional culture. Only by taking root in the fertile soil of our own country’s and nation’s history and culture can the tree of Marxist truth grow deep and lush” [28] has taken deeper root in people’s hearts. In theoretical innovation and institutional innovation, this should be taken as the guide to action and fundamental guarantee to promote the realization of the new cultural mission of the New Era and construct the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

第二，“第二个结合”的提出和坚持，强化了马克思主义对中华优秀传统文化研究、承继的科学指导。中华优秀传统文化中的文化积蕴、理论资源、哲学精华因得到“明亮阳光”更加强烈的照耀而被激活，焕发蓬勃生机、融入时代脉搏，成为活跃而又巨大的历史发展动力，并化为当今中国人的历史智慧、民族意识、文化修养、坚定信仰和磅礴力量，必然会极大地推进马克思主义中国化时代化。马克思主义因得到中华优秀传统文化宝贵资源更加充分的滋润，其科学性和真理性在中国得到更加充分的检验，其人民性和实践性在中国得到更加充分的贯彻，其开放性和时代性在中国得到更加充分的彰显。习近平总书记所强调的“坚持和发展马克思主义，必须同中华优秀传统文化相结合。只有植根本国、本民族历史文化沃土，马克思主义真理之树才能根深叶茂”更加深入人心。在理论创新和制度创新上更应该以此为行动指南和根本保障，以推动实现新时代新的文化使命，建设中华民族现代文明。

3. The proposal and advancement of the “Second Integration” have greatly enhanced the cohesive power of the Chinese national spirit

3.“第二个结合”的提出和推进，极大地增强了中华民族精神的凝聚力

In today’s world, the trend of “the East rising and the West declining” is becoming more pronounced, and the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century. Western imperialism has entered a moribund stage. To shift contradictions and crises and to save itself from its inevitable doom, it creates trouble, provokes conflicts and wars in many parts of the world; launches trade wars, financial wars, and technological wars against China; engages in military provocations in areas such as the South China Sea; and, especially in the ideological sphere, intensifies infiltration, using Western values to corrode people’s political souls and national sentiments, seeking to destroy the great Chinese nation. Against this international backdrop, some domestic “public intellectuals” [29] are stepping up their response to the US and Western so-called “containment” strategy, vigorously promoting historical nihilism in the ideological sphere, attempting to dissolve the Chinese people’s national confidence and national sentiments from a historical perspective, sowing discord between ethnic groups and between the Party and government and the people, and vainly attempting to dissolve the cohesive power of the Chinese nation. The proposal and advancement of the “Second Integration” enable the Chinese people, through the power and charm of Marxism activating and utilizing fine traditional Chinese culture, to strengthen their belief in and adherence to Marxism, the Sinicization of Marxism, and especially Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; to obtain rich nourishment of the national spirit from the extensive and profound fine traditional Chinese culture; to further understand how China, with its over 5,000-year history of civilization, has developed continuously, and what rich historical wisdom, political nutrients, and spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening it possesses; thereby greatly enhancing national self-esteem, national confidence, national sentiment, and national cohesion, and arousing high patriotic enthusiasm; to consciously shoulder the new cultural mission of the New Era, move forward in unison and with concerted effort, and strive to create a new form of human civilization belonging to our era, namely, the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. This not only can effectively thwart the US and Western strategic schemes to destroy China and cause the historical nihilism they

当今世界“东升西降”趋势更加明显，世界正处于百年未有之大变局。西方帝国主义已经步入垂死阶段，为转嫁矛盾和危机、挽救自身必然灭亡的命运，在世界多地制造麻烦、挑起冲突和战争；对中国发动贸易战、金融战、科技战，在中国南海等区域进行武力挑衅，特别是在意识形态领域加强渗透，用西方价值观腐蚀人们的政治灵魂和民族情感，欲灭我伟大中华而后快。在这种国际背景下，国内一些“公知”加紧策应美西方的所谓“遏制”战略，在意识形态领域大肆宣扬历史虚无主义，企图从历史观上消解中国人民的民族自信和民族情感，挑拨离间民族之间、党和政府与人民群众之间的关系，妄图消解中华民族凝聚力。“第二个结合”的提出和推进，使中国人民从马克思主义激活和化用中华优秀传统文化的伟力和魅力中更加坚定对马克思主义、马克思主义中国化，特别是对习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的信仰和遵循；从博大精深的中华优秀传统文化中得到丰富的民族精神滋养，进一步弄明白具有5000余年文明史的中国是怎样绵延不断发展过来的，具有怎样丰厚的历史智慧、政治养分和自强自立精神，从而大大增强民族自尊、民族自信、民族情感和民族凝聚力，激起高涨的爱国主义热情；自觉肩负起新时代新的文化使命，同向同行，奋力创造属于我们这个时代的人类文明新形态，即中华民族现代文明。这不仅能够有力地挫败美西方欲灭亡中国的战略图谋，使他们宣扬的历史虚无主义遭到破产，而且从更加宏阔深远的历史纵深上巩固了中华民族的文化主体性，拓展、加深了中国特色社会主义道路的文化根基。中国特色社会主义道路必将越走越宽广，中国特色社会主义必将更加生机盎然！

Source: *Journal of Marxist Studies*, Issue 9, 2024

文章来源：《马克思主义研究》2024年第9期

Online editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆