Ideological and Political Courses Take Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture, Revolutionary Culture, and Advanced Socialist Culture as Their Source of Strength

Xi Jinping pointed out that the construction of ideological and political courses in schools should take excellent traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture as their source of strength. Ideological and political courses are key courses for fostering virtue and nurturing people; their essence is to expound principles, and their goal is to cultivate builders and successors of socialism, nurturing new generations capable of shouldering the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Utilizing the resources of excellent traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture to enrich the source of strength of ideological and political courses, elucidating the Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength, and achieving value guidance through knowledge transmission, holds significant importance for transforming students’ ideological understanding from spontaneity to consciousness, from being-in-itself to being-for-itself, establishing cultural confidence and confidence in values, and enhancing their awareness and realm.

习近平指出，学校思政课建设要以中华优秀传统文化、革命文化和社会主义先进文化为力量根基。思政课是立德树人的关键课程，它的本质是讲道理，目标是培养社会主义建设者和接班人，培育堪当民族复兴大任的时代新人。运用中华优秀传统文化、革命文化、社会主义先进文化资源厚植思政课的力量根基，阐释中国精神、中国价值、中国力量，通过知识传授实现价值引领，对于学生的思想认识实现从自发到自觉、从自在到自为的转化过程，树立文化自信、价值观自信，提高觉悟和境界，有着重要意义。

I. Cultural Subjectivity Demonstrates “What Makes China China”

一、文化主体性展示出“何以中国”

Excellent traditional Chinese culture is the “key” to understanding China, providing a profound cultural foundation for adhering to the Chinese path. Based on China’s 5,000-year history of civilization, it can help students truly understand why we chose the Chinese path and what the characteristics and advantages of the Chinese path are. The long-standing Chinese civilization is a civilization that has continued to the present day in the form of a state, possessing a strong cultural subjectivity, maintaining its continuity of self-development and its own genes and logic throughout the long river of history. This subjectivity is manifested in the development process of Chinese civilization: when faced with new situations and challenges arising from social and historical changes, it can respond forcefully, engage in interaction and exchange within its own cultural forms, embrace all rivers, endow itself with more robust developmental vitality, and thereby open up new cultural stages. The process of cultural development represents the course of social development, which can explain to students where we came from, helping them better understand ancient China, modern China, and future China. Due to this continuity and unity, China has a tradition of great unity [1]1 Great unity (大一统, dayitong): A traditional Chinese political concept emphasizing the ideal of a unified, centralized state under a single sovereign, historically associated with the Qin and Han dynasties., which determines that national unity is the core of national interests. A strong, unified nation that resists foreign aggression embodies the people’s inner feelings of family and country, and the national spirit centered on patriotism is the deep aspiration of every Chinese son and daughter. Excellent traditional culture also explains that we do not regard people as isolated individuals but place them within a network of social relations, which is highly compatible with the value propositions of scientific socialism and our collectivist spirit today. The world is for all, the Great Harmony [2]2 The world is for all, the Great Harmony (天下为公，天下大同): Classical Confucian ideals from the *Book of Rites* (Liji), envisioning a society where public spirit prevails and universal peace and harmony are achieved.; the people are the foundation of the state, enriching the people and ensuring their well-being [3]3 The people are the foundation of the state, enriching the people and ensuring their well-being (民惟邦本、富民厚生): A traditional Chinese political maxim, originating from the *Book of Documents* (Shangshu), emphasizing that the people are the root of the state and that the ruler’s duty is to enrich and secure their livelihood.; upholding trust and harmony, balancing righteousness and benefit [4]4 Upholding trust and harmony, balancing righteousness and benefit (讲信修睦、义利兼顾): Confucian ethical principles promoting trustworthiness, harmonious relations, and the balanced consideration of moral righteousness (yi) and material benefit (li).; governing with virtue, cultivating oneself and bringing order to the family and state [5]5 Governing with virtue, cultivating oneself and bringing order to the family and state (为政以德、修齐治平): A core Confucian doctrine, from the *Analects* and the *Great Learning* (Daxue), advocating rule by moral virtue and a progression from self-cultivation to family regulation to state governance and world peace. — these are compatible with the socialist pursuit of putting the people first and achieving common prosperity.

中华优秀传统文化是理解中国的“钥匙”，为坚持中国道路提供深厚的文化底蕴。立足我国5000多年的文明史，能够帮助学生真正理解我们为什么要选择中国道路，什么是中国道路的特征和优势。源远流长的中华文明是以国家形态绵延至今的文明，有着坚强的文化主体性，在历史的长河中保持着自我发展的连续性和自身的基因和逻辑。这种主体性体现在中华文明的发展过程中，面对社会历史变化的新情况新挑战，能够予以有力的回应，并在自身的文化形态中予以互动交流，海纳百川，赋予更强健的发展活力，从而开辟出新的文化阶段。文化的发展过程表征着社会的发展历程，可以向学生讲清楚我们是从哪里来，帮助学生更好地理解古代的中国、现代的中国、未来的中国。由于这种连续性、统一性，中国有着大一统的传统，决定了国家统一是国家利益的核心。一个坚强统一、抵御外侮的国家凝聚着人民内心的家国情怀，以爱国主义为核心的民族精神正是每个中华儿女的深切寄托。优秀传统文化也说明了我们不是把人看作孤立的个体而是安放在社会关系网络之中，与科学社会主义的价值观主张、与我们今天的集体主义精神高度契合。天下为公、天下大同，民惟邦本、富民厚生，讲信修睦、义利兼顾，为政以德、修齐治平，与人民至上、共同富裕的社会主义追求相契合。

Revolutionary culture interprets the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic of upholding the leadership of the Party, demonstrating our Party’s original aspiration, dreams, sentiments, struggles, and sacrifices, embodying the red genes and red bloodline, and reflecting the Party’s political nature. The spiritual genealogy of Chinese Communists, with the founding spirit of the Party [6]6 Founding spirit of the Party (建党精神): The revolutionary spirit attributed to the founding of the CPC in 1921, officially defined as including the principles of “upholding truth,坚守理想,践行初心,担当使命,不怕牺牲,英勇斗争,对党忠诚,不负人民.” as its source, is the soul of the revolutionary spirit. The earth-shattering feats of the Chinese revolution reveal that the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the choice of history and the choice of the people, providing a deep source of strength for ideological and political courses to strengthen ideals and convictions and shape character. In 1938, Comrade Mao Zedong, when answering “what should be learned at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University” in Yan’an, pointed out, “First, learn a political direction.” During the revolutionary war years, our Party and army formed the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. Xi Jinping emphasized the need to maintain the same drive, revolutionary fervor, revolutionary spirit, revolutionary fighting spirit, and desperate determination as during the revolutionary war period, carrying the revolutionary work through to the end. Every period of revolutionary history of our Party is a vivid textbook of ideals and convictions. In peacetime, tests of life and death are fewer, but tests are everywhere; only by forging a solid soul of ideals and convictions can one withstand various tests. Ideals and convictions are the calcium of the spirit; “revolutionary ideals are higher than heaven.” Promoting the glorious revolutionary tradition is a good remedy for opposing and resisting historical nihilism [7]7 Historical nihilism (历史虚无主义): A term used in official CPC discourse to criticize approaches to history that are seen as denying or distorting the Party’s revolutionary narrative, particularly by questioning the legitimacy of the Chinese Revolution and the leadership of Mao Zedong. and correcting various valueless pursuits, and it is a powerful material for educating, inspiring, and shaping people. Revolutionary culture shows that our Party is an advanced political party armed with advanced theory, bravely undertaking its mission with a historical initiative spirit, leading the Chinese people to overthrow the “three great mountains” [8]8 Three great mountains (三座大山): A standard Maoist metaphor for the three forces that the CPC claimed oppressed the Chinese people before 1949: imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism., enabling the Chinese people to change their oppressed and enslaved condition, demonstrating that Chinese Communists have combined the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with China’s specific realities, fully explaining that history and the people chose the Communist Party of China, that without the Communist Party there would be no new China, and that only socialism can save and develop China.

革命文化诠释出坚持党的领导的历史逻辑、理论逻辑、实践逻辑，展现出我们党的初心追求、梦想情怀、奋斗牺牲，内蕴着红色基因和红色血脉，体现了党的政治本色。以建党精神为源头的中国共产党人精神谱系是革命精神的灵魂，中国革命改天换地的壮举昭示出中国共产党的领导是历史的选择、人民的选择，为思政课坚定理想信念、塑造品格提供了深层的力量根基。1938年，毛泽东同志在延安抗日军政大学回答“在抗大应当学习什么”时指出，“首先是学一个政治方向”，革命战争年代，我们党和军队形成了全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨。习近平强调，要保持过去革命战争时期的那么一股劲、那么一股革命热情、革命精神、革命斗志、那么一种拼命精神，把革命工作做到底，我们党的每一段革命历史，都是一部理想信念的生动教材。在和平年代，生死考验少了，但考验也无处不在，只有铸牢理想信念之魂，才能经受得住各种考验。理想信念是精神之钙，“革命理想高于天”，弘扬光荣的革命传统是反对和抵制历史虚无主义、矫正各种无价值追求的良药，是教育人、激励人、塑造人的有力素材。革命文化表明，我们党是用先进理论武装起来的先进政党，以历史主动精神勇担使命，带领中国人民推翻“三座大山”，使中国人民改变了被压迫、被奴役的状况，彰显出中国共产党人把马克思列宁主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合，充分说明了历史和人民选择了中国共产党，没有共产党就没有新中国，只有社会主义才能救中国、发展中国。

Advanced socialist culture represents the forward direction of culture. Culture represents a country’s soft power and is the most fundamental, profound, and enduring force in the development of a country and a nation. Cultural confidence is the deep support for our confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, and confidence in the system. Civilization and culture have ontological significance for human freedom and human essence. As Engels said, “Each step forward in culture is a step towards freedom.” [9]9 “Each step forward in culture is a step towards freedom”: A quotation from Friedrich Engels, *Anti-Dühring* (1878), Part I, Chapter XI. Human development is the comprehensive development of freedom and spirit, the practical goal of humanity moving towards “free and conscious activity,” and spiritual production is the perceptual practical activity of human freedom and consciousness. Our Party leads the development of the cause through theoretical innovation. The Two Integrations [10]10 The Two Integrations (两个结合): A key theoretical formulation by Xi Jinping, referring to the combination of the basic principles of Marxism with (1) China’s specific realities and (2) excellent traditional Chinese culture. consolidate cultural subjectivity, combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with excellent traditional Chinese culture. From the spatial and geographical dimension, the First Integration allowed Marxism, which roamed in Europe, to advance eastward and take root in the ancient Chinese land, making Marxism speak Chinese. From the temporal and epochal dimension, the Second Integration [11]11 The Second Integration (第二个结合): The specific combination of Marxism with excellent traditional Chinese culture, as distinct from the earlier “First Integration” of Marxism with Chinese revolutionary and construction practice. enabled the distant excellent traditional Chinese culture to achieve a historical leap across time, developing the modern form of Chinese civilization, while simultaneously overcoming and transcending the limitations of existing Western modernity. The fundamental reason why Chinese civilization can interface with modernity is that Marxism represents the correct direction of modern civilization and the true way out of modernity. The Two Integrations have elevated our cultural identity and self-confidence and self-reliance to a new height, and have also constructed a new space for our independent knowledge system, possessing important epistemological significance. In terms of basing on historical practice and contemporary practice, elevating Chinese experience into Chinese theory, the spiritual symbols and cultural essence of Chinese civilization, and accelerating the construction of Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative systems, they have opened up space for innovation, enhanced people’s identification with socialism with Chinese characteristics, enabling it to better play the core function of supporting and leading Chinese-path modernization, and are the necessary path for us to promote theoretical innovation and cultural prosperity. In the context of Western value hegemony, where socialist ideology faces enormous challenges and encounters power bullying, building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and breaking the assertion that “today China exports televisions, not ideas” [12]12 “Today China exports televisions, not ideas”: A paraphrase of a well-known critical observation about China’s cultural influence, often attributed to various Western commentators, suggesting that China’s global impact is material rather than intellectual or ideological. — spirituality has its own value. To continue and develop Chinese culture as a unique civilization entity, we need to deeply study how to tell China’s story well in the contemporary complex environment, construct the Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength, form the educational characteristics of ideological and political courses in the New Era, enable students to have ideals and convictions, value concepts, and moral concepts, and make core socialist values the form of our spiritual life. Among these, how to improve the pertinence of education and enhance identification is undoubtedly the top priority in implementing the task of “forging souls and educating people with core socialist values” proposed by the 20th National Congress of the CPC.

社会主义先进文化代表了文化的前进方向，文化代表国家的软实力，是一个国家、一个民族发展中最基本、最深沉、最持久的力量，文化自信是我们道路自信、理论自信、制度自信的深层支撑。文明与文化对于人的自由、人的本质具有本体论意义，正如恩格斯所说：“文化上的每一个进步，都是迈向自由的一步。”人的发展是自由、精神的全面发展，是人类迈向“自由自觉活动”的实践目标，精神生产是人类自由自觉的感性实践活动。我们党以理论创新引领事业发展，“两个结合”巩固了文化主体性，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。从空间和地域维度，“第一个结合”让游荡在欧洲的马克思主义东进扎根于古老的中华大地，让马克思主义说中文；从时间和时代维度，“第二个结合”使悠远的中华优秀传统文化实现了时代的历史跨越，发展出中华文明的现代形态，同时克服、超越了西方既有现代性的局限。中华文明与现代性能够对接的根本原因，在于马克思主义是现代文明的正确方向、现代性的真正出路。“两个结合”使我们的文化认同和自信自强达到了新高度，也为我们的自主知识体系建构了新空间，具有重要的认识论意义。在立足历史实践和当代实践，把中国经验提升为中国理论、中华文明的精神标识和文化精髓，加快构建中国话语和中国叙事体系等方面开辟了创新空间，增强了人们对于中国特色社会主义的认同，使之更好地发挥支撑引领中国式现代化的核心功能，是我们推进理论创新、文化繁荣的必由之路。在西方价值观霸凌，社会主义意识形态面临巨大挑战，遭遇强权挤压的情形下，建设中华民族现代文明，打破“今日中国出口的是电视机而不是思想”的断言，精神性有其自身的价值。我们要赓续发展作为独特文明体的中华文化，需要深入研究在当代复杂环境下如何讲好中国故事，构筑中国精神、中国价值、中国力量，形成新时代思政课教育特色，让学生有理想信念、价值理念、道德观念，使社会主义核心价值观成为我们的精神生活形态。这其中，如何提高教育的针对性，增进认同，无疑是落实党的二十大提出的“用社会主义核心价值观铸魂育人”任务的重中之重。

II. Strengthening Pertinence to Consolidate the Source of Strength of Ideological and Political Courses

二、加强针对性夯实思政课的力量根基

Ideological and political courses are centered on students’ growth and success, forging the political ability and literacy for students’ development and growth, laying the foundation for their lifelong development. Education is an active process of construction; students’ own active engagement and effective learning are very important. Through education, students undergo self-change in thinking, emotion, and behavior. Cultivating builders and successors of socialism is the goal of education. The foundation of cognition is to help students construct meaning, requiring teachers to play the leading role of the educator, stimulate the subjectivity of the learner, be student-centered, and focus on students’ developmental needs and growth expectations. Teacher competence is reflected in the ability to seek effective ways for students to obtain meaningful learning experiences. Such training enables students to undergo meaningful and sustained changes. This learning experience is of great significance to students’ growth.

思政课以学生成长成才为中心，为学生的发展和成长练就思想政治的能力和素养，为其一生发展打下基础。教育是主动建构的过程，学生自身的积极投入、有效学习非常重要，通过教育，让学生在思维、情感、行为等方面发生自我改变，培养社会主义建设者和接班人是教育的目标。认知的基础是帮助学生进行意义的建构，需要老师发挥教育者的主导性，激发学习者的主体性，以学生为中心，聚焦学生的发展需求与成长期待。教师胜任力体现在能够寻求有效途径让学生获得有意义的学习经历，这种历练使学生充满有意义的、持续的变化，这种学习经历对学生的成长具有重要意义。

This requires that ideological and political courses follow the scientific laws of education. Education aims to “cultivate the kind of people demanded by social development, knowledge accumulation, cultural transmission, national survival, and the operation of the system”; education is a process of activity that changes people’s ways of behaving, and it must follow the laws of education, the laws of students’ physical and mental growth, and the laws of ideological construction. “Fostering virtue and nurturing talent” [13]13 “Fostering virtue and nurturing talent” (立德树人) is a core educational principle of the CPC, emphasizing moral character as the foundation of talent cultivation. is not only a process of educational guidance, but also a process of belief formation, and even more a process of practical cultivation. Schools must guide students to forge ideals and convictions, master rich knowledge, and temper noble moral character; through education, they should lead young people step by step to correctly view the society and the country’s development in which they live, analyze the problems they face, and solve problems in the course of development, rather than becoming indifferent onlookers, bystanders, or opponents. Students must possess a steady standpoint for observing the development of society, the nation, and the world. Education is all-round education of the person, including the development of students’ rationality, the cultivation of their moral character, and the comprehension of their beliefs, forming a correct standpoint and method for observing society and analyzing social problems. The ideological system is a continuously unfolding, open-ended process of formation; it will inevitably be constantly enriched and developed as practice deepens. In-depth research on the transformation and development from “knowledge education” and “value guidance” to “belief forging of the soul,” grasping the logic of “cognition—identification—practice,” studying the structure, elements, and formation process of belief, thoroughly, clearly, and vividly explaining the inherent principles, and achieving connotative high-quality development of ideological and political courses, so as to better meet students’ growth expectations and developmental needs, is an inherent requirement for running ideological and political courses well. Targeting students’ actual thinking, demonstrating the superiority and profound strength of advanced socialist culture, and establishing cultural subjectivity are important pathways for improving the effectiveness of ideological and political courses.

这就要求思政课要遵循教育的科学性规律性。教育是要“培养社会发展、知识积累、文化传承、国家存续、制度运行所要求的人”，教育是一种改变人的行为方式的活动过程，需要遵循教育规律、学生身心成长规律、意识形态建设规律。“立德树人”既是一个教育引导的过程，也是一个信念塑造的过程，更是一个实践养成的过程。学校要引导学生铸就理想信念、掌握丰富知识、锤炼高尚品德，通过教育，循循善诱地引领青少年正确看待自己所处的社会、国家的发展，分析面临的问题，解决发展中的问题，而不是做一个冷漠者、旁观者和反对者。学生要具有观察社会、国家和世界发展的稳健立场，教育是全方位育人，包括学生理性的发展、德性的养成、信仰的体悟，形成正确观察社会、分析社会问题的立场和方法。思想体系是一个不断展开的、开放式的形成过程，必将随着实践深入不断丰富发展。深入研究从“知识教育”“价值引领”再到“信仰铸魂”的转化发展，把握“认知—认同—践行”的逻辑，研究信仰的结构、要素、形成过程，讲深讲透讲活内蕴的道理，实现思政课的内涵式高质量发展，更好地满足学生成长期待与发展需求，是办好思政课的题中应有之义。针对学生的思想实际，展现出社会主义先进文化的优越性和深厚的力量，树立文化主体性，是提高思政课实效性的重要途径。

Ideological and political courses are not merely theoretical learning; rather, they embody cultural genes in the interpretation of historical traditions, apply and develop Marxist theory in the revolutionary practice led by the Party, and manifest the immense power of the Party’s innovative theory in the practice of socialist revolution, construction, and reform and opening up. In this historical process of development, it is revealed that the ultimate reason why the Communist Party of China can succeed, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics works, is that Marxism works, and that Marxism adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times works. Advanced socialist culture consistently upholds the people-centered principle, emphasizes the all-round development of each individual, and well explains the unity of loving socialism, loving the country, and loving the Party. The essential characteristic of the human being is freedom, that is, a state of not being enslaved. Marxism is grounded in the activity of perceptual human beings; its starting point is the real individual; it views the relationship between humans and the world, and the social relations among humans, through human practice; through historical activity, it realizes human freedom and liberation, that is, taking what Marx called the “otherworldly” “exercise of free capacity” as its goal, achieving “the all-round and free development of each individual.” The Chinese Communists have adhered to this soul of Marxism, consistently making the people-centered principle the fundamental stance and value pursuit of socialism, safeguarding the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people, and promoting the all-round development of each individual. Socialist production is for human development, not for the expansion of capital; it insists that moral construction take serving the people as its core and collectivism as its principle; this is precisely where the advanced nature of socialist culture lies. We neither blindly follow dogma nor simply copy foreign theories; we maintain spiritual independence and autonomy, strengthen confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, confidence in the system, and confidence in the culture, establish a firm cultural autonomy, and continuously enhance the ambition, backbone, and confidence of being Chinese. “The creation of Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the most powerful manifestation of this cultural subjectivity.” [14]14 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the symposium on cultural heritage and development, June 2, 2023. Our Party leads the people to master ideological and cultural initiative, uses Marxism to activate the vital factors within fine traditional Chinese culture and endow them with new contemporary connotations, and on the basis of creatively transforming and innovatively developing fine traditional Chinese culture, inheriting revolutionary culture, and developing advanced socialist culture, and on the basis of drawing on and absorbing all outstanding achievements of human civilization, builds the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and opens up a new form of human civilization.

思政课不只是理论之学，而是在阐释历史传统中体现文化基因，在党领导的革命实践中运用并发展马克思主义理论，在社会主义革命、建设和改革开放实践中体现出党的创新理论的伟力，在这个历史的发展过程中，彰显出中国共产党为什么能，中国特色社会主义为什么好，归根到底是马克思主义行，是中国化时代化的马克思主义行。社会主义先进文化始终坚持人民至上，注重每个人的全面发展，很好地阐释了爱社会主义与爱国爱党的统一。人的本质特征是自由，也就是不受奴役的状态，马克思主义立足于感性的人的活动，出发点是现实的人，以人的实践来看待人与世界的关系、人与人的社会关系，通过历史的活动，实现人的自由与解放，即以马克思所说的“彼岸的”“自由能力的发挥”为目的，实现“每一个个人的全面而自由的发展”。中国共产党人坚守了马克思主义这一魂脉，始终把人民至上作为社会主义的根本立场和价值追求，保障最广大人民的根本利益，促进每个人的全面发展。社会主义生产是为了人的发展，而非资本的增殖，坚持道德建设以为人民服务为核心、以集体主义为原则，这也是社会主义先进文化的先进性所在。我们既不盲从教条，也不简单照搬外域理论，保持精神上的独立自主，坚定道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信，建立起坚定的文化自主性，不断增强做中国人的志气、骨气、底气。“创立新时代中国特色社会主义思想就是这一文化主体性的最有力体现。”我们党带领人民掌握思想和文化主动，用马克思主义激活中华优秀传统文化中富有生命力的优秀因子并赋予新的时代内涵，在创造性转化和创新性发展中华优秀传统文化、继承革命文化、发展社会主义先进文化的基础上，借鉴吸收人类一切优秀文明成果的基础上，建设中华民族现代文明，开辟出人类文明的新形态。

III. Pathways for Exerting the Role of the Foundation of Strength

三、发挥力量根基作用的途径

Today, as the “two overall situations” [15]15 “Two overall situations” (两个大局) refers to the overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the overall situation of changes unseen in a century in the world. accelerate their evolution and deeply interact, social diversification, value pluralism, and diverse channels of communication pose new tasks for ideological and political courses. How can ideological and political courses effectively exert the educational role of fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture, and provide a foundation of strength for ideological and political courses?

在“两个大局”加速演进并深度互动的今天，社会多样化、价值选择多元化、传播途径多样化，对于思政课提出了新的任务。思政课如何发挥好中华优秀传统文化、革命文化和社会主义先进文化的教育作用，为思政课提供力量根基呢？

Education is the cause of cultivating people. In ideological and political education in the New Era, the prominence of cultural subjectivity has become a notable feature. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era provides the fundamental support for cultural confidence, provides a powerful cultural force for our Party to lead the times, and provides a solid cultural foundation for the national identity of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people. Education has a distinct political attribute. “It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to nurture talent.” [16]16 A classical Chinese proverb, originally from Guan Zhong, emphasizing the long-term nature of education. The essence of modernization is the modernization of people. Our education aims to cultivate new generations capable of shouldering the heavy task of national rejuvenation; this requires broad vision and a grand pattern, high-quality modern people with a global perspective and a Chinese sentiment, capable of answering the questions of China, the questions of the world, the questions of the people, and the questions of the times. Xi Jinping pointed out: “Throughout history and across the world, every country cultivates people according to its own political requirements.” [17]17 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at a national education conference, September 10, 2018. Grasping the political attribute of education, embracing the grand political outlook of “bearing in mind the nation’s most important affairs,” [18]18 “Bearing in mind the nation’s most important affairs” (国之大者) is a phrase educating people for the Party and cultivating talent for the country, bravely undertaking the mission of “the nation’s grand plan and the Party’s grand plan,” [19]19 The “grand ideological and political theory course” (大思政课) refers to an expanded approach to ideological and political education that integrates classroom teaching with social practice, cultural resources, and real-world experiences beyond the traditional curriculum. and cultivating builders and successors for socialism.

教育是培养人的事业，新时代思政课教育，文化主体性的凸显成为显著的特征，习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为文化自信提供了根本依托，为我们党引领时代提供了强大文化力量，为中华民族和中国人民的国家认同提供了坚实的文化基础。教育具有鲜明的政治属性，十年树木，百年树人，现代化的本质是人的现代化。我们的教育是要培养堪当民族复兴重任的时代新人，就需要有大视野、大格局，具有世界视野、中国情怀的高素质现代人，回答中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问。习近平指出：“古今中外，每个国家都是按照自己的政治要求来培养人的。”把握教育的政治属性，胸怀“国之大者”的大政治观，为党育人、为国育才，勇担“国之大计、党之大计”使命，培养社会主义建设者和接班人。

The fundamental task of education is to foster virtue and nurture talent; the foundation of nurturing people lies in fostering virtue. Ideological and political courses focus on cultivating people with all-round development; promoting the all-round development of people is our goal. From natural person to social person, it is to cultivate people with free and all-round development in the dimensions of life, psychology, ethics, and aesthetics. Young students are in the “jointing and booting stage” [20] of greatest plasticity. Fostering virtue and nurturing talent must enhance affinity and relevance, pay attention to students’ development, and focus on the growth of the student as a subject.

教育的根本任务是立德树人，育人的根本在于立德，思政课注重培养全面发展的人，促进人的全面发展是我们的目标。从自然人到社会人，是在生命、心理、伦理、审美等维度上培养自由全面发展之人。青少年学生正处于可塑性最强的“拔节孕穗期”，立德树人要提升亲和力和针对性，关注学生的发展，着眼于学生主体的成长。

Ideological and political courses integrate the continuation of fine traditional Chinese culture, the promotion of revolutionary culture, and the development of advanced socialist culture into the curriculum as a solid support, manifesting the long-standing cultural genes of fine traditional Chinese culture, enabling students to understand the Chinese nation’s enduring sense of family and country, its inward cohesion, and the unification of the nine provinces, forming the traditional gene of great unity, which led us to choose the unitary state form, revealing the more enduring and profound historical implications of our path choice. The interpretation of revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture manifests the wisdom of the Chinese Communists in the “Two Integrations” and the original aspiration and founding mission of leading the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The revolutionary spirit embodies the Party’s firm convictions, fundamental purposes, and fine work style, enabling us to maintain our original aspiration and founding mission today, unifying knowledge, faith, and action, and integrating learning, thinking, and application. In the relevant chapters of ideological and political courses, corresponding excellent resources are organically integrated, so that fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture become a powerful support for the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, reflecting their profound historicity, scientificity, moral righteousness, and leading nature.

思政课把赓续中华优秀传统文化、弘扬革命文化、发展社会主义先进文化融入课程，作为坚实的支撑，彰显出中华优秀传统文化源远流长的文化基因，让学生了解中华民族历来的家国情怀，向内凝聚，九州共贯，形成的大一统的传统基因，使我们选择了单一制的国家形式，彰显出我们的道路选择更为久远深邃的历史意蕴；革命文化与社会主义先进文化的阐释，彰显出中国共产党人“两个结合”的智慧和领导中华民族伟大复兴的初心使命，革命精神集中体现了党的坚定信念、根本宗旨、优良作风，让我们今天仍然保持初心使命，知信行统一，学思用贯通。在思政课的相关章节，有机融入相应的优秀资源，使中华优秀传统文化、革命文化和社会主义先进文化成为中国特色社会主义道路的有力支撑，体现出其深邃的历史性、科学性、道义性、引领性。

The use of cultural resources in ideological and political theory courses must embody the integrated requirements of ideological and political education. The various courses should form “coherence” and constitute a holistic integrated education, rather than being separately designed, each guarding its own segment, and isolated from one another. At different stages of primary, secondary, and tertiary education, a progressive, spiraling-up approach should be adopted, with an overall construction and sequential advancement that reflects clear gradation and hierarchical articulation, involving necessary repetition and reasonable reiteration of the same themes. The cognitive levels, thinking abilities, and environments faced by students at different stages of schooling vary greatly; teaching objectives and content also differ by grade and stage. The selection and application of teaching methods must meet the developmental needs of each stage, and targeted education should be provided to students at different levels. For example, “storytelling” can be used at all stages, but what is the educational rationale for teachers at each stage to tell good Chinese stories? How does storytelling differ across stages? Advancing the integrated construction of teaching requires exploring the realization of “integrated diversity” and “diverse integration” in teaching strategies and methods. This necessitates overall design and integrated advancement, including the mutual coordination and concerted promotion of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education to comprehensively enhance the overall quality of every student; the coordinated design of ideological and political education objectives, content, methods, forms, and pathways across primary, secondary, and tertiary stages; the accurate standardization of ideological and political education objectives and content; the scientific establishment of ideological and political theory courses; the leveraging of the value-education function of other disciplinary and specialized courses; the mutual coordination of ideological and political theory courses, disciplinary moral education, curriculum-based ideological and political education, and the “grand ideological and political theory course”; the design of ideological and political education activities that reflect the hierarchy, differentiation, and interconnectedness of ideological and political education at each educational stage, achieving effective articulation, tiered implementation, gradual progression, and overall advancement; the rational division of labor between explicit and implicit ideological and political education, producing both the momentum of the main theme and the effect of moistening things silently; the construction of a horizontally integrated system of educational pathways including classroom teaching, extracurricular practice, and media networks; the comprehensive enhancement of teachers’ moral-education awareness and capacity; the building of an all-staff, whole-process, all-round education pattern encompassing teaching, management, and services, forming an education community; and the overall planning of a linked education system involving families, schools, communities, and government, among other aspects.

思政课运用文化资源，要体现思想政治教育的一体化要求，各门课程之间要形成“连贯性”，形成整全的一体化教育，而不是彼此分别设计、各守一段、彼此孤立的教育。在大中小学不同学段循序渐进、螺旋上升，整体构建、依次递进的进阶式发展思路，体现明显的梯度性、层次性衔接，针对同一主题进行必要反复和合理的重复；大中小学不同学段的学生认知水平和思维能力及其所面对的环境大不相同，教学目标和内容等也因年级、学段各有差异，在教学方式的选择与运用上要符合各学段发展需要，要对不同学段的学生进行有针对性的教育，比如，“讲故事”在各个学段都能用，每个学段教师讲好中国故事的教育思路是什么？各学段讲故事又有何不一样？推进教学一体化建设需要探究实现教学策略与方式“一体化的多样性”与“多样性的一体化”。这就需要整体设计，一体化推进，包括让德智体美劳诸育互相配合、协调推进，全面提升每一个学生的综合素质；统筹设计大中小学各学段思想政治教育目标、内容、方法、形式、途径，准确规范思想政治教育目标和内容，科学设置思政课，发挥其他学科、其他专业课程的价值教育功能，使思政课程、学科德育、课程思政、“大思政课”相互配合，设计思想政治教育活动，体现各教育阶段思想政治教育的层次性、差异性、关联性，实现有效衔接、分层实施、循序渐进、整体推进；思想政治教育的显性教育与隐性教育合理分工，既有主旋律的声势，又有润物无声的效果；构建课堂教学、课外实践、媒体网络等育人途径的横向贯通体系；全面提升教师的育德意识和育德能力，构建涵盖教学、管理、服务等的全员、全程、全方位育人格局，形成育人共同体；整体规划家、校、社区、政府联动育人体系；等等。

Make good use of the “grand ideological and political theory course.” The “grand ideological and political theory course” requires that ideological and political theory courses not only feature diversified teaching presentations within the classroom but also make good use of social resources, activate social education elements, and achieve multi-resource introduction of classroom content, open-ended expansion of established teaching content, organic integration of in-class and out-of-class teaching activities, and coordinated education between schools and society. By bringing in external resources and going out into society, the teaching content of ideological and political theory courses is enriched, combining the small classroom of ideological and political education with the big classroom of society, leveraging the educational role of practical teaching bases for the “grand ideological and political theory course,” vividly and concretely demonstrating the unique educational significance of fine traditional Chinese culture and revolutionary culture, showcasing the power of the vivid practice of socialist modernization, better utilizing the educational and motivational role of the great achievements of the New Era, telling the stories of the New Era well, enabling students to participate in embodied experiences, and guiding students to comprehend the practical power of the Party’s innovative theories. Use the “grand ideological and political theory course” to expand a new pattern of comprehensive education, promote students’ better understanding of national conditions and public sentiment, strengthen their ideals and convictions, and strengthen their political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Marxism of contemporary China and the Marxism of the 21st century.

善用“大思政课”。“大思政课”要求思政课不仅在课堂里有多样化的教学展示，而且要善用社会资源，激活社会育人要素，实现课堂内容的多资源导入、既定教学内容的开放性拓展、课堂内外教学活动的有机融合、学校与社会的协同育人。通过引进来走出去，丰富思政课教学内容，把思政小课堂和社会大课堂结合起来，发挥“大思政课”实践教学基地的育人作用，形象具体地展现出中华优秀传统文化、革命文化的独特教育意义，展现社会主义现代化建设的生动实践的力量，更好地发挥新时代伟大成就的教育激励作用，讲好新时代故事，让学生参与具身体验，引导学生感悟党的创新理论的实践伟力。以“大思政课”拓展全面育人新格局，推动学生更好地了解国情民情，坚定理想信念，坚定对习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想这一当代中国马克思主义、21世纪马克思主义的政治认同、思想认同、理论认同、情感认同。

Education is a practical activity process that changes people’s behavioral patterns; it must follow the laws of education, the laws of students’ physical and mental growth, and the laws of ideological construction. In the 21st century today, educators who devote themselves to the cause of forging souls and cultivating people are no longer unilaterally “I forge” and “I cultivate”; they must necessarily consider the individual’s subjective reception and active construction. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve the unity of dominance and subjectivity, paying attention to both the demands of social development and the developmental needs and growth expectations of individuals; to achieve the unity of knowledge and value, imparting knowledge while realizing value guidance through knowledge transmission. Through education in fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture, ideological and political theory courses help students grow and develop in aspects such as knowledge learning, emotional experience, internalized identification, and faith practice, inspiring and guiding students to engage in social practice. Through creative labor and service, such as volunteer activities and teaching practice in underdeveloped areas, students embody the sense of responsibility and mission that students in the New Era should possess, strengthen their conviction to listen to the Party and follow the Party in the heat of practice, and cultivate the subjectivity, initiative, agency, consciousness, and autonomy that new generations of the era should possess in practice.

教育是一种改变人的行为方式的实践活动过程，需要遵循教育规律、学生身心成长规律、意识形态建设规律。在21世纪的今天，教育者投入铸魂育人事业，已不再是一厢情愿地“我来铸”“我来育”，而是必须要考虑个体的主体性接受、能动性建构。因此，要做到主导性与主体性的统一，既关注社会发展的要求，又考虑到个体的发展需求和成长期待；做到知识性与价值性的统一，既有知识性的传授，又通过知识传授实现价值引领。思政课通过中华优秀传统文化、革命文化、社会主义先进文化的教育，帮助学生在知识学习、情感体验、内化认同、信仰实践等方面成长发展，激励引导学生投身社会实践，通过创造性的劳动和服务，如志愿活动、支教实践，体现新时代学生应有的责任感和使命担当，在火热的实践中坚定听党话、跟党走的信念，在实践中培育出时代新人应有的主体性、主动性、能动性、自觉性、自主性。

Advancing Chinese-path modernization is currently our greatest political task. To leverage the core function of building a strong education nation to support and lead Chinese-path modernization requires that teachers of ideological and political theory courses enhance their historical initiative and strategic thinking, empower the cause of fostering virtue and nurturing people through the connotative, high-quality development of ideological and political theory courses, and cultivate new generations of the era capable of shouldering the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In this regard, fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture provide a solid and profound foundation of strength for ideological and political theory courses, which requires our in-depth research and targeted, creative application of their role.

推进中国式现代化是我们目前最大的政治，发挥教育强国建设支撑引领中国式现代化的核心功能，要求思政课教师增强历史主动精神和战略思维，以思政课的内涵式高质量发展赋能立德树人的事业，培养堪当民族复兴大任的时代新人，在这方面，中华优秀传统文化、革命文化、社会主义先进文化为思政课提供了坚实深厚的力量根基，需要我们深入研究，有针对性、创造性地发挥其作用。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心