Upholding and Consolidating the Party’s Cultural Leadership from Three Dimensions

The proposal of cultural leadership fully reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s profound understanding of the issue of leadership in the cultural sphere and its scientific grasp of ideological work. At present, the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, accelerating in their evolution; the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a critical period, with strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexisting. Upholding and consolidating the Party’s cultural leadership bears on the nation’s ideological security, on national cultural security, and on the realization of cultural construction and cultural modernization.

文化领导权的提出，充分体现了中国共产党对文化领域领导权问题的深刻认识，对意识形态工作的科学把握。当前世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，中华民族伟大复兴进入关键时期，战略机遇和风险挑战并存，坚持和巩固党的文化领导权事关国家的意识形态安全，事关国家文化安全，事关文化建设以及文化现代化的实现。

I. Upholding and Strengthening Party Leadership

一、坚持和加强党的领导

“Cultural leadership” is not merely a cultural issue; it is also a question of the discursive power of a class or political party in the ideological sphere. Therefore, whether in the revolutionary period or the construction period, attaching importance to the construction of cultural leadership has been a consistent policy upheld by the Party and the state. Looking back, from the literary and artistic propaganda of the revolutionary war years, to the cultural flourishing of the period of peaceful construction, and then to the construction of a culturally strong country in the New Era, our Party, as the leadership core, has always played the role of commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, ensuring the correct direction of cultural development and providing strong political guarantees and organizational safeguards for the construction of cultural leadership.

“文化领导权”不仅是文化问题，还是一个阶级或者政党在意识形态方面的话语权问题，因而不论在革命时期还是建设时期，重视文化领导权建设都是党和国家一贯坚持的方针。回顾过往，从革命战争年代的文艺宣传，到和平建设时期的文化繁荣，再到新时代文化强国建设，我们党作为领导核心，始终发挥着总揽全局、协调各方的作用，确保了文化发展的正确方向，为文化领导权建设提供了坚强的政治保证和组织保障。

On the new journey of the New Era, in constructing the grand blueprint for the Party’s cultural leadership, it is even more urgently necessary to uphold and strengthen Party leadership. First, upholding and strengthening Party leadership is an important guarantee for ensuring that culture develops in the correct direction, effectively resisting the erosion of foreign cultures, and safeguarding national cultural security. Second, upholding and strengthening Party leadership is the key to consolidating the unshakable guiding position of Marxism in the ideological domain, and it is also the fundamental guarantee for “uniting as one and looking forward.” [1]1 “团结一致向前看” (uniting as one and looking forward) is a phrase associated with Deng Xiaoping’s 1978 speech that set the ideological tone for the reform and opening-up era, emphasizing unity and a forward-looking orientation. Third, upholding and strengthening Party leadership helps to promote the comprehensive flourishing of the socialist cultural cause and the rapid development of the cultural industry. In the cultural field, the Party can give full play to its advantage of concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks, promote innovation in cultural systems and mechanisms, stimulate cultural creativity, and better meet the growing spiritual needs of the people.

新时代新征程，在构建党的文化领导权的宏伟蓝图中，更为迫切需要坚持和加强党的领导。其一，坚持和加强党的领导是确保文化朝着正确的方向发展，有效抵御外来文化侵蚀，维护国家文化安全的重要保障。其二，坚持和加强党的领导是巩固马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位不动摇的关键所在，也是“团结一致向前看”的根本保证。其三，坚持和加强党的领导有助于推动社会主义文化事业全面繁荣和文化产业快速发展。在文化领域，党可以充分发挥集中力量办大事这一优势，推动文化体制机制创新，激发文化创造活力，更好地满足人民群众日益增长的精神需求。

To uphold and strengthen Party leadership, first, we must resolutely achieve the Two Upholds, always maintain a high degree of alignment with the Party Central Committee in thought, politics, and action, and give play to the Party’s leading role in the cultural field. Second, we must enhance the Party’s ability and resolve to set directions, plan the overall situation, formulate policies, and promote reform, and strengthen the formulation and implementation of strategic documents. For example, the “14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Development” [2]2 The “十四五”文化发展规划 (14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Development) is a national-level policy document for 2021–2025 that outlines goals and measures for cultural sector development under the broader 14th Five-Year Plan. clearly defines the overall objectives, key tasks, and safeguard measures for cultural development, providing a clear roadmap and timetable for the flourishing development of the cultural cause. Third, we must focus on strengthening the Party’s leadership over propaganda, ideological, and cultural work. Propaganda, ideological, and cultural work concerns the future and destiny of the Party, concerns the long-term stability of the country, and concerns the cohesion and centripetal force of the nation; it is an extremely important task. We must firmly grasp the Party’s leadership over ideological work, establish and improve the responsibility system for ideological work, strengthen guidance and management over the propaganda, ideological, and cultural fields, and ensure that propaganda work always adheres to the correct political direction.

坚持和加强党的领导，一是坚决做到“两个维护”，始终在思想上、政治上、行动上同党中央保持高度一致，发挥党在文化领域的领导作用。二是提高党把方向、谋大局、定政策、促改革的能力和定力，加强对战略性文件的制定和实施。例如，《“十四五”文化发展规划》就明确了文化发展的总体目标、重点任务和保障措施，为文化事业的繁荣发展提供了清晰的路线图和时间表。三是着力加强党对宣传思想文化工作的领导。宣传思想文化工作事关党的前途命运，事关国家长治久安，事关民族凝聚力和向心力，是一项极端重要的工作。要牢牢掌握党对意识形态工作领导权，建立健全意识形态工作责任制，加强对宣传思想文化领域的引导和管理，确保宣传工作始终坚持正确政治方向。

II. Adhering to a People-Centered Approach

二、坚持以人民为中心

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “Literary and artistic creation and philosophical and social science research must first clarify the question of for whom to create and for whom to establish doctrines; this is a fundamental question.” The people are the creators of history and also the creators of culture. Originating from the people, serving the people, and belonging to the people are the fundamental stance of China’s cultural construction and also the value orientation of upholding and consolidating the Party’s cultural leadership construction in the New Era.

习近平总书记强调：“文学艺术创造、哲学社会科学研究首先要搞清楚为谁创作、为谁立言的问题，这是一个根本问题。”人民群众是历史的创造者，也是文化的创造者。源于人民、为了人民、属于人民，是我国文化建设的根本立场，也是新时代坚持和巩固党的文化领导权建设的价值旨归。

Socialist culture with Chinese characteristics is, in essence, the culture of the masses of the people, a culture built and shared by the people. The construction of cultural leadership in the New Era, like ideological construction, bears a distinct people’s character. The Party’s historical practice has proven that the construction of cultural leadership must be based on the practice of the masses, always adhere to a people-centered approach, and consolidate the Party’s cultural leadership by listening to and actively responding to the demands of the masses. The construction of cultural leadership must take the people’s expectations and interests as its starting point, adhere to development for the people, development relying on the people, and development achievements shared by the people, create a good social atmosphere, and form a harmonious cultural atmosphere.

中国特色社会主义文化本质上是人民大众的文化，是人民共建共享的文化。新时代文化领导权建设同意识形态建设一样，都带有鲜明的人民性。党的历史实践证明，文化领导权建设必须要立足于群众实践，始终坚持以人民为中心，在倾听与积极回应群众诉求中巩固党的文化领导权。文化领导权建设必须以人民的期望和利益为出发点，坚持发展为了人民、发展依靠人民、发展成果由人民共享，营造良好的社会氛围，形成和谐的文化氛围。

To adhere to a people-centered approach, first, we must always stand on the people’s side, insist on taking the implementation of the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people as the foothold of cultural leadership construction, and adhere to the unity of “people’s character” and “Party spirit.” Cultural construction must both reflect the Party’s advanced nature and purity and closely align with the actual needs of the masses of the people; in basing itself on the practice of the broad masses and reflecting their interest demands, it must continuously give play to the people’s historical initiative. Second, cultural development serves the people; establish a “people-centered” orientation and promote the creation of literary and artistic works. Encourage and guide literary and artistic workers to take root in the vast fertile soil of people’s lives, explore the people’s joys and sorrows, perseverance and creativity, wisdom and achievements, so that literary and artistic works are closer to the people’s hearts and closer to life. In recent years, a large number of outstanding cultural works reflecting the changes of the times and promoting the main theme, such as *Minning Town* and *The Age of Awakening*, [3]3 《山海情》 (Minning Town) and 《觉醒年代》 (The Age of Awakening) are popular Chinese television dramas from the early 2020s. The former depicts poverty alleviation in Ningxia; the latter portrays the intellectual and political ferment leading to the founding of the CPC. have emerged, meeting the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the people and leading a trend of the times that is good and upward. Third, insist that cultural construction be subject to the people’s supervision and evaluation, strive to make cultural construction deeply rooted in people’s hearts, closer to the ground, and more popular, and consolidate the mass foundation for the construction of cultural leadership.

坚持以人民为中心，一是始终要站在人民的立场上，坚持把落实最广大人民根本利益作为文化领导权建设的落脚点，坚持“人民性”与“党性”相统一。文化建设既要体现党的先进性和纯洁性，又要紧密贴合人民群众的实际需求，在立足广大人民群众实践、反映人民群众利益诉求中，不断发挥人民群众的历史主动精神。二是文化发展为人民服务，建立“以人民为中心”的导向，推动文艺作品创作。鼓励和引导文艺工作者扎根广袤的人民生活沃土之中，发掘人民的喜怒与哀乐、坚守与创造、智慧与成就，使文学艺术作品更贴近民心、更贴近生活。近年来《山海情》《觉醒年代》等一大批反映时代变迁、弘扬主旋律的优秀文化作品涌现，满足了人民群众日益增长的精神文化需求，引领了向善向上的时代风貌。三是坚持文化建设受人民监督和评价，力求文化建设深入人心、更接地气、更聚人气，为文化领导权建设夯实群众基础。

III. Consolidating the Subjectivity of Chinese National Culture

三、巩固中华民族文化主体性

General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “For any culture to stand firm and go far, to have guiding power, cohesive power, shaping power, and radiating power, it must have its own subjectivity.” [4]4 This quotation is from Xi Jinping’s speech at a symposium on cultural heritage and development, June 2023. Cultural subjectivity is the unique value concepts and spiritual characteristics displayed by a country or nation in the inheritance and development of culture; it is an existence that distinguishes it from other countries and nations and possesses distinct cultural characteristics and value positions. Cultural subjectivity is not only a solid foundation for cultural identity, value identity, and national identity but also the fundamental support for cultural confidence.

习近平总书记指出：“任何文化要立得住、行得远，要有引领力、凝聚力、塑造力、辐射力，就必须有自己的主体性”。文化主体性是一个国家和民族在文化传承发展中所展现出的独特的价值理念和精神特质，是区别于其他国家、民族且具有鲜明文化特质和价值立场的存在。文化主体性不仅是文化认同、价值认同与国家认同的坚实基础，也是文化自信的根本依托。

The subjectivity of Chinese national culture is the foundation upon which Chinese civilization was created and also the driving force for Chinese culture to stand firm and go far. With cultural subjectivity, there is a firm self in the cultural sense; cultural confidence has its fundamental support; the Chinese Communist Party has a powerful cultural force to lead the times; the Chinese nation and the Chinese people have a solid cultural foundation for national identity; and Chinese civilization has distinct cultural characteristics for exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations in the world. At present, facing the impact of diverse social trends of thought in the world, we must be vigilant against cultural erosion, adhere to the subjectivity of Chinese national culture, promote the localization of foreign cultures, continuously cultivate and create socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for the New Era, and consolidate the construction of the Party’s cultural leadership in the New Era.

中华民族文化主体性是中华文明得以创造的基础，也是中华文化立得住、行得远的动力源泉。有了文化主体性，就有了文化意义上坚定的自我，文化自信就有了根本依托，中国共产党就有了引领时代的强大文化力量，中华民族和中国人民就有了国家认同的坚实文化基础，中华文明就有了和世界其他文明交流互鉴的鲜明文化特性。当前，面对世界多元社会思潮冲击，我们必须警惕文化侵袭，坚持中华民族文化主体性，促进外来文化本土化，不断培育和创造新时代中国特色社会主义文化，巩固新时代党的文化领导权建设。

To continuously consolidate the subjectivity of Chinese national culture, first, adhere to Marxism, maintain the soul and pulse of the vitality and creativity of Chinese national cultural subjectivity, and provide solid theoretical support for the construction of cultural leadership. Second, promote upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground; promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, and provide a deep cultural soil for the construction of cultural leadership. Third, promote the core socialist values, strengthen the guidance of values, and make the core socialist values become common practice throughout society. Fourth, build an independent knowledge system of China, deepen and expand China’s indigenous theories, and actively promote the flourishing and development of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.

不断巩固中华民族文化主体性，一是坚持马克思主义，保持中华民族文化主体性的活力和创造力的魂脉，为文化领导权建设提供坚实的理论支撑。二是推进守正创新，推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化和创新性发展，为文化领导权建设提供深厚的文化土壤。三是弘扬社会主义核心价值观，加强价值观的引导，使社会主义核心价值观在全社会蔚然成风。四是构建中国自主知识体系，深化并拓展中国本土理论，积极推进中国特色哲学社会科学繁荣发展。

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧