Consolidating the Cultural Foundation for Building a Strong Country and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Building a strong cultural country concerns the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization, concerns the great cause of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and concerns the enhancement of international competitiveness.” This important exposition not only clarifies the significance of building a strong cultural country, but also makes us more deeply realize that we must adhere to the comprehensive leadership of the Party, unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, uphold Marxism as the fundamental guiding ideology, take root in the profound and extensive Chinese civilization, conform to the development trends of information technology, continuously develop Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era culture with strong ideological guidance, spiritual cohesion, value appeal, and international influence, constantly strengthen the people’s spiritual strength, and consolidate the cultural foundation for building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

习近平总书记强调：“建设文化强国，事关中国式现代化建设全局，事关中华民族复兴大业，事关提升国际竞争力。” 这一重要论述不仅阐明了建设文化强国的重要意义，也使我们更加深刻认识到，必须坚持党的全面领导，坚定不移走中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，坚持马克思主义这一根本指导思想，植根博大精深的中华文明，顺应信息技术发展潮流，不断发展具有强大思想引领力、精神凝聚力、价值感召力、国际影响力的习近平新时代中国特色社会主义文化，不断增强人民精神力量，筑牢强国建设、民族复兴的文化根基。

I. Consolidating the Subjectivity of Building a Strong Cultural Country

一、巩固建设文化强国的主体性

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must deepen understanding, continuously sum up experience, and constantly realize the benign interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation according to the changes of the times and the development of practice, and develop 21st-century Chinese Marxism in this unity and interaction.” As the cultural chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Xi Jinping’s cultural thought was formed in the continuous interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation. It is a theoretical summary of the Party’s practical experience in leading cultural construction in the New Era, a major achievement in adhering to the Two Integrations, especially the Second Integration, and advancing the theoretical innovation of Marxist culture. It contains both innovations and breakthroughs in cultural theoretical viewpoints and deployment requirements in the layout of cultural work. It is a scientific system with rich connotations and the integration of substance and function, making original contributions to enriching and developing Marxist cultural theory. Marx and Engels pointed out in *The German Ideology*: “The production of ideas, of conceptions, of consciousness, is at first directly interwoven with the material activity and the material intercourse of men, the language of real life. Conceiving, thinking, the mental intercourse of men, appear at this stage as the direct efflux of their material behavior. The same applies to mental production as expressed in the language of the politics, laws, morality, religion, metaphysics, etc. of a people.” In this sense, we should fully recognize that the excellent traditional Chinese culture is the material and spiritual wealth created by the Chinese nation in long-term social practice, containing eternal values that reflect the essential attributes of the Chinese people’s production and life. The profound and extensive excellent traditional Chinese culture is the foundation for us to stand firm in the world’s cultural currents.

习近平总书记强调：“要根据时代变化和实践发展，不断深化认识，不断总结经验，不断实现理论创新和实践创新良性互动，在这种统一和互动中发展21世纪中国的马克思主义。”作为习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的文化篇，习近平文化思想形成于理论创新和实践创新的不断互动之中，是对新时代党领导文化建设实践经验的理论总结，是坚持“两个结合”特别是“第二个结合”、推进马克思主义文化理论创新的重大成果，既有文化理论观点上的创新和突破，又有文化工作布局上的部署要求，是一个内涵丰富、体用贯通的科学体系，为丰富和发展马克思主义文化理论作出了原创性贡献。马克思、恩格斯在《德意志意识形态》中指出：“思想、观念、意识的生产最初是直接与人们的物质活动，与人们的物质交往，与现实生活的语言交织在一起的。人们的想象、思维、精神交往在这里还是人们物质行动的直接产物。表现在某一民族的政治、法律、道德、宗教、形而上学等的语言中的精神生产也是这样。”在这个意义上，我们应充分认识到，中华优秀传统文化是中华民族在长期社会实践中所创造的物质和精神的财富，蕴含着体现中国人民生产生活本质属性的永恒价值。博大精深的中华优秀传统文化是我们在世界文化激荡中站稳脚跟的根基。

Adhering to the combination of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture, in the process of making Marxism Chinese and making excellent traditional Chinese culture modern, the new culture formed through this “combination” will inevitably become the core of our thought and spirit, demonstrating unique and important value. The Second Integration emphasizes cultural subjectivity, which is essentially spiritual subjectivity. If “adhering to the combination of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities” enabled the Chinese people to move from passivity to initiative in spirit, making Marxism the spiritual pillar for the Chinese people to stand up, then the Second Integration embodies a further sublimation of ideological, cultural, and spiritual aspects, representing “another ideological emancipation.” [1]1 Engels, “The Development of Socialism from Utopia to Science,” 1880. The quotation refers to the intellectual preconditions for the emergence of Marxist theory. For any culture to stand firm and go far, to have guiding power, cohesion, shaping power, and radiating power, it must have its own subjectivity. This subjectivity was established by the Chinese Communist Party leading the Chinese people on Chinese soil; it was established on the basis of creatively transforming and innovatively developing excellent traditional Chinese culture, inheriting revolutionary culture, developing advanced socialist culture, and drawing on and absorbing all outstanding achievements of human civilization; it was established through combining the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s excellent traditional culture. The Two Integrations are the concrete manifestation of our consolidation of cultural subjectivity. Chinese Communists hold high the banner of Marxism, have learned to use Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods to solve Chinese problems, adhere to using them for our own purposes, and scientifically treat traditional culture and all civilizational achievements. Such subjectivity is both conscious and proactive. If the qualification of “subject” is lacking, it is impossible to correctly treat one’s own national culture and the cultures of other nations; what is lost is not only confidence and self-reliance but inevitably also self-respect and autonomy. For a nation, self-cognition, self-identification, and “firm self” in the cultural sense are not only the result of cultural inheritance but also the embodiment of cultural subjectivity. Chinese civilization has outstanding continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. This is both a concentrated summary of the characteristics of Chinese culture and a profound summation of the spirit of Chinese civilization. Only by truly strengthening cultural subjectivity and spiritual initiative can the Chinese cultural lineage and the spiritual pulse of the Chinese nation be continuously inherited and last forever. To consolidate the cultural foundation for building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to base it on consolidating and enhancing ideological, cultural, and spiritual subjectivity.

坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，在让马克思主义成为中国的、中华优秀传统文化成为现代的过程中，也必将让经由“结合”而形成的新文化成为我们思想和精神的内核，展现出独特而重要的价值。“第二个结合”强调文化主体性，实质上也是精神上的主体性。如果说“坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合”让中国人在精神上由被动转入主动，使马克思主义成为中国人站起来的精神支柱，那么“第二个结合”体现的正是思想文化精神上的进一步升华，是“又一次的思想解放”。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。这一主体性是中国共产党带领中国人民在中国大地上建立起来的；是在创造性转化、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，借鉴吸收人类一切优秀文明成果的基础上建立起来的；是通过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建立起来的。“两个结合”是我们巩固文化主体性的具体体现。中国共产党人高擎马克思主义旗帜，学会了用马克思主义立场观点方法解决中国问题，坚持为我所用，科学对待传统文化和一切文明成果。这样的主体性是自觉性，也是主动性。倘若缺失了“主体”资格，就不可能正确地对待本民族文化和其他民族文化，失去的不仅是自信自立，也必然没有了自尊自主。对于一个民族而言，在文化意义上的自我认知、自我认同和“坚定自我”，不仅是文化传承的结果，更是文化主体性的体现。中华文明具有突出的连续性、创新性、统一性、包容性、和平性，这既是对中国文化特性的集中概括，也是对中华文明精神的深刻总结。只有真正使文化主体性、精神主动性强起来，才能使中华文脉和中华民族精神气脉赓续传承、源远流长。筑牢强国建设、民族复兴的文化根基，必须以巩固和增强思想文化精神主体性为基础。

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “The most fundamental reason we are born as Chinese is that we have a unique spiritual world of the Chinese people.” China has formed a unified multi-ethnic country with a population of over 1.4 billion that is highly united in spirit and culture, which is unique in the world. China has developed continuously for several thousand years without interruption, forming a unique, profound, and extensive value system and civilization system, which is unique in the world. China has formed socialism with Chinese characteristics that suits its actual conditions and the characteristics of the times and has achieved great success, which is unique in the world. China has formed the Chinese Communist Party, which serves the people wholeheartedly, has over 100.27 million members, is tightly organized, and has been in power in China for a long time, which is unique in the world. This is the foundation for our firm Four Confidences [2]2 Li Dazhao (1889–1927), a co-founder of the CPC, wrote this in his essay “The Spirit of the Times” (1916), advocating a synthesis of Eastern and Western civilizations under socialism. and also constitutes the confidence of the unique spiritual world of contemporary Chinese people. A person cannot stand without spirit; a country cannot be strong without spirit. Spirit is the soul on which a nation and a country rely for long-term survival. Only when the spirit reaches a certain height can this nation and country stand firm and forge ahead in the torrent of history. To achieve the strategic goal of building a strong cultural country, it is necessary to have strong spiritual support, to more fully grasp ideological and cultural initiative, and to achieve spiritual independence and autonomy. On the new journey, we must base ourselves on Chinese soil, uphold the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, continuously cultivate and create Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era culture, constantly strengthen the people’s spiritual strength, and provide stronger and more powerful ideological paths and spiritual guidance for building a strong cultural country.

习近平总书记强调，“我们生而为中国人，最根本的是我们有中国人的独特精神世界”。中国形成了统一的多民族、拥有14亿多人口而又精神上文化上高度团结统一的国家，这在世界上是独一无二的。中国连绵几千年发展至今的历史从未中断，形成了独具特色、博大精深的价值观念和文明体系，这在世界上是独一无二的。中国形成了适合我国实际、符合时代特点的中国特色社会主义并取得了巨大成功，这在世界上是独一无二的。中国形成了全心全意为人民服务、拥有10027多万名党员、紧密组织起来的中国共产党并在中国长期执政，这在世界上是独一无二的。这是我们坚定“四个自信”的基础，也是构成当代中国人独特精神世界的底气。人无精神不立，国无精神不强。精神是一个民族、一个国家赖以长久生存的灵魂，唯有精神上达到一定高度，这个民族与国家才能在历史洪流中屹立不倒、奋勇向前。实现建成文化强国的战略目标，必须要有强大的精神力量支撑，更为充分地掌握思想和文化主动，实现精神上的独立自主。新征程上，我们必须立足中国大地，高扬中华民族的文化主体性，不断培育和创造习近平新时代中国特色社会主义文化，不断增强人民精神力量，为建设文化强国提供更为强大、更为有力的思想路径和精神指引。

II. Adhering to the Dominance of Activating the Root Vein with the Soul Vein

二、坚持以魂脉激活根脉的主导性

Marxism must be integrated with China’s fine traditional culture, because Marxism is a scientific theory and our powerful ideological weapon. Only by unswervingly adhering to Marxism can the CPC lead the people onto the broad path of national rejuvenation. At the same time, Marxism can be integrated with China’s fine traditional culture because they are highly compatible; only mutual compatibility enables organic integration. From “mutual compatibility” to “mutual achievement,” from “consolidating the foundation of the path” and “opening up space for innovation” to “consolidating cultural subjectivity,” this is the process of “integration” and, moreover, the logic of its continuous deepening. Engels once pointed out, “If German philosophy, especially Hegelian philosophy, had not existed first, then German scientific socialism—the only scientific socialism ever to exist—could never have been founded.” [1]1 Engels, “The Development of Socialism from Utopia to Science,” 1880. The quotation refers to the intellectual preconditions for the emergence of Marxist theory. This also demonstrates the importance of a nation’s historical and cultural thought, especially its philosophical thought, for forging scientific theory. The very proposition of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times determines that we must never abandon the soul of Marxism, nor must we abandon the root of China’s fine traditional culture. Upholding this soul and root is the foundation and prerequisite for theoretical innovation. Theoretical innovation must speak new words, but it cannot discard the ancestors; forgetting one’s ancestors is equivalent to severing the soul and root, ultimately leading to the subversive error of losing the soul and root. In this sense, we must always adhere to using the “soul” of Marxism to activate the “root” of China’s fine traditional culture, and continuously consolidate this dominance. In 1916, Li Dazhao predicted that China’s future would forge a “‘third’ civilization, a civilization of unity of spirit and flesh, an ideal civilization, an upward civilization.” [2]2 Li Dazhao (1889–1927), a co-founder of the CPC, wrote this in his essay “The Spirit of the Times” (1916), advocating a synthesis of Eastern and Western civilizations under socialism. In his view, “Eastern civilization has decayed in stillness, while Western civilization is exhausted under materialism; to save the world from crisis, nothing less than the rise of a third new civilization can cross this precipice.” He believed that China’s future would move toward socialism, and culturally, only by taking Marxism as the guide, inheriting and transcending Eastern and Western cultures, extracting the essence and discarding the dross, and following the development direction and path of a “third new civilization.” In a sense, adhering to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture, and producing a profound “chemical reaction,” will inevitably create an organically unified new cultural life entity—this is precisely the implication and direction.

马克思主义同中华优秀传统文化必须结合，因为马克思主义是科学的理论，是我们强大的思想武器。只有始终不渝地坚持马克思主义，中国共产党才能领导人民走上民族复兴的康庄大道。同时，马克思主义同中华优秀传统文化能够结合，因为它们之间高度契合，相互契合才能有机结合。从“彼此契合”到“互相成就”，从“筑牢了道路根基”“打开了创新空间”到“巩固了文化主体性”，是“相结合”的历程，更是其不断深化的逻辑。恩格斯曾指出，“如果不是先有德国哲学，特别是黑格尔哲学，那么德国科学社会主义，即过去从来没有过的唯一的科学社会主义，就绝不可能创立”。这也说明一个民族的历史文化思想尤其是哲学思想对于铸就科学理论的重要性。马克思主义中国化时代化这个重大命题本身就决定，我们决不能抛弃马克思主义这个魂脉，决不能抛弃中华优秀传统文化这个根脉。坚守好这个魂和根，是理论创新的基础和前提。理论创新必须讲新话，但不能丢了老祖宗，数典忘祖就等于割断了魂脉和根脉，最终会犯失去魂脉和根脉的颠覆性错误。在这个意义上，我们必须始终坚持以马克思主义“魂脉”激活中华优秀传统文化“根脉”，并持续巩固这一主导性。1916年，李大钊曾预言，中国未来将塑造“‘第三’之文明，乃灵肉一致之文明，理想之文明，向上之文明也”。在他的心目中，“东洋文明既衰颓于静止之中，而西洋文明又疲命于物质之下，为救世界之危机，非有第三新文明之崛起，不足以渡此危崖”。他认为，未来中国要走向社会主义，在文化上只有以马克思主义为指导，继承并超越东西方文化，取其精华、去其糟粕，走“第三新文明”的发展方向和道路。从某种意义上讲，坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，发生深刻的“化学反应”，必然造就一个有机统一的新的文化生命体，正是这样的意蕴和方向。

Adhering to the dominance of activating the root with the soul is a comprehensive manifestation of our Party’s consistent commitment to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Upholding fundamental principles means upholding the fundamental system of Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological domain, upholding the fundamental requirements of the Two Integrations, and upholding the Party’s cultural leadership and the Chinese nation’s cultural subjectivity. Breaking new ground means creating new ideas, new discourses, new mechanisms, and new forms; under the guidance of Marxism, we must truly make the past serve the present, make foreign things serve China, adopt a dialectical approach of selection and elimination, and innovate through discarding the old, achieving an organic connection between tradition and modernity.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, speech at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development, June 2, 2023. The “Two Integrations” are the integration of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with its fine traditional culture. Only through “integration” can we open up space for innovation, making it more possible for us to resolve the “debate between the ancient and the modern, China and the West,” continuously transform into new theoretical advantages, and scale new ideological heights. In a certain sense, the “debate between the ancient and the modern, China and the West” has accompanied China’s cultural development path since modern times. From changes in material artifacts to institutional reforms and then to ideological “cultural revolution” in modern China, this is the real logic since the encounter between Chinese and Western cultures, and also the ideological logic of Chinese people of insight and benevolence. But it is certain that when the temporal concepts of “ancient” and “modern” intertwine with the spatial concepts of “China” and “the West,” they will inevitably present vastly different scenarios. Whether it is “total Westernization” or “cultural restorationism,” both are trapped in a static cognitive limitation at a particular historical stage, and naturally cannot solve the question of where Chinese culture should go. The exchange, interaction, collision, and integration of ancient and modern, Chinese and Western cultures are dynamic and continuously developing. In this dynamic process of evolution, we need to recognize that, while adhering to the principle and spirit of “upholding fundamental principles without being conservative, respecting the ancient without restoring the old,” we must better integrate China and foreign countries, connect the ancient and the modern, continuously enhance the cohesion and appeal of advanced culture, and strengthen the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization.

坚持以魂脉激活根脉的主导性，是我们党始终坚持守正创新的全面体现。习近平总书记指出：“守正，守的是马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位的根本制度，守的是‘两个结合’的根本要求，守的是中国共产党的文化领导权和中华民族的文化主体性。创新，创的是新思路、新话语、新机制、新形式，要在马克思主义指导下真正做到古为今用、洋为中用、辩证取舍、推陈出新，实现传统与现代的有机衔接。”只有“结合”，才能打开创新空间，让我们更有条件破解“古今中西之争”，不断聚变为新的理论优势，攀登新的思想高峰。从一定意义上讲，“古今中西之争”始终伴随中国近代以来的文化发展道路。中国近代从器物到制度变革再到思想“文化革命”，是中西文化碰触以来的现实逻辑，也是中国志士仁人的思想逻辑。但可以肯定的是，当时间概念上的“古”与“今”和空间概念上的“中”与“西”交织在一起，必然会呈现出迥然不同的情景。不论是“全盘西化论”还是“文化复古主义”，都是受困于在某一特定历史阶段的静止的认知局限，自然无法解决中华文化向何处去的问题。古今中西文化的交往交流、碰撞融合是动态的，是不断发展的。在这一动态演变的过程中，我们需要认识到，在恪守“守正不守旧、尊古不复古”原则和精神的前提下，更好地融通中外、贯通古今，不断提升先进文化的凝聚力感召力，增强中华文明传播力影响力。

Adhering to the dominance of activating the root with the soul is also a process of enriching the soul with the root. The Second Integration transcends the traditional, conservative, and mechanical “substance-function relationship.” [4]4 “Substance-function” (ti-yong) is a key concept in traditional Chinese philosophy, often used in modern debates about how to reconcile Chinese essence (ti) with Western practical applications (yong). The Second Integration is presented here as overcoming this dichotomy. “Substance and function” form an organic whole; only in concrete practice, by adhering to dominant leadership, can they truly be unified and exert their advantages. Activating the root with the soul and enriching the soul with the root achieves precisely “understanding the substance and applying the function, achieving the interconnection of substance and function,” a deep mutual fusion of the “soul” and the “root.” This is also the logic of moving from “mutual compatibility” to “mutual achievement.” Marxism has not only activated the genes of Chinese civilization with the light of truth, leading China into the modern world and promoting the renewal of Chinese civilization’s life and its modern transformation; China’s fine traditional culture has also enriched the cultural life of Marxism, promoting new leaps in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. On the new journey, we must always adhere to the Second Integration, truly enabling the “soul” of Marxism and the “root” of China’s fine traditional culture to merge and penetrate the great practice of building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

坚持以魂脉激活根脉的主导性，也是以根脉丰富魂脉的过程。“第二个结合”超越了传统的、保守的、机械的“体用关系”。“体用”是一个有机整体，只有在具体实践中，坚持主导引领，才能真正统一起来，发挥优势。以魂脉激活根脉、以根脉丰富魂脉，实现的正是“明体达用、体用贯通”，是“魂脉”与“根脉”的深度互融。这也是从“彼此契合”走向“互相成就”的逻辑所在。马克思主义不仅以真理之光激活了中华文明的基因，引领中国走进现代世界，推动了中华文明的生命更新和现代转型；中华优秀传统文化也充实了马克思主义的文化生命，推动马克思主义不断实现中国化时代化的新飞跃。新征程上，我们必须始终坚守“第二个结合”，真正使马克思主义的“魂脉”和中华优秀传统文化的“根脉”融会贯通于强国建设、民族复兴的伟大实践。

III. Enhancing the Autonomy of “Unswervingly Walking Our Own Path”

三、增强“坚定不移走好自己的路”的自主性

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “China’s taking of this path is inseparable from Chinese culture. The internal genetic code of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we take lies right here, containing the gene of China’s fine traditional culture.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, remarks during an inspection tour, as cited in official media. The “genetic code” metaphor emphasizes the deep cultural roots of China’s political path. The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been forged under the guidance of Marxism, and it has also emerged from the inheritance and development of over five thousand years of Chinese civilization. The Second Integration has given the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics a broader and deeper historical depth, consolidating the cultural foundation of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Second Integration has enabled us to grasp the initiative in thought and culture, and it powerfully acts upon the path, theory, and system. In this sense, we must deeply recognize that emphasizing cultural subjectivity, mastering the initiative in thought and culture, and unswervingly walking our own path are unified in autonomy. Only by strengthening the self in thought, culture, and spirit can we more firmly strengthen confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, confidence in the system, and confidence in the culture; can we continuously walk and solidify our own path through the courage and skill of “integration”; and can we better construct the Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength.

习近平总书记强调：“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。”中国特色社会主义道路是在马克思主义指导下走出来的，也是从中华文明五千多年的传承发展中走出来的。“第二个结合”让中国特色社会主义道路有了更加宏阔深远的历史纵深，夯实了中国特色社会主义道路的文化根基。“第二个结合”让我们掌握了思想和文化主动，并有力地作用于道路、理论、制度。在这个意义上，我们必须深刻认识到，强调文化的主体性、掌握思想文化的主动和坚定不移走好自己的路的自主性是统一的。只有坚定思想上文化上精神上的自我，才能更加坚定道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信，才能不断在勇于善于“相结合”中走好走实自己的路，才能更好构筑中国精神、中国价值、中国力量。

Walking our own path is the historical conclusion drawn from our Party’s more than one hundred years of struggle. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, cultural construction has achieved historic accomplishments through clarifying the origins and upholding integrity while innovating. The cultural confidence of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country has been markedly enhanced, cultural creativity is thriving, cultural undertakings and cultural industries have become more prosperous, the spiritual and cultural life of the people has been enriched, and solid steps have been taken in building a socialist cultural power. This has provided a strong ideological guarantee, a powerful spiritual driving force, and favorable cultural conditions for building a strong country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. However, against the backdrop of the accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century, the profound transformation of the principal contradiction in Chinese society, and the in-depth development of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, advancing the construction of a cultural power still faces many problems and challenges. This requires us to comprehensively and deeply implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, unswervingly follow the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics, firmly maintain the confidence and determination that the path is correct and the resolve is unwavering, while also adapting to the changes and developments of the times, actively recognizing, responding to, and seeking change. We must strive to stimulate the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation, accelerate the improvement of the cultural management system and production and operation mechanisms, enhance the capacity for original cultural creation, and build new peaks of Chinese culture. We must always ensure that cultural construction focuses on the people and lands on the people, continuously meeting the diverse, multi-level, and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the people, and cultivating the entire nation’s uplifting and vigorous spiritual temperament. We must continue the Chinese cultural lineage through creative transformation and innovative development, deeply excavate and elucidate the spiritual connotations of fine traditional Chinese culture, use Marxism to activate the excellent factors within traditional Chinese culture and endow them with new contemporary connotations, and develop Xi Jinping’s socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for a New Era. We must continuously enhance the country’s cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture, more proactively promote China’s propositions, disseminate Chinese culture, and showcase China’s image, more actively learn from all the outstanding achievements of human civilization, and create a batch of cultural achievements that integrate the ancient and the modern, and connect China and the West.

走自己的路，是我们党一百多年奋斗得出的历史结论。党的十八大以来，在以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚强领导下，在习近平文化思想指引下，文化建设在正本清源、守正创新中取得历史性成就，全党全国各族人民文化自信明显增强，文化创造生机勃勃，文化事业和文化产业更加繁荣，人民群众精神文化生活更加丰富，社会主义文化强国建设迈出坚实步伐，为强国建设、民族复兴提供了坚强思想保证、强大精神动力、有利文化条件。但在世界百年变局加速演进、我国社会主要矛盾深刻变化、新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展的背景下，推进文化强国建设仍然面临诸多问题和挑战。这就要求我们，必须全面深入贯彻习近平文化思想，坚定不移走中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，既坚定道不变、志不改的信心和决心，又适应时代发展变化，主动识变应变求变；着力激发全民族文化创新创造活力，加快完善文化管理体制和生产经营机制，提高文化原创能力，构筑中华文化的新高峰；始终坚持文化建设着眼于人、落脚于人，不断满足人民群众多样化、多层次、多方面的精神文化需求，涵养全民族昂扬奋发的精神气质；在创造性转化和创新性发展中赓续中华文脉，深入挖掘和阐发中华优秀传统文化的精神内涵，用马克思主义激活中华传统文化中的优秀因子并赋予其新的时代内涵，发展习近平新时代中国特色社会主义文化；不断提升国家文化软实力和中华文化影响力，更加主动地宣介中国主张、传播中华文化、展示中国形象，更加积极主动地学习借鉴人类一切优秀文明成果，创造一批熔铸古今、汇通中外的文化成果。

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must strengthen cultural confidence, adhere to walking our own path, base ourselves on the great historical and contemporary practices of the Chinese nation, use Chinese principles to summarize Chinese experience well, elevate Chinese experience into Chinese theory, and achieve spiritual independence and autonomy.” [6]6 This quotation is from Xi Jinping’s speech at a symposium on cultural heritage and cultural work, emphasizing the need for cultural confidence and theoretical independence. This important exposition provides the fundamental guidance for building a socialist cultural power. All social life is essentially practical. Walking our own path is the foothold of all the Party’s theory and practice, and it is the historical conclusion drawn from the Party’s one hundred years of struggle. Figuratively speaking, to persist in walking our own path to advance the construction of a cultural power, this “path” is laid on Chinese soil, rooted in Chinese practice, and begins under the feet of every Chinese person. For example, in Tongcheng, Anhui Province, a narrow alley less than a hundred meters long and only six feet wide has today forged a path of grassroots governance known as the “New Era Six-Foot Alley Working Method.” [7]7 The “Six-Foot Alley” (Liuchi Xiang) is a famous historical site in Tongcheng, Anhui, symbolizing mutual concession and harmony. The “New Era Six-Foot Alley Working Method” is a contemporary grassroots governance model inspired by this tradition. In July 2024, the “Beijing Central Axis: A Masterpiece of the Ideal Capital City Order in China” was inscribed on the World Heritage List, becoming an important symbol path embodying the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. [8]8 The “Beijing Central Axis” is a north-south line running through the center of Beijing, lined with key historical sites, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 2024. The Chinese animated film “Ne Zha 2” [9]9 “Ne Zha 2” (哪吒之魔童闹海) is a 2025 Chinese animated fantasy film, a sequel to the 2019 hit “Ne Zha,” which achieved significant international box office success. exploded overseas, forging a successful path to go global that vividly showcases the vitality, charm, and strength of Chinese cultural creativity.

习近平总书记强调：“要坚定文化自信，坚持走自己的路，立足中华民族伟大历史实践和当代实践，用中国道理总结好中国经验，把中国经验提升为中国理论，实现精神上的独立自主。”这一重要论述为建设社会主义文化强国提供了根本遵循。全部社会生活在本质上是实践的。走自己的路，是党的全部理论和实践立足点，更是党百年奋斗得出的历史结论。形象地说，坚持走自己的路推进文化强国建设，这条“路”铺设于中国大地，根植于中国实践，始于每一个中国人的脚下。比如，安徽桐城，一条长不过百米、宽不过六尺的窄小巷子，在今天走出了一条“新时代六尺巷工作法”的基层治理之路；2024年7月，“北京中轴线——中国理想都城秩序的杰作”列入《世界遗产名录》，成为体现中华文明突出特性的重要标识之路；中国动画电影《哪吒之魔童闹海》燃爆海外，走出了一条生动展示中国文化创造活力、魅力与实力的成功出海之路……

Ultimately, one’s own path must be walked by oneself. Following behind others, blindly imitating and aping, will absolutely have no future, and may even lead down the wrong path or a dangerous one. Marxism grasps human nature from the perspective of social relations, and Chinese culture also places people within the family, the state, and the world; both oppose viewing people as isolated individuals. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “Without the active guidance of advanced culture, without the great enrichment of the people’s spiritual world, and without the continuous strengthening of the national spiritual strength, a country or a nation cannot stand proudly among the nations of the world.” In this sense, we should deeply recognize that, on the one hand, building a cultural power is a question of “for whom.” The “strength” of a cultural power must ultimately be reflected in the people’s ideological realm, spiritual state, and cultural cultivation. We must adhere to a people-centered approach, focus on meeting the diverse, multi-level, and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the people, enhance the capacity to supply cultural services and cultural products, and increase the people’s sense of cultural gain and happiness. On the other hand, regarding the question of “on whom to rely” for building a cultural power, we must rely on the great creations of the people in practice to advance the construction of a cultural power. We must coordinate the cultivation of various types of talent and build a large-scale, well-structured, and innovative high-level cultural talent team.

说到底，自己的路最终还是要靠自己走，跟在别人后面亦步亦趋、东施效颦，绝不会有前途，甚至会误入歧途、危途。马克思主义从社会关系的角度把握人的本质，中华文化也把人安放在家国天下之中，都反对把人看作孤立的个体。习近平总书记指出，“没有先进文化的积极引领，没有人民精神世界的极大丰富，没有民族精神力量的不断增强，一个国家、一个民族不可能屹立于世界民族之林”。在这个意义上，我们应深刻认识到，一方面，建设文化强国是“为了谁”的问题，文化强国之“强”最终要体现在人民的思想境界、精神状态、文化修养上，要坚持以人民为中心，着眼满足人民群众多样化、多层次、多方面的精神文化需求，提升文化服务和文化产品供给能力，增强人民群众文化获得感、幸福感；另一方面，建设文化强国“依靠谁”的问题，要依靠人民群众在实践中的伟大创造推进文化强国建设，要统筹各类人才培养，建设一支规模宏大、结构合理、锐意创新的高水平文化人才队伍。

Persisting in walking our own path to advance the construction of a cultural power is not contradictory to learning from and drawing on all the outstanding achievements of human civilization. Openness and inclusiveness have always been the source of vitality for the development of civilizations and a significant marker of cultural confidence. The broad and grand atmosphere of Chinese civilization benefits from the open posture and inclusive mind of Chinese culture since ancient times. In a certain sense, inclusiveness is also our recognition of the existence of things in a contradictory manner. Inclusiveness is both an objective attitude and a manifestation of respecting laws. Therefore, the formation and development of Chinese civilization has not been closed but has developed through openness. This has also become an inexhaustible driving force for our unremitting self-renewal and innovative development. Upholding openness and inclusiveness means more proactively learning from and drawing on all the outstanding achievements of human civilization. Whether it is enhancing the cohesion and appeal of advanced culture domestically or strengthening the dissemination and influence of Chinese civilization internationally, we must insist on integrating China and foreign countries, and connecting the ancient and the modern. Civilizations become colorful through exchange and rich through mutual learning. Civilizations are fluid and inevitably open. This is the law of civilization development and the general trend and inevitable direction of world development. Correctly treating the diverse civilizations of different countries and nations has the same significance as correctly treating fine traditional Chinese culture and contemporary culture. Maintaining the diversity of world civilizations, respecting the civilizations of all countries and nations, correctly learning from civilizations, and scientifically treating cultural traditions are not only a summary of the laws for correctly treating the civilizations of different countries and nations but also the scientific direction for promoting the exchange, mutual learning, and integration of various human civilizations. We must rationally view the differences between our own civilization and other civilizations, and must not, like some Western countries, fabricate theories such as the “clash of civilizations” or the “superiority of civilizations” to engage in ideological confrontation. History has repeatedly proven that any attempt to resolve civilizational differences by force will not succeed and will instead bring disaster to world civilizations. We must unify the cherishing and safeguarding of our own ideology and culture with the recognition and respect for the ideologies and cultures of other countries and nations. Proceeding from the reality of our own country and nation, we must insist on learning from others’ strong points to offset our weaknesses, choosing the good and following it, emphasizing eclecticism, discarding the dross and selecting the essential, eliminating the false and retaining the true, inheriting and developing fine traditional Chinese culture, promoting the localization of foreign cultures, continuously cultivating and creating Xi Jinping’s socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for a New Era, and continuing to promote cultural prosperity and build a cultural power from a new starting point.

坚持走自己的路推进文化强国建设，与学习借鉴人类创造的一切优秀文明成果并不矛盾。开放包容始终是文明发展的活力来源，也是文化自信的显著标志。中华文明的博大气象，就得益于中华文化自古以来开放的姿态、包容的胸怀。在一定意义上，包容也是我们对事物以矛盾方式存在的认知。包容既是客观的态度，又是尊重规律的表征。所以，中华文明的形成发展不是封闭的，而是在开放中发展的。这也成为我们自强不息创新发展的不竭动力。秉持开放包容，就是要更加积极主动地学习借鉴人类创造的一切优秀文明成果。无论是对内提升先进文化的凝聚力和感召力，还是对外增强中华文明传播力影响力，都要坚持融通中外、贯通古今。文明因交流而多彩，文明因互鉴而丰富。文明是流动的，也必然要开放。这是文明发展的规律，也是世界发展的大势和必然走向。正确对待不同国家、不同民族的多样文明，与正确对待中华优秀传统文化和当代文化，具有异曲同工之义。维护世界文明多样性、尊重各国各民族文明、正确进行文明学习借鉴、科学对待文化传统，既是对正确对待不同国家和民族文明的规律总结，也是推进人类各种文明交流交融、互学互鉴的科学方向。要理性地看待本国文明与其他文明的差异，不能像有些西方国家炮制“文明冲突论”“文明优越论”等论调，大搞意识形态对抗。历史反复证明，任何想用强制手段来解决文明差异的做法都不会成功,反而会给世界文明带来灾难。我们要把珍惜和维护自己的思想文化同承认和尊重他国他民族的思想文化统一起来，从本国本民族实际出发，坚持取长补短、择善而从，讲求兼收并蓄，去粗取精、去伪存真，传承发展中华优秀传统文化，促进外来文化本土化，不断培育和创造习近平新时代中国特色社会主义文化，在新的起点上继续推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国。

[The author is Vice President of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (National Academy of Governance).]

[作者系中共中央党校（国家行政学院）副校长（副院长）]

Online Editor: Ma Jingren

网络编辑：马京仁