[Editor’s Note] In October this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a report at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, detailing how he will lead the CCP to realize its vision of governing the country, indicating that the central task of the CCP in the future is to “unite and lead the The Chinese people will comprehensively build a modern and powerful socialist country, achieve the second centenary goal, and comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization.”
It may not be easy to understand the 20th National Congress report, which is more than 30,000 words in length, but it is the most direct document for understanding the strategic intentions and governance planning of the Chinese Communist Party in the coming period.
Why does the CCP, which takes Marxism as its theoretical banner, actively promote the Sinicization of the ideological field?
What is the long-term firm confidence shown by the CCP, and what is the difference between the "Chinese-style modernization" officially explained in the report and Western modernization?
How does the CCP understand Xi Jinping's "great changes unseen in a century", and what changes will China, which is at the center of the changes, bring to the world structure?
This series of articles revolves around these questions.
(Series No. 3)
The central topic of the Twentieth Congress report in the field of ideology is the continuous modernization of Marxism in China.
According to the report, “Since the 18th CPC National Congress, new changes in domestic and foreign situations and new requirements for practice urgently require us to answer a series of major issues of the times related to the development of the party and the country’s undertakings and the party’s governance from the perspective of combining theory and practice.”
Through theoretical exploration and innovation, the CCP has achieved major results. The "idea of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era" is its concentrated expression, and thus "successfully promoted and expanded Chinese-style modernization."
"Two Combinations" Utilizes Marxism
What is "sinicization and modernization"?
"Sinicization" is to combine with China's excellent traditional culture and specific reality, and "modernization" is to combine with the specific reality of different periods.
The specific reality of different periods in China can be roughly divided into: the period of revolution, the period of economic construction, and the period of governance. You can use Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Xi Jinping as the main representatives to examine these three periods.
To express the modernization of Sinicization in simple language is to "seek truth from facts."
Mao Zedong explained "seeking truth from facts" in "Reforming Our Learning": ""Facts" are all things that exist objectively.
What is the combination of theory and practice?
Marxism is a theory, and modernization in China means that relative to practice, Marxism without modernization in China is only a theory and cannot be a guide to solve practical problems. Once it is modernized in China, it will find a connection with Chinese society. Concrete practical connection and application to reality.
Only when we realize that Marxist theory must be connected with the excellent traditional Chinese culture and continue, can its application become possible and sustainable.
Theory is used to guide practice, and practice is the only criterion for testing truth.
"Facts" means practice, "things" are realistic and materialistic, "seeking truth" means finding laws and establishing theories, and "yes" means laws, theories, and ideas.
The Communist Party of China is the ruling party that most adheres to the combination of theory and practice among the various political parties in the world.
Because of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, the CCP has always been misunderstood as an ideologically dominant, even dogmatic, rigid, radical, religiously fanatical political organization.
This impression has been gradually eliminated in the past 40 years of reform and opening up, but the CCP still needs more efforts to truly correct this perception and establish a scientific and realistic image.
The CCP once had a dogmatic understanding of China’s social structure and misinterpreted the development experience of the Soviet Union, but it has continuously corrected its mistakes in the process of modernizing Marxism in China, and correctly explained that China is essentially an agricultural society, and that the success of the revolution depends on the countryside and peasants. The basis and source of power ultimately won the revolution.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China believes that the CCP has successfully deepened the understanding of "the law of governance, the law of socialist construction, and the law of the development of human society." "Chinese-style modernization" is a theory of the times that integrates the theory and practical experience of the CCP's continuous thinking over the past 100 years.
The key to the modernization of Sinicization is that no theory or practice can escape the premise of putting people at the center.
The Communist Party of China has focused its mission on the people since its founding. The reason why it was able to defeat the Kuomintang, why it was able to get rid of the dogmatism of the Communist International, and why it was able to implement the strategic deployment of encircling the cities from the countryside is all because of its comprehensive and profound understanding Link your own interests with those of the people.
The CCP was able to get out of the Cultural Revolution, promote economic construction, and establish a national governance system centered on state governance, also because it adhered to the people-centered and "seeking truth from facts" values.
Xi Jinping was able to propose the combination of excellent traditional culture because he valued the wisdom of Chinese civilization, such as the world is the common people, the people are the foundation of the country, and the unity of man and nature. Melt it up.
The CCP believes that "all theories that are divorced from the people are pale and powerless, and all theories that do not benefit the people are lifeless." This is because it knows that socialism must belong to China, and it must be for the Chinese people. Only in this way Only socialist ideas can guide China's revolution, construction and national governance.
If Mao Zedong was able to become the leader of the Chinese revolution because he combined theory with practice and mastered solutions to problems by studying history and the current situation, then Xi Jinping has mastered the laws of human historical development and used this to think about the direction of China and the world. Outline the path of "governing the country" for China, win historical initiative, and provide guidance for China's development in the future.
What they have in common is to find a theoretical key to the study of China's problems based on China's social reality and development process, and on the basis of historical materialism and dialectical materialism.
Adhere to theory must be based on practice
The biggest difference between Chinese and Western philosophical cognition is the different understanding of history, reality and future.
It can be said that most of Western philosophy is metaphysics and abstract philosophy, while China insists that philosophy must "seek truth from facts" and is used to change the world, not just explain the world.
Take historical materialism and dialectical materialism as examples. They are both based on the persistence of practice and are philosophies based on practice.
Western philosophy lacks a historical dimension, while China emphasizes historical learning, which was the case before Marxism was introduced into China.
In Xi Jinping’s introduction to the preparatory work of the “Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s Centennial Struggle,” the first sentence pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party “has always attached great importance to summarizing historical experience.”
In a very succinct way, he summed up this century's history as the Chinese Communist Party's "100-year history of leading the people in revolution, construction, and reform." History is not the same as a simple record of experience, but an organic integration of experience. Analyze history through various theories, and then improve the theory, providing guidance and reference for the present and the future.
The Western understanding of reality is more superficial and linear, so it is easy to fall into the binary opposition analysis of "right and wrong" and "existence and non-existence", and does not pay attention to the laws of practice, trial and error, gradual progress, and reform .
The West emphasizes competition, but the focus is on winning and losing, while the Chinese believe that competition can promote progress, harmony and win-win, and competition is only one of the various relationships between people.
The most prominent feature of Western politics is the emphasis on the comparison of power, and regards hegemony and winner-take-all as the result of a power game. Traditional Chinese culture despises hegemony and emphasizes the kingly way. "Strength" in life is to defend against external intrusions.
The West lacks imagination for the future, probably because it has a strong religious tradition and has always taught people that the future is heaven.
This imagination or lack of imagination of the future has a clear relationship with the overemphasis on individualism.
Take industrial policy as an example. It is an economic plan chosen only when there is imagination and pursuit of the future of society.
However, due to over-emphasis on the dominance of capital and markets in development, Western economists criticize industrial policy as a non-market behavior that is not conducive to economic development.
Only recently did the United States realize that it needs to prepare for the future and began to imitate China's industrial policy.
If we stick to dogmatic economic theories, stand still, lack awareness of history and practice, and fail to examine society from the perspective of development, the result will be to give up the dominance over the future of the economy and let it drift at will.
Society will not die, the Kingdom of Heaven has no place reserved for society, and the theory of Kingdom of Heaven cannot guide social and economic development.
The Chinese have no imagination of a heavenly kingdom, and attach great importance to the practical role of society and economy. For this reason, they have constantly thought about it and formed a rich traditional thought.
Collectivism has the same origin as the Chinese attach importance to the family, and it is also the essence of socialism.
The country makes plans for the people, just like the family prepares for the future of its children. In contrast, it is difficult for the Western world, which is obsessed with the theory of heaven, to establish the habit of preparing for future generations. The difference in private and family savings in the two cultures is Good evidence.
Transform ideology with popular language
How to understand "socialist modernization thought with Chinese characteristics in the new era" in a popular way?
"Chinese-style modernization" is a method, and "governing the country" as its realistic manifestation is probably the most scientific path.
In 2018, the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China passed the "Deepening Party and State Institutional Reform Plan", which officially opened the "governance modernization" at the level of political institutions.
It is a coherent implementation of the "National Governance System and Governance Capability Modernization" plan of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. It has made Xi Jinping's thoughts on state governance a common understanding, and it has also made people understand Xi Jinping's series of policies since the 18th CPC National Congress. and how reform action is integrated with his theory.
Theories need to be disseminated, and theories that are difficult to disseminate cannot help society unify thoughts.
In addition to the process of testing theories, practice is also the best means of dissemination of theories. Theories accepted through practice are the key to unifying social thinking and making everyone work together to remove obstacles to social transformation.
"Socialism" is not so easy to understand, "common prosperity" is more straightforward; "Marxism" is difficult to grasp, but "national rejuvenation" and "Chinese-style modernization" feel close; Everyone understands that "fighting against poverty" is even more real.
The Twentieth Congress report well demonstrated Xi Jinping’s imagination in the field of ideology. He depoliticized the ideology of the Communist Party of China and returned to the specific reality of China and the historical sequence of traditional Chinese thought. This is a larger politics, But it is "used without realizing it".
As long as you carefully read the principles of ideological development in the report, including the supremacy of the people, self-confidence and self-reliance, integrity and innovation, problem-oriented, system concept, and world-mindedness, you can feel that Xi Jinping has transformed the ideological system of the CCP into one that is easier for the masses to grasp. In popular language, the principles he put forward are spread in a popular way of communication, avoiding obscure philosophical terms as much as possible.
This is the modernization of Sinicization, and it also inherits "seeking truth from facts."
"Deconstructing the Top 20" series of articles:
Deconstruct the 20th National Congress.
1｜Why should we read the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and deconstruct the 20th National Congress.
2｜From the structure of the report to sort out the overall context and deconstruct the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
3｜The Sinicization of the CCP’s Ideology