The Fundamental Policy of Preserving and Developing Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture in the New Era

Chen Weiping

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era systematically answers the question of what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics the new era requires us to uphold and develop， and how the country should go about doing it. The preservation and development of excellent traditional Chinese culture is one of the important issues involved， because “socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted in Chinese culture.” In his speech at the opening ceremony of the International Conference Commemorating the 2565th Anniversary of Confuciuss Birth and the Fifth Congress of the International Confucian Association in September 2014， Xi Jinping proposed to “promote the creative evolution and development of excellent traditional Chinese culture，” and has reiterated the “Two Creatives” proposal several times since then. The “Two Creatives” were also officially included in the political report of the 19th National Congress of the CPC and other major documents. As a fundamental policy for the preservation and development of excellent traditional Chinese culture in the new era， the “Two Creatives” constitute a positive answer to the question of our time on how to treat excellent traditional Chinese culture， enhance and develop the historical experience of integrating Marxism and traditional Chinese culture， and fully embody the deep concordance between core socialist values and excellent traditional Chinese culture.

A Question of the Times： How to Treat Our Traditional Culture [9]

The practical point of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is to building a great modern socialist country by the middle of the twenty-first century. Xi has stated， “How should people treat the history and traditional culture of their country？ This is a question that any country must solve in the process of modernization.”

In its modern history， China fell into the tragic situation of backwardness and being attacked by Western powers， and the once glorious traditional Chinese culture was overshadowed. In this historical context， a confrontation between cultural radicalism and conservatism formed on the question of how to treat traditional Chinese culture. Cultural radicalism believed that traditional Chinese culture was antithetical to modern civilization and was not only worthless for Chinas modernization， but also a heavy historical burden. This view could easily lead to a fall into the ethnic nihilism of total Westernization. Cultural conservatism， on the other hand， stressed Chinese learning as the fundamental principle and Western learning as practical application， and emphasized that， in the face of the onslaught of Western culture， it was better to preserve the native traditional culture instead of embracing alien cultures， in order to ensure that Chinese culture remained predominant. This set up an opposition between reforming and opening up traditional Chinese culture on the one hand， and maintaining its predominance on the other， and could easily lead to the fundamentalism of the total restoration of tradition.

When the new period of reform and opening up began， the confrontation between radicalism and conservatism was repeated. In the 1980s， under the banner of “radical anti-traditionalism，” radicalism argued that traditional Chinese culture was blocking the way to modernization and must be abandoned， as typified by the political television documentary River Elegy [河殇]. However， in the 1990s， the “revival of Confucianism，” which echoed the views of overseas New Confucians， emerged and from time to time raised the voice of “Confucianizing China” and making Confucianism Chinas state religion.

The “Two Creatives” approach transcends the confrontation between radicalism and conservatism. Xi has repeatedly emphasized the modern value of excellent traditional Chinese culture for building socialism with Chinese characteristics， which is the premise of the “Two Creatives.” The “Two Creatives” transcend cultural conservatism， mainly by dismissing the idea of setting up an opposition between preserving the predominance of Chinese culture and transforming and innovating traditional Chinese culture， clarifying the consistency of adhering to Chinese culture and focusing on the “Two Creatives.” Xi has asserted that，

During its formation and progress， traditional Chinese culture was inevitably subjected to restraint and influence by the limitations in peoples mindset， in the conditions of the times， and in social systems. Consequently， it is natural that it contains things outdated or even dross. This requires us to adhere to the principles of making the past serve the present and weeding through the old to bring forth the new when learning， studying and applying traditional Chinese culture. We must make a judgment in accordance with todays reality and the requirements of our era， instead of putting it into practice mechanically without thinking. We should make the past serve the present， take the past as a mirror for today， distinguish what can be used and what cannot， and carry forward while assimilating， instead of esteeming the past over the present and using the past to negate the present. We should learn to transform and boost traditional Chinese culture in a creative way， to integrate old and new， and let both of them serve our current mission of cultivating the people.

This corrects the paranoia of cultural conservatism， which binds “preserving traditional Chinese culture” together with ensuring that Chinese culture is predominant.

The “Two Creatives” not only transcend the confrontation between cultural radicalism and cultural conservatism in modern China， but also turn this policy into a national guideline， providing an institutional guarantee for the preservation and development of traditional Chinese culture. “The Guidelines on Implementing the Project of Preserving and Developing Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture” [關于实施中华优秀传统文化传承发展工程的意见]， issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council， explain what should be preserved and developed and why and how China should go about doing it. The guidelines not only contain principled requirements， but also define specific tasks and initiatives， indicating a high degree of institutional consciousness to ensure the preservation and development of traditional Chinese culture. This is a profound summary of the lessons of history.

Traditional Chinese society went through hundreds of dynastic changes， but Confucianism was always preserved and developed， while the theories of other pre-Qin scholars were much less preserved and developed， and some schools of thought disappeared completely after the pre-Qin period. For example， Mohism was once called a “predominant school” along with Confucianism， but soon became extinct. The important reason for this was that the “exclusive respect for Confucianism” of Emperor Wu of Han （r. 141–87 BCE） laid the fundamental institutional guarantee for the preservation and development of Confucianism. As a result， Confucianism became an indispensable part of daily production and life， as it was highly coordinated with the various institutions of traditional society. This reflects the consciousness of the need to provide institutional guarantees for cultural preservation and development. However， the call for exclusive respect for Confucianism also led to a situation in which thought and theories other than the official ideology of orthodox Confucianism lacked an institutional guarantee， and their preservation and development thus became spontaneous rather than sustainable， and many their classics were lost to history. In addition， ordinary people in traditional societies were mostly illiterate， and they basically preserved their culture through daily practices， such as customs， family traditions and values， festivals， rituals， and temple fairs. Such spontaneous preservation often resulted in a mixture of good and bad.

Since the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China， some policies have been developed for preserving and developing traditional Chinese culture， but， due to the failure to understand the significance of promoting traditional Chinese culture to further the strategy of enhancing confidence in socialist culture with Chinese characteristics， the relevant policies failed to provide systematic institutional guarantees. The “Two Creatives” policy has learned from the lessons of history， emphasizing institutional guarantees for preserving and developing traditional Chinese culture， but has not inherited the model of “exclusive respect for Confucianism.” On the contrary， it stresses the need to inject new life into the treasures buried away in museums， the heritage sites spread all over the vast land， and the rich wealth of ancient writings.

Historical Experience in Integrating Marxism and Chinese Cultural Traditions [10]

In a speech in September 2014， Xi Jinping also stated that， “The fundamental tenets of Marxism must be closely integrated with the specific reality of China， and the traditional Chinese culture of the nation should be treated scientifically.” The integration of Marxism and traditional Chinese culture is a valuable experience provided in the historical process of the CPC adapting Marxism to the Chinese context over the past century.

When Mao Zedong clearly proposed to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context， he made it a point to preserve the historical heritage from Confucius to Sun Yat-sen， and criticized dogmatism， stating that， “There are many Marxist-Leninist scholars who cannot open their mouths without citing ancient Greece; but as for their own ancestors—sorry， they have been forgotten.” During the Yanan Rectification Movement， the proposition of “adapting Marxism to the Chinese context” gradually penetrated into the whole CPC. In 1943， the CPC Central Committee proposed that the rectification campaign “is to further integrate Marxism-Leninism， a revolutionary science， with Chinese revolutionary practice， Chinese history， and Chinese culture.” It can be seen that integrating Marxism and traditional Chinese culture is the purpose of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context.

In his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC， Xi stated that， “as we put conscious effort into learning from history to create a bright future， we must continue to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context”; and in the new journey， “we must continue to adapt the fundamental tenets of Marxism to Chinas specific realities and its traditional culture. We will use Marxism to observe， understand， and steer the trends of our times， and continue to develop the Marxism of contemporary China and in the twenty-first century.” The historical experience of building the CPC over the past hundred years shows that adapting the fundamental tenets of Marxism to Chinas specific realities and its excellent traditional culture is of equal importance not only for the past adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context， but also for the development of Marxism of contemporary China and in the twenty-first century. Continuing to stress the importance of the fundamental tenets of Marxism and traditional Chinese culture has been a major aspect of the theory of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context in the past and will remain so at present and in the future. From the preservation of traditional cultural heritage to Maos call for further integration and Xis call for adaption， it is justifiable to say that the “Two Creatives” policy reflects the new eras development of the historical experience of combining Marxism and traditional Chinese culture.

The “Two Creatives” approach has obvious practical relevance to improving the historical experience of integrating Marxism and traditional Chinese culture. The acceptance of Marxism by progressive Chinese was a product of modern Chinas search for truth from the West. Therefore， adapting Marxism to the Chinese context involves the relationship between China， the West， and Marxism. In the past thirty years， there have been three kinds of question on this issue： Will adapting Marxism to traditional Chinese culture “distort” the former？ Will adapting Marxism to traditional Chinese culture suppress the cultural lifeline of the latter？ Will adapting Marxism to traditional Chinese culture lead to China becoming closed again to foreign cultures， including Western culture？ The first two questions are based on the view that there is a cultural conflict between Marxism and traditional Chinese culture， and the third question is based on the view that there is a cultural conflict between the adaption of Marxism to the Chinese context and Western culture. Xis “Two Creatives” proposal points out that the reform and integration of traditional Chinese culture are two related aspects of this， which in turn are linked to the interaction of world civilizations. In fact， this all responds to and answers the three above-mentioned questions.

Xi has said， “After entering China， Marxism has both triggered profound changes in Chinese civilization and being progressively adapted to the Chinese context.” To be progressively adapted to the Chinese context， Marxism must be integrated with traditional Chinese culture， otherwise it will be seen as purely imported and imposed from abroad. In the process of this reform and integration to the Chinese context， Marxism has been nourished by Chinas excellent cultural traditions and acquired a historical ideological coherence with them. Marxisms transformation of traditional Chinese culture is an integral component of the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture. With “creation，” “innovation，” “transformation，” and “development” as its keywords， the “Two Creatives” policy indicates that Marxism is adapted to the Chinese context through reforming and integrating traditional Chinese culture： reform is the condition for innovation and development， while integration is the effect. Reform not only rejects certain aspects of traditional Chinese culture， but also elevates it; integration is achieved in the reform of traditional Chinese culture， and in turn gives this reform identity and affinity. Such reform and integration have pushed the historical process of the gradual convergence of Chinese and Western cultures in modern China into a new realm， where “civilizations become richer and more colorful through exchanges and mutual learning.” Adapting Marxism to the Chinese context is not about creating barriers between the Chinese civilization and other civilizations in the world， including those of the West， but about guiding contemporary Chinese culture toward the world. As Xi has said， “We should push forward the innovative transformation and creative evolution of Chinas civilization to boost its vitality， so that it can provide proper guidance to humanity together with other splendid civilizations.” That is to say， the “Two Creatives” promote Marxisms reform of and integration with traditional Chinese culture， in order to make the crystallizations of Chinese culture transcend national particularities and have universal significance for the world.

The Close Relation of Core Socialist Values to Traditional Chinese Culture [11]

Xi has said， “Without shared core values， a nation and state will be at a loss to know what is right and what is wrong， and its people will have no code of conduct to follow， the result being that the nation and state can never progress.” He added， “The core values of a nation and state are closely related to its history and culture.” As the fundamental policy of preserving and developing excellent traditional Chinese culture in the new era， the “Two Creatives” deeply reflect the inherent relation between the core socialist values and traditional Chinese culture. As Xi put it， “The excellent traditional Chinese culture is a great strength of the Chinese nation and its most profound cultural soft power.” He argued that，

Core values， a fundamental factor for the texture and orientation of a culture， are the soul of cultural soft power and the key to building a nations cultural soft power. In essence， cultural soft power depends on the vitality， cohesion， and appeal of the core values of a nation.

To cultivate and disseminate the core socialist values we must take excellent traditional Chinese culture as the base.

In other words， the core socialist values must be nourished by the excellent traditional Chinese culture. The “Two Creatives” approach is based on such a consciousness of enhancing the states cultural soft power. This so-called close relation does not simply mean attaching the terms and propositions of traditional Chinese culture to the content of the core socialist values， but rather preserving and sublimating traditional Chinese culture by refining its spirit.

First of all， the structure of the core socialist values comprehensively elevates the leveled structure of core traditional values. Xi has stated，

The values of wealth and strength， democracy， civility， and harmony are for the state; those of freedom， equality， justice， and the rule of law for society; and those of patriotism， dedication， integrity， and friendship for citizens. They explain what sort of state and society we are striving for， and what kind of citizens we are cultivating. Since ancient times the Chinese people have developed their country through studying things to acquire knowledge， correcting thoughts with sincere intentions， cultivating the self， managing the family， governing the state， and safeguarding peace under Heaven. As we see it today， the principles of “studying things， correcting thoughts with sincere intentions， and cultivating the self” are for individuals; the principle of “managing the family” is for society; and those of “governing the state and safeguarding peace under Heaven” are for the state. What we put forward for the core socialist values is a combination of requirements for the state， society， and citizens， which represent the nature of socialism， carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture， draw on the best of world civilizations and reflect the spirit of the times.

In traditional Chinese society， Confucianisms Five Constant Virtues of benevolence， righteousness， propriety， wisdom， and faithfulness have long played a role in leading and regulating the state， society， and individuals as core values. This is shown in the structural setting of the Great Learning， which distinguishes between the state， society， and the individual. The shift from benevolence to benevolent government is the expansion of the original moral code into the value code of state power. The main meaning of righteousness and propriety is to take virtue and harmony as the values and norms of behavior in society. Wisdom and faithfulness mainly refer to the correct moral judgment and good moral quality of individuals.

Second， understanding traditional Chinese culture from the two major aspects of the generation and role of values is an important source of the core socialist values. Xi has said， “We should work hard to identify and explicate contemporary features of the excellent traditional Chinese culture as in pursuing benevolence， stressing people-orientation， holding to integrity， honoring righteousness， valuing harmony， and seeking comprehensive unity， and make this culture an important source of the core socialist values.” So， how should China go about doing this？ Xi has stated that， “Values appear and develop in the process of human beings getting to know and shape nature and society.” The four major concepts of benevolence， people-orientation， integrity， and righteousness are derived from the various relationships between subjects and objects， that is， benevolence is stressed in the relationship between self and the world as “the benevolent person regards Heaven， Earth， and the myriad things as one body”; people-orientation is stressed in the relationship between the state and the people as “as the people are the foundation of a state， if the foundation is secure then so is the state” （Book of History， “Lament of the Five Sons” [五子之歌]）; integrity is emphasized in the relationship between self and others （self and people） as “I do not know how a man without faithfulness can get by” （Analects 2：22）; and righteousness is stressed in the relationship between self and society （self and groups） as “that which is done in conformity with the standard of righteousness is called virtuous action” （Xunzi， “Rectifying Names” [正名]）.

Values play two main roles in the process of understanding and transforming nature and society， namely， they promote the development of things and provide the ultimate ideal. Harmony refers to the role of values in promoting the understanding and transformation of natural and social development as “harmony is the reality that produces things， while uniformity does not last” （Records of the States [国语]， “The State of Zheng” [郑语]）; seeking comprehensive unity means providing the ultimate value ideal for the understanding and transformation of nature and society as “when the Great Way holds sway， the world under Heaven is held in common” （Book of Rites， “Evolution of Rituals” [禮运]）. Therefore， identifying and explicating benevolence， people-orientation， integrity， righteousness， harmony， and comprehensive unity reveals the close ideological relationship between traditional Chinese culture and the core socialist values from the deeper level of the generation and role of values.

Third， in order to make the criteria for judgment， praise and criticism established by values consistent with peoples emotional identity and behavioral choices， it is necessary to incorporate values into daily life. Xi has argued that traditional Chinese culture provides an important historical lesson in this regard， namely， taking the building of the family as an important base：

The Chinese nation has always valued the family. As an ancient saying goes， “The family is the foundation of the world under Heaven.” Traditional Chinese family virtues include： respecting the elderly and loving the young; a worthy wife bringing her husband peace; a kind mother bringing up filial children; a younger brother admiring his elder brother and an elder brother being friendly with his younger brother; passing down the good traditions of reading and farming from generation to generation; running the family diligently and thriftily; being learned and practicing etiquette; observing discipline and obeying the law; a peaceful family prospers. These family values have been imprinted on our peoples minds and mixed into our blood.

It is justifiable to say that Confucianisms core values based on the Five Constant Virtues have been incorporated into the above-mentioned family virtues in concrete and depicted everyday life， so that everyone can perceive and comprehend them. This is fully reflected in the folktales of family virtues such as “Menciuss mother moving home three times” and “Kong Rong giving away bigger pears” that have been widely spread among the people for thousands of years， as well as the family principles， aphorisms， and childrens books represented by the Family Instructions of the Yan Clan [顏氏家训] and Rules for Disciples and Children [弟子规]. According to Xi， “No matter how the times change and how the economy and society develop， for a society， family is irreplaceable in terms of its economic and emotional support， social functions， and role in civic education. . . . We should foster and practice the core socialist values in our families.” He stressed the importance of promoting the excellent traditions of placing emphasis on life， learning， and conduct in the home and implementing the core socialist values from the big things to the little things， right down to the finest detail.

Making the “Two Creatives” the fundamental policy for the preservation and development of excellent traditional Chinese culture in the new era once again shows that the CPC has always been a faithful preserver and promoter of traditional Chinese culture.

Translated by Tong Xiaohua