History and civilization

Continuing the historical context and writing a contemporary chapter

Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhang Xiaosong and Lin Hui. People’s Daily reporters Du Shangze and Zhang He

How does a country’s ever-growing historical context continue to be passed on?

How can a nation’s long-lasting civilization continue to flourish?

With such deep thoughts, from June 1-2, General Secretary Xi Jinping made a special trip to the China National Archives of Publications and Culture and the Chinese Academy of History for investigation and research, attended a symposium on cultural inheritance and development, and delivered an important speech from the perspective of the overall development of the party and the country. Seen from the strategic heights, it was a comprehensive and systematic in-depth exposition of a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning the inheritance and development of Chinese culture, and issued an inspiring call:

“We must strengthen our cultural self-confidence, take on the mission, work hard and work together to create a new culture that belongs to our era and build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation.”

The construction of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture and the establishment of the Chinese Academy of History are major decisions made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core.

“I have been wanting to visit these two museums for two years, but I have not found an opportunity. This time I made up my mind to spend two and a half days walking around and taking a look.” General Secretary Xi Jinping said.

On the afternoon of the 1st, General Secretary Xi Jinping drove to the foot of Yanshan Mountain, about 40 kilometers away from the central city of Beijing, to inspect the central headquarters of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture.

This place was originally an abandoned quarry. After ecological restoration, a magnificent group of antique buildings was built on the hillside.

“The China National Archives of Publications and Culture is a construction project I personally approved, and I have been paying close attention to it.” The general secretary looked around and said with a smile, “Located between mountains and rivers, Chinese classical architecture looks very appropriate.”

Stepping into the Wenhua Hall, bypassing the big screen, one is faced with the national archives exhibition hall – the National Study Room. There are 15 groups of giant bookcases around, displaying nearly 30,000 volumes of New China’s high-quality publications, creating a Chinese-style book collection space.

The general secretary approached the bookcase and observed carefully. A set of “Complete Works of Song Paintings” caught his attention.

“This is a project that Zhang Xi of Zhejiang University was in charge of when I was working in Zhejiang. First, he compiled the ‘Complete Collection of Song Paintings’, and later expanded to ‘Large Collection of Chinese Paintings in Past Dynasties’. The work was conducted not only in Zhejiang, but also called for extensive cooperation overseas,” the general secretary recalled.

At that time, it was due to Comrade Xi Jinping’s personal promotion and full support that the national major cultural project “Chinese Paintings of Past Dynasties”, which lasted more than 10 years, was successfully published. It features the majestic style of the Han Dynasty, the atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the elegant Song rhyme, and the elegant demeanor of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The soul of a country is transformed and molded by culture.

The general secretary looked at the starry sky dome in the central caisson on the top of the National Study Room. On the dome is a stone astronomical map of the Song Dynasty, marking the positions of the stars observed by the ancients. The stars are brilliant, vast and deep.

“The selection of this pattern conveys the implication of the ‘Wenhan Pavilion’ of the central headquarters of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture: Chinese civilization is as vast and bright as the starry sky.” Listening to his guide’s explanation, the general secretary nodded from time to time.

Archives are the carrier and medium for inheriting China's  excellent traditional  culture and are is the symbol and witness of the long history and prosperity of Chinese civilization. On the second floor of the Wenhua Hall, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the “Elegant Culture in Here – Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Civilization”.

The oracle bone inscriptions of the “Sifang Wind” in the period of King Wuding of the Shang Dynasty, the Song edition “Tanghu Poetry Draft”, the Song rubbing edition “Xilou Sutie”, the Tang manuscript “Miaofa Lotus Sutra”... a piece of precious oracle bones and bamboo slips , ancient books, engraving rubbings, etc., all show the brilliance of Chinese civilization and the extensiveness and comprehensiveness of Chinese traditional culture.

General Secretary Xi Jinping stopped to inspect from time to time and asked about the situation.

“This is a version of an ancient book that plays an important political role - the Ming Dynasty Langge manuscript “Shi Liuqiu Record”, which is an early version of the work that records that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands belong to China’s territory. It is recorded in this book: Ten days... Passing Pingjia Mountain, Diaoyu Island, Huangmao Island, and Chiyu Island... On the evening of the eleventh day, I saw Gumi Mountain, which belongs to the Ryukyu...” The staff explained in detail before the exhibits of the Ming manuscript “Records of Envoys to Ryukyu”.

“When I was working in Fuzhou, I knew that Fuzhou had a Ryukyu museum and a Ryukyu tomb, and that Fuzhou had a deep relationship with Ryukyu. At that time, there were thirty-six surnames of Fujian people who entered Ryukyu.” The general secretary emphasized that we must strengthen the supervision of classics and editions. Collect and sort out the work to inherit and develop Chinese civilization well.

In the Wenhua Hall, another thematic exhibition - “Editions Linlang”, displays the fine works and special editions of Chinese contemporary publishing.

Pointing to the different versions of “Xinhua Dictionary” in the booth, General Secretary Xi Jinping said to everyone: “I have used all these versions.”

The slightly yellowed version of the “Xinhua Dictionary” from the 1950s and 1960s evoked the general secretary’s thoughts:

“At that time, I was sent to northern Shaanxi. When I was working in the field, I carried a ‘Xinhua Dictionary’ in my pocket. When I was resting, I took it out and turned two pages, reading each word. Seeing how many pronunciations a word has , There are several meanings, how to use words is accurate. When we write articles, can we use five or six parallel sentences and five or six idioms at once? Not necessarily, the key is to choose the most accurate one , the best words, not ‘shaking the schoolbag’ and ‘dropping the schoolbag’.”

New Year pictures, comic strips and posters are the characteristic collections of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture.

“These villain books are all complete sets. I read them all when I was a child. ‘Tattooing of Mother-in-law’, ‘Niutoushan’, ‘Shooting Xiaoliang Wang’, ‘Double Gun Lu Wenlong’, ‘Little Shanghe’...” The general secretary was familiar with all of them. “These comic books are very educational, and the people who draw them were also very skillful.”

After the founding of New China, “Three Reds and One Creation (“Red Rock”, “Red Sun”, “Red Flag Spectrum”, “Entrepreneurship History”)”, “Green Mountains and Forests” (“Song of Youth”, “Great Changes in Mountains and Villages”, “Defending Yan’an”, “Lin Hai “Snow Field”)” and other classic red works had a wide impact on society.

The general secretary carefully watched the manuscripts and book editions of these works, and said with emotion: “I have read these books back then, and how many people have been inspired. These excellent old works and old films should also be taken out now to have a look and put them on display for a while.” put.”

Afterwards, General Secretary Xi Jinping walked into the Lantai Cave where editions of ancient books are preserved to inspect the preservation and collection of editions on the spot.

The word “Lantai” comes from “Hanshu·Biaoguangongqingbiao”. “Lantai in the palace, the secretary in charge of pictures and books”, which means the treasury for collecting classics.

Lantai Cave Library No. 1 is a special collection of engraving blocks, which preserves the engraving blocks of the Tripitaka in four languages: Han, Tibetan, Mongolian and Manchu. The engraving blocks made of high-quality pear wood and red birch wood still exude a unique charm after hundreds of years of wind and rain.

The general secretary slowly walked into the depths of the warehouse, carefully observed the precious cultural relics, and felt the atmosphere and heritage of the ancient civilization: “Walk around and experience it. These engravings and classics contain the wisdom, spirit, and culture of the Chinese nation. It also contains endless power.”

In No. 2 library, for the first time, the authentic and simulated photocopied versions of the ancient books of Wenyuan Pavilion, Wensu Pavilion, Wenjin Pavilion and Wenlan Pavilion of “Siku Quanshu” were displayed on the same stage, fully presenting the style of “Siku Quanshu” and realizing the “four treasures”. The combination of the pavilion and the four warehouses”.

General Secretary Xi Jinping listened in detail to the introduction of the edition origin, paper printing, protection and collection of “Siku Quanshu”, and told the staff:

“I am most concerned about the most precious things left by Chinese civilization after vicissitudes of life. Some classics of the Chinese nation have lost a lot in the erosion of the years. The only uninterrupted civilization in the world continues on.”

Walking out of the Lantai Cave, General Secretary Xi Jinping fully affirmed the establishment and management of the China National Edition Museum.

He emphasized: “The original intention of building the edition museum is to collect, that is, at our historical stage, to collect and protect all the classics and materials that can be collected since ancient times, and to continue to pass on the only uninterrupted civilization in the world. Shengshixiuwen, we Now I have the willingness and ability to handle this important event well.”

As far as the past can be seen, the future can be seen as far as possible.

The Chinese Academy of History is located on the “cultural ridge” that connects ancient and modern times – the cultural complex in the central area of Beijing Olympic Park on the north extension of Beijing’s central axis. The role of learning from the past and educating people from government and education contributes to the promotion of the development of Chinese history research and the strengthening of international exchanges and cooperation in Chinese history research.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the Chinese Academy of History for investigation and research.

The Chinese Archaeological Museum in the courtyard is the first museum named after archaeology in my country. A “Historical Avenue” shows the important nodes and major events of my country’s historical development in the form of a time axis, engraving the long history of Chinese civilization.

The general secretary stepped into the exhibition hall, walked along the “historical avenue”, and inquired carefully about the latest archaeological excavation results and the protection of cultural relics exhibits.

“This is a Dakou pottery statue unearthed at the site of Yuchi Temple in the Neolithic Age in Mengcheng, Anhui Province, about 4,800 years ago.” The guide pointed to a pottery exhibit. “Its special feature is that there are symbols on the utensils. They are in the shape of ‘sun’, ‘month’ and ‘mountain’ respectively. The abstract expression and combination have surpassed simple pictures, allowing us to see the embryonic form of Chinese characters. The earliest pottery in our country appeared as early as 16,000 years ago.”

“Is China the country with the earliest origin of pottery in the world?” the General Secretary asked the narrator.

“Yes.”

“Is it ‘one of the earliest’ or ‘the earliest’?” the General Secretary asked again.

“Yes, the early pottery found in other places in the world basically spread after it originated in China.”

Neolithic “7,000-year-old” pottery human face statues, pottery flat pots with Zhu script characters, painted dragon pattern pottery plates, turquoise dragon-shaped utensils from Erlitou site in Xia Dynasty, ivory cups in Shang Dynasty, bronze sacrificial statues in Zhou Dynasty... one piece This exquisite unearthed cultural relic vividly shows the historical footprints of the ancestors of the Chinese nation who have gone through many difficult roads and opened mountains and forests.

“Things made more than 4,000 years ago are so exquisite”, “This technology was very advanced at that time”, “It’s so beautiful! The craftsmanship is so exquisite”... The general secretary walked and watched, sincerely admiring the ingenuity of ancient Chinese people and the splendor of ancient China civilization.

“It’s very rewarding to see the National Edition Museum and the Chinese Academy of History. I feel more deeply that Chinese culture has a long history and Chinese civilization is profound and profound.”

With such a deep understanding, General Secretary Xi Jinping then attended a symposium on cultural inheritance and development in the conference room on the seventh floor of the Chinese Academy of History.

At the meeting, Yang Geng, professor of Beijing Normal University, Wang Bo, vice president of Peking University, Peng Gang, vice president of Tsinghua University, Xing Guangcheng, director of the China Frontier Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Fan Di’an, chairman of the Chinese Artists Association, Mo Mo, senior professor of humanities and social sciences at Nanjing University Li Feng has successively promoted the combination of the basic principles of Marxism with the excellent traditional Chinese culture based on contemporary Chinese practice, inherited Chinese civilization, promoted the compilation and research of the complete “Confucianism and Tibet”, promoted the development of cultural inheritance through exchanges and mutual learning, and promoted cultural inheritance. Speeches were made on the development and promotion of exchanges and integration of various ethnic groups, the promotion of Chinese excellent traditional culture in literary and artistic creation, and the popularization of classical classics to promote traditional culture.

“Everyone speaks from different angles. They are concise and to the point, very inspiring.”

After carefully listening to everyone’s speeches, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Culture is related to the foundation and destiny of the country. During this period of time, I have been thinking about the major proposition of promoting the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. This is also the reason for holding this forum. The reason for it.”

Amid warm applause, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech.

Talking about deeply grasping the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization, the general secretary listed many important elements in the excellent traditional Chinese culture in one breath——

The social ideal of the world being the public and the great harmony of the world, the governance thought of the people as the foundation of the country, the governance of politics and morality, the tradition of unity of the Kyushu and the unity of pluralism, the feelings of the family and the country that are responsible for the rise and fall of peace and prosperity, and the virtues of the world. , the spiritual pursuit of Mingde Hongdao, the economic ethics of enriching the people, enriching people’s lives, and taking into account righteousness and interests, the ecological concept of the unity of man and nature, and the coexistence of all things, the philosophical thought of seeking truth from facts, and the unity of knowledge and action, and the thinking of dual-purpose, keeping the middle and achieving harmony The method, the way of communicating with each other by emphasizing trust and repairing harmony, being kind to benevolent neighbors...

The general secretary emphasized that these elements together shape the outstanding continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and peace of Chinese civilization.

Talking about the great significance of deeply understanding the “two combinations”, the general secretary summarized it into five aspects and gave a vivid discussion——

“Combination is not a platter, not a simple physical reaction, but a profound chemical reaction, creating an organically unified new cultural life body”;

“Why is our socialism different? Why is it full of vigor and vitality? The key lies in Chinese characteristics, and the key to Chinese characteristics lies in the combination of the two”;

“The road of socialism with Chinese characteristics was developed under the guidance of Marxism, and it also emerged from the history of Chinese civilization of more than 5,000 years”;

“Chinese-style modernization is the modernization of the continuation of ancient civilizations, not the modernization of the elimination of ancient civilizations; it is the modernization that grows from the land of China, not the modernization of other countries; it is the result of the renewal of civilizations, not the product of civilization breaks.” ...

The incisive interpretation and in-depth analysis guide people to realize more deeply that the “combination of the two” is the only way to open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the basis of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

Talking about better shouldering the new cultural mission, the general secretary summed up a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new conclusions put forward in cultural construction since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China——

Emphasize upholding and strengthening the party’s overall leadership over ideological and cultural work, shouldering new cultural missions, building a socialist cultural power, and creating new glories of socialist culture;

Emphasize the fundamental system of adhering to the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, promote the modernization of Marxism in China, and build a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership;

Emphasize upholding cultural self-confidence, promoting the prosperity of socialist culture, and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation;

Emphasize that the core values of socialism should be used to guide cultural construction, extensively carry out publicity and education on socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese dream, so that all the people can closely unite in terms of ideals, beliefs, values, and moral concepts;

Emphasize accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, taking our country’s reality as the starting point for research, explaining the Chinese path, interpreting Chinese practice, and constructing Chinese theories;

Emphasize promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese excellent traditional culture, so that Chinese culture can show permanent charm and the style of the times;

Emphasize improving the dissemination of news and public opinion, guidance, influence, and credibility, promoting the main theme, spreading positive energy, and consolidating and strengthening mainstream ideology and public opinion in the new era;

Emphasize adhering to the people-centered creative orientation, putting social benefits first, and launching more excellent works that enhance the spiritual power of the people;

Emphasize the need to protect historical and cultural heritage like cherishing your own life, strengthen the protection and utilization of cultural relics and the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, and protect the Chinese context;

Emphasize that Chinese-style modernization is a modernization in which material civilization and spiritual civilization are coordinated, which can promote the common prosperity of the spiritual life of all people and promote the all-round development of people;

Emphasize forging the consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation and building a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation;

Emphasize that if you cannot master the Internet, you will not be able master long-term governance. We must turn the variable of the Internet into an increment of career development, cultivate a positive, healthy, and positive Internet culture, and build an Internet civilization;

Emphasize the promotion of national cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture, strengthen the construction of international communication capabilities, tell Chinese stories well, and promote Chinese culture to go global;

Emphasize carrying forward the common values of all mankind, implementing global civilization initiatives, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, enriching the garden of world civilizations, and so on.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that these important viewpoints are a theoretical summary of the practical experience of the party’s leadership of culture construction in the new era, and are the fundamental principles for doing a good job in publicizing ideological and cultural work. They must be implemented for a long time and continuously enriched and developed.

To continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a culturally powerful country, and build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new historical starting point, we must strengthen our cultural self-confidence, uphold openness and tolerance, and uphold integrity and innovation.

In the new era, how can the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people make new and greater contributions to the garden of human civilization?

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s firm and powerful words span time and space and guide the future:

“The best inheritance of history is to create a new history; the greatest respect for human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization.”

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 3)