Give Greater Prominence to Cultural Development

Give Greater Prominence to Cultural Development*

September 22, 2020

Building socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great undertaking defined by progress in all areas and endeavors. There can be no socialist modernization without a thriving socialist culture.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, we have raised cultural development to new heights. We have included confidence in our culture as part of the Four-sphere Confidence in Chinese socialism, along with confidence in our path, theory and system. We have reaffirmed the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological domain, which is fundamental to all systems of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have highlighted the promotion of the core socialist values as an imperative in upholding and developing Chinese socialism in the new era.

Recent years have witnessed historic achievements and shifts in our cultural development. This is the result of our continued efforts to clear up confusion and misunderstandings and innovate on the basis of what has worked in the past. All this has provided tremendous strength for upholding and developing Chinese socialism in the new era and for breaking new ground in all undertakings of the Party and the state.

I have emphasized on many occasions that we should have unwavering confidence in our culture and promote the creative transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture. We should carry forward revolutionary culture and foster an advanced socialist culture, so as to add new luster to Chinese culture and build China into a country with a strong socialist culture.

Culture is an important factor in advancing the Five-sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy. It is a fulcrum for high-quality development, an important element of our efforts to meet the people’s growing expectation for a better life, and a source of strength in overcoming risks and challenges on our way ahead. During the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025), we will give greater prominence to cultural development and strive for practical results.

We should uphold the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, base our efforts on Chinese culture, and continue to guide cultural development with the core socialist values. We should promote socialist cultural and ethical progress, and develop cultural undertakings and industries with a focus on our mission to uphold socialism, rally public support, foster a new generation with sound values and ethics, develop Chinese culture, and present a positive image of China. We will continue to reinforce China’s soft power, increase the influence of Chinese culture, and leverage the role of culture in building social norms, educating the people, serving society, and promoting development.

A sense of civic duty and pride is a key attribute of any modern country. Strengthening social norms and civil conduct will be a major task in building a great socialist culture, and we will make sustained efforts to pursue cultural progress. Ideas, attitudes, civilized customs and norms of conduct must be fostered to meet the requirements of the new era.

We should study and gain a deeper understanding of our Party’s innovative theories and promote regular education campaigns on ideals and convictions. We should strengthen education on the history of the CPC, the PRC, reform and opening up, and the development of socialism, and education on patriotism, collectivism and socialism. Through this education, we can help the people to build greater confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of Chinese socialism, and promote unity of thinking and spirit among all Chinese people.

We need to study the origin and characteristics of Chinese civilization and culture, and form a comprehensive system of ideas rooted in Chinese culture. We will continue to raise the people’s moral, ethical, and cultural standards, and encourage them to take part in voluntary service. We will build an honest society, and promote a sound environment on the internet. We should advocate hard work and thrift, resolutely oppose extravagance and waste, and create a social atmosphere in which thrift is honorable and waste is shameful.

Developing cultural undertakings is the best way to meet the people’s cultural needs and protect their cultural rights and interests. Ensuring that our culture serves the people and socialism, and keeping to the principle of letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend, we should comprehensively build up the press and publishing, radio, film and television, literature and art, philosophy and social sciences, and help them to flourish and prosper.

We must improve public cultural services so that our people can enjoy a richer cultural life of higher quality. We will integrate public cultural services between urban and rural areas to narrow the current gap by optimizing the allocation of cultural resources, improving the rural cultural infrastructure network, and increasing the total supply of public cultural services in rural areas.

What matters most in judging the quality and level of development of the cultural industry is not its economic returns, but whether it can provide more cultural products to meet the needs of the people and empower them. We should continue to give top priority to social benefits and integrate this with economic returns, further reform the cultural system, improve plans and policies for the cultural industry, and expand the supply of quality cultural products.

While following the trend of digitalization and transformation of traditional industries with digital technologies, we should develop new types of cultural business, transform and upgrade traditional cultural enterprises, and improve the quality, efficiency and core competitiveness of the cultural industry.

In accordance with China’s major regional development strategies, we should analyze the rules governing the development of the cultural industry and its resource factors, and foster a new development model for the industry. The cultural and tourist industries are inseparable. We should enrich tourism with culture and promote cultural prosperity through tourism to facilitate integrated development, so that people can appreciate culture and cultivate their minds while enjoying the beauty of nature.

* Part of the speech at a meeting with experts and representatives from education, culture, health and sports sectors.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)