Create New Prospects for Chinese Literature and Art

Create New Prospects for Chinese Literature and Art*

December 14, 2021

A country will thrive only if its culture thrives, and a nation will be strong only if its culture is strong. China today is a nation of magnificent landscapes and open-hearted people, with a great future ahead. This era provides a huge and broad stage for our literature and art to thrive. It is incumbent on Chinese writers and artists to build the strongest possible socialist culture in our country. Take this responsibility on your shoulders and you can accomplish a great deal.

As writers and artists, you must have a deeper understanding of and greater confidence in our culture. Act with a stronger sense of purpose and mission to contribute to a culture that serves the people and socialism. Respond to the call to let a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend, and press ahead with the creative transformation and development of our fine traditional culture, upholding socialism, rallying public support, fostering a new generation with sound values and ethics, and building a better national image. Take on the great responsibility of nourishing the roots and forging the soul of our nation, and accomplish new feats in your literary and artistic creations based on our fine cultural traditions.

To this end, you should yourselves meet higher standards of virtue and moral integrity through self-cultivation. We expect you to produce more edifying works to encourage the people to improve themselves and embrace higher virtues and ethics, so as to create new prospects for Chinese literature and art, and add new luster to Chinese culture. This will provide a powerful force to guide values, strengthen cultural cohesion, and motivate the people to contribute to the achievement of the Second Centenary Goal and the realization of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Here, I would like to share with you some of my expectations.

First, I hope that as writers and artists you will champion the cause of national rejuvenation and invest your enthusiasm in showcasing the spectacular achievements of the Chinese nation on the new journey towards rejuvenation in the new era.

National rejuvenation has been the greatest dream of the Chinese people in the modern era. Over the past century the CPC has adapted the basic tenets of Marxism to China’s realities and its fine traditional culture, united the people across the country, and led them in writing a magnificent chapter in the history of human progress – the most brilliant in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation. China’s rejuvenation has become an irreversible historic process. We are closer to, more confident in, and more capable of achieving the goal than ever before. But we must be prepared to work harder than ever to get there.

Culture is the lifeblood of a nation, while literature and art sound the clarion call of the times. An ancient Chinese once said, “Literature is the channel by which ideas are disseminated.” As Chinese socialism has entered a new era and China has embarked on the new journey towards a modern socialist country, you writers and artists should firmly grasp the contemporary theme of national rejuvenation and closely integrate your life and artistic goals with the future of our country, the destiny of our nation, and the aspirations of our people. Your literary and artistic creations should record the history of national rejuvenation and portray the people’s endeavors on the journey, helping to boost this great undertaking, consolidate its foundations, shape the national spirit, and forge the soul of the nation.

Over the past 100 years, the CPC has led the Chinese people through a tenacious struggle to success in China’s transformation from standing up, becoming better off, and growing in strength, through its great leap forward from lagging behind to catching up with the times, and to steering current and future trends. In this process it has created an epic in the history of humanity.

As writers and artists, you need to see things from a broader perspective so as to develop an accurate understanding of the underlying trends of history and our times. A perfect command of the overall situation is as powerful as a million-strong army.

Your literary and artistic works should reflect the tremendous changes in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation and China’s historic achievements over the past hundred years. In them, you should advocate the national spirit with patriotism at its core and the spirit of our times with reform and innovation at its core, and champion the great founding spirit of the CPC and China’s underlying values.

For the Chinese people, the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics is one of overcoming new trials and challenges, creating a bright future and striving for a better life. There is a saying, “From a mountain top you will enjoy a broader outlook; down by the riverside you will enjoy a pleasant prospect.” Writers and artists need to keep pace with the times, and feel the pulse of art from the heartbeat of our era. Your literary and artistic creations should embrace the great struggle of hundreds of millions of people and depict their rich and colorful life. You need to draw inspiration for your subject matter from the changing times, from China’s advances, and from the call of the people. You should reveal the beauty of China’s history, landscapes and culture, showcase the people’s dedication, creativity and attainments, and present the prevailing features of the new era in every respect.

Second, I hope that you will stand firmly on the side of the people and create an enduring epic about the people. Fundamentally, socialist literature and art are from the people, for the people, and of the people. The people make the progress and prosperity of Chinese literature and art possible. You should take a people-centered approach, putting the people first. Their satisfaction should be the highest standard against which to judge the quality of your literary and artistic works. You should create more excellent works that meet the people’s cultural aspirations, build up their cultural strength, and let the flowers of art and literature forever blossom for the people.

People are the creators of history and of this era. Their individual struggles are bright chapters telling of their zeal for making history; when put together, they will form a shining epic. People are the wellspring of literature and art and an inexhaustible source of nourishment and inspiration. They offer a world of subjects that literature and art can build on. Literary and artistic works should sing the praises of the people’s efforts to make history, of all those who have contributed to national rejuvenation, and most of all of the heroes who have sacrificed their lives for others.

Mao Dun once said, “A writer of novels must not only have extensive life experience but also a well-trained mind, to be able to examine and understand complex social phenomena.” The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy observed, “Art is not a handicraft; it is the transmission of the feelings that the artist has experienced.” Life is the people, and the people are life. People are genuine and down-to-earth; they should neither be portrayed as fictional caricatures, nor be ridiculed for fun; they must be treated with respect. Only by engaging deeply with the people to understand their resilience in weal and woe can you gain an insight into the nature of life, feel the pulse of the times, and appreciate the aspirations of the people. Only in this way can you create thought-provoking works that have enduring appeal. The people should be the heroes in your works, and you need to think and feel the way the people are thinking and feeling and stay close to the people, showing empathy and opening your heart. You need to embrace the new era and enjoy the brilliance of life together with the people, and sing for them and for our era.

Literature and art excel in images, and the classical images of literature and art became the hallmark of the era they represent. All aspirational and capable writers and artists should increase their ability to study and understand life, constantly exploring new phenomena and people who represent the spirit of our age. Literature and art should come from life and transcend it. You should create more images that are fascinating, appealing and moving, with a style that integrates realism and romanticism, leaving as your legacy memorable artistic classics for future ages.

“Writing is about expressing ideas through the optimal use of words.” Works that encourage the pursuit of excellence and extol virtues and beauty can sound the clarion call of the times. Perfect goodness makes perfect beauty. Writers and artists should carry on China’s fine literary and artistic tradition of pursuing excellence and goodness, and promote the core socialist values through vivid language and images. You need to present what shows strength, morality and warmth, advocate what is healthy, and discard what is coarse. You are encouraged to create more excellent works from a fresh perspective that are thought-provoking and eloquent, in order to cultivate people’s aesthetic values and enrich their cultural life.

Third, I hope you will continue to innovate on the basis of what has succeeded in the past, and open up new horizons for literature and art with masterpieces that reflect the times we live in. It is through works that we evaluate the literary and artistic achievements of an era or the value of a writer or an artist. So, you should do your best to innovate and produce great works that do justice to our great nation and to this great era.

Through the ages, the most outstanding works of literature and art have invariably been those that best combine ideas and artistic expression. As a Chinese philosopher once put it, “A good and well-constructed argument makes one feel upright and righteous; only by feeling upright and righteous can one be eloquent and articulate; only with articulate eloquence can one create well-structured and meaningful writing.”

No work will have a soul and spread far and wide unless it is infused with the value of beauty and its theme and art form complement each other. As writers and artists, you should take quality as the lifeblood of your works and be strict in selection of content and meticulous in your artistic creation. You should think profoundly, strive to add more artistic and cultural value to your works, and make them a source of the people’s cultural strength.

Personal style is essential to literature and art. The writer Liu Qing said, “Those engaged in writing will become real writers only when they stop imitating others”; and “literature of each era has its own style”. You writers and artists need to respect and learn from your predecessors, but beyond that, you should have the ambition to outshine them. Have the courage to force yourselves towards a higher realm of creation by resisting the temptation to plagiarize, follow the fashion, or ride on the coattails of others.

China’s extensive and profound civilization embodies the distinctive traits of the Chinese nation. It underpins contemporary Chinese literature and art and provides valuable resources and inspiration for literary and artistic creation. Chinese culture always advocates the practice of “collecting even incomplete articles and essays from previous generations, and gathering even heritage that may have been neglected or ignored by our forebears”. To sustain its vitality, Chinese writers and artists should try to tap into the ideas, humanism and ethics of traditional Chinese culture, integrate artistic creativity with Chinese cultural values, and combine traditional and modern aesthetics. It is not the way of inheritance to hold fast to established conventions and follow the old ways; neither should it be called innovation to sever links with tradition purely to create a novelty. You need to properly handle the relationship between legacy and innovation, by learning from the past but not in a rigid manner, and by innovating but not breaking entirely with the past, so that China’s fine traditions can serve as a major source of innovation in literature and art.

Today, different forms of art are interconnected and different forms of expression converge. New technologies, including the internet, big data and artificial intelligence, have given birth to new forms of literary and artistic expression and expanded the space for creation. That said, we must understand that all techniques and methods are means to serve the content. While science and technology progress and innovation can help to update forms of artistic expression and rendition, life remains the essential source of inspiration for all literary and artistic works if they are to achieve depth and richness. New technologies and new methods should be employed as appropriate to stimulate creativity and inspiration, enrich cultural value, and express ideas and emotions, so as to make works broader and more meaningful.

Fourth, I hope you writers and artists will put your heart and soul into telling Chinese stories, and present China as a country worthy of friendship, trust and respect. As the Chinese people have always been firm champions of the common good of humanity, contemporary Chinese literature and art should always have the whole world in its sights. Writers and artists should have the confidence and ambition to carry on our traditional culture while developing it to reflect what is new in the world, and should produce more outstanding works that highlight Chinese aesthetics, spread contemporary Chinese values, and reflect the common values pursued by all of humanity.

People of different countries, though vastly different in their circumstances and prospects, share the same unremitting desire for a better life and face the same unyielding struggle to better their lot. These are themes that readily strike a chord. Marx once said, “What the nations have done as nations, they have done for human society.” We, the Chinese people, during our most arduous and bitter struggles, have applied our indomitable will and resolve along with unprecedented wisdom and strength to forge a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have created two wonders – rapid economic development and long-term social stability. We have created a new model for human progress, and dramatically increased China’s soft power. The international community deserves to be given a true picture of China’s development path and its successes, and to understand the transformation in Chinese people’s lives and thinking.

Literature and art facilitate communication and connect souls. You should root yourselves firmly in China’s earth to tell stories about China. With broader vision and greater confidence you should select the subjects that best represent the spirit of China, and make more images of Chinese culture widely known to the world. You should strive to present a lively and multidimensional China, and contribute to the building of a global community of shared future.

The cultural identity of a nation is often embodied in the national character of its literature and art. Writers and artists should keep Chinese culture in mind when communicating with other writers and artists around the world. It is important to attend to the artistic content and forms of the Chinese nation, inheriting and bequeathing the traditions of national folk literature and art by expanding their genres, forms and styles, and establishing the Chinese style in the world’s literary and artistic canon.

Fifth, I hope that writers and artists will keep to the right path and realize your life’s worth by pursuing both moral integrity and artistic success. As a Qing scholar said: “A cultivated person of noble and lofty aspirations can produce succinct and vigorous expressions of profound thoughts.” Literature and art must serve to cultivate virtue and nurture the mind. Be mindful of the connection between individual virtue, your social images, and the social impact of your works. Hold to the ideal, strive to be upright, promote integrity, and win a reputation for yourselves with your moral excellence and great works.

Those who undertake the mission of cultivating virtue and nurturing the mind must cultivate and nurture themselves first. Timeless classics are often the products of writers and artists who are open-minded, knowledgeable, talented and upright, and whose integrity can be read from the quality of their work. As an ancient writer said, “Writings, if useful to society, are never enough even if there are more than a hundred of them; while if useless, one single page is far too many.”

Artistic creation is a painstaking process. Excellence can never be reached overnight, but requires concentration, devotion, and sustained effort. There is no future for those who want to take shortcuts to quick results and superficial success, for those who dream of overnight fame and worldly wealth. Literature and art should be popular but not vulgar; they must be close to life but must never be the source or advocate of negative social influences; they must be innovative but should never descend into absurdity. It is not wrong for literature and art to pursue material success, but they cannot be all about money and must not become slaves to the market. Creation comes from heart and soul, good performance relies on ability, positive social image emerges from hard work, financial success depends on quality, and fame rests on moral integrity and artistic attainments. Humor in poor taste, sensationalism, reckless indulgence, and insatiable desire for wealth will only do harm to literature and art. You must work with profound respect, devote yourselves wholeheartedly to your profession, and work diligently to hone your skills and achieve genuine fame.

Self-improvement can never be an entirely personal matter for writers and artists. The moral standards of the literary and art sector will influence the cultural environment and society. Writers and artists are prominent forces in society; your every move will have an impact on the public. You must cherish that influence and take the social impact of your works into serious consideration. A writer or artist who does not have moral integrity will be rejected by the people and the times. Those who do not respect themselves will not win respect from others. Take your social responsibilities seriously, abide by the law, support public order, and uphold good morals. Guard against the temptations of mammonism, hedonism, and extreme selfish interests, and remain upright and incorruptible. Keep in mind the famous lines: “Holding my head high in defiance of the enemy’s attacks, bowing my head low in obedience to the people.” Exalt the true, the good, and the beautiful while rejecting the false, the evil, and the ugly. The positive should be acknowledged and praised openly, while the negative should be resisted and condemned without hesitation. Promote healthy trends and good morals, create a positive image of the literary and art sector, and foster a clean cultural environment that values self-esteem and mutual learning.

* Part of the speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of China Writers Association.

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