Xi's Thought on Culture provides road map for cultural advancement

Editor's Note: Xi Jinping Thought on Culture was formally put forward at a national meeting on the work of public communication and culture which was held in Beijing on Saturday and Sunday. Four experts share their views on the significance of the new thought with China Daily's Zhang Xi and Yao Yuxin. Excerpts:

'Second integration' crucial for China's modernization

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is the sublimation of the cultural advancement of the Communist Party of China and a reflection of the adaption of Marxist cultural theories to the Chinese context in the new era.

Xi has called for the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with traditional Chinese culture, also known as the "second integration", which builds on the CPC's "first integration" of theoretical synthesis — the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific reality.

The "two integrations", especially the "second integration", are crucial for China's modernization. They point us to the development path of Chinese civilization while overcoming the challenges of industrial civilization, and the aggression and bullying of Western powers since the First Opium War (1840-42), especially since the foundation of the CPC in 1921. In particular, the integrations tell how to handle the relations between traditional culture, modern culture and Western culture.

Hui Ming is a researcher at the China National Center for Cultural Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.