Xi Jinping's Cultural Reform Agenda

XI'S SPEECH IN CONFUCIUS' HOMETOWN OF QUFU (11/26/2013)

The two themes of the Qufu speech—the China Dream and China as a socialist cultural great power—pervade Xi’s thinking on the link between civilization, politics, reform, and soft power. Soft power, in this scheme, is not aggressive or domineering; it will flow from global recognition of China’s contributions to human intellectual and material welfare.

CHINA DREAM [中国梦] (01/01/2014)

“The China Dream means the Chinese people's recognition and pursuit of values, the building of China into a well-off society in a comprehensive way, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation… (It) also means that every Chinese will realize his own dream in fulfilling the China Dream, (which is) the highest common factor for the unity of the Chinese nation and (an expression of) the sincere aspiration of the Chinese nation to contribute to the mankind's peace and development.” 

XI JINPING'S CULTURAL POLICY STRUCTURE

The theoretical structure of Xi’s evolving cultural policy was laid out in an article published on May 11, 2016 in the Communist Party’s flagship paper, The People’s Daily, titled: “Writings that Compose the China Dream in the Spirit of Innovative Reform (New Thinking and Practice in National Governance) (以改革创新精神谱写“中国梦”的文化篇章（治国理政新思想新实践）). Like many Communist Party (CCP) theories, this one is presented as a numbered list to make it easier for Party members to summarize and transmit: “One core objective, Two crucial sections, Five systems.”

一个核心目标: 培育和弘扬社会主义核心价值观、建设社会主义文化强国
两个关键环节: 完善文化管理体制、深化国有文化单位改革
五个体系: 构建现代公共文化服务体系、现代文化市场体系、优秀传统文化传承体系、对外文化传播和对外话语体系、文化政策法规体系

One Core Objective
Foster and promote socialist core values, build socialist cultural great power.
Two Crucial Sections
Improve the cultural management system.
Deepen reform of public cultural agencies.
Five Systems
Modern Public Cultural Service System
Modern Cultural Market System
Traditional Chinese Cultural Inheritance System
External Cultural Communication and Discursive Power System
Cultural Policy and Regulatory System

CHINESE SOCIALIST CORE VALUES [社会主义核心价值观]

When he became China’s premier leader in late 2012, Xi Jinping inherited a problem that has been widely acknowledged in China since the boom era of the mid 1990s: as consumerism becomes the measure of success in the People’s Republic, the nation faces a crisis of ethics and moral culture. The officially atheist CCP dismisses religion as the opiate of the masses, but adheres to communism in name only. Many Chinese bewail the resulting absence of civic virtue that leaves citizens indifferent to the suffering of the poor and unwilling to make sacrifices for the common good. Xi’s prescription for these ills is socialist values with Chinese characteristics. These values—Xi’s catechism for the Chinese people—are listed on billboards spread over every city and town in China. The values are listed under the three levels at which they most urgently apply.

24 CHARACTERS SUMMARIZING CHINESE SOCIALIST CORE VALUES (12/23/2013)

National level: Prosperity, Democracy, Civilization, Peace

Social level: Freedom, Equality, Justice, Law
Individual citizen level: Patriotism, Dedication, Honesty, Friendliness

国家层面的价值目标: 富强、民主、文明、和谐
社会层面的价值取向: 自由、平等、公正、法治
公民个人层面的价值准则: 爱国、敬业、诚信、友善

XI'S SPEECH AT THE NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF IDEOLOGICAL PUBLICITY WORK (8/19/2013)

In order to promote Chinese characteristics, we need to first clearly understand that every nation and people have different historical traditions, cultures and fundamental realities lead to different paths of development. The Chinese culture nurtures the development of the Chinese nation. Chinese traditional culture is our deepest form of cultural soft power. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted in Chinese culture and reflects the will of the Chinese people. It has been adapted to contemporary development needs, but has historical roots and a broad realistic basis.

"宣传阐释中国特色，要讲清楚每个国家和民族的历史传统、文化积淀、基本国情不同，其发展道路必然有着自己的特色；讲清楚中华文化积淀着中华民族最深沉的精神追求，是中华民族生生不息、发展壮大的丰厚滋养；讲清楚中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的突出优势，是我们最深厚的文化软实力；讲清楚中国特色社会主义植根于中华文化沃土、反映中国人民意愿、适应中国和时代发展进步要求，有着深厚历史渊源和广泛现实基础。"

XI'S SPEECH AT THE NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF IDEOLOGICAL PUBLICITY WORK (8/20/2013)

“Ideological development, a crucial responsibility of the party, must underlie economic development. Only through developing material and spiritual civilization simultaneously can we successfully advance socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

“经济建设是党的中心工作，意识形态工作是党的一项极端重要的工作…只有物质文明建设和精神文明建设都搞好，国家物质力量和精神力量都增强，全国各族人民物质生活和精神生活都改善，中国特色社会主义事业才能顺利向前推进。”

XI'S SPEECH AT THE 13TH POLITBURO MEMBER GROUP STUDY MEETING (2/26/2014)

“The cultivation and development of socialist core values need to be grounded in traditional Chinese culture.”

“培育和弘扬社会主义核心价值观必须立足中华优秀传统文化。”

XI'S ADDRESS TO FACULTY AND STUDENTS AT PEKING UNIVERSITY (5/5/2014)

“The history of human social development demonstrates that the most long-lasting and profound power of a people and nation is core values recognized throughout society.”

“人类社会发展的历史表明，对一个民族、一个国家来说，最持久、最深层的力量是全社会共同认可的核心价值观。”

XI JINPING'S SPEECH AT THE 10TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LITERATURE AND ART AND THE 9TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE CHINESE WRITERS' ASSOCIATION (11/30/2016)

I hope that you can have firm confidence in China’s culture and inspire our national spirit with your artistic works. In order to rejuvenate the Chinese nation, we need to have firm confidence in the Chinese socialist path, theory, system, and culture. In order to create outstanding work with distinct national features, we must have a deep understanding of and confidence in China’s profound traditional culture. Artists should extract the essence and energy of Chinese culture and be confident in their cultural ideals, values, viability, and creativity, thus making their work a source of energy for the Chinese people and nation.

Culture is the soul of a country and a people. History and practice have both proved that any nation that abandons its own history and culture is not able to thrive. Such a nation risks tragedies of a historical scale. Confidence in one’s own culture is a broad, fundamental, and deep form of confidence. It provides more in-depth and long-lasting energy. Having firm confidence in its culture is crucial to a nation’s fate, cultural security, and independence.

"希望大家坚定文化自信，用文艺振奋民族精神。实现中华民族伟大复兴，必须坚定中国特色社会主义道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信。创作出具有鲜明民族特点和个性的优秀作品，要对博大精深的中华文化有深刻的理解，更要有高度的文化自信。广大文艺工作者要善于从中华文化宝库中萃取精华、汲取能量，保持对自身文化理想、文化价值的高度信心，保持对自身文化生命力、创造力的高度信心，使自己的作品成为激励中国人民和中华民族不断前行的精神力量。

文化是一个国家、一个民族的灵魂。历史和现实都表明，一个抛弃了或者背叛了自己历史文化的民族，不仅不可能发展起来，而且很可能上演一幕幕历史悲剧。文化自信，是更基础、更广泛、更深厚的自信，是更基本、更深沉、更持久的力量。坚定文化自信，是事关国运兴衰、事关文化安全、事关民族精神独立性的大问题。"

XI JINPING'S ADDRESS TO THE STUDY SESSION OF HU JINTAO'S SELECTED WORKS (9/29/2016)

"The core mission of contemporary Chinese Communist Party members is to have firm confidence in Chinese socialist path, theory, system, and culture and to continuously achieve new victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics."

"坚定中国特色社会主义道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信，不断夺取中国特色社会主义新胜利，是当代中国共产党人最核心的使命.

核心的民族精神和以改革创新为核心的时代精神，不断增强全党全国各族人民的精神力量。"

SOCIALIST CULTURAL GREAT POWER [社会主义文化强国]

XI'S SPEECH IN SHANDONG PROVINCE 11/26/2013

“The revival of Chinese culture supports the prosperity of our nation. The China Dream cannot be realized without the continuation and development of our civilization and cultivation and promotion of our culture…We need to strive to build a socialist cultural great power.”

“一个国家、一个民族的强盛，总是以文化兴盛为支撑的。没有文明的继承和发展，没有文化的弘扬和繁荣，就没有中国梦的实现。中华民族创造了源远流长的中华文化，也一定能够创造出中华文化新的辉煌。要坚持走中国特色社会主义文化发展道路，弘扬社会主义先进文化，推动社会主义文化大发展大繁荣，不断丰富人民精神世界，增强人民精神力量，努力建设社会主义文化强国。”

XI JINPING'S SPEECH AT THE 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CCP (7/1/2016)

"Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, broader and deeper kind of confidence. The most in-depth spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation lies in China’s more than 5,000 years of traditional culture, in the revolutionary culture developed by the Party and the masses’ great fight, and in its advanced socialist culture. It represents the unique spiritual mark of the Chinese nation."

"文化自信，是更基础、更广泛、更深厚的自信。在5000多年文明发展中孕育的中华优秀传统文化，在党和人民伟大斗争中孕育的革命文化和社会主义先进文化，积淀着中华民族最深层的精神追求，代表着中华民族独特的精神标识。"

For more information, please contact the Kissinger Institute at china@wilsoncenter.org