Shen Zhuanghai：Chinese cultural confidence

Confronted with the overwhelming western culture in this new era, Chinese culture seems to be losing its former glory among its people. What lies behind the doubt on their traditions and the irrational craze for foreign cultures is a common yet diffident mindset. The lack of confidence in our own culture is very likely to be an obstacle to the goal of carrying forward and developing our excellent culture in this ever-changing world. Therefore, it is of vital significance to build up our confidence in Chinese culture through the enhancement of our traditional merits and the socialist core values. Only in this way can we play a more effective role in the exploration of a better social system and contribute to a richer world civilization.

Why to build up Chinese cultural confidence?

Our cultural confidence gives full explanation to the faith in the ideas, the values, the dynamic and the prospects of Chinese culture. It is also an embodiment of people’s belief in Chinese culture, agreement to its values and perseverance in its innovation and development. This is where our cultural subjectivity lies, on the premise of which can we stand stable in the new era and embrace the glorious developing culture.

For another thing, today, the world is like a melting spot where different ideologies and cultures collide with and permeate into each other. This collision and assimilation makes it a painstaking yet necessary task to build up our cultural self-confidence, otherwise Chinese culture may lose its standing in the forefront of human civilizations. Last century, the “west-superior” view once threw Chinese culture under the dust of the foreign ones. It was not until the Reform and Opening up, some 38 years ago, that enhancement of cultural confidence was put on the agenda with the improvement of China’s overall nation strength and national influence. Nowadays, the overwhelming trend of economic globalization and social information put forward a series of new questions to us: how to touch the pulse of the times? How to know our own culture in an objective manner? How to cope with the collision from outside? And how to carry forward the traditional cultural essences and realize the modern values? The key to these questions lie in the build-up of our cultural self-confidence.

President xi stresses that soft power is closely connected to national comprehensive strength and culture is the source of national spirit. We must boost the nation's cultural self-confidence so as to write a new chapter in national renaissance and to create a better future for our country.

What kind of cultural self-confidence we are to enhance?

Cultural self-confidence is positive spiritual state in cultural issues which covers a wide range of confidence in the cultural spirit, cultural competence and cultural road.

The self-confidence in the cultural spirit specifically refers to the faith in the Chinese one. In China, the cultural spirit means a value system based on empathy, humanity, honesty, integrity, justice, the harmony that gradually formed in the long history of tenacious pioneering as well as the socialist culture with Chinese characteristics deeply rooted in the 5000-years ancient civilization

The confidence in cultural competence is the belief that the Chinese nation is able to promote the development of cultural innovation. This goal can only be achieved by enriching Chinese culture through constant absorption of the essence from all human civilizations and exploration for better social system and more colorful human civilization.

The self-confidence in cultural road is the confidence on the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This cultural development path, with deep historical origins and extensive realistic basis, is based on the profound understanding of the history at home and abroad and the situation of contemporary culture development.

How to enhance cultural self-confidence?

The enhancement of cultural self-confidence relies on adhering to the "four self-confidence" principle, reinforcing the practical foundation of cultural self-confidence, creating outstanding cultural works. As president Xi said, to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must firmly strengthen the confidence on the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, theory, system and culture. In one word, we must make efforts to the combination of domestic development and international influence.

Rewritten by Xiao Zhenlai

Edited by Shen Yuxi and Hu Sijia