Keywords to Understand China

The Chinese Dream

Revitalizing the Chinese nation has been the greatest dream of the Chinese people since the beginning of modern times. It is called the Chinese Dream. It is a dream of prosperity， of national renewal， and of happiness. Fundamentally， it is a dream of the people， a yearning for a better life and a brighter future. And this is also what the Communist Party of China （CPC） has been striving for.

To make this dream come true， China must continue to follow the Chinese way of development， elevate the Chinese spirit， and boost national cohesion. The Chinese Dream is a dream of peace， development， cooperation and prosperity for all， benefiting not only the Chinese people but also the people of the rest of the world. Only by staying focused on achieving real results and making sustained， strenuous efforts can we bring our dream to fruition.

The Chinese strength

The Chinese strength lies in the support of the Chinese people， including Chinese workers， who constitute a dominant force， and those in nonpublic economic sectors and other emerging social groups. It builds on the unity and cooperation of the CPC and other political parties in China and people without party affiliation， and the unity of all ethnic groups on the basis of equality as partners that help each other and live in harmony. It is also highlighted by the unity of the people on Chinas mainland and in Hong Kong， Macao， and Taiwan， and overseas Chinese， and is reinforced by all other forces that can be mobilized and can contribute to achieving the common goals. It is the combined wisdom and strength of the 1.3 billion Chinese people， of whom over 82 million are CPC members， in their quest to make the Chinese Dream a reality.

The Chinese way of development

The Chinese way of development is a roadmap for development crafted by the CPC by applying the basic principles of Marxism to Chinas realities and current situation. Its essence is best captured by the concept of the socialist path with Chinese characteristics.

Institutionally， this roadmap envisions a socialist system with Chinese characteristics underpinned by the system of peoples congresses - the fundamental core of Chinas political fabric， multiparty cooperation and political consultation， and the dominance of public ownership supported by diverse forms of ownership. It also provides guidelines for the development of Chinas socialist market economy， emphasizing the need for macrolevel control， and the importance of complementing the role of planning with that of the market.

The Chinese way of development is also notably characterized by， inter alia， export-orientation， high savings rates and robust investment initiatives， as well as a focus on education and human resources development.

The overall approach to building socialism with Chinese characteristics

The overall approach to building socialism with Chinese characteristics is to promote economic， political， cultural， social and ecological progress. It is a holistic approach， with economic development as its central pillar and coordinated development in political， cultural， social， ecological and other areas pursued on the basis of continued economic growth.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics

The concept of socialism with Chinese characteristics was first highlighted by Deng Xiaoping when he addressed the opening ceremony of the 12th CPC National Congress in 1982. He emphasized the importance of integrating the universal truth of Marxism with Chinas realities， pursuing a path of its own， and building a socialist society with Chinese characteristics. Since then， this concept has been prominently embedded in the CPCs theoretical thinking and in all aspects of its work.

The concept consists of three pillars， namely our chosen path toward achieving our goals， a theoretical framework that offers guidance to action， and our political system that provides a fundamental basis to ensure that we proceed on the right track. All three pillars are integral to our great endeavor to build a socialist society with Chinese characteristics. By applying theoretical guidelines to practical needs， this concept provides a convincing answer to the central question： what type of socialism best suits the specific context of China， a large country with a huge population and a weak economic base， and how such a socialist society could be built.

General premise of socialism with Chinese characteristics

Socialism with Chinese characteristics is premised on the fact that China is in the primary stage of socialism. All reform initiatives by the CPC and the Chinese Government must be taken with due regard to present-day Chinas actual context. Efforts to promote economic， political， cultural， social and ecological progress must proceed on a clear understanding that China is still in the primary stage of socialism. Such an understanding should inform all aspects of our work， including long-term planning and day-to-day operations， even when our economic aggregates have shown clear improvement.

The Chinese spirit

The Chinese spirit is the bedrock of our nation. It embodies patriotism and the courage to reform and to blaze new trails. Far from promoting narrow nationalism， our patriotism is informed by an international vision and a sense of inclusiveness. The courage to reform and to blaze new trails has provided a powerful impetus for our push to make the Chinese Dream come true.

The overarching goals of socialism with Chinese characteristics

The overarching goals of socialism with Chinese characteristics are to bring about socialist modernization and the great renewal of the Chinese nation. Since its founding in 1921， the CPC has made it its historic mission to strive for national renewal. The objectives of Chinese revolutionary struggles， and the subsequent economic development and reform efforts by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC， have been none other than to secure a better life for the people， bring prosperity to the country， and bring about national renewal. Along the same lines， Chinas modernization strategy calls for building a modern socialist country that is prosperous， strong， democratic， culturally advanced and harmonious.

The system of socialist core values

The system of socialist core values was introduced by the 16th CPC Central Committee at its Sixth Plenary Session in October 2006. It encompasses the guiding principles of Marxism， the ideals of socialism with Chinese characteristics， the national spirit of patriotism， a commitment to reform and innovation， and a socialist honor code.