Transforming and Boosting Traditional Chinese Culture in a Creative Way

Guo Qiyong

The political report delivered at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） in 2017 categorically stated that， “We must promote the creative evolution and development of excellent traditional Chinese culture” （hereinafter referred to as the “Two Creatives”）. This is a project for our times. To promote the healthy development of Chinese culture， we need to learn from the experiences of various countries， nationalities， and ethnic groups in the East and the West， and draw on their strengths. We also need to mobilize our own cultural resources and break new ground based on our traditional culture.

Today， Chinese culture faces a complex scenario in its development. From the point of view of time， it involves both tradition and modernity and is geared to the past， present， and future. From the point of view of space， Chinese culture is a vast mixture including both East and West， mainstream and marginal， higher and lower， and elite and folk aspects. From the perspective of both time and space， Chinese culture is riddled with contradictions between contemporaneity and Chinese identity， between secular life and religious beliefs， and between daily ethics and ultimate concerns. Therefore， when we discuss Chinese culture， we can only base our thoughts on reality and build on past successes to further advance our cause， that is， mobilize tradition on the basis of reality and be geared toward the future; we should neither be obsessed with the past nor fetishize the future. We should transform the content， patterns， and expressions of traditional Chinese material culture， institutional culture， and value culture， giving them contemporaneity and activating their vitality.

Chinese culture is constantly developing， and its higher aspects displayed different characteristics in different periods. For example， the hundred schools of thought in the pre-Qin period， the studies of the classics in the Western and Eastern Han dynasties， the Dark Learning of the Wei and Jin dynasties， the Buddhism of the Sui and Tang dynasties， Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties， and the school of exegesis and textual analysis in the Qing dynasty， to name a few， all suggest that there were different cultural styles at different times. The hundred schools of thought in the pre-Qin period， the vast and profound culture of the Han and Tang dynasties， and the rich and varied folklore of the Song dynasty have all constituted valuable cultural roots. From the Southern Song dynasty， Confucianism， Buddhism， and Daoism were essentially the mainstream culture in China. These three aspects of Chinese culture were made easier and simpler so that they could be embraced by the public. Ordinary people did not necessarily read the Four Books， Five Classics， Laozi and Zhuangzi， or Buddhist scriptures， but through opera performers and storytellers， as well as through manuals for enlightenment and folk proverbs， they were imbibed with words full of Chinese values， such as： “riches are as worthless as dust， while benevolence and justice are of utmost value”; “do not consider any good deed as so small that it can be neglected; do not consider any vice as so small that it can be practiced”; and “families accumulating good deeds will reap benefits， while those accumulating bad deeds will suffer misfortune.” I believe that many of us have had such experiences and been enlightened by such education.

I have summarized the qualities of the essence of traditional Chinese culture into six points： promoting harmony within diversity and supporting the world through virtue; robustly pursuing self-improvement and seeking ceaseless creativity; upholding the supremacy of benevolence and righteousness， and valuing independence of personality; regarding the people as the foundation of the state， and holding that a state can enjoy peace only when its foundation is strong; understanding holistically and thinking dialectically; and governing worldly affairs practically and pragmatically， abstaining from extravagance and pursuing frugality.

I have also summarized the essence and characteristics of Chinese philosophy into seven points： continuity of being and vital naturalism; holistic harmony and unity of Heaven and humanity; ceaseless self-improvement through creation and innovation; cultivation of virtue and inward transcendence; construction of order and demand for justice; concrete reason and image–number thinking; and unity of knowledge and action and the spirit of simplicity. This is， of course， a generalization of the culture of the elite at the top. Fortunately， in Chinese culture， elite culture and folk culture are not opposed to each other， but rather intertwined.

We should comprehensively understand and analyze the attributes and characteristics of traditional Chinese culture in order to “sublate” it. The term “sublate” has two meanings： overcome and preserve， or what we often call “critical inheritance.” Therefore， in understanding the strengths and values of cultural traditions， we must be highly critical， facing up to and examining the inherent insufficiencies， weaknesses， and defects of Chinese culture. This is integral for completing the “Two Creatives” project.

Preserving the Root and Source of Our Culture While Remaining Open and Inclusive [Refer to page 5 for Chinese. Similarly hereinafter]

As the Chinese saying goes， “The ocean is great because its vastness welcomes all rivers.” Chinese cultural traditions are open and inclusive. Over the past hundred years， Marxism-Leninism， traditional Chinese culture， and modern Western culture have been integrated to form todays Chinese culture. As Chinas mainstream culture， this modern mixture has a source， that is， the excellent cultural traditions of China. Although the theory and practice of socialism are different from the social ideals of ancient times， they are inextricably linked. Traditional Chinese culture is the soil for the spread of Marxism in China， and the new traditions integrating Marxism-Leninism and Chinese and Western cultures are both a crystallization of and a foundation for the “Two Creatives.”

It should be noted that Chinas contemporary new cultural mixture of Marxism-Leninism and Chinese and Western cultures is a product of the transformation of Chinese cultural traditions and Western culture and it has neither accepted nor abandoned them in their entirety. Both the most successful preservation and protection of traditional culture and the most successful introduction， absorption， and digestion of foreign culture should be continuously developed and innovated to integrate diverse and modern elements into the content and form of Chinese culture， thus transforming reality and tradition and reshaping the spirit of contemporary China.

Xi Jinping has stated that in its thousands of years of history， the Chinese nation has developed the cultural tradition of stressing “benevolence， people-orientation， integrity， righteousness， harmony， and comprehensive unity，” advocating “the world under Heaven as held in common，” emphasizing “the unity of knowledge and action，” and arguing that “oppositions are also mutually enabling.” All this manifests a practical way of thinking and an ideal of great harmony. Marxism and Chinese culture have a great deal of inherent compatibility. The fusion of Marxist thinking and values with excellent traditional Chinese culture is the basis for the extensive spread and concrete development of Marxism in China. It should be seen that this is a form of Marxism adapted to a Chinese context that retains the advantages and disadvantages of both traditions.

Over the past two years， humanity has faced the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to relevant data， by early August 2021， the cumulative number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 200 million， with more than 4.25 million deaths. In July 2021， heavy rains in Zhengzhou， Henan Province and other places caused disasters， exposing deficiencies in the design and construction of subways and tunnels， and posing new challenges to modern urban construction and peoples life. The emergence and recurrence of natural disasters is a longstanding and universal problem in human society， and raises many deep-seated questions about the development of our country. In todays modern society， the contradictions between nature and human action and between technology and humanity are more prominent， the negative impact of disasters on modern society and modern people is increasing， and peoples psychological ability to withstand them is more fragile.

We need to discuss the survival and development of human beings and world culture， as well as the survival and development of the Chinese people and Chinese culture， in the context of the harmony between “Heaven， Earth， humanity， things， and the self.” The survival experience and wisdom of the ancients that “humanity forms one body with Heaven， Earth， and the myriad things” is not out of date and can be a great inspiration for modern people. Chinese culture is rich in such treasures， and the key lies in a deeper understanding of our traditions.

Many scholars still remain at the level of the superficial cultural criticism of the May Fourth Movement in 1919. Chinese culture has its own internal rationality and its own strengths and weaknesses. Our new culture is predominant， but it is not blindly arrogant or exclusive of other cultures. For traditions， we should build on their strengths and criticize their weaknesses rationally; for reality， we should expand the space for society， encourage the development and active participation of more social organizations， and strive to realize “big society， small government.” From the perspective of our practice， we should also prevent the interference of utopianism and extreme-left ideas， and be vigilant and critical of populism and national chauvinism.

Promoting Scientific Logic and Changing the Way of Thinking  [6]

Our traditional culture has many shortcomings. For example， it was comparatively weak with regard to the traditions of epistemology and logic， the spirit of science， logical analysis， and careful argumentation. It was lacking in the traditions of “knowledge for knowledges sake” and “study for studys sake.” It is of particular note that Confucianisms tendency to “emphasize governance over technology” and “stress the dao at the expense of instruments” suppressed Mohism and other schools that sought to carry out scientific research， including certain Confucian schools and figures. In modern times， this has been supplemented by the introduction of Western culture and by learning from its strengths， but it is not yet sufficient.

General ways of thinking include linear thinking and non-linear thinking. Formal logic belongs to the former and dialectical logic belongs to the latter. For we Chinese， we should emphasize the basic education of formal logic and linear thinking， emphasize certainty， procedures， steps， and thoroughness of thinking， and prevent uncertainty and slippage of thinking. In terms of styles， there are intuitive and analytic thinking， dispersive and aggregative thinking， and habitual and creative thinking. Analytical and dispersive thinking contributes to thoroughness of thinking. Intuitive thinking is somewhat related to creative thinking， but we should still emphasize analytical thinking as the basis.

Today， digital technology， artificial intelligence， and other high-tech industries are developing at a rapid pace. The rapid progress of science and technology has brought new opportunities and possibilities. The production， dissemination， and application of knowledge have overturned traditions. Big data， massive storage， and convenient search engines have opened up new areas for academic growth. In the present era， we need to further value and embrace the technological revolution， and use it to reform our vague and generalized ways of thinking. After the Covid-19 outbreak， the results of big data and artificial intelligence have been used and China has made remarkable achievements in the construction of public health and public order. In Chinas social and cultural development， the prospects for scientific and logical thinking are vast. At the same time， we should not emphasize scientism and technocracy at the expense of humanism.

Building an Independent Character and a Free Personality Suited to the Common People [7]

Marxism advocates an ideal society in which every individual develops freely and comprehensively. Constructing sound values and institutions of democracy and freedom is the task given to us by the times. Since modern times， several generations of Chinese intellectuals have made unremitting efforts to fight for free will and independent spirit. Without a free mind， there can be no independent personality. We encourage individuals to have the freedom of mind and independent personality so that they will not simply go with the flow. We encourage individuals to remain spiritually independent so that they have the independent character， unique opinions， and autonomous behavior needed to avoid depending on others or authority. We oppose slave-like and dependent personal relationships， and advocate free-thinking， free expression， and free development， and the courage to doubt and criticize.

As Feng Qi 馮契 （1915–1995） said， the virtue of freedom is to have the full development of the essential forces of knowledge， intention， and emotion， and then to achieve the unity of truth， goodness， and beauty. And with the virtue of freedom， realizing that “I” have a sincere sense of completeness that is “sufficient for myself not to depend on others，” “I” can recognize the absolute and infinite in the relative and finite， that is， “I” can reach the ideal ontological realm. It is through practice， that is， the free and conscious activity of human beings， that the state of wisdom is reached. This leap from knowledge to wisdom is a dialectical unification of the principles of nature and humanity through free labor， namely free sensual activity， and it also develops human rationality and irrationality， unifies the free personality and collective spirit， and moves toward the ideal goal of personal liberation and great harmony through the dialectical process of knowledge and practice， including the process of rational intuition and virtuous self-evidence. Therefore， Fengs process of reaching the transcendental domain beyond language is at the same time the process of realizing the well-rounded development of the individual and the ideal personality of the common people in the practice of life. His rational intuition， speculative synthesis， and virtuous self-evidence are all part of social practice， cultural creation， and the full and free development of human nature.

The Vitality of Chinese Culture Lies in the People， Focusing on the Way of Being Human in Practice [7]

From the viewpoint of cultural preservation， the diversity of concrete peoples lives has promoted the flourishing of academies around the country. These academies represent an innovation based on traditional academies， and they are generally made possible by government， business， and academia cooperating in providing policy support， financial resources， and teachers. They greatly promote education and the preservation of the traditional peoples culture today. According to my personal observations， the Beijing-based China Culture College， Sanzhi Academy， and Sihai Confucius Academy， the Shandong-based Nishan Shengyuan Academy， Qufu Zhusi Academy， and Jiaxiang Zengzi Academy， the Hunan-based Changsha Yuelu Academy and Miluo Quzi Academy， the Guiyang Confucius Academy， the Hubei-based Jingxin Academy and Wuhan Wenjin Academy， and the Zhengzhou Benyuan Community Academy have all created their own successful experiences in light of local conditions， allowing people to understand the history and reality of Chinese culture， promoting the preservation and development of the essence and values of traditional Chinese culture at the grassroots level of civil society.

Chinese culture is not about the past， but about the present and about the future. As the context of the times changes， so must the culture. Regardless of how much the current mode of production， lifestyle， and social interaction have changed， our realistic concern still lies with the Chinese people. The key to the creative transformation of traditional Chinese culture in the present and contemporary times still lies in how we can be modern Chinese people. The excellent traditional Chinese culture provides some cultural background and roots for the spiritual personality， cultural style， and the way of life of these people in the new era. Chinese culture， such as Confucianism， Buddhism， and Daoism， is in fact about the ordinary way of being human in practice.

However， there are still things that remain unchanged in the midst of change. For example， the common sense of being human will not change. We should at least not cross ethical redlines， and must also meet the basic requirements of a sound personality in our pursuit of ideals and a loftier and more fulfilling life. In the process of acquiring a sound personality， we can find some cultural nourishment and basis from traditional cultural resources such as Confucianism， Buddhism， and Daoism， the pre-Qin hundred schools of thought， and Song–Ming Neo-Confucianism. In the modern era of such rapid change， when everyone is seeking wealth and the state is seeking strength， the rapidly changing technological revolution， robotics， and artificial intelligence present us with challenges. But no matter how the country changes， one thing remains the same， that is， people should keep pace with the times， pursue truth， goodness， and beauty， and cultivate a sound personality. Sun Yat-sen proposed to improve peoples character and seek improvement for both the state and its people. In this regard， I think that this has been the same both in the past and at present， and both in China and elsewhere， and it boils down to the way of being human in practice.

In Chinese culture， knowledge， values， and beliefs are interrelated， but they can also be separated. Therefore， we must promote construction in terms of systems of knowledge and lay a foundation for them. We should have a basic knowledge of Marxism-Leninism and both Chinese and Western cultures， and then we should find out which values are embedded in this knowledge， and which beliefs are found in values layer by layer.

We should leave our ivory towers to engage with the people and understand what they are thinking. The people are first of all concerned with how they live， about their own food， clothing， housing， and transportation. In addition， they also have their spiritual needs. These needs are not simply to speak some grand yet empty words， but rather to seek Western， Chinese， and Marxian aphorisms and ideas that are useful in their personal interactions. What is the soul of Marxism？ I think it is the unity of truth， goodness， and beauty. The pursuit of a fully and freely developed personality is one of the most fundamental aspects of Marxism and contemporary Chinese Marxism. This is also what it has in common with traditional Chinese and Western cultures as I mentioned earlier. Therefore， it takes a degree of skill and a practical process to understand the theory and be able to explain it in the language of the common people.

The “Two Creatives” are not an end in itself， but a process; the nurturing and growth of the living people is the end. Our goal is the free and well-rounded development of modern Chinese people. We should respect human life and free will and do everything to promote the freedom and creativity of the people. Here， we have to draw on the essence of ideas from excellent traditional Chinese culture and reconstruct it in light of Marxism with modern Western culture. There is still a process of uplifting and educating the common people， but of course it is more about the peoples self-education. The modern academies are new schools to improve peoples scientific， humanistic， and moral qualities and to achieve free and well-rounded human development， and they are also a very good form of self-education for the people.

Translated by Tong Xiaohua