Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 12, 2024

The Connotation and Characteristics of the “New Cultural Life Form” — From the Perspective of the Chinese Path to Modernization

(Abstract)

Wu Hongzheng

Xi Jinping’s cultural thought introduces the significant and original concept of the “new cultural life form.” This concept refers to a cultural form emerging from the Chinese path to modernization, rooted in the “new culture” shaped by the “two combinations.” First, the introduction of Marxism to China provided the “soul vein” of this cultural life form, situating it within the global socialist movement and orienting it toward the goal of human freedom and emancipation, thus imparting a socialist-communist foundation. Second, the “new cultural life form” creatively transforms and innovatively develops upon the “roots” of China’s outstanding traditional culture, advancing the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization. In terms of its characteristics, while upholding the continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness of Chinese civilization, it demonstrates three specific traits: cultural subjectivity, cultural dialectics, and cultural universality.