Qiushi Journal Issue Preview: No. 20, 2024

A speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at a symposium on literature and art was republished in this year’s 20th issue of Qiushi Journal. 

Stressing the significance of literature and art for the Party and the people, Xi said they are a clarion call for us to embark on a new journey toward achieving the Two Centenary Goals and realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. Demonstrating the ethos of the times, literature and art will continue to play an indispensable role in the new era in which brilliant results will be expected from artists and writers.

Xi urged that after keeping in mind the importance of literature and art and their historic responsibility, writers and artists should follow a people-centered approach in literature and art creation and produce more outstanding works that disseminate contemporary Chinese values, pool national strength and inspire the Chinese people to march toward a brighter future.

According to Xi’s speech, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation cannot be achieved without the prosperity and vitality of Chinese culture. He called on artists and writers to produce more works with strong moral convictions and sentiments, which should also reflect great endeavors of the Chinese people and the progress of the times. He advocated that writers and artists should take the production of excellent works as the central task in literary and art work, ensuring that their works live up to our great era and our great nation.

Socialist literature and art is, in essence, the literature and art of the people, Xi said in the speech. He also believed that literature and art should serve the people and serve socialism by reflecting aspirations of our people. Since promoting socialist values is the essential requirement of socialist literature and art creation, the vast number of artists and writers should embody the core socialist values in their works in a lively and vivid manner, and make patriotism the everlasting theme of literary and artistic creation. During the process, we should keep in mind that the leadership of the Party provides a fundamental guarantee for the development of socialist literature and art and the Party’s leadership over literary and art work must be strengthened and improved. In his speech, he also stressed the need to attach greater importance to literary criticism.

Readers will also find in this issue an editorial piece inspired by Xi’s vision. 

The CPC Leadership Group of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles elucidates how literature and art can serve as powerful inspiration for the Chinese nation in the new era.

An article from the CPC Leadership Group of the China Writers Association illustrates the mighty force of literature in advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The CPC Leadership Group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism discusses how to deepen reforms in the fields of culture and tourism, and speed up efforts to cultivate a strong socialist culture.

The theoretical study group of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee explains efforts to deepen institutional reforms in the cultural sector in the capital city on the premise that the reform is carried out to the letter and to the highest standard.

The CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee vividly recounts the stories of Xu Limin, who is affectionately called a “soil cadre” by the local people due to his three decades of unwavering dedication at the grassroots level.

Ke Ruiwen, Party Secretary and Chairman of the China Telecom Corporation Limited, elaborates on China Telecom’s efforts to accelerate its transformation into a technology-oriented enterprise and contribute its part to building our country into one with stronger science and technology.

The series of reports on “Enhancing National Strength, Embracing a New Journey” offer vivid insights into the historic changes and achievements of China over the past 75 years, especially since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

This issue closes with a diagram released by the National Bureau of Statistics which shows China’s economic and social development in terms of market consumption over the past 75 years.

Editor: Yi Xiaowei