Speech at the Forum on Literature and Art
Speech at the Forum on Literature and Art
October 15, 2014
XI JINPING
This is indeed a gathering of great minds today. Among us are esteemed veteran writers and artists as well as rising young talents in the field of literature and art. Among us are comrades I have known well over the years and new friends I am meeting for the first time. It gives me great pleasure to meet with all of you.
Literature and art are an important cause and a vital front for both our Party and people. Over the years, our writers and artists have dedicated themselves to creating, performing, studying, and disseminating literary and artistic works. Working hard to serve the people in their respective fields, they have produced remarkable achievements and made important contributions. Thanks to your concerted efforts, Chinese literature and art have enjoyed a surge of splendid accomplishments with “a hundred flowers blooming in concert,” creating a vibrant and flourishing cultural landscape. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you and to extend sincere greetings to all writers and artists across the nation.
I have wanted to convene this meeting for some time, and today we finally have the opportunity to do so. The main purpose of this meeting is to hear your opinions and suggestions, to analyze the current situation and exchange ideas together, and to discuss plans for promoting the flourishing of China’s literature and art. The speakers we have heard from have made some excellent points, and their thoughtful and insightful remarks have given me much food for thought. Now, I would like to discuss five issues with you.
I. A thriving Chinese culture is essential for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
Why do we attach such importance to literature and art and to our work in this field? Let us first consider this issue in view of the development trends in China and around the world. As I have said before, national rejuvenation is the greatest dream of the Chinese people since the advent of modern times. Today, we are closer than at any time in history to realizing this dream, and we are more confident and capable than ever of doing so. However, if we are to succeed, we must place great emphasis on and give full play to the important roles of literature and art as well as our writers and artists.
President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at an opening ceremony of both the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the China Writers Association at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, December 14, 2021. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER RAO AIMIN
Culture is an important force behind the existence and development of a nation. Every leap forward for human society and civilization has been accompanied by historic cultural progress. With a history stretching back more than 5,000 years, the Chinese nation is long considered one of the great powers of pre-modern times. Over the course of several millennia, the going has not always been smooth for our nation; we have encountered countless hardships and difficulties, but we have always pulled through and emerged stronger. One important reason for this is that countless generations of Chinese people have nurtured and developed a unique and profound culture, which has provided our nation with a powerful source of inspiration to overcome adversity and keep making progress.
In The Origin and Goal of History, German philosopher Karl Jaspers identified the period between 800 BC and 200 BC as the Axial Age. This was a breakthrough period for human civilization when places like ancient Greece, China, and India spawned many great thinkers. Their ideas and principles shaped the traditions of different cultures and have continued to influence people’s lives to this day. This is a very profound and insightful observation. Throughout history, China’s position and influence in the world has never relied on military might or outward expansion, but rather on the compelling power and appeal of its culture. Very early on, our ancestors realized that “if distant peoples are not won over, then cultivate culture and virtue to attract them.” When examining the endowments, distinctive features, and spirit of the Chinese nation, one important aspect to consider is our belief in persuading people with virtue and educating people with culture.
President Xi Jinping chairs and delivers a keynote speech at the Forum on Literature and Art, Beijing, October 15, 2014. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER JU PENG
Looking at both the past and the present, it is clear that human civilization is the shared creation of all countries and all peoples across the world. Wherever I go, I am always most captivated by the cultural achievements of different peoples and nations. The treasures of world civilization are everywhere. Allow me to share just a few examples with you here. The ancient Greeks produced myths, fables, sculpture, and architecture that have profoundly influenced human civilization. The tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and the comedies of Aristophanes stand as classics of Greek art. Russia has produced many great masters, such as Aleksandr Pushkin, Nikolay Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Nikolay Nekrasov, Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Mikhail Sholokhov, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergey Rachmaninoff, and Ilya Repin. France, too, has seen the emergence of many masters, such as François Rabelais, Jean de La Fontaine, Molière, Stendhal, Honoré de Balzac, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Alexandre Dumas fils, Guy de Maupassant, Romain Rolland, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Jean-François Millet, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Hector Berlioz, Georges Bizet, and Claude Debussy. Britain has produced greats such as Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Charles Dickens, G. H. Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, and J. M. W. Turner. In Germany, there have been masters, such as Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, Heinrich Heine, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, and Johannes Brahms. The United States has also produced many greats, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Theodore Dreiser, Jack London, and Ernest Hemingway. Recently, I visited India, a country whose people are also blessed with extraordinary literary and artistic creativity. Around 1,000 BC., it produced the four Vedas, namely, the Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, Sama Veda, and Yajur Veda. By the time Faxian and Xuanzang were journeying west in search of Buddhist scriptures, Indian poetry, dance, painting, religious architecture, and sculpture had already reached remarkable levels of sophistication. That is not to mention the tremendous worldwide influence of Rabindranath Tagore. Here in China, there are even more examples. They span from Laozi, Confucius, Zhuangzi, Mencius, Qu Yuan, Wang Xizhi, Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, Xin Qiji, Guan Hanqing, and Cao Xueqin, to Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Lao She, and Cao Yu, and to Nie Er, Xian Xinghai, Mei Lanfang, Qi Baishi, and Xu Beihong. They extend from the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu to the rhymed prose of the Han Dynasty, the poetry of the Tang and the Song dynasties, the operas of the Yuan Dynasty, and the novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and to The Epic of King Gesar, The Epic of Manas, and The Epic of Jangar. They cover the May Fourth New Cultural Movement, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the reform and opening up of today. Our country has produced a great constellation of literary and artistic giants who bestowed on us a rich ocean of masterpieces. All these have not only provided our nation with rich nourishment but also made a great contribution to world civilization.
The past and the present also testify to the tremendous cultural creativity of the Chinese nation. At every crucial historical juncture, culture, sensing changes in the national destiny, has defined the tide of the times and issued the call of the day; it has served as a source of both inspiration and encouragement for hundreds of millions of Chinese people and our great motherland. While staying true to its roots, Chinese culture has continued to evolve. It has instilled in the Chinese nation a firm confidence and resilience and enabled it to foster sentiments, values, ideals, and a spirit shared by all Chinese.
Without a flourishing Chinese culture, there can be no rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The revival of a nation requires both strong material foundations and intellectual vitality. No country or nation can stand firm in the world if it fails to guide its people with advanced culture, enrich their intellectual lives, and build up its cultural strength.
Literature and art serve as a clarion call for progress in every age; they best capture the features of an era and steer the social mores of the times. It was once said that literature evolves in accordance with the course of worldly events, rising and falling in step with the times. During the European Renaissance, giants like Dante, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Michel de Montaigne, Miguel de Cervantes, and William Shakespeare ushered in the dawn of a new era and awakened people’s minds. Remarking on the Renaissance, Engels noted that it was “a time which called for giants and produced giants—giants in power of thought, passion, and character, in universality and learning.” Throughout Chinese history, the advancement of culture, including literature and art, has always been closely linked to the development of the nation. In the pre-Qin period, China witnessed the flourishing of a hundred contending schools of thought, which ushered in one of the golden ages of ancient Chinese culture. Similarly, the May Fourth New Cultural Movement in the early 20th century sparked a wave of innovation in literature and art that significantly influenced China’s social transformation and became an important driving force for the nationwide movement of intellectual liberation.
Today, the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups are advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics step by step in line with the objectives set forth at the 18th CPC National Congress and the reform tasks put forward at the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. The Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation are a great cause demanding arduous efforts over the long term. Every great cause requires a great spirit. Therefore, as we pursue our great cause, literature and art will be irreplaceable, and our writers and artists will have a huge role to play. It is in this light that writers and artists should understand the role and function of literature and art as well as the historic mission and responsibility on their shoulders.
The famous Chinese writer Lu Xun once said that to transform the intellectual world of our compatriots, we must first work on literature and art. Our endeavors to provide intellectual guidance, forge inner strength, and build a common cultural identity are all inseparable from literature and art. At a time when towering skyscrapers are rising across the land, we must also make sure that the intellectual and cultural towers of our nation stand tall and majestic. China’s writers and artists should be pioneers in shaping and promoting our social mores. By creating more works of strength, morality, and warmth, they should strive to document the great endeavors of the Chinese people and the demands for progress in our times, convey lofty ideals and firm beliefs, carry forward the Chinese spirit, and gather Chinese strength. All this will help inspire people of all ethnic groups to march forward with vigor into the future.
II. We should produce excellent works worthy of the times
As an ancient Chinese poet once said, “Prose and poetry are composed to reflect the times and reality.” The literary and artistic achievements of an era are ultimately judged by the works it produces. The most fundamental way to promote the flourishing of literature and art is to produce works that do justice to our great nation and this great era. Without outstanding works, all other activities, no matter how vibrant or extravagant they may be, will remain superficial. They will never really penetrate people’s intellectual lives or strike an emotional chord with them. You need to remember that creation is your central task and your works are the foundation of your careers. You should concentrate on creation and strive for excellence in your craft in order to provide our people with the best cultural nourishment possible.
Outstanding literary and artistic works reflect the capacity of a country and a nation for cultural creation. Only with fine works can we attract, guide, and inspire people and make progress in bringing Chinese culture to the world. Therefore, a central aspect of our efforts in literature and art must be to produce more outstanding works that convey contemporary Chinese values, capture the essence of Chinese culture, and reflect Chinese aesthetic tastes-works that are thought-provoking, artistically appealing, and enjoyable in equal measure. The power of great works can never be underestimated; as an old Chinese poem puts it, “The weight of the great dragon-patterned tripod gives way to the power of the master writer’s pen.” Excellent works are not confined to one style, form, or standard. They can be highly refined compositions or popular entertainments, monumental masterpieces or universally accessible creations. What makes a work great is its capacity to warm and inspire audiences, to spread and endure through time, and to win people’s affection with its positive energy and appeal.
On September 29, 2024, a concert was held in Beijing to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Xi Jinping and other CPC and state leaders, including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Han Zheng, are pictured here among the more than 3,000 people attending the event. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER YAN YAN
Literature and art are deeply woven into the fabric of human life. They can shed light on every aspect of the human experience, from work and daily life to joy and hardship, dreams and aspirations, love and hate, as well as life and death. Young people are particularly drawn to and influenced by literature and art. In my youth, I read extensively, exploring every book I could get my hands on at the time. I can still recall many of the brilliant passages and profound phrases from those readings. They gave me valuable insights into the truths of life. Moreover, literature and art are also the best medium for creating understanding and communication between different countries and cultures.
When I visited Russia last March, I met with several Russian sinologists and mentioned that I had read many works by Russian authors, including Chernyshevsky’s What Is to Be Done?, which had such a profound impact on me when I read it in my youth. During a visit to France this March, I discussed the influence of French literature on my life, explaining that I developed a strong interest in French literature and art in my youth, because many of our Party’s early leaders had studied in France. While in Germany, I shared my experience of reading Faust. At the time, I was working in rural Shaanxi Province. When I learned that a fellow student had a copy of the book, I walked 15 kilometers to borrow it from him. Later, he walked the same distance to retrieve it. Why do I share these stories with foreigners? I do it because literature and art are a universal language. When we talk about literature and art, we are really talking about society and life. This makes it one of the easiest ways to create understanding and connection with others.
Since the launch of reform and opening up, literary and artistic creation in China has embraced a new period of prosperity, with a wealth of popular and outstanding works being produced. At the same time, however, we also cannot deny that there is a quantity-over-quality phenomenon, with a landscape marked by too many “plateaus” and not enough “peaks.” Problems such as plagiarism and imitation are leading to a sameness in many works, while assembly-line production and fast-food-style consumption are also problems. In some works, we see a mockery of the sublime, a distortion of classical narratives, and a subversion of history, as well as the denigration of ordinary people and heroic figures. Some works fail to distinguish between right and wrong or good and evil; they glorify the ugly as beautiful and exaggerate the dark side of society. Others indulge in sensationalism, catering to low tastes and treating creation as a “money tree” for personal gain or a “party drug” for sensory gratification. Some works are poorly written, hastily produced, and contrived, contributing to the creation of “cultural garbage.” Some creators overemphasize luxury, excessive packaging, and ostentation, allowing form to overshadow content. Moreover, some are fixated on the notion of “art for art’s sake,” focusing solely on personal experiences—tempests in teacups that are of no relevance to the general public or real life. All this serves as a warning: literature and art must not lose their direction in the tide of the market economy, nor deviate from the question of whom they are supposed to serve. Otherwise, literature and art will be devoid of vitality.
I have spoken with several artists about the most pronounced issues in literature and art today. Coincidentally, they have all mentioned the same word to me: impatience. Some people believe that it is not worth their time to continue refining a work until it reaches its potential because they cannot quickly convert their efforts into practical value—or, in other words, they cannot swiftly cash in. Not only is this attitude misguided, it also allows low-quality works to thrive and leads to a situation where the bad drives out the good. The history of artistic development shows that the pursuit of quick success, excessive resource exploitation, and shoddy production harm not only art but the cultural life of society. Vulgarity is not the same as accessibility; desire does not equate to hope, and mere sensory entertainment does not equal spiritual joy. For literature and art to gain the people’s recognition, superficiality, opportunism, self-promotion, and empty grandstanding will not cut it. Mutual flattery and self-congratulation are also not going to work.
What makes a work of art exceptional is its profound thought, exquisite artistry, and meticulous craftsmanship. “What is rich is beautiful, and what is rich and brilliant is great.” Throughout history, great literary and artistic masterpieces have been the result of accumulated experience expressed in depth. The charm of art comes from its inner richness. Any work that stands the test of time and remains a classic is inevitably one that has been refined through determination and dedication. Gustave Flaubert once remarked that he spent “five days on a single page of Madame Bovary,” and that the section about the inn might have taken him “three months to write.” Cao Xueqin spent “ten years reading and revising” A Dream of Red Mansions, editing the work five times in total. It is this relentless pursuit of excellence and perfection that leads to the creation of outstanding artistic works.
“Drawing inspiration from the highest standards may yield only average results, but drawing inspiration from average standards can lead to inferior results.” Greatness arises from inclusiveness, strength comes from lack of desire, indifference to fame and fortune gives rise to lofty goals, and tranquility nourishes long-term vision. For great writers and artists, the process of growth and understanding is usually gradual. To aspire to lofty goals, those engaged in artistic work must be willing to “look out to the ends of the earth,” to endure the chill of “the west wind withering the green trees,” and to embrace the solitude of “ascending the high tower alone.” Even if their “clothes gradually grow looser,” they “have no regrets.” Should they “become wan and sallow,” they willingly endure, in the ultimate knowledge that having “searched for her amongst the crowd one thousand times,” they will “all of a sudden, turn and find, that’s her, standing in the dim light of the lanterns.
“Poetry and prose reflect the trends of the world, and bring something new every day.” Innovation is the lifeblood of literature and art, and some of the issues of artistic creation are closely tied to a lack of innovative ability. Liu Xie emphasized in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, that writers and poets must innovate in accordance with the times and their own artistic identities. The Tang Dynasty calligrapher Li Yong remarked, “Those who imitate me are clumsy; those who copy my works will accomplish nothing.” Similarly, the Song Dynasty poet Huang Tingjian stated, “Following others’ plans ultimately leads one to fall behind; only by establishing one’s own school can authenticity be achieved.” Artistic creation is a profound form of innovation that merges concepts and methods, and integrates both content and form. It represents the synthesis of various artistic and technical elements, as well as the intersection of vision and creativity. The spirit of innovation must permeate the entire process of artistic creation in order to enhance our capacity to create original art. We should adhere to the principle of “letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend,” in order to promote academic and artistic democracy, create a positive, healthy, and harmonious atmosphere, encourage open discussions among different viewpoints and schools of thought, and advocate the development of various genres, themes, forms, and techniques. This will help promote mutual learning and exchange of ideas, content, style, and schools of thought.
President Xi Jinping presents the medal for the title of People’s Artist to Tian Hua at a ceremony for awarding national medals and national honorary titles of the People’s Republic of China at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, September 29, 2024. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER XIE HUANCHI
China’s ethnic minorities are renowned for their singing and dancing, and over time, they have cultivated a rich tapestry of artistic achievements. These treasures are integral to our nation’s culture. We must protect and develop them and ensure that they shine even more brightly in the garden of our country’s artistic diversity.
To foster prosperous artistic creation and drive innovation in the arts, it is essential to have a large number of accomplished artists with both moral integrity and artistic talent. We must prioritize the development of the artistic workforce, striving to cultivate a group of influential leaders across various fields of the arts and building a large contingent of artistic talents. Literature and art guide people’s values, provide cultural and ethical direction, and offer aesthetic inspiration, and the intellectual, professional, and moral standards of the artists themselves are crucial to these endeavors.
As writers and artists, you must consciously live by your artistic ideals while constantly improving your academic foundation, self-cultivation, and refinement. By enhancing your intellectual depth, knowledge base, cultural literacy, and artistic training, you should seek to “enclose the world within form and capture all things with the pen.” Besides professional competence, writers and artists should also demonstrate noble character and a sense of social responsibility by “carrying morality and justice on iron shoulders.” In the context of the socialist market economy, you need to properly manage the relationship between moral integrity and material gain and carefully weigh the social impact of your works. Upholding high standards, and prioritizing artistic ethics, you should preserve the integrity of history, promote virtue in the world, and protect your personal reputation. In addition, you should work to earn people’s love and appreciation by cultivating noble professional ethics, a positive social image, and outstanding works that combine artistic beauty with moral substance.
The internet and new media have transformed artistic forms, giving rise to many new genres and profoundly changing how art is conceived and practiced. The shifts toward digitized text, more visually-oriented books, and online reading have spurred a major transformation in the arts and broader social culture. To adapt to these developments, we should focus on the creation of online art and provide stronger positive guidance in this evolving landscape.
The recent years have seen a surge of new artistic organizations, such as private studios, private cultural agencies, and online artistic communities. New artistic groups, including online writers, contracted writers, freelance writers, independent producers, independent actors and singers, and freelance artists, have all become very active. There is a strong likelihood that future artistic masters will come from among these groups, given that throughout history and across cultures, many renowned artists have emerged from society and from among the people. We should broaden our outreach efforts, expand our connections, and look at these groups with a fresh perspective. With new policies and methods, we can unite and engage such artists and guide them to become a vital force in the flourishing of socialist art.
III. We should encourage people-centered cultural creation
Socialist literature and art are, in essence, the literature and art of the people. In his speech at the 1942 forum on literature and art in Yan’an, Mao Zedong stressed that “This question of ‘for whom?’ is fundamental; it is a question of principle.” Deng Xiaoping remarked, “Our literature and art belong to the people,” and “It is the people who nurture our writers and artists.” Jiang Zemin exhorted cultural workers to “create art in the context of the history created by the people and create artistic achievements on the basis of the people’s achievements.” Hu Jintao emphasized, “The tree of art thrives only when our writers and artists place the people above everything else in their minds, always stand by the people, and adhere to the principle of putting people first in their works.”
The people are both the creators and the witnesses of history, and both its protagonists and playwrights. To effectively express the voices of the people in literature and art, we must adhere to the fundamental direction of serving the people and serving socialism. This is our Party’s basic requirement for artists and writers, and it is crucial for shaping the future of our artistic endeavors. Literature and art will generate the greatest positive effect only when we firmly uphold the Marxist view on literature and art and truly put the people first. To put the people first, you writers and artists must take the people’s cultural needs as the immutable goal of your work and make the people the central subject of your creations. The people are the best connoisseurs and critics of literary and artistic works, and serving them is the duty of all writers and artists.
First, people need literature and art.
The people’s needs are multifaceted. To satisfy their growing material needs, we need to increase the aggregate material wealth of society by building a stronger economy. To meet their growing cultural needs, we must increase the aggregate intellectual and cultural wealth of society by promoting cultural development. Material needs come first, and the need for food precedes all others. That is why we say “Food is the first necessity of the people.” But this does not mean that cultural needs are dispensable. The biggest difference between humans and animals lies in our cultural needs, which are present throughout the entire course of our lives.
As living standards continue to rise, people’s expectations for cultural products, such as literary and artistic works, are also rising in terms of quality, taste, and style. All fields in the cultural sector, including literature, drama, film, TV, music, dancing, fine arts, photography, calligraphy, ballad singing, acrobatics, and folk arts, must keep pace with the times in order to cater to people’s needs. Their practitioners should commit themselves to creating works of passionate expression, vivid description, beautiful melodies, and moving images that people love and that enrich public cultural life.
Furthermore, the international community is paying more attention to China than ever. They wish to learn about us—our outlook, our lifestyle, our values, our views on nature, the universe, the past, and the future, our joys and sorrows, and our heritage, traditions, norms, and temperament. Such a breadth of knowledge cannot be acquired merely from press releases, official reports, or individual trips to China. In this regard, literature and art have an irreplaceable role to play. They are the ideal channel for communication. Every novel, essay, poem, painting, photo, film, TV drama, and musical piece offers people in other countries a unique perspective on China, each one attracting, charming, and moving audiences in its own way. Our cultural heritage, including Peking Opera, traditional music, calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting, are all important avenues for the outside world to learn about China. Our writers and artists should tell China’s stories, convey its voice, elucidate its spirit, and present its image to the world, using their works to help international audiences learn more about our country. They should promote outstanding Chinese culture and arts globally to introduce international audiences to the charm of our culture and help them better understand it.
Second, literature and art need the people.
People are the fountain of literary and artistic creation. Works that are divorced from the people are rootless, senseless, and soulless. As Lenin said, “Art belongs to the people. It must have its deepest roots in the broad mass of workers. It must be understood and loved by them. It must be rooted in and grow with their feelings, thoughts and desires. It must arouse and develop the artist in them.” The people and their lives are a treasure trove for literary and artistic creation, offering inexhaustible inspirations.
President Xi Jinping visits the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui City, Gansu Province, September 11, 2024. He toured Gansu from September 10 to 13. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER XIE HUANCHI
The needs of the people are the very reason that literature and art exist. Whether an artist can produce excellent works depends on whether he or she can stand and speak for the people. All literary and artistic works that caused sensations in their time and that have been remembered through history captured the call of their day and the aspirations of the people. For instance, the classics of Chinese literature are suffused with compassion and concern for ordinary people; they ingeniously fuse artistic expression with humanistic vision. “The Pellet Song” in the Origin of Ancient Poetry describes prehistoric hunting scenes; the Book of Songs depicts the toil of farmers in “The Seventh Month,” the life of soldiers in “Gathering Thorn-Ferns,” and love between young people in “Crying Ospreys”; “Asking Heaven” explores the mystery of the universe; the “Song of the Chile People” is about the lives of nomads; “The Ballad of Mulan” lauds the wit and fortitude of women. All of these works are grounded in real life. The best remembered lines of China’s best-known writers also invariably reflect the heartfelt wishes of people in their time. Examples are lines such as Qu Yuan’s “I sigh and cry, how hard life is for my countrymen”; Du Fu’s “Where to find decent homes? To shelter all poor scholars on earth and bring a smile to their face” and his “The rich wine and dine, the poor starve and die”; Li Shen’s “Every grain on the plate comes from hard labor”; and Zheng Banqiao’s “For petty county officials like us, every concern of the people weighs in our heart.” In other cultures, it is the same. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest literary work in the world, records the quest for the law of nature and mystery of life by residents in the Tigris-Euphrates area. The epics of Homer sing praise for such virtues as bravery, justice, unselfishness, and diligence. Masterworks such as The Divine Comedy, The Decameron, and Gargantua and Pantagruel protest against medieval asceticism and obscurantism and voice a yearning for the emancipation of the mind. All of these works point to the fact that literature and art thrive only when they are firmly grounded in reality and closely keep pace with the times. Their very vitality lies in their conformity with the people’s will and reflection of their concerns.
The people are not an abstract symbol but individuals made of flesh and blood who have emotions, dreams, and inner struggles. Writers and artists should not regard their personal thoughts and feelings as those of the majority, but rather should humbly learn from the people and from life itself. You should draw inspiration from people’s great endeavors and diverse lives, working continuously to gather insights for your own artistic lives and work and constantly striving to uncover and create beauty. Always keeping in mind the people’s wellbeing and happiness, you should strive to channel the full spectrum of human emotion through your work, celebrating lives of endeavor, and crafting the most admirable of characters to help strengthen people’s hope and confidence in a better future.
President Xi Jinping talks with residents while visiting a CPC public services center in Panlong Community, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, December 14, 2023. He toured Guangxi from December 14 to 15. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER XIE HUANCHI
Here I would like to share with you a story of mine. Before I left for Zhengding County, Hebei Province, in 1982 for a new appointment, many friends came to bid farewell. One of them was Wang Yuanjian, a writer and playwright with the August First Film Studio, who encouraged me to follow Liu Qing’s example by living among the farmers and becoming one with them. In order to immerse himself in rural life, Liu Qing resigned his position as deputy Party secretary of Chang’an County, Shaanxi Province, and moved to Huangfu Village, while remaining on the standing committee of the county Party committee. He lived there for 14 years, during which time he wrote his novel Builders of a New Life. Liu’s immersion in rural life in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi explains the lifelike characters in his writings. So well acquainted was he with the local farmers that he immediately knew whether they would approve of new policies concerning agriculture and rural residents.
Third, writers and artists must have a genuine love for people. The results of your creations are decided by your attitude and stance.
Those who feel no affection for the people cannot speak of creating works for them. Lu Xun was devoted to the people. This can be seen in his famous lines “My head held high, I coolly defy the enemy’s attacks; my head bowed low, I serve the people like a willing ox.” Jia Dashan, someone I got to know while working in Zhengding County, Hebei Province, was another writer with a great love for the people. I wrote a commemorative article on the occasion of his death. What impressed me most about Jia was his concern for the country and his countrymen, which embodied the famous saying, “Though living by distant streams and lakes, one’s concern is for his state.” To achieve success, writers and artists must be of the same mind as the people, share their destinies, joys and sorrows, and willingly serve their interests. This is the only true way for writers and artists and also the source of their greatest joy.
Love for the people is not an empty slogan. It demands deep, rational convictions and concrete actions. Absolute, genuine, lasting love for the people is based on a deep understanding that it is the people who create history, and on a willingness to fully engage with the people, dive deep into their lives and wholeheartedly learn from them. I stress “deep” here, because some people only do this in a cursory manner, without putting their hearts into it. To answer the questions of whom we serve, on whom we rely, and who I am, writers and artists must take down any invisible walls separating you from the people. While your physical presence is necessary, emotional and mental investment is even more important.
All artistic innovation ultimately stems from the people, whether directly or indirectly. “A grasp of mundane affairs is genuine knowledge; an understanding of worldly wisdom is true learning.” Art can soar on the wings of imagination, but artists must keep their feet firmly planted on the ground. While there may be hundreds or thousands of methods for artistic creation, the most important and reliable approach is to ground oneself among the people and stay rooted in reality. Without his panoramic observations and microscopic analyses of the social life of his time, Cao Xueqin could not have produced the encyclopedic masterpiece A Dream of Red Mansions. Similarly, without an understanding of the plight and mood of China’s underclass in the period immediately before and after the 1911 Revolution, Lu Xun could not have created such memorable characters as Sister Xianglin, Runtu, Ah Q, and Kong Yiji.
There is no long-lasting inspiration or passion for art to be found in an ivory tower. A Soviet poet once captured the sorry state of writers who sit in their rooms vainly racking their brains for something to write, likening it to “wringing water from one’s fingernails.” We must dive deep into life and discover its essence in the people. Only after fully and thoroughly ruminating on life and completely digesting it will writers and artists be able to turn their ideas into fascinating works with thoughtful plots and compelling characters. “Meditating behind closed doors is not the way to write good verse, poems naturally arise when one takes to the road.” In the end, all techniques and methods of artistic creation must serve the content; they are for the purpose of portraying people, events, and ideas with greater clarity, originality, and depth. When this principle is broken, techniques and methods will become worthless, and may even produce negative results.
President Xi Jinping talks with local residents during a visit to a historical and cultural section of Pingjiang Road in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, July 6, 2023. He toured Jiangsu from July 5 to 7. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER YAN YAN
Life of course is not all butterflies and rainbows. Many aspects of society are not as we would wish, and some evil phenomena do exist. The question is not whether to depict these issues but rather what is the right way to depict them. Our ancestors warned that neither grief nor joy should go to excess, and that all human emotions are subject to the constraints of propriety and morality. Literature and art will not inspire people to strive for progress if they only document the status quo, lay bare the darkness, and fail to celebrate the light, express ideals, and offer moral guidance. Creative works should reflect life from the perspectives of both realism and romanticism; they should use light to dispel darkness and justice to defeat evil, so that people can see the good, the hope, and the dreams that lie ahead.
A good work of literature or art can stand up to the test of the audience, the critics, and the market as well. It puts social benefit above all else, but also yields decent economic returns. Under the socialist market economy, many cultural products have to realize their value through the market. Economic results, therefore, cannot be overlooked. Nevertheless, when compared to social benefit, they are still of secondary importance. When the two clash, economic results must yield to social benefit, and market value must give way to social value. Literature and art should not be slaves to the market nor should they bear the stench of money. A good work can be both ideologically and artistically successful, and well received by the market. To defend the aesthetic ideals and independent values of literature and art, we must set quantitative indicators that reflect market acceptance at reasonable levels, including circulation, audience figures, click rates, and box office revenues. We should not overlook or negate these indicators, but neither should we become obsessed with them to the extent that we blindly follow the market trend wherever it leads.
As some people say, our horizons are the horizons of the world; the earth beneath us is the earth of China. Only by keeping our sights on humanity’s frontiers and squarely facing the living reality of the Chinese people at present can we share the Chinese experience with all humanity and make our unique contribution to the world of literature and art.
What these people say makes sense. The Chinese people have built a civilization that is over 5,000 years old. They have fought through the wars of independence and liberation and, under the CPC’s leadership, have achieved remarkable success in the course of revolution, development, and reform. The profound changes in this ancient country and the rich work and life experiences of its 1.3 billion people offer fertile soil for literary and artistic creation. There is so much to be written about them. We will always find infinite strength in the motherland as long as we firmly stay with the people.
IV. The Chinese spirit is the soul of socialist literature and art
For a while now, I have been stressing the need to cultivate and practice the core socialist values. In February this year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a special group study session on this topic. At this session, I made a speech and set forth requirements for the whole of society in this regard. I also discussed this issue with students and faculty during a visit to Peking University on Youth Day, May 4. At the end of May, when I visited Shanghai on an inspection trip, I asked leading officials there to carry forward and practice the core socialist values. On the eve of Children’s Day of June 1, I mentioned the matter to teachers and students at the Minzu Primary School in Haidian District, Beijing. In early June, at the academician conferences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, I made a request of a similar nature to academicians. On the day before Teachers’ Day in September, I went to Beijing Normal University to talk with faculty and students and once again stressed this issue. Today, I am also making a request concerning this matter to our writers and artists, because you have a unique role to play in cultivating and promoting the core socialist values.
Every era has its spirit. I once noted that, to realize the Chinese Dream, we must follow the Chinese path, foster the Chinese spirit, and gather Chinese strength. Core values are the ties that bind a nation and the common moral foundations of a country. Without shared core values, a nation and a country will lose its soul and its people will have no code of conduct to follow. Why has our nation been able to survive and develop over the long course of its history? One important reason is that it has a moral pursuit and ethos that have been carried on for generations.
Since the launch of reform and opening up, our economy has grown at an impressive pace, and our people’s living standards have risen rapidly. At the same time, many issues have emerged due to great shifts in thinking, collisions of different ideas, and interactions between different cultures. One particularly notable problem is that some people have lost their moral values; they seem to have no sense of good and evil and no boundaries when it comes to their conduct. There is no violation of CPC discipline or state law they will not commit, and no immoral activity they will not engage in. They have no sense of country, society, or family, and they do not care about distinguishing right from wrong, truth from falsehood, beauty from ugliness, or what is wholesome from what is foul. Rather, they wander aimlessly through life, indulging in luxury and extravagance wherever possible. All of this lies at the root of so many of the problems in our society today. If we cannot tackle these problems effectively, it will be almost impossible to successfully advance reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.
We have always said that socialism with Chinese characteristics features both material and cultural-ethical progress. Deng Xiaoping warned us early on, “If standards of social conduct are deteriorating, what’s the use of achieving economic development? Worse, deteriorating social standards will in turn lead to a qualitative change in the economy.” Therefore, the core socialist values must be vigorously promoted and practiced throughout society, making them as ubiquitous as the air itself. They must become a shared pursuit of all our people, a defining spiritual pillar in the lives of us Chinese, and a code of conduct that people intuitively apply in everyday life. We should call on the whole of society to take action, so that through education and guidance, publicity and advocacy, cultural nurturing, practical development, and institutional guarantees, the core socialist values are manifested as both an internal pursuit and external conscious actions.
Literature and art are projects that cast the soul, and writers and artists are engineers of the soul. Like sunshine in a blue sky or a fresh spring breeze, good literary and artistic works should inspire the mind, nurture the heart, cultivate our lives, and sweep away all winds of listlessness and dispiritedness. To create works that will endure for future generations, one must first have ideas worth passing on to future generations. To uphold the core socialist values, you writers and artists must fully understand your responsibility, vividly embody these values in your literary and artistic works, and use lifelike works to show people what should be affirmed and praised and what must be opposed and denied, serving as a positive yet subtle influence. Many of you are well-known and enjoy considerable social influence, so you should strive for excellence not only in literary and artistic creation but also in ideological and moral cultivation. You, too, should practice the core socialist values and do your best to set an example for others through your words and deeds.
Of the core socialist values, patriotism is the most profound, most fundamental, and most enduring. Patriotism is always a worthy theme with fresh angles to explore. Works with a deep affection for the country and the people can best inspire the sons and daughters of China to unite and strive together. There are many verses and lines that express deep patriotic feelings for our country. They include lines such as “being the first to worry about the world’s troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures,” by Fan Zhongyan; verses by Lu You, such as “On the day when the army retake the lost lands in the Central Plains, you remember to hold a family memorial and tell me the good news,” “not to ignore the country’s peril no matter how humble one’s position is,” and “Late at night, I lay in bed listening to the sound of wind and rain, and dreamed that I was riding an iron-clad horse across the frozen river to fight for the northern fields.” They also include Wen Tianxiang’s “What man was ever immune from death? Let me but leave a loyal heart shining in the pages of history”; Lin Zexu’s “doing everything possible to save the country in its peril without regard to personal fortune or misfortune”; Yue Fei’s poem “The River All Red”; and Fang Zhimin’s prose “Lovely China.” Our contemporary writers and artists should take patriotism as the main theme in creation, guide the people to establish and adhere to correct views on history, the nation, the country, and culture, and enhance our backbone and confidence as Chinese people.
President Xi Jinping poses for a photo with performers of The Epic of Manas while visiting the Museum of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Urumqi, Xinjiang, July 13, 2022. He toured the region from July 12 to 15. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER XIE HUANCHI
Pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness is the eternal value of literature and art. For art, the highest plane of achievement is to move people, temper their souls, and make them see the beauty of nature, life, and the heart. “The Wanderer’s Song,” a short poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao, has been passed on for thousands of years because it vividly praises the greatness of maternal love. Su Dongpo, a renowned Song Dynasty poet, gave high praise to Han Yu, a prominent essayist and philosopher of the Tang, when he said, “His writing revived the decline over eight dynasties and saved the world from moral decay.” What he was saying was that from Sima Qian, a famous historian in the Han Dynasty, to Han Yu, the quality of literature had declined over eight dynasties. Why did Han Yu’s writings come to prominence? Because they convey truth and moral principles. We must also use works of literature and art to convey truth, beauty, and goodness, to transmit values that pursue excellence and virtue, and to guide people in enhancing their moral judgment and sense of moral honor and in respecting and abiding by moral standards in their daily lives. As long as each generation of Chinese people pursues lofty virtues, our nation will always be full of hope.
Literary and artistic creation should not only be based on contemporary life but also cultural traditions. As the old saying goes, “If you want a tree to grow tall, help it grow strong roots; if you want a river to flow far, help its source flow smoothly.” The best of China’s traditional culture is the lifeblood of the Chinese nation. It provides fertile soil for the core socialist values and the foundation for the nation to gain a firm foothold in global cultural interaction. Reinforcing our consciousness and confidence in our culture is integral to strengthening confidence in the path, theory, and system of Chinese socialism. There will be no future for our literature and art if we blindly worship foreign things, adhere to foreign definitions of beauty, follow foreign standards, regard foreign awards as the ultimate goal and mechanically imitate and copy others, all the while eagerly working to scrub all traces of Chinese elements, thought, values, history, and mainstream themes from our work. In reality, many foreigners also look to us for materials and inspiration. Aren’t Hollywood movies like Kung Fu Panda and Mulan drawn from our cultural resources?
Over a long period of time, the Chinese nation has given shape to unique ideas and moral standards. These include benevolence, humanism, honesty, trust, dialectics, unity, and harmony, as well as traditional Chinese virtues, such as pursuing self-improvement, dedicating oneself to work and enjoying community involvement, upholding justice and promoting the good, helping those in danger and in need, rising to the occasion in times of crisis, and respecting the elderly and loving family. Many of these ideas and moral norms in traditional Chinese culture, whether in times gone by or the present day, have timeless value. We should carry forward our traditional culture and the spirit of Chinese aesthetics in accordance with the conditions of the new era. Chinese aesthetics places an emphasis on expressing aspirations through objects, on embedding reason in emotion, on using concision and restraint in language and form, and on conveying profound artistic meanings through both form and spirit, as well as on the unity of knowledge, emotion, willpower, and action. Holding fast to our cultural standpoint, we should ensure that we pass on our Chinese cultural genes and showcase the Chinese style of aesthetics.
Carrying on Chinese culture is by no means about simply returning to the past or blindly rejecting foreign elements. Instead, it is about making the past serve the present, drawing on successful foreign experiences, making informed choices through dialectical reasoning, and developing the new from the old. In seeking to abandon negative elements and carry forward positive ideas, we aim to “use the rules of the ancients to break fresh ground,” so that we can achieve the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese culture.
Of course, while we place importance on promoting the core socialist values, carrying forward the best of traditional Chinese culture, and upholding the Chinese spirit, we do not reject the need to learn from the good aspects of cultural traditions of other countries. Indeed, to promote the flourishing of socialist literature and art, we must draw on good works of literature and art from peoples in all countries. Our literature and art will thrive only when we strive to blaze new trails of innovation by using foreign elements to meet our own needs and promoting fusion between the East and West.
In fact, in modern times, exchanges and mutual learning between China and the international community in the field of literature and art have been constant. Many achievements in Chinese literature and art, in areas such as writing in vernacular Chinese, ballet, orchestral music, oil painting, film, stage plays, modern novels, and modern poetry, are all the result of Chinese creativity based on foreign inspiration. Lu Xun and other progressive writers translated and introduced the country to a large wealth of progressive literary works from abroad.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), we learned and drew inspiration from Soviet literature and art, such as Plekhanov’s art theory, Stanislavski’s acting system, and Soviet ballet and film. Renowned Soviet dancer Ulanova and other famous Soviet actors and directors also visited China in this time. This helped spur the development of socialist literature and art in the early days of the PRC. After the launch of reform and opening up, we learned and drew inspiration from a broader range of countries. Now, the situation is the same. Many art forms like rap and street dance have all started in other countries. If such forms are popular with the people, then they should be embraced and infused with positive and uplifting content. Today, we live in an open world where art must compete in the international market. This competition is essential for vitality. Take the film industry, for example. Rather than decimating our domestic industry, competition from foreign films has helped spur improvement in the quality and standards of Chinese cinema. Thanks to market competition, the domestic film industry has grown stronger and become more appealing.
V. We should strengthen and improve the CPC’s leadership over literature and art
Our Party’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee for the development of socialist literature and art. The fundamental purpose of our Party is to serve the people wholeheartedly, and the same is true of literature and art. This understanding provides the basis for correctly handling the relationship between the Party and the literature and art sector, between the Party’s policies and the people’s interests, and between our political stance and creative freedom.
To strengthen and improve the Party’s leadership, we need to follow two principles: First, we must rely closely on writers and artists; second, we must respect and follow the underlying laws of literature and art. Party committees at all levels must place literature and art high on the agenda with a view to developing a strong socialist culture in China and enhancing our cultural confidence and consciousness. They must implement our Party’s principles and policies on literature and art to ensure that they develop along the right path. We should select high-caliber leadership teams for literary and artistic institutions and place in leadership positions those who have both integrity and professional competence and the ability to work in unison with writers and artists. We should respect the creative individuality of writers and artists and their innovative work. We should trust them politically, support their creation, and foster a favorable environment for literature and art creation. We must make friends with writers and artists, care about their work and lives, and listen to their needs and wishes.
President Xi Jinping meets with political advisors from the sectors of culture and art and social sciences in attendance at the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, March 4, 2019, before joining the advisors in a joint panel discussion and listening to their opinions and suggestions. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER YAO DAWEI
We need to strengthen both development and management in the field of literature and art and take responsibility to ensure that no channels exist for the dissemination of harmful works. Under the leadership of Party committees, publicity and cultural departments at all levels should provide stronger guidance and support for literary and artistic endeavor and step up efforts to encourage and unite our writers and artists, so as to contribute to the flourishing of literature and art. Federations of literary and art circles and writers associations should leverage their strengths to ensure better services, management, and self-discipline and see that they serve as true homes for our writers and artists.
At present, new circumstances and features have emerged in the field of literature and art with regard to target audiences, approaches, methods, and mechanisms. Great changes are affecting the patterns of creation and production, people’s artistic tastes, as well as the modes of dissemination and public habits in receiving and enjoying cultural products. Although we have a fairly mature set of mechanisms and management measures in place for the creation and dissemination of traditional literature and art, we lack effective management measures for new forms of literature and art. We need to keep pace with developments and work out solutions. We should deepen reform and refine our policies and mechanisms to produce more outstanding products and cultivate more qualified writers and artists.
A strong emphasis must be placed on literary criticism. Literary and artistic criticism can function as a mirror and restorative medicine in the creation of literature and art. It is an important force for guiding creation, producing more and better works, improving artistic tastes, and steering trends. Literary and artistic criticism should be about criticism; it cannot all be about praise, much less vulgar flattery and sycophantic adulation. We should not distort Chinese aesthetics to suit Western theories, nor should we replace artistic standards with commercial criteria. We must not simply equate literary and artistic works with general commodities or believe that the extent of praise in a review can be determined by the amount of money spent. If the distinguishing and differentiating function of literary and artistic criticism is weakened, and criticism lacks potency and persuasiveness, it will not be conducive to the healthy development of literature and art.
The truth becomes clearer through debate. If there is no spirit of criticism, but only praise and self-praise, flattery and self-flattery, and promotion and self-promotion, then that is not criticism at all! No gold is a hundred percent pure and no one is perfect; where in the world can you find something that is flawless and perfect? Good medicine tastes bitter, and good advice is harsh to the ear. But genuine criticism makes our literary and artistic works better. Literary and artistic criticism should promote the good, denounce the bad, and clear up muddy waters. As Lu Xun said, critics must do the work of “cutting up a rotting apple,” namely, “cutting out the rotten parts and keeping the good ones to eat.” We should not refrain from criticizing others just because they are our friends or we see each other often. Writers and artists must have the courage to face critics who point out flaws in our work. We should treat them with respect and be willing to accept their criticisms. Under the guidance of Marxist literary theory, we should keep alive and innovate ancient traditions of Chinese literary criticism and judiciously draw on modern Western literary theories to sharpen our tools. We must steer the direction of literary criticism, judging and appreciating works from a historical, people-oriented, artistic, and aesthetic point of view. We should have the courage to tell the truth about the quality of works, dare to speak up when we see undesirable works, phenomena, and trends, and be brave enough to take a stand on important issues of right and wrong. We should call on people to tell the truth and speak rationally in order to foster a positive atmosphere for conducting literary criticism.
Comrades,
To quote an old Chinese poem, “Easy it is to discern a spring breeze, myriad petals of purple and red set spring aglow.” The CPC Central Committee has high hopes for literature and art as well as our writers and artists. We hope you will create more literary and artistic masterpieces that live up to the demands of the times and expectations of our people and make new and greater contributions to the flourishing of Chinese literature and art and to the building of a strong socialist culture in China.
(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 20, 2024)