CULTIVATE AND PRACTICE THE CORE SOCIALIST VALUES

CULTIVATE AND PRACTICE THE CORE SOCIALIST VALUES*

May 4, 2014

University is a place not just for academic studies but for seeking truth. Today, I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you my insights into the core socialist values. 

I was inspired by the spirit of the May 4th Movement, which embodies the values the Chinese people and nation have pursued since the mid-19th century. Today, we should still adhere to and carry out these core values, highlighted by patriotism, progress, democracy and science. Young people, as well as everyone else in the country, should uphold and carry out these core values.

Looking at human history and social development, we find that the most lasting and profound power for a nation and country is the core values acknowledged by all. Core values carry the spiritual aspiration of a nation and country, and represent the standard for judging right and wrong. 

An ancient book says, “The way to great learning is to manifest bright virtue and to treat the people as one’s own family, thereby arriving at supreme goodness.” Core values are in fact individual virtues, as well as public, social and national virtues. A country cannot prosper without virtues, nor can anyone succeed without virtues. Without shared core values, a nation and country will be at a loss to know what is right and what is wrong, and its people will have no code of conduct to follow, the result being that the nation and country can never progress. It has commonly occurred in our history and still happens across the globe. 

China is a huge country with over 1.3 billion people and 56 ethnic groups. Recognition of the values most shared by the people of all ethnic groups enables them to work with one heart and one mind for greater progress. This is essential to our nation’s future and destiny as well as our people’s happiness and wellbeing.

Every era has its spirit, and likewise its values. In ancient China our ancestors developed core values highlighted by “propriety, righteousness, honesty, and a sense of shame – the four anchors of our moral foundation and a question of life and death for the country”. This was our ancestors’ understanding of their core values. 

What are the core values for our people and country today? This is both a theoretical and a practical question. We have eventually agreed upon this after sorting out opinions and understandings from all walks of life. The core socialist values that we should cultivate and practice are prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, good faith and amity. 

Prosperity, democracy, civility and harmony are values that underpin our nation; freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law are values that buttress our society; patriotism, dedication, good faith and amity are values that underlie individual conduct. They explain what sort of country and society we are striving for and what kind of citizens we are cultivating. 

Since ancient times the Chinese people have developed their country through studying the nature of things to acquire knowledge, correcting thoughts with sincerity, cultivating the moral self, managing the family, governing the state, and safeguarding peace under Heaven. As we see it today, the principles of “studying the nature of things, correcting thoughts with sincerity, and cultivating the moral self ” are for individuals; the principle of “managing the family” is for the society; and those of “governing the state and safeguarding peace under Heaven” are for the country. 

What we put forward for the core socialist values is a combination of requirements for the country, society and citizens, which represent the nature of socialism, carry forward the best of traditional Chinese culture, draw on the fine elements of world civilizations, and reflect the spirit of the times.

Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, good faith and amity are all ideas that inherit the essence of traditional Chinese culture, embody the ideals and convictions formed by Chinese people since the 1840s through unremitting and painstaking efforts, and reflect the wishes and vision of every Chinese citizen. 

We should foster the core socialist values throughout society. The people should join hands and work persistently to make China stronger, more prosperous, more democratic, more culturally advanced, more harmonious and more beautiful, so that our country can be confident enough to stand tall and proud among the nations of the world. 

Since the Opium War of 1840 the Chinese people have long cherished a dream of realizing national rejuvenation and building China into a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious modern socialist country – the highest and most fundamental interests of the nation. And that’s what our 1.3 billion people are striving for. 

China used to be a world economic power. However, it missed its chance in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and the consequent dramatic changes, and thus was left behind and suffered humiliation under foreign invasion. Things got worse especially after the Opium War of 1840, when the nation was plagued by poverty and weakness, allowing others to trample upon and manipulate us. We must not let this tragic history repeat itself. 

Building a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious modern socialist country is our goal and responsibility – for our nation, for our forefathers, and for our future generations. Therefore, we should maintain strategic resolve, intensify our faith, and walk unswervingly along the road towards our destination. 

China has stood up. It will never again tolerate being abused by any nation. Yet it will never follow in the footsteps of the big powers, which seek hegemony once they grow strong. Our country is following a path of peaceful development. 

Why are we so confident? Because we have developed and become stronger. China has won worldwide respect with its century-long efforts. Its prestige keeps rising, and its influence keeps expanding. Today’s China forms a sharp contrast to China in the 19th century when the country was humiliated, its sovereignty was infringed upon, and its people were abused by foreign invaders. 

Chinese civilization has nurtured a unique value system over several millennia. The best of traditional Chinese culture is part of our heritage and has deep roots in the Chinese people’s mentality, subconsciously influencing our way of thinking and behavior. 

Today, we advocate and carry forward the core socialist values through absorbing the rich nourishment of Chinese culture, so as to boost its vitality and expand its influence. 

Here are some quotations from ancient classics that I’d like to share with you today: 

“The people are the foundation of a state”;
“Harmony between humanity and nature”;
“Harmony without uniformity”;
“Just as Heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman makes unremitting efforts to perfect himself ”;
“When the Great Way rules, the land under Heaven belongs to the people”;
“Everyone must hold himself responsible for the defense of his country”;
“Govern the country with virtue and educate the people with culture”;
“A man of virtue has a good knowledge of righteousness”;
“A gentleman is open and aboveboard”;
“A gentleman takes morality as his bedrock”;
“Be true in word and resolute in deed”;
“If a man does not keep his word, what is he good for?”;
“The virtuous are never left to stand alone”;
“The benevolent loves others”;
“Do things for the good of others”;
“Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you”;
“Keep each other company and reach out to help one another”;
“Respect others’ elders as one respects one’s own, and care for others’ children as one cares for one’s own”;
“Help the poor and assist those in difficulty”;
“Inequality rather than scarcity is the cause of trouble”.

These thoughts and ideas all displayed and still demonstrate distinctive national features and the indelible values of the times. We have updated them in keeping abreast of the times, while carrying them forward in an unbroken line.

What makes us Chinese, fundamentally, is the unique cultural identity we share and the long-held values we practice unremarked every day. The core socialist values we advocate today represent the inheritance and upgrading of the best of traditional Chinese culture. 

Values appear and develop in the process of human beings getting to know and shaping nature and society. Core values vary in different nations and countries due to different natural conditions and courses of development. The core values of a nation and country are closely related to its history and culture, as well as to what its people are striving for and to the present issues it needs to resolve. 

There are no two leaves exactly alike on earth. A nation, or people of a country, must know who they are, where they came from and where they are heading. They should keep on going when they have made their choice.

On December 26 last year, I said at the meeting marking the 120th birthday of Mao Zedong: 

Boasting a vast land of 9.6 million square kilometers, a rich cultural legacy, and a strong bond among the 1.3 billion people, we are resolved to go our own way. We have a big stage to display our advantages on, a long and rich history to draw benefit from, and a powerful impetus to push us ahead. We Chinese people – every single one of us – should draw confidence from this.

We should modestly learn from the best of other civilizations, but never forget our own origin. We must not blindly copy the development models of other countries nor accept their dictation.

What I mean here is that we should strengthen our confidence in the path we have chosen, in the theories we have devised, and in the system we have established to reach our goal of development and make the Chinese Dream come true. “In the face of all blows, not bending low, it still stands fast. Whether from east, west, south or north the wind doth blast.” Our confidence is supported by our core values. 

Why am I talking about the core socialist values with you young people? Because your value orientation will decide the values of the whole of society in the years to come. Besides, you young people are at the time of life when you are forming and establishing your values. It is therefore very important to offer some guidance. That reminds me of something that happens in our daily life. When we button up our coat, we may inadvertently put the first button in the wrong button hole, and that will result in all the other buttons being put in the wrong holes. That’s why we say that young people should “button right” in the early days of their life. “A deep well is dug starting with a shallow pit.” Every young person should learn about the core socialist values starting right now, take them as your basic rules, and disseminate them throughout society.

* Part of the speech at a meeting with faculty and students of Peking University.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)