Author: Professor Xu Chengfang, School of Marxism, Dalian University of Technology
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out in the report of the 19th National Congress that after long-term efforts, Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, which is a new historical orientation for China’s development. He stressed that this new era is Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s new era, not any other new era. From these speeches, we can make clear the rich connotation and significance of the new era.
From the origin, the new era is the result of long-term hard work.The new era didn’t wait, didn’t enter naturally, didn’t come easily in a short period of time, but came from generations of Chinese through long-term efforts, especially since the 18th National Congress, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the people of all ethnic groups in China worked together, and Do not forget your initiative mind worked hard to forge ahead. The Communist Party of China (CPC) people’s initial intention and mission is to seek happiness for the people of China and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Once established, the Communist Party of China (CPC) regarded communism as the highest ideal and ultimate goal of the party, shouldered the historical mission of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation without hesitation, United and led the people in arduous struggles, and wrote a magnificent epic that swallowed mountains and rivers. At present, China’s economic strength, scientific and technological strength, national defense strength and comprehensive national strength have entered the forefront of the world, and its international status has been significantly improved. The face of the party, the face of the country, the face of the people, the face of the army and the face of the Chinese nation have undergone unprecedented changes, and the Chinese nation is standing in the east of the world with a brand-new attitude.
In terms of process, the new era is a new historical orientation for China’s development.Looking at the time series and historical coordinates, we can see that the new era is a new direction of historical development that the Chinese nation, which has a long history of 5,000 years and has suffered a lot since modern times, entered in the middle and late period of the second decade of the 21st century, and it is a strong era after the Communist Party of China (CPC) led the Chinese nation to stand up and get rich. Without "standing up" and "getting rich", there will be no "getting strong"; Without "being strong", the mission and goal of "standing up" and "getting rich" will not be upgraded and achieved. Therefore, the new era is a leap forward in China’s spiraling history and a miracle of human development that conforms to the trend of the times and the development process of world history.
In nature, the new era is Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s new era.Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China’s social development. Scientific socialism and China characteristics are the fundamental elements of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. As the Supreme Leader pointed out, Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism rather than any other socialism. The basic principles of scientific socialism cannot be lost, and it is not socialism without it. Practice has proved that in the new era, Socialism with Chinese characteristics not only has not lost the basic principles of scientific socialism, but also achieved a new and significant development of scientific socialism. That is, in the new era, Socialism with Chinese characteristics not only adheres to the basic principles of scientific socialism, but also endows it with distinctive China characteristics. Therefore, to understand and grasp the new era, we must grasp two things: one is scientific socialism, and the other is China characteristics. In other words, the new era is a new era of adhering to and developing scientific socialism, adhering to and perfecting the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership, and strengthening Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road confidence, theoretical confidence, institutional confidence and cultural confidence.
In the sense of the times, the new era has a triple epoch-making significance.First, the epoch-making significance for the Chinese nation lies in that the Chinese nation, which has suffered many hardships in modern times, has ushered in a great leap from standing up, becoming rich and becoming strong, and has ushered in a bright prospect of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Second, the significance of scientific socialism lies in the fact that scientific socialism glows with great vitality in China in the 21st century and holds high the great banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the world. Third, the significance for developing countries to modernize and build a community of human destiny lies in the continuous development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s roads, theories, systems and cultures, which have expanded the way for developing countries to modernize, provided new choices for countries and nations in the world who want to speed up their development and maintain their independence, and contributed China wisdom and China’s plan to solving human problems.
From the development point of view, in the new era, China still needs to work hard and create greater glories.In the new era, the main contradiction in our society has been transformed into the contradiction between the people’s growing need for a better life and the unbalanced development, but China is still in the primary stage of socialism and will remain the largest developing country in the world for a long time. As the Supreme Leader pointed out, this new era is an era of inheriting the past and carrying forward the future, continuing to win the great victory of Socialism with Chinese characteristics under the new historical conditions, winning the battle to build a well-off society in an all-round way, and then building a socialist modern power in an all-round way. It is an era in which the people of all ethnic groups in China unite and struggle, constantly create a better life, and gradually realize the common prosperity of all people. It is an era in which all Chinese sons and daughters work together to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese dream, and China is approaching the center of the world stage. At present, the situation at home and abroad is undergoing profound and complex changes, and China’s development is still in an important period of strategic opportunities, with bright prospects and severe challenges. Therefore, the new era needs new struggles to win and lead the new era.
From the perspective of the topics and guiding ideology of the times, the new era has put forward new major topics of the times and achieved a new leap in guiding ideology.It can be said that Deng Xiaoping Theory, Theory of Three Represents and Scientific Outlook on Development have answered the questions about what socialism is, how to build it, what kind of party to build, how to build it, and what kind of development to achieve and how to develop it. The major issue of the new era is "What kind of Socialism with Chinese characteristics and how to uphold and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era", and around this major issue, the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era has been formed. This thought is the inheritance and development of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, Theory of Three Represents and Scientific Outlook on Development, the latest achievement of Marxism in China, the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the party and the people, an important part of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system, and an action guide for the whole party and the people to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It must be adhered to and continuously developed for a long time.
In a word, the new era has not only temporal significance, but also great political and social and historical significance. In the new era, we must be ambitious, be prepared for danger in times of peace, be brave in change and innovation, never be rigid or stagnant, persist in arming our minds, guiding practice and promoting work with the supreme leader Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era, and work together to build the Chinese dream, and closely link the Chinese dream with the beautiful dreams of people of all countries, so as to promote the building of a community of human destiny and make the world a better place because of the realization of the "Chinese dream".