Two Civilizations

Socialist material progress and ideological and ethical progress. The material achievement of transforming nature is material progress, which is manifested in the progress of people's material production and the improvement of material life. Material progress, as the sum of the material achievements of humans transforming nature, is the actual expression of the development of productivity; while transforming the objective world, people’s subjective world has also been transformed, and social spiritual production and spiritual life have been developed. The result of this aspect is ideological and ethical progress, which is manifested in the development of education, science, and cultural knowledge and the improvement of people’s ideological, political, and moral standards. Among them, the political thoughts and morals of a society are the most representative factors that embody a society’s cultural and ideological progress. In the early stages of Reform and Opening-up, Deng Xiaoping clearly pointed out: “While promoting high-level material progress, we must raise the scientific and cultural level of the whole nation, develop a noble and colorful cultural life, and purse high-level socialist ideological and ethical progress.” This shows that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics must emphasize both promoting high-level material progress and high-level socialist ideological and ethical progress. The “Resolution on Certain Historical Issues of the Party since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China” passed by the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee in 1981 clearly stated that while vigorously developing productivity, we shall gradually build a high-level democratic socialist political system and a high-level socialist ideological and ethical progress. This is the first time that the scientific concept of socialist ideological and ethical progress has been put forward in important Party documents. At the 12th CPC National Congress in 1982, “placing equal emphasis on material progress and cultural and ideological progress” was first put forward as a strategic policy for building socialism.

In September 1986, the 6th Plenary Session of the 12th CPC Central Committee deliberated and passed the “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Important Issues Concerning Strengthening Socialist Ideological and Ethical Progress”, which was the first programmatic document on promoting socialist ideological and ethical progress formulated by the Party. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping has emphasized that to realize the Chinese Dream for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, material wealth must be greatly enriched, and spiritual wealth must also be greatly enriched. It is the result of the balanced development and mutual promotion of material progress and ideological and ethical progress, and it is the synchronous development process of material progress and cultural and ideological progress, and perseverant and consistent efforts are required to promote socialist ideological and ethical progress.