Government/Politics - 267. page

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo and the Propaganda Chief of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, elaborated on the “Decisions by the CCP Central Committee regarding Further Promoting Reform and Development of the Cultural System,” which passed on October 18 during the Sixth Plenary Session of 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Li addressed the issue of “strengthening the country’s soft power by developing socialist culture with Chinese characteristics” and called for “forging cultural soft power in order to protect China’s cultural security.” Li said, “China must continuously expand its international cultural influence in order to forge its soft power, which will be compatible with its international image and protect China’s cultural security.” According to Li, culture is a key measure of a nation’s overall power. Whoever takes the lead and possesses strong cultural soft power will gain the advantage in the world’s competition.

Source: China News Service, October 27, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/10-27/3419185.shtml

Study Times, a publication of the Party School of the CCP’s Central Committee, published an article to clarify some of the important issues related to the cultural development that the 6th Plenary Session of 17th Congress of the CCP mapped out. The article said that one views culture as “soft power” when comparing it to the economy and military “hard power.” However, that does not mean that it lacks a solid foundation. Actually, there is a “hard requirement” behind “soft power.” The article pointed out that culture, as a phenomenon and a product of spirit, has multiple properties. Above all, ideology is one of its most fundamental properties. Culture reflects the political and economic interests of a certain class. Culture has a very clear ideological property, as well as powerful ideological function.

What Western society currently promotes as “universal values” is a manifestation of culture reflecting an ideological property and playing an ideological role. [Therefore], when others are holding up the banner of ideology, we cannot give up on ourselves.

The article concluded that the reason the CCP took the action it did at the 6th Pleanary Session, to develop the socialist core value sytem as the fundamental task of cultural development, was because the socialist core value system is the fundamental manifestation of socialist ideology, the spirit of prospering the nation, and the essence of socialist advanced culture. It determines the direction of Chinese style socialism.

Source: Study Times, October 24, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/10/24/03/03_35.htm

On October 19, 2011, Xinhua published an article on developing Chinese culture. The Sixth Plenary Session of 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which closed on October 18, 2011, put forward specific requirements for the establishment of the socialist core value system in the development of Chinese culture.

"Give priority to the social impact of cultural products with the aim of having a win-win situation for both social and economic benefits." "Fully implement the principle of the Party supervising and managing talent in the area of culture."

 “Adhere to the guiding position of Marxism; firmly believe in the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics; promote the national spirit with patriotism as the core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation as the core; establish and practice the socialist concept of honor and disgrace.”

Source: Xinhua, October 19, 2011

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-10/19/c_122173122.htm

On October 25, Xinhua was authorized to publish in its entirety the resolution that the central authorities adopted on deepening the reform of the country’s cultural system and promoting the development of "socialist culture." The resolution supports national culture enterprises in obtaining financing in the capital market. The resolution required expediting the development of the culture industry; promoting the culture industry as the foundation of the national economy; developing a core group of major national entities, national share holding culture enterprises, or enterprise groups with strong competitiveness, to allow them to play the leading role in the development of the industry and in market prosperity; speeding up the establishment of mechanisms and systems favorable to cultural development and prosperity; and increasing policy support to the culture industry in financing, taxation, and monetary and land use.

Source: Xinhua, October 20, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2011-10/26/c_122198107.htm?prolongation=1

Guangming Daily, a Beijing City based national newspaper, recently reported on two “very interesting” items that Xinhua news had published. One was about Huang Hua, the Deputy County Chief of Zhidan County, Shanxi Province; another was about Tian Gengwen, a member of the Communist Party Standing Committee of Xunyi County, Shanxi Province. The reporter did some calculations based on statements in Xinhua news and concluded that Mr. Huang must have started primary school at the age of 3 and Mr. Tian must have graduated from college at the age of 16. The report called both “Child Prodigies.” The reporter tried to contact the two individuals for an explanation of their resumes, but had no success. The article called for honesty, openness, and transparency in the government’s handling of its disclosure of information about government officials.

Source: Guangming Daily, October 22, 2011
http://guancha.gmw.cn/2011-10/22/content_2831120.htm

Qiushi Journal, a bi-weekly magazine published by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, recently published an article on culture reform. In the article, the Ministry of Culture discussed the overall cultural reform and laid out the guidelines for reform of the state owned art organizations. The article called for opening people’s minds to a new system and suggested that the reform should protect the interests of both individuals and organizations. The plan included introducing a modern enterprise system into some organizations, encouraging mergers, converting some to non-profit organizations, removing some that performed poorly, and keeping some organizations as is. The article also emphasized enhancing the government’s “guidance,” as well as ensuring that strict regulations are in place. The reform involved both national and local art organizations.

Source: Qiushi Journal, October 16, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2011/201120/201110/t20111014_116677.htm

Chinese State Media published a number of articles that comment on cultural system reform as proposed at the sixth plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the CCP held from October 15 to 18. The aticles suggested the following reasons for China to effectuate cultural reform:

1. Culture, as a “soft power,” is part of a country’s comprehensive national power. Nowadays the Oriental and Western ideologies are interacting and merging. “Whoever’s ideology and values are most widely spread (over the world), and whoever controls the discourse right, will have the greatest influence (over the world).” China needs this “soft power” both to defend against the Western countries’ subversion (“a major reason for the former Soviet Union’s disintegration was the severe decline of its cultural soft power”) and also to exercise its influence over the world. “China needs to have its cultural power match its international status.”

2. Culture has become an important support for economic development. “Culture, economy, and technology are increasingly mingled together. Economy has an increased cultural flavor; likewise, culture has an economic function.” Developing the culture industry can help China boost its economic growth.

3. The CCP wants to use culture to improve its deteriorating moral standards.

Sources:
1. Qiushi Journal, Oct 14, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/lg/clzt/201110/t20111014_116563.htm
2. Xinhua, Oct 18, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-10/18/c_111105718.htm

People’s Daily published an editorial following the sixth plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the CCP held from October 15 to 18. The editorial applauded the meeting’s adoption of a resolution on advancing China’s cultural system reform and its socialist cultural development.

The editorial further observed that the modern world is undergoing a period of major change and adjustment. Different thoughts, ideologies, and cultures are struggling with each other more frequently for supremacy. The status and influence of culture on the competition between national powers is also becoming more prominent. Therefore, the mission to guard the nation’s cultural security has become more arduous and critical and the requirement to boost national soft power and Chinese culture’s international influence has become more urgent.

The editorial stressed that it is an important and urgent political task for the local organs of the Communist Party Committee to deeply study the spirit of the meeting, to take the path of cultural development with Chinese characteristics and to promote the great development and prosperity of socialist culture.

Source: People’s Daily, October 19, 2011
http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/40604/15940128.html