A Century of Innovation and Progress: Theoretical Innovations of the Communist Party of China
Wang Lirong1, Chen Xiangge2
1.School of Marxism, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310036, China 2.School of Marxism, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
Abstract：The Communist Party of China (CPC) has celebrated its centenary and it is still full of vitality. The reason for this is that it has a strong sense of innovation and an excellent ability to innovate. This innovative consciousness and ability mainly depend on three factors. Firstly, Marxism provides a profound theoretical foundation for innovation. Marxist philosophy of materialistic dialectics is a philosophy of innovation and creativity. Secondly, the revolution has afforded a good environment and a strong impetus for innovation. Revolution by its very nature is an innovation. The revolutionary movement carried out by the Chinese Communist Party in the past century has greatly enhanced its sense of innovation and improved its ability to innovate. Thirdly, the mass line has provided a broad and deep base for innovation. The reason that Mao Zedong “advocated that the revolution should rely on the people” and adhered to the mass line is that he believed “the masses have great creative power”. Deng Xiaoping, on the other hand, said that some of the “very excellent methods” and “inventions” of reform and opening up had been proposed by the masses. The above-mentioned three factors have made the CPC an outstandingly innovative political party.As an innovative party, the history of the CPC is a history of continuous innovation. In the history of the Party’s innovation, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping are three representative figures with outstanding results.Mao Zedong is a leader with a strong sense of innovation and an extraordinary capacity for innovation. The concepts including “localization of Marxism in China”, the “Chinese revolutionary road” and “paper tiger” are Mao’s main innovations.Deng Xiaoping, the “chief architect” of China’s reform and opening up, characterized it as China’s “second revolution”, thus setting off another innovative climax in the history of the Party. His innovations are the “Marxist Quintessence Theory”, the “Socialist Essence Theory” and the “Market Economy Methodology”.At present, the Communist Party of China is facing a critical situation in which the world is marked by changes unseen in a century, and China’s reform has entered a deep-water zone. All this has greatly enhanced Xi Jinping’s sense of innovation and enabled him to achieve many significant innovations in the governance of the country. “Remaining True to Our Original Aspiration” is the theme of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The concept of “a community with a shared future for mankind” is the “Chinese Solution” at a time when human society is facing common challenges such as the ecological crisis. The “Two Combinations Theory” calls for “insisting on combining the basic principles of Marxism with Chinese reality and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture”. The “Two Combinations Theory” makes the combination of Marxism and Chinese society more comprehensive and profound, thus making Marxism further Sinicized.The essence of the theoretical innovation of the CPC is the localization of Marxism in China. In the history of the Party’s innovation, theoretical innovation is the premise and foundation. The study of the Party’s theoretical innovation achievements in the past century is based on the historical perspective of the localization of Marxism in China and scientifically analyzing the Party’s theoretical innovation achievements in different historical periods represented by Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping. These achievements include putting forward many landmark new categories and concepts and adding new contents to “constructing Chinese theory” and “building China in Theory”. As a result, they help to further enrich and develop theoretical researches on the history of the CPC and the localization of Marxism in China, and to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the road and theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
王历荣, 陈湘舸. 百年创新，百年奋进——中国共产党理论创新成果[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2022, 52(2): 14-27.
Wang Lirong, Chen Xiangge. A Century of Innovation and Progress: Theoretical Innovations of the Communist Party of China. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2022, 52(2): 14-27.
2022, Vol. 52 
