Patriotism is the core of the Chinese national spirit. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed to deepen education on patriotism, collectivism and socialism. On October 24, 2023, the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress voted to pass the "Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Patriotic Education Law"), which clarified the top-level design of integrating patriotic education in the new era into the construction of the rule of law, stipulating in legal form the overall requirements, responsibilities and tasks, implementation measures, and support guarantees for patriotic education in the new era, and establishing the basic strategy of using the rule of law to promote patriotic education in the new era. In the new era and new journey, the promulgation and implementation of the Patriotic Education Law, the establishment of a consistent legal system for patriotic education, the inclusion of patriotic education in the new era into the track of the rule of law, and the promotion of the normalization and institutionalization of patriotic education are specific measures to thoroughly implement the spirit of the important instructions of the General Secretary and the specific measures of the decision-making and deployment, and are the inevitable requirements for promoting the extensive and in-depth development of patriotic education in the new era. Promoting the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era is of great and far-reaching significance for inheriting and carrying forward the spirit of patriotism, invigorating the national spirit, enhancing the national concept, strengthening and uniting all patriotic forces, and promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.
1. The legalization of patriotic education is an important guarantee for the extensive and in-depth development of patriotic education.
Law, the important weapon of the country. The Marxist concept of law holds that law is a definite, definite, and universal norm. The law is the concentrated embodiment of the interests and will of the state, and the rule of law is an important way for the party and the state to govern the country. On the one hand, the law has a natural patriotic gene, and patriotic education gives the soul of the Chinese spirit to the construction of the rule of lawOn the other hand, the law provides an important guarantee for patriotic education. Patriotic education and the construction of the rule of law go hand in hand and complement each other, and the two complement each other and will produce the effect of "one plus one is greater than two". To use the rule of law to ensure patriotic education in the new era is to bring patriotic education into the track of institutionalization, improve the level of legalization of patriotic education, and internalize patriotic education in the heart, externalize it in action, and solidify it in the system. The promulgation and implementation of the Patriotic Education Law and the promotion of the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era are important measures to promote the quality and efficiency of patriotic education in the new era.
The role of the rule of law in guaranteeing patriotic education is first embodied in the establishment of rules and regulations, making patriotic education a legal obligation in the form of authorization and orders, promoting the transformation of patriotic education from being driven by "soft" moral requirements to "rigid" legal obligations and responsibilities, and enhancing the binding force and leading force of reality. Second, the Patriotic Education Law provides institutional guidance for the normalization and long-term development of patriotic education with systematic and operable legal norms, and ensures that the patriotic spirit is embedded in the public's ideological consciousness and behavioral norms at all levels. In addition, the Patriotic Education Law clarifies the ways in which patriotic education is carried out for different subjects, guides, advocates, and encourages multiple subjects in society to participate in patriotic education, engage in patriotic activities, and fulfill patriotic obligations, so as to ensure that the tasks and requirements of patriotic education are implemented, and demonstrate the essence of patriotic education as an education for all.
2. The rule of law in patriotic education in the new era is an important measure to promote the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Patriotism education is rich in content, covering ideological and political, historical and cultural aspects, national symbols, the magnificent rivers and mountains of the motherland and historical and cultural heritage, the constitution and laws, national unity and national unity, national defense, heroic martyrs and exemplary deeds, and so on. The promulgation and implementation of the Patriotic Education Law can effectively promote the process of comprehensively governing the country according to law, enhance cultural self-confidence and self-reliance, promote national unity and ethnic unity, and maintain the relationship between the development of the Chinese nation and the process of globalization, which is an important measure to promote the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.
First, the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era can effectively implement the spirit of the Constitution and promote the process of comprehensively governing the country according to law. The rule of law is the cornerstone of social civilization, and the effect of the rule of law demonstrates a country's ability to govern and the degree of civilization. China's constitution clearly stipulates that the state advocates the core socialist values, advocates the public virtues of loving the motherland, the people, labor, science, and socialism, and conducts education in patriotism, collectivism, internationalism, and communism among the people. In the new era and new journey, the promulgation and implementation of the Patriotism Education Law is the refinement and sublimation of patriotic education in the process of comprehensively advancing the rule of law, and is of great significance for improving the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics with the Constitution as the core, safeguarding the authority of national laws, advancing the comprehensive rule of law, and building a socialist country with Chinese characteristics, a rule of law, and a society under the rule of law.
Second, the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era can effectively implement the best cultural thoughts, promote cultural self-confidence and the construction of a cultural power. Culture is the soul of a nation, and cultural self-confidence is the most basic, deepest and most lasting force in the development of a country and a nation. Patriotism is the most precious spiritual wealth and core content rooted in the excellent traditional Chinese culture and running through the revolutionary culture and the advanced socialist culture, and the spirit of patriotism is deeply rooted in the heart of the Chinese nation and is the spiritual gene of the Chinese nation. The Patriotic Education Law highlights the important value and significance of cultural cultivation in the cultivation of the spirit of patriotism, and clearly stipulates that patriotic education shall persist in inheriting and developing the excellent traditional Chinese culture, carry forward the core socialist values, promote the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, strengthen cultural self-confidence, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation. Promoting the rule of law in patriotic education is conducive to cultivating the feelings of the family and the country, continuing the spiritual bloodline, consolidating the foundation and cultivating the yuan, concentrating the soul and casting the soul, highlighting the great value of Chinese civilization, the ideological charm of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and the spiritual confidence of the revolutionary culture and the advanced socialist culture, which will have a far-reaching impact on strengthening cultural self-confidence and promoting cultural inheritance and innovative development.
Third, the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era can effectively promote national unity and national unity. The Patriotic Education Law stipulates that "efforts should be made to safeguard national unity and ethnic unity," "publicity and education should be strengthened in the principles and policies for promoting the reunification of the motherland, and the understanding of the entire Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, of the sacred duty of accomplishing the great cause of the motherland's reunification should be enhanced." Carrying out education on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, promoting exchanges and integration among all ethnic groups, and educating and guiding people to consciously safeguard national unity and ethnic unity will help enhance people's identification with the great motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China, and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and help build a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation and safeguard the unity of the motherland and ethnic unity.
Fourth, the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era can effectively safeguard the provisions of the Patriotic Education Law, and the state adopts various forms to carry out legal propaganda and education, national defense education, enhance citizens' awareness of the rule of law, national defense concepts, and guide citizens to consciously fulfill their obligations to maintain national unity and ethnic unity, and safeguard honor and interests. Education and national defense education is the proper meaning of patriotic education in the new era, and promoting national defense education in the form of patriotic education legislation will not only help boost vitality and gather strength, but also guide people to consciously fulfill their obligations to safeguard honor and interests, help maintain national ideological and political security, build a national defense line, and ensure the long-term peace and stability of the country.
Fifth, the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era can properly handle the relationship between the development of the Chinese nation and the process of globalization. The Patriotism Education Law stipulates that the promotion of the spirit of patriotism should be combined with the expansion of opening up to the outside world, adhere to rationality, inclusiveness, and openness, respect the historical characteristics and cultural traditions of various countries, and learn from and absorb all outstanding achievements of human civilization. Promoting the construction of the rule of law in patriotic education in the new era will help coordinate the relationship between the development of the Chinese nation and the process of globalization, educate and guide the people to govern the country in a way that is governed by the rule of law, and effectively avoid patriotism sliding into populism.
3. Accurately grasp the relationship between the three pairs, and promote the deepening and practical education of patriotism in the new era.
The promulgation and implementation of the Patriotic Education Law means that China is speeding up the process of legalizing patriotic education in the new era, and promoting and guaranteeing patriotic education in the new era with rigid legal norms. In this process, it is necessary to properly handle the intrinsic relationship between value guidance and legislative orientation, education laws and legal authority, and patriotic education law and existing laws, so that patriotic education in the new era can be stable and far-reaching on the track of the rule of law.
First, we must insist on paying equal attention to value guidance and action guidance. Patriotism is not a slogan, it is a cognition, an emotion, and more importantly, a will and an action. Patriotic behavior embodies the process of "externalizing people's certain patriotic cognition, patriotic feelings and patriotic will" in action, and is a high degree of unity of "knowledge, affection, intention and action", which contains the dialectical transformation of "knowledge and action", "inside and outside" and "hidden and explicit". Patriotic behavior is not only an intrinsic part of patriotic education, but also an important yardstick for testing the effectiveness of patriotic education. Law, on the other hand, is a norm that takes the relationship of behavior as the object of adjustment, and plays an important role in guiding action. The legalization of patriotic education in the new era has a distinct value orientation and action orientation, focusing on concentrating on the soul, focusing on construction and taking establishment as the foundation, which can ensure that patriotic education is transformed from a constitutional obligation into a universally binding and operable legal rule, and provide clear action guidance for the development of patriotic education.
Second, it is necessary to promote the integration and symbiosis of patriotic education and legal authority. Patriotic education and the construction of the rule of law have inherent regularity, and to promote the legalization of patriotic education in the new era, it is necessary to grasp the internal relationship between the laws of education and legislation, and between the principles of education and the authority of the law. Following the laws of patriotic education requires us to adhere to ideological guidance, cultural cultivation, educational guidance, and practical cultivation, combine the basic requirements of patriotic education with specific realities, combine comprehensive coverage with highlighting key points, pay attention to the implementation of small details, and promote the integration of patriotic education throughout the entire process of national education and spiritual civilization construction, so as to moisten things silently. Following the laws governing the construction of the rule of law requires us to pay attention to the French language, logic, and legal norms, and promote scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, fair justice, and law-abiding by the whole people on the basis of certain statutory powers, legal authorities, and legal procedures, integrate the requirements of patriotism into the entire process, and enhance the effectiveness, applicability, and standardization of the law. It is necessary not only to follow the basic laws of education, but also to abide by the authoritative norms of the law and to carry out patriotic education in a down-to-earth manner.
Third, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination and linkage between the Patriotic Education Law and the existing laws. The Patriotic Education Law is the integration, refinement and improvement of the provisions on patriotic education in relevant laws and regulations and their relevant normative documents, and is the basic and comprehensive legislation to ensure the effectiveness of patriotic education in the new era, making up for the shortcomings of "incomplete laws" and "incomplete laws" caused by the lack of special patriotic education laws in the past. Next, it is necessary to further strengthen systematic thinking and strengthen the connection, coordination, and linkage of the Patriotic Education Law with other laws and norms with compulsory effect. Accelerate the implementation of the Patriotic Education Law, further improve the patriotic education system, and form a closer logical relationship between the Patriotic Education Law and relevant laws and regulations. Strengthen the coordination and linkage between the Patriotic Education Law and the existing laws, improve the systematic, systematic, and stable of the patriotic education system, ensure that the effectiveness of the law is further demonstrated, and better play its function of guaranteeing, guiding, and promoting patriotic education in the new era, so that patriotism becomes the firm belief, spiritual strength, and conscious action of all the people.
The author, Wang Xianqing, is a professor at the School of Marxism and the Institute of Northeast and Northeast Asian Studies at Jilin University