Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, based on the history and basic national conditions of a unified multi-ethnic country, coordinating the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the great changes in the world unseen in a century, making profound reflections on China's new type of ethnic relations, and creatively putting forward the major thesis of "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation", giving the party's statecraft a new connotation in the field of ethnic work.
"Forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" is a vivid interpretation of adhering to the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Since its founding, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has focused on the reality of ethnic relations and the main tasks of ethnic work in China in different historical periods, continuously deepened its understanding of ethnic issues, and established ethnic theories and policies with ethnic equality, ethnic unity, regional ethnic autonomy, and the common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups as the main contents. Only under the leadership of the Communist Party of China can all ethnic groups achieve equality, unity, and progress in the true sense. **The general secretary's important assertion on "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" has unified the thinking and pointed out the direction for China's ethnic theory and policy. The realization of the second centenary goal is inseparable from the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the implementation of specific ethnic work is to profoundly embody the rich connotation and future vision of the "community of shared future" in which all ethnic groups in China have a shared future, whose interests are intertwined, and who help each other from all levels of political, economic, cultural, and social life.
"Forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" is the fruit of the era of the sinicization of Marxist national theory. ** The general secretary creatively combined the Marxist theory of nationalities with the specific reality of China's ethnic issues, grasped the specific reality of China's ethnic issues in judging the hour and sizing up the situation, creatively put forward the major proposition of "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" in ethnic work, and embarked on a correct path for resolving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics. "Forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" is an innovation and development of Marxist national theory. "Forging the Sense of Community of the Chinese Nation" clarifies many controversies and vague understandings in the field of ethnic theory in China, is a correct view of the old and new phenomena of China's ethnic issues and the profound changes in ethnic relations in the new era, embodies the ideological sublimation of the understanding of ethnic equality and ethnic unity, and is an in-depth excavation of Marxist ethnic theory. The Marxist theory of nationalities is not immutable, and "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" has enabled the Marxist understanding of the nationality issue to constantly open up new realms in practice, and to constantly enrich and develop the Marxist theory of nationalities that has been modernized and modernized in China.
"Forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" is the inheritance and development of China's excellent traditional culture. **In his important speech at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development, the general secretary pointed out that there are many important elements of China's excellent traditional culture, which together shape the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. One of them is "unity". The reason why China has formed a unified multi-ethnic country and why the Chinese nation has continued to grow and develop is closely related to the "great unification," a cultural tradition that has had a far-reaching impact in Chinese history. The idea of "great unification" sprouted in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, deepened in the historical process of the formation and development of a multi-ethnic state since the Qin and Han dynasties, and became the core and soul of China's excellent traditional culture, profoundly influencing the values of the Chinese nation and the thinking mode of national construction. In the handling of ethnic relations, the culture of "harmony and cooperation" plays a positive role in maintaining and developing China's unified multi-ethnic state. Since ancient times, the relationship between various ethnic groups in China has been "harmony but difference", and "forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" accommodates the cultural differences of various ethnic groups, emphasizes the unity of the unity of the Chinese nation, and is the unity of the diversity of all ethnic groups and the integrity of the Chinese nation. In the thousands of years of integration and development of Chinese civilization and the exchanges and exchanges of various ethnic groups in China, the Chinese cultural identity has been jointly fused and formed, and the "sense of community of the Chinese nation" not only reflects the cultural characteristics and spiritual outlook of various ethnic groups, but also provides a steady stream of life nourishment for the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
"Forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" is a critique and transcendence of Western nationalist theory. Most of the theories of Western nationalism are based on the process of ethnic formation and the way of dealing with ethnic groups in Europe and the United States, focusing on the distinction of ethnic groups by race, which has a typical Western-centric color. The process of nation-formation and nation-state construction in China has distinctive characteristics, which resist and eliminate the negative influence of Western national concepts on the shaping of the Chinese nation, and abandon the xenophobia of Western nationalism. Although the Chinese nation and all ethnic groups are called "nations," they are at different levels, and the relationship between the Chinese nation and various ethnic groups is the relationship between a big family and a family member. All ethnic groups in China have jointly opened up a vast territory, written a long history, created a splendid culture, and cultivated a great spirit, thus consolidating the historical foundation of the Chinese national community. "Forging the sense of community of the Chinese nation" aims to guide the people of all ethnic groups to firmly establish the community concept of sharing weal and woe, weal and woe, life and death, and destiny, which is a criticism and transcendence of the narrow category of Western nationalism, and profoundly embodies the concept of a community with a shared future for the Chinese nation that "you have me, I have you, and no one can do without anyone".
Author: Liu Jingya, Huang Shaocheng Unit: School of Marxism, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan).