Cultural Construction and the Rise of China as a Great Power

Cultural factors should not be ignored when discussing the main reasons for the rise of modern powers. No country with poor economy and political division can rise; Similarly, it is impossible for any country full of illiteracy, poor culture and backwardness to rise. Culture is a powerful spiritual force in the process of national rise and national rejuvenation, and it is a concrete embodiment of a country's comprehensive national strength.

In recent years, when discussing the main reasons for the rise of modern great powers in domestic academic circles, the commentators mainly involve the following five aspects: realizing national independence and national unity and creating a situation of political stability; (2) Develop the economy in an all-round way to lay the foundation for the country's prosperity; (3) Abandoning the closed door and persisting in opening to the outside world; (4) Pay attention to reform and keep innovating; (5) Seize the opportunity and make timely decisions. There is no doubt that this is very necessary and important. However, when we further discuss the value judgment in the historical understanding category such as "why" on the above issues, it will inevitably involve the profound cultural factors behind all this and directly contribute to the rise of these countries. It is particularly important to discuss this issue under the historical background of globalization. Because an independent and prosperous national culture is a powerful spiritual power, just like material power, it is also one of the indispensable foundations and prerequisites for the rise of a nation-state, and under specific historical conditions, cultural-spiritual power sometimes plays a more important role than material power. Culture is the concrete embodiment of a country's comprehensive national strength. It is impossible for any country with poor economy and divided politics to rise and develop. Similarly, it is impossible for any country full of illiteracy, poor culture and backwardness to rise and develop. It is not only of great theoretical significance, but also of great practical significance for China, which is realizing the great national rejuvenation, to explore this issue along the track of world historical development since modern times.

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In the historical development of China, there was a glorious Han and Tang Dynasty. This glorious era is directly related to the cultural upsurge in Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties. This phenomenon is not unique to China, but a world historical phenomenon with universal significance in the course of human history. Because culture is the connotation of society, as a value system, it exists in social relations, social systems and social behaviors. In short, culture is an unquestionable social existence. Thinkers in modern China have a clear understanding of this issue. For example, in the autumn of 19 19, when talking about the future of China, Li Dazhao said that "our ideal is to bring up a young China person". My ideal young China person is a young China person who has been transformed both materially and spiritually, and a young China person who has the same spirit and body. Li Dazhao's "spirit" here is synonymous with "culture", so he thinks that this "spiritual transformation movement" is one of the contents of the "cultural movement" [1] (pages 235-236). Here, Li Dazhao clearly pointed out the role of "spirit" and "culture" in social development, especially social transformation. 1920, Liang Qichao emphasized in "the success or failure of the cause of the Republic of China in history and the opportunity of future reform" that the national ability determines the success or failure of a country's cause. "The completion of a career is not easy, so a nation can only complete one career in an era, or one career is the main one, supplemented by others." The cultivation of "national ability" should overcome the negative factors in China's traditional culture and absorb the beneficial contents from foreign cultures from the perspective of "world history". He said: "China's culture is the most cosmopolitan. If we can absorb world culture from Wei Rong in the future, we will certainly expand its instinct and enrich its content, which is also a contribution to the world. Then the citizens of China in the 20th century will occupy an important position in the history of human evolution "[2] (Collection 36). Here, Liang Qichao not only saw the role of culture in social development, but also set out from the reality of China, and then emphasized the absorption of world advanced culture to enrich the traditional culture of China, so as to make it play a more active and progressive role in the social development of China.

American anthropologists A.L. kroeber and K. Colahong analyzed and compared the definitions of more than 65,438+000 cultures in their book Culture: An Investigation of the Definition of a Concept. They believe: "Culture exists in various implicit and explicit ways, and can be learned and spread through the use of symbols, which constitutes a special achievement of human groups. These achievements include various specific styles they have made. The basic elements of culture are traditional concepts and values (derived from history and obtained through choice), among which values are the most important. " British anthropologist K.B. Taylor believes in Primitive Culture that "culture, in a broad sense in ethnography, is the whole of complex life, including knowledge, belief, art, morality, laws, customs and other abilities and habits that individuals need as members of society" [3](p.56). Malinowski, another British anthropologist, juxtaposed "social organization" and "spiritual culture" with "material equipment" and "language", thus classifying cultures. China academic circles divide culture into "culture in a broad sense" and "culture in a narrow sense". Culture in a broad sense mainly refers to the sum of material products and spiritual products created by human beings; Culture in a narrow sense mainly refers to the spiritual products of ideology, as well as literature, art and language.

It is not difficult to see from the above that culture is not innate, but acquired with the progress and development of society. In the process of its formation, it is not only the product of social progress and development, but also the force to promote social progress and development. In a word, culture is an organic part of society, and any country and nation needs not only strong economic strength, but also strong cultural strength to develop. In a sense, any economically rising power is also a culturally rising power. "Industrialization is a process with great historical strength and continuous progress. Before this, there has never been another once-in-a-century event that has changed the face of the earth and the lives of its residents so greatly "[4] (p. 200). The arrival of industrialization and industrial era is inseparable from the material basis of social and historical development and the accumulation of social history and culture.

Just as the economic power of any country or nation can't be formed spontaneously, so can the cultural power. Therefore, looking at the historical development of the world since modern times, we can clearly see the cultural construction and the positive cultivation of cultural forces in the rise of great powers. The cultivation of "talents" closely related to education should be the core of cultural construction. Yan Fu, an enlightenment thinker in the late Qing Dynasty, once pointed out in the revised version of The Force that the core content of Darwin's and Spencer's evolutionism is how to constantly strive for self-improvement. Self-improvement is not only manifested in bloodline, physical strength or intelligence, but also in "virtue, benevolence and righteousness" The key here is to develop people's strength, wisdom and morality. "These three are the foundation of self-improvement." In the Final Theory of Saving the Nation, he further pointed out clearly that the comprehensive quality of a nation determines the fate of this country. If science and technology are developed and the economy is strong, but there are no talents and only slaves, it will fail sooner or later.

The cultivation of cultural power can not be separated from education, or education is the first. Taking the United States as an example can fully illustrate this point. For example, as early as the colonial period, the United States has shown a tradition of attaching importance to and developing education, and its source is the traditional European educational thought with ancient Greece as its source. The Massachusetts Colony passed education laws in 1642, 1647 and 1648. The central content of the bill is to develop universal education, stipulating that every township with more than 50 households must designate special personnel to teach children to read and write; Every town with more than 100 households must establish a school. Before American independence, Harvard College (1636) was established as the first university in the United States. In addition, there are William and Mary College (1693), Yale College (170 1) and New Jersey College (1746), later changed to Columbia College), Philadelphia College (1755, now University of Pennsylvania) and Brown College. Because the idea that "education is necessary for human beings" is deeply rooted, more than 200 universities have been established before the American Civil War. Since Washington, the founding president of the United States, successive American presidents have attached great importance to the development of education. The government uses administrative power to actively promote education reform and promulgate a series of laws to realize the leap-forward development of national education from primary and secondary schools to universities, because this is closely related to cultivating citizens' "American spirit" to meet the requirements of rapid economic and technological development. 65438+In the 1970s of 2009, when the United States was rapidly rising and transitioning from "liberal capitalism" to monopoly capitalism, American higher education took Harvard University as the center, implemented educational reform, changed the situation that university courses were far from the actual needs of social development, opened new courses urgently needed by economic development, and opened various specialized colleges and graduate schools to speed up the training of talents in short supply. Johns Hopkins University, with postgraduate education as its main content, was established at this time.

The profound changes and rapid development of higher education are of decisive significance for improving the scientific development level of the United States. /kloc-electricity has been widely used in the second half of the 0/9th century. 185 1 year, the telegraph system invented by morse began to be applied to American railway lines. 1867, Bell invented the telephone; 1886, Edison invented the electric light, 1877, he invented the phonograph. 1892, the durian brothers successfully manufactured cars; 1903, the Wright brothers trial-produced the plane and successfully tested it. From 65438 to 0880, the proportion of total industrial output value in the United States exceeded that of agriculture. From 65438 to 0894, the total industrial output value of the United States has jumped to the top in the world and become a developed capitalist country, which is directly related to the development of American education and cultural construction in the19th century.

This situation is not unique to the United States. From the 1970s of 19 to the end of 19, the major capitalist countries in western Europe also began to transition to the imperialist stage. In this process, these countries launched fierce competition and even confrontation economically and militarily. Education, as the most direct and influential cultural force, has received widespread attention from these countries and has become an important part of participating in these competitions and confrontations. 186 1 year, in his masterpiece On Education (Intellectual Education, Moral Education and Physical Education), Spencer expounded his educational theory from the perspective of developing British capitalism and maintaining the monopoly position of the British bourgeoisie in the world industry. When he answered "What knowledge is the most valuable", he stressed the need to teach "the direct relationship of preserving one's own knowledge" and make "complete preparation" for adapting to life in capitalist society. "Because the knowledge of the law of life is more important than any other knowledge; The law of life is not only the basis of all material and spiritual processes, but also indirectly the basis of all exchanges, all trade, all politics and all morality. " He also stressed that it is the duty of education to prepare for a full life. At the same time, applying the principle of natural selection in biology to educational theory has also become an integral part of Spencer's "social organic theory".

Since the 1970s, major capitalist countries in western Europe have successively promulgated laws on compulsory free education, and established public primary schools and vocational schools, where students not only learn natural science knowledge, but also take courses such as citizenship, morality, history, geography and music, carry out patriotic education, and inherit and cultivate a new generation of national spirit. The development of education is an important part of cultural construction, which is directly related to the improvement of economic and military strength of these countries. Until the major capitalist countries entered the stage of imperialism in the early 20th century, this situation did not change in essence. If we must say what has changed, it is mainly manifested in a series of educational reform measures at this time, such as strengthening the state's control over education, increasing education funds, extending the years of compulsory education, developing "comprehensive schools" and vocational education, implementing "continuing education" and "lifelong education", establishing junior colleges or community colleges, "opening universities", reforming the academic system, adjusting disciplines, and vigorously promoting the status of science and engineering in the national education system. Especially colleges and universities, besides teaching, also undertake heavy frontier scientific research work, and the results of these studies are closely related to the country's political, economic development and national defense construction. In short, the growing strength of education and culture has met the objective requirements of capitalist development in these countries.

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As an important part of cultural construction, literature and art play an irreplaceable role in inheriting the essence of national culture, enlightening national consciousness and cultivating national spirit. Since modern times, literature and art have played an important role in the emergence and development of nationalism in major western European countries. In different historical periods and conditions, this nationalism has been cast in different forms in the national cultures of western European countries, making these literature and arts more national and contemporary. There is no doubt that literature and art are the reflection of social life at that time, but this kind of reflection is not a simple and flat reflection. The dialectical relationship between them is very complicated in real life. We can't just see that literature and art are only the reflection of the times, but ignore that under certain conditions, literature and art are also creating history and one of the driving forces to promote social history. National and independent literature and art are also a powerful cultural force, and culture plays an irreplaceable role in enlightening national consciousness, enhancing national centripetal force and cohesion, and stimulating national fighting spirit. Therefore, it is not difficult for people to understand why culture is one of the original reasons to push the nation-state onto the road of strengthening the country and enriching the soldiers, and why economic and military powers are often cultural powers.

/kloc-at the end of 0/8/kloc-at the beginning of 0/9, romanticism, as a literary movement or literary trend of thought, rose in western Europe. This is an important turning point in the social and historical development of western Europe. The British bourgeois revolution and the French bourgeois revolution made the bourgeoisie establish its own rule politically and economically, but there was no "rational country and society" predicted by the enlightenment scholars. Capitalism has opened a realistic road for the rapid development of social productive forces, but the number of extremely poor workers is increasing day by day. Germany is still politically divided and has not yet achieved national reunification. Romanticism is an inversion of classicism since17th century. Classicism is a literary theory or cultural trend of thought in the transitional period from feudal society to capitalist society, but it retains a strong feudal color. The so-called "classical" is a "model", that is, taking the literary and artistic thoughts of ancient Greece and Rome as a model. If the political and economic development in western Europe in the17th century gave birth to classicism, it was already out of date in the new historical conditions at the beginning of the19th century.

Romanticism, as a new cultural trend of thought at the beginning of19th century, was greatly influenced by German classical philosophers Kant, Fichte and Schelling. Kant and Fichte's subjective idealism philosophy emphasizes human creativity and subjective initiative; Schelling's idealism philosophy emphasizes the absoluteness and perfection of human spirit, that is, they are either bourgeois democratic and free fighters; Or the spokesman of the bourgeoisie. Under the influence of German classical philosophers, romantic cultural thought also highly praised people's originality and subjective initiative. As early as18th century, the Enlightenment challenged classicism for the first time. The so-called "enlightenment" originally meant "illumination" and "consciousness". The Enlightenment emphasized the need to break through the spiritual bondage of religious theology with modern "rational brilliance" and establish a "rational kingdom" full of the spirit of the times. It is not difficult to see that the Enlightenment was the pioneer of romanticism. From Enlightenment to Romanticism, it reflects the political ideal and spiritual requirements of the developing bourgeoisie.

Romanticism first appeared in Germany at the turn of 18 and 19 centuries. F. schlegel published Fragments, which emphasized the subjectivity of art and was regarded as the foundation work of romantic art theory. /kloc-At the beginning of the 9th century, O. schlegel published Lectures on Literature and Art and On Drama Art and Literature, which systematically expounded the romantic art theory and had great influence. The representative figures of English romanticism are Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley and Keats. Wordsworth's lyric ballads are regarded as the declaration of English romantic literature. In On Poetry, Shelley discussed the close relationship between literature and society since ancient times, and emphasized the social significance and educational function of literature. His representative works include Prometheus Liberated, Ode to Freedom, Freedom and so on. It had a wide influence on the European national liberation movement from 65438 to 1920s. 18 19, he wrote in ode to the west wind: "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" ? He emphasized the role of literature in transforming society and was praised as a "genius prophet" by Engels [5] (page 528). Following Germany and Britain, French romanticism was formed at the beginning of19th century. In "On Literature", Mrs. De Starr severely criticized the affected salon literature, and criticized the classical theory when analyzing the relationship between literary development and social conditions. She is very concerned about the nationality of literature and art and the originality of national culture, and puts forward that "we should touch ourselves with our own feelings", and use literature as a weapon to develop national culture and enhance national cohesion. The cultural accumulation of positive romanticism exists in every cell of social life. Invisible "moisten things quietly", but it strongly affects the historical destiny of a country and a nation.

Although romanticism has different forms of expression in different countries, it is similar in one thing, that is, literary and artistic creation pays attention to social reality, which makes its works have distinct social significance and rich social content. This is most prominent in the theory and practice of French romantic art, such as the works of Hugo and other romantic representatives, which show the ideological tendency of severely criticizing the Restoration Dynasty and opposing feudal rule. Hugo attaches great importance to the social function of literature. He believes that romanticism is the inevitable product of social and historical development. Its positive role is not only reflected in the theory and practice of literature, but also in its direct or indirect influence on social and historical movements. Hugo's understanding of social and historical stages is very similar to that of1Vico, an Italian historical philosopher in the first half of the 8th century.

In his masterpiece "New Science", Vico believes that human history has gone through God's era-human childhood, heroic era-human youth and human era-human prime and old age. "According to the Egyptians, they have experienced three times before, that is, God, hero and man have been connected three times. We will see that all ethnic groups are moving forward according to the division of these three eras, and they are constantly moving forward according to the unique cause and effect of each ethnic group "[6](p.459). Only in the "human age" can there be equality of power, prosperity of economy and prosperity of science and culture, which is the highest stage of world historical development. Hugo believes that the development of literature is consistent with the development of human history. Primitive period was lyrical; Ancient times were epic; Modernity is dramatic. Hugo went on to explain that drama describes life, the characters in the drama are all mortal, and drama is maintained by reality. If Vico's philosophy of history is to establish an "ideal and eternal history", it reveals that human history is a regular process, paving the way for the development of capitalism, thus making his thoughts "have many flashes of genius" [7] (P.618); Hugo believes that classicism has lost its positive significance in the19th century and replaced it with romanticism. In France, it is the product of the French bourgeois revolution. The French Revolution pushed the development of French history to a new stage. Modern France should have its own national culture. In Hugo's view, holding high the banner of romanticism is the positive result of developing the French Revolution.

The cultural construction of any country or nation has a lasting impact. Excellent literary and artistic works are intangible forces to promote the development of a nation-state by praising the greatness of the nation, propagating the ideals of the nation, cultivating the aesthetic taste of generations, and cultivating and nourishing the growth of a country or national culture. As the cohesion of national spirit, ideology and culture are manifested in all fields of social life. Since modern times, the historical process of capitalist development in Europe and America has fully proved this point.

For example, the19th century is the third peak in the history of western art development, comparable to the ancient Greek period and the Renaissance. /kloc-it is no accident that the center of western art in the 0/9th century was in France, just as the center of the Renaissance was in Italy. The bourgeoisie, which strongly pursues the "* * * harmonious system", naturally takes ancient Rome as a reference. /kloc-France in the 0/9th century was an era of bourgeois revolution. The theme of painting art is no longer the weak body of women, but the hero who is resolute, strong and desperate. Whether it is neoclassicism, romanticism, realism, neo-impressionism, etc. They contributed to the French Revolution and the development of French capitalism to varying degrees.

Artists combined their political opinions and their pursuit of freedom, equality and fraternity with various forms of artistic creation, attacked feudal ideas and showed the progressive spirit of the bourgeoisie in the rising period. This spirit is also one of the important forces to promote the development of French capitalism. David is not only a famous French painter, but also a revolutionary pioneer. As a brave soldier, he took part in the French Revolution. He has close ties with leaders in jacobins, such as robespierre and Mara. In his masterpiece, The Oath of the Horace Brothers (1785), the French people were encouraged to devote themselves to the struggle to overthrow feudal autocracy by praising the brave dedication of ancient heroes. Some of his other works, such as Oath in the Ballroom and Brutu, are also directly or indirectly related to the French Revolution. 1793, Mara, one of jacobins's leaders, was assassinated, and then J.L. David drew the world-famous death of marat, vividly reappearing the historical tragedy that his comrade-in-arms Mara was stabbed to death by gironde, and his rigorous realism made it a world art treasure.

Perhaps the most exciting thing in many artistic fields is music. As Beethoven, an outstanding German musician in the19th century, said, "Music is the spark of people's spirit, and music has a higher enlightenment than all wisdom and all philosophy". Without the prosperity of music culture, it is difficult for any country or nation to develop its overall culture. In the history of modern European music development, classicism reached its peak in Beethoven's era. This is the end of an era and the beginning of a new era-romanticism. Although romantic music has its own distinct characteristics in the genre form and creative expression method, it also has the characteristics of the whole European romantic cultural trend of thought, that is, it pays attention to the characteristics of national culture, personal subjective feelings and the interpretation of artists' subjective consciousness. All this also reflects the spiritual requirements of the bourgeoisie in the rising period. Beethoven is a musician with original spirit and political ideal. In the famous Ninth Symphony, the last movement was adapted from a part of German poet Schiller's Ode to Joy. The song sings: "Goddess, under your wings, all people will become brothers. The joy of the world comes from the embrace of nature ... embrace it, millions of people! " Kiss the whole world. "Whether it is symphony, piano music, opera, chorus, songs, etc. Beethoven's praise of bourgeois revolution and his revolutionary enthusiasm and ideals. In Germany in the19th century, Beethoven's music, as a specific cultural symbol, was integrated into the German national culture-"German spirit" and became one of the factors that constantly promoted social and historical changes.

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The development of world history since modern times shows that the rise of any country in Europe and America is directly related to the external expansion of these countries. However, these expansions are not directly related to the development of national and progressive cultures in these countries. It is true that the prosperity of culture has strongly promoted the development of these countries, but whether they rise through "expansion" or "peace" in development mainly depends on the political and economic systems of these countries, not the "evil" of culture. What's more, those outstanding cultural achievements deposited in national culture belong not only to a certain nation or country, but to the whole progressive mankind. However, it does not rule out that the reactionary culture that prevailed for a while will move against the historical trend, waving flags and shouting aggression and expansion, and even adding fuel to the flames. However, in the long history of the development of human culture, this is just a wave of thread, after all, it is not the mainstream.

The expansion in the rise of modern western countries is not only manifested in economy and military, but also in culture. Cultural expansion is both the result and the premise of economic expansion. Cultural expansion in the rise of modern western powers is a fact that cannot be ignored. They not only have acts of aggression and expansion, but also have various theories. For example, at the end of 19, Mahan, an American naval officer and historian, wrote The Impact of Sea Power on the History of1660-1783 (1890) and The Impact of Sea Power on1793-/kloc-. In these and other works, he emphasized that military and commercial maritime forces are the main factors for a country to establish its maritime hegemony. His view that the right to control the sea determines the rise and fall of a country has played a very important role in the rise of the navies of the United States, Russia, Japan and Germany. 1893, American historian Turner published the book "The Importance of Borderlands in American History", pointing out: "Up to now, most of an American history can be said to be a colonial history of the Great West", "The development of the United States is not just a single-line movement, but a return to the original state on the constantly advancing frontier. At the same time, a new development movement appeared in that area "[8] (P.220) Mahan thinks that this endless expansion of the United States is" the expansion of civilization ",and to China, he once said arrogantly," Japan's participation in the European civilization system fully shows its excellent quality. For the common good, China must be open to the way of life and thinking in Europe and the United States, and can use force when necessary. " . In response to the "Boxer Movement", he also said in black and white: "At present, the unfair treatment suffered by * * * has forced all countries to take concrete and concerted counterattacks against China's crimes for their own honor, demanding that it will never be repeated." [9] (page 1-2)

16-18th century can be regarded as the first stage of western Europe's external expansion. Portugal, Spain and other Europe established colonial rule in Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Peru, Mexico and other places, and a large number of immigrants. The colonists established farms and pastures, brought iron production tools and cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock to America, and also brought western culture, language and life customs. European culture has exerted a very extensive influence on the social development of the United States (including areas outside European control). This influence can still be clearly seen today. In addition, Europeans such as Portugal, Britain and France also entered Africa during this period. By the end of 18, the western European powers had completely established their own rule in Africa. This not only changed the political and economic structure of Europe, but also changed the social and cultural structure. /kloc-from the mid-8th century to/kloc-0th century, the industrial revolution in Europe greatly increased social productivity, and Britain established colonies in North America, which was a new stage of western Europe's external expansion. During this period, with its absolute economic and military advantages, Western Europe established a new political and economic order and drew a new political blueprint. With the gradual formation of the capitalist world market, the western powers are more and more closely linked with various regions and countries in the world, and their worldwide influence, including culture, is gradually strengthened.

Recently, Professor Wang Gunwu of the National University of Singapore wrote an analysis of China's fourth rise. He believes that before this, China had risen three times in history. The first time was from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD; The second time was the establishment of the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century. The third time was 1368 to establish the Ming Dynasty. He believes that China's fourth rise today has a brand-new historical background, but "the driving force of China's reform at present can be compared with the explosive force of China's first reunification more than 2,000 years ago. Today's China is also reminiscent of the revival of China in the 7th century. At that time, China conquered foreign invasion, absorbed foreign ideas, opened the door to foreign trade and new technologies, and created valuable cultural heritage for China today. Instead of "trying to create a new culture" for China's fourth rise, as Professor Wang Gengwu said, China made a new cultural choice from the perspective of history and reality. /kloc-In the middle of the 0/9th century, China's economy and politics deteriorated, and only the forced culture accepted it. This era is over. The new cultural choice will enable China not only to maintain the harmony and stability of domestic social development, but also to maintain benign interaction with neighboring countries and regions and other countries and regions. This is the guarantee of China's sustainable development in 2 1 century.