Stage Analysis of the Chinese Dream Created by the Communist Party of China ()
1. Introduction
The Chinese Dream has opened up the ideal of hundreds of millions of Chinese people. It has stirred our hearts and inspired us to overcome difficulties and obstacles bravely and make unremitting efforts to realize the soaring cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Chinese dream is both an ideal and a goal to strive for. It brings together China’s development path, national spirit and development strength to achieve national prosperity and national rejuvenation, and presents a confident China to the world. The Chinese dream is not only conducive to China’s development, but also demonstrates China’s attitude, which bears on world peace and stability (Xie & Li, 2015) . The main content and goal of the Chinese dream are to achieve national prosperity, national rejuvenation and people’s happiness. The Chinese dream, with its historical weight and vivid atmosphere of The Times, confidently sings to the world the Chinese nation’s spirit of self-reliance, arduous struggle and lofty ideals.
2. The “Dream of Independent Nation-Building” Born in the Point Where the Chinese Nation’s Very Existence Is at Stake
The Chinese nation has a history of civilization of more than 5000 years. Over the past 5000 years, the Chinese nation has been passed on from generation to generation, overcoming one hardship after another and forging an immortal civilization standing in the East of the world. Ethnic unity, love of peace, unremitting self-improvement, diligence and courage have always been the national spirit of this nation. They have created the soul of rejuvenating the country and the soul of strengthening the country, making the Chinese nation a leading civilization in the world for a long time. In modern times, capitalism, driven by the emerging industrial revolution, has improved social productivity unprecedentedly, with which any other society was incomparable in the past. In this regard, Marx and Engels described in the Communist Manifesto: “The bourgeoisie, in its less than one hundred years of class rule, has created more and greater productive forces than all previous generations have” (Bureau of Compilation and Translation of Works by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin of the CPC Central Committee, 1995) . Compared with the feudal society, capitalism shows great historical progress, which is reflected in the economic, political, cultural and other fields of social life. The progressiveness of capitalism, however, cannot conceal its limitations. Like all exploiting system, the system of the private possession of essence of capitalist production, production of relative surplus, the economic crisis as well as financial crisis, and the inevitable capitalist basic contradiction, determines the capitalist conflict, instability and crisis in the filed of economy, politics, culture and society, etc., even in the whole world (Editing group of Higher Education Press, 2010) . To some extent, this crisis has directly affected the fate of China.
In the period of rapid development of capitalist social productive forces in modern times, China fell behind. Since the Opium War in 1840, western capitalist powers and even some small and medium-sized Western countries have signed more than 1000 unequal treaties with old China. These treaties, which humiliated the country, pushed China step by step into the abyss of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. As Xi Jinping said, “After the Opium War in 1840, the Chinese nation suffered a century-long foreign invasion and internal war, and the Chinese people suffered a great deal of disaster and suffering. They suffered a lot and suffered a lot” (People’s Daily, 2013) . Although the Chinese people have experienced many disasters, they have not lost the confidence to pursue their dreams. Back then, China was viewed as the “sick man of East Asia”, the Chinese people were bullied, butchered and looted... This inspired the Chinese people’s dream of saving the country and rejuvenating it. All the peasants, bourgeois, intellectuals and overseas Chinese contributed their ideas and Suggestions to the revolution and put forward their own ideals of founding the nation. Although these arduous explorations and persevering struggles failed, it aroused a higher revolutionary enthusiasm among the Chinese people. Get up! People who do not want to be slaves! ... The whole nation’s struggle for independence came like a storm. When we were looking for the direction of the revolution, the sound of the cannon of the Russian October Revolution brought marxism to us, which made it possible for the Chinese nation to realize its dream of building an independent nation. With the birth of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese nation’s history of pursuing dreams has undergone a fundamental turning point. At that time, every Chinese people’s “Chinese dream”: to reclaim the three eastern provinces by China’s own power... To recover consular jurisdiction, concessions and loanlands, etc., “to obtain international equality externally and to consolidate its unity internally” (Xinhua Every News, 2013) . China saved itself from extinction and strengthened itself. The Communist Party of China, in combination with the history and reality at that time, pursued an ideal society for the future, won the broad masses of the people to unite in support of the revolution, won the victory of the new-democratic revolution, and established a new socialist state system.
3. The Foundation of New China’s Development Is “The Dream of Independence and Self-Improvement”
3.1. The Founding of New China Aroused People’s Enterprising Spirit
The founding of the People’s Republic of China not only fulfilled the nation’s “dream of building an independent nation”, but also made the establishment of the socialist system, this was a choice of the people and a historical necessity. This and greatly inspired the enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of people for building a new life. At that time, the enthusiasm of the whole nation was unprecedentedly high, and the national construction was flourishing. Although facing the blockade of imperialism, we carried out a one-sided foreign policy, once received generous assistance from the Soviet Union, and made great achievements in the country’s political, economic, cultural and other undertakings. People were proud of what the country has achieved. However, since the late 1950s, the relations between China and the Soviet Union began to deteriorate and develop into an irreconcilable state due to the differences between the two sides on some major issues. After 1965, the Soviet Union constantly increased its troops along the Sino-Soviet border, and signed the so-called “Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance” with Mongolia, which was in the nature of a military alliance aimed at China, in February of the following year, allowing the Soviet army to enter Mongolia and establish military bases (Ma, 1996) . In this process, Comrade Mao Zedong not only saw the Soviet model established by Stalin [this Soviet model was generally formed in the Stalin era, that is, the mode of socialist construction with highly centralized economic and political systems. Its key point lies in the establishment of personal worship. This ruthlessly trampled on the basic principles of socialist democracy and legal system, replaced the socialist democratic centralism with the will of the chief executive, and formed a system of absolute obedience from the bottom up and a worship system for individuals]. We hope to explore China’s own development path with the example of Marx and Lenin, so as to break through the shackles of the Soviet model and guide the new development of socialism. However, due to the lack of understanding of socialism, Comrade MAO Zedong did not get rid of some limitations of the Soviet model, and in his later years, he was too “left”, which led to the cultural Revolution.
3.2. The Development of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Has Created a “Chinese Miracle”
“Today, the Chinese nation is witnessing the vicissitudes of the right path. Since reform and opening up, we have summed up historical experience and made unremitting efforts to find the right path to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which is socialism with Chinese characteristics” (People’s Daily, 2012) .
After the Third Plenary Session of the eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Deng Xiaoping and the resulting Deng Xiaoping Theory broke through the shackle of the Soviet Model, changed comrade MAO Zedong’s mistakes in his later years, and innovated and developed socialism. These innovations include: breaking through the norms of the system of supreme leader tenure and collective leadership, separating the party and government, not engaging in personality cult, etc.; economic reform and opening up, construction of special zones, market economy, etc.; a series of new measures on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, such as emphasizing the role of law in social management and system construction and using law to restrict social development. Deng Xiaoping’s theory is, in fact, on the basis of summing up the experience of MAO Zedong’s later years development, and put a political chaos state and highly centralized economic “mess” into the new road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, formed the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, created the “China miracle”. This process also shows that the socialist construction cause is a new cause, there is no template, only with their own wisdom to build, develop. Adhering to the dream of independence and self-improvement, Comrade Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping recognized from the middle and late 1960s that this is an era of great changes in the international pattern. They have rapidly developed China’s strength and made become a country with nuclear weapons, by the end of 1969, 50 countries had established diplomatic relations with China. At this time, China became a decisive role in world peace. Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 and The Sino US joint communique proved that the world political and economic pattern at that time tended to be in the triangular relationship among the United States, the Soviet Union and China.
3.3. China’s Development Has Proved That the Path of Independence and Self-Improvement Is Correct
The Communist Party of China needs to correctly judge the changes of the world pattern, make use of many contradictions, objectively take these contradictions as the basis for correctly judging the changes of the world pattern, and construct a global development strategy that is beneficial to itself. Though the United States chose to abandon hostility with China for its own purpose, China, on the other hand, needs to seize this opportunity of reconciliation, strive for the majority, and actively develop the United States, which is willing to communicate with China, and capitalist countries that maintain close relations with the United States, bring opportunities to the development of the country, brought light to world peace. When dealing with foreign affairs, one of the most fundamental experience is to adhere to an independent policy of peace, is committed to creating a peaceful and stable international environment for a long time, want to establish and develop friendly relations and cooperation with countries around the world on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence, advocating “friends have no distance while they are ten thousand miles away from each other” to seek common ground and make joint efforts to establish a just and reasonable new international political and economic order. This was a remarkable feature of the 1972 reconciliation between China and the United States. At the same time, this reconciliation also enabled China to properly handle its relations with the United States, realize the reconciliation, and open the way for the normalization of relations with the United States and the countries that maintain close relations with it. In this way, misunderstanding can be eliminated to the greatest extent, majority support can be gained, national security, social stability and development will no longer be threatened when forced into conflict, timely and flexibly adjust their strategic position to cope with the complex international environment, so as to achieve national development and progress; On the contrary, if we miss the opportunity of China-US reconciliation in 1972, we will find it difficult to get out of the bondage of our thoughts and miss the best opportunity for national development. Foreign affairs will be in a passive position, international relations will be difficult to develop and consolidate, and national development and prosperity will be affected.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is just such a party that leads the Chinese people to seek a path of self-improvement. Despite there are setbacks and detours in its explorations, the CPC has the courage to admit its own mistakes and constantly summarize experience and lessons on emerging problems, which lays a strong foundation for the realization of better development goals.
4. The Chinese Dream Is a “Dream to Strengthen the Country” in the Period of the Modernization of the Chinese Nation
From the exploration of socialism in the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China to the reform and opening up, we have witnessed extensive, profound and magnificent changes in Chinese society. We have also witnessed the arduous exploration and unremitting efforts of a political party on the road of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. It regards the prosperity of the whole Chinese nation as its goal and the happy life of the Chinese people as its duty, great changes have taken place in the country’s face, national status significantly improve, people’s living standards improve, develop rapidly, the society is full of vitality, we are more confident on the realization of the “Chinese dream” than at any other time in history. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the COMMUNIST Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pointed out the historical direction of the progress of realizing the “Chinese dream”: “We are closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any other time in history, and we are more confident and capable of achieving this goal than at any time in history”.
The take-off of the “China dream” marks the improvement and prominence of China’s overall strength, China’s influence has been expanded and extended, and an upsurge of catching up with and learning from China has been formed. The overall upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry, the rapid development of overseas mergers and acquisitions, rapid development of one belt, one road construction and Asian investment bank have brought China’s politics, economy, culture and education to all over the world, the understanding of China’s influence has undergone a qualitative change all over the world, a wave of pride in learning China and Chinese culture is on the rise. The dream of a powerful country of the Chinese people is developing rapidly in the healthy and rapid development of the country, and the charm of China is infecting the world.
The realization of this dream includes China’s path, China’s spirit and China’s strength. The Chinese path means adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This path has not come by easily and need to double cherish. At the same time, it has also led China to prosperity and people’s happiness. In more than 30 years of reform and opening up, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been proved by irrefutable facts: China made the right choice when it succeeded; The Chinese spirit is a national spirit formed in the 5000-year history of the Chinese nation. It is the spirit that rejuvenates and strengthens the Chinese nation, not being afraid of difficulties and obstacles, and imbuing the nation with vitality, creativity and cohesion. China’s strength is the force of the Chinese people, the people are the makers of history, is the real hero and real master of the country. In the construction of socialist modernization, the recognition of the people is the guidelines and policies of our party and country, it is the firm power that the people of the whole country are closely around the construction, developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and realizing the “Chinese dream”. The “Chinese dream” brings together the magnificent positive energy of Chinese society, and also makes the strong leadership core of the Chinese dream—the Communist Party of China feel great responsibility. It requires the CPC to always take root among the people and benefit them in the realization of the “Chinese Dream”, maintain close ties with the people, share the same destiny, continue to push forward the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and unite and lead the people to realize the Chinese dream.
As Kan Ho ye, an American academic, puts it: “MAO Zedong was a romantic, a visionary obsessed with poetry; On the contrary, Deng was a realist, a shrewd businessman and a practitioner of possibilities (Kan & Qi et al., 1999) . In the process of casting the “Chinese dream”, the Chinese nation comprehensively sums up the positive and negative experiences since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, emancipates the mind and seeks truth from facts, from “the dream of independent nation building”, the pursuit of “the dream of independent and self-improvement” to the realization of the “dream of powerful country”, the party and the people’s work center of the whole country has been transferred to economic construction, and reform and opening up have been carried out, has opened up the cause of socialism in the new period of development, The line, principle and policy for building socialism with Chinese characteristics have been gradually formed, expounds the basic issues of building socialism, consolidating and developing socialism in China. This has become a guide for China’s political, economic and social development, and is of great significance in social development.
Spirit of the Chinese dream is the development and progress of China’s most important flag, to the development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics has injected new energy, enriched and developed the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, “ (Huang, 2013) opened up a new discourse space for our party’s theory innovation, expand the new thinking Angle, creating new content material, provides the new meaning carrying”. The Chinese dream is not only a dream of the Chinese people, but also has a far-reaching impact on the development of all countries in the world. In the process of realizing the Chinese Dream, other countries will also be able to participate in its development and progress together with China, help other peoples realize their own dreams, and contribute to world peace, development, prosperity and stability.