By Tu Haiming

A national meeting on the work of public communication and culture was held in Beijing on Oct 7 and 8, during which Xi Jinping Thought on Culture was put forward for the first time, marking a milestone in the enrichment and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture can be actualized by meeting the requirements set in seven aspects: strengthening the Party’s leadership over the work of public communication and culture; developing a socialist ideology that has the power to unite and inspire the people; cultivating and applying core socialist values; strengthening the penetration and credibility of the media and its ability to guide and influence; sustaining Chinese cultural heritage and promoting the creative transformation and development of fine traditional Chinese culture; vigorously developing the cultural sector; enhancing international communication capacity and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Although the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland operate under “two systems”, they share more similarities under “one country”, and culture itself transcends systems. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, therefore, is also significant to the HKSAR, not least because the new doctrine promotes the country’s mainstream values.

Sustaining Chinese cultural heritage

The pluralism Hong Kong prides itself on is the result of constant enrichment facilitated by assimilating elements of foreign cultures. Openness and inclusiveness are part of the city’s traditions and defining traits. While these good traditions and traits should be preserved, we must also appreciate that it takes more than law enforcement to maintain peace and social order: Cultural values also play an indispensable role. The more pluralistic a society, the more it needs to promote mainstream values.

Thanks to the collaborative spirit of Hong Kong people forged through many ups and downs over the years, Hong Kong was able to rise to fame internationally and ranked among the “Four Asian Tigers”. Since reunification, however, anti-China forces’ political machinations led Hong Kong astray to pursue a path of separatism, which culminated in the “anti-extradition” riots in 2019-20. This not only digressed from the intended purpose of “one country, two systems”, it also plunged the city into an extremely dangerous situation.

On July 1, 2022, when President Xi Jinping was giving a keynote speech marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, he expressed the hope that “all compatriots in Hong Kong will carry on the mainstream values that are characterized by the love of both the motherland and Hong Kong as the core and are in conformity with the principle of ‘one country, two systems’.”

Hong Kong’s status as a special administrative region of China is indisputable. Any attempt to turn “two systems” against “one country” or “the love for Hong Kong” against “patriotism” is against the nation’s mainstream values.

For Hong Kong society to comprehend Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, steps must be taken to promote the mainstream values, which have patriotism and love for Hong Kong at their core and conform to the “one country, two systems” principle.

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture requires “promoting the creative transformation and development of fine traditional Chinese culture”. As Chinese civilization is the common cultural root of the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Hong Kong bears unshirkable responsibility for sustaining Chinese cultural heritage, and in no way shall the differences under “two systems” stand in the way of this undertaking.

Some Hong Kong residents mistakenly assume that Hong Kong’s history began with its establishment as a trading port. The fact is, the history of Hong Kong dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties more than 2,000 years ago, when the territory was part of the Lingnan area within Chinese territory. The history of Hong Kong has been part of Chinese chronicles since then.

Developing the cultural sector

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture also highlights the need to vigorously develop the cultural sector, a cause in which Hong Kong can play a significant role. Indeed, Hong Kong once led Asia in the development of the cultural sector, with its films and television dramas having exerted huge influence overseas. The city’s music, art and design are still among the best in Asia.

As the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) furthers its development, including stepping up efforts to develop a world-class “cultural bay area”, it opens the door for Hong Kong to build a cultural development base, and collaborate with other GBA cities to expand the cultural industry.

Since the national 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) supports Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West hub for international cultural exchange, there is no doubt that the city’s cultural projects can be included in national strategy and enjoy robust support from the central government. The construction of a hub for international cultural exchange is expected to bring Hong Kong’s cultural industry to a higher level.

Hong Kong can also leverage its global connectivity to serve as a superconnector for the development of the cultural industry, performing a communication and liaison function that facilitates outbound national cultural initiatives and inbound foreign cultural projects, thus contributing to the development of the country’s cultural industry.

Enhancing intl communication

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture also emphasizes the need for enhancing international communication capacity and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. This is an area wherein Hong Kong’s unique role can also come into play.

That Hong Kong should not be absent from the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a consensus among Hong Kong society. Then, Hong Kong should do its part in building a culturally influential country and a modern Chinese civilization.

The rising geopolitical conflicts and economic warfare nowadays are partly attributed to the clash of civilizations. Civilizations differ in traits but not in quality. While China advocates inclusiveness and mutual learning among civilizations, many Western politicians espouse “civilizational exceptionalism”, asserting that their civilizations are superior to others’, which is essentially a false sense of superiority.

Chinese civilization, which is the world’s only ancient civilization that has not been interrupted, speaks volumes about its robustness. This, however, has yet to earn China a discourse power comparable to that of the West in the international arena. As an international metropolis where East meets West, Hong Kong ought to take up the role of disseminating Chinese culture by harnessing its capacity to communicate with the West. Hong Kong society should devote more effort to creating communication platforms to help Westerners hear the voice of China, appreciate the China story, understand Chinese culture, and recognize the need for mutual learning among civilizations.

The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of Bauhinia Magazine.

Source: China Daily