The adapting Marxism to the Chinese context is made possible by the compatibility of Marxism with the excellent Chinese traditional culture in many aspects. However, the understanding of this compatibility cannot be limited to specific points of view such as dialectical thinking, humanistic thinking, personality cultivation and social ideals. Likewise, the compatibility between the deep logic of traditional political operation set by traditional Chinese political thought and the deep logic of the political operation of the Communist Party set by Marxism is extremely important. Above all, the compatibility in the deep logic is a holistic framework. They both have a transcendent principle that plays a unifying role, a centralized political body that plays a pivotal role, and a realistic base of public opinion that plays a role in shaping public opinion. Then, the three constituent elements in those two frameworks are also compatible. The natural law corresponds to the laws, which are transcendent principles; the Holy King corresponds to the political parties, especially their leaders, which are the pivotal political subjects; and the traditional people’s heart corresponds to the people’s aspirations, which are the public opinion base of political power. Besides, the relationship between the constituent elements is also compatible, that is, natural law is revealed in the traditional people’s heart, while the laws are embodied in the people’s aspirations. The needs of Chinese history since modern times have provided the opportunity and platform for the two to dovetail. Of course, compatibility does not mean identicalness, as Marxism is the articulation of the deep logic of the political workings of the Communist Party in the context of a new modern civilization, a logic whose scientific and historical significance cannot be compared to that of traditional Chinese culture. On one hand,such a compatibility allows the essence of traditional Chinese political thought, which has universal significance and contemporary value, to be effectively inherited, transformed and carried forward, making excellent Chinese traditional culture brought up to date. On the other hand, it allows Marxism to take root and blossom in the Chinese cultural soil, achieving a combination with the excellent Chinese traditional culture.

Editor: Zhong Yao、Deng Panyi

From: CASS Journal of Political Science.2023.No.3.