"The wind is howling, the horses are neighing, the Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring..." On the evening of the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a concert celebrating the 70th anniversary was held in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Party and the country watched the performance alongside more than 10,000 spectators. As the stirring and inspiring melody of "The Yellow River Cantata" began to play, the audience was filled with excitement, and thunderous applause echoed through the Great Hall of the People.

"A grand chorus can rival ten thousand Mauser rifles." This "strongest national voice" composed during the Anti-Japanese War period, with the roaring and surging of the Yellow River, which is majestic and awe-inspiring, powerfully conveyed the indomitable and self-reliant heroic spirit of the Chinese nation throughout China and even the world. Its overwhelming and thunderous momentum, like a horn and a war drum, inspired and motivated hundreds of millions of Chinese people to rise up and fight until victory! Since its creation and release, "The Yellow River Cantata" has remained popular and has become a great ode to the spirit of the Chinese nation.

Literature and art are the clarion call of the advancing times, most representative of the spirit of an era, and most capable of leading the ethos of an era. In a re-publication of President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the Symposium on Literature and Art on October 15, 2014, in the 2020 issue of the Seeking Truth magazine, President Xi comprehensively examined the relationship between literature and art and the times through the lens of history both ancient and modern, and from both domestic and international perspectives. At every major historical juncture in human development, literature and art have always been the vanguard, sounding the first notes of the times, setting the first trends in society, and opening the first channels of wisdom, serving as the precursor to changes in the times and social transformations. Every classic work of literature and art from any era is a reflection of the social life and spirit of that time, bearing the marks and characteristics of that era; the literature and art of any era can only resonate with the nation and the people, sharing weal and woe, to produce a voice that resounds through the ages.

In the opening ceremony of the 10th Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 9th Congress of the China Writers Association, the General Secretary further emphasized that the nature of literature and art determines that it must take reflecting the spirit of the times as its sacred mission. Separating itself from the vibrant social practice and standing alone outside the grand theme of the era, mumbling to itself, can only lead to being eliminated by the times. He encouraged the vast number of literary and art workers to grasp the pulse of the times, undertake the mission of the times, listen to the voice of the times, and courageously answer the questions of the times.

In March, while attending the joint group meeting of members from the literary and artistic circles and social sciences sector during the Second Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the General Secretary once again called upon: "Firmly establish cultural confidence, grasp the pulse of the times, listen to the voice of the times, and take on the mission of recording the new era, writing about the new era, and singing praises to the new era. Dare to answer the questions of the times, discover themes for creation and capture inspiration for innovation from the great creations of contemporary China, profoundly reflect the historical transformations of our era, depict the spiritual map of our era, and paint portraits for the era, establish biographies for the era, and illuminate virtues for the era."

In December, at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the China Writers Association, the General Secretary urged the broad masses of literary and art workers to keep pace with the times, to feel the pulse of art from the pulse of the times, to open up artistic creation towards the great struggle of hundreds of millions of people, towards the rich and colorful social life, to refine themes and extract subjects from the changes of the times, the progress of China, and the aspirations of the people, to showcase the beauty of Chinese history, the beauty of the landscape, and the beauty of culture, to write about the spirit of struggle, the power of creation, and the fruits of development of the Chinese people, and to present the spiritual atmosphere of the new era in an all-round and panoramic way.

The epic transformations of the rural land are depicted in the long novels "Snow Mountain Land" and "Treasure Water"; the TV series "The Age of Awakening," "Mountain Sea Emotions," "This World," and "The Great River" celebrate the passionate years of pursuing truth and burning ideals, and recreate the rapid changes and epoch-making transformations of the times... In recent years, the vast majority of literary and artistic workers have closely followed the trends of the times, grasped the pulse of the times, captured the spirit of the times, and carved out the majestic image of the nation's progress, gathering a tremendous spiritual force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

今天，党团结带领人民正向着实现中华民族伟大复兴的宏伟目标奋勇前进。新时代新征程，是当代中国文艺新的历史方位；以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴，是文艺创作新的时代主题。万里河山日新月异，复兴气象壮阔恢宏，历史变化如此深刻，社会进步如此巨大，人们的精神世界如此活跃，为文艺创作提供了无尽的矿藏、无比广阔的空间。广大文艺工作者要牢记习近平总书记的嘱托，深刻把握民族复兴的时代主题，脚踩坚实大地，倾听时代足音，从中国式现代化的宏大历史实践中汲取创作灵感，唱响昂扬奋进的时代主旋律，倾力书写中国式现代化的文艺新篇章。