Modernization is a significant phase in the course of world history, characterized primarily by humanity's transition from traditional agricultural societies to modern industrial and information societies, along with the comprehensive and profound transformations in social life that this transition entails. As a common pursuit of people across the globe, modernization follows inherent universal laws. However, the specific ways and forms in which these universal laws are realized and manifested in various countries are determined by the actual conditions of each nation.

President Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out, "There is no single model of modernization that reigns supreme in the world, nor is there a universal standard for modernization that applies everywhere," and "modernization is not a multiple-choice question. The diversity of historical conditions determines the diversity of development paths chosen by different countries." Due to the varying circumstances of each country, the universal laws of modernization are realized in different ways across nations, and these different realizations form distinct paths to modernization.

2025年2月7日，第九届亚洲冬季运动会在黑龙江省哈尔滨市隆重开幕。图为中华人民共和国国旗在开幕式上入场。新华社记者 陈益宸/摄

Since modern times, as the process of world modernization began in Western capitalist countries, the developed countries of today are primarily those in Europe and America, as well as capitalist countries deeply influenced by Western civilization. This has led to a misconception that modernization equates to Westernization, and that Western civilization is synonymous with modern civilization.

Some developing countries have previously adopted Western models wholesale to advance modernization, but this approach proved incompatible with local conditions, leading to long-term economic stagnation and socio-political turmoil, resulting in heavy costs. This is because the modernization of developing countries is a latecomer, with different development backgrounds, starting points, methods of advancement, and positions in the world system compared to Western developed countries. Additionally, differences in historical heritage, cultural traditions, and social systems mean that the contradictions and problems encountered are unique. For example, developing countries commonly face contradictions between sequence and leapfrogging, development and transformation, deconstruction and reconstruction during modernization, which were not or rarely encountered in the modernization processes of Western developed countries. To resolve these contradictions and problems, it is essential to focus on one's own historical culture and national conditions, and to explore a path that suits oneself.

President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Our unique cultural traditions, unique historical destiny, and unique basic national conditions have destined us to follow a development path that suits our own characteristics." In the process of exploring Chinese-style modernization, we have not simply imitated Western countries step by step, but have emphasized proceeding from China's actual conditions to forge our own path to modernization.

For instance, democracy is a shared value of all humanity, but the ways to achieve it vary. Western countries primarily adopt electoral systems, representative systems, and multi-party systems as forms of democracy. In contrast, China has developed a new understanding and creation of democratic forms in practice, explicitly proposing the concept of whole-process people's democracy. This approach integrates democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and supervision through a series of institutional arrangements, forming a comprehensive, all-encompassing, and fully covered democratic system, truly realizing the principle of the people being the masters of the country.

For example, according to the traditional Western economic understanding, the market economy and socialism are two entirely different systems and mechanisms that cannot be integrated. In the history of world economic development, there has never been a precedent for successfully combining socialism with a market economy. Based on its national conditions and development stage, China creatively proposed the development of a socialist market economy, establishing a vibrant socialist market economy system that has greatly liberated and developed social productive forces.

There are many more innovations and creations that are combined with China's actual conditions. China has always adhered to its own value pursuits, anchored its own goals and tasks, fully utilized its institutional advantages, and successfully advanced a Chinese-style modernization along its unique path. This modernization is characterized by a huge population size, common prosperity for all people, coordination between material and spiritual civilizations, harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and a path of peaceful development. Such modernization not only follows the general laws of modernization and shares common features with modernization in other countries, but also highlights distinct Chinese characteristics and unique cultural heritage.

Human civilization is diverse and multifaceted, with multiple development paths. Various civilizations should compete to showcase their strengths and values, which is how the world should be. Walking our own path does not exclude learning from others; rather, it emphasizes overcoming blind conformity and strengthening independent theoretical and practical exploration. Ultimately, achieving modernization is the right and inevitable choice for people of all countries, with the key being to find a development path that suits their national conditions.

更多内容，详见北京大学哲学系教授丰子义文章《China's modernization from the perspective of civilization》

Source: Qiu Shi Network Planning: Kuang Sisi

Produced by Xu Huiguan

Review: Li Yanling

Executive Producer: Russell Ying