文化自信的历史由来和现实思考

On Historical Origin and Realistic Thinking of Cultural Confidence

改革开放40年以来,文化自信成为新时代引人注目的理论命题。对于今天的中国人来说,文化自信是一种会接了历史和当下的民族自信;而以19世纪中叶开始的近代中国重重坎坷为背景,则文化自信又显示了越过坎坷的中华民族在实现现代化的过程中不同于西方路径的自主和自立。中国文化有着漫长的历史源头,但在经历了170多年的现代化转型之后,今天的中国文化汇融了五千多年延续而来的传统文化、"五四"以来的革命文化和建国之后形成的社会主义先进文化。这三者将中国社会的过去与现在、理想与现实、个体与民族联结起来,构成了中国文化的内涵。文章以中国社会的现代化转型为视角,从近代以来的历史剧变对中国文化的冲击,以及由此发生的文化自信的失落开始,阐释在困境中寻出路的中国人如何历经艰难曲折,重建文化自信,并以此为基础,论述中国文化何以能够自信的历史由来,以及文化自信对当今时代的现实意义。

Since the 1978’s reform and open policy, cultural confidence has become the noticeable theoretical proposition of a new era. For today’s Chinese people, cultural confidence connects the past and current national self-confidence. Based on the background of modern China’s frustrations since the mid-19 th century, cultural confidence indicates that Chinese nation in the process of moderation differs from autonomy and self-support of the Western route. Chinese culture has a long historical origin. After 170 years’ modernization transformation, today’s Chinese culture has integrated the traditional culture of 5000 years history, the revolutionary culture since the May 4 th Movement in 1919, and socialist advanced culture after the founding of New China. The three cultures connect the past and present, the ideal and reality, and the individual and nation of Chinese society, and constitute the connotation of Chinese culture. From the perspective of modernization transformation of Chinese society, the paper reviews the impact of historical changes to Chinese culture and discusses how the Chinese people reconstruct cultural confidence. The historical origin of Chinese culture confidence and the realistic significance of culture confidence in the new area are also explored.