Core values of socialism

Since China began its reform and opening up, it has perceived and interpreted socialism from the angle of values. Deng Xiaoping reiterated more than once that neither pauperism nor egalitarianism is socialism, still less is polarization, and that without democracy or legal system there can be no socialism. Jiang Zemin said that people's all-around development is essential for building a new socialist society. Hu Jintao pointed out that social fairness and justice are the essential requirement of socialism, that social harmony is the salient feature of Chinese socialism, and that the Scientific Outlook on Development is a philosophy that puts people first.

On November 8, 2012, the 18th CPC National Congress called for a major drive to foster the core values of Chinese socialism, as represented at three different levels for the state, for society, and for individual citizens. At the state level, China must be a country with prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony. For society, it should be one of freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law. And for individual citizens, we need patriotism, professionalism, integrity and good will.

The core values of socialism, as an aggregation of these goals, are an essential part of the socialist ideology and define the ideological and intellectual pursuits of the socialist system. They embody the essence of advanced culture, and are the true expressions of the value of the path, theories and institutions of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In the core values of socialism, we have found answers to important questions: what kind of a country and society do we want to build, and what kind of a citizenry do we need to develop? To develop and promote the core values of socialism, we must first start with education, to make sure that these values become part of our daily life and that they are rooted in the traditional culture in which we as Chinese take such great pride.

社會主義核心價值觀

改革開放以來，我們始終注重從價值的角度來認識和理解社會主義。鄧小平反復指出，貧窮不是社會主義，平均主義不是社會主義，兩極分化不是社會主義，沒有民主就沒有社會主義，沒有法制也沒有社會主義等等；江澤民提出，人的全面發展是社會主義新社會的本質要求等等；胡錦濤提出，社會公平和正義是社會主義制度的本質要求，社會和諧是中國特色社會主義的本質屬性，以人為本是科學發展觀的核心等等。2012年召開的黨的十八大則明確提出了培育和踐行社會主義核心價值觀的根本任務，強調要倡導富強、民主、文明、和諧，倡導自由、平等、公正、法治，倡導愛國、敬業、誠信、友善。社會主義核心價值觀把涉及國家、社會、公民三個層面的價值要求融為一體，體現了社會主義意識形態的本質要求，體現了社會主義制度在思想和精神層面的質的規定性，是當代中國精神的集中體現，凝結著全體人民共同的價值追求。社會主義核心價值觀深入回答了要建設什么樣的國家、建設什么樣的社會、培育什么樣的公民的重大問題。培育和踐行社會主義核心價值觀，要以培養擔當民族復興大任的時代新人為著眼點，強化教育引導、實踐養成、制度保障，把社會主義核心價值觀融入社會發展各方面，轉化為人們的情感認同和行為習慣。