President Xi Jinping has underlined the need to draw on the lessons of history and firm up cultural confidence to press forward on the journey toward national rejuvenation.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark in the foreword he wrote recently for the works of literature collected in the Revitalization Library, which will soon be published.
In the foreword, titled "Forging Ahead on the Journey to National Rejuvenation", which was made public on Monday, Xi stressed the importance of reflecting on the past and looking to the future in the historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
He wrote that currently, the profound changes the world has not seen in a century are speedily evolving, and national rejuvenation has entered a crucial period. At such a moment, the nation needs to draw more on the lessons of history as a guide to the future.
Xi urged a good study of the Party's history and Chinese history in order to better understand "where we were from and where we are going", have a better knowledge about what the Chinese Communists are for, what they have accomplished and what they are going to do, and try to make clear "why we have been successful in the past and how we can continue to be successful in the future".
He noted that the compilation of the books is a major cultural project that has been approved by the CPC Central Committee.
As the Party is leading the Chinese people in embarking on the new journey to comprehensively build China into a modern socialist country, the publication of the Revitalization Library is of great significance in helping the nation firm up historical confidence, grasp the general trend of the times, stick to the Chinese path and advance national rejuvenation by pursuing Chinese-style modernization, he wrote.
History has proved and will continue to demonstrate that under the strong leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people will be pooled together as a mighty force holding the destiny of China's development and progress firmly in its own hands, Xi added.
The Revitalization Library collects a range of works of literature dating back to the Opium War in 1840 in relation to the process of national rejuvenation. With a panoramic perspective, it records the tireless efforts of outstanding Chinese people, particularly those represented by Chinese Communists, in seeking national prosperity and rejuvenation.
