Turning ancient wisdom into modern vitality

China has pledged to inspire cultural creativity and foster a thriving socialist culture during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). This effort is central to sustaining the nation's spiritual lifeline and strengthening cultural confidence. Tradition is not a static exhibit locked away in museums, but a living force that can integrate with contemporary life, nourish society and engage in dialogue with the world. Only through this integration can China's millennia-old cultural heritage be revitalized through creative transformation and innovative development.

Embedding traditional culture into everyday life is the foundation of cultural development. The core values of China's fine traditional culture resonate naturally with modern social life and civic ethics. Yet this resonance does not emerge automatically. It requires carefully designed pathways of adaptation. Traditional culture should not remain abstract doctrines confined to classical texts. It needs to be translated into concrete norms of conduct and everyday aesthetics.

The phenomenal success of stage performances, movies and TV shows portraying traditional arts, philosophy and stories in a modern way demonstrates that traditional culture can truly enter public life only when it finds contemporary forms of expression.

Targeted and differentiated communication is essential to expand the reach and impact of traditional culture. Different social groups have diverse cultural needs, and a single communication model cannot achieve broad and precise outreach. For young people, greater emphasis should be placed on combining education with enjoyment through study tours, classical reading competitions and themed cultural camps, enabling them to appreciate tradition through participation and experience. For community residents, cultural activities can be organized for civic engagement, such as folk customs workshops and family tradition forums, linking traditional culture with grassroots governance and neighborhood harmony. For employees, concise cultural micro-courses and short videos can convey traditional wisdom on self-cultivation and social conduct, offering spiritual nourishment amid modern work pressures.

Specialized platforms can also deepen cultural engagement. For instance, classical Chinese learning centers established in the hometowns of cultural luminaries can combine textual study with cultural tourism. Such initiatives not only deepen public understanding of tradition but also inject vitality into local development.

Beyond domestic cultural life, China also has a cultural responsibility in the international arena: to translate traditional wisdom into ideas with global relevance. Today, the world faces shared challenges such as climate change, widening inequality and rising civilizational tensions. Concepts rooted in Chinese tradition — including harmony between humanity and nature, universal harmony and the idea that harmony is the most precious — offer valuable insights for addressing these global issues.

The task is to reinterpret these ideas in modern contexts so that Chinese wisdom can contribute more effectively to building a shared future for humanity. Many people-to-people cultural forums already provide platforms for China to articulate its vision of "harmony without uniformity" and share governance philosophies rooted in moral self-cultivation and social responsibility. Through dialogue, different civilizations can develop consensus and mutual understanding.

Innovation in forms and channels of communication is indispensable for activating cultural vitality. In the digital era, traditional culture must embrace new technologies rather than rely on conventional approaches. The digital transformation of cultural resources — enabled through technologies such as 5G, big data and cloud computing — can bring cultural relics, ancient texts and historic architecture to life. Virtual exhibitions, for example, allow audiences to appreciate museum collections remotely, while three-dimensional animation can recreate historical scenes in vivid and accessible ways.

New media platforms should also be fully utilized to produce content that is culturally rich yet approachable. The global popularity of many Chinese short videos, which depict agricultural life and traditional craftsmanship through everyday scenes, demonstrates the powerful appeal of lifestyle-based and scenario-driven storytelling. Emerging cultural forms, including online literature and micro-dramas, should also be encouraged to incorporate traditional elements, aligning cultural transmission with contemporary aesthetic preferences.

Ultimately, cultural inheritance and innovation depend on people. Therefore, cultivating interdisciplinary cultural professionals is essential for sustained cultural development. There is a growing need for talent that combines a solid grounding in classical learning with an understanding of modern communication and theoretical expertise with practical skills.

Universities should therefore optimize disciplinary structures and reform training models by breaking down traditional academic boundaries and establishing interdisciplinary programs that integrate traditional culture with digital media, cultural tourism and international communication. While strengthening foundational instruction such as classical text study, greater emphasis should be placed on practical training, encouraging students to engage in cultural creativity, intangible cultural heritage preservation and international exchange. Closer cooperation between universities, cultural enterprises and heritage institutions can provide students with real-world platforms and better align talent cultivation with societal needs.

Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, extensive and enduring form of confidence. It cannot be built without the nourishment of China's fine traditional culture. As China moves forward, it will require a more proactive approach to contemporary transformation, more innovative communication strategies and a more open mindset toward civilizational dialogue. Through sustained collective effort, cultural development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period can lead to substantial achievements, providing strong spiritual support for Chinese modernization and enabling Chinese civilization to shine with renewed brilliance in the new era.

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