Material and Ethical Progress: Key to Socialism With Chinese Characteristics - By Liu Yunshan Over the past 50 years since the founding of New China, our Party, while uniting and leading the people of all nationalities of the country in the great practice of construction and reform, has successfully blazed a trail of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, big advance has been made not only in material progress but also in cultural and ethical progress. A review of the glorious course of making cultural and ethical progress is of important significance in achieving unity of ideology, reinforcing confidence, thoroughly implementing the spirit of the 15th National Congress of the CPC and comprehensively pushing forward the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. The 50 years since the founding of New China are a period in which the Communist Party of China led the people in turning the semi-colonial and semi-feudal old China into a socialist country with Chinese characteristics being imbued with vitality and vigor. The first generation leading collective of the Central Committee with Mao Zedong at the core, in accordance with the basic theory of Marxism and in light of China¡¯s reality, had creatively completed socialist transformation and conducted useful exploration of ways suitable for building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Beginning from the latter part of the 1950s, there emerged a complicated situation in the Party¡¯s zigzagging advance in its exploration of a road leading to socialism. Later this was followed by the eruption of the calamitous ¡°cultural revolution¡±. The Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee made the strategic decision to shift the focus of work of the Party and the State to the socialist modernization drive, which realized a great turn and marked a new historical period in socialist construction. As soon as the New Period began, the second generation central leading collective with Deng Xiaoping at the core stressed the strategy of tackling material and cultural progress simultaneously, the series of major decisions made at all previous important conferences of the Party set down clear requirements for tackling both material and cultural progress simultaneously and promoting their coordinated development. However, An inconsistent situation emerged in the process of implementing the principle of simultaneously grasping material and ethical progress. Deng Xiaoping¡¯s important speech given during his inspection tour of the south and the Party¡¯s 14th National Congress opened up a new stage for the reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive. Deng Xiaoping again stressed that only when both material and ethical progress are properly grasped can there be socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since the Party¡¯s 14th National Congress, the third generation central leading collective with Jiang Zemin at the core, guided by Deng Xiaoping¡¯s theory on building socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Party¡¯s basic line, has unswervingly grasped and attached equal importance to both material and cultural progress and comprehensively pressed forward with the construction of socialist economy, politics and culture with Chinese characteristics. Through the unremitting efforts of the whole Party and the people of all nationalities of the country, China has scored world-noticed brilliant achievements in material progress, and at the same time achieve significant progress and market results in socialist cultural progress. The work of using scientific theory to arm the whole Party and educate the people has developed in depth, the spiritual pillar of the Chinese nation has become more solid. With the in-depth development of ideological and moral education mainly in patriotism, collectivism and socialism, the mental outlook of the Chinese people has undergone profound changes. A good situation is taking shape in the coordinated development of both material and cultural progress, the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics is exuberating with prosperity, vigor and vitality. As we review the glorious course New China has traversed in striving for socialist cultural and ethical progress particularly since the start of the reform and opening drive, we find that socialism with Chinese characteristics can be realized only when both material and cultural progress are successfully achieved. What is and how to build socialism is the crux of the question which the three-generation leading collectives of the Party Central Committee have been engaged in exploration over the past 50 years since the founding of New China. Regarding this question, we have gained many valuable experiences, generally speaking, however, we still need to make proper explorations. Deng Xiaoping Theory is the crystallization of arduous explorations carried out in relation to this question. Deng Xiaoping Theory gives a systematic and initial answer for the first time to a series of basic questions, such as: in an economically and culturally backward country like China, how to build socialism and how to consolidate and develop socialism, it inherits and develops Marxism with new ideology and viewpoints. Deng Xiaoping pointed out, ¡°The socialist country we are building not only should have a high degree of material progress, but also should have a high degree of cultural and ethical progress. Without this cultural and ethical progress, without communist ideology and without communist morality, how can socialism be built?¡± New China¡¯s practice over the past 50 years proves that when there is only a high degree of material progress, but without a higher degree of cultural progress, it cannot be regarded as socialism with Chinese characteristics; when only material progress is made without also making cultural and ethical progress, it is impossible to build up socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the upcoming new century, we must hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, rally more closely around the Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at the core, further enhance our self-consciousness in implementing the Party¡¯s basic line, we must simultaneously tackle and attach equal importance to both material and cultural progress, so as to make still greater new contributions to the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics.