Today marks the 17th collective study session of the 20th Central Political Bureau, which focuses on building a cultural power. The purpose is to summarize the achievements of China's cultural construction in the new era, analyze the new situations and tasks faced, and reflect on accelerating the construction of a cultural power. Our party has always attached great importance to cultural construction. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have consistently placed cultural construction in a prominent position in governing the country, made a series of major deployments, and formed the socialist cultural ideology with Chinese characteristics for a new era. We have achieved historic achievements in promoting cultural construction through rectifying the roots, upholding integrity, and innovating. The cultural confidence of the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups in the country has significantly increased, cultural creation is vibrant, cultural undertakings and industries are more prosperous, the spiritual and cultural life of the people is richer, and the construction of a socialist cultural power has taken solid steps. At the same time, it should be noted that in the context of the accelerated evolution of the world's century long changes, profound changes in China's main social contradictions, and the deepening development of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, there are still many shortcomings and deficiencies in the construction of a cultural power, which must be highly valued and seriously studied and resolved. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee have made arrangements for the construction of a strong cultural country. Last year, I also put forward some new requirements in this regard at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development. Building a cultural power is related to the overall situation of Chinese path to modernization, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and improving international competitiveness. We must anchor the strategic goal of building a cultural power by 2035, adhere to the fundamental guiding ideology of Marxism, root in the profound and extensive Chinese civilization, follow the trend of information technology development, continuously develop a new era of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics that has strong ideological guidance, spiritual cohesion, value appeal, and international influence, constantly enhance the spiritual strength of the people, and build a solid cultural foundation for the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation. Firstly, we must steadfastly pursue the path of developing socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. Our party is a Marxist political party with a high degree of cultural consciousness, always standing at the forefront of the times, leading cultural development and progress, and leading the people out of the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics. The most essential characteristic of this path is to adhere to the leadership of the Party. I have said many times that if you can't pass the Internet, you can't pass the long-term ruling. The most important thing here is to implement the principles of the Party governing propaganda, ideology, media and the Internet, improve the governance ability in the cultural field under the condition of informatization, and build the ruling foundation and mass foundation of the Party ideologically, spiritually and culturally. To adhere to the development path of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, we must not only have firm confidence and determination to maintain the same path and aspirations, but also adapt to the changes and developments of the times, actively recognize and adapt to changes. We must adhere to the fundamental system of Marxism's guiding position in the ideological field, fully implement the cultural ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and develop a socialist culture that is oriented towards modernization, the world, and the future, and is scientifically popular among the nation. Closely focusing on building a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership, adhering to the guidance of socialist core values, continuously constructing the Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength, and developing and strengthening mainstream values, mainstream public opinion, and mainstream culture. Secondly, we should focus on stimulating the vitality of cultural innovation and creation throughout the entire nation. The vitality of culture lies in innovation and creation. We must implement the deployment of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, adhere to the people-centered creative orientation, prioritize social benefits, unify social and economic benefits, take stimulating innovation and creativity as the central link in deepening cultural system and mechanism reform, and accelerate the improvement of cultural management system and production and operation mechanism. Focusing on enhancing cultural originality ability, improving the production services, guidance, and organizational mechanisms of literary and artistic creation, nurturing and nurturing a group of deeply rooted classics of the times, and building a new peak of Chinese culture. We must adhere to the combination of producing achievements and talents, linking works with the environment, actively creating a good cultural ecology, fully promoting academic democracy and literary democracy, supporting writers, artists, experts and scholars to root themselves in life and devote themselves to creation, and promoting the sustained vitality of cultural innovation and creation. Culture and technology are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. We should explore an effective mechanism for the integration of culture and science and technology, improve the production process of cultural creation with Internet thinking and information technology, promote the comprehensive upgrading of "hardware" and "software", realize the digital empowerment and informatization transformation of cultural construction, and transform the advantages of cultural resources into advantages of cultural development. In the face of the emergence of new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence, it is necessary to coordinate development and security. Thirdly, we must always adhere to the principle of cultural construction focusing on and rooted in people. The ultimate strength of a cultural powerhouse lies in the ideological realm, spiritual state, and cultural cultivation of its people. We must adhere to the people-centered approach, focus on meeting the diverse, multi-level, and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the people, enhance the supply capacity of cultural services and products, and enhance the people's sense of cultural acquisition and happiness. We should attach great importance to the role of culture in nurturing our hearts, minds, and sentiments, and cultivating the spirit and temperament of the whole nation to strive for excellence. The core of cultural creation lies in people. We must regard talent cultivation and team building as important and urgent strategic tasks, coordinate the cultivation of various talents, and build a large-scale, structurally reasonable, and innovative high-level cultural talent team. We should respect the laws of talent growth, establish and improve a scientific, authoritative, open and transparent evaluation system for literature, art and academia, improve talent selection, training, utilization, and incentive mechanisms that are in line with the characteristics of the cultural field, and create a favorable policy environment for recognizing, valuing, and loving talents. Fourthly, to continue the Chinese cultural context through creative transformation and innovative development. The excellent traditional Chinese culture embodies the genes and codes of the continuous development of the Chinese nation. It is the historical responsibility and sacred mission of the contemporary CPC to promote the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation and protect, promote and develop the treasures of Chinese civilization left behind by vicissitudes of life. We must adhere to the principle of using the past for the present and innovating, adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, deeply explore and expound the spiritual connotation of excellent traditional Chinese culture, activate the excellent factors in Chinese traditional culture with Marxism and endow them with new era connotations, and develop socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Cultural heritage is a powerful witness to the brilliant Chinese civilization and a precious wealth left to us by our ancestors. We must uphold the spirit of respecting history and loving culture, adhere to the principles of protection first, rational utilization, and minimal intervention, promote systematic protection and unified supervision of cultural heritage, and strengthen the overall protection and dynamic inheritance of historical and cultural cities, neighborhoods, and villages. Establish a sound system and mechanism for the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, accelerate the improvement of the legal system, strengthen the allocation of work forces and the integration of management resources, and effectively enhance authority, coordination, and binding force. Fifth, continuously enhance the country's cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture. Cultural soft power and influence are important components of comprehensive national strength. Currently, the world's century long changes are accelerating, and the competition for national cultural influence is becoming increasingly fierce. As a responsible major country, we must be more proactive in promoting China's ideas, spreading Chinese culture, and showcasing China's image. To promote the reconstruction of the international communication pattern, increase the overall coordination of external publicity work, innovate the development of online external publicity, and build a multi-channel and three-dimensional external communication pattern. Openness and inclusiveness are the driving force behind the development of civilization. In recent years, some literary works, online games, and online movies and TV dramas in China have successfully "gone global", and traveling to China has become a new trend for overseas people, demonstrating the power of Chinese culture and the power of opening up to the outside world. We need to strengthen the concept of dialogue with the world through culture, extensively carry out diverse forms of international cultural exchange and cooperation, and promote more works that are rich in historical and cultural heritage, reflect contemporary Chinese life, and have an international cultural perspective to go abroad. Be more proactive in learning from and drawing on all the excellent achievements of human civilization, and create a batch of cultural achievements that blend ancient and modern, and connect China and foreign countries. Building a cultural powerhouse is a common task of the entire Party and society. We need to strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over propaganda, ideological and cultural work, improve the leadership and management system and mechanism for cultural construction, and do a good job in planning and design, overall coordination, task division, and supervision of implementation. Party committees and governments at all levels should place cultural construction in a prominent position, effectively strengthen organizational leadership, do a good job in cadre allocation, talent cultivation, resource investment and other work, mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all parties, and gather a strong force for the construction of a cultural power. This is General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the 17th collective study session of the 20th Central Politburo on October 28, 2024. (New Society)