| Since the founding of new China in 1949,this country has been transforming itself from an underdeveloped society to a moderately prosperous and powerful one.This historical transition witnesses people’s aspirations for a better life.The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC)saw Xi Jinping elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC,who maintains the people’s aspirations to live a better life must always be the focus of our efforts.A better life means not merely a life of material wealth,but a life with good environment and harmonious human relations.As China enters a new era,it faces a variety of challenges in further development.The people aspire to lead a life of high quality.The principal contradiction facing Chinese society is the one between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life.The contradiction emerges between ecological deterioration and the people’s aspirations for a better life.The Beautiful China initiative is designed to address challenges facing China in the new era.In the report to the 19 th National Congress of the CPC,building a beautiful China is part of the initiative to develop a modernized socialist country.In the report to the18 th National Congress of the CPC,building an ecological civilization is incorporated into the cultural,economic,political,and social development in all respects.Beautiful China initiative has been launched to meet people’s aspirations for a better life.It is part of the mission to develop socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics in a new era.Building a beautiful and powerful China is intended to address issues like environmental degradation,psychological estrangement,and unbalanced and inadequate development,among others,in the transformation of Chinese society.This initiative is the best option for developing a beautiful and powerful China while facilitating sustainable development of the Chinese nation and the world.To build a beautiful China,it is imperative to clarify the meaning of “beauty”.Beauty refers not merely to beautiful feelings and things,but beautiful qualities and characters.This initiative represents people’s diverse and comprehensive needs.In the new era,the principal contradiction has changed markedly as people’s increasingly diversified needs transcend conventional material and cultural one.The people’s aspirations involve ecological civilization and higher social expectations.The former includes lucid waters,green mountains,and a good environment,while the latter covers democracy,employment,healthcare,food safety,law enforcement,and administration of justice.Beauty concerns a healthy ecosystem,a just,harmonious society,and mental well-being.These are key components of the Beautiful China initiative designed to enable a better life for all.This dissertation focuses on how China builds a socialist ecological civilization in a new era.Specifically,how China addresses the symbiosis between human,nature and society,symbiosis that features natural and social dimensions of what is beautiful,with multiple relations between human and nature,human and society,as well as interpersonal relations.In a word,Beautiful China is the objective of Chinese people’s aspirations for a better life in a new era,and the practice of China’s further development.This initiative represents favorable interactions between human,nature and society to meet various human needs.In the end,harmony will be created between human,nature and society,leading to ecological justice and well-rounded human development.This dissertation takes a synthetic approach to Beautiful China initiative,including nature,humanity,social harmony,national mentality,and happy life.This dissertation,composed of five chapters,is conceptualized in the context of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.Chapter one draws on Marxist ecological idea and traditional Chinese thought on human and nature.It critiques Marxist ecological idea and identifies the intellectual source of Beautiful China initiative.Chapter two deals with the intellectual evolution,rationale,and practice of Beautiful China initiative in the years before and after the 18 th National Congress of the CPC.Chapter three focuses on the historical context of Beautiful China initiative,clarifying the differences between this initiative and previous environmental protection programs.Formulated in the context of socioeconomic transition and changes in principal contradiction,the Beautiful China idea comes from reports to 18 th and 19 th National Congress of the CPC as well as Marxist scholars’ writings on beauty.It represents the integration of historical landscape and developmental process,national particularity and universality,theory and practice.It also embodies a theory of the True,Good and Beautiful,dimensions of both human and objects,and scientific value.Chapter four concerns theoretical framework.This initiative is summarized as harmony between human and nature,people-centered philosophy,and the idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.Chapter five details the experiences and predicaments of building a beautiful China to seek a right approach to Beautiful China initiative.Four components are identified,i.e.ecological culture,material foundation,rule of governance,and ecological safety.This dissertation aims to conceptualize a beautiful China characterized by a balanced nature,good society,and human perfection.It also seeks to propose a new approach to Beautiful China initiative,with perfect union of the good,the true and the beautiful.Beautiful China initiative is built on material wealth to meet people’s needs for ecological progress and other aspirations.It reflects people’s aspirations for a better life.Building a beautiful China contributes to the development of philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics.This dissertation argues that ecology-minded people,aesthetically conscious and capable,with rationality,reasonable needs,and simple pursuits,are needed to promote China’s green development,culminating in a more powerful country and harmonious communist society. |
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