Chinese Communist Party turns to culture to sustain nation's rise

China's Communist Party chiefs ended their annual policy meeting this week with a decision on cultural reforms as the world's second largest economy seeks to maintain its culture amid globalization and enhance its soft power abroad. The communique issued after the meeting said culture is the source of national unity and creativity, an element of national competitiveness and a pillar of economic and social development, and that Chinese people are eager for a rich cultural life. It is the first time in years that China's ruling party, the world's largest with 80 million members, has held a plenary session of its 365 most senior officials to call for a shift in focus from the booming economy to addressing the voids that success has left. China's top leaders agreed that the cultural reforms must aim to promote the "socialist core values," which is the soul of China's push to build a prosperous nation, according to the communique. Their move to redefine culture shows a resolution to change a long-standing fact that China's traditional culture has been undermined and even torn up by those who view it "in a utilitarian and superficial way," said Zhou Ximing, professor of the Party School of the Communist Party central committee. BROADER HORIZON China's cultural demands were overshadowed by a requirement for survival during what historians call the "century of humiliation" that began in the mid-19th century, Zhou said, adding that even after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 culture was often "dwarfed" by political movements and economic development. "However, our culture, once restored and enhanced, will provide an enormous impetus to the national rejuvenation in front of the rising tide of cultural globalization," he said.