Original Contributions of Chinese-style Modernization to the Marxist Theory of Modernization

Abstract

Chinese-style modernization is an important achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of the Marxist theory of modernization. Its theoretical contributions are not limited to summarizing developmental experiences, but rather, from the perspective of historical materialism, offer new interpretations of the generative mechanisms, subject structure, value goals, and civilizational implications of modernization. The Marxist theory of modernization reveals the logic of modern society's emergence through changes in the mode of production, explains the global expansion of modernization from the perspective of world history, and establishes the value criterion based on the free and comprehensive development of human beings. On the basis of adhering to these fundamental principles, Chinese-style modernization breaks through the explanatory framework centered on capital accumulation and taking the Western path as the sole model, incorporating people's subjectivity, common prosperity, independent development, and innovation in forms of civilization into the theory of modernization. Thus, modernization is no longer understood as mere economic growth, technological diffusion, or institutional transplantation, but rather as a historical process that unifies the development of productive forces, social equity, human development, and civilizational progress.