-On China Culture and Socialization

Author: Wang He School of Politics and Public Affairs, Southwest University of Political Science and Law

Socialization is an important reason for the existence and development of society, and the inheritance of social life is an important content of socialization. The process of socialization is influenced by many factors, among which culture is the most important one. Based on the influence of social culture in the history of China, this paper discusses the role of culture in socialization.

Society can inherit and develop because socialization plays the most important role in social development. Socialization usually refers to the centralization, unification and standardization of human activities, which is a trend of social development. Some sociologists also define socialization as members of society learning the lifestyle of their society. Socialization is influenced by many factors, such as heredity, geographical environment, personal experience and culture, and culture is the main reason leading to different lifestyles, so culture is the most important factor affecting socialization.

All social integration depends on the fact that social members are organized in the structural relationship created by culture. Without society, culture cannot exist; On the other hand, without culture, society cannot exist. There is no doubt that China's socialization is also included in the scope of socialization, and like other countries, culture plays a leading role in the process of socialization, despite its uniqueness, such as the long-term stability of China's socialization. Throughout the history of China for thousands of years, the degree of socialization has always been consistent with the degree of cultural development. The culture involved here is a culture in a broad sense, including intangible aspects: beliefs, concepts and values; It also includes tangible aspects: objects, symbols and technologies, that is, all objects created by non-physiological heredity of human beings. Culture is the traditional system of society. From this perspective, socialization can be regarded as a process of cultural identity. Members of a society consciously or forcibly identify with the culture of the society in which they live, that is, transform their natural attributes into social attributes, or social attributes restrict their natural attributes, thus realizing the socialization of an individual.

In essence, socialization is a broad and complicated process, not just a process of "social members learning their social lifestyle". This statement is mainly from the perspective of individual members, and regards socialization as a means for social members to get a better life in their society. From the social point of view, socialization should also include the process of shaping the social psychology and social consciousness of its members, and society also has the responsibility and obligation to make social members identify with the mainstream culture of society. Combining these two viewpoints, social members and social systems are interrelated and influence each other. In the process of socialization, social members and social system should form an interactive relationship, and it should be culture that links them together, and the inheritance and development of culture is a continuous process. Therefore, socialization should also include the process of socialization inheritance and continuation. Although there are various views on socialization, none of them can leave culture, whether active or passive or interactive, which is the identity of culture, and culture is a main thread running through socialization. Culture is the main factor affecting socialization. Based on this, let's take a look at the socialization process of China from ancient times to the present.

China has a history of five thousand years, and the Chinese nation has created a rich and splendid culture. At the same time, China's social civilization has also become a wonderful flower in the long history of the world. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a phenomenon of a hundred schools of thought contending in culture, and representatives of various factions lobbied around in order to convince the monarch of his own views, and then rise to national consciousness through national strength, and then let the people of the whole country learn. This is a social way. After the unification of Qin Dynasty, Legalists advocated cultural autocracy through state violence, forcing people to identify with the social thoughts at that time. In this process of socialization, the state or social system plays an active role, which is of course a deformed socialization in ideology and culture. On the other hand, socialization also includes the inheritance of social culture. From this point of view, the socialization of the Qin Dynasty was quite successful, and many social systems of the Qin Dynasty have been affecting contemporary social construction. After the Han Dynasty, the state respected Confucianism, implemented benevolent policies and implemented a relatively enlightened system. People, the state and society can interact, people gradually form a sense of identity with social life, and socialization is carried out in a healthy and orderly manner. From the Han Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, there was no fundamental change in China culture. In this way, the socialization of China is relatively stable, and it is progressing with the prosperity of culture. For example, the culture of the Tang Dynasty was prosperous in the world at that time, and the social civilization at that time was also outstanding in the world.

Once the social and economic progress puts the requirement of getting rid of feudal shackles and establishing equality of power on the agenda by eliminating feudal inequality, this requirement will surely gain a larger scale quickly. (2) From the late Qing Dynasty, western learning spread to the east, and the broad social culture began to undergo fundamental changes, breaking the shackles of feudal thought, and people began to explore social forms suitable for advanced culture. During this period, advanced social people became the leading force of socialization. The process of socialization in this period is the fastest in history. With the introduction of Marxism, after more than half a century of struggle, China established a socialist system. The process of socialization since the history of China has clearly explained the role of culture in socialization, and the leading role of culture in socialization is even more obvious. As Comrade Mao Zedong said: "Culture reflects political struggle and economic struggle, but at the same time it can guide political struggle and economic struggle. Culture is indispensable. Without culture, no society can be established. ③

Contemporary China has entered a new period of socialist construction, and is building Socialism with Chinese characteristics and building a harmonious socialist society. Building socialism with socialist characteristics can be regarded as the socialization of the whole social system and all members of society. At present, socialization is the biggest and extremely progressive in history. In this process, society provides its members with opportunities and platforms for socialization, and members of society have a high sense of identity with socialization. Social members actively learn social culture to better adapt themselves to social life. This result is basically due to cultural achievements. The high political and economic prosperity in contemporary China means cultural prosperity.

From the perspective of functionalism, socialization is a measure to promote the benign operation of society. Since the reform and opening up, China's culture, both tangible and intangible, has developed vigorously. During this period, China's socialization was more rapid, and China's social achievements were unprecedented. Furthermore, socialization is the way of cultural inheritance. China's culture is a process of connecting the past and the future. The traditional moral norms in the pre-Qin period are intrinsically consistent with the current socialist value system, which makes the social system in the pre-Qin period still affect the current development and the socialization can proceed smoothly. In addition, socialization also helps to shape and perfect personality and promote individuals to better adapt to society.

At present, China is building a harmonious socialist society, and this socialization is an unprecedented qualitative leap in history. Democracy in management, fraternity in society, equality of power and universal education will open the next higher social stage, and experience, rationality and science are constantly working hard. This will be the resurrection of freedom, equality and fraternity of ancient clans, but it will be a higher form of resurrection. ④ The essential attribute of socialization is to learn social culture, which is the compound condition of human survival and development, the main medium of human communication, the power source and the fundamental way of human civilization progress, and culture is the most important factor affecting socialization.