Learn this old saying two thousand years ago every day, which tells the true meaning of the success of reform and opening up.

China’s reform and opening up has brought many precious revelations to the world, one of which is that a country and a nation must advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times if they want to revitalize.

"Heaven has its regularity" and "it is good to treat it with governance". At the opening ceremony of the 2018 annual meeting of Boao Forum for Asia, the Chairman of the Supreme Leader explained that the success of China’s 40-year reform and opening up was due to the logic of historical progress.

[Interpretation]

"There is regularity in the sky" and "it is good to be governed by it", which comes from the opening sentence of Xunzi’s Theory of Heaven. "There is regularity in the sky, not for Yao’s survival or for Jie’s death. It should be good for governance, and it should be fierce for chaos. " The original meaning is: Nature has its own operating law, which will not exist because of Yao’s sagacity, nor will it die out because of Jie’s tyranny. Dealing with it in a reasonable way will bring auspicious results; Dealing with it in an unreasonable way will lead to disaster.

As an outstanding materialist thinker at the end of the Warring States period, Xunzi absorbed and borrowed the thought of "knowing the truth" from Taoism. Laozi’s Tao Te Ching said: "Knowing the truth is always clear. I don’t know often, I am arrogant and fierce. " Taoism advocates "heaven is natural" and believes that there are objective laws in nature that are not transferred by human will. Laozi called this law "Chang" and thought that people would be wise only if they "knew Chang" (that is, mastered the law). If "I don’t know how often" acts recklessly, it will inevitably lead to fierce disasters and be punished by nature. On this basis, Xunzi put forward the viewpoint of "heaven is always normal", which criticized and denied the Confucian thought of "divine right of destiny" to a certain extent, which was of great historical significance.　

[Interpretation]

Every great social change is based on ideological emancipation. At the end of 1970s, whether to carry out reform and opening up or stick to the rigid dogmatic system was a life-and-death multiple choice before the people of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China.

At the critical moment, our party’s historic decision to implement reform and opening up is based on a profound grasp of the future and destiny of the party and the country, a profound summary of the socialist revolution and construction practice, a profound insight into the trend of the times, and a profound understanding of the expectations and needs of the people. It is precisely because we grasp the general trend of historical development and seize the opportunity of historical change that we have achieved a great leap and created many miracles in the history of human social development.

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, China has gone through hundreds of years of modernization in developed countries. Today, China has become the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial country, the largest commodity trading country and the largest foreign exchange reserve country. Science, technology, education, culture and other undertakings are booming, and its international influence, appeal and shaping power are increasing day by day. The Chinese nation is closer to the goal of great rejuvenation than at any time in history.

China’s great achievements in reform and opening up over the past 40 years fully prove that the road of reform and opening up conforms to the historical requirements of the people of China for development, innovation and a better life, and conforms to the trend of the times of people all over the world for development, cooperation and peaceful life. It is a basic national policy that we must adhere to for a long time. As General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Reform and opening up is the only way for the development and progress of contemporary China and the only way to realize the Chinese dream."

An era has its own problems, and a generation has its own mission. In today’s world, there are still many unstable and uncertain factors, unprecedented challenges, and anti-globalization trends are constantly emerging. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out in a strategically advantageous position: "We should not be blinded by flowers or clouds when we look at the world, but should take a close look through the telescope of historical laws."

Standing in the new historical position, we must grasp the development course and logical evolution of reform and opening up from the "depth of history" and deeply understand that reform and opening up conforms to the great logic of historical progress, so as to better grasp the historical laws, recognize the general trend of the world, conform to the trend of the times, and constantly push forward the reform and opening up in the new era. (Author Yang Lixin)

(Central Radio and Television General Station CCTV Network)