Applied Science and Innovative Research ISSN 2474-4972 (Print) ISSN 2474-4980 (Online) Vol. 3, No. 4, 2019 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/asir 245 Original Paper Enlightenment and Reflection on the Integration of the Red Boat Spirit into the Teaching of The Outline of Modern Chinese History Qiu Chenxi1* 1 Jiaxing University, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province 314000, China Received: September 22, 2019 Accepted: September 27, 2019 Online Published: October 9, 2019 doi:10.22158/asir.v3n4p245 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/asir.v3n4p245 Abstract The Red Boat spirit is the source of the Chinese revolutionary spirit and the source of the advancement of the CCP (Note 1). Its connotation reflects the CCP’s spirit of party building, the cultural label that indicates the initial heart and mission of CCP, and represents the core value requirement of our party. The spirit of the Red Boat has a deep connection with the teaching content of The Outline of Chinese Modern History. Teachers should enrich the teaching forms and encourage students to be thoughtful. In this way, college students can truly feel the role of the Red Boat spirit in promoting the development of modern Chinese history and understand the relationship between the Red Boat spirit and their own growth, which is of positive significance for the cultivation of contemporary college students’ historical views, the shaping of political views and the promotion of Red Boat spirit in the new era. Keywords Red boat spirit, the teaching of The Outline of Chinese Modern History, historical view 1. The Connotation of the Red Boat Spirit and Its Pedagogical Meaning 1.1 The Connotation of the Red Boat Spirit In June 2005, Comrade Xi Jinping, secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, published a paper entitled Promoting the Red Boat Spirit and Walking in the Forefront of the Times in the Guangming Daily, which first proposed and elaborated the “Red Boat spirit”, which scientifically summarizes the profound connotation of the Red Boat spirit as “the pioneering spirit and daring to be the first, the spirit of determination, the spirit of perseverance, the spirit of dedication of the party for the public, and the loyalty to the people”, and expounds its historical status as “the source of Chinese revolutionary spirit” and “the source of the advancement of the CCP” (Xi, 2005). www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/asir Applied Science and Innovative Research Vol. 3, No. 4, 2019 246 Published by SCHOLINK INC. On October 31, 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping, along with members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 19th National Congress, came to Jiaxing to pay a visit to the Red Boat on South Lake. He once again elaborated on the spirit of the Red Boat and emphasized that “we must combine the characteristics of the times and vigorously promote the spirit of the Red Boat” (Xi, 2017). On December 4th, the Central Committee of the CCP held a “symposium on promoting the spirit of the Red Boat Spirit” in Jiaxing. Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Central Secretariat, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech, stating: “The spirit of the Red Boat embodies the CCP’s spirit of party building, is the source of the Chinese revolution spirit, and indicates the initial heart of the CCP” (Wang, 2017). In a word, the Red Boat spirit is the source of the Chinese revolutionary spirit and the source of the advancement of the Chinese Communist Party. Its connotation reflects the CCP’s spirit of party building, the cultural label that indicates the initial heart and mission of CCP, and represents the core value requirement of our party. 1.2 The Educational Significance of Red Boat Spirit to Contemporary College Students With the rapid development of science and technology and the widespread popularity of network information, obtaining information and learning knowledge through the Internet has become an important lifestyle for college students. However, due to the lack of social experience and lack of knowledge reserves, college students are not mature enough in mentality and their values are not stable enough. Therefore, some college students are easily affected by various wrong historical concepts, and thus cannot correctly understand the great impetus of the new democratic revolution to the development of Chinese modern history. In particular, they cannot correctly view the CCP, Marxism, the socialist system and the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned in his report at the 19th National Congress: “The socialist culture with Chinese characteristics originates from the excellent traditional Chinese culture bred by the five-thousand-year civilization of the Chinese nation. It has emerged in the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created by the people under the leadership of the party in revolution, construction and reform, and is rooted in the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics” (Xi, 2017). The “original” of the Chinese nation is a long tradition of 5,000 years. It is also a hard struggle in the revolutionary era and a hard exploration in the process of socialist construction. It is a rich spiritual source for every Chinese. The spirit of the Red Boat was born in the revolutionary era, but it’s timeless. The spirit of the Red Boat, as a revolutionary spirit formed in the practice of the CCP, reflects the requirements of the times, inherits the national spirit, and demonstrates the nature of political parties. It is the spiritual source of the Chinese communists’ continuous advancement and the spiritual wealth that contemporary college students should inherit. For example, the spirit of innovation is the necessary spirit for college students to study and work. The spirit of struggle is the spirit for college students to complete any undertakings, and the spirit of dedication is the fundamental guarantee for college students to realize www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/asir Applied Science and Innovative Research Vol. 3, No. 4, 2019 247 Published by SCHOLINK INC. their self-value and social value. Therefore, the spirit of the Red Boat is passed through the teaching of the Outline of Modern Chinese History (hereinafter referred to as The Outline of History), which is of great significance for college students to establish a correct view of history and politics. 2. The Deep Integration of the Spirit of the Red Boat and the Course Content of The Outline of History An important teaching goal of The Outline of History course is to enable students to deeply understand the deep historical reasons of the “four choices”, that is, the Chinese people choose Marxism, choose the CCP, choose the socialist road, and choose reform and opening up. To understand the “four choices”, we must first understand the spirit of party building carried by the birth of the CCP, and the spirit of the Red Boat is the most concentrated and profound manifestation of the party building spirit of the CCP. Therefore, the deep integration of the spirit of the Red Boat and the content of The Outline of History requires students to deeply grasp the connotation of the Red Boat spirit, to understand the essence of the Red Boat spirit, and to understand the significance of it through the learning of The Outline of History. The pioneering spirit and daring to be the first is the core of the Red Boat spirit. The combination of the pioneering spirit and the teaching content of The Outline of History requires students to fully understand the important historical role of the pioneering spirit in the theoretical innovation and practical innovation of the CCP. The founding of the CCP is a great combination of Marxism and the Chinese workers’ movement. Mao Zedong Thought is the first theoretical achievement of sinicization of Marxism. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the result of the Chinese communists combining Marxism with China’s national conditions. Reform and opening up is a great initiative taken by the CCP to promote China’s modernization. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era is a profound manifestation of the Chinese communists’ innovative spirit. Thus it can be seen that every step of the progress of the CCP and every new stage of history have shown the guiding role of the pioneering spirit. Without the pioneering spirit, there will be no historic victory that the CCP has brought to the Chinese people. The Red Boat Spirit was formed in the founding process of the CCP. In the fourth chapter of The Outline of History entitled “Great Changes of Epoch-making Significance”, it focuses on the founding process of the CCP and makes a detailed analysis of the formation process of the Red Boat spirit. Therefore, the combination of the Red Boat spirit and the teaching of The Outline of History should focus on this chapter, so as to enhance students’ perception of the Red Boat spirit. The spirit of determination and perseverance is the soul of the Red Boat spirit. The reason why the CCP, with 58 members at the beginning of its birth, has grown into the largest political party in the world with over 90 million members is that the CCP has been constantly striving and forging ahead in the process of strengthening its conviction. From the beginning of its birth, the CCP has taken communism as its ultimate goal, and has regarded Marxism as its theoretical guidance. It has been bearing in mind www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/asir Applied Science and Innovative Research Vol. 3, No. 4, 2019 248 Published by SCHOLINK INC. the historical mission of “seeking happiness for the Chinese people and seeking rejuvenation for the Chinese nation”. Without the guidance of the great faith, noble goals and lofty missions, the CCP’s spirit of struggle will lose its backbone. Under the guidance of the spirit of struggle, the Chinese communists did not give up during the failure of the Great Revolution. Under repeated encirclement and suppression by Kuomintang reactionaries, they did not give in, nor did they compromise under the oppression of Japanese and American imperialism. There was no discouragement in the difficult process of socialist revolution and socialist construction. They have always maintained their high morale, always kept in mind their original intention, and always stood with the people of the whole country. Therefore, in the teaching of other chapters of The Outline of History, the spirit of the Red Boat can also be combined with the revolution, construction and reform carried out by the people under the leadership of the CCP. For example, in the interpretation of the reform and opening up, teachers should be focused on the reasons why China was able to choose the path of reform and opening up, so that the students could understand the deep connotation of reform and opening up, understand the hard struggle process of the Chinese people from standing up to becoming rich to becoming strong, and make the students feel the struggle spirit of the Chinese nation. Only in this way can the students feel the strength of the continuation of the Red Boat spirit history. The spirit of dedication of the party for the public and the loyalty to the people are the essence of the spirit of the Red Boat. Fundamentally speaking, the CCP is a party that strives for the well-being of the people. From the first National Congress to the 19th National Congress, the CCP has always kept in mind its original intention and mission and always put the interests of the people at the forefront. All the struggles of the CCP are for the benefit of the masses, not for its own private interests. This is the most direct manifestation of the purity and advancement of the CCP. The history of the struggle of the CCP is a history of selfless dedication to the people. The dedication spirit of the CCP, together with the spirit of pioneering and struggle, runs through the whole process of the new democratic revolution led by CCP, the socialist revolution and the reform and opening up. Only through a large number of historical materials can the dedication of the Chinese communists be demonstrated in the teaching of The Outline of History. For example, the CCP established the mass line as the party’s working line at the Second National Congress just one year after its establishment. It launched the masses of workers and peasants freely, established a revolutionary united front, and quickly created a new situation in the Chinese revolution. After that, in the period of the Agrarian Revolution and the Anti-Japanese War, they were able to rely on the people, mobilize the people, and finally won the victory of the liberation war and established the People’s Republic of China. Only in this way can students better understand that it is a historical necessity that the CCP led the Chinese people to embark on the great Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. And one of the important reasons is that the CCP can put the interests of the people in the first place and consciously consider for the people, which helps them gain the support of the people, so that they can keep winning. It can be said that the three connotations of the spirit of the Red Boat have a deep connection with the www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/asir Applied Science and Innovative Research Vol. 3, No. 4, 2019 249 Published by SCHOLINK INC. teaching content of The Outline of History. The integration of the two is the key to enhancing the spiritual connotation of The Outline of History. 3. The Main Way of Integrating the Red Boat Spirit into the Teaching Practice Process of The Outline of History 3.1 Collecting Information Extensively to Stimulate Students’ Interest Curiosity is the nature of human beings. Some college students have great interest in history, but they don’t like the course of The Outline of History very much. The reason is that in the teaching process of The Outline of History, the teachers did not adopt the forms favored by students, so it will inevitably lead to students’ aversion. To integrate the spirit of Red Boat into the teaching of The Outline of History, we should pay more attention to stimulate students’ interest in learning. In order to do this, it is necessary to extensively collect various types of materials concerning the Red Boat spirit and adopt a variety of teaching forms. For example, teachers can explain historical events by telling lively and interesting revolutionary stories related to the events and incorporate the spirit of the Red Boat into the stories. What’s more, they can collect video materials related to the spirit of the Red Boat and stimulate students’ interest by playing videos. Teachers can also show students precious photos of the revolutionary period, so that students can learn the history, the hardships of the revolution, and the setbacks of modern China through real pictures. In a word, abundant materials are easy to arouse students’ understanding of the spirit of Red Boat and increase their interest in learning. 3.2 Conducting Special Discussions and Paying Attention to the Classroom Experience Some students are not fully aware of the importance of The Outline of History course and have a relatively indifferent attitude towards this course. The lack of students’ enthusiasm leads to many teachers’ perfunctory teaching, thus forming a vicious circle of teaching. In order to change this situation, the teaching of The Outline of History course should pay more attention to the classroom experience of students and enhance their participation in the classroom. For example, to enable students to have an in-depth understanding of the Red Boat spirit, teachers can hold a panel discussion for students so that they can express their opinions. In order to improve the efficiency of class discussions and avoid wasting time, teachers can give each group a specific topic to discuss, or ask the group to design its own topic. At the end of the group discussion, members of different groups can make speeches to explain the results of the group discussion, so that all students can have the opportunity to communicate. In this way, students’ class participation can be mobilized and the classroom atmosphere can be activated. 3.3 Encourage Students to Think and Promote the Red Boat Spirit The effect of active learning is far more efficient than passive learning. In the teaching process of The Outline of History, students should be motivated to learn actively, think actively and to become a thinker. During the teaching process, teachers should ask students questions related to the Red Boat spirit, encourage students to think independently about these questions, and ask students to www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/asir Applied Science and Innovative Research Vol. 3, No. 4, 2019 250 Published by SCHOLINK INC. communicate their conclusions with their classmates or hand them in as homework. In class, teachers can use historical cases or real-life cases to lead students to think about the relationship between the Red Boat spirit and these cases. Teachers should give appropriate evaluation, encouragement, or euphemistic criticism towards the conclusions, which will make students feel that they are valued by the teacher and give them the confidence to think. Through thinking, students can internalize the spirit of Red Boat in their hearts, externalize it in their actions, and then fully carry it forward in their study and work. 4. Conclusion In short, the Red Boat spirit has a deep connection with the teaching content of The Outline of History. The teaching of the Red Boat spirit should run through the entire The Outline of History curriculum and should combine the founding of the CCP, the new democratic revolution led by the CCP, the socialist construction and reform in China. In addition, students can feel the contemporary value of the Red Boat spirit and understand the relationship between the spirit of Red Boat and their growth through learning. Teachers should enrich the teaching forms and encourage students to be thoughtful (Xi, 2019). In this way, college students can truly feel the role of the Red Boat spirit in promoting the development of modern Chinese history, which is of positive significance for the cultivation of contemporary college students’ historical views, the shaping of political views and the promotion of the Red Boat spirit in the new era. References Xi, J. P. (2005). Carry Forward the “Red Boat Spirit” in the Forefront of the Times. Guangming Daily. Xi, J. P. (2017). Important Speech when Leading the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee to Visit the Red Boat on South Lake. The Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved from http://www.xinhuanet.com/2017-11/01/c_1121886406.htm Wang, H. N. (2017). Vigorously Study and Promote “Red Boat Spirit” and Promote Great Practice with Great Spirit. The Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved from http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-12/04/c_1122055920.htm Xi, J. P. (2017). Winning the Victory of Building a Well-off Society in an All-round Way and Winning the Great Victory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era-Report on the 19th National Congress. Beijing: People’s Publishing House. Xi, J. P. (2019). Xi Jinping Hosted a Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools, Stressing the Use of Socialist Thought with Chinese Characteristics in New Times to Cast Soul and Educate People, Carrying out the CCP’s Educational Policy and Fulfilling the Fundamental Task of Cultivating Morality and Cultivating People. The Xinhua News Agency. Note 1. CCP - Chinese Communist Party.