Ouyang, Kang. (China). “The Fate and the Characteristics of Modernization in China --The Value Conflict and the Value Choice in Chinese Modernization in Global Age”

Since the beginning of 20’s century, China started its own way to probe modernization in the country. However, disturbed by many internal and external events, Chinese people could not focus on modernization until 1978. Since the start of the open door policy and the social reform in 1978, China went into the rapid practical process of the modernization and got great achievements. The socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics and the social reform is actually a kind of value revolution and value reconstruction. The value conflict in China became obvious, strong, complex and sharp since then. The theoretical study to value and value judgment became a hot topic and research area in China.

This paper focus on the following problem:

1, the fate of modernization in China in 20’s century: We can briefly divide the cognitive and practice process of Chinese people to modernization into 6 stages: Being in dread of modernization from 1840-1911; expecting the modernization from 1911-1927; disengaged in modernization during 1927-1949; misunderstanding to modernization from 1949-1978; creating the modernization in China since 1978.

2, the value conflicts in China today came from following contradictions: the traditional values and the modern values; the Chinese values and the Western values; the individual values and social values; the economic values and the moral values; the values of social equality and the efficiency value of economic development; the universal values and the particular values; the value differences between the different districts, different social levels, different benefit groups and different aspects of social development, etc.

3, the characteristics of modernization in China: learning from the western modernization; taking the background of economic globalization; combining with Chinese socialism; performed by Chinese market economy; leading by the Chinese Communist Party; basing on the Chinese historical culture; applying new science and technology, and so on.

4, the strategy to deal with the problem of value conflict rationally: first we should have right value concepts and the rational value standards; second we need to resolve the value conflict in the development of value creation but not to stop the constructive process; third, we should set up the rational social contribution and distribution system to deal with the social poverty; fourth, we should pay special attentions to keep the balance among the complex value elements and the needs requirement come from different need aspects.