Chinese people hold Karl Marx in the highest esteem, much higher than any other Western philosopher. Why? Because Marx’s theories have guided the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people to liberate the country and achieve social modernization in less than a century.

Since 1949, the People’s Republic of China has traveled the path of social, economic and political development illuminated by Marxism, to transform from a war-torn, semi-feudal and semi-colonial country to an independent and relatively prosperous nation whose people are the masters of their own destiny.

The essence of Marx’s philosophy is the vision of a new, higher social order, which maintains and raises to a higher degree the spiral of productivity, which in a capitalist system encounters hurdles and negations, and is thwarted by socially and economically destructive crises.

That Marxism has remained the guiding philosophy for the Party throughout these years was evident in the grand gathering in Beijing on Friday to observe the 200th anniversary of the birth of Marx.

And the fact that Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said that to learn Marx, we should study and practice Marxist thought on productivity and the relations of production shows Marx remains significant in today’s China.

Accentuating the relevance of Marx, Xi also called for the study and practice of Marxist ideas on Party building.

The Party lays emphasis on Marxism because its philosophy of dialectical materialism makes it adaptable to China’s changing conditions. And it’s the pragmatic application of Marx’s theory that has transformed the Party from a group of 12 delegates to its first national congress in 1921 to the largest party in the world with 89 million members.

With different generations of Chinese leaders contributing to the Marxist theory, the Party has been developing Marxism according to the practical needs of the country during different stages of development. Socialism with Chinese characteristics, which China adheres to, is just one outcome of the application of Marxism to China’s actual conditions.

Xi has given a call to all Party members to venture on the path prescribed by Marx and constantly develop Marxism so it remains at “the frontier of the times”.