Capacity Building: A New Concept for Contemporary Chinese Development

Author: Han Qingxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-18
Features: The essence and significance of "ability" cannot be understood merely from a daily perspective; it should be comprehended from the perspectives of philosophical historical view, values, methodology, modern thinking, and a nation's and society's development strategy. Ability is not just a skill or the capability to accomplish tasks, but more importantly, it concerns the fate of national and social development, the destiny of China's socialist construction, and the key to China's economic, social, and technological progress. From summarizing the experiences and lessons of social development in both the East and the West, it is evident that the strength of some Western countries stems from numerous reasons, but one fundamental reason is the spirit of "human effort" emphasized by Yan Fu, advocating that people rely on their abilities to act and achieve results, and upholding the idea of building a nation on strength, i.e., the spirit of "force as the foundation." Since the reform and opening-up, China has achieved tremendous success, with the fundamental reason being the ideological line of "emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts" promoted by the central government, as well as the established system that liberated people's minds, awakened their potential, encouraged their innovative spirit, and fully unleashed their energy, allowing their abilities to be fully developed. In other words, it played a positive role in liberating and developing people. Therefore, the essential purpose of studying the issue of "ability building" is to draw academic attention to this topic.