To further study and implement the message conveyed through the speech delivered by General Secretary XI jinping at the meeting in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx, a symposium on the same subject was held at Shanghai Party Institute on May 18. ZHOU huilin, member of the Standing Committee of the municipal Party committee and head of the municipal Propaganda Department, attended the symposium and gave a speech.

TAO chuanming, Dean of the School of Political Sciences, National Defense University, SHEN wei, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Party Institute, YAN shuang, Deputy Director of the municipal Propaganda Department and Secretary of the  Leading Party Group of Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, XU jiangang, Director of the municipal Division of Party History, YU lijuan, Party Secretary of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education and Health, and WANG yumei, Deputy Party Secretary of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, attended the opening ceremony. The symposium was respectively chaired by XIE chao, full-time Vice-Chairman of Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, LIU shijun, Director of the Minhang District Propaganda Department, and GUO qingsong, Vice President of Shanghai Party Institute. Some 10 academics, including PAN shiwei, former Party Secretary of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, ZENG jun, Vice President of Shanghai Party Institute, WANG gonglong and HUANG lizhi, professors from the School of Marxism, Shanghai Party Institute, joined the discussion. SHEN wei summed up the symposium. There were also more than 200 participants, including experts and academics from the social science circles in Shanghai, directors of the Party Propaganda Departments and Schools of Marxism in Shanghais colleges and universities, and teacher representatives from Party Institutes.

ZHOU huilin said that the speech delivered by General Secretary XI jinping at the meeting marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx was a declaration of the contemporary Chinese Communists resolving to uphold Marxism, and the action program for continuous promotion of Marxism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The academic circles of social sciences in Shanghai should take understanding the spirit of the speech as an important political task, take the lead in learning and learning it deeply, accurately grasp the crucial gist, understand the essence of the spirit, and integrate thought and action into that spirit. We should be more devoted to our mission, deepen the research and construction of Marxist theory, and further study and promote the education of Marxism. We should strive to promote the development of XI jinping’s ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in new era and turn it into a discipline and a theory, accelerate the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, and continue to strengthen the talent team on Marxist theory, making the most of Shanghai to promote Marxism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

In his speech, SHEN wei said that the symposium would help deepen our understanding of Karl Marx as "the No.1 thinker over the Past Millennium", of the important role of Marxism in the development of human society and China in particular, of XI jinpings ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and of the importance of theoretical innovation and equipment. The theoretical circles in Shanghai should vigorously carry forward the fine style of combining theory with practice, strengthen the consciousness in problem recognition and become problem-oriented, and study in a practical and profound manner XI jinpings ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Profound discussions were carried out among the academics on three topics: "Deep understanding of the spirit of General Secretary XI jinpings speech at the commemorative meeting", "Karl Marx as the No.1 thinker over the past millennium", and "Firm Grasp of XI jinpings Ideology of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era".

During the discussion, the academics said that Karl Marx had been the revolutionary tutor of the proletariat and the working people around the world, the chief founder of Marxism, the creator of the Marxist party and the international communism. He had been the greatest thinker in modern times. Marxism, the most valuable and influential spiritual legacy left by him, had profoundly changed the world as well as China.

The academics believed that the vitality of theory lies in continuous innovation. XI jinpings ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era is the latest achievement of Marxism with Chinese characteristics. We must observe, interpret and lead the times from the perspective of Marxism, promote the development of Marxism in China with vivid and rich contemporary Chinese practices, absorb all the civilization achievements created by mankind with a broad vision, innovate and transcend ourselves through reform, learn from others strengths and improve ourselves through opening-up, deepen our understanding of the laws of rule of Communist Party, of the socialist construction, and of the development of human society, thereby blazing a new trail of Marxism in contemporary China and in the 21st century!

The symposium was co-sponsored by the municipal Propaganda Department, the Party committee of the municipal Commission of Education and Health, the municipal Department of Party History, Shanghai Party Institute, Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the School of Political Sciences, National Defense University, and was undertaken by the Shanghai Research Center of XI jinpings Ideology of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era.