“Great changes unseen in a century” is a strategic judgment made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core to question “what’s wrong with the world” from a global perspective. It is a new concept with rich connotations and a dialectical logic. The great changes unseen in a century are dialectical and multi-dimensional. In the temporal dimension, the great changes connote historical depth and are the result of long-term accumulation and evolution; in the spatial dimension, the great changes refer to the profound change in the world pattern and international order as a result of the ebb and flow and a shifting of forms of power in the “two directions of the east and the west” and the“two worlds of the north and the south”; from the perspective of the future, the great changes will still evolve and emerge from the unrest, with increasing volatility, complexity and timespan. The great changes unseen in a century have brought unprecedented opportunities and challenges, as well as profound transformations and changes, that have significant impacts on China and the world. To fully and deeply understand the great changes unseen in a century, it is necessary to clarify the timeframe of “a hundred year” of being “long or short” and grasp the time scale; to examine the characteristics of the times of “crisis or opportunity” and capture the depth of influence; to investigate the core elements of the great changes that are “changing or constant” and observe the magnitude of change; to explore the intertwined relationship between “vertical and horizontal” and unravel the breadth of involvement; and to search for a way to cope with the great changes between “retreat and advance” and identify the implementation of practice. The purpose is to realize the systematic and holistic cognition of the great changes unseen in a century.

Editor: Zhong Yao、Zheng Yifan

From:Teaching and Research.2022.No.6.