The Second Youth Academic Conference of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) was held in Beijing on Oct. 13. Gao Xiang, president of CASS and secretary of its Leading Party Members’ Group, attended the conference and delivered an academic report. Also present were Hang Yuanxiang, head of the Discipline Inspection Group sent to CASS by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission and a member of the Leading Party Members’ Group; Li Xuesong, vice president of CASS and a member of the Leading Party Members’ Group; Jin Minqing, a member of the Leading Party Members’ Group and director general of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies at CASS; and Xue Songyan, secretary general of CASS and a member of the Leading Party Members’ Group.

Under the theme “Inheritance, Innovation, and Standards,” the conference featured a main forum and eight subforums. Major research outputs by young CASS scholars since the 20th CPC National Congress were released at the event. Members of the CASS Leading Party Members’ Group presented awards for outstanding research reports and organization to representatives of the winners in the 2026 CASS Youth Hometown-Return Survey.

In his report, Gao pointed out that scholarship is always a product of its times and that every era must develop scholarship of its own. The world is undergoing profound transformation. Scholarship today must be guided by Marxism and the important expositions on philosophy and the social sciences by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. It should serve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and advance human civilization. Rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture, it should have distinctly Chinese characteristics and reflect the spirit of the times.

He stressed that the future of Chinese scholarship—and of CASS itself—rests with the next generation. Today’s young scholars are working in the most favorable period in the Chinese nation’s history, with exceptional intellectual resources and material support. They have both the capacity and the responsibility to surpass their predecessors through rigorous, groundbreaking scholarship.

In 2026, CASS encouraged young researchers to step out of studies and set their sights on red heartlands, border regions, local communities, and overseas field sites.

To mark the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, CASS launched “CASS Youth Retraces the Long March Route,” a study tour exploring China’s revolutionary history and contemporary conditions. Young scholars traveled through 17 counties and cities in seven provincial-level administrative regions, visiting revolutionary sites including Ruijin, the Zunyi Conference site, and the site commemorating Red Army heroism at Kunniu Mountain. They conducted fieldwork on the modernization of former revolutionary base areas and ethnic regions, and the role of primary-level Party building in advancing Chinese modernization. The “Academic Journey to Borderlands” took young researchers to the snow-covered Qinghai–Xizang Plateau and southwestern border areas to see firsthand the changes transforming these regions. The “CASS Youth Observes the World” initiative brought together researchers from several institutions for academic visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Jamaica. Delegates visited Belt and Road Initiative projects and met with overseas think tanks. These direct exchanges gave young scholars a deeper understanding of the aspirations for a better life shared by people across nations, while providing valuable firsthand insights for regional and country studies.

Academic growth depends on both dedicated individual inquiry and institutional support. CASS’s “Youth Initiation Program” provides newly recruited young scholars with three consecutive years of stable research funding, helping them develop the capacity to conduct independent, innovative research. Since its launch, the program has supported 378 young scholars. The “Talent Advancement Program” provides research funding for up to 10 years to young scholars pursuing major foundational and forward-looking research topics. The mentoring system for young scholars has been expanded and strengthened. Senior experts share both academic knowledge and practical insights into fieldwork, project management, and scholarly ethics, guiding young researchers through critical stages of their academic development. Ongoing reforms to the academic promotion system are moving evaluation away from seniority toward substantive contributions to national priorities and high-quality original research.