On Dec. 25 and 28, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announced 29 major achievements of the Innovation Program for 2015. 

On Dec. 25 and 28, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announced 29 major achievements of the Innovation Program for 2015.

As the best known institution for research on philosophy and the social sciences, a top think tank in China and brain trust of the State Council, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has used its Innovation Program of Philosophy and the Social Sciences as a springboard for a large number of practical, influential innovations in theoretical and policy research in recent years. On Dec. 25 and 28, it announced 29 major achievements of the Innovation Program for 2015.

CASS has always adhered to the overarching goal of building a stronghold of Marxism.

The Contemporary Theoretical Achievements of Sinicization of Marxism: A Study of the Spirit in General Secretary Xi Jinping's Serial Important Speeches, which was compiled by CASS President Wang Weiguang, gives a systematic introduction to basic theories and views in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s important speeches from 12 aspects.

The six-volume Intellectual History of Marxist Historiography is the first of its kind in China to systematically interpret the theories and research practices of Marxist historiography.

Historical studies play a significant role in fundamental research. The year 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The eight-volume History of China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression goes beyond the typical war-dominated narrative to present a panorama of wartime China and also includes a volume dedicated to post-war China-Japan relations.

Made up of six monographs, the National Memories: A Collection of Rare Photos from Overseas about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression includes a painstakingly curated collection of more than 1,800 rare images from abroad, many of which are hard evidence of atrocities committed by Japanese troops that authorities attempted to cover up.

The English-language History of China-US Relations (1784-2013) elaborates on the development and trends of China-US ties over the past 230 years in a concise, well-rounded and systematic fashion, garnering positive comments from many renowned US diplomatic historians and Sinologists.

The General History of World Buddhism, totaling 14 volumes and 15 books, is the first general history of Buddhism in the world, and it took eight years to finish.

Comprising 100 episodes, the General History of China, a documentary jointly produced by CASS and China Central Television over the course of six years, has been dubbed an “epic blockbuster” that traces the story of Chinese civilization from its earliest origins to the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911).

A major accomplishment in China’s prehistoric archaeology, the Taosi Site in Xiangfeng: Report of Archaeological Excavations from 1978 to 1985 is 2.12 million Chinese characters in length and contains 501 graphs and 1,800 pictures, providing a unique resource for the exploration of the origin of Chinese civilization.

The Genesis of Confucius's Analects draws a map showcasing vibrant Confucian culture and ushers in new methodologies for research on ancient Chinese philosophers.

The 15-volume Chinese Social Sciences Yearbook tracks academic development in a discipline-based, annalistic style. It offers academic researchers an essential guide to the major academic events of 2015.

Interdisciplinary Research on Phonetics and Linguistics is a product of the first stage of a project undertaken by the Key Laboratory of Phonetics and Speech Science at CASS’s Institute of Linguistics. The lab has not only won a dozen awards at home and abroad but also serves society by applying research findings to treatment of childhood language disorders and other important areas.

CASS is also actively responding to the central government’s call for reinforcing the construction of a new type of think tanks with Chinese characteristics. Of the 29 major achievements, 18 are the result of think tank research.

2020: Toward An Overall Well-off Society—Report on the 13th Five-Year Plan analyzes more than 20 major issues that will affect China’s economic and social development from 2016 to 2020.

China’s Basic Economic System—A Quantitative Analysis explores a way to measure public and non-public ownership and stresses the importance of optimizing the economic layout dominated by public ownership.

To cope with financial risks amid economic transition, China’s National Balance Sheet 2015: Leverage Adjustment and Risk Management offers a comprehensive analysis of departmental, state and sovereign balance sheets, revealing latent risks and countermeasures.

To promote the new model of urbanization, CASS organized a dozen institutes to conduct field investigations into 14 cities and counties, thus producing the Improving Urban-Rural Integration Mechanism—Research Report on New Model of Urbanization.

The Annual Report on China’s Urban Competitiveness No. 13 is a result of empirical research on the competitiveness of nearly 300 Chinese cities, putting forward suggestions on adjusting the space for China’s economic activities and improving urban system.

The Report on Investigation into Economy and Society of Chinese Ethnic Regions gives details about the achievements, experience and challenges in ethnic regions since the early 21st century.

The Report on Combating Corruption and Upholding Integrity in China No.5 provides a summary of new measures, progress and achievements in China’s anti-graft efforts in 2015.

In addition, CASS also released bluebooks analyzing and forecasting China’s economic situation, social environment and pulse of world economy in 2016.

Because there is no universally accepted, fair and reasonable think-tank evaluation system in the world, the launch of the Global Think Tank Evaluation Index System and Global Think Tank Evaluation Report by the Chinese Evaluation Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (CECHSS) under CASS was immediately followed by extensive attention.

Referring to the first global think tank report released by a Chinese research institution, Abb Pascal, a research fellow from the German Institute of Global and Area Studies, said that the publication of the global think tanking rankings by CECHSS at CASS is conducive to the development of think tanks in China and Asia.

Deng Zhimei is a reporter at the Chinese Social Sciences Today.