On the afternoon of March 8, 2025, the first session of the "Reform and Opening-Up Theory and Practice" Distinguished Lecture Series, jointly organized by the Institute of Reform and Opening-Up and the Marxism College, was successfully held at the 1600 Conference Room in Huiwen Building, Shenzhen University. Professor Chen Jinlong, Director of the Academic Committee at South China Normal University and a special "CJ Scholar" appointed by the Ministry of Education, delivered an insightful lecture titled "The Evolution of the Concept, Logical Development, and Practical Wisdom of China's Reform and Opening-Up" to Shenzhen University faculty and students. The lecture was hosted by Professor Zhang Shouky, Vice Dean of the Marxism College, and attracted a large audience.

During the lecture, Professor Chen Jinlong discussed three key aspects: the evolution of the concept of reform to further comprehensive deepening of reform, the logical development of reform and opening-up, and the Chinese wisdom behind reform and opening-up. He provided a clear and macro perspective on the historical development of China's reform and opening-up.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Chen divided the evolution of the concept from "reform" to "further comprehensive deepening of reform" into five stages. He reviewed the changes and developments in the Party Central Committee's documents on reform and opening-up over time, analyzing the corresponding dimensions of each stage's different expressions. In the first stage, the emphasis was on reform focused on the economic system and comprehensive reform, explained from the perspective of achieving the Four Modernizations, showcasing the superiority of the socialist system, and promoting foreign openness. The second stage focused on constructing a market economic system and deepening reform, driven by the internal requirements of establishing a socialist market economy, the accumulation of reform achievements and experiences, and the inherent rules of social development. The Party Central Committee recognized that modernization is a comprehensive social transformation, involving various fields and aspects, which inevitably requires comprehensive and deepening reform for Chinese-style modernization. The third stage emphasized reform and deepening reform aimed at achieving scientific development, further confirming the importance of reform and opening-up, stating that comprehensive and deepening reform is an inherent need for fully implementing the scientific outlook on development and building a harmonious socialist society. The fourth stage emphasized comprehensive deepening reform with the goal of modernizing the national governance system and governance capabilities, explaining the need for deepening reform from the perspectives of national governance system modernization, the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, economic and social development issues, and the movement of basic social contradictions. The fifth stage highlighted further comprehensive deepening reform with a focus on advancing Chinese-style modernization, driven by the need to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, modernize the national governance system and governance capabilities, resolve social contradictions, and develop new forms of productive forces.

Professor Chen then analyzed the logical development of China's reform and opening-up. He pointed out that the foundation of reform and opening-up lay in the relatively complete national economic system, basic institutional framework, the transformation and development of Chinese traditional culture, and the urgency brought about by the flaws of the traditional system. The driving forces behind the reform and opening-up included the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the push from the masses, lessons learned from history, and the stimulation of the development gap between China and the West. The strategies for reform and opening-up practice were based on national conditions, gradual and orderly progress, openness and inclusiveness, and perseverance. Finally, the external conditions for reform and opening-up included the lessons learned from the development experiences of the West and socialist countries in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, which pointed to the necessity, and the theme of peace and development in the era provided the possibility.

At the end of the lecture, Professor Chen summarized China's reform and opening-up experience into six aspects of Chinese wisdom: the wisdom of persistence, the wisdom of adjustment, the wisdom of inclusiveness, the wisdom of innovation, the wisdom of pragmatism, and the wisdom of responsibility.

In the concluding remarks, Professor Zhang Shouky expressed heartfelt thanks to Professor Chen Jinlong for his insightful lecture and summarized the session, stating that the lecture was a "feast of thought" for the faculty and students present. He highlighted that the lecture was broad in vision, rich in historical depth, and profound in thought. Professor Chen's clear analysis of the context of reform and opening-up provided valuable reflections and inspiration for everyone. The lecture concluded with enthusiastic applause from the audience.