Introduction

The modernization and glorious revival of the Chinese nation have been the Chinese people’s great aspirations for more than a century. After three decades of exploring and development during the period of reform and opening-up, China has witnessed profound socio-economic changes. The “primary phase of socialism,” the “socialist market economy” and the “socialist harmonious society” are three innovations with Chinese characteristics both in theory and in practice. Progress in these three innovations has raised China’s development in civilization to new heights and levels. Along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics — created in the light of reform and opening up, remarkable achievements have been made in China’s economy. New forms of industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization have been moving speedily and China is experiencing a “real change that has never occurred in a thousand years.” However, many other areas pale in comparison to the tremendous economic achievements. The social sector especially appears to lag far behind in terms of unreasonable or untenable social structure, an imperfect social system yet to be reformed, conspicuous and frequent social contradictions and problems, pressure from living in a disharmonious and unstable society, etc. People are yearning for the prospects of living in a pleasant and blissful society with characteristics of fairness, justice and harmony…