Abstract: The core essence of building a socialist education with Chinese characteristics is reflected in five key aspects: upholding the Party's overall leadership over education, adhering to the socialist orientation in running schools, serving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, rooting education in the realities of China, and developing education with a people-centered approach. A leading country in education with Chinese characteristics should possess strong ideological and political guidance, competitive talent cultivation capacity, solid scientific and technological support, enough livelihood security, sound social coordination, and extensive international influence. These “six key strengths” are highly consistent with the national "five-sphere integrated plan" and share the same origin as the “three fundamental attributes” of education—its political nature, people-oriented nature, and strategic importance. Together, they form an interconnected, mutually reinforcing, and synergistic whole, constituting the core indicators and developmental framework for a leading country in edcation.The historic leap from a large education nation to a leading country in education remains a long-term, complex, and profoundly significant systemic project. To achieve this, it is essential to uphold and apply a systemic perspective, and to properly understand and manage five major relationships: supporting national strategies while meeting the needs of people's livelihoods, balancing knowledge acquisition with holistic development, aligning talent cultivation with societal demands, maintaining order while fostering dynamism, and rooting efforts in China's realities while drawing on international experience. Ultimately, a strong education system will lay a solid foundation for national rejuvenation.

Key words: a leading country in education, ideological and political guidance, a leading country in education with Chinese characteristics, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, a major education nation