Rooted in historical materialism， Marx’s cultural thoughts achieved a profound shift of cultural research from speculative philosophy to social and historical reality on the basis of criticizing Hegel’s philosophy of right and classical political economy. Centered on the core principle that social being determines social consciousness， Marx’s cultural thoughts systematically elaborate on the practical origin， class attribute， relative independence and dynamic counteraction of culture， uncover the internal logic of cultural alienation under capitalism， and form a theoretical system and unique methodology characterized by practice， historicity and dialectics. Endowed with robust theoretical vitality， Marxist cultural thoughts offer solid theoretical support and practical guidance for deeply understanding the laws governing cultural development， reconciling the dialectical relationship between economy and culture， promoting the inheritance and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture， and achieving new prosperity of socialist culture.