In the 60 years after the establishment of the nation, an ever enlarged and ordered civic engagement is becoming a development tendency of democratic politics in china. The development experienced in the 60 years is revolving around three main themes: the first is the establishment and insurance of the civic engagement right concerned with the relationship between public and civic right. The fundamentalism of civic right shall be fully recognized from the horizon of constitutionalism; the basic civic rights shall be virtually guaranteed, especially when concerned with the right to know, the right to express, the right to participate and the right to supervise. The ordered civic engagement shall be aggrandized. Traditional government-driving model of social governance shall be transmitted to the government-and-society-joint-driving model. Right protection is the corner stone and premise of CECNG (civic engagement in community and neighborhood governance). The second theme is protecting interests in civic engagement, which involves the relation of public interests and private interests. The root cause of many social problems is a blurred distinction between public and private interests or a failure to deal with the relation of public and private interests properly. Neither should private interests be put in superior over public interests, and nor vice versa. The self-interest which prompts CECNG should be correctly recognized and fully respected. Ever growing public benefits should be based on that justified and legitimate expression and complaints of civic interests have been fully protected. In general, Interests defense is the key and prime mover for expansion of civic participation. The third theme is how to nurture and guide the duty of civic engagement which involves the relation of public and individual liabilities. Responsible citizens and responsible government are two wheels of democratic politics. On the dimension of liability of CECNG, citizens are required to take the responsibility not only for individuals and pursue not only individual rights and benefits, but also fulfill the obligation to the state and society. In a manner of speaking, liability is the primary moral and spirit that citizens in modem social should have. On the other hand, a responsible government should not only protect legitimate civic rights, but also cultivate citizens' spirits of responsibility, open up channels for civic participation, and promote social self-governance. In general, the spirit of responsibility is the guidance and end-result of expansion of civic participation.
