Abstract: The coordinated development of material and spiritual civilization is the core value of advancing Chinese modernization in a comprehensive manner. Based on the connotation of the two civilizations, this study constructs an evaluation index system for their coordinated development by employing the coupling coordination degree model, obstacle degree model, and DAGUM(Disproportionate Absolute Gini Index); with such an evaluation system, it measures the development levels and spatial disparities of material and spiritual civilization across China's 31 provinces from 2012 to 2021 with such findings as follows: from 2012 to 2021, China's coordinated development level of the two civilizations grew steadily, most provinces achieved basic coordination, three reached advanced coordination, and three remained uncoordinated; the material civilization subsystem is the key constraint on their coordination, with living standards, social infrastructure, technological advancement, and moral-cultural development being the primary obstacles; regional disparities in coordination have narrowed over time, with the western region exhibiting the largest intra-regional gap, while the eastern-western inter-regional gap the most pronounced, and nationally, inter-regional disparities contribute most to the overall imbalance. To promote the coordinated development of the “two civilizations” in Chinese modernization, the following strategies are proposed: Under new challenges, we must accurately grasp the evolutionary patterns and coordinated development features of the “two civilizations” in Chinese modernization, and properly handle their relationship with a dialectical, holistic, and balanced perspective; we should implement new development philosophy, optimize industrial layouts, advance new quality productive forces, and enhance high-quality development of both real and digital economies to strengthen the material-technological foundation of modernization; we should advance socialist core values and vigorously promote advanced socialist culture, thus elevating the spiritual civilization level of the entire population.

Key words: Chinese modernization, coordinated development, material and spiritual civilization, regional disparity