Communist Party of China That Grew With the People

On 1 July, the Communist Party of China (CPC) will mark its 105th founding anniversary, a milestone that offers an opportunity to reflect on one of the most remarkable political journeys in modern history.

From a small gathering of revolutionaries in a shikumen house in Shanghai in 1921 to becoming the world’s largest governing party, the CPC has traversed a path shaped by struggle, sacrifice, transformation and renewal.

A political party is much like a living organism and its longevity depends on a continuous source of nourishment from the people, just as a living body relies on sustenance to survive. In history, political parties that drift away from the people eventually lose their vitality.

Detached from the public they claim to represent, they are consigned to the dustbin of history. However, CPC’s experience has been markedly different. More than a century after its founding, it continues to derive its legitimacy, strength and vitality from the people.

The Party was born during one of the darkest chapters in Chinese history. Following the Opium War of 1840, China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.

Foreign aggression, internal turmoil and economic stagnation subjected the Chinese nation to a century of humiliation. A civilisation with more than 5,000 years of history and immense contributions to human progress found itself struggling for survival.

During this period, countless patriots sought ways to save the nation. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, the Reform Movement of 1898, the Yihetuan Movement and the Revolution of 1911 all attempted to reverse China’s decline. Despite their noble intentions, these efforts failed to fundamentally change the country’s destiny.

A new chapter began after the October Revolution of 1917 introduced Marxism-Leninism to China. Inspired by revolutionary ideals and driven by a determination to free the Chinese people from oppression and foreign domination, a group of pioneers, including Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong, Dong Biwu, He Shuheng, Wang Jinmei and Deng Enming, founded the Communist Party of China in July 1921 in a modest shikumen house in Shanghai.

Over the succeeding decades, generations of Chinese Communists carried forward the mission of national rejuvenation.

Mao Zedong led the Chinese revolution and laid the foundation for New China. Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Chen Yun and other veteran revolutionaries made immense contributions to the founding and consolidation of the People’s Republic.

Following the launch of reform and opening-up, Deng Xiaoping steered China onto a path of economic transformation and modernisation. Subsequent leaders, including Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, guided the country through periods of rapid growth and deeper integration with the global economy.

Today, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China is pursuing the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Despite changes in leadership across different historical periods, the Party has remained committed to its founding mission: seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. This continuity of purpose has been one of the defining characteristics of the Communist Party of China’s 105-year journey.

From the outset, the Party defined its mission in terms of the people. It sought not only national independence but also the well-being and happiness of ordinary citizens. The pursuit of national rejuvenation and the pursuit of people’s welfare became inseparable goals.

The bond between the Party and the people was forged through struggle. During the Northern Expedition, the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, millions of Chinese people rallied behind the Party.

Together they fought against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism. Their efforts culminated in the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, ending the country’s semi-colonial status and opening a new era in Chinese history.

The establishment of New China fundamentally altered the relationship between the state and its citizens. For the first time in modern Chinese history, the people became masters of their own country.

National independence provided the foundation upon which future development and rejuvenation could be built. Through successive stages of construction, reform and opening-up, China embarked on a transformation unprecedented in human history.

Perhaps no achievement illustrates the Party’s connection with the people more clearly than its success in poverty alleviation.

Over the past four decades, China has lifted nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty, accounting for approximately three-quarters of global poverty reduction during the same period.

The eradication of absolute poverty and the completion of the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects stand among the most significant social achievements of the modern era.

President Xi Jinping has frequently noted that the Party has its roots, lifeblood and source of strength in the people. Xi said, “China’s success hinges on the Party.

Without the Communist Party of China, there would be no new China and no national rejuvenation.

The Party was chosen by history and the people.” This philosophy reflects a longstanding principle of the CPC: the Party exists to serve the people rather than to pursue special interests of its own.

One of the reasons the CPC has remained vibrant after more than a century is its willingness to undertake reform and self-correction.

This capacity for self-supervision has helped it navigate periods of uncertainty and remain responsive to emerging challenges.

Beyond China’s national rejuvenation, the CPC promotes a community with a shared future for mankind, grounded in respect for sovereignty, development paths and cultural diversity. In recent years, it has advanced four frameworks such as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilisation Initiative and Global Governance Initiative aimed to address shared global challenges, narrow development gaps, strengthen mutual understanding among civilisations and support a more just and equitable international order.

Today, with more than 100 million members and a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, the Communist Party of China remains the largest governing party in the world. Over the past 105 years, the Party has been marked by wars, revolutions, economic hardship and complex reforms.

Yet throughout these trials, one thread has remained constant: the Party has not forgotten the people, and the people have not forgotten the Party.

(The Writer is the Diplomatic Correspondent of the New Nation)