Preface

This book is dedicated to the centenary of the Communist Party of China

I

In the current world, people who admire China's notable achievements or those who try to restrict or prevent its development have focused their attention on the Communist Party of China (CPC). At this very moment, it becomes particularly important to build on our pride and confidence as Chinese. President Xi Jinping raised this issue in his reply letter to the editorial staff of the Journal of Literature, History and Philosophy on May 9, 2021. He wrote, “To build on our pride and confidence as Chinese and better present China to the world, we should first have a full understanding of our culture and determine how to better follow the Chinese path, promote China's spirit, and pool our strength by combining history with the present, and theory with reality.” This book explains that the CPC has done well in inheriting and carrying forward traditional Chinese culture by relating to its history, purpose and mission. It argues that the century-old CPC has been able to maintain inexhaustible vitality because it takes root in the excellent culture of the Chinese nation, and because it is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation, fighting wholeheartedly for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

As President Xi Jinping wrote in his letter to foreign students studying at Peking University on June 21 this year, “To understand contemporary China, you must understand the Communist Party of China.” This is exactly what this book is for.

II

Founded in 1921, the CPC will celebrate its centenary in 2021. It has led China in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects; it is determined to lead China to realize basic socialist modernization by 2035 and across-the-board modernization around the centenary of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the middle of the century. These are the Two Centenary Goals.

Here are five sets of data.

1. The number of CPC members has grown from more than 50 in 1921 to over 91 million today.

2. The CPC led the Chinese people in 28 years of revolution, including 22 years of armed struggle, and established the PRC.

3. In 2010 (the 32nd anniversary of the launch of reform and opening up in 1978), after 71 years of accelerated development since 1949, and especially after 1978, China's economy ranked second in the world, and achieved moderate prosperity in all areas in 2020.

4. Today more than half of China's population still live in small towns and rural areas, and China will realize basic socialist modernization by 2035 in terms of per capita GDP, science and technology, education, social governance, and the eco-environment.

5. Even if China does catch up with or surpass the United States in terms of GDP in 2035, there will still be a big disparity with the world's most advanced countries in terms of per capita GDP, scientific and technological level, and military strength.

The data shows how China views its national conditions from two sides, in terms of both achievements and outstanding issues.

III

What did the CPC go through during its 100 years of history? Let's review its two major tests and its response.

After the Opium Wars, Western powers and Japan pushed the feudal and decadent old China into an abyss, and the Chinese nation faced an existential crisis. For much of the next 100 years, up to the 14-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), the Chinese nation was embroiled in conflict or war.

This severe test led to the Chinese revolution. The CPC came into being at that time. It led the Chinese people to engage in revolutionary war against various reactionary forces. China ultimately won the war. Under CPC leadership, the PRC was founded in 1949, and a basic socialist system was established. Chinese society was transformed and its productive forces began to develop.

This is how the CPC turned a test of “war and revolution” into a grand opportunity for the Chinese people to stand tall.

Then came the second test.

In the late 1970s, the world experienced a new technological revolution and a new round of economic globalization. The international landscape changed after the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and the Soviet War in Afghanistan (1979-1989). All these constituted another test for China in peacetime.

This test led to China's reform and opening up, which, launched in 1978, is called the “second revolution” in China. This drive started with comprehensive reform under the banner of Chinese socialism and unprecedented development of social productive forces, both of which have continued and will continue into the future.

This is how the CPC turned this new test of “peace and development” into a great opportunity for China to become better off and then grow in strength.

To address the first test, the CPC embarked on a revolutionary road with Chinese characteristics, encircling the cities from the countryside, a road different from that of the October Revolution in Russia. In response to the second test, it took a brand-new strategic path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a path different from the models of planned economy and class struggle.

IV

The reasons why the CPC survived the two severe tests can be summarized in three observations.

First, as part of the Chinese nation, the revolutionary CPC maintains close ties with the people. And it has always highlighted the importance of inheriting and carrying forward traditional Chinese culture when leading revolution, development and reform.

Second, the CPC has kept adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and used it as the guide for action. This also determines that it can inherit and carry forward traditional Chinese culture and at the same time keep abreast of and even lead the times.

Third, the secret that the CPC was able to blaze new trails and establish and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in a complex and ever-changing domestic and international situation lies in the stance, viewpoint and method that the CPC has formed in the long-term struggle, namely, seeking truth from facts, the mass line and self-reliance.

The three items are key to understanding the topic of this book –traditional Chinese culture and the CPC. They are a thread that has run through the 100 years of the CPC and will ensure that Chinese Communists maintain their sense of mission and values in the primary stage of socialism.

In the current world, if the CPC cannot lead China to carry forward traditional Chinese culture and keep abreast of the times – to realize socialist modernization – under new historical conditions, it will not be able to stand among the nations of the world, as Mao Zedong warned in 1956.

Therefore the CPC was founded neither for a short period of time nor for its own interests. It was founded for the public good, to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.

V

The road ahead is long, and challenges are stern. The CPC and socialist China will work hard to keep abreast of the times – to realize socialist modernization.

Some believe only multi-party competition can be regarded as “democracy” and that only such “democracy” is qualified to pursue modernization. Based on our experiences, the Chinese people disagree strongly. We still remember that in the early days of the Republic of China (1912-1949), there were more than 300 so-called political parties which “elected” the reactionary president Yuan Shikai (1859-1916) in 1913. In 1915 Yuan restored the monarchy by proclaiming himself “emperor”, but was removed from the throne 83 days later. The trick of copying Western-style“democratic election” that was triggered by the Jasmine Revolution and caused serious consequences in some parts of the contemporary world was actually played in China more than 100 years ago, and the Chinese learned a hard lesson from it.

Contemporary China has taken another road to democracy. The CPC is the governing party, and the other eight parties are participating parties. There are the two democratic systems of election and consultation that have been improved and developed in practice. And democracy is combined with the rule of law. This is socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

In the final analysis, China has taken its own road and relied on reform, innovation and late-comer advantages in its endeavor to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. In this way, it is keeping abreast of the times.

VI

The last point: we should understand the world and China from two perspectives.

Internationally, we should draw on achievements of other civilizations while remaining vigilant to any tendency to go against the trend of the times. This is manifest – just look at how the only superpower engages in unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonism. Peace and development are still the themes of the times, but the world is not peaceful. National sovereignty and security should undoubtedly be given top priority.

Domestically, we should cherish our success of four decades of reform and opening up. We have completed the task of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. But we shall never underestimate future challenges. China's per capita GDP is close to 90 percent of the world average, about one sixth that of the United States, and ranks 63rd in the world. We still have a long way to go in science and technology, well-rounded development of our people, democracy and the rule of law, and eco-environmental progress.

This requires the CPC and the Chinese people to work harder, and be more sober-minded and modest. In the new era China will become a strong and approachable country under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core. At the same time, we expect the international community will understand and respect Chinese people's efforts and aspirations.

If our international friends can understand China, the CPC and the Chinese people more deeply from this perspective while the CPC and the Chinese people understand the world more deeply, it will be good for China and for the world.

June 2021