Preface

Since the very day of its founding, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its aspiration and mission. After 28 years of arduous struggle, the CPC led China to win the great victory of the new-democratic revolution, put forward a plan to establish a New China that met the country’s actual conditions and the interests of the Chinese people, and founded the People’s Republic of China (PRC) where the people are masters of the country. During the CPC Central Committee’s stay at Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills), the Party creatively led all non-Communist parties, personages without party affiliation, people’s organizations in China, as well as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), various regions and ethnic groups, and overseas Chinese representatives in the effort to establish the PRC through political consultation, determining the state and government systems of New China, establishing a new-type state regime featuring the people’s democratic dictatorship, and accomplishing the great cause of founding New China through political consultation.

The exhibition aims to relive the innovative practice of the CPC-led multi-party cooperation and political consultation system at Xiangshan, interpret the conclusion that upholding the Party’s leadership is the essential nature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, explain the Party’s people-centered development approach, and reveal that socialist consultative democracy is a model and strength unique to China’s socialist democratic politics.

Part I Blazing a New Path: Democracy Exploration during the Period of Chinese Revolution

The CPC is a party working for the interests of the Chinese people and has always put people first. Since the very day of its founding, the Party has made the independence of the nation and the liberation of the people its goal, and taken up without hesitation the historic mission to transform the old China and establish a new China. Chinese Communists represented by Mao Zedong adapted the basic tenets of Marxism to the specific realities of the Chinese revolution, continued to explore ways to realize a new regime in the great revolutionary struggle, put forward political concepts such as “democracy for the workers and peasants” and the people’s democracy and established democratic bodies such as soviets of workers, peasants and soldiers and consultative councils, laying a solid theoretical foundation and accumulating rich experience for establishing an independent, free, democratic, united, and prosperous New China.

Part II Toward a Bright Future: The Formation of CPC-led Multiparty Cooperation System

As the core leadership of the new democratic revolution, the CPC took on the historic mission of “establishing New China through political consultation” and has always placed the building of the united front onto an important position. On April 30, 1948, the CPC Central Committee issued the “May 1st Appeal”, heralding the start of the CPC joining hands with all other political parties, people’s organizations and public figures from all sectors and all ethnic groups to “establish New China through political consultation”. The Second Plenary Session of the 7th CPC Central Committee adopted a decision to move the CPC Central Committee to Beiping (today’s Beijing) and convene a new political consultative conference. Beiping was about to become a new political center of the country. The CPC invited public figures from all walks of life to meet in Beiping to build consensus as widely as possible. The Party also guided liberated regions to convene people’s congresses and strengthen contact with the people, and led the restoration and establishment of national people’s organizations, consolidating the organizational foundation for the new political consultative conference.

Part III Drawing a New Blueprint: Democratic Consultation for the Founding of New China

In order to draw a grand blueprint for establishing a New China, with great honesty and sincerity, the CPC interacted and worked with non-Communist parties, personages without party affiliation, and people’s organizations from all walks of life. Based on heart-to-heart cooperation and unity, they discussed state affairs together through the preparatory meeting of the new political consultative conference. The preparatory meeting of the new political consultative conference under the leadership of the CPC heralded the start of the effort to establish the PRC through political consultation, and completed the preparation for the new political consultative conference and the formation of a democratic coalition government.

Part V Writing a Brilliant Chapter Together: A New Era with People as Masters of the Country

Making the people masters of the country is a persistent goal of the CPC. At the dawn of New China, the Party conformed to the general trend and united various parties to embark on a new journey of jointly establishing the PRC through political consultation. The CPC led non-Communist parties, public figures without party affiliation, and people’s organizations as well as representatives of the PLA, various regions and ethnic groups, and overseas Chinese organizations to discuss major issues related to the founding of the PRC at the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Consequently, the Common Program of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference was adopted, the Central People’s Government was formed, and the founding ceremony of the PRC was held. The holding of the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC represented the common will and unprecedented unity of Chinese people, indicating that the Party meets people’s aspirations and has won tremendous support from the people, like an ocean gathering numerous rivers. The formation of the Central People’s Government of the PRC marked that Chinese history has since entered a new era in which the people are masters of the country and that the Chinese nation has since embarked on a bright journey towards great rejuvenation.