From July 23 to early August 1921, The First National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Shanghai (later moved to Nanhu, Jiaxing). The 13 representatives who attended the conference adopted the party's program and determined the name of the party as " Communist Party of China", officially announcing the birth of the Communist Party of China. Since then, a completely new type of unified proletarian party has emerged in China, with Marxism-Leninism as its guide for action and the goal of realizing socialism and communism. Comrade Mao Zedong said: "The emergence of the Communist Party in China was a major event that created a new world."
Later, how did July 1st be determined as the birth anniversary of the party? This also starts with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China entering Yan'an .
For the first time, we carried out party member education activities on July 1st.
After the founding of the Communist Party of China, it was in a precarious position and experienced hardships due to the long period of revolutionary war. In that bloody era, our party has not carried out planned, large-scale, procedural and public activities to commemorate the founding of the party. On January 13, 1937, the Party Central Committee stationed in Yan'an, the environment was relatively stable, and activities to commemorate the founding of the Party began.
According to the "Chronicle of Zhou Enlai", on July 1, 1937, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting of party activists in Yan'an, and Zhou Enlai made a report entitled "The Communist Party of China in its Sixteenth Anniversary". This is the first time in the history of our party that we have carried out party member education activities on July 1.
The report outlines the tortuous development process that our party has experienced since its establishment, and analyzes the reason why the Chinese Communist Party has achieved achievements because it is a party armed with Marxist theory and has deep-rooted ties with the Chinese people.
The report systematically summarized the historical lessons of the CCP during the Great Revolution, and called on the Party to consciously assume the task of leading the national anti-Japanese national united front on the basis of inheriting fine traditions and learning revolutionary lessons.
Mao Zedong first clarified the anniversary of the founding of the party
Shortly after the convening of the Party's First Congress, the Party Central Committee was sabotaged in Shanghai. All central archives, including the first major archives, were lost, resulting in the loss of information about the Party's First Congress. Many issues have become historical mysteries for a long time. In 1936, Chen Tanqiu, a representative of the Communist Party of China, published an article "Memories of the First Congress" in Moscow, describing the specific process of the convening of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China and providing many vivid details. The article said: "A In the summer of 1921, in the second half of July, nine new temporary residents suddenly arrived on the upper floor of the private Bowen Girls' School on Pope Road in Shanghai's French Concession... These people turned out to be representatives of communist groups from various places. In order to formally organize the Communist Party, we agreed to come to Shanghai for a meeting." He only said that the first congress of the Communist Party of China was held in the "second half of July" and did not mention the specific date.
After the formal formation of the Anti-Japanese National United Front based on the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, in order to further expand the influence of the Communist Party of China, unify the thinking of the whole party, gather strength, and devote itself to the Anti-Japanese War, in the spring of 1938, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China prepared to hold a meeting to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the founding of the party. Activities require a specific date. At that time, one of the major representatives in Yan'an included Mao Zedong, Dong Biwu and others. They recalled that the First Congress was held in July, but could not remember the exact date, so they decided to use July 1 as the birth anniversary of the party.
From May 26 to June 3, 1938, Mao Zedong gave a speech " On Protracted War" at the Yan'an Anti-Japanese War Research Association. He pointed out in his speech: "July 1st this year is the seventeenth anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. In order to enable every Communist Party member to make better and greater efforts in the War of Resistance Against Japan, there is also a focus on studying The need for a protracted war. " This is the first time that our party leaders have proposed that July 1 is the birth anniversary of the Communist Party of China.
Activities to commemorate the founding of the Party during the revolutionary years
On June 14, 1938, the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and the Anti-Enemy Support Association of the Border Region held the first joint meeting of representatives of the Party, government, military, and various agencies and organizations in Yan'an, and agreed on July 1 To the 7th, commemorative activities for the first anniversary of the Anti-Japanese War and the 17th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China will be carried out.On June 24, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China released the "Propaganda Outline for the 17th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China." On June 25, "New China News" published "From July 1st to July 7th Memorial Week, how to prepare for the anti-Japanese war?" 》 article, for the first time, the anniversary of the founding of the party was succinctly summarized as "July 1".
According to the "New China News" report, at 10 a.m. on July 1, 1938, a workers' meeting was held at the Yan'an Trade Union and the Yan'an Trade Union General Club was established. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the workers' propaganda team set out to publicize from the Bell Tower to the North City Gate. On that day, the most sensational event in the city was the evening lantern ceremony celebrating the 17th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. While the sun was still high on the top of the West Mountain, schools, groups, institutions, and troops began to gather at the public stadium outside the South Gate. Probably more than half of the people in Yan'an flocked here. In front of the rostrum hung a banner reading "Yan'an People's Congress to Celebrate the Seventeenth Anniversary of the Communist Party of China." At 7 p.m., the conference opened. First, all the personnel sang "March of the Volunteers", and then Mo Wenhua, director of the Rear Area Political Department of the Eighth Route Army, delivered a speech. Thunderous applause erupted in the venue, and slogans of "Support the Communist Party of China" and "Long Live the Communist Party of China" echoed one after another. When the sunset in the west disappears into the night, the lights illuminate the earth, and looking from the Yan'an city wall, it looks like a sea of stars. The lantern ceremony officially started. The lantern team entered the city from the south gate. There were lights of various shapes such as airplane lights, bomb lights, five-star lights , pagoda lights, etc. The most eye-catching thing is the "Five-Star·Axe·Sickle" lamp of the Fifth Squadron of the Fifth Brigade of the Anti-Japanese Army. One side of the lamp reads "71-77" and the other side reads "1921-1938". Audiences gathered on both sides of the streets in the city, and singing and slogans filled the night sky. For the next week, celebrations were held every day in Yan'an.
"July 1", as the birth anniversary of the Party, was first seen in central documents in June 1941.
At that time, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Instructions on the 20th Anniversary of the Birth of the Communist Party of China and the Fourth Anniversary of the Anti-Japanese War", which clearly stated: "This year' July 1st is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and July 7th is the fourth anniversary of China's Anti-Japanese War. Each anti-Japanese base area should convene meetings separately, adopt various methods, hold commemorations, and publish special issues or special editions in various publications. " This is in accordance with the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which clearly stipulates that July 1 is the day to celebrate the founding of the party.
On July 1, 1941, all agencies, schools, troops, and groups in Yan'an had a day off and held commemorative meetings and report meetings to warmly celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Party. Liberation Daily, the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, edited and published a "Special Edition to Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China" and published an editorial and three commemorative articles written by Zhu De, Lin Boqu and Wu Yuzhang.
's editorial "Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China" pointed out: "The founding of the Communist Party of China has created a completely new era in Chinese history... The twenty-year history of the Communist Party of China has made an indelible and great contribution to the Chinese revolution. It is that it has become the most eloquent testimony in front of the people of the country. This testimony proves that the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese working class, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation are contrary to all assertions that lose self-confidence, attempt to rely on others and rely on opportunities. , is capable of independent struggle, is absolutely invincible, and has unlimited prospects."
Zhu De pointed out in the article "The Communist Party of China and the Revolutionary War": "The entire history of the Communist Party is related to the Chinese Revolutionary War since the Northern Expedition . "The twenty-year process of China's revolutionary war has proved a truth: only the Communist Party of China can most wisely grasp the development laws of China's revolutionary war; only the Communist Party of China can always control the situation in all historical periods. Resolutely carry out the revolutionary war for the most revolutionary political goals at that time and oppose the main enemy of the Chinese nation and people at that time; only the Communist Party of China could formulate and adhere to the most revolutionary strategic policy at that time."
Lin Boqu said in the article "The Communist Party of China and the Political Power": "The Communist Party of China held high the banner of the Bolsheviks, crossed a glorious and heroic road of struggle, and carved an eternal chapter in a short period of history. "Immortal traces" "This is the first time that in a country that has not won the victory of the socialist revolution , a powerful army led by the Communist Party has emerged and a democratic political power led by the Communist Party has been established. This is a characteristic of the Chinese revolution and something the Chinese Communist Party can be proud of. "
Wu Yuzhang's article "The Communist Party and Me" explains the greatness of the Communist Party of China from his personal experience of more than 40 years and the five thousand years of history and culture of the Chinese nation. He said: "China has the most progressive revolutionary theory of mankind - Marxism-Leninism Doctrine ; China has the most powerful, mass, and progressive revolutionary party - the Communist Party. "
Source: People's Liberation Army Daily
