From Seed to Acorn

How the Communist Party of China keeps its hold on sustainable growth By Yuan Yuan

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From Seed to Acorn

How the Communist Party of China keeps its hold on sustainable growth By Yuan Yuan

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders attend a rally marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 1

When holding its first meeting in Shanghai amid the turbulence of 1921， the Communist Party of China （CPC） was a small team， with only 12 members attending the meeting.

But over the past 95 years， that team has developed into a large political organization with more than 88 million members. It has steered China through an unprecedented national crisis and liberated the people from domestic strife as well as foreign invasion. It became an institution that has thoroughly changed Chinese society.

“If you want to stride ahead， you should not forget the path taken earlier. No matter how far we travel and how bright a future we have， we should not forget what we have experienced and why we set out，” Xi Jinping， General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee， said at an event marking the 95th anniversary of the Party in Beijing on July 1.

On the way

A short film released by Xinhua News Agency on June 20 went viral online， winning wide acclaim.

The nine-and-a-half-minute video，commemorating the CPC's 95th anniversary， begins with The Internationale sung in Russian by 95-year-old Qu Duyi， daughter of Qu Qiubai， a senior CPC leader during the Party's early days.

What made the rendition all the more moving was the knowledge that her father had sung the same song of solidarity and defiance 81 years ago when he was captured and executed by the Kuomintang（KMT）.

“My father had faith in communist society and fought for it，” Qu Duyi said at the end of her song.

The documentary includes a wealth of historical photographs and footage.

“For a person， 95 years is a very long time， but for the Party， which is ahead of the times， it is its prime. Our dreams and those of our fathers are in the distance，”the narrator says at the end of the documentary.

“This documentary brought many CPC figures to life，” commented a netizen named Xiuyang. “Previously， we heard only their heroic stories and felt they were too far removed from us. But watching them in their daily lives with their family members made them become real and close. It made their stories more vivid.”

In his July 1 speech， Xi lauded CPC leaders such as Mao Zedong， Zhou Enlai，Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping as well as the martyrs who died for the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Xi said the three major accomplishments of the CPC were winning national independence， establishing a socialist system after the revolution， and carrying out a “new great revolution” with reforms and opening up to enhance China's national and economic strength.

Xi said the CPC owes its sustained suc-cess to its advanced theories and strong commitment. While Marxism is the fundamental guiding principle of both the Party and the country， Marxist principles should be adapted to the current realities of China， with innovation in theory and practice.

Timeline of the Communist Party of China

As the socialist cause develops， Xi said new conditions and problems would emerge. “We need to explore boldly and make theoretical breakthroughs continuously，” he added. “The changes in the times and the range and depth of China's development are far beyond the imagination of classical Marxist writers.”

International observers attribute the CPC's sustained success to its modification of its theories and guidelines in accordance with its past practical experiences.

“The Party has successfully developed a socialist theoretical system with Chinese

A resident in Handan， Hebei Province， visits an exhibition to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China

Primary Party Organizations

CPC Membership in 2015

Composition

characteristics， which has helped guide the country's reform and opening up and economic development， enhance the people's confidence， and strengthen the power of the Party，” Nguyen Vinh Quang， a former minister of Vietnamese Embassy to China，told Xinhua.

For Vichian Piakhong， Vice President of the Thai Young Chinese Chamber of Commerce， the reason that the Party can always surpass its past successes is because it can use new notions， new thoughts and new strategies as powerful weapons， unite and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups， and vigorously advance its undertakings in various felds.

Stephen Perry， Chairman of 48 Group Club， a British business networking organization， said the CPC's democratic centralism has led to great achievements， especially since 1978.

“As an advanced system with obvious Chinese features， institutional advantages and strong capacity for selfimprovement， the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the basic institutional guarantee for the development and progress in modern China，” Xi said. “CPC members and the Chinese people are fully confdent of providing a Chinese solution to humanity's exploration of better social systems.”

Self-improvement

Calling corruption the biggest threat to the Party， Xi said after more than three years of hitting “tigers” and swatting“flies，”—in reference to corrupt highranking officials and lowly bureaucrats respectively—the anti-corruption drive was gaining ground.

“The Party should value the people，serve them and safeguard their interests in order to maintain a sustainable power source，” he said.

He also stressed the Party's taking economic development as its central task.

“Recently， the Party has adopted the‘new normal' economic theory and reset China's development pace and model，shifting focus from a high growth rate to more balanced and down-to-earth development goals. This will help China make steady advances on the path to realizing the Chinese dream，” said Ronnie Lins de Almeida， Director of the Brazilian Center for China Studies.

If the China-led Belt and Road Initiative is successful， the relevant countries will gain from the interconnection of infrastructure， said Hans Hendrischke， a professor at the University of Sydney. “The miracle of China's economic growth has become a model in human development. With its rich experiences in economic development，China can help other developing countries shake off poverty.”

Hendrischke said China is widely participating in global value chains and carrying out trade and investment cooperation with many countries. It has helped many countries overcome funding constraints and provided a huge market for its trade partners.

Xi pledged that China will participate in building a global governance system，offering Chinese wisdom to help improve it.

“China will always follow a path of peaceful development and an opening-up policy featuring mutual beneft and win-win deals，” he said.

Parties and leaders of China's neighboring countries have sent messages of congratulation upon the 95th founding anniversary of the CPC.

The central committees of the Cambodian People's Party， the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the Communist Party of Viet Nam sent messages of congratulation to the CPC Central Committee.

Chairman of the Mongolian People's Party Enkhbold Miegombo expressed in his message the belief that the CPC will score greater achievements in leading China into a prosperous future. ■

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Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar

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