The day the Communist Party of China was founded

July 23, 1921

On the evening of July 23, the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held at No. 106 Wangzhi Road, French Concession, Shanghai (today’s Xingye No. 76 Road) was officially opened. The venue was located at the residence of brothers Li Shucheng and Li Hanjun. Everyone sat around the long dining table in the living room. There was no special decoration in the room, the furnishings were simple and the atmosphere was solemn. Attendees were Li Hanjun and Li Da from Shanghai; Zhang Guotao and Liu Renjing from Beijing; Mao Zedong and He Shuheng from Changsha; Dong Biwu and Chen Tanqiu from Wuhan; Wang Jinmei and Deng Enming from Jinan; Chen Gongbo from Guangzhou; Zhou Fohai, a student studying in Japan, and Bao Huiseng appointed by Chen Duxiu. . Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao did not attend the meeting due to official business, but in the minds of the delegates they are still the main founders and leaders of the party.

Two representatives of China International Industry attended the opening meeting and delivered enthusiastic speeches. Marin first pointed out: The establishment of the Communist Party of China is of great world significance. The Third International has added an Eastern branch, and the Bolsheviks of Soviet Russia have gained a close comrade-in-arms. He also put forward suggestions and hopes for the Communist Party of China. Nikolsky introduced the situation of the International Far East Bureau of the Communist Party of China and asked the Chinese Communist Party to report the work progress to the Far East Bureau in a timely manner.

Then, the representatives discussed the tasks and topics of the meeting, and unanimously decided that representatives from various regions would first report on local work, then discuss and adopt the party's program and future work plans, and finally elect the central leadership body.

The second meeting was held on July 24. Representatives from various regions reported on the status and work progress of the party organizations in their regions and exchanged experiences. The meeting will be adjourned on the 25th and 26th to draft the party's program and future work plans. Three meetings were held on the 27th, 28th and 29th to focus on the previously drafted program and resolutions. The discussion was serious and lively, with everyone expressing their own opinions. There was a unified understanding, but some issues also caused controversy. No decision was made at the meeting.

On the evening of July 30, the National Congress held its sixth meeting. The original topic was to adopt the party’s program and resolutions and elect central agencies. A few minutes into the meeting, an agent from the French Concession patrol room suddenly broke in, and the meeting was interrupted.

At the beginning of the sixth meeting of the First National Congress, they were harassed by the police station in the French Concession. The first person to break into the meeting was Cheng Ziqing. He was Huang Jinrong's brother. He used this relationship to enter the patrol room and served as a Chinese detective. It turned out that Marin came to China from Moscow via Europe and was arrested by the Vienna police station. Although he was rescued and released, his actions have been closely monitored as a "red element." Marin, who has rich experience in secret work, warned that this person must be "inquiring" and suggested that the meeting should be suspended immediately and everyone should leave separately.

Sure enough, more than ten minutes later, two police cars surrounded a conference site. The French police officer personally led people into the room for questioning and search. Not much evidence was found. After threats and warnings, they withdrew. Although this impact did not cause major losses, after all, the project could no longer be carried out at the original location. A large number of transferred representatives gathered at Li Da's residence for discussion that night. Everyone agreed that the meeting could not be held in Shanghai. Some people suggested that the meeting be held in Hangzhou, while others suggested that Hangzhou was too prosperous and would easily expose the target. Wang Huiwu, Mrs. Li Da who was present at the time, proposed: It would be better to hold the meeting in my hometown of Nanhu, Jiaxing, which is very close to Shanghai and easy to hide. Everyone agreed and felt that this arrangement was appropriate.

Early the next morning, the representatives took trains to Jiaxing in two batches. The goals of the two international representatives were too high. Li Hanjun and Chen Gongbo also did not go to Jiaxing because they experienced a false alarm. At around 10 o'clock, the representatives arrived at Jiaxing Station. After taking a short rest at the Yuanhu Hotel, they boarded the Nanhu Boat that had been rented in advance.

It was a cloudy day, with drizzle falling. The tourists gradually left, and the beautiful South Lake looked particularly quiet and elegant. At about 11 o'clock, a large meeting began on the slowly rowing boat.

The Nanhu Conference continued the issues that could not be carried out in Shanghai on the 30th. It first discussed and adopted the "First Program of the Communist Party of China". This short program of 15 chapters and 700 words determined The name of the party, goals of struggle, basic policies, proposed organizational systems such as developing party members and establishing local and central agencies, as well as the contents of the party program and party constitution, are the first official documents of the party.

Then the "First Resolution of the Communist Party of China" was discussed and adopted to make arrangements for the party's future work. In view of the fact that the party's strength is still weak, it was decided to focus on establishing trade union organizations and guiding them. The workers' movement and propaganda work were carried out, and they demanded to maintain independent policies in relations with other political parties, emphasizing the establishment of close relations with the Third International.

At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the weather cleared up, and a motorboat on the lake rushed towards the painting boat. Everyone was more vigilant because of their experience in Shanghai. They immediately hid the documents, put mahjong tiles on the table, and pretended to be tourists. Later, when they found out that this was the private yacht of a local gentleman, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and the meeting continued.

Finally, the National Congress elected the central leadership body. The representatives believed that the number of party members was currently small and the local organization was not yet sound. Therefore, the Central Committee should not be established for the time being. Instead, a three-person Central Bureau should be established first, and Chen Duxiu should be elected as secretary. Zhang Guotao is the organization director and Li Da is the publicity director. This gave rise to the first central organ of the party. The meeting ended with shouts of "Long live the Third International" and "Long live the Communist Party of China."

The convening of the National Congress marked the formal establishment of the Communist Party of China, like a red sun rising in the east, illuminating the future of the Chinese revolution.

This is an objective requirement for social progress and revolutionary development in modern China, and it is a ground-breaking event.

Since the establishment of the Communist Party of China, the face of the Chinese revolution has taken on a completely new look