Preface——The Communist Party of China: History, Organization, Theories and Governance

As a Marxist political party born in China, the Communist Party of China has experienced an extraordinary course more than 9 decades since its founding in 1921, during which there were both endeavoring march forward and hard times. As China's national power and world influence get strengthened quickly, the People's Republic of China has attracted more and more attention from the international community. It even becomes a rising and shining star in the international family. The Communist Party of China, as the ruling party in China, interests more and more people. Therefore, its lasting governance of China becomes one of the most important contents and manifestations of the political system with Chinese characteristics. All the achievements that China has made, even everything in China today, are closely tied up with the Communist Party of China.

From over 50 members at its founding to a great political party of more than 4.4 million members in 1949, how did the Communist Party of China grow and become increasingly stronger in the 28 years of struggle? Why did it choose to establish the socialist system in an underdeveloped agricultural state after it assumed national power? How did it lead China to socialism? What are the unique features of its explorations on the construction of socialism based on the Chinese national reality? What are the achievements? What are the main course and contents of the reform and opening up undertaking led by the Communist Party of China, an undertaking that has attracted world attention and seen enormous achievements? What's the password to its success? Compared with the Western political parties, the Communist Party of China sets great store by theoretical construction and ideological unity. Well, what's the background, main contents and role of theories of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, i.e., the most and primary theoretical system upheld by the Communist Party of China now? As the world's largest political party with more than 80 million members, how does the Communist Party of China absorb members, select and promote cadres? Why is this ultra-large party able to function efficiently and in an orderly manner? Given the long-term governance of the Communist Party of China, how does it effectively prevent corruption and win the public? How does it treat the relationship between a political party and the state? How does it govern the country relative to the Western campaign-type parties? What are the adjustments and changes adaptive to the development trends of the times in the several decades of its governance? People are asking these questions in different ways, from different angles and to varying degrees, and are seeking final answers to them.

The pamphlet here in front of you witnesses the efforts made to try to answer the above questions. From four dimensions, i.e., the history of the Communist Party of China, its organization and operation, its leading ideology and its governance, it strives for introducing the Communist Party of China in a multi-faceted, three-dimensional and objective way so as to allow people to get an overall glimpse of the historical course of its leading the Chinese revolution, construction, reform and opening up, especially the historical course and the complete picture of the reform and opening up; understand the organizational structure and operational mechanism of the Communist Party of China, its mode of selecting, training and administering Party members, its Party member selection and performance examination system and its “trinity” management system; comprehend the historical background, main contents, ideological features and the role of the theories of building socialism with Chinese characteristics upheld by it; and find out its philosophy on state governance and main practices, successful experience and the tests it's faced with, as well as its self-evaluation on the means and status quo of state governance.

This book is a popular literature for the Chinese and foreign readers who want to know about the Communist Party of China. In the writing process, attention has been paid to the stance and needs of the general readers to imagine the contents of their interest and the ways of helping them understand such contents in an easier way. Therefore when introducing the Communist Party of China, this literature tries to use fewer or no specialized concepts or nouns that the general readers feel strange, even incomprehensible, but trying to make the book easy-to-understand and comprehensive.

It is really not easy to introduce the Communist Party of China in a relatively comprehensive way in such a short length. For scholars, it is easier to expound on than simplifying some questions from certain angle, and it is easier to make an academic statement than a popular statement. Since to be popular and simple, one has to have an overall grasp of the object to be introduced, make drastic trade-offs of the raw materials, and have a better ability to use the language. The hardships therein are obvious. Of course, it does not mean that the pamphlet has done a flawless work in the above mentioned aspects. Limited by time and personal academic deposits, there must be some unsatisfactory places herein. It's a good thing that we intend to use it just as an initiator, and we humbly ask for your suggestions and feedbacks.

Yang Fengcheng

May 29, 2012