10th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

Site of the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

The 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第十次全国代表大会) was held in Beijing from August 24th to 28th, 1973. There were 1,249 delegates attending the conference. At that time, there were 28 million party members nationwide. Mao Zedong presided over the meeting. Those seated in the front row were: Zhou Enlai, Wang Hongwen, Kang Sheng, Ye Jianying, Li Desheng, Zhang Chunqiao, Liu Bocheng, Jiang Qing, Zhu De, Xu Shiyou, Chen Xilian, Li Xiannian, Yao Wenyuan, Dong Biwu, Ji Dengkui, Wang Dongxing, Hua Guofeng and Wu De.

Agenda

The agenda of the conference was:

1. Comrade Zhou Enlai made a political report on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China;

2. Comrade Wang Hongwen made a report on the revision of the Party Constitution on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and proposed the "Draft Constitution of the Communist Party of China" to the conference;

3. Election of the Communist Party of China Tenth Central Committee.

Opening

On August 24th, the conference officially opened. When Chairman Mao appeared on the rostrum, the audience burst into cheers, and the delegates applauded enthusiastically for a long time with excitement, shouting: "Long live the great leader Chairman Mao! Long live!" Chairman Mao cordially greeted the delegates and they waved. On the day of the official opening of the conference, delegates from all corners of the country entered the solemn venue through the hall hung with huge portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin. Among them, some were representatives of Party members of industrial workers, some were representatives of Party members of poor and lower-middle peasants, some were representatives of Party members of the People’s Liberation Army from the frontiers of the motherland and vigilantly guarded the outposts of national defense, and some were representatives of Party members of revolutionary cadres, revolutionary intellectuals, and other working people. Workers, peasants and soldiers party members accounted for 67 percent of the total. Women party members account for more than 20 percent. Representatives of party members from various fraternal nationalities other than the Han nationality also account for a certain proportion. The sacred territory of the motherland to be liberated-Taiwan Province The representatives elected by party members from all over the country participated in the party's national congress for the first time. With the entrustment of the 28 million party members across the country and the wishes of hundreds of millions of people of all ethnic groups, the representatives worked together with their great leader Chairman Mao in a united, tense, serious and lively way.

Conditions

The Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held under favorable circumstances both at home and abroad when the Lin Biao anti-Party clique was crushed, the line of the Ninth National Congress of the Party achieved a great victory. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and all comrades in the party have made full preparations for this historic congress. After extensively promoting democracy, repeatedly deliberating and negotiating candidates for representatives, and soliciting the opinions of the people inside and outside the party in the area or unit where the candidates are located, 1,249 representatives were finally elected. Before the official opening of the conference, all the delegates carefully discussed the drafts and drafts of all the documents of the conference. People all over the country rejoiced and welcomed the convening of the Tenth Congress with practical actions.

Meeting Results

On August 28th, after serious and heated discussions, the meeting unanimously adopted Comrade Zhou Enlai's political report and Comrade Wang Hongwen's report on revising the party constitution, and unanimously adopted the "Constitution of the Communist Party of China." The representatives were pleased to say that these documents, guided by Marxism, Leninism, and Mao Zedong Thought, analyzed the excellent situation at home and abroad, fully affirmed the great victories achieved by all fronts under the guidance of the Nine National Congress Lines, and summarized the two: The basic experience of smashing Lin Biao's struggle against the party clique, and further clarifying the direction and tasks of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat, is the fighting program of the whole party, the whole army, and the people of the whole country.

Election Results

After repeated deliberation and discussions, the Congress elected the Tenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China by secret ballot. When the election results were announced, the audience once again burst into thunderous applause and slogans.

The elected 195 members of the Central Committee and 124 alternate members of the Central Committee embodied the combination of the old, the middle and the young. Some of them are proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation who experienced the first and second domestic revolutionary wars in the early days of the founding of the party; Outstanding fighters in the three major revolutionary movements and the struggle against imperialism, revisionism, and anti-revolutionaryism, as well as young comrades who have newly joined the party since the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The old, middle-aged and young come together to learn together and encourage each other. The delegates said excitedly that the 10th Central Committee fully demonstrated the prosperity of our party, its successors, and its strong unity based on Marxism, Leninism, and Mao Zedong Thought.

Outcome

The conference pointed out that the current international situation is characterized by great chaos. This chaos is a good thing, not a bad thing, and it is continuing to develop in a direction that benefits the people of all countries and is not conducive to imperialism, modern revisionism and the reactionaries of various countries. We must adhere to proletarian internationalism, adhere to the consistent policy of the party, strengthen unity with the proletariat, oppressed people and oppressed nations of the world, and strengthen relations with all countries that are invaded, subverted, interfered, controlled and bullied by imperialism. To unite and form the broadest united front against imperialism and old and new colonialism, especially against the hegemonism of the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union. We must unite with all genuine Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations in the world and carry the struggle against modern revisionism to the end. The congress called on the working class, poor and lower-middle peasants, PLA commanders and people of all ethnic groups to strengthen preparations for wars against aggression, guard against the outbreak of imperialist world wars, and especially guard against sudden attacks by social-imperialism, and resolutely, thoroughly, cleanly and completely destroy all enemies who dare to invade!

External Links

Zhou Enlai's report at the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China

Wang Hongwen's report on Revising the Party Constitution

List of the Presidium of the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China

List of 319 members and alternate members of the Tenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

Constitution of the Communist Party of China (As of the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of China)