| 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party 中国共产党第一次全国代表大会 | |
|---|---|
 Site of the 1st Congress in Shanghai | |
| Begins | July 23, 1921 (1921-07-23) |
| Ends | August 2, 1921 (1921-08-02) |
| Locations | Shanghai andJiaxing |
| Next event | 2nd National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (1922) |
| Participants | 13 delegates |
| Activity | Formal establishment of theChinese Communist Party |
| 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 中國共產黨第一次全國代表大會 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国共产党第一次全国代表大会 | ||||||||||
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| Abbreviation | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 一大 | ||||||||||
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The1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in Shanghai andJiaxing between July 23 and August 2, 1921.[2]: 252 The congress established theChinese Communist Party (CCP).
The congress began in ashikumen building of theShanghai French Concession (near present-dayXintiandi inHuangpu District). In early June 1921, twoCommunist International (Comintern) representatives,Vladimir Neumann (commonly known as Nikolsky) and Dutch nationalHenk Sneevliet, also known as Maring, arrived in Shanghai, and urgedLi Da to call various communist cells in the country to come together for a national-level meeting to form a communist party.[1]: 233 Li Da subsequently called a meeting to form a national party.[1]: 234 There were 13 Chinese delegates when the meeting opened on July 23.[3] At the time, there were 57 members of the CCP.[3] Notably, the two founders of the party did not attend the congress:Chen Duxiu andLi Dazhao.[1]: 234
The meeting was put to an end due to harassment from the French Concession police on July 30. The delegates then agreed to move the meeting to a rented tourist boat onSouth Lake in Jiaxing. The Congress electedChen Duxiu as Secretary (in absentia),Zhang Guotao as Director of Organization, andLi Da as Director of Propaganda.[4][independent source needed]
The General Assembly adoptedThe First Program of the Communist Party of China, stating that "the Party is to be named the Communist Party of China" and specifying its objectives: "to overthrow the power of the capitalist class[,]" to "eradicate capitalism and private ownership of property[,]" and to "join the Comintern."[5] The Program was not a formalconstitution, but described the basics of the Party's program, organization, and discipline.[2]: 116 The founding meeting and first months of the CCP were financed by the Comintern.[6]: 76
Of the 13 delegates who attended the congress in 1921, only two would be present at the proclamation ceremony of the People's Republic of China 28 years later: Mao Zedong andDong Biwu.[1]: 12 Seven of the original delegates left the CCP, one died of illness, and three died for the cause.[1]: 12
The site of the conference in Shanghai was converted intoa museum in 1961. The South Lake Revolutionary Museum in Jiaxing, located on a central island of the lake, was constructed in 1959. A complex hosting more exhibits was constructed north of South Lake in 2011, also to commemorate the 1st Congress. The2nd National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in July 1922.[2]: 112
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