The8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in session from 1956^[1] to 1969. It was preceded by the7th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. It held 12 plenary sessions in this period of 13 years. It was the longest-servingcentral committee ever held by the Communist Party.115 individuals served as members and98 individuals served as alternates.

It elected the8th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in 1956. Thispolitburo was dysfunctional from 1967 -1969. This committee was succeeded by the9th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

1. 1st Plenary Session
   • Date: September 28, 1956
   • Location:Beijing
   • Significance:Mao Zedong was appointed Chairman of the CCP Central Committee, withLiu Shaoqi,Zhou Enlai,Zhu De andChen Yun as vice-chairmen andDeng Xiaoping as general secretary. A 23-members Politburo, the 6-membersPolitburo Standing Committee and other central organs were elected.
2. 2nd Plenary Session
   • Date: November 10–15, 1956
   • Location: Beijing
   • Significance: Liu Shaoqi made a report on theSuez Crisis and the anti-communist revolts inHungary andPoland; Zhou Enlai made a report on the 1957 economic plan; Chen Yun made a report on food issues. Mao Zedong delivered a closing speech focusing on the relations with theSoviet Union and upholdingJoseph Stalin's legacy.
3. 3rd Plenary Session
   • Date: September 20–October 9, 1957
   • Location: Beijing
   • Significance: Deng Xiaoping made a report on theAnti-Rightist Campaign; Chen Yun made a report on State governance and development of agriculture; Zhou Enlai made a report on labor insurances. TheGreat Leap Forward was first outlined.
4. 4th Plenary Session
   • Date: May 3, 1958
   • Location: Beijing
   • Significance: The meeting approved the report which was to be delivered to the 2nd Session of the Party's 8th National Congress as well as a resolution on the meeting of communist and workers' parties held inMoscow in 1957.
5. 5th Plenary Session
   • Date: May 25, 1958
   • Location: Beijing
   • Significance: The meeting focused on organizational issues, particularly appointingLin Biao an additional vice-chairman of the CCP Central Committee, and starting the publication ofHongqi withChen Boda as editor-in-chief.
6. 6th Plenary Session
   • Date: November 28–December 10, 1958
   • Location: Wuchang, Hubei
   • Significance: Thepeople's commune were proclaimed. Mao Zedong decided not propose himself asPresident of the People's Republic of China to the2nd National People's Congress, paving the way for Liu Shaoqi.
7. 7th Plenary Session
   • Date: April 2–5, 1959
   • Location:Shanghai
   • Significance: Meeting focused on economic and financial work. Reports were submitted byBo Yibo,Li Xiannian, Deng Xiaoping andLi Fuchun.
8. 8th Plenary Session
   • Date: August 2–16, 1959
   • Location:Lushan
   • Significance: Also known as "Lushan Conference", a debate on the Great Leap Forward occurred. In the end,Peng Dehuai (who criticized the Leap and the people's commune) was accused of being a counter-revolutionary and removed along with other Party leaders likePLA Chief-of-StaffHuang Kecheng and former General SecretaryZhang Wentian. The plenary meeting followed a central conference started on July 2.
9. 9th Plenary Session
   • Date: January 14–18, 1961
   • Location: Beijing
   • Significance: Chen Yun made a report on the 1961 economic plan; Deng Xiaoping made a report on the 1960 Moscow meeting of communist parties. Regional bureaux of the CCP Central Committee were established at this session.
10. 10th Plenary Session
    • Date: September 24–27, 1962
    • Location: Beijing
    • Significance: The meeting repeated Mao Zedong's assessment that Chinese economy was to take agriculture as basis to develop industry. The session's official communique also started to outline Mao Zedong's "theory of continued revolution under proletarian dictatorship" which led to theCultural Revolution.
11. 11th Plenary Session
    • Date: August 1–12, 1966
    • Location: Beijing
    • Significance: First plenary meeting after 4 years. It approved theDecision of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, setting the course for the Cultural Revolution, which had started in May. The Politburo Standing Committee was expanded from 7 to 11 members, with Lin Biao as the single vice-chairman and Liu Shaoqi severely demoted.
12. 12th Plenary Session
    • Date: October 13–31, 1968
    • Location: Beijing
    • Significance: Liu Shaoqi—the main target of the Cultural Revolution—was condemned as "renegade, traitor and scab" and expelled from the Party. A decision to convene the Party's 9th National Congress (after 12 years since the 8th Congress) was adopted.

• (in Chinese)8th Central Committee of the CCP,People's Daily Online.

• 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• 1956 establishments in China
• 1969 disestablishments in China

• Articles with Chinese-language sources (zh)