TheFour Cardinal Principles (Chinese:四项基本原则;pinyin:Sì-xiàng Jīběn Yuánzé) were stated byDeng Xiaoping in March 1979 at aconference of theChinese Communist Party (CCP), during the early phase of thereform and opening up period, and are the four issues for which debate was not allowed within thePeople's Republic of China.^[1][2][3] The Four Cardinal Principles were one of Deng's Two Basic Points, the other of which was the reform and opening up.^[4]

The Four Cardinal Principles were emphasized in the 1981Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China^[5]: 168 and were enshrined inConstitution of China in 1982.^[6][7]

The principles include:^[3][8]: 16

1. The principle of upholding thesocialist road.
2. The principle of upholding thepeople's democratic dictatorship.
3. The principle of upholding the leadership of theChinese Communist Party (CCP).
4. The principle of upholdingMarxism–Leninism andMao Zedong Thought.

Such principles marked a relaxation of control over ideology. In stating the four cardinal principles, an implication was that these four topics could not be questioned, but political ideas other than those in the list could be debated. Moreover, while the principles themselves are not subject to debate, the interpretations of those principles are.^{[citation needed]}

On the other hand, the principles were proclaimed as a sign of adherence to the communist ideology, thus paving the secure way to reevaluation of theCultural Revolution while preserving ideological stability and legitimacy of the CCP as a response to theDemocracy Wall movement.^[9]

• Boluan Fanzheng

• Deng Xiaoping Theory
• 1979 in China
• Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party
• Reform and opening up

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