Editor’s note: This is the second part of a series on the historical document the CPC passed in the sixth plenary session of its 19th Central Committee.

To better understand the new historical resolution of the Communist Party of China adopted in the sixth plenary session of its 19th Central Committee, one must first look back on the Party’s century-long historical experience. What were the endeavors the CPC has carried out over the past century? And what achievements has it made?

In summing up those endeavors and achievements, the resolution notes at the beginning of its preamble: “Since its founding in 1921, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has remained true to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Staying committed to communist ideals and socialist convictions, it has united and led Chinese people of all ethnic groups in working tirelessly to achieve national independence and liberation, and then to make our country prosperous and strong and pursue a better life. The past century has been a glorious journey.” To put it simply, the CPC has succeeded in doing two great things over the past century: First, it founded New China after achieving national independence and liberation; second, it has significantly enhanced the happiness of the people not least by making the country richer and stronger than ever with persevering efforts based on socialist principles. 

To put it simply, the Communist Party of China has succeeded in doing two great things over the past century: First, it founded New China after achieving national independence and liberation; second, it has significantly enhanced the happiness of the people not least by making the country richer and stronger than ever with persevering efforts based on socialist principles

The CPC’s century-long endeavors can be divided into four stages. During the period of the new-democratic revolution, i.e., the 28 years from the establishment of the Party to the founding of New China, the Party led the people through bloody battles and unyielding struggles to achieve the country’s great transformation from a millennia-old feudal autocracy to a people’s democracy. The Chinese people have since stood up, shaking off the “century of humiliation”, corroborating the notion that “without the Communist Party, there would be no New China”. 

Following that was the period of socialist revolution and construction, that is, the 29 years between the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the convention of the third plenary session of the 11th Central Committee, during which the socialist system was established and the country managed to build an independent, relatively complete industrial system and national economic system on the ruins of wars, with a new world in sight.

Then came the period of reform and opening-up with an emphasis on socialist modernization, or the 33 years between the convention of the third plenary session of the 11th Central Committee and the 18th National Congress of the CPC, during which elements of a market economy were introduced throughout the reform and opening-up process. This raised the living standard of Chinese people from bare subsistence to moderate prosperity in general and marked the tremendous advancement of the Chinese nation from standing up to growing prosperous.

And the most recent period, the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, ushered in by the convention of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, has witnessed historic achievements and sea changes in the country, as well as the country’s transition from standing up, growing prosperous to becoming strong. During this period, the Party took into account both domestic and international imperatives, and solved many tough problems that were long on the agenda but never resolved and accomplished many things that were wanted but never got done.

The three periods following the founding of the PRC were dedicated to socialist construction. While each period had unique features, the Party has unwaveringly stayed true, all along, to its original aspiration of serving the people well. 

The CPC’s endeavors have transformed the modern history of China, putting an end to an era characterized by disunity, division, weakness and poverty, as well as foreign invasion and bullying. This has fundamentally changed the fate of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. Indeed, the country’s successful transition from standing up, growing prosperous to becoming strong is a telling comment on the CPC’s endeavors and achievements over the past century. As the resolution puts it, “the endeavors of the Party and the people over the past century represent the most magnificent chapter in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation.”

The resolution illustrates, from five perspectives, the historical significance of the CPC’s endeavors over the past century: fundamentally transforming the future of the Chinese people; trailblazing the right path for achieving the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; demonstrating the strong vitality of Marxism; producing a positive impact on the course of world history; and making the CPC a pioneer of the times. In the context of human development, the modernization pursued by the CPC is of significant global influence. As every nation seeks its unique path of modernization, the CPC has managed to trailblaze a path that dovetails with China’s actual conditions but is unique from that of the West. It only took China a few decades to complete the process of industrialization that took developed countries several centuries, which has brought about the two miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability in China. This has made an indelible contribution to the progress of human civilization. 

The author is a veteran current affairs commentator. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.