PD Editorial: A hundred years of glory created, an eternal cause to build

The past century has witnessed many hardships and achievements. At this important moment when the new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way starts smoothly, we usher in the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Standing at this critical historical juncture, looking back at the past winding road, overlooking the road ahead of struggles, we are full of excitement, passion and pride.

The past century from 1921 to 2021 saw brilliant achievements. From the groundbreaking founding of the Party, the world-changing founding of the People’s Republic of China, the earth-shaking reform and opening-up, to the Party’s and country’s historic changes and achievements since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC has remained true to our original aspiration and mission, united and led the people to create achievements in development which surprised the world, and written a great legend in the history of human development. Socialist China has been standing tall in the East of the world, and the Chinese nation has made a great leap: it has stood up, grown rich and become strong.

The past century from 1921 to 2021 saw eventful years. From Shikumen to Tiananmen, from Xingye Road to Fuxing Road, from a small red boat to a giant ship, the CPC has gone through hard and glorious years, experienced ever-changing eras, and headed for a bright and magnificent future. The CPC has developed into the world’s largest Marxist ruling party with more than 95 million members. It has governed the world’s largest socialist country for more than 70 years and received the broadest support from more than 1.4 billion Chinese people.

The past century from 1921 to 2021 saw ups and downs. The CPC has striven to seek happiness for the Chinese people and promote the cause of human progress. The CPC has adhered to the global aspiration of seeking great unity for the world, upheld the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all mankind, and actively promoted the construction of a community of shared future for mankind, and has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the problems of humanity, and making outstanding contributions to the cause of human civilization and progress.

As the CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping said, “The history of our Party is the most heartwarming chapter in the history of modern China. The people created the CPC through exploration and struggle. The CPC then united and led the people to create new glorious achievements for the time-honored Chinese civilization.” In the course of its century-long struggle, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people to blaze a great trail, make great achievements, forge a great spirit, accumulate valuable experience and create an impressive miracle in the history of the development of the Chinese nation and the progress of human society.

This is a magnificent epic of hardship. No party in the world has endured so many hardships, experienced so many tests of life and death, and made so many painful sacrifices as ours. Over the past 100 years, in the face of various difficulties and challenges, our Party has braved strong enemies and danger, and dared to struggle and to win. The CPC has united and led the people in surmounting one seemingly insurmountable difficulty after another, and won one seemingly impossible great victory after another. After one hundred years of struggle, we have achieved the broadest people’s democracy in a country with a history of thousands of years of feudalism, and the people have truly become the masters of their country, society and their own destiny.

We have achieved a miracle of rapid economic and social development from a starting point of complete poverty. In just a few decades, we have completed an industrialization process that took developed countries hundreds of years to complete, becoming the world's second largest economy with significantly increased overall national strength, scientific and technological strength, national defense strength, cultural influence and international influence. The Chinese people are now living a moderately prosperous life in all respects. The time when people lacked food and clothing has gone. China has completely shaken off absolute poverty and become the country with the largest middle-income population in the world. China has created a miracle of long-term social stability, maintained social harmony and stability, and allowed its people live and work in peace and contentment. China has been recognized by the international community as one of the most secure countries. Today, unprecedented changes have taken place in the Party, the country, the people, the military, and the Chinese nation. No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the Chinese people and nation from marching forward.

This is a glorious history of implementing the Party's original aspiration and mission. From the moment the Party stepped onto the political stage in China, it has unswervingly sought happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Since then, the Chinese people have changed their mentality from passivity to taking initiative, and the Chinese nation has embarked on a difficult but irreversible course toward great rejuvenation. Over the past 100 years, no matter how the situation and tasks changed, no matter what storms we encountered, our Party has always seized the historical initiative, anchored its goals, and moved firmly in the right direction. The people are the country. Our Party fights for and guards the country to win the people's hearts and make the people live a better life. No matter how great challenge and pressure we face, no matter how much sacrifice and what costs we pay, we will never waver in this principle. After one hundred years of struggle, our Party, relying on the people, has made great historical achievements, ushered in the bright prospect of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and led hundreds of millions of people to create a happier life.

“Reviewing the Party's history, the fundamental reason why our Party could gradually grow from such a small and weak beginning, defeat despair in heavy storms again and again, and continuously overcome challenges, is that no matter in good times or bad times, our Party has always remained true to the aspiration of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, advanced unswervingly toward its goal, and won the wholehearted respect and firm support of the people,”General Secretary Xi Jinping said. After one hundred years of vicissitudes, Chinese Communists are still keeping the Party’s original aspiration and mission firmly in mind, and fighting ahead on a new great journey.

This is the great course of promoting the localization, modernization and popularization of Marxism. In the most critical moments of modern times, Chinese Communists turned to Marxism-Leninism. Adapting the theories to China’s actual conditions, Chinese Communists invigorated the great civilization created by the nation over thousands of years with the power of the truths of Marxism. The Chinese civilization again shined with tremendous spiritual strength. One hundred years on, Marxism has profoundly changed China, while China has also greatly enriched Marxism. The CPC upholds the unity of emancipating the mind and seeking truth, as well as the unity of the consolidation of tradition and innovation, and has constantly opened new horizons for Marxism. The CPC has established Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, all of which provide scientific theoretical guidance for the development of the Party’s and people’s cause. The history of the CPC is one that continuously adapts Marxism to the Chinese context and unremittingly promotes innovation and the creation of theories. Marxism has been rejuvenated in today’s China, its vitality being demonstrated with increasingly powerful and convincing strength.

This is a grand adventure of laying foundations and opening up the future. Chinese Communists have been endeavoring without any hesitation and strong persistence to achieve national independence, the people’s liberation and wellbeing, and the prosperity of the country. The Party led people to complete the New Democratic Revolution and found the People's Republic of China within 30 years of its formation. Since then, the Chinese nation has stood up. After the socialist revolution, the Party led people to carry out reform and opening-up for four decades. China has secured a great historic achievement for fully building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and a decisive victory in poverty eradication, realizing its first centenary goal. Looking ahead, China will basically realize its aim of socialist modernization by 2035 and become a great modern socialist country by the mid-21st century. Now, it is time to embark on a new journey toward the second centenary goal. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Party and all Chinese people will unswervingly advance toward fully building a modern socialist country.

The CPC’s 100 years are the century when Chinese people have fundamentally changed their destiny, when the Chinese nation stepped toward great rejuvenation, and when China has made outstanding contributions to the development of all of humanity. The glorious journey of Chinese people under the CPC’s leadership is written with blood, sweat and tears. It is full of hardship and resplendence, struggle and victory, dedication and gain. And it is a splendid chapter in the history of the Chinese nation's development. The victory by the Chinese people under the CPC’s leadership has endowed vitality to the Chinese civilization in its modernization process, to scientific socialism in the 21st century, and to the Chinese nation. It is a pragmatic foundation for the Chinese people to carry forward its cause and forge ahead into the future.

Practice has proven that the CPC is the Chinese nation’s backbone. Only the CPC can lead China. Only socialism can save China. Only reform and opening-up can foster the development of China, socialism and Marxism. And only the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics can make China strong, thriving and prosperous, and guide it to achieve the great rejuvenation of the nation.

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. China is at a pivotal period of realizing the great rejuvenation of the nation. The CPC is leading the people to march forward amid great struggles with many new historical features, such as swift changes; the weighty mission of reform, development and stability; numerous conflicts and risks; and unprecedented tests of the Party’s governance. We are well-aware that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has a bright future but is also hard-earned. We face both opportunities and challenges. Standing at the intersection of the “two centennial goals” and looking back and ahead, time and momentum are on China’s side. This is where our composure, determination and confidence come from.

Building a comprehensively well-off society and achieving its first centenary goal is a milepost in the history of the struggle of the CPC, the history of the development of New China and the history of Chinese civilization, General Secretary Xi Jinping said, adding at the same time, we must realize that this is only a step toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must not be arrogant and complacent. We must continue to be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance and rashness, continue to work hard and forge ahead, and strive hard to achieve the second centennial goal and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and continue to make new and greater contributions to the lofty cause of peace and development for mankind. We must adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, strengthen our belief in Marxism and communism, enhance our belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, enhance our confidence in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, stay true to our original aspirations, maintain our strategic determination, enhance our sense of hardship, maintain the spirit of struggle, mobilize all positive factors that can be mobilized, unite all forces that can be united, cultivate opportunities in crisis, open up new opportunities amid a changing situation, do our best to do our own work well, stand on the right side of history, and persevere in marching towards the second centennial goal. With soberness and firmness, we can answer the challenges of the new era, and fight for the eternal wellbeing of the Chinese nation in accordance with the general trend of the world.

The road ahead is long, and striving is the only way forward. We have strived, broken through brambles and thorns, and crossed ten thousand rivers and thousands of mountains. We will continue to strive, march ahead with courage, and create brighter glory! The CPC bears its eternal great cause in mind, and the centenary only ushers in the prime of life. The Party will remain invincible as long as it stands at the forefront of the times; leads the charge in overcoming difficulties and challenges, and takes root among the people. On the new great journey, the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups must rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core; strengthen the Party's consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, and follow the leadership core and keep in alignment; thoroughly implement key decisions and policies made by the CPC Central Committee; strengthen the Party's confidence in its path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position in the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and uphold the Party Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership; take advantage of trends and forge ahead in a pioneering spirit; strive for the goal of achieving the second centenary goals; and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.