The site memorial of the Second National Congress of CPC is an important revolutionary site pertaining to “the birthplace of the CPC”. In 1922, 12 representatives from different places around the country came here to discuss the founding of the CPC. The good characters and revolutionary traditions of the early communists, handed down from generation to generation through almost a century, are still acting as “a beacon star” leading our journey of implementing the socialist core values and lighting “the Chinese Dream” which in essence is to make the country prosperous and strong, rejuvenate the nation and see that the people are happy.

   Strong spiritual strength forged through belief

Chen Duxiu

Neither a person nor a party is strong without spirit. Since its birth, the CPC has started to nurture and forge a spiritual style, temperament, manner and tradition and erected numerous shining spiritual monuments in the history of the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation. The Second National Congress of CPC, held in July 1922, is an important meeting in the history of the CPC. It put forward seven “first” unprecedentedly and completed the founding of the CPC together with the First National Congress of CPC. Twelve representatives attended this congress, including Chen Duxiu, Zhang Guotao, Li Da, Yang Mingzhai, Luo Zhanglong, Wang Jinmei, Xu Baihao, Cai Hesen, Tan Pingshan, Li Zhenying and Shi Cuntong. Just 95 years ago, these strong-willed young people of the 80s and 90s in the 19th century, different in age, family background and experience, shared the same dream and faith, which led them to keep the motherland in mind and have the whole world in view, start the localization of Marxism in China, and shoulder the burden of national revival. And 95 years later, let us look back again and decode the spiritual code of these early communists.

They were all born in a period of turmoil and social change, and they had strong sense of patriotism and deeply cared about the country. At the critical moment of the survival of the nation, they marched ahead vigorously without caring about their own safety and honor, transformed the firm belief and sublime ideal of communism into the driving force in guiding the real revolution, and led the Chinese people to unswervingly strive for freedom, democracy and happiness.

Chen Duxiu is a major founder of the CPC and a main leader of the party in the early period. From the first to the fifth of the National Congress of CPC, Chen was elected as the top leader of the Party Central Committee. Influenced by his family, Chen still received feudal education in his childhood. However, as a person with strong personality, he broke the restraint of feudalism, gave up the huge wealth that only he could inherit, and led a wandering life for a long time to pursue his own dream. In his early years, he went to Japan and accepted the ideology of the western bourgeoisie’s opposing feudal autocracy. After he came back, he actively participated in the revolutionary movement in Anhui and became a revolutionary, marching forward courageously, willing to sacrifice himself and showing a fearless revolutionary spirit, to finish the “three thousand years of dark history” of China. After the First National Congress of CPC, Chen was elected as the General Secretary to preside over the work of the Central Committee, which pushed the first climax of labor movement. During the just the one year between the first and second National Congress of CPC, the Chinese Communists, with Chen as their representative, learned from the failures, spared no effort in making the country prosperous, looked at the future of revolution with a rational view, and devoted to the revolution with great passion. Before the opening of Second National Congress of CPC, Chen had been arrested twice. However, instead of yielding to the strong reactionary force, this man of iron became even braver. He once said that “the prion and the lab are the two sources of civilization; into prison and into lab are the noblest and most graceful life that we young people should live”. In July 1922, before the opening of the Second National Congress of CPC, the situation in Shanghai was quite tense for a while because the Secretariat of China Labor Association was closed down and Li Qihan was arrested. Though being strongly advised against doing so, Chen firmly stayed in Shanghai and the Second National Congress of CPC was held as scheduled. Li Da once commented that “we respect him because he energetically advocates new ideas and is willing to bear sufferings for communism.”

Wang Jinmei

Wang Jinmei, the Representative of Shandong in the Second National Congress of CPC, came from a tenant farming family and had a deep understanding of exploiting system since his family was oppressed for generations. Like the poor people from the same level, he had a strong desire to change the enslaved life. But he also had a sense of patriotism and a dream of powerful country. After the founding of the CPC, Wang was in charge of more and more tasks. He went to see the miners in person and passionately held the miner’s hands full of carbon black and said “even though your hands are covered by coal putty, they can create everything… ”. At the end of 1924, Wang went to Qingdao to give a speech in spite of illness. At that time, even though he was extremely haggard and bony, his voice was still sonorous and the speech was quite passionate. People who attended the conference were moved by his spirit of self-sacrifice and tenacious revolutionary will and most of them shed tears. The heavy and tough work defeated this man of iron and he was carried to the train with a door plank by the local people. In the summer of 1925, this young communist, tall, handsome but rawboned, died in Qingdao where he had made arduous efforts continuously. “I hope all the comrades can do a good job for the party, and struggle to the very end to liberalize the proletariat and all mankind and realize the communism.” This was the will of the firm fighter for communism. “The rich and the poor confront each other at the battlefield and only liberation is the best ending.” The belief surpasses life and death, crosses the time and space, and forges strength.

According to statistics, besides Chen Duxiu and Wang Jinmei, nearly 75% of the representatives of the Second National Congress of CPC come from middle class and even rich families, and most of them have studied abroad before. What leads them to firmly believe the Marxism? Why would they rather give up the wealth, spend their money for the country, and even sacrifice their life? It is the selfless dedication spirit of being responsible for all the people and the patriotic spirit of being loyal to the people that allows them to march ahead courageously, overcome numerous difficulties, and create one miracle after another.  

(Source: Site Memorial of the Second National Congress of CPC)