The Exploration of Party Building at the Seventh National Congress of the CPC and Its Historical Lessons

From April to June 1945, the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China was successfully convened in Yan'an. The Seventh Congress was an extremely important national congress held by the CPC during the democratic revolution. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during his inspection of Yan'an in October 2022 that "the Seventh Congress holds a significant milestone in the Party's history, marking the Party's political, ideological, and organizational maturation." At that time, the CPC already had over 1.2 million members, nearly one million troops, and led nearly 100 million people. The Party Constitution of the Seventh Congress stated that the CPC "at the present stage strives to realize China's new-democratic system. Its ultimate goal is to realize the communist system in China." Reviewing the deep reflections and explorations of the Chinese Communists during the Seventh Congress on major issues such as Party building can help us draw wisdom and strength from historical experience to solve the unique problems of a large party.

1945年4月至6月，中国共产党第七次全国代表大会在延安胜利召开。党的七大是中国共产党在民主革命时期召开的一次极其重要的全国代表大会。习近平总书记2022年10月在延安考察时指出，“党的七大在党的历史上具有重要里程碑意义，标志着我们党在政治上思想上组织上走向了成熟”。当时，中国共产党已拥有一百二十余万党员、近百万军队，领导近一亿人民。七大《党章》指出，中国共产党“在现阶段为实现中国的新民主主义制度而奋斗。它的最终目的，是在中国实现共产主义制度”。梳理中国共产党人在七大期间对加强党的建设等重大问题的深入思考和探索，可以帮助我们从历史经验中汲取破解大党独有难题的智慧与力量。

Strengthening Party building must always clarify "who we are, for whom we act, and on whom we rely," and continuously answer the fundamental question of "what the CPC is and what it is to do." The Party Constitution of the Seventh Congress stated at the outset: "The CPC is the advanced and organized contingent of the Chinese working class, the highest form of its class organization. The CPC represents the interests of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people." It also established serving the people wholeheartedly as the Party's fundamental purpose. Comrade Liu Shaoqi further pointed out from the micro perspective of the life value of Party members: "All the sacrifices, efforts, and struggles of our Party members are for the welfare and liberation of the people, and for nothing else." He emphasized, "This is the greatest glory and the most worthy pride of us Communists" (Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi, Volume I, People's Publishing House, 1981, p. 348).

加强党的建设要始终认清“我是谁、为了谁、依靠谁”，不断回答好“中国共产党是什么、要干什么”这个根本问题。党的七大《党章》开篇就指出：“中国共产党，是中国工人阶级的先进的有组织的部队，是它的阶级组织的最高形式。中国共产党代表中国民族与中国人民的利益。”并将全心全意为人民服务确立为党的根本宗旨。刘少奇同志从党员人生价值的微观视角进一步指出：“我们一切党员的一切牺牲、努力和斗争，都是为了人民群众的福利和解放，而不是为了别的。”他强调，“这就是我们共产党人最大的光荣和最值得骄傲的地方”（《刘少奇选集》上卷，人民出版社1981年版，第348页）。

Precisely based on this nature and purpose, Comrade Mao Zedong solemnly emphasized to the entire Party: "Serving the people wholeheartedly, never for a moment separating ourselves from the masses; proceeding from the interests of the people in everything, not from the interests of individuals or small groups; the unity of being responsible to the people and being responsible to the leading organs of the Party—these are our starting points" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume III, People's Publishing House, 1991, pp. 1094–1095). He firmly encouraged everyone: "As long as we rely on the people, firmly believe that the creative power of the people is inexhaustible, and therefore trust the people and become one with them, then any difficulty can be overcome, and no enemy can overwhelm us, but will only be overwhelmed by us" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume III, p. 1096). Serving the people and being modest and prudent are the foundation of victory, while separating from the masses and being arrogant and conceited are the root of failure. At the Seventh Congress, the Party leaders clearly recognized and repeatedly warned Party cadres about the danger and crisis of separating from the masses. Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized: "We should be modest, prudent, free from arrogance and rashness, and serve the Chinese people wholeheartedly" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume III, p. 1027). Comrade Liu Shaoqi also pointed out, "If the vanguard separates from the masses of the people, it cannot become the people's vanguard, not only cannot it accomplish the task of liberating the people, but it also faces the danger of being directly destroyed by the enemy" (Selected Works of Liu Shaoqi, Volume I, p. 344). This enlightens us that all Party comrades must strengthen their sense of purpose, maintain close ties with the masses, serve the people's interests, accept the people's supervision, resolutely oppose all kinds of privileged thinking and privileged phenomena, and ensure that our Party always wins the heartfelt support of the people and always holds the people's hearts.

正是基于这样的性质和宗旨，毛泽东同志庄严向全党强调：“全心全意地为人民服务，一刻也不脱离群众；一切从人民的利益出发，而不是从个人或小集团的利益出发；向人民负责和向党的领导机关负责的一致性；这些就是我们的出发点。”（《毛泽东选集》第三卷，人民出版社1991年版，第1094~1095页）他坚定地鼓励大家：“只要我们依靠人民，坚决地相信人民群众的创造力是无穷无尽的，因而信任人民，和人民打成一片，那就任何困难也能克服，任何敌人也不能压倒我们，而只会被我们所压倒。”（《毛泽东选集》第三卷，第1096页）服务人民、谦虚谨慎是胜利之根本，而脱离群众、骄傲自大则是失败之根源。在党的七大上，党的领导人清醒认识并多次警示党员干部脱离群众的危险和危机，毛泽东同志强调：“我们应该谦虚，谨慎，戒骄，戒躁，全心全意地为中国人民服务”（《毛泽东选集》第三卷，第1027页）。刘少奇同志也指出，“先锋队如果脱离人民群众，就不能成其为人民的先锋队，就不独不能实现它解放人民群众的任务，而且有直接被敌人消灭的危险”（《刘少奇选集》上卷，第344页）。这启示我们，全党同志必须增强宗旨意识，密切联系群众、服务人民利益、接受人民监督，坚决反对各种特权思想和特权现象，确保我们党始终得到人民衷心拥护、始终守住人民之心。

A mature Marxist political party must have a strong leading core. With a core for the entire Party and authority for the Central Committee, the whole Party can act in unison, obey orders, and act consistently, thereby possessing strong combat effectiveness. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the symposium commemorating the 130th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong's birth that "Comrade Mao Zedong demonstrated the political foresight of a great revolutionary leader, unwavering revolutionary conviction, extraordinary courage to blaze new trails, superb art of struggle, outstanding leadership ability, a childlike heart caring for the people, a broad and magnanimous mind, and a fine style of hard struggle, winning the love and admiration of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country." The Seventh Congress elected a new Central Committee and central leading organs. As the editorial of the Liberation Daily commented: "The CPC has its own leader, which has strengthened the unity of the Party tenfold and a hundredfold, marking that the Party has matured and that it is a Party that will be victorious." This was a strong leading collective with high prestige that could unite the entire Party.

成熟的马克思主义政党，必须要有坚强的领导核心。全党有核心，中央有权威，全党才能步调一致、令行禁止、行动一致，才能拥有强大的战斗力。习近平总书记在纪念毛泽东同志诞辰130周年座谈会上指出，“毛泽东同志展现出一个伟大革命领袖高瞻远瞩的政治远见、坚定不移的革命信念、勇于开拓的非凡魄力、炉火纯青的斗争艺术、杰出高超的领导才能、心系人民的赤子情怀、坦荡宽广的胸怀境界、艰苦奋斗的优良作风，赢得了全党全国各族人民的爱戴和敬仰”。党的七大选举产生了新的中央委员会和中央领导机构，正如《解放日报》社论所评述的：“中国共产党有了自己的领袖，这就十倍百倍加强了党的团结，这就标志了党已经成熟，标志了它是将要胜利的党。”这是一个具有很高威信的、能够团结全党的坚强的领导集体。

The Seventh Congress established Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology of the entire Party, summarizing Mao Zedong Thought into nine aspects, reflecting the Party's ideological and political maturity and the great improvement in the Party's theoretical level. In his Report on the Revision of the Party Constitution, Comrade Liu Shaoqi deeply discussed the status and role of Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong Thought in the Chinese revolution, providing a relatively comprehensive, systematic, and scientific summary of Mao Zedong Thought, revealing its rich connotations and essential characteristics, thereby achieving unprecedented unity and solidarity of the entire Party on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, and providing scientific theoretical guidance and a guide to action for the development of the Chinese revolution and construction.

党的七大确立毛泽东思想在全党的指导地位，把毛泽东思想概括为九个方面，反映了全党思想上、政治上的成熟，反映了党的理论水平的极大提高。刘少奇同志在《关于修改党章的报告》中深入论述了毛泽东和毛泽东思想在中国革命中的地位和作用，对毛泽东思想作了较为全面、系统和科学的概括，揭示了毛泽东思想的丰富内涵和本质特征，使全党在马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想的基础上达到了空前的团结统一，为中国革命和建设事业发展提供了科学的理论指导和行动指南。

At the preparatory meeting of the Seventh Congress, Comrade Mao Zedong, using the metaphor of troops aligning in formation, proposed an important political discipline to the entire Party: "We must align ourselves with the central benchmark, align ourselves with the congress benchmark" (Collected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume III, People's Publishing House, 1996, p. 298). The Seventh Congress, by "fully developing inner-Party democracy," elected "a tested Central Committee with experience in various aspects of work, with great prestige among the people, capable of implementing the congress line... the most perfect Central Committee in the history of our Party" (A Congress of Unity, A Congress of Victory, Liberation Daily, June 14, 1945), promoting all Party comrades to "steadily and highly raise Comrade Mao Zedong's banner," consciously align with the Central Committee, and make our Party an "invincible force." This enlightens us that to strengthen and consolidate the unity of the Party, all Party comrades must unswervingly use the Party's innovative theory to consolidate the soul, resolutely uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, unify the actions of the entire Party with strict organization and conscious discipline, and forge the Party into a piece of hard steel that is invincible in attack and invincible in battle.

在七大预备会上，毛泽东同志以军队喊看齐为喻向全党提出了一项重要的政治纪律——“我们要向中央基准看齐，向大会基准看齐”（《毛泽东文集》第三卷，人民出版社1996年版，第298页）。党的七大通过“最充分地发扬了党内民主”，选举产生了“经过考验的、对各方面工作有经验的、在人民中有极大威信的、能够执行大会路线的……我党历史上最完善的一届中央委员会”，（《团结的大会 胜利的大会》，《解放日报》1945年6月14日），推动全党同志“稳定地高高地举起毛泽东同志的旗帜”，自觉向中央看齐，使我们党成为了“不可战胜的力量”。这启示我们，加强和巩固党的团结统一，全党同志必须坚持不懈用党的创新理论凝心铸魂，坚决维护党中央权威和集中统一领导，以严密的组织、自觉的纪律统一全党行动，把党锻造成一块攻无不克、战无不胜的坚硬钢铁。

Chinese Communists must not only be politically strong but also highly capable. They must enhance the governing ability and leadership level of Party cadres through the arming of scientific theory and the test of complex environments, ensuring that our Party always stands at the forefront of the times and leads the nation's progress. The Seventh Congress established Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology of the Party and wrote it into the Party Constitution. The Party Constitution of the Seventh Congress established "striving to raise one's own level of consciousness and comprehend the foundations of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought" as a duty of Party members.

中国共产党人不仅要政治过硬，还要本领高强，必须通过科学理论的武装和复杂环境的考验增强党员干部的执政能力和领导水平，确保我们党永立时代潮头、引领民族进步。七大将毛泽东思想确立为党的指导思想并写入党章，七大《党章》将“努力地提高自己的觉悟程度和领会马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想的基础”，确立为党员的义务。

Studying Mao Zedong Thought requires not only reading the original works but also understanding the principles, accurately grasping the positions, viewpoints, and methods contained therein, applying what is learned, and continuously improving one's own ability and level. Comrade Mao Zedong attached great importance to cultivating the strategic ability of Party cadres. At the Seventh Congress, he pointed out: "Only when a large number of obvious things have not yet appeared... can one see that this will develop into a large number of common things and be able to grasp it—this is called leadership" (Collected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume III, pp. 394–395). He scientifically foresaw the possible "seventeen difficulties," [1]1 The Seventh National Congress of the CPC was held in Yan’an from April to June 1945. It is considered a pivotal congress that established Mao Zedong Thought as the Party’s guiding ideology and unified the Party ahead of the final victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the subsequent civil war. seizing the initiative and gaining the upper hand for the victory of the Chinese revolution. Armed with Mao Zedong Thought, the CPC became a great political party that was "the most conscious, the most farsighted, and able to see the future clearly," leading the Chinese people to ultimately defeat strong enemies and move toward the light. This enlightens us that all Party comrades must study hard, strengthen their training, and continuously improve their governing ability and fighting skills in order to grasp trends, seize the initiative, and win the future.

学习毛泽东思想，不仅要学原著，更要悟原理，准确掌握其中蕴含的立场、观点和方法，学以致用，不断提高自己的能力和水平。毛泽东同志高度重视培养党员干部的战略能力，在党的七大上指出：“只有当着还没有出现大量的明显的东西的时候，……就能看出这是要发展成为大量的普遍的东西，并能掌握住它，这才叫领导。”（《毛泽东文集》第三卷，第394~395页）他科学预见了可能出现的“十七条困难”，为中国革命胜利争取了主动、赢得了先机。在毛泽东思想武装下，中国共产党成为“最有觉悟，最有预见，能够看清前途”的伟大政党，引领中国人民最终战胜强敌、走向光明。这启示我们，全党同志必须努力学习、加强历练，不断提高执政能力和斗争本领，才能把握趋势、掌握主动、赢得未来。

The Seventh National Congress of the CPC [1]1 The Seventh National Congress of the CPC was held in Yan’an from April to June 1945. It is considered a pivotal congress that established Mao Zedong Thought as the Party’s guiding ideology and unified the Party ahead of the final victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the subsequent civil war. summarized historical experience and generalized the fine traditions and work styles formed by the Party in its long struggle into the Three Great Work Styles, namely, the work style of integrating theory with practice, the work style of maintaining close ties with the masses, and the work style of self-criticism, thereby making a historic contribution to comprehensively strengthening Party building. The greatness of the Chinese Communist Party lies not in its never making mistakes, but in its never concealing its faults, in its ability to face problems with a serious attitude, to analyze problems with a truth-seeking work style, and to resolve problems with firm determination. Comrade Mao Zedong identified “whether there is serious self-criticism” as “one of the notable signs distinguishing us from other political parties” (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 3, p. 1096). At the Seventh Congress, from the Party’s leaders to ordinary delegates, everyone, with the thorough revolutionary spirit of “speaking truth, not face,” examined themselves, clarified right and wrong, and tempered their Party spirit; at the same time, everyone undertook criticism with the sense of responsibility of “saying all you know and saying it without reserve,” while those being criticized adopted the humble attitude of “correct mistakes if you have made them and guard against them if you have not,” listening to opinions and taking precautions against future problems. This effectively resolved the Party’s ideological, political, and organizational issues, enabling the entire Party to “unite like a harmonious family” (Collected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 3, p. 297).

党的七大总结历史经验，把党在长期奋斗中形成的优良传统和作风概括为三大作风，即理论和实践相结合的作风，和人民群众紧密联系在一起的作风，自我批评的作风，为全面加强党的自身建设作出了历史性贡献。中国共产党之所以伟大，不在于它不犯错误，而在于它从不讳疾忌医，在于它能以郑重的态度直面问题、以求真的作风分析问题、以坚定的决心解决问题。毛泽东同志将“有无认真的自我批评”确定为“我们和其他政党互相区别的显著的标志之一”（《毛泽东选集》第三卷，第1096页）。七大上，从党的领袖到普通代表，大家以“讲真理，不讲面子”的彻底革命精神，检讨自己，弄清是非，锤炼党性；同时，大家以“知无不言，言无不尽”的责任担当展开批评，被批评者秉持“有则改之，无则加勉”的虚心态度，听取意见、防患未然。这有效解决了党内思想上、政治上和组织上的问题，使全党“团结得像一个和睦的家庭一样”（《毛泽东文集》第三卷，第297页）。

Criticism and self-criticism are the inherent meaning and effective path for our Party’s self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation, and self-enhancement. The Party Constitution adopted at the Seventh Congress granted Party members four rights, including “the right to criticize any Party worker at Party meetings.” Regarding the great value of these rights, Comrade Liu Shaoqi explained, “All Party members will use these rights granted by the Party Constitution to responsibly eliminate all shortcomings within the Party, promote all fine work styles of the Party, advance the Party’s various tasks, and place our Party on an unprecedentedly sound and strong foundation” (Liu Shaoqi on Party Building, Central Party Literature Press, 1991, pp. 456–457). This enlightens us that to maintain a clean and upright political ecosystem within the Party and to promptly discover and resolve various problems within the Party, we must take up the weapon of criticism and self-criticism, enhance the political nature, contemporary relevance, principled character, and combative spirit of inner-Party political life, and forever preserve the vitality and vigor of the proletarian vanguard.

批评和自我批评是我们党自我净化、自我完善、自我革新、自我提高的题中应有之义和有效路径。七大《党章》赋予党员包括“在党的会议上批评党的任何工作人员”在内的四项权利。对这些权利的重大价值，刘少奇同志解释道，“全体党员将利用党章所给予的这些权利，负责地来清除党内的一切缺点，发扬党内的一切优良作风，推进党的各种工作，并将我们党放在从来未有的健全的强有力的基础上”（《刘少奇论党的建设》，中央文献出版社1991年版，第456~457页）。这启示我们，保持风清气正的党内政治生态，及时发现和解决党内种种问题，必须拿起批评和自我批评的武器，增强党内政治生活的政治性、时代性、原则性、战斗性，永葆无产阶级先锋队的生机与活力。

(Author: Xue Lin, Professor at China Executive Leadership Academy Yan’an. This article is a phased result of the National Social Science Fund project “Yan’an Exploration and Contemporary Enlightenment Research on Solving the ‘Unique Problems of a Major Party’”)

（作者：薛琳，系中国延安干部学院教授，本文系国家社科基金项目“破解‘大党独有难题’的延安探索与当代启示研究”的阶段性成果）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心