Seven Castles

The Chinese Great Figures of the Century- -

                                      

Sun Yat-sen, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping are three great figures in history, and three banners, with one common mission - modernizing China.

Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 - September 9, 1976), Chinese proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist, chief founder and leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the founder of Mao Zedong Thought. Bron in Shaoshan of Xiangtan County (now Shaoshan City), Hunan Province, he styled himself Runzhi. From 1914 to 1918, he studied at Hunan No.1 Normal School. He started revolutionary activities in his early years, accepted and distributed Marxism and Leninism. In July 1921, he went to Shanghai to attend the First Congress of CPC. Afterwards, he took the position of the Hunan Area Secretary of CPC, the Hunan Branch Director of China Labor League and the Secretary General of Hunan Federation of the Trade Unions. In June 1923, he went to Guangzhou to attend the Third Congress of CPC and was elected as the member of the standing committee. Early 1924, he was involved in CPC's efforts to help Sun Yat-sen to restructure Kuomintang, elected as the alternate member of its standing committee, and appointed as the acting chief of the Propaganda Department. In 1926, he took charge of Guangzhou Peasants' Movement Training Institute (the 6th term), and trained a great number of activists for CPC. In November, he went to Shanghai to take the position of Peasants' Movement Secretary of CPC. In 1927, he went to Wuhan and took the position of Secretary General of National Peasants' Association, and was responsible for the Central Peasants' Movement Training Institute.

On August 7, 1927, Mao attended the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of CPC in Hankou (generally known as "August 7th Meeting"), where he proposed a famous thesis of "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun". He was elected as the alternate member of the Provisional Political Bureau. After the meeting, as a specially appointed commissioner sent by CPC, he led the Autumn Harvest Uprising in the Hunan-Jiangxi border area and set up the First Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Army and the first rural revolutionary base area in Jinggangshan. Later, he joined forces with the troops led by Zhu De and Chen Yi, forming the Fourth Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Army (soon renamed as the Red Army). Mao was the CPC Representative, while Zhu the Commander. In this period of time, he initiated the strategy of setting up rural base areas, encircling the cities from the rural area and then capturing them. In 1930, he was the Front Committee Secretary and the Political Commissar of the First Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. In May, he initiated the ideological principle of seeking truth from facts and the mass line, and the political principle of maintaining independence and keeping the initiative in own hands. In November 1931, the Provisional Central Government of the Soviet Republic of China was founded in Ruijin, Jiangxi, and he was elected Chairman. In January 1933, he was elected as the member of the Political Bureau of CPC. Under the leadership of Mao, Zhu, Zhou Enlai and others, the Red Army, from November 1930 to March 1933, shattered the consecutive four large-scale military attacks launched by Kuomintang Revolutionaries. However, due to the dominance of Wang Ming's "left" adventurism, Mao lost his leadership to the army, and the Red Army suffered the setback from the fifth anti-attack and was forced to start the Long March in October 1934. In January 1935, the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of CPC was held in Zunyi, Guizhou and Mao was elected as the member of the Standing Committee. Then, on the way of march, Mao, Zhou and Wang Jiaxiang made a three-man military commanding group, and the new central authority with Mao as the representative figure, marking the gradual formation of the mature leadership of the first generation.

After the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Mao formulated correct lines, principles and policies for CPC. In 1942, he called to carry out the Rectification Movement within the CPC and the CPC reached the unprecedented unity in terms of ideology, politics and organization. In March 1943, on the meeting of the Political Bureau, he was elected Chairman for both the Political Bureau and the Secretariat. In all the following plenary sessions of CPC, he was elected and re-elected Chairman, until he passed away. 

After the Anti-Japanese War, Mao called and led the Chinese people to wipe out counterrevolutionary wars with revolutionary wars. From September 1948 to January 1949, he commanded three major campaigns of Liaoshen, Huaihai and Pingjin and won the great strategic decisive battles. In March 1949, he presided the 2nd Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee of CPC. He pointed out that after the liberation of all the China, the democratic revolution should be migrated to the socialist revolution without stop and CPC's works should focus on cities instead of the rural areas.

On September 21, 1949, Mao was elected Chairman of the Central People's Government of the PRC. On October 1, at Tian'anmen Square, he solemnly announced the founding of the PRC. From then to 1952, he led the CPC to restore the national economy heavily damaged in old China, while winning the difficult social reform and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In September 1954, the First Session of the First National People's Congress passed the Constitution of the PRC, formulated under Mao's leadership and elected Mao as the Chairman of the PRC. In December, on the First Meeting of the Second Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mao was elected Honorary Chairman.

When CPC was facing the situation when the focus should be given to the new task of socialist construction and special caution was needed, in 1958, Mao and other leaders rashly launched the Great Leap Forward Campaign and the Rural People's Commune Drive. In 1966, He even launched and led the so-called "Cultural Revolution". For this long-standing serious mistake of left deviation that affected the overall situation, he should bear most of the blame. However, in his late years, he kept a watchful eye on China's national security and firmly supported just struggles by peoples of different countries. In 1974, he proposed the benchmark to specify how the Three Worlds should be divided and declared that China would not seek hegemony. On September 9, 1976, ailing Mao passed away in Beijing. His major works were included in Mao Zedong's Selected Works.

Forward

In modern history and contemporary history of China, there is a consistent theme, that is the modernization of China. From Sun Yat-sen, to Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, they are three great figures in history, and three banners, but with one common mission - modernizing China.

Early 20th century was characterized as a period when modernization of China was under enlightenment. Sun Yat-sen was the great pioneer of the modernization of China by proposing his theory of the Three People's Principle as the banner for saving the nation and led Chinese people to overthrow the regimes of the feudal monarchies that last around 2,000 years.

Sun's Three People's Principles - Nationalism, Democracy and People's Livelihood, was the fist great banner in early 20th century that showed China the way towards modernization. He proposed three major tasks, i.e. national independence, democratic revolution and social revolution, all of them were rightly the preconditions for the modernization.

In mid-20th century, a period of time when the big ship of China set sail for the destination of modernization, Mao was the great founder of the modernization of China. He held the banner for constructing China - New Democracy Theory, that helped to completely overthrow three big mountains on the backs of the Chinese people, and greeted the majestic sunrise of the socialist transformation. Hence China rose to her foot! In addition, Mao played a historic role to form a connecting link between the preceding and the following and carry forward the cause and forge ahead into the future. He laid the foundation to break through USSR's rigid model, and explore the new way of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The core of Mao's New Democracy Theory justifies constructing China with New Democracy Theory, showing a complete outline of constructing China with New Democracy Theory, including programs for economy, politics and culture that would lead China to socialism through the bridge of New Democracy. That was the second great banner in mid-20th century for modernizing China.

Late 20th century was the period of time essential to China's take-off. Deng was the great leader in this period. He held a banner of making China rich and powerful - Socialism with Chinese characteristics. This was the third great banner in late 20th century for modernizing China. This new banner made great historic contributions. Through reform and opening up, a new road to socialist modernization that differentiates itself from both the Orient and the Occident was opened up. Based on socialist market economy, the new system of modernization was completely constructed. The new framework of modernization theory with Chinese characteristics was formed with the skeleton of "one focus, two basic points". China is on the way towards the modernization, towards the future, and China becomes powerful!

The three great figures in 20th century will impel Chinese people forever and China will stand erect in the nations of the world, and advance towards modernization and the brand new 21st century!

Sun Yat-sen (November 12, 1866 - March 12, 1925), a great democratic revolutionary in modern China. Sun, born in Xiangshan (now Zhongshan), Guangdong, named himself Wen, styled as Deming, and with alternate name of Rixin (renamed as Yat-sen). He used an assumed name of Zhongshan Qiao. After graduated from Hong Kong Western Medicine Institute in 1892, he practiced medicine in Macao and Guangzhou. In 1894, he submitted a written statement to Li Hongzhang, proposing political reform initiatives, being rejected as a result. Then, he went to Honolulu to organize the Vitalizing China Society and called to "vitalizing China" with a political program of "overthrowing the regime of Qing Dynasty, resuming China, establishing a united government". The next year, he set up offices in Hong Kong and prepared an uprising in Guangzhou, but failed. In 1990, he sent some people to launch another uprising in Sanzhoutian, Huizhou of Guangdong that failed again and he stayed abroad for revolutionary activities. He organized Alliance Society in 1905, Tokyo of Japan, elected as the Premier. The political program of capitalist revolution featuring "overthrowing the regime of Qing Dynasty, resuming China, establishing China and sharing landed properly equally" was defined. The Three People's Principles were proposed. He started People's News for revolutionary propaganda and was closely involved in debates with the reformists. After that, he developed revolutionary organizations home and abroad, connected overseas Chinese, societies and new troops to launch armed uprisings for many times. Wuchang Uprising happened on October 10, 1911, echoed by all the provinces. On December 29, representatives from 17 provinces elected him the Provisional President of the Republic of China, in Nanjing and he took an oath of office in Nanjing on January 1, 1912, when the Provisional Government of the Republic of China was formed. By the end of the month, the Provisional Senate was founded. Due to the compromises revolutionaries made to Yuan Shikai, he was forced to resign on February 13. In March, the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China sponsored by him was passed and promulgated by the Provisional Senate. In August, Alliance Society was reorganized to Kuomintang, and he was elected the Chairman. In March 1913, he planned and prepared to send armed forces to suppress Yuan Shikai, who told some people to assassinate Song Jiaoren, but Sun's efforts failed. He set up Chinese Revolutionary Party in 1914, in Japan, once again held the banner of the capitalist revolution. He gave out declarations twice to suppress Yuan. Since Duan Qirui disbanded the congress, Sun called on special meeting of the congress in 1917, in Guangzhou and formed a military government loyal to the constitution. He was elected Grand Marshall and took a mass pledge for Northern Expedition. In 1918, Guangxi-based warlords and right-wing activists forced him to resign. He went to Shanghai. The next year, he started the magazine of Construction, publishing the Industrial Planning, reorganizing Chinese Revolutionary Party to Kuomintang. He returned to Guangdong in 1920, the next year, he took the position of Special President. Since Cheng Jiongming's betray to him, he had to retreat to Shanghai. He was frustrated by many times of setbacks. The victory of Russia's October Revolution and the establishment of the CPC gave him new hopes. With the assistance of Soviet Communists and Lenin, he was determined to reorganize Kuomintang. He returned to Guangzhou in 1923, and reconstructed the Grand Marshall's Office. Next January, the First National Congress of Chinese Kuomintang was held, and a declaration passed. It suggested to adopt three major polices of uniting Russia, uniting communists and helping peasants and workers, to evolve the old Three People's Principles to the new Three People's Principles, and to reorganize Chinese Kuomintang as a revolutionary league of workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisies and national capitalists. In November, he was invited to Beijing to discuss state affairs. He put forward two calls of "convening the national congress and abolishing the unequal treaties" in efforts to fight against imperialists and the Northern Warlords such as Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin. He passed away in Beijing on March 12, 1925. In his will, he said "the masses of the people must be aroused, and all the nations that treat us equally united for the joint cause". In philosophy, he proposed a theory of "knowing the difficult and doing the simple", criticizing the conservative theory of "knowing everything but the difficult and doing nothing but the difficult". His works were included in the Selected Works of Sun Yet-sen, Complete Collection of Sun Yat-sen's Works, etc.  

Deng Xiaoping (1904 - 1997), Chinese proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist, the major leader of the CPC and PRC, the one of the founders and leaders of the PLA, and the main founder of Deng Xiaoping Theory. Formerly named Xiansheng and Xixian, he was born in Guang-an, Sichuan. In 1920, he went to France for a work-study program. In 1922, he joined the Junior CPC for those touring Europe and shifted to the CPC in 1024. In 1926, he left France to study in USSR. He returned to China in 1927. In 1928, he became the Secretary General of the CPC. In 1929, he went to Guangxi to launch the Bose Uprising and the Longzhou Uprising. He was the political commisars of the Red 7th Army and Red 8th Army. Since 1931, he was the Ruijin County Secretary of the CPC, the Huichang Central County Secretary, and the propaganda department chief of the Jiangxi Committee. The "left" adventurists-dominated Provisional Central Committee discharged him from the post. Later he was the Secretary General of the General Political Department of the Red Army, in charge of the publishing of Red Star newspaper. During the Long March, he was the Secretary General of the CPC, the deputy director and director of the Political Department of the Red 1st Army Group. During the Anti-Japanese War, he was the deputy director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army, the political commissar of the 129th Division under the Eighth Route Army, Taihang Branch Secretary of the CPC, and the acting Secretary of the Northern China Bureau. In 1945, he was elected as member of the 7th Central Committee of the CPC, taking the positions of Central Bureau Secretary in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan and the political commissar of the military region. In June 1947, he and Liu Bocheng led the troops to boldly drive into the Dabieshan Mountains. He was the First Secretary of the Central Plains Bureau of the CPC, and the political commissars of the military region and the field army. During the Huaihai Campaign, he was the Secretary of the General Frontier Committee, and the First Secretary of the East China Bureau of the CPC. After the founding of the PRC, he was the First Secretary of the Southwest China Bureau of the CPC, the vice Chairman of the military and administrative committee and the political commissar in the region. Since 1952, he was the Vice-Premier of the State Council, the Vice-Chairman of the Financial and Economical Committee and the Finance Minister. In 1954, he was the Secretary General of the CPC, the director of the Organization Department, the Vice-Premier of the State Council and the Vice-Chairman of the National Defense Committee. In 1956, he was elected the member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and the Secretary General of the CPC, on the 1st Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the CPC. He took charge of the works of the Central Secretariat for ten years. Since the "Cultural Revolution" that started in 1966, he was mistakenly criticized and discharged from all the positions he had taken. In 1973, his position of the Vice-Premier was resumed. In 1975, he became the Vice-Chairman of the CPC, the Vice-Premier of the State Council, the Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Committee and the Chief of the General Staff of the PLA. He tried to change the chaotic state caused by the "Cultural Revolution" and put everything in order. In April 1976, he was once again mistakenly discharged from all the positions he took. His positions were resumed in July 1977 and he was elected Vice-Chairman of the CPC on the 11th Congress. The next year, he was elected the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He supported the discussions about the criterion of truth and was against the erroneous policy of "two anys". He, on the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC, led the CPC to re-establish the ideological line of emancipating minds and seeking the truth from facts. The strategic decision was formulated to shift the focus of the CPC and state activities to economical construction and implement reform and opening up. In the meantime, he became the core of the second generation of the leadership. Subsequently, he reaffirmed the fundamental principles to be adhered to. He was elected the Chairman of the Central Military Committee of the CPC in 1981. The next year, he was elected the member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC, the Chairman of the Central Military Committee, and the Chairman of the Central Advisory Committee on the 1st Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee. He was the chief founder of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Under his leadership, the basic lines of the CPC formulated. The theory and the basic lines, together with the policies and principles in economy, politic, diplomacy, education, science and technology, culture, military, national unification and CPC construction, opened up the new ways to realize socialist modernization. The productivity in China was going ahead by leaps and bounds, people's life substantially improved and the face of China profoundly changed. On the 13th Congress of the CPC in 1987, the Central Committee accepted his request of resignation from the Central Committee and the Central Advisory Committee. In 1989, he resigned the position of the Chairman of the Central Military Committee, and in the same time, the third generation of the leadership with Jiang Zemin as the core was established. In 1992, Deng inspected Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places and had important talks that carried the reform and opening up of China to a new stage. On February 19, 1997, he passed away in Beijing. His main works are included in the three-volume Deng Xiaoping's Selected Works.

For the one century, Chinese people experienced the three historic huge changes on the way ahead, and the three great figures standing in the forefront of the age, Sun Yat-sen, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, came into being.

-From the speech delivered by Jiang Zemin on the 15th Congress of the CPC

 

- 作者： zhangliping 访问统计：　2005年02月5日, 星期六 06:52 加入博采