National Congress of the Communist Party of China

The National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党全国代表大会 Pinyin: Zhōnguó Gòngchǎndǎng Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì) is a political convention that is held about once every five years. The National Congress is theoretically the highest body within the Communist Party of China, but in practice decisions are made before the meeting.

The National CPC Congress should not be confused with the National People's Congress which is the legislature of the People's Republic of China. In contrast with the NPC which has become more assertive since the 1990s, the National Congress of the CPC has shown no signs of having any real power. In addition the National Congress should not be confused with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Since the establishment of PRC, the Conferences have occurred approximately every five years and since 1956, they have always taken place in the capital, Beijing. Each Conference lasted for five to ten days.

Each Congress's name is abbreviated in Chinese as the number of the Conference, followed by character da (大), short for dahui (大会 "conference"). For example, the sixteenth Conference, Zhōnguó Gòngchǎndǎng Dìshílìucì Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì (中国共产党第十六次全国代表大会), is shortend to Shílìu Dà (十六大 "sixteenth da").

The Conferences up to today are:

1. Yi da (一大)
   • Date: July 23- 31, 1921
   • Location: Shanghai, then South Lake, Jiaxing (嘉興), Zhejiang.
   • Participants

     Delegates: 12

   • Party members: 50
   • Significance: The first outline (綱領) of the Party was passed.
2. Er Da (二大)
   • Date: July 16- 23, 1922
   • Location: Shanghai
   • Participants

     Delegates: 12

   • Represented party members: 195
   • Significance:
3. San Da (三大)
   • Date: June 12- 20, 1923
   • Location: Guangzhou
   • Participants

     Delegates: ~30

   • Represented party members: 420
   • Significance:
4. Si Da (四大)
   • Date: January 11-January 22, 1925
   • Location: Shanghai
   • Participants

     Delegates: 12

   • Represented party members: 994
   • Significance:
5. Wu Da (五大)
   • Date: April 27-May 9, 1927
   • Location: Wuhan
   • Participants

     Delegates: ~80

   • Represented party members: 579
   • Significance:
6. Liu Da (六大)
   • Date: June 18-July 11, 1928
   • Location: Moscow
   • Participants

     Delegates: 84

   • Alternate delegates: 34
   • Represented party members: ?
   • Significance:
7. Qi Da (七大)
   • Date: April 23-June 11, 1945
   • Location: Yan'an (延安 yan2 an1), Shaanxi
   • Participants

     Delegates: 544

   • Alternate delegates: 208
   • Represented party members: 121
   • Significance: Party constitution (黨章) is passed; National flag designed (?).
8. Ba Da (八大)
   • Date: September 15- 27, 1956
   • Location: Beijing
   • Participants

     Delegates: 1,026

   • Alternate delegates: 107
   • Represented party members: 10,730,000
   • Significance:
9. Jiu Da (九大)
   • Date: April 1- 24, 1969
   • Location: Beijing
   • Participants

     Delegates: 1,512

   • Represented party members: 22,000,000
   • Significance:
10. Shi Da (十大)
    • Date: August 24- 28, 1973
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Delegates: 1,249

    • Represented party members: 28,000,000
    • Significance:
11. Shiyi Da (十一大)
    • Date: August 12- 18, 1977
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Delegates: 1,510

    • Represented party members: 35,000,000
    • Significance: Deng Xiaoping reinstated to all of his previous posts
12. Shi'er Da (十二大)
    • Date: September 1- 11, 1982
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Delegates: 1,600

    • Alternate delegates: 149
    • Represented party members: 39,650,000
    • Significance: Central Committee (中央委员会), CAC, and Central Regulation and Inspection Committee (中央紀律檢查委員會) were created.
13. Shisan Da (十三大)
    • Date: October 25-November 1, 1987
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Full delegates: 1,936

    • Specially invited delegates: 61
    • Represented party members: 46,000,000
    • Significance:
14. Shisi Da (十四大)
    • Date: October 12 to 18, 1992
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Full delegates: 1,989

    • Specially invited delegates: 46
    • Represented party members: 51,000,000
    • Significance:
15. Shiwu Da (十五大)
    • Date: September 12- 18, 1997
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Full delegates: 2,074

    • Specially invited delegates: 60
    • Represented party members: 59,900,000
    • Significance:
      • Inclusion of Deng Xiaoping's philosophy into Party constitution. A resolution (of what?) is adapted.
      • President Jiang Zemin announced plans to sell, merge, or close the vast majority of SOEs in his call for increased "public ownership" (privatization)
16. Shiliu Da (十六大)
    • Date: November 8- 15, 2002
    • Location: Beijing
    • Participants

      Full delegates: 2,114

    • Specially invited delegates: 40
    • Represented party members: ?
    • Significance: Hu Jintao elected General Secretary

External links

• 16th Congress