The birth of the national name of the People's Republic of China
Li Hongmei
On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong solemnly announced from the tower of Tiananmen Square: The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China was established. Since then, the name "People's Republic of China" has become the national name of New China and has resounded all over the world.
Many people don't know that before the country name was determined, there was a lot of controversy, especially around the use of abbreviations.
On June 15, 1949, Mao Zedong delivered a speech at the opening meeting of the preparatory meeting of the New Political Consultative Conference
The CCP's early vision of nationhood
Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has taken the establishment of New China as its goal. At the Second National Congress, faced with the situation of warlordism and chaos, the Party put forward the idea of establishing a republic. In 1931, limited by the situation at that time, the CCP established the "Chinese Soviet Republic" in Ruijin, Jiangxi. "Soviet" clearly has a distinctly Soviet color.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, national contradictions became prominent. In December 1935, the Wayaobao Conference stated: "The Soviet Workers' and Peasants' Republic and its central government proclaim to transform themselves into Soviet People's Republics. This is an adjustment made by the CCP under the new situation and tasks, but it still has not given up the title of "Soviet". In August 1936, in order to meet the needs of the whole nation's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Communist Party of China changed the term "Soviet People's Republic" to "Democratic Republic" in the Letter of the Communist Party of China to the Chinese Kuomintang, stating that "we sponsor the establishment of a unified democratic republic for the whole of China".
In 1940, Mao Zedong published "On New Democracy", which answered the question of what kind of country should be established by the new democratic revolution. Mao Zedong stressed: "The democratic republic of China to be established now can only be a democratic republic under the joint dictatorship of all anti-imperialist and anti-feudal people under the leadership of the proletariat, and that is the new democratic republic." It can be seen that "democracy" and "republic" have become important values for the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Huang Yanpei and Zhang Zhirang put forward the article
At the end of April 1948, the Communist Party of China (CPC) reviewed the situation and promulgated the "May 1 Slogan", calling on all democratic parties and people's organizations to quickly convene a political consultative conference to realize and convene a people's congress and establish a democratic coalition government. This slogan opened the prelude to the negotiation of the establishment of a new China, and received a positive response from all quarters. In his reply telegram to the democratic parties on August 1, Mao Zedong proposed to "establish an independent, free, prosperous, strong, and unified People's Democratic Republic of China." For some time after that, the name "People's Democratic Republic of China" has been used.
On June 15, 1949, the preparatory meeting of the new CPPCC opened. At the first plenary session of the preparatory meeting of the new CPPCC, Mao Zedong shouted "Long live the People's Democratic Republic of China"!
Huang Yanpei and Zhang Zhirang's photos of Chen
The title of the country is related to the national system, and the matter is very important. Some deputies attending the preparatory meeting for the new CPPCC raised different opinions on the name "People's Democratic Republic of China." Huang Yanpei and Zhang Zhirang specially wrote a special article for the preparatory meeting of the new CPPCC, "proposing that the name of the country be 'the People's Democratic Republic of China' or 'the Republic of China' or 'Democratic Republic of China'." Tiao Chen proposed: It seems that the name of the mainland country could be changed from the original "People's Democratic Republic of China" to "People's Democratic Republic of China", abbreviated as "Republic of China" or "Democratic Republic of China". In the future, when it enters the stage of socialism, it can be renamed the "Socialist Democratic State of China". They came up with four reasons. First, there is no need to include the words "democracy" and "republic": according to the word "republic" used in modern mainland times, it seems to be a pure translation of the Western word "Republic" (Lippo Brick), which has nothing to do with the original meaning of the word "republic" in mainland classics. The Spanish word "Lepo Brick" was not originally untranslatable as "democratic state". There is no fundamental difference between the terms "Democracy" and "Republic" in Gaisi, but the former refers to a democratic political system, while the latter refers to a democratic state, and in the Western language, the word "Democratic" is not used to refer to the state, and "Legporic", the so-called "republic", is an existing term. Second, the names of Romania, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and other countries, in which the word "republic" can be translated as "democracy", which shows that there is no need to list "democracy" and "republic" together. Third, the name "People's Democratic Republic of China" is too long, and "republic" is not necessary. Fourth, as for the abbreviation of "Republic of China", although the name is older and the name of "Democratic Republic of China" is relatively new, the four characters "Republic of China" are the shortest and most convenient, and I am afraid that they cannot be abandoned.
The opinions of Huang Yanpei and Zhang Zhirang attracted the attention of the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee. Secretary-General Li Weihan issued instructions on June 19 to "copy to the director, vice chairman and team leaders".
Zhang Xiruo named New China
The Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee of the New CPPCC is divided into six groups to undertake the relevant preparatory work. Of these, the fourth group is responsible for the drafting of the draft organic law of government. Dong Biwu served as the team leader, and Huang Yanpei served as the deputy team leader. On June 18, 1949, the Fourth Group held its first plenary meeting, and after an extensive exchange of views, a seven-member committee with Zhang Zhirang as the convener was elected to prepare an outline for discussion.
On 23 June, the first meeting of the Committee for the Drafting of the Theses was held. Dong Biwu opened the discussion by putting forward the main point of discussion, first of all, that "there are different opinions on the name of the country." In his speech, Zhang Dongsun held that the name of a country is more important than the system. Lin Liru pointed out that no matter which name of the country is used, it is abbreviated as "Republic of China", so it is necessary to indicate the nature of the country. Zhang Xiruo said: "A few old gentlemen said that the name of the People's Democratic Republic of China was too long, and said that the name of the People's Republic of China should be used. In my opinion, it is better to call the People's Republic of China the People's Republic of China than the People's Democratic Republic of China. If you have the word "people", you don't need the word democracy. And the word democracy comes from the Greek word, which is agreed with the people. He thinks the name is long and easy to explain. "It is a republic and not an autocracy, a democracy rather than a monarch, a people and not a bourgeoisie. ”
For the sake of prudence, the "People's Democratic Republic of China, the People's Republic of China, and the People's Democratic Republic of China (all referred to as the Republic of China)" were put forward side by side for discussion by the delegates.
The fourth group discussed the drafting of the Organic Law of the Central People's Government
On 8 July, Group IV convened its second plenary meeting to discuss the "Fundamental Issues in the Organic Law of Government" raised by the Committee on the Drafting of the Theses. The deputies discussed the name of the new China, the attributes of the state, the basic principles of government organization, and the organ of the highest political power, and elected five people, Dong Biwu, Zhang Xiruo, Yan Baohang, Wang Kunlun, and Zhang Zhirang, to form a drafting committee to be responsible for drafting the draft government organization law. The Drafting Committee drafted a draft of the Organic Law of the Central People's Government, submitted it to the group meeting for discussion, and solicited the opinions of legal experts such as Qian Duansheng, Wang Zhixiang, and Deng Chumin.
On 17 August, the Third Plenary Session of the Fourth Group amended and adopted the "Preliminary Draft of the Organic Law of the Government" and submitted it to the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference for deliberation. From the archives of this meeting, it can be seen that the "New Political Consultative Conference" has been renamed the "National People's Political Consultative Conference of the People's Republic of China (later renamed the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" and the name of the country has been set as "People's Republic of China". This name change was supposed to take place in August of that year. Bo Yibo once recalled: "On August 14, 1949, I attended a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, at which it was decided that: 1. The new CPPCC was officially named the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; 2. The country name shall be the People's Republic of China; 3. The meeting was officially convened on September 10 (later changed to September 21 due to the incomplete drafting of the document). ”
On 7 September, Zhou Enlai delivered a report entitled "Several Questions Concerning the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" to CPPCC deputies and relevant personages from all quarters. On the issue of the name of the country, he explained: The reason for removing the word "democracy" from the draft Organic Law of the Central Government is that he feels that "democracy" and "republic" have the same meaning, and there is no need to repeat them. Zhou Enlai further explained: After the Xinhai Revolution, the name of China was "Republic of China", which has the meaning of republic, but it is not complete, can be explained in a pun, and it is puzzling. Now we should distinguish between the old democracy and the new democracy. Because at the time of the Xinhai Revolution, the October Revolution had not yet succeeded, and at that time it could only be the old democracy. Since then, it has progressed from an incomplete old democracy to a complete new democracy. Today, in order to make the name of the country conform to the essence of the country, the name of our country should be "People's Republic of China".
On 17 September, the second plenary session of the preparatory committee for the new CPPCC adopted in principle the draft organic law of the CPPCC, the draft government organic law, and the draft "Common Program" and submitted them to the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for discussion.
In the documents submitted to the plenary, the new name of the country was "People's Republic of China". At the plenary meeting on September 22, Dong Biwu explained the process of drafting the Organic Law of the Government. The first question in the general program is the name of the country, he said: Originally, many people used the People's Democratic Republic of China to write articles or speeches. Mr. Huang Yanpei and Mr. Zhang Zhirang once wrote an abridgement, advocating the use of the People's Democratic Republic of China. Zhang Xiruo thought that it was better to use the People's Republic of China. We have now adopted the name. Because the republic illustrates our national system, the word "people" in today's new democratic China refers to the workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie, and this "has already expressed the meaning of the people's democratic dictatorship, and there is no need to repeat the word 'democracy' again."
Do you want to abbreviate it as "Republic of China"?
The most controversial issue over country names is the issue of abbreviations. As Huang Yanpei and Zhang Zhirang pointed out, people have become accustomed to the term "Republic of China". During the CPPCC discussions, some deputies suggested that abbreviations should be included in the "Common Program." It is a customary appellation, written into the program to take care of the various organizations in the united front. However, more deputies held that the "Republic of China" represented the rule of the old China and that the new China should be new democratic, and opposed the inclusion of the abbreviation "Republic of China" in the "Common Program." Lei Jieqiong, Zhang Xiruo, and others suggested that the "Republic of China" be changed to "the People's Republic of China" in a unified manner. It was also suggested that neither the words "Republic of China" nor "China" should be written, and that "China" was only customary. In view of the fact that no unanimous opinion can be formed, it can only be submitted to the formal meeting of the CPPCC for discussion.
The Preparatory Committee for the New Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has decided that "People's Republic of China" will be the name of New China. However, in the documents submitted to the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC, the "Common Program" and the Organic Law of the Government were followed by the name "People's Republic of China" with a parenthetical inscription of "Republic of China for short." Should the phrase "referred to as the Republic of China" be removed from the original manuscript?
After the convening of the first plenary session of the CPPCC, despite the heavy affairs, Zhou Enlai still held a banquet at the Liuguo Hotel in Dongjiaomin Lane at 11:30 a.m. on September 26, inviting more than 20 CPPCC representatives to attend. Most of them are old people around 70 years old, including Zhang Yuanji, He Xiangning, Zhou Shanpei, Fu Dingyi, Ma Yinchu, Xu Teli, Wu Yuzhang, Zhang Lan, Huang Yanpei, Jian Yujie, Chen Shutong, Shen Junru, Chen Jiageng, Situ Meitang, Lin Boqu, Zhang Nanxian, Guo Moruo, Shen Yanbing, etc.
Before the banquet, Zhou Enlai made an opening speech. He said: The people invited to the banquet today are all elders during the Xinhai Revolution...... There is an old saying in the mainland called "ask the elders", and this is the case at today's meeting. During the discussion of the paper, you will see that under the country name "People's Republic of China", there is a parenthetical "abbreviation of the Republic of China". There are two different opinions on this abbreviation, some say it is good, and some say it is unnecessary. The Standing Committee specially asked me to consult with the old-timers to see what they might think. The old-timers may still have a little old feelings for the words "Republic of China".
Huang Yanpei was the first to speak, saying: The people on the mainland are very backward in education, and they are accustomed to using the term "Republic of China" emotionally. Once you change it, it will cause unnecessary disgust, so it is okay to leave an abbreviation and remove it after three years.
He Xiangning, a 72-year-old veteran of the Xinhai Revolution, went on to say: "The Republic of China" is a result of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolution, which was bought with the blood of many martyrs. As for the issue of changing the country name, I personally think that it would be good if it could be used as before; If you don't approve of it, I won't stick to my opinion.
Zhou Shanpei, who spoke next, was a former Qing Jinshi who lived in seclusion for 38 years after the Xinhai Revolution. He resolutely opposed the use of abbreviations, saying: I am opposed to still abbreviating "Republic of China," which is a name that the masses have no good feelings about it. For more than 20 years, it has been made unspeakably by Chiang Kai-shek. I advocate the use of the People's Republic of China to indicate that the nature of the People's Revolution and the Xinhai Revolution are different.
Situ Meitang, an 81-year-old overseas Chinese leader in the Americas, could not understand the northern dialect and was accompanied by his secretary Situ Binghe to participate in the new CPPCC. This time, Situ Binghe also translated other people's speeches to him. Hearing this, Situ Meitang stood up abruptly and asked to speak. The banquet hall was silent, and I only heard him say: I am also a person who participated in the Xinhai Revolution, and I respect Mr. Sun Yat-sen, but I have absolutely no good feelings about the words "Republic of China." The reason is that it is an "official" country in China and has nothing to do with the "people". In the past 22 years, Chiang Kai-shek and the "CC faction" have made people angry and resentful, which is really painful. Then, he said excitedly: Let us ask if the revolution led by the Communist Party is different from the Xinhai Revolution? If everyone thinks that it is different, then our country name should be called the People's Republic of China, and the rotten signboard of "Republic of China" should be thrown away. The name of the country is an extremely solemn thing, and it has to be changed for the better as soon as it is changed, so why should it be changed after three years? It is still called the "Republic of China," so how can it be announced to the people of the world? We seem to be sneaking. After the victory of the revolution, I did not even dare to change the name of the country? I resolutely oppose the abbreviation and resolutely advocate the use of the People's Republic of China in an open and just manner.
Situ Meitang's words were impassioned and loud. After speaking, the hall suddenly burst into warm applause.
Ma Yinchu immediately agreed, and said: The abbreviation in parentheses is nondescript, not like words, and should be removed!
Zhang Lan and Chen Shutong also expressed their opposition to the use of abbreviations.
At this time, Shen Junru, a legal expert, explained from the perspective of law: If some people still want to write "Republic of China," it is their temporary convenience, and we do not need to explicitly prohibit it. As for the inclusion of the abbreviation "Republic of China" in the dignified founding document, this is indeed a big loophole in the law. It is not in line with the law, and it should never be. Looking at the country names of all countries in the world, there are only abbreviations on the letters, and there are no other abbreviations contained in the founding documents. In the future, it will also be inconvenient to enter into contracts with other countries in the name of the State. That's why I also advocate not using the phrase "Republic of China for short."
Tan Kah Kee said: I also do not agree with the use of abbreviations in parentheses. Everyone has absolutely no good impression of the "Republic of China," and those who are backward may not get used to it for a while, but they will get better after a while. His Xiamen dialect, which others could not understand, was translated into Mandarin by his secretary Zhuang Mingli.
Of the 18 speakers that day, 16 advocated the use of abbreviations.
Finally, Zhou Enlai said that the opinions expressed by everyone should be comprehensively reported to the Standing Committee of the Presidium of the General Assembly for reference, and the Standing Committee of the Presidium will make a final decision.
On the afternoon of September 27, 1949, the first plenary session of the Chinese Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference decided to remove the abbreviation of "Republic of China" after the country name. Since then, the People's Republic of China has had its own official name: the People's Republic of China.
Source: CPPCC Network
Author: Li Hongmei (Museum of Culture and History of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference)