The Zunyi Conference was a life-and-death turning point

Xi Jinping: During the Long March, the Zunyi Conference held by the Party Central Committee was a life-and-death turning point in the history of our Party. This meeting established Comrade Mao Zedong's leading position in the Red Army and the Party Central Committee, began to establish the leading position of the correct Marxist line with Comrade Mao Zedong as the main representative in the Party Central Committee, and began to form the first generation of the Party's central leading collective with Comrade Mao Zedong as the core.

This passage is from Xi Jinping's speech on October 21, 2016, at a conference commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March.

There is a saying abroad, "the mysterious Chinese Communist Party." The "mystery" he refers to the fact that the Chinese Communist Party has created a great cause that is difficult to match in the history of political parties in the world.

There are many political parties with a century-old history in the world today, but in the process of seizing political power, they have crossed one difficulty and obstacle after another that seem to come to an end, especially after they have seized power, they have never lost the right to govern, and at the same time, they have corrected their seemingly difficult mistakes and continued to become bigger and stronger.

There are many events or examples that can help solve the puzzle, the most indispensable of which is the spiritual quality transmitted by the Zunyi Conference. This is because this life-and-death meeting fully reflects that this party has gathered a group of outstanding elements with firm political beliefs and a spirit of self-sacrifice, and with the leadership of such a group of people, it is always possible to abandon its own prejudices and interests at a critical juncture, and to take the party's will as its will and the party's interests as its code of conduct. This is very different from party politics in the western political science perspective.

The failure of the fifth anti-encirclement and suppression campaign and the fierceness of the Battle of the Xiangjiang River forced the Central Red Army to turn to Yungui, and it was always difficult to find a place to stay. The Crisis was felt throughout the Red Army, and the only way to reverse it was for Mao Zedong, who had better leadership skills, to enter the decision-making center. That is, Deng Xiaoping said, "Without Chairman Mao, at least we Chinese people will have to grope in the dark for a longer time." ”

The question is how Mao Zedong, who was outside the decision-making hierarchy, could enter the core leadership, which tested whether the members of the highest leadership in the crisis were true Marxists, that is, people who transcended their own interests and were full of self-sacrifice. Because only such a person can give up personal prejudices at a critical moment and focus everything on the interests of the party.

Practice has proved that they have done it, Mao Zedong from entering the core leadership to becoming a core leader, as long as the members of the core leadership at the critical moment can surpass themselves, they can ensure that the party will be reborn in times of danger. And all this is achieved by people, and a great political party must be composed and guided by a group of the best people, and the most outstanding leaders are elected among this group, which is the most important code for the Chinese Communist Party to create great causes.

Special Expert of this issue: Professor Gong Fangbin

Source: CCTV