On July 1, 2021, the conference to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and people of all ethnic groups celebrated the grand event. Beijing News reporter Tao Ran photographed
Text | Liu Ling Zhao Tianxiao
Cass
Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology
As early as 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "national unity is the lifeline of the people of all nationalities", and the "July 1st" speech in 2021 further emphasized that "the great unity of the sons and daughters of China must be strengthened", which is a political declaration that the party leads the Chinese nation to great rejuvenation in the new historical journey.
China is a unified multi-ethnic state, and national unity is a matter of national security, social stability and national rejuvenation. Over the past 100 years, the Communist Party of China has been born with the Chinese nation seeking liberation, struggling with the Chinese nation for its independence, reforming with the Chinese nation seeking prosperity and strength, and continuing its great struggle with the Chinese nation seeking rejuvenation.
Summing up the historical journey of the CPC in promoting the construction of the Chinese nation over the past 100 years is the historical process of uniting all Chinese nationalities together and standing up, getting rich, and becoming strong in the process of sinicizing Marxist national theory.
At the beginning of the founding of the Party
Ethnic minorities are included in the overall situation of the revolution
In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels proposed "the unity of the proletarians of the whole world", and Lenin proposed "the unity of the proletarians and the oppressed nations of the whole world" in leading the Socialist Movement in Russia and put it into practice. The Communist Party of China has integrated the basic principles of Marxist national theory with the concrete reality of the national question in our country, and since its founding has propagated, expounded, and practiced ideas such as the unity of the proletarians, the working class, and the great alliance of the people throughout the world, and has established the broadest united front as an important force for the liberation of the Chinese nation in every historical period.
At the beginning of its establishment, the Communist Party of China incorporated the ethnic minority liberation movement into the overall situation of China's national democratic revolution and created conditions for the construction of a democratic republic.
The Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in 1922 put forward the task of democratic alliance, proposing the goal of "establishing a truly democratic republic" and achieving "the unification of true democracy."
During the first period of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, with the participation and promotion of the Communist Party of China, the Declaration of the First National Congress of the Kuomintang of China clarified the meaning of nationalism, including "the Chinese nation seeks its own liberation" and "all nationalities in China are equal", and declared that after the victory of the revolution against imperialism and warlords, "when the Republic of China is organized freely and unified (freely united by all nationalities)".
The two cooperating parties reached a consensus that to solve the national problem, the Republic of China should be established on the basis of equality and free association of the nationalities, so "the national revolution is to resist foreign capitalism from the perspective of the whole people, and the first goal of the national revolution , nationalism — is to represent the whole Chinese people in the class struggle with foreign capitalism."
At this time, the expressions "the Chinese nation seeks its own liberation," "all ethnic groups in China are equal," and "the Republic of China in which all nationalities are freely united" are a continuation of the idea of democratic unity.
During the War of Resistance
A united front of the whole nation has been established
When the Japanese aggressors launched a war of aggression against China, the contradiction between the Chinese nation and Japanese imperialism rose to become the main contradiction in society, and the Communist Party of China put forward the political proposition of establishing an anti-Japanese national united front, expanding the scope of democratic alliance to the entire Chinese nation.
The Outline of the Constitution of the Chinese Soviet Republic, adopted on November 7, 1931, and the Resolution on the Question of Ethnic Minorities in China, issued at the same time, clearly stated that "hatred and prejudice among ethnic groups would be abolished and a workers' and peasants' state without any national boundaries would be established."
At this time, the Chinese Communists, represented by Mao Zedong, initially put forward a concrete revolutionary national policy in order to win the unity of the oppressed domestic minorities in the Soviet power, overthrow the old system of national oppression, replace national oppression with free association among various nationalities, and strengthen the revolutionary forces against imperialism and the Kuomintang.
On December 25, 1935, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted the "Resolution on the Current Political Situation and the Party's Tasks" at the Wa Yao Fort Conference, and Mao Zedong made a report on "On the Tactics of Opposing Japanese Imperialism" at the subsequent meeting, establishing the idea of the anti-Japanese national united front. In order to meet the requirements of establishing a broad anti-Japanese united front, it was also decided to change the term "Workers' and Peasants' Republic" to "People's Republic".
This means that the Communist Party of China not only represents the interests of the workers and peasants, but also represents the interests of the entire Chinese nation, uniting and leading all the Chinese and people to fight together for the freedom, independence, and reunification of the country.
In the course of confronting the Japanese imperialist aggressors, the national united front united "all parties, all classes, all nationalities, all groups, all armies."
In his political report delivered at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1938, Mao Zedong clearly put forward the task of "uniting all nationalities into one", and concentrated on explaining the party's ethnic policy, the first of which was equal unity, emphasizing that "all ethnic groups have equal rights, have the right to manage their own affairs, and at the same time jointly establish a unified state with the Han nationality."
The 1941 "Administrative Program of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region" also explicitly included in the constitutional documents of the time such contents as "implementing the equal rights of the Mongolian Hui people and the Han nationality in political, economic and cultural equal rights in accordance with the principle of ethnic equality, establishing an autonomous region for the Mongolian Hui nationality, and respecting the religious beliefs and customs of the Mongolian Hui nationality."
So far, the theory of national unity based on the Chinese nation has gradually been systematized, and in the process of awakening and political mobilization of unity to resist foreign humiliation, the Unity of the Chinese Nation has become an important weapon in the struggle against the enemy.
On July 1, 2021, representatives of ethnic minorities attended the celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Party in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Beijing News reporter Tao Ran photographed
Founded new China
A big family of fraternity and cooperation among all ethnic groups
After entering the period of the War of Liberation and the lifting of the external pressure of national aggression, the building of a coalition government to promote the democratic process became the common interest of all ethnic groups and groups in China.
In 1948, the Communist Party of China issued a slogan to commemorate the May Day International Labor Day, and put forward the call that "all democratic parties, people's organizations, and social elites should promptly convene a political consultative conference to discuss and realize the convening of a people's congress and the establishment of a democratic coalition government."
This call was quickly warmly echoed by the people of all nationalities throughout the country, democratic parties, non-party democrats, people's organizations, and patriotic overseas Chinese. Realizing people's democracy through political consultation and establishing a democratic coalition government have become the common aspirations and demands of all parties involved in the establishment of a new China.
The founding of New China has enabled the Chinese nation to stand up and establish a "big family of fraternity and cooperation among all nationalities." The 1949 Common Programme stated that the goal of the unity of the nationalities under the new regime was to "make the People's Republic of China a great family of fraternity and cooperation among all nationalities" and the basic policies for strengthening national unity and cooperation within this big family.
Since then, "the big family of fraternity and cooperation among all ethnic groups" has become the main expression of national unity for a period of time, and this big family is the new People's Republic of China. Mao Zedong described the unity within the big family of the Chinese nation as "fraternal unity" and pointed out that this unity is the cornerstone of the development and progress of all nationalities.
Construction period
The connotation of national unity has been continuously enriched
In 1953, the general line for the transitional period was promulgated, and the great unity of the Chinese nation served the goals of the socialist revolution. The 1954 Constitution states that "all the nationalities of our country have united into a free and equal national family", and the new goal is to "build a prosperous and happy socialist society".
From the founding of New China to the stage of 1976, the Communist Party of China integrated the Marxist idea of national unity with the Chinese nationality issue in the process of building a new China, socialist transformation, and socialist construction, established the basic principles of national equality and national unity, realized the great unity of the big family of the Chinese nation, and opened up the basic road for the cause of national unity in our country.
In 1979, Deng Xiaoping pointed out that on the common socialist road, all nationalities have formed a "new type of socialist ethnic relations of unity, fraternity, mutual assistance and cooperation", and "the socialist unity of all nationalities will be more developed, and the great unity of all nationalities will be more consolidated." This is a high-level summary of the characteristics and trends of national unity in the new period of socialist modernization.
Deng Xiaoping Thought on National Unity, with socialist modernization as the central task, regards national unity as the foundation for reform, opening up, and socialist construction, and "further mobilizes and unites the people of all ethnic groups and all patriotic forces throughout the country to promote the development of socialist modernization."
At the same time, Deng Xiaoping pointed out that national reunification "is the aspiration of the entire Chinese nation" and conforms to the "interests of the nation" and "the interests of the people," and that "as long as we stand on the stand of the nation and safeguard the overall interests of the nation, no matter what political viewpoint we hold, we must be united in great unity." This further links national unity with the reunification of the motherland, and regards the realization of national reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as the common aspiration of all The Chinese nation and the Chinese people. These are our common goals."
In the process of deepening reform and opening up, and the continuous achievements in the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Jiang Zemin put forward scientific theories such as "three inseparables," regarded accelerating development as the core of advancing the cause of national unity, emphasized that 56 nationalities are linked by heart, breathe together, and share a common destiny, and pushed the cause of national unity in our country into the 21 st century in an all-round way.
After the Sixteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the party Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the main representative put forward the scientific outlook on development, and the common unity and struggle of all nationalities and common prosperity and development have become the main theme of the work of all nationalities in the new stage of the new century, and have developed into the main way to achieve this task, consolidating and developing the situation of great unity of the people of all nationalities in our country.
On May 23, 2021, more than 1,000 people of all ethnic groups and all walks of life in Tibet presented flower baskets and flowers in front of the Monument to the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs who heroically sacrificed their lives for the cause of the peaceful liberation of Tibet. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
National revival
The sons and daughters of China are a community of common destiny
Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core has stood at the strategic height of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, grasped the historical orientation of the Party's ethnic work in the new era, and emphasized the concepts of the big family of the Chinese nation, the Chinese national community, and the solid consciousness of the Chinese national community. Holding high the banner of the great unity of the Chinese nation and promoting the close embrace of all nationalities like pomegranate seeds in the big family of the Chinese nation is one of the important experiences in grasping the national issue and doing a good job in ethnic work.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out many times that national unity is the lifeline and the "highest interest" of the people of all ethnic groups, comparing its importance to "eyes" and "life". Emphasizing strengthening national unity and promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the core concept of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era in the field of ethnic work.
The goal of national unity is "to achieve the goal of the 'two hundred years' struggle and the Realization of the Chinese Dream of the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation", and the characteristics of national unity are expressed as "the relationship between different members of a big family", while the members of this big family are "hugged together like pomegranate seeds".
The fundamental path for consolidating the great unity of the Chinese nation in the new era is to adhere to the correct path of resolving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, adhere to the party's overall leadership over ethnic work, forge a solid sense of the Chinese national community, and promote the construction of a common spiritual homeland for all ethnic groups.
Looking back at the CPC's century-long course of struggle, the great unity of the Chinese nation is the fundamental force on which the party relies to lead the people of all nationalities to stand up, get rich, become strong, and move toward great rejuvenation.
In the great journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country with Chinese characteristics, we must still hold high the great banner of the great unity of the Chinese nation, strengthen the great unity of the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad, strengthen the great unity of all nationalities, gather up the magnificent strength to realize the great cause and great dream, and promote the Chinese nation to become a community of common destiny with a higher degree of recognition and stronger cohesion.
Beijing News special writer | Liu Ling (Deputy Director and Associate Researcher, Department of Ethnic Theory, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) Zhao Tianxiao (Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
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