The 100-Year-Old CPC

Hi there, my name’s the CPC or Communist Party of China, and July 1st is my 100th birthday! Since I’ve lived for so long, there’s a lot of my past, and today, I’m taking you back through time to witness it.

The majority would know that China, officially the People’s Republic of China, was founded on October 1st, 1949. But I was born years before, in 1921, in a meeting on a boat, the “Red Boat.” When I got founded, there were only 58 members. In truth, it had started elsewhere, in a house, where delegates were holding the first CPC National Congress. They had almost got arrested by the police! However, they successfully concluded the meeting, about 100 kilometers away, in Jiaxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. I always think that they choose the boat not only that it didn’t look quite suspicious, but that if someone were to pursue them, they could row away.

Anyway, that was how things all started. And in 1934, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, or the Chinese Red Army, my armed forces, lead by Mao Zedong and Zhu De, started the Long March. They fought against the Kuomintang for control over China in the Chinese Civil War. But then they fought jointly against Japanese aggressors. My forces grew from 30,000 to 1.27 million in this period. After the Japanese got driven out, the civil war resumed. Finally, I emerged victoriously, and the PRC got established in 1949, and Chairman Mao became the first “president” of China. By that time, my forces had swelled to 4.7 million. But how did I do this? In truth, I am not that clear about how I won. However, my fast growth had to do with rural land reform. Many peasants got given farmland, and they joined the army to protect their gains. Most importantly, I wouldn’t have won without the support of the people.

Anyway, the story just as much ends there. Of course, I had made some serious mistakes along the long way. One of those mistakes was the 10-year “Cultural Revolution” that lasted until 1976. I guess that we all make mistakes sometimes. But that’s okay, too. Making mistakes means that we would need to find solutions, and that means we could improve.

“Happy birthday to CPC! Happy birthday to CPC!” Thank you, thank you, Tigger. “So, dear reader, do you like CPC’s recap? I hope you do! Anyhow, I think that’s about the end of this production of the New News Newsminute. Thank you, and remember to wish him a happy birthday!”