Table of Contents

1 Realizing National Independence and People's Liberation
The National Crisis in Modern Times and the Rise of Revolutionary Movements
The Spread of Marxism and Leninism and the Founding of the Communist Party of China
National Revolution against the Western Powers and Chinese Warlords
Opening a Revolutionary Road: Armed Struggles and Enclosing Cities with Rural Areas
Organizing the Broad Masses to Fight the Japanese Invaders
The Founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC)
2 Establishing the Socialist System; Beginning Large-scale Construction
Consolidating the New Government and Restoring the National Economy
Land Reform and Social Reform
Initial Efforts to Turn a Backward Agricultural Country into an Advanced Industrial One
The Fundamental Socialist Political System
The people's congress system
Multi-party cooperation and political consultation
Ethnic autonomy
Independent, Self-determined Foreign Policies of Peace
Seeking a Road of Chinese Socialist Construction and Initial Success of Economic Work
3 Onto the Socialist Road of Construction with Chinese Characteristics
Turning Point in the History of the PRC
Realization of a great turn
Significant changes in economic and political fields
Reform and Opening-up, and the Establishment of Socialist Market Economy
Breakthrough in the countryside
Economic reform in the cities
From the first special economic zone to all-round opening to the outside world
Beginning of a socialist market-economy system
Political Structure Reform and Establishment of Democracy and Rule of Law
The beginning of political structure reform and the setting up of its objectives
Improving the fundamental political system
Grass-roots autonomy and increasing democracy
Gradually realizing the rule of law
Reform of government departments
Policy of freedom of religious belief
Beginning of a New Diplomatic Situation
Independent and self-determined diplomatic policy of peace
Good-neighborly diplomacy
Relations with big countries and developing countries
Multilateral diplomacy
Building Modernized National Defense
Strategic change in guiding principle
Cooperation for international security
Promoting the State Reunification Process
The "one country, two systems" concept
The return of Hong Kong and Macao
Changes in the relations across the Taiwan Straits
Construction of an All-round Well-off and Harmonious Socialist Society
Building an all-round well-off society
Scientific development, unified planning
Reform and development in fields of science, education, culture
Building a harmonious socialist society

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In January 1935, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a conference in Zunyi, Guizhou Province, where Mao Zedong was selected as the major leader of the CPC and the Red Army. Under his leadership, with a fearless spirit, despite facing hardship and death, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army smashed the repeated encirclement efforts of huge numbers of Kuomintang troops. After crossing snow-capped mountains,swamps and uninhabited wildernesses, the revolutionaries finally arrived in northern Shaanxi Province.
While the Japanese invaders advanced steadily into North China, the Kuomintang government retreated again and again. This gave rise to a national call for resistance against Japan. At this grave national crisis, the CPC Central Committee advanced the principle of establishing a national anti-Japaneseunited front to mobilize all China's resistance forces. The Party Central Committee, by a policy to "force Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan," actively developed anti-Japanese and national salvation movements. On December9, 1935, the CPC underground organization mobilized Beiping (present-day Beijing) students into a massive parade. The slogans "Down with imperialism," "Stop the civil war" and "United against the foreign invaders" were heard all over the city. On December 12, 1936, prompted by the nationwide anti-Japanese movements, and influenced by the CPC's policies, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, two Kuomintang army generals, detained Chiang Kai-shek in Xi'an, to force him to act against the invaders. The two generals sent a public telegram calling for a cessation of the civil war and the formation of a united resistance. After analyzing both the domestic and international situations, the CPC Central Committee decided on pursuing a peaceful solution to this crisis. For this purpose, the CPC sent Zhou Enlai and others to Xi'an to mediate. Their efforts paid off, for the incident was eventually solved peacefully, leading to abandonment of the civil war and a second round of cooperation between the CPC and the Kuomintang.