FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS COMES GREATNESS

By Jon Taylor

The story of the founding of the Communist Party of China （CPC） in 1921 is one of humble beginnings， when China was in shambles， dominated by foreigners， semi-feudalist， impoverished and run by corrupt warlords. Meeting in a traditional shikumen house in Shanghai， 13 men dedicated to the purpose of carrying out a Marxist-Leninist revolution designed to end imperialism within China and bring about both modernity and prosperity to the Chinese people， would change the course of China and the world forever. They believed that China had to change and that the Party was the instrument to achieve that change.

It is a story of suffering， struggle， sacrifice， heroism， mistakes， and， ultimately， economic prosperity and international prominence. It is also a compelling story that is not well known in the West.

Mission focused

Led by a group of young， idealistic and often ill-equipped revolutionaries fighting both the Japanese during World War II and the Kuomintang in the Chinese civil war， the Party endured and arose victorious. Through the tumult， poverty and national traumas of the pre-reform period， the Party persevered and emerged to reform both itself and China. Out of hardship came a determination to improve the country and restore China to preeminence in the world. The Partys resolve would lead to Chinas long-term growth and development in the post-1978 reform period.

The disciplined， mission-focused and adaptive leadership of the Party has delivered on its promise of modernization and moderate prosperity—something that the Chinese people have dreamed of for over a century. Through a century of turbulence that saw the expulsion of numerous foreign invaders， a civil war， political chaos and momentous political reforms that built one of the largest economies in the world while also lifting 800 million people out of poverty， the Party has demonstrated both its persistence and success.

The CPC has produced tremendous economic results. Theyve created a burgeoning middle class and have massively invested in measures designed to provide social support. With successful performance comes citizen satisfaction. Western opinion surveys consistently show high levels of satisfaction and support for the CPCs governance of the country.

The 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC provides a great opportunity to discuss both the durability and relevance of a political party that has survived a century of turbulence and come out of it more powerful than ever. Over the past 100 years， the CPC has evolved from a small party with only a handful of members to the largest and most powerful party in the world with more than 95 million members.