An Ideological History of the Communist Party of China is a 3-volume series that traces the development of the thought underlying the CPC’s policies, methods, and actions since its establishment in 1921. The first volume covers the period from the founding of the Party through a turbulent period of armed revolutionary struggle until the establishment of the new China in 1949. The second volume picks up there and continues through 1978, the year the Reform and Opening Up policy was launched. The final volume in the series traces the various policies and development of the CPC’s ideology through the Reform and Opening Up era until the present.

All three volumes present an inside look at the shaping of the Party’s ideology, reflecting the ways in which that ideology has played out in the CPC’s social, political, military, economic, and cultural agendas. It is an insightful analysis of the Party’s own narrative of its ideological development over nearly a century, a view rarely available in English-language publications about the Communist Party of China. The key issues of each historical period are covered in great detail, with careful analysis of the errors and rectification of errors that led to the ultimate development of sound Marxist policy suited to the actual situation current in China at the time the policy was adopted. The measured candor and humility expressed in this analysis might come as a surprise to some English-language readers, particularly those who have been repeatedly told by Western media sources that the CPC is not forthcoming about its errors. Perhaps this shows a development of a new state of affairs in contemporary China, or perhaps it indicates that the portrayal of the CPC in Western media has been influenced by their own political biases – or perhaps a measure of both.

This series is suited to readers who are reasonably well-versed with the events of modern Chinese history, but lack insight into the development of the CPC’s thought and policies throughout its development. These books do an excellent job of reflecting the sophistication behind the thought that underlies Chinese Marxism, the driving ideology of the Communist Party of China.

About the Author
Zheng Qian was born in 1949 in Beijing. He is a researcher, former director of the No. 2 Research Department of the Party History Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, director of the Chinese Communist Party Literature Research Association, and an expert entitled to the special government allowances granted by the State Council. His publications include Research on Mao Zedong Thought in the Socialist Period, History of the People’s Republic of China, etc.