How to Become a Communist Party Member

An article by Chen Yun during the war period that comprehensively and systematically clarifies the criteria for Party membership. Written on May 30, 1939, it was originally published in Issue 72 of Liberation, an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and in 1943, it was compiled in Rectification Literature, published by the Liberation Press. It is included in Volume 1 of the Collected Works of Chen Yun.

On the criteria of Party members, Chen Yun proposed that, first of all, one must dedicate his life to the struggle for communism. Secondly, one must place the interests of the revolution above everything else. Thirdly, one must observe Party discipline and keep Party secrets. Fourthly, one must be steadfast in carrying out Party resolutions. Fifthly, one must be an example to the masses. Sixthly, it is essential for every Communist, whenever and wherever possible, to study theory and acquire general knowledge through work in order to raise his political and educational level, enlarge his understanding of the revolution and cultivate his political vision. The slogan of Communist Party members is "Learn, Learn, and Learn Again".

“How to Become a Communist Party Member” provided operable criteria and basis for recruiting Party members in the period of the New-Democratic Revolution. It played an important role in strictly controlling the entrance of recruiting Party members at that time and maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity.