Speech at the Meeting in Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China

On September 29, 1979, Ye Jianying made a speech at the meeting in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. He made a preliminary summary of the historical experiences from the founding of New China. Contained in Compilation of Important Literature Since the Third Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee (Vol. I)

The speech consists of three parts:

(1) The great and glorious thirty years. The “Speech” pointed out: “The past 30 years of the People’s Republic of China have been glorious years, years of complicated struggle waged by the Chinese people against antagonistic forces both domestic and foreign, and years of tremendous victories in socialist revolution and socialist construction won despite twist and turns along the way.” Earth-shaking revolutionary changes have taken place in our motherland and the gains have been consolidated in these 30 years. Despite ups and downs, industrial production has increased at an average annual rate of 11.2 % during the period from 1952, when the rehabilitation of our economy was completed, to 1978. Our achievements over the last 30 years are tremendous, and it is entirely wrong not to see this. Of course, everybody knows that the path we have traveled was not even. At this times progress was fairly smooth and at others there were serious setbacks. Our achievements are still not commensurate with the ardous efforts of our entire people and with the potential of our superior socialist system. We must earnestly sum up our experience and strive for greater successes. Since China’s feudal society has a particularly long history, our socialist society inevitably retains vestiges of the old society. Of course, our socialist system early showed vitality and promise, but it was still immature and imperfect. Hence, it will grow stronger and healthier. We should cherish it more and redouble our efforts to bring into full play its intrinsic superiority and boundless potential in the course of its development. We firmly believe that socialism has a great future, we firmly believe that the hundreds of millions of Chinese people have a great future.

(2) A decisive battle for the nation’s destiny. The Speech pointed out that in the decade of the "Cultural Revolution", the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people waged intense, sharp and complex struggles against the two counter-revolutionary, conspiratorial cliques of Lin Biao and the “Gang of Four”. It was a struggle between the usurpers of power and the restorationists on the one hand and their opponents on the other. This decisive battle for the nation’s destiny ended in utter defeat for the former and victory for our Party and people, for socialism. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, we warmly hail the triumphant overthrow of Lin Biao and the “Gang of Four” and the significant achievements registered in the three years since the downfall of the “Gang of Four”. The situation has improved even more quickly since the Third Plenary Session of the Party’s Eleventh Central Committee, at which the decision was made to shift the focus of the work of the Party and the state to the socialist modernization. The disruptive activities of Lin Biao and the “Gang of Four” have taught the whole Party and the whole nation very profound lessons by negative examples. As a response to these lessons to be drawn, the Speech pointed out that first, for socialism to replace capitalism, we must liberate productive forces and achieve a constantly rising labor productivity to meet the people's material and cultural needs. This is the fundamental aim of socialist revolution. Once the proletariat has seized political power in a country, and especially after the establishment of the socialist system, it is imperative to place the focus of work squarely on economic construction, actively expand the productive forces and gradually improve people’s standard of living.

Secondly, it is necessary to make a scientific analysis – one which conforms to objective reality – of the internal class situation and class struggle after the establishment of the socialist system and adopt correct policies and measures accordingly. Class struggle still exists to a certain extent after the exploiters in our country no longer exist as classes. While rejecting the view that class struggle no longer exists, we must oppose the view that magnifies it, to say nothing of creating so-called class struggles out of the void. Thirdly, we must have a correct understanding of the interrelationship between the masses, classes, political parties and leaders; this is of special importance in a socialist society. Fourthly, we must further improve both Party discipline and socialist legal system, ensure democratic rights to all Party members and all citizens, and see it that inner-Party democracy and socialist democracy are institutionalized and guaranteed by law.

(3) “Advance towards the great goal of the four modernizations”. Marxism recognizes that leaders play an important and indispensable role in the development of history, but it is impossible for any leader to be free of shortcomings and mistakes and they should not be deified. The “Speech” pointed out that in order to realize the four modernizations, we must proceed from China's realities, make careful study and the laws of nature, and open up a path to modernization suited to China's specific conditions and features. In order to realize the four modernizations, our Party must adhere to the Marxist ideological line of seeking truth from facts, oppose the wrong attitude of treating Mao Zedong Thought with essentialism, emancipate the mind, but emancipating the mind does not mean doing things according to one’s whims or in a blind and reckless way, instead emancipating the mind studying and respecting the objective laws, and acting in according with these laws. The speech discussed the achievements and mistakes of the past 30 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, summarized the bitter lessons of the “Cultural Revolution”, criticized the mistaken view of “two whatevers”, clearly proposed that while building a high level of socialist material civilization, we should also build a high level of socialist spiritual civilization; he urged all the Party members to unite as one, under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Party, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the State Council, hold aloft the banner of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, and march forward valiantly towards the magnificient goal of the four modernizations.