FOREIGN CULTURES 63 10.03.

2005

Note: October 1 is Chinese National Day

secular/state holidays replaced religious/cultural holidays under Mao
Chinese New Year replaced with “Spring Festival”
traditional holidays were supposed to be ignored, although since 1978 there has been
somewhat of a revival

Political Institutions in the Mao era

Society organized such that mobilized political power can be used to exert control over
the family, society at large, the economy, etc.

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Fundamentally modeled off of the communist party system in the Soviet Union
Note: original motivation for forming a communist party in the USSR was to
enact a revolution
It was unclear what would happen to the communist party after the revolution was
realized
Settled only after considerable debate
The party would continue in its highly disciplined, hierarchical structure to better
society
CCP still operating under the Leninist framework (details below)

Goals of the CCP

Formulation of policy – Supposed to develop policies that apply to all realms of
social life via the Marxist doctrine, therefore policies are handed down to
control all aspects of society (nothing is “out of bounds”)
Oversee the implementation of policy at all levels – actual implementation occurs
via the state bureaucracy (not the party itself). Becomes complicated
when the state official is also a party member (this occurs in some
periods).
Choose the individuals who will assume leadership positions – this happens at all
levels of society. Nomenklatura: actual lists of posts to which the party
has to lend its approval.
Conduct propaganda for its ideas and policies – propaganda is necessary and
desirable in communist society; communist party must make sure
everyone knows and believes the communist ideology.
Ideological watchdog – awareness of deviations from the orthodoxy (this can be
behavior, political views, etc); note that ideology can change over time.
Concern with preempting any autonomous organizational activities – any
organization must be officially registered and overseen by some
bureaucratic officer (although this has been relaxed a great deal in the
post-1978 period).

Contrast with Western society

Very large party (70 million members)
Designed to be the only party and dominate national politics (note: 8 democratic
parties in China now, but severely limited in size and scope – CCPCP:
FOREIGN CULTURES 63 10.03.2005

congress of outside political parties that occasionally advises the CCP –

abolished during the Cultural Revolution).
CCP is written into the Chinese constitution
The general secretary (i.e. “chairman”) of the CCP is much more important than
any party chairman in the US (current CCP leader: Hu Jintao)
CCP is an elite party (specially selected organization)
Western parties reflect their social “base” – not so in China and Leninist systems
(the party sets the goal, then recruits accordingly)

Party Structure
Congress every 5 years – they elect a Central Committee (300+ members)
Central Committee meets intermittently – several plenary sessions (“plenums”)
every year
Within the Central Committee there is selected a political bureau (27 members)
Within the political bureau there is the standing committee (9 members)
These 9 individuals have the greatest power over Chinese politics/society
They control the day-to-day running of the party
Secretariat of the CCP
7 of the top party officials
Zeng Qinghoung is currently leader
The administrative wing (the Central Committee is responsible for policy)
Central Military Commission
Hu Jintao leads this
Central Discipline Inspection Commission
looks for corruption, political dissent
Organizational Department within the CCP
approves people for membership
can expel people from the CCP
Propaganda Department within the CCP
handles the party ideology and its dissemination to the population
Note: party structure extends down to lower levels of society; lower levels are to
follow the edicts of the CCP closely
Mass associations (“transmission belts of the party”)
Communist Youth League (age 15-28)
Young Pioneers (9-14)
All-China Women’s Federation
All-China Federation of Trade Unions

State government
State council led by premier Wen Jiabao
National Peoples Conference every 5 years (party-controlled legislature)
Approves laws and regulations
Party structure is interwoven
e.g. Universities
Party branches of each department that hold regular meetings
At the college level, there would be a college-wide branch
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Top level party committee at the university level as well

Joining the CCP (in the Mao period)

Candidates subjected to scrutiny for a long time before acceptance
Wanted to accept those who were most devoted to the party, most selfless,
but because the CCP was so elite, the candidates were sometimes
careerist and self interested
Certain categories were selected for recruitment (e.g. worker recruitment
just after founding, exclusion of landlords/capitalists); recent desire
to recruit experts and intellectuals from colleges
Existing party member will engage with the candidate – party
investigators will look into past history
Party branch will vote to admit the candidate as probationary member
Final vote by a higher-level for admission
Occasional rectification exercises (examinations) even after admission.