The 3rd National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

at 31 Xuguyuan Road between June 12 and June 20, 1923. It succeeded the

2nd National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party The 2nd National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in the Shanghai International Settlement at the apartment of Li Da of 625 Pude Lane, South Chengdu Road, between July 16 and July 23, 1922. The congress was attended by 12 represen ...

and preceded the

4th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party The 4th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in the Shanghai International Settlement at a shikumen residence in No. 8, Lane 256, Dongbaoxing Road, between 11 and 22 January 1925. The congress was attended by 20 participants r ...

. The

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

was attended by 40 representatives across China and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

representing 420 party members of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

(CCP). The congress was hosted by

Chen Duxiu Chen Duxiu ( zh, t=陳獨秀, w=Ch'en Tu-hsiu; 8 October 187927 May 1942) was a Chinese revolutionary socialist, educator, philosopher and author, who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with Li Dazhao in 1921. From 1921 to 1927, h ...

, with participation from

Li Dazhao Li Dazhao or Li Ta-chao (October 29, 1889 – April 28, 1927) was a Chinese intellectual and revolutionary who participated in the New Cultural Movement in the early years of the Republic of China, established in 1912. He co-founded the Chinese C ...

Zhang Guotao Zhang Guotao (November 26, 1897 – December 3, 1979), or Chang Kuo-tao, was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and rival to Mao Zedong. During the 1920s he studied in the Soviet Union and became a key contact with the Comi ...

, Tan Pingshan,

Cai Hesen Cai Hesen (March 30, 1895 – August 4, 1931) was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and a friend and comrade of Mao Zedong. Cai was born in Shanghai but grew up in Shuangfeng County in Hunan Province of China. He hel ...

Chen Tanqiu Chen Tanqiu (; 4 January 1896 – 27 September 1943) was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chen Tanqiu graduated from Wuhan Higher Normal School (present day Wuhan University) after which he played a leadership role in th ...

, Luo Zhanglong, and

Henk Sneevliet Hendricus Josephus Franciscus Marie (Henk) Sneevliet, known as Henk Sneevliet or by the ''pseudonym'' "Maring" (1883 - 1942), was a Dutch Communism, Communist, who was active in both the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. As a functionary of t ...

(representing the Comintern). Sneevilet briefed congress regarding the inquiries by the Comintern related to the cooperation between the CCP and

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

. The congress held elections to appoint members in the 3rd Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and drafted resolutions of the 3rd Congress.

Agenda

In early-June 1923,

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

, along with Zhu Shaolian, represented the party division at Zhengxiang and left

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

for Guangzhou to attend the event. There were three main agendas discussed and implemented in the congress: # Drafting of the party manifesto; # Cooperation with the Kuomintang towards reunification, and; # An election to form the 3rd Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The main agenda involved relates to the cooperation between the CCP and the Kuomintang, to discuss issues on the reunification of the Republic. This matter was highlighted by a report from Chen Duxiu. Mao Zedong made a speech in the congress about workers' movements at

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

. Congress passed the National Movement and Kuomintang Question Act, allowing CCP members to join the Kuomintang, while maintaining efforts to expand the CCP itself. Congess also elected 9 members and 5 backup-members of the 3rd Central Executive Committee of the CCP. The Central Committee elected Chen, Mao, Luo Zhanglong,

, and Tan Pingshan to form the Central Committee of the CCP. Chen was nominated as the President, while Mao was elected as Secretary. Congress also passed the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Organisation Act, ruling that "the Secretary is responsible for all documentations, paperwork, communications, and meeting records of the political party. All party documents must be signed by the President and the Secretary of the CCP." Congress was dismissed when representatives sang

The Internationale "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of t ...

at the Martyr's Tomb of the Huanghuagang Park. After congress ended, Mao, Chen, Li and

Xiang Jingyu Xiang Jingyu (, – , ''née'' Xiang Junxian), was one of the earliest female members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), widely regarded as a pioneer of the women's movement of China. Early life Xiang Jingyu was born in Xupu, Hunan provinc ...

remained at Guangzhou.

Impact

Congress, in accordance to instructions sent from Comintern, officially confirmed that CCP members are allowed to join Kuomintang, solidifying the cooperation between the CCP and KMT. After congress, under the promotion by the CCP, Sun Yat-sen reformed the Kuomintang, validating the policies discussed within the Congress, leading to the formation of the

1st National Congress of the Kuomintang The 1st National Congress of the Kuomintang () was the first national congress of the Kuomintang, held on 20–30 January 1924 at Guangzhou, Guangdong, Republic of China. Results During this first congress, the Kuomintang's reorganization proces ...

in 1924, where CCP-Kuomintang cooperation was formally established. Since the 3rd Congress，it became standard for The Internationale to be played in the closing ceremonies of each National Congress held by the CCP.

References

External links

中共三大会址纪念馆（官方网站）

{{National meetings of the Chinese Communist Party 1923 conferences 1923 in China National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party