The System of People's Congresses

From the advent of the modern era in the mid-19th century, the Chinese nation had faced a historic question as to what kind of political system to choose for the country. The Chinese people constantly sought the answer to this question.

Following the First Opium War in 1840, China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. In order to save the nation and realize national rejuvenation, the people worked diligently on various political models in search of the one best suited to China's prevailing realities. Before the Revolution of 1911, there had been several national movements, for example the Taiping Revolution, the Westernization Movement, the Hundred Days' Reform, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Late Qing Reform, all of which had ended in failure. Following the Revolution of 1911, China had tried several Western political models, including constitutional monarchy, restoration of the monarchy, the parliamentary system, the multi-party system, and a presidential system, with various political powers and their representatives coming onto the stage one after another. However, none of these were successful.

History proved that, if not shaking the old social foundation, the self-improvement movements, reformist attempts, peasant wars of the old type, democratic revolutions led by the bourgeoisie, and copying Western political models had all failed to fulfill the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal mission of saving the country from subjugation, to stabilize China's political and social scene, let alone to provide institutional guarantee to national prosperity and people's wellbeing.

Since its founding, the CPC had taken it as its mission to make the Chinese people masters of the country and to realize national rejuvenation. It waged an arduous struggle for this purpose, and in the end toppled imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, and founded a new state where the ordinary Chinese became masters of the state and society.

Upholding people's democracy has remained a basic principle of the CPC. The Party always respects the people's principal role and works to ensure their rights to run the country. The Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which was adopted on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic and functioned as China's interim constitution, explicitly stipulated that the new state would practice the system of people's congresses.

In September 1954, the First Session of the First National People's Congress (NPC) held in Beijing passed the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which prescribed: "All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people, and the National People's Congress and the local people's congresses at various levels are the organs through which the people exercise state power." This marked the establishment of the system of people's congresses as the fundamental political system of the PRC.

The system of people's congresses ensures the CPC's leadership, the people's role as masters, and law-based governance. Democratic centralism is the organizational form of the government and a basic principle for state activities. In China, people's congresses exercise state power, with the NPC being the highest organ of state power and the local people's congresses being local organs of state power. The people exercise state power through these organs. The people's congresses at all levels are formed through democratic elections, and they are responsible to the people and subject to their oversight. The administrative, judicial and procuratorial organs are elected or appointed by people's congresses, responsible to them and subject to their oversight. The government bodies exercise decision-making, executive and oversight powers in concert with rational division of functions. Under the unified leadership by the central authorities, the localities are fully motivated to make efficient progress in all work of the state.

As an important component of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the system of people's congresses supports China's state governance system and capacity. It was a unique creation in the history of human political institutions, a conclusion of the reflections on China's bitter political memories in modern times, an outcome of over 100 years of chaos and radical changes in Chinese society, and a natural choice of the Chinese people after becoming masters of their own fates.

Since its adoption, the system has been consolidated, developed and invigorated. It has proved to be the system best suited to China's conditions and its nature as a socialist country, and a system that ensures the people's status as masters and guarantees China's rejuvenation.

人民代表大會制度

在中國建立什么樣的政治制度，是近代以后中國人民面臨的一個歷史性課題。為解決這一歷史性課題，中國人民進行了艱辛探索。1840年鴉片戰爭后，中國逐步成為半殖民地半封建社會。為了挽救民族危亡、實現民族振興，中國人民和無數仁人志士孜孜不倦尋找著適合國情的政治制度模式。辛亥革命之前，太平天國運動、洋務運動、戊戌變法、義和團運動、清末新政等都未能取得成功。辛亥革命之后，中國嘗試過君主立憲制、帝制復辟、議會制、多黨制、總統制等各種形式，各種政治勢力及其代表人物紛紛登場，都沒能找到正確答案。事實證明，不觸動舊的社會根基的自強運動，各種名目的改良主義，舊式農民戰爭，資產階級革命派領導的民主主義革命，照搬西方政治制度模式的各種方案，都不能完成中華民族救亡圖存和反帝反封建的歷史任務，都不能讓中國的政局和社會穩定下來，也都談不上為中國實現國家富強、人民幸福提供制度保障。

中國共產黨自成立之日起，就以實現中國人民當家作主和中華民族偉大復興為己任，進行艱苦卓絕的革命斗爭，終于徹底推翻了帝國主義、封建主義、官僚資本主義三座大山，建立了人民當家作主的新中國，億萬中國人民從此成為國家和社會的主人。人民民主是中國共產黨始終高舉的旗幟。尊重人民主體地位，保證人民當家作主，是中國共產黨的一貫主張。1949年9月，具有臨時憲法地位的《中國人民政治協商會議共同綱領》莊嚴宣告，新中國實行人民代表大會制度。1954年9月，第一屆全國人民代表大會通過的《中華人民共和國憲法》明確規定：中華人民共和國的一切權力屬于人民。人民行使權力的機關是全國人民代表大會和地方各級人民代表大會。從此建立起中華人民共和國的根本政治制度——人民代表大會制度。

人民代表大會制度是堅持中國共產黨的領導、人民當家作主、依法治國有機統一的根本政治制度安排。民主集中制是中國國家組織形式和活動方式的基本原則。在中國，人民代表大會統一行使國家權力，全國人民代表大會是最高國家權力機關，地方各級人民代表大會是地方國家權力機關。人民通過人民代表大會行使國家權力；各級人民代表大會都由民主選舉產生，對人民負責、受人民監督；各級國家行政機關、審判機關、檢察機關都由人民代表大會產生，對人大負責、受人大監督；國家機關實行決策權、執行權、監督權既有合理分工又有相互協調；在中央統一領導下，充分發揮地方主動性和積極性，保證國家統一高效組織推進各項事業。

人民代表大會制度是中國特色社會主義制度的重要組成部分，也是支撐中國國家治理體系和治理能力的根本政治制度。在中國實行人民代表大會制度，是中國人民在人類政治制度史上的偉大創造，是深刻總結近代以后中國政治生活慘痛教訓得出的基本結論，是中國社會100多年激越變革、激蕩發展的歷史結果，是中國人民翻身作主、掌握自己命運的必然選擇。60多年來，人民代表大會制度不斷得到鞏固和發展，展現出蓬勃生機活力。實踐充分證明，這一新型政治制度是符合中國國情和實際、體現社會主義國家性質、保證人民當家作主、保障實現中華民族偉大復興的好制度。