Ep 2: What’s the corner stone of the CPC?

Q: At its inception, what are the beliefs that have motivated people to join CPC?

Since Marxism was first publicly formulated in the 1840s, it has spread to many parts of the world. The classical publication “The Communist Manifesto” by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was introduced to Japan in the late 19th and early 20th century, and subsequently brought from Japan to China.

At the time of the Communist Party of China’s First Congress, the official member count was just over 50. They were motivated by their shared values and their wish to save the country.  “The Communist Manifesto” had a significant impact on proletarian revolutions around the world, including the new democratic revolution and socialist construction in China. “The Manifesto” was one of the cornerstones of the Party’s foundation.

Q：How was it then introduced to China?

In 1920, 29-year-old translator and scholar Chen Wangdao, who had studied in Japan, translated the “The Communist Manifesto” from a Japanese language edition into Chinese. Chen completed the translation in a woodshed in Zhejiang Province, and it was published that same year, one year before the CPC was founded in 1921.

Q：How was the first Chinese version of “The Communist Manifesto” printed?

Shanghai was then the most advanced city in China regarding printing and publishing. The first 1,000 copies of Chen’s translation were printed by a publishing house in downtown Shanghai in August, 1920. It quickly sold out and they hurriedly printed another 1,000 copies, Chen Wangdao’s Chinese language version of the Manifesto was later reprinted across China.

The Manifesto has been translated into over 200 languages, with more than 1,000 editions. It is believed to be one of the most circulated pieces of literature on social politics, humanities and social sciences in the world.