1. Nature of CPPCC

The CPPCC is an organization of the united front with wide representation. It is an important organ of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC. It is composed of the CPC, other political parties, mass organizations, and representative public personages from all walks of life, representatives of compatriots of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao as well as of returned overseas Chinese and other specially invited people.

2. History

In commemoration of the International Labor's Day, the CPC Central Committee issued a call on April 30, 1948, proposing the convening of a new political consultative conference to set up a democratic coalition government. This call won an immediate appreciative response from various democratic parties, people's organizations, democrats with no party affiliations and overseas Chinese, who participated in the preparation of the new political consultative conference later.

On September 21-30, 1949, the First CPPCC Plenary Session was held in Beiping (now Beijing). Altogether, 662 representatives, including those of the Communist Party of China (CPC), democratic parties, mass organizations, various localities, the People's Liberation Army, ethnic minorities, overseas Chinese and religious groups, attended the session.

Exercising the functions and power of the National People's Congress (NPC), which had not yet been established, the session proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China as the will of all Chinese people. It adopted the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Organic Law of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Organic Law of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China.

During the meeting, it was decided to make Beijing the capital of the republic, designate the five-star red flag as the national flag, declare the song of "March of the Volunteers'' as the national anthem and the common era calendar was adopted.

During the session, the chairman, vice-chairmen and members of the Central People's Government, as well as the first National Committee of the CPPCC were elected. Mao Zedong was made the first chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

On June 14-23, 1950, the Second Session of the First CPPCC National Committee was held.

At the meeting, the Draft Law of Land Reforms of the People's Republic of China, the Report on the Work of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and the Report on the Handling of the Proposals Moved at the First CPPCC Plenary Session were passed.

The meeting greatly promoted CPPCC's self-construction, participation in the deliberation and administration of State affairs and political consultation. In addition, the pattern of New China's national emblem was also decided at the meeting.

On December 21-25, 1954, the First Session of the Second CPPCC National Committee was held.

The Constitution of the CPPCC was adopted at the meeting. According to the document, the Common Program should be replaced by the country's constitution.

Chairman Mao Zedong in 1956 wrote the principle of "long-term co-existence and mutual supervision" to define the relationship between CPC and the country's non-Communist parties in his article entitled "On Ten Relationships."