8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

The 8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in two sessions, the first 15–27 September 1956 and the second 5–23 May 1958 in Beijing. It was the first Congress of the Chinese Communist Party since the start of it taking full control of mainland China in 1949 and establishing the People's Republic of China. It was preceded by the relatively early 7th National Congress and was formally succeeded by the 9th National Congress. 1,026 delegates and 86 alternate delegates represented the party's 10.73 million members.

8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

Mao Zedong delivering a speech at the first session in 1956
Date	15–27 September 1956 (12 days, first session) 5–23 May 1958 (18 days, second session)
Location	Auditorium of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Beijing, China
Participants	1,026 delegates
Outcome	The election of the 8th Central Committee

8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
Traditional Chinese	中國共產黨第八次全國代表大會
Simplified Chinese	中国共产党第八次全国代表大会
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Dìbācì Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì
Abbreviated name
Chinese	八大
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Bā-dà

The Great Hall of the People was not yet constructed, so it was held in the National Political Consultative Conference Hall.

A National Day parade in Beijing on October 1, 1956, celebrating the 8th National Congress.

Legislation

The Great Leap Forward was promulgated and unilaterally put in effect.

Representatives

• Delegates: 1,026
• Alternate delegates: 86
• Represented party members: 10,730,000

Significance

The 8th National Congress was the first Congress to be held in 11 years, and the first Congress since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Mao Zedong Thought was taken out of the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party and the cult of personality was denounced; Party technocrats Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping assume higher profiles. The 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected.

See also

• Qualification Review Committee of the 8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

External links

• The 8th National Congress