The First National Congress, July 23-31, 1921, Shanghai and the Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province.

Twelve deputies representing over 50 Party members attended the congress. They included Mao Zedong, He Shuheng, Dong Biwu, Chen Tanqiu, Wang Jinmei, Deng Enming, Li Da, Li Hanjun, Zhang Guotao, Liu Renjing, Chen Gongbo and Zhou Fuhai (the last four later abandoned the Party). Prominent founders of the Party, Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu, did not attend. But Chen Duxiu sent a personal representative, Bao Huiseng, and a representative from the Communist International was also there.

The Party Constitution adopted at the congress defined the Party's aim as overthrowing capitalist rule with a proletarian revolutionary army, establishing proletarian dictatorship, abolishing the private ownership system and eventually class differences. The Party Constitution also stipulated the organizational principles of democratic centralism and Party discipline. It was decided at the congress that the central task of the Party was to exercise leadership over the workers' movement.

(NO. 43 OCOBTER 26, 1987 title: "Review of Past CPC National Congresses")