Today in History

Jan 5,1930: "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire"

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-03-25 16:38

Jan 5, 1930: Mao Zedong writes "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire"

On Jan 5, 1930 Mao Zedong wrote the essay, "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire", in which he criticized the erroneous tendency of those who would not do the hard work of creating rural revolutionary base areas, pointing out that only the Red Army and the establishment and development of the red area was the highest form of semi-colonial struggle by farmers and the important factors to promote the upsurge of the national revolution. In other words, a single spark can start a prairie fire. It is not appropriate for the facts of Chinese revolutionary to win over the masses first and then hold a national armed insurrection to seize power. Mao summarized the experience of the various revolutionary base areas, developing the idea of "armed independent regime of workers and peasants", and forming the theory on Chinese revolutionary road of rural areas surrounding the cities, establishing and developing the red regime in rural areas and then winning national power. This was a major development of Marxist-Leninist theory on the armed seizure of power.

Jan 5, 1953: The CPC Central Committee issues "an instruction against bureaucracy, against commands and against violating law and discipline"

The CPC Central Committee pointed out that the bureaucracy and commanding in the Party and government is a big problem, and that leading organs at all levels should combine the work of party consolidation and building to check the situation of those with bureaucracy, commands and violating law and discipline, carrying out resolute struggle against them. While fighting against bad people to an appropriate stage, we should praise the good deeds so that these good examples can promote righteousness, overwhelming evil.

Jan 5 to 7, 2000: The third national conference on "three emphases education" (to stress theoretical study, political awareness and good conduct) is held in Beijing

Hu Jintao's speech at the meeting pointed out that hundreds of thousands of leading cadres and millions of cadres and the masses are involved in the "three emphases education", which is a creative exploration and successful practice in new situations to strengthen party building, especially the leading groups and leading cadres' ideological and political construction. It also enriches and develops the spirit of the Yan'an Rectification Movement and the Party's "Three Styles" in the new era. This year Party committees at all levels should continue to do a good job in the "three emphases education" for leading groups and leading cadres as to enhance the most important task of party building in accordance with the requirements of central planning.

Jan 5, 2004: The CPC Central Committee issues "suggestions on the further flourishing of philosophy and social science"

On Jan 5, 2004 the CPC Central Committee issued "suggestions on the further flourishing of philosophy and social science" to explain the significance, guidelines and objectives of prospering and developing philosophy and social science, making a comprehensive deployment of creating a new situation for prospering and developing philosophy and social science.

Jan 5—6, 2005: The CPC Central Committee holds the conference in Beijing on carrying out education activities for maintaining the advanced nature of the Communist Party members

Starting from January the CPC Central Committee carried out education activities in the whole party to maintain the advanced nature of Communist Party members, conducting a focus education with one and a half year in three batches on all party members. Each batch of half-year, participating units were as follows: agencies above the county level, cities and rural grassroots organizations, rural grassroots level. Since then, the first batch of Advanced Education launched.