The birth of the Communist Party of China was the objective need for the development of the Chinese revolution and the product of the combination of Marxism and the Chinese workers' movement. After the Opium War in 1840, the forces of international capitalism and imperialism invaded China, and China's social structure gradually evolved from a feudal society to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. From the Opium War to the May Fourth Movement, the Chinese people fought heroic and unyielding struggles against imperialism and feudal rule. The main ones were the Taiping Peasant War and the Revolution of 1911 led by the bourgeoisie, but they all failed one after another. History has proven that neither the Chinese peasant class nor the national bourgeoisie can lead the democratic revolution to victory due to their historical limitations and class limitations.
With the invasion of imperialism and the development of modern industry, the proletariat emerged in China, and it continued to grow. By 1919, the number of industrial workers had grown to about 2 million. The emergence and development of the proletariat laid the class foundation for the establishment of the Communist Party of China. The victory of the Russian October Revolution in 1917 brought Marxism-Leninism to China, allowing China's advanced elements to find the truth about saving the country and the people. The widespread spread of Marxism-Leninism in China laid the ideological foundation for the establishment of the Communist Party of China. The May 4th Movement that broke out in 1919 promoted the combination of Marxism and the Chinese workers' movement, and made ideological and cadre preparations for the establishment of the Communist Party of China.
At the beginning of 1920, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and others began to explore and contemplate the establishment of the party. In April, the Siberian Bureau of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) sent Vyginsky and others to China to learn about China's situation and investigate whether the East Asia Secretariat of the Communist Party of China could be established in Shanghai. They first met with Li Dazhao in Beijing, and were later introduced by Li Dazhao to Shanghai to meet with Chen Duxiu. Comrade Mao Zedong discussed the issue of party building, which promoted the founding of the Communist Party of China. Starting in May, Chen Duxiu invited Li Hanjun, Li Da, Yu Xiusong and others to discuss the issue of party establishment many times. In August, Chen Duxiu established the founding group of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai. In October, Li Dazhao established a communist group in Beijing. Then, communist groups were established in Hunan, Hubei, Shandong, Guangdong and other places. At the same time, communist organizations were also formed in France and Japan by advanced elements among overseas students.
After the establishment of communist groups in various places, they carried out various revolutionary activities. In order to widely spread Marxism-Leninism and unify the ideas of party building, in September 1920, the Shanghai Initiative Group changed the magazine "New Youth" (starting from Volume 8, Issue 1) into the party's public publication; in November of the same year, it founded "**" The monthly magazine "The Communist Party" is secretly published in major cities across the country. This is the first party magazine in the history of the Communist Party of China. New Youth Publishing House has also translated and published Marxist-Leninist classics such as "The Communist Manifesto" and "State and Revolution", as well as a variety of popular pamphlets promoting Marxism. Communist groups in various places have established a number of popular publications for workers. In Shanghai there is "Labor Circle", in Beijing there are "Labor Voice" and "Worker Monthly", in Jinan there is "Jinan Labor Monthly", in Guangzhou there is "Labour" "" etc., to enlighten workers with class consciousness. On this basis, communist groups in various places actively penetrated into the workers' masses, held workers' night schools, and established trade union organizations. Socialist Youth Leagues have also been established in various places and a group of members have been developed. The Youth League has become a powerful assistant and reserve army of the Party.
In March 1921, with the advice and support of the Far East Bureau of the Russian Communist Party and the Communist International, a meeting of representatives of various communist groups was held and an announcement on the purpose of the party was and a declaration of principles, and formulated a provisional program, established the party's working structure and work plan, and expressed the attitude of the party organization towards the Socialist Youth League, trade unions, guilds, cultural and educational groups and the military. This meeting made necessary preparations for the establishment of the party. Shortly after Weijingsky returned to China, in June 1921, the Communist International sent Marin to wait in Shanghai. They suggested convening a National Congress of the Party to formally establish the Communist Party of China. The Shanghai Party's founding group carried out preparatory work for the National Congress under the chairmanship of Li Da, and wrote letters and notices to party organizations in various places, requesting each place to select two representatives to attend the conference. Representatives from Beijing, Hankou, Guangzhou, Changsha, Jinan and Japan all arrived in Shanghai on July 23.
From July 23 to 31, 1921, the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Shanghai. This conference announced the founding of the Communist Party of China.