Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung
April 1, 1969
The Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened in Peking with grandeur on April 1.
Our great leader Chairman Mao Tsetung presided over today's session and made a most important speech.
The Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China is convened at a time when the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution personally initiated and led by Chairman Mao has won great victory. This great revolution has prepared ample conditions for the congress politically, ideologically and organizationally.
Chairman Mao and his close comrade-in-arms Comrade Lin Piao mounted the rostrum at 5 p.m. Prolonged thunderous applause resounded throughout the hall. The delegates cheered most enthusiastically "Long live Chairman Mao!" "A long, long life to Chairman Mao!" "Long live the Communist Party of China!" "Long live the victory of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution!" "Long live invincible Mao Tsetung Thought!"
Mounting the rostrum together with Chairman Mao and Vice-Chairman Lin Piao were Comrades Chou En-lai, Chen Po-ta, Kang Sheng, Tung Pi-wu, Liu Po-cheng, Chu Teh, Chen Yun, Chiang Ching, Chang Chun-chiao and Yao Wenyuan.
Chairman Mao declared the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China open. Then the congress elected its presidium. It unanimously elected Comrade Mao Tsetung chairman of the presidium, Comrade Lin Piao vice-chairman of the presidium and Comrade Chou En-lai secretary-general of the presidium, and decided upon the members of the secretariat of the presidium.
The congress adopted the agenda for the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China:
1. The political report by Comrade Lin Piao on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China;
2. The revision of the Constitution of the Communist Party of China; and
3. The election of the Central Committee of the Party.
The congress then proceeded with the first item on the agenda.
Comrade Lin Piao made the political report to the congress. In accordance with Chairman Mao's theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat, Comrade Lin Piao in his report summed up the basic experience of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, analysed the domestic and international situation and set forth the fighting tasks for the Party. Comrade Lin Piao's report was warmly welcomed by the delegates and punctuated by prolonged applause and cheers.
A total of 1,512 delegates are attending the congress. Among them are proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation in our Party and also a large number of advanced elements from among the Party membership who have come forth in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Previous Party congresses have never seen such great numbers of delegates from the Party membership among the industrial workers in factories, mines and other enterprises and among the poor and lower-middle peasants in people's communes and of women delegates from all fronts. Among the delegates from the Party membership in the People's Liberation Army which has made outstanding contributions in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, there are veteran fighters of the Red Army who have experienced many battles and also new fighters who have performed meritorious deeds in the fight to defend the frontiers of the motherland. The delegates of Party members from among the Red Guards are attending a Party congress for the first time. The delegates to the congress were unanimously chosen by Party organizations at various levels through full democratic consultation and after seeking the opinions of the broad masses, in accordance with the decision of the Enlarged Twelfth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Tempered in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, they are imbued with soaring enthusiasm and strong fighting will, fully demonstrating the unprecedented unity of the great, glorious and correct Communist Party of China achieved on the basis of great Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought and under the guidance of Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line. This signifies that the present congress is a congress full of vitality, a congress of unity and a congress of victory. It will have a far-reaching influence in the history of our Party.
Starting from April 2, the congress will hold group discussions on the political report by Comrade Lin Piao and the draft of the revised Constitution of the Communist Party of China.