The System of People's Congresses
From the advent of the modern era in the mid-19th century, the Chinese nation had faced a historic question as to what kind of political system to choose for the country. The Chinese people constantly sought the answer to this question.
Following the First Opium War in 1840, China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. In order to save the nation and realize national rejuvenation, the people worked diligently on various political models in search of the one best suited to China's prevailing realities. Before the Revolution of 1911, there had been several national movements, for example the Taiping Revolution, the Westernization Movement, the Hundred Days' Reform, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Late Qing Reform, all of which had ended in failure. Following the Revolution of 1911, China had tried several Western political models, including constitutional monarchy, restoration of the monarchy, the parliamentary system, the multi-party system, and a presidential system, with various political powers and their representatives coming onto the stage one after another. However, none of these were successful.
History proved that, if not shaking the old social foundation, the self-improvement movements, reformist attempts, peasant wars of the old type, democratic revolutions led by the bourgeoisie, and copying Western political models had all failed to fulfill the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal mission of saving the country from subjugation, to stabilize China's political and social scene, let alone to provide institutional guarantee to national prosperity and people's wellbeing.
Since its founding, the CPC had taken it as its mission to make the Chinese people masters of the country and to realize national rejuvenation. It waged an arduous struggle for this purpose, and in the end toppled imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, and founded a new state where the ordinary Chinese became masters of the state and society.
Upholding people's democracy has remained a basic principle of the CPC. The Party always respects the people's principal role and works to ensure their rights to run the country. The Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which was adopted on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic and functioned as China's interim constitution, explicitly stipulated that the new state would practice the system of people's congresses.
In September 1954, the First Session of the First National People's Congress (NPC) held in Beijing passed the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which prescribed: "All power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people, and the National People's Congress and the local people's congresses at various levels are the organs through which the people exercise state power." This marked the establishment of the system of people's congresses as the fundamental political system of the PRC.
The system of people's congresses ensures the CPC's leadership, the people's role as masters, and law-based governance. Democratic centralism is the organizational form of the government and a basic principle for state activities. In China, people's congresses exercise state power, with the NPC being the highest organ of state power and the local people's congresses being local organs of state power. The people exercise state power through these organs. The people's congresses at all levels are formed through democratic elections, and they are responsible to the people and subject to their oversight. The administrative, judicial and procuratorial organs are elected or appointed by people's congresses, responsible to them and subject to their oversight. The government bodies exercise decision-making, executive and oversight powers in concert with rational division of functions. Under the unified leadership by the central authorities, the localities are fully motivated to make efficient progress in all work of the state.
As an important component of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the system of people's congresses supports China's state governance system and capacity. It was a unique creation in the history of human political institutions, a conclusion of the reflections on China's bitter political memories in modern times, an outcome of over 100 years of chaos and radical changes in Chinese society, and a natural choice of the Chinese people after becoming masters of their own fates.
Since its adoption, the system has been consolidated, developed and invigorated. It has proved to be the system best suited to China's conditions and its nature as a socialist country, and a system that ensures the people's status as masters and guarantees China's rejuvenation.
人民代表大会制度
在中国建立什么样的政治制度，是近代以后中国人民面临的一个历史性课题。为解决这一历史性课题，中国人民进行了艰辛探索。1840年鸦片战争后，中国逐步成为半殖民地半封建社会。为了挽救民族危亡、实现民族振兴，中国人民和无数仁人志士孜孜不倦寻找着适合国情的政治制度模式。辛亥革命之前，太平天国运动、洋务运动、戊戌变法、义和团运动、清末新政等都未能取得成功。辛亥革命之后，中国尝试过君主立宪制、帝制复辟、议会制、多党制、总统制等各种形式，各种政治势力及其代表人物纷纷登场，都没能找到正确答案。事实证明，不触动旧的社会根基的自强运动，各种名目的改良主义，旧式农民战争，资产阶级革命派领导的民主主义革命，照搬西方政治制度模式的各种方案，都不能完成中华民族救亡图存和反帝反封建的历史任务，都不能让中国的政局和社会稳定下来，也都谈不上为中国实现国家富强、人民幸福提供制度保障。
中国共产党自成立之日起，就以实现中国人民当家作主和中华民族伟大复兴为己任，进行艰苦卓绝的革命斗争，终于彻底推翻了帝国主义、封建主义、官僚资本主义三座大山，建立了人民当家作主的新中国，亿万中国人民从此成为国家和社会的主人。人民民主是中国共产党始终高举的旗帜。尊重人民主体地位，保证人民当家作主，是中国共产党的一贯主张。1949年9月，具有临时宪法地位的《中国人民政治协商会议共同纲领》庄严宣告，新中国实行人民代表大会制度。1954年9月，第一届全国人民代表大会通过的《中华人民共和国宪法》明确规定：中华人民共和国的一切权力属于人民。人民行使权力的机关是全国人民代表大会和地方各级人民代表大会。从此建立起中华人民共和国的根本政治制度——人民代表大会制度。
人民代表大会制度是坚持中国共产党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一的根本政治制度安排。民主集中制是中国国家组织形式和活动方式的基本原则。在中国，人民代表大会统一行使国家权力，全国人民代表大会是最高国家权力机关，地方各级人民代表大会是地方国家权力机关。人民通过人民代表大会行使国家权力；各级人民代表大会都由民主选举产生，对人民负责、受人民监督；各级国家行政机关、审判机关、检察机关都由人民代表大会产生，对人大负责、受人大监督；国家机关实行决策权、执行权、监督权既有合理分工又有相互协调；在中央统一领导下，充分发挥地方主动性和积极性，保证国家统一高效组织推进各项事业。
人民代表大会制度是中国特色社会主义制度的重要组成部分，也是支撑中国国家治理体系和治理能力的根本政治制度。在中国实行人民代表大会制度，是中国人民在人类政治制度史上的伟大创造，是深刻总结近代以后中国政治生活惨痛教训得出的基本结论，是中国社会100多年激越变革、激荡发展的历史结果，是中国人民翻身作主、掌握自己命运的必然选择。60多年来，人民代表大会制度不断得到巩固和发展，展现出蓬勃生机活力。实践充分证明，这一新型政治制度是符合中国国情和实际、体现社会主义国家性质、保证人民当家作主、保障实现中华民族伟大复兴的好制度。
