Between its own founding in 1921 and the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party organized various children movements in communist-held areas, including the Laboring Scouts during the First Chinese Revolutionary Civil War, the Communist Children's Corps during the War of Land Revolution, which is also called the Second Chinese Revolutionary Civil War, and the Children's Corps during the anti-Japanese War and the Liberation War.

The emblem consists of the star, the torch, and a banner reading "Young Pioneers of China".

The Chinese Children's Brigade, which is now called the Young Pioneers of China, was created on October 13, 1949 by the Communist Party of China, and given its present name in June 1953.

The Young Pioneers of China held a series of activities during the 1950s and 1960s. They organized children to visit factories, meet revolutionary veterans/heroes during wartime as well as labor models, scientists and writers, pay their respects to sacrificed soldiers and console their families, participate in marching exercises, go on picnics, play military games, hold oral story competitions and poetry recitation competitions, set up interest groups, little libraries and weather stations and create "red scarf" chorus clubs.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the Young Pioneers movement went defunct. The Little Red Guards replaced them. They were the younger counterparts of the Red Guards, the implementers of the Cultural Revolution.

The Young Pioneers movement restarted in October 1978.

In 1983 Deng Xiaoping called for education being oriented for modernization, the world and the future. The Young Pioneers of China accordingly set up their goals along these directives. They began facing the new century and becoming the new masters of the country.

After the 1990s, the Young Pioneers of China participated in more and more activities that foster good moral values and healthy personalities.

(China.org.cn, 17thcongress.org.cn October 13, 2007)