The Two Centenaries () is a

political slogan Slogan, Slogans and Catchphrase, catchphrases are used by politicians, political parties, militaries, activists, and protestors to express or encourage particular beliefs or actions. List International usage * Better dead than RedAnti-communi ...

that refers to two 100-year anniversaries and a stated set of economic and political goals advanced by

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

following the 18th National Congress of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP) held in 2012. The Chinese government describes the Two Centenaries as the basic foundation for achieving the "

Chinese Dream The Chinese Dream, also called the China Dream, is a term closely associated with Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China's paramount leader. Xi began promoting the phrase as a slogan during a high-profil ...

Background

The "centenaries" refer to two 100-year anniversaries: # The

centenary A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

of the founding of the CCP in 1921. According to official CCP discourse, a ''Xiaokang'' society will have been achieved at the conclusion of this centenary. While "Xiaokang" – roughly meaning "moderately well-off" – is an abstract theory rooted in

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

and socialist ideology, the party has outlined it in terms of doubling of the 2010 per capita income figures. # The centenary of the

founding of the People's Republic of China The proclamation of the People's Republic of China was made by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on October 1, 1949, in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The government of a n ...

in 2049, at which point, China will have become a "strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and modern socialist country" according to the ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

''.人民日報-兩個一百年

History of the slogan

The concept was first articulated at the 15th Party Congress held in 1997 during the term of then General Secretary

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...

. Apart from occasional pronouncements in party publications, this concept was not widely discussed again until Xi assumed the party leadership in 2012. Since then, it has become a major part of party slogans, recited in news reports, at conferences, and training sessions for party officials. According to academic Ding Lu, the "so-called Two Centenary Goals underwrite all China’s long-term economic planning programs and contemporary macroeconomic policy agendas."

Celebratory events

100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (2021)

A ceremony which marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP (), or the Centennial of the Chinese Communist Party (Chinese: 中国共产党成立一百周年), took place on 1 July 2021. CCP general secretary Xi Jinping delivered a speech in which he specifically announced the realization of the first goal of the Two Centenaries. "The Great Journey," an art performance, was also held in prior in the

Beijing National Stadium The National Stadium (), the Bird's Nest (), is a stadium at Olympic Green in Chaoyang, Beijing, Chaoyang, Beijing, China. The National Stadium, covering an area of 204,000 square meters with an 80,000 person capacity (91,000 with temporary ...

to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on 28 June. It was later broadcast by

China Media Group China Media Group () also known as Voice of China, is the predominant state media company by means of radio and television broadcasting in the People's Republic of China. It was founded on 21 March 2018, as a fusion of all state-holding med ...

on the evening of 1 July 2021.

100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (2049)

The 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (), or the Centennial of the People's Republic of China (Chinese: 中华人民共和国成立一百周年) is expected to fall on 1 October 2049, the

National Day of the People's Republic of China National Day ( zh, s=国庆节, t=, p=guóqìng jié, l=national celebration day, links=yes), officially the National Day of the People's Republic of China (), is a public holiday in China celebrated annually on 1 October as the national da ...

Responses

A columnist for '' The Diplomat'' suggested that Xi's emphasis on these goals gives objective evaluation criteria for the performance of the CCP and that achieving these goals will be a major test to the legitimacy of CCP rule in the country.

References

{{Xi Jinping 2012 in China 2021 in China Jubilees Regional centennial anniversaries Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party People's Republic of China Xi Jinping