6th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

The 6th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in session from 1928 to 1945, during most of the Chinese Civil War, and during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It held seven plenary sessions in this period. It was formally preceded by the 5th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. It was the first central committee to have Mao Zedong as a high-ranking member. It was succeeded by the 7th Central Committee.

It had 23 members and 13 alternate members.

Its first plenary session elected the 6th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in Moscow in 1928, as it would not have been safe to have the session in the Republic of China.

Members

Date: July 18, 1928
Location: Moscow, USSR
Significance: The meeting was held in Moscow, as the 6th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held there concurrently with the 6th Congress of the Comintern. Xiang Zhongfa was elected General Secretary under Li Lisan's influence; a 14-member Politburo and an 8-member Politburo Standing Committee were appointed as well. Qu Qiubai and Zhang Guotao were elected representatives to the Comintern. Mao Zedong was appointed chairman of the Front Committee, and Zhou Enlai head of the Central Organization Department.

Date: June 25–30, 1929
Location: Shanghai
Significance: The meeting adopted several resolutions on international and internal issues, aligning with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Date: September 24–28, 1930
Location: Shanghai
Significance: Li Lisan's "left opportunist line" was repudiated. Mao Zedong was elected to the Politburo. A Central Soviet Bureau was established, replacing the Front Committee.

Date: January 7, 1931
Location: Shanghai
Significance: Wang Ming's line gained the majority, and seizing the cities was proclaimed as the major task of the guerrilla army, against Mao Zedong's idea that the Red Army had to take control the countryside in order to encircle the cities.

Date: January 15–18, 1934
Location: Ruijin
Significance: Wang Ming and the "28 Bolsheviks" continued to hold the leadership, opposing any national alliance against Japan (Wang Ming's line was later branded as "left adventurism"). A "Central Secretariat" was established with Bo Gu, Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai and Xiang Ying as secretaries.

Date: September 29–November 6, 1938
Location: Qiao'ergou Catholic Church, Yan'an
Significance: First meeting held after Mao Zedong was proclaimed leader of the CPC at the Zunyi Conference in 1935, and after the Long March. Mao Zedong delivered a report on the Party's role in the Anti-Japanese War. Several organizational measures were taken. During a closing speech, Mao employed the notable phrase, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun", which he had previously coined in August 1927.

Date: May 21, 1944 – April 20, 1945
Location: Yan'an
Significance: First meeting after 6 years. Although it officially lasted 11 months, it just held 8 meetings. The Secretariat and the Politburo were suspended and replaced by a Presidium of the 7th Plenary Session, with Mao Zedong as chairman and Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Ren Bishi and Zhou Enlai as members. Reports on the Chonqing negotiations and on party urban activity were delivered by Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong. A Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party praising Mao Zedong and repudiating Chen Duxiu, Li Lisan and Wang Ming was adopted. Preparations for the Party's 7th National Congress were made, after 17 years since the previous congress.

^ The 6th National Congress, People's Daily Online.
^ Wu, Nong; Wu, Wei (2020). 陕北革命旧址中的延安桥儿沟天主堂 [Yan’an Qiaoergou Catholic Church in the old site of northern Shaanxi revolution]. Shanxi Architecture (山西建筑). 46 (13): 13–14. doi:10.13719/j.cnki.cn14-1279/tu.2020.13.006.