To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, in collaboration with State Council Information Office of China, has launched an online photo exhibition (Click here) featuring the Centennial History of the CPC on Friday, June 25.

Here is translation of Consul General Zhang Ping's remarks on the launch of the photo exhibition:

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the past one hundred years, the CPC has endured great hardship in its pioneer cause and undertaken a magnificent historical journey. In the century long strive, the CPC remained firmly committed to its aspiration and forged ahead relentlessly, which accomplished today's glory.  

To celebrate the CPC 100th anniversary, we launch this photo exhibition featuring the Centennial History of the Communist Party of China. We hope this exhibition will help to promote the public understanding of the CPC.

One hundred years ago, against the backdrop of the Chinese nation being embroiled in domestic turmoil and external threats; amid the fierce struggle of the Chinese people fighting against feudal rule and foreign aggression, and along with the integration of Marxism with the Chinese workers' movement, the CPC was born.

The founding of the CPC profoundly changed the course of the history of the Chinese nation in modern times, the fate and future of the Chinese people and nation, and the direction and pattern of world development.

From the date of its birth, the CPC set its aspiration and mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. By uniting and leading the Chinese people and through painful struggle,it founded the People's Republic of China.

In pursuit of nation's independence and people's liberation and in order to defend and build the new China, countless revolutionary forefathers and martyrs pressed ahead against the odds and made tremendous sacrifice for the country and nation. They made great contributions and forged great spirits.

Since the founding of new China, the Chinese people, working hard with one heart and one mind under the leadership of the CPC, completed the broadest and most profound social transformation in the history of the Chinese nation, embarked on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, created economic and social development miracles with remarkable achievements.

China has made great strides in its economic, science-tech, overall national strength and people's living standard, garnered the magnificent historical achievements in fully building prosperous society. The Chinese nation has realized a leap forward whereby the Chinese people have gone from regaining dignity to becoming prosperous and strong, allowing our nation to embrace bright prospects for its great renewal. The socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China.

The people are the creators of history; they are the fundamental force that determines the future of our Party and the country. The CPC upholds its value of committing to a people-centered approach, observes the fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, regard as our goal the people's aspirations to live a better life, to ensure that realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental interests of the people as the starting point and ultimate goal of all initiative.

Putting people's safety and health first, the CPC and Chinese Government have led an all-out fight against COVID-19 epidemic, making a major strategic achievement in fighting the virus.

After years of efforts, we have eliminated absolute poverty, and lifted nearly 100 million people out of poverty, creating  a miracle in humanity's anti-poverty history.

We have established the world's largest social security network, covering 1.4 billion population, which has given people a much stronger sense of gain, happiness and security.

China needs to understand the world, and the world needs to understand China. To understand China, one needs first to understand the CPC, understand China's political system and its development path.

The CPC is the choice of history and of the people, and has won whole-hearted endorsement by the Chinese people. China adheres to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is a path that has been proved in practice a right path suited to China's specific conditions. China upholds the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. This is the fundamental institutional guarantee for the development and progress of contemporary China.

The ultimate purpose of China's development is to achieve the goal of national rejuvenation and ensure a better life for all Chinese people. China will not impose its own systems and values on other countries. It has no intention to interfere in other countries' political systems, nor has the desire to export its own development model. China actively advocates building a community with a shared future for mankind, and stays committed to the path of peaceful development. China will not hit the beaten path that "a growing power is bound to seek hegemony".

To understand China, one needs to abandon ideological bias, stay truthful and objective, and stand by justice and conscience. In the 1930s, American journalists Edgar Snow, Anna Louise Strong and Agnes Smedley and others visited Yan'an in northern Shaanxi Province, and made objective reporting of the CPC and the Chinese revolution to the world.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Kissinger's secret trip to China. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of President Nixon's "ice- breaking" visit to China. The most important thing that we learned from decades of China-U.S. interactions is that, although the two countries have different social systems, ideologies, and values, they share extensive and important common interests. The two sides can rise above differences and seek ways of cooperation. Under the new historical conditions, China and the US should uphold the spirit of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and try hard to explore a way of peaceful co-existence between two major countries with different social systems.

Sub-national cooperation constitutes an important part of China-U.S. relations. People-to-people exchanges are the inexhaustible driving force for the development of our bilateral relations. Over the years, with the joint efforts of both sides, we have maintained close ties with all the US states in our consular district. Exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have achieved fruitful results.

The Consulate General looks forward to working with our friends of all walks of life, to further expand China-U.S. sub-national exchanges and cooperation, deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and promote a sound and steady development of China-US relations. I wish to express my sincere thanks to all the friends of different walks of life as well as the Chinese community for their long-term care and support to China-U.S. relations and sub-national exchanges and cooperation.

The centenary is just right in its prime, and the only way to achieve greater success is to strive. We firmly believe that under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people will continue to write a more glorious chapter in the journey to build a modern socialist country and to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

A growing and stronger China will make new and greater contributions to the world peace, development and the cause of human progress.