Lably
Skip to content

Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party

Division of the CCP Central Committee

  • 14 min read
  • 5 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Soviet Union, China and World War II

Lab · Class 8–10India's Freedom StruggleLab · Class 8National Movement

The department was established by the CCP in May 1924, modeled on its counterpart in the Soviet Union. In 1941, the department was put in charge of leading and reviewing newspapers and magazines. It became responsible for implementing CCP policies in literary and artistic work and news work in 1943. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the department assumed a greater role in activities related to mass organizations, including trade unions, artists' associations, and party branches. The department was abolished shortly after the Cultural Revolution, with its powers transferred to the Cultural Revolution Group. In October 1977, after the end of the Cultural Revolution, the department was re-established. In 2018, the department's powers were expanded, with the newly created National Radio and Television Administration placed under its control as part of a series of institutional reforms.

The department exercises direct leadership over the media control system. It is one of the main entities that enforces media censorship and control in the People's Republic of China. The department also engages in propaganda for both domestic and foreign audiences to increase support for the CCP, and is responsible for researching, devising, and disseminating the ideology of the CCP. Additionally, the department monitors and researches public opinion about public support for CCP policies. Its inner operations are highly secretive.

History

Following the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the 1st Party National Congress in 1921, the CCP Central Committee decided to establish the Central Propaganda Department. The department was founded in May 1924. At its establishment, the department was structured using its counterpart in the Soviet Union as a model. The 4th Party National Congress adopted the Resolution on Propaganda Work in 1925, which stipulated that "to make propaganda work perfect and systematic, the Central Committee should have a strong propaganda department to be responsible for all matters and to guide the local propaganda departments to have a close and systematic relationship with it."

In October 1928, the CCP Central Committee required provincial, county and district committees to set up local propaganda departments and that the party branches have officers to be responsible for propaganda work. In 1938, Mao Zedong stated that the department's focus should be publishing textbooks for soldiers and instructional material for cadres. During World War II, the department was assigned leadership and censorship tasks in the areas of theory, opinion, education, and culture as part of the war effort.

On 25 May 1941, the Central Committee adopted the Instructions on Unifying External Propaganda in Various Base Areas, which stipulated that "all external propaganda leadership should be unified under the Propaganda Department" and mandated that the Propaganda Department lead and review newspapers and magazines. The Outline of the Central Propaganda Department on the Party's Propaganda and Mobilization Work adopted on 20 June 1941 stated that "all theories, propositions, education, culture, literature and art, etc., belong to the scope of propaganda and mobilization activities" and "printing, radio and film are powerful tools for propaganda and mobilization." After 1943, the Central Propaganda Department was responsible for implementing the Party's policies in literary and artistic work and news work. In 1946, the Central Propaganda Department put forward requirements for positive propaganda in the Notice on the Propaganda Policy of Broadcasting and Newspapers.

After 1949

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Central Propaganda Department managed cultural and educational work. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the department took on a greater role in activities related to mass organizations, such as trade unions, artists' associations, and party branches. It became an important mechanism for mass line politics. Under the leadership of the Central Propaganda Department, it organized the Central Broadcasting Administration, the Central Publishing Committee, the Central Film Administration and other institutions. In December 1949, the Central Propaganda Department issued an instruction that party newspapers at all levels should not publicly promote themselves as official newspapers of the CCP, nor should they say that they are official newspapers of the government; they should say that they are newspapers of a certain place.

In the autumn of 1962, the Central Propaganda Department began abolishing the Party Committee system in literary and artistic units. Xu Guangxiao implemented this system in the Ministry of Culture. Many units abolished the Party Committee system. In 1962, Yao Wenyuan's article criticizing "Hai Rui Dismissed from Office" was resisted by the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, headed by Peng Zhen, and the Central Propaganda Department, headed by Lu Dingyi. In 1966, Mao Zedong pointed out that the Central Propaganda Department was "the palace of the King of Hell" and that "the King of Hell should be overthrown and the little devils should be liberated." He criticized Peng Zhen, the Central Propaganda Department, and the Beijing Municipal Committee for protecting bad people, suppressing leftists, and not allowing revolution. He also said that if bad people were to be protected again, the Central Propaganda Department, the Beijing Municipal Committee, and the "Five-Person Group" would be dissolved.

Shortly after the Cultural Revolution, the Central Propaganda Department was abolished. According to the May 16 Notice of the Central Committee in May 1966, the Cultural Revolution Group concurrently held its powers. The appendix to the May 16 Notice stated: "The Central Propaganda Department is the palace of the King of Hell", "the King of Hell should be overthrown and the little devils should be liberated", and "the Central Propaganda Department should be dissolved". Lu Dingyi was labeled a "counter-revolutionary." Nine deputy ministers of the Propaganda Department were labeled "traitors," "spies," and "Kuomintang members," respectively. The minister, deputy ministers, and secretary-general of the Propaganda Department were the first to be implicated, referred to as the "Kings of Hell." An enlarged meeting of the Politburo made a "Decision on the Suspension and Removal of Comrades Peng Zhen, Lu Dingyi, Luo Ruiqing, and Yang Shangkun from Their Posts," and issued an "Explanation on the Errors of Comrades Lu Dingyi and Yang Shangkun". Tao Zhu was transferred to serve as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat, concurrently serving as Minister of the Propaganda Department. Deputy Ministers Xu Liqun, Yao Zhen, and Lin Mohan, and Secretary-General Tong Dalin were suspended from their duties for self-reflection.

On June 23, the Cultural Revolution Group of the Propaganda Department, headed by Tao Zhu, was established. In 1967, the department established the Office for the Translation of Chairman Mao's works. At a meeting of all staff members of the Propaganda Department, Tao Zhu announced the "Decision of the Central Committee on Reorganizing the Leadership of the Propaganda Department," and announced the abolition of the original departments and offices, replacing them with four departments and one office: the Department of Mao Zedong Thought Propaganda, the Department of Party Member and Cadre Education, the Department of Cadre Management, the Secretariat, and the Investigation and Research Office. On July 27, 1968, the Central Committee decided to impose military control over the former Central Propaganda Department. It appointed Li Xiao as head of the military control group and Wang Shaoping as deputy head. After the Central Propaganda Department was first smashed as a "palace of the King of Hell", propaganda, publishing and cultural departments at all levels of the Party and government were also "smashed" and then "militarily controlled".

In October 1977, the 11th CCP National Congress approved the "Report on the Establishment of the Central Propaganda Department", reorganized the department, restoring its original functions and powers, and appointed Zhang Pinghua as its head. The directive on the re-establishment of the Central Propaganda Department reveals the structure and organization of the "extremely secretive" body, according to Anne-Marie Brady. The directive states that the department will be set up with one Director and several deputies, and the organizational structure will be set up with one office and five bureaus. The office is responsible for political, secretarial, and administrative work, and the five bureaus are: the Bureau of Theory, the Bureau of Propaganda and Education, the Bureau of Arts and Culture, the Bureau of News, and the Bureau of Publishing. The directive states that the staff will be fixed at around 200 personnel, selected from propaganda personnel across the country in consultation with the Central Organization Department.

New departments and offices were established in 2004 to address the growing demands of information control. The Bureau of Public Opinion is in charge of commissioning public opinion surveys and other relevant research. The department organized networks of cultural workers' associations, which were headed by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. The state incorporated existing cultural enterprises into the state apparatus, which provided stable income and working environments for artists. In 2018, the newly created National Radio and Television Administration was put under its control as part of the plan for deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions.

Sign in to keep reading

4 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Politics and economics

United States CongressBicameral legislature of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesHighest court of jurisdiction in the U.S.World Bank GroupGroup making loans to developing countriesRoyal NavyNaval warfare force of the United KingdomPresident of the United StatesHead of state and governmentGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India (Devanagari: भारत सरकार; IAST: Bhārata Sarakāra; legally, the Unio