•
1st Plenary Session • Date: August 18, 1977 • Location:
Beijing • Significance:
Hua Guofeng was appointed Chairman of the CCP Central Committee, with
Ye Jianying,
Deng Xiaoping,
Li Xiannian and
Wang Dongxing as vice-chairmen. Hua was also appointed Chairman of the
CCP Central Military Commission. 32-member
Politburo (the largest ever), five-member
Politburo Standing Committee and other central organs were elected. •
2nd Plenary Session • Date: February 18–23, 1978 • Location: Beijing • Significance: The agenda was the preparation of the
5th National People's Congress and the 5th National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The
1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China, reports to the NPC, nominees for top State posts and the new lyrics of the National Anthem praising
Mao Zedong were approved. •
3rd Plenary Session • Date: December 18–22, 1978 • Location: Beijing • Significance: Official criticism of the
Cultural Revolution started, and a new economic program aiming to
economic reforms was approved. Hua Guofeng renounced to his "
Two Whatevers", and he was criticized for promoting
personality cult.
Chen Yun was appointed additional vice-chairman and Standing Committee member, and also head of the re-created
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. This session is considered the beginning of Deng Xiaoping's paramount leadership. •
4th Plenary Session • Date: September 25–28, 1979 • Location: Beijing • Significance: Preparations were made for the 30th anniversary of the
People's Republic of China. A
Decision of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party On the Question of Speeding Up Agricultural Development was adopted.
Peng Zhen, one of the top officials purged during the Cultural Revolution, was elected to the Politburo. •
5th Plenary Session • Date: February 23–29, 1980 • Location: Beijing • Significance:
Code of Conduct for Intraparty Political Life was adopted.
Liu Shaoqi was completely rehabilitated. The
Secretariat of the CCP Central Committee was re-established with
Hu Yaobang as
General Secretary. Former Maoists including
Wu De and
Chen Xilian resigned. Article 45 of the State Constitution was amended by removing the citizens' right to
"speak out freely, air their views fully, hold great debates and write dazibao". The decision to convene the 12th Party Congress was adopted. •
6th Plenary Session • Date: June 27–29, 1981 • Location: Beijing • Significance: The ''
Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People's Republic of China'' was adopted, completely denouncing the Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong's theory of continuing revolution under proletarian dictatorship. Hua Guofeng resigned (though he was re-elected a junior vice-chairman), replaced by Hu Yaobang as Chairman of the Central Committee and Deng Xiaoping as Chairman of the Central Military Commission. •
7th Plenary Session • Date: August 6, 1982 • Location: Beijing • Significance: Preparations were made for the 12th Party Congress. ==Notes==