Proclamation of the Central People’s Government of the PRC
(October 1, 1949)

Source: RMRB (Oct. 2, 1949), 1. Other Chinese Text: XHYB, I:1(Nov. 15,
1949), 3. Available English Translation: K. Fan (1972), pp. 79-81.

The people throughout China have been plunged into bitter suffering and
tribulations since the Chiang Kai-shek Kuomintang reactionary government
betrayed the fatherland, colluded with imperialists, and launched the counterrevolutionary war. Fortunately, our People’s Liberation Army, backed by the
whole nation, has been fighting heroically and selflessly to defend the territorial sovereignty of our homeland, to protect the people’s lives and property, to
relieve the people of their sufferings, and to struggle for their rights, and it
eventually wiped out the reactionary troops and overthrew the reactionary rule
of the Nationalist government. Now the People’s War of Liberation has been
basically won, and the majority of the people in the country have been liberated. On this foundation, the first session of the Chinese People’s Political
Consultative Conference, composed of delegates of all the democratic parties' and people’s organizations of China,’ the People’s Liberation Army, the
various regions and nationalities of the country, and the overseas Chinese and
other patriotic elements, has been convened. Representing the will of the
whole nation, [this session of the conference] has enacted the organic law of
the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China, elected
Mao Zedong as chairman of the Central People’s Government; and Zhu De,
Liu Shaoqi, Song Qingling, Li Jishen, Zhang Lan, and Gao Gang as vice-chairmen [of the Central People’s Government]; and Chen Yi, He Long, Li
Lisan, Lin Boqu, Ye Jianying, He Xiangning, Lin Biao, Peng Dehuai, Liu
Bocheng, Wu Yuzhang, Xu Xiangqian, Peng Zhen, Bo Yibo, Nie Rongzhen,
Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, Seypidin, Rao Shushi, Tan Kah-kee [Chen Jiageng],
Luo Ronghuan, Deng Zihui, Ulanhu, Xu Deli, Cai Chang, Liu Geping, Ma
Yinchu, Chen Yun, Kang Sheng, Lin Feng, Ma Xulun, Guo Moruo, Zhang
Yunyi, Deng Xiaoping, Gao Chongmin, Shen Junru, Shen Yanbing, Chen
Shutong, Szeto Mei-tong [Situ Meitang], Li Xijiu, Huang Yanpei, Cai Ting-kai, Xi Zhongxun, Peng Zemin, Zhang Zhizhong, Fu Zuoyi, Li Zhuchen, Li
Zhangda, Zhang Bojun, Cheng Qian, Zhang Xiruo, Chen Mingshu, Tan Ping-shan, Zhang Nanxian, Liu Yazi, Zhang Dongsun, and Long Yun as council
members to form the Central People’s Government Council, proclaimed the
founding of the People’s Republic of China and decided on Beijing as the capital of the People’s Republic of China. The Central People’s Government
Council of the People’s Republic of China took office today in the capital and

unanimously made the following decisions: to proclaim the establishment of
the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China; to adopt
the Common Program’ of the Chinese People s Political Consultative Conference as the policy of the government; to elect Lin Boqu from among the council members as secretary general of the Central People’s Government Council;
to appoint Zhou Enlai as premier of the Government Administration Council
of the Central People’s Government and concurrently minister of Foreign
Affairs, Mao Zedong as chairman of the People’s Revolutionary Military
Commission of the Central People’s Government, Zhu De as commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army, Shen Junru as president of the
Supreme People’s Court of the Central People’s Government, and Luo Rong-huan as procurator general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the Central People’s Government, and to charge them with the task of the speedy formation of the various organs of the government to carry out the work of the
government. At the same time, the Central People’s Government Council
decided to declare to the governments of all other countries that this government is the sole legal government representing all the people of the People’s
Republic of China. This government is willing to establish diplomatic relations with any foreign government that is willing to observe the principles of
equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Mao Zedong

Chairman

The Central People’s Government

The People’s Republic of China

## Notes

[1] See text Sept. 21, 1949, source note and note 1.

[2] The “people’s organizations” represented at the CPPCC included the All-China Federation
of Trade Unions, the Federation of Literary and Artistic Circles, various peasant organizations in
the liberated areas, women’s organizations, youth and student organizations, trade federations,
educators’ associations, scientists’ and social scientists’ associations, journalistic associations,
Minority nationalities representative organizations, religious organizations, overseas Chinese representatives, and so-called federations of liberal professionals. Altogether sixteen such organizations were represented.

[3] See text Sept. 21, 1949, note 3.