关键词: 中国共产党, 大党, 独有难题, 观念, 党的建设

Abstract: What is a “large party”? Clarifying this question is not only an important entry point for observing the course of the Communist Party of Chinas own development, but also a fundamental prerequisite for answering well the historical question of how to address the unique challenges faced by a large party. The “largeness” of a large party is manifested not merely in the scale of its organization and the size of its membership, but still more in such intrinsic qualities as firmness of political character, loftiness of ideological vision, breadth of perspective and mind, weightiness of historical responsibility, and farreaching global influence. Since its founding, the Partys understanding of its own position as a “large party” has not been achieved at a single stroke; rather, through longterm practice, it has gradually deepened into an understanding of the multiple political, organizational, and ideological elements that a “large party” should possess. Through the cognitive evolution from “a large party of the masses” to “a large political party of the Chinese proletariat”, “a nationwide large party”, “a large party governing a large country”, and “the worlds largest governing party”, the conception of the “large party” has been given scientific shape. Tracing the emergence and evolution of the Partys conception of a “large party”, and revealing the intellectual course by which the Party has come to understand “what a large party is” and “how a large party is to be built”, together with its historical significance, helps us grasp profoundly the inherent laws governing the building and development of Marxist political parties, and thereby provides intellectual support for effectively resolving the unique challenges faced by a large party.

Key words: the Communist Party of China, large party, unique challenges, conception, Party building