All-China Women's Federation
Founded on April 3, 1949, the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) is a mass organization united by women from various ethnicities and circles for the further liberation of women. The ACWF acts as a bridge and bond linking the CPC,the government and the masses of women, and one of the most important social pillar of the state power of the country, and the representative of the interests of the trade union members and workers and staff members.
After the establishment of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee set up ministry of women in 1922 to better guide women's movements. Xiang Jingyu was then the minister. With the development of the China's revolution, later on consecutively established Women's Liberation Association, Women's Association for National Salvation and Women's Federation. These organizations and groups had played an active role in the revolution. The First National Congress of Women throughout the country was convened in Beiping (today's Beijing) in March 1949. It is at this congress that the Chinese Democratic Women's Federation was formally established. Its purpose stipulated at the congress is to unite women workers and staff members of all ethnic groups, women farmers and intellectuals, and all patriotic Chinese women supporting socialism and reunification of the motherland with the broad masses of the Chinese people to fight against imperialism, feudalism and capitalism and to strive for the founding of a unified people's republic of China as well as to protect women and children's rights, organize women to vigorously participate in the social construction, achieve women's liberation and promote equality between men and women. The Second National Congress of the Chinese women's federations, held in April 1953, defined the main task of the women's movement: to continually educate and organize women to participate in the construction in industries and agriculture produce, and to bring women's ability into full play. The Third National Congress of the Chinese women's federations held in September 1957, decided to rename the federation as All-China Women's Federation and defined its fundamental principle that women's federation shall build up the country through hard work and frugality and strive for socialist construction.
Its Fourth National Congress held in 1978 after the Cultural Revolution was over, put forward the slogan of four modernization needs women and women need four modernization and the work of federations were back to normal. The fifth congress in 1983 defined the task of the federations. It shall unite women of all ethnic groups from all walks of life, implement and abide by the Constitution and relevant laws to protect the legitimate rights and interests of women and children, care and educate children, bring women's ability into full play in the economic development and spiritual civilization and work hard to make themselves authoritative mass organizations in representing, protecting and educating women and children.
The basic function of the Chinese women's federations stipulated at its sixth congress is to represent and protect women's rights and interests, and to promote equality between men and women. It shall unite and educate women and implement the basic line of the CPC, play an active role in building china into a prosperous, democratic, civilized modern socialist country, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests and promote the liberation of women. And its main tasks are as follows: (1) to unite and mobilize women to participate in economic construction and promote social development; (2) to educate women to improve the qualities in an all-round way and promote more women talents; (3) to represent women to participate in social and political consultation, democratic management and supervision, formulation of law, rules and regulations regarding women and children and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of women and children; (4) to serve women and children by strengthen the ties with all circles of the society and promoting pragmatic and good deeds done for women and children; and (5) to consolidate and expand the great unity of women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life, to promote the modernization drive and the reunification of the motherland; to vigorously develop friendly exchanges with women in foreign countries, and enhance understanding and friendship to safeguard world peace.
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