Celebrating 75 years of the People's Republic with Zhejiang's heritage

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the inaugural session of the "Footprints of the Republic ? Zhejiang Marks – Provincial Revolutionary Cultural Relics Exhibition" is currently being held at the Zhijiang Pavilion of the Zhejiang Museum, and will continue through October 7.

Visitors can view over 200 exhibits that reflect the Zhejiang people's initiatives, bravery, wisdom and endeavor since 1949.

"The first constitution, the first residential community committee and the first private business license were all born in Zhejiang Province," said Zhu Haimin, director of the Zhejiang Institute of Archeology. "All of the footprints made by Zhejiang people have deeply influenced history in modern-day China. The pioneering spirit still encourages Zhejiang people at present."

It was in Hangzhou that the first draft of the constitution of the People's Republic of China was written. In 1953, the central government established a drafting committee comprised of 33 elected officials. From March to September in 1954, the committee held nine meetings and the central government commission had three sessions to solicit opinions from the public in order to improve the constitution.

More than 150 million people participated and offered nearly 1.18 million suggestions and questions until the draft was finalized. Formulated over a period of 77 days by Chairman Mao Zedong and the drafting committee, the document was issued in 1954 and is often referred to as the West Lake Draft.

The committee exchanged letters with central government, and many of these have been preserved. Some of them are in the exhibition.

The 1954 constitution received widespread recognition and respect following its announcement. It was amended in 1988, 1993, 1999 and 2004 to accord with the changing times and guarantee its authority and stability.

After the founding of new China, the central government was looking for a new, better neighborhood organization system, and the residential committee was born in Hangzhou's Shangyangshijie (上羊市街) Community.

On October 23, 1949, residents from Shangyangshijie elected their own committee members, headed by Chen Fulin. The establishment of the Shangyangshijie committee heralded a new chapter in China's civil history. In 2007, it was confirmed as the country's first residents' committee by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Many democratic trials are less-known among young people today, but they did push forward the development of residential community organizations. The exhibition displays the history of Shangyangshijie to let more people know about the Zhejiang people's initiatives in democratic development.

To learn more about the history of China's urban residential committees, readers can visit the China Community Construction Exhibition Center in Hangzhou's Jinchaidai Lane (金釵袋巷), which is the first community museum of its kind in China.

When China launched the reform and opening up policy in the 1970s, major headway was made in Wenzhou in south Zhejiang Province. In 1979, 18-year-old Zhang Huamei registered the first private business license. A replica of the license is on display at the exhibition.

The license, with the serial number 10101, was issued on November 30, 1979. It shows that Zhang owned a grocery at 83 Jiefang Road in Wenzhou.

In the late 1970s, the Wenzhou government set up a commerce bureau and encouraged private enterprises, urging roadside vendors to obtain official licenses to formalize their businesses.

Zhang had a mobile tailor's stall on Jiefang Road. When government officials found her, she was hesitant because she didn't know about the new national policy. Finally, with her father's support, she complied. Today, 64-year-old Zhang still operates a clothing accessory store in Wenzhou. She has been considered an icon of Zhejiang Province's booming private economy over the past decades. In 2019, the central government awarded her the accolade of "preeminent private business worker of modern China."

If you go

Date: Through October 7 (closed on Mondays), 10am-10pm

Address: 3908 Zhijiang Rd

之江路3908號