In the heart of Shanghai’s bustling Xintiandi district, tucked away within the grey-brick walls of a traditional shikumen house, lies the epicenter of a political earthquake that reshaped the global political map.

This is the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a site often described as the place where the fate of China was sealed and the shape of the world was envisioned.

Recently, a delegation of journalists from Dhaka, visiting at the invitation of the Chinese government, joined thousands of international and domestic tourists to walk the halls of this historic landmark. What they found was a meticulously preserved bridge between China’s turbulent past and its superpower present.

A Secret Gathering in the French Concession

The story begins on July 23, 1921. At the time, the location at 106 Rue Wantz (now 76 Xingye Road) sat within the French Concession, offering a layer of precarious colonial protection from local warlords.

Thirteen delegates, including a young Mao Zedong and Dong Biwu, representing just over 50 early members, gathered in a modest living room. They were joined by two Comintern representatives, Maring and Nikolski. Together, they held six sessions in secrecy until the threat of a police raid on July 30 forced them to flee.

The final act of this historic drama didn’t even happen on land. The delegates moved their seventh and final session to a tourist boat on South Lake (Nanhu) in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, where the party’s first program and resolutions were officially passed.

The Architecture of History: The Memorial Hall

Today, the site has evolved into a massive, state-of-the-art complex. The newly expanded memorial hall, inaugurated on June 3, 2021, spans approximately 9,600 square meters.

The facility is divided into several specialized zones:

The Original Site: The restored shikumen house where the first six meetings occurred.

The New Exhibition Hall: A 3,700-square-meter space housing the permanent exhibition titled The Great Beginning: The Founding of the Communist Party of China.

The Oath Hall and Lecture Hall: Spaces dedicated to party ceremonies and educational discourse.

A Seven-Part Journey through Time

The main exhibition is structured into seven distinct chapters, guiding visitors through the socio-political evolution of China:

National Survival: The struggle against colonial and internal pressures.

Public Awakening: The rise of intellectualism and interest in Marxism.

Early Group Expansion: The rapid growth of local communist cells.

The Birth of the CPC: The specifics of the July 1921 Congress.

The Glorious Path: The journey from 1921 to the present.

Conclusion: A summary of the party's impact on global history.

Legacy and Global Impact

The Congress was not merely a meeting; it was the formal birth of the CPC. The Program and Proposals passed during those few days established the party’s central leadership and its long-term vision.

Recognized by the State Council in 1961 as a protected historical site, the memorial now serves as a red tourism magnet.

For the visiting Bangladeshi journalists, the hall offered a vivid look at the party’s original aspiration, a reminder that the modern skyline of Shanghai and Chinas economic prowess began in a quiet, 18-square-meter room over a century ago.

One visitor noted that this is where the history of China was written and that seeing the original documents and the sequence of how they reached today's position is to understand the soul of modern China.