The Central Party School of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee (CCPS), established in 1933 in Ruijin, Jiangxi and now located in Beijing’s western suburbs, is the most important institution in China’s midcareer official training system. It is China’s premier facility and educational institution for the training of medium and high-ranking Communist Party of China (CPC) cadre from across the country including ministers, provincial Party chiefs and governors. Between 1977 and 2010, over 60,000 officials (including some who are not CPC members) were trained at the CCPS. The CCPS assists cadre from across the country and different ministries and Party organizations to form new and closer relationships, take time from their busy schedules to learn from past experiences, and functions as a policy think-tank and a theoretical research institute for the Politburo Standing Committee, the CPC’s highest policymaking body. Top CPC leaders have always served as CCPS presidents, including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Hua Guofeng, Hu Jintao, Zeng Qinghong and now Xi Jinping.

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