Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto and his ideas, better known as Marxism, had a great influence on the founding of the People's Republic of China, and its governing body. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth and the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. CGTN Chuck Tin-te explores the application of Marxism in China's development.

In the year 1927, Mao Zedong, a senior leader of the Communist Party of China, led the red army into Jinggangshan, in southwest Jiangxi province. He chose the area as the starting point to influence China's rural people. At that time, nearly 85% of the Chinese population were peasants. Mao recognized the importance for the government to mobilize these people. And the key to their mobilization was fulfilling their demands to own land and property.

XIA LU, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SCHOOL OF MARXISM STUDIES, RENMIN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA "In this phase, we can see the clear difference between the Chinese revolution and the Russian revolution. We can see the signification of Marxism, because classical Marxism, or we can say the doctrine of classical Marxism, focuses more on the urban area, focuses more on the urban riot. However, in China, we see the key to the success of the Chinese revolution is the peasant revolution."

The period from 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, to 1978 is regarded as the socialist construction period in the country. At the outset, China's Communist Party didn't have enough experience to run the national economy. So the new government simply followed the Soviet Union's model, but with the priority on upgrading people's living standards.

XIA LU, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SCHOOL OF MARXISM STUDIES, RENMIN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA "The first contribution of Chairman Mao was in 1956 to shift the focus from heavy industry to light industry to balance the relationship between heavy, light and agriculture. And the second contribution of Chairman Mao in 1956 was to focus more on the max. Because Soviet Union national development focused more on the intellectuals, expertise and those intelligent, professors and engineers. However in China, especially in 1957, Chairman Mao said we should focus more on Chinese people, we should focus on the mass. So we mobilize the mass."

Since 1978 when China pursued a "reform and opening-up" policy, the Communist Party of China continued sticking to the Marxist theory, with more efforts on exploring a new way of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since then, China has made greater efforts to develop the economy in accordance with its real conditions.

XIA LU, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SCHOOL OF MARXISM STUDIES, RENMIN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA "From the reform period until now, the most critical contribution of the Chinese Communist Party to Marxism, is the founding or is the creation of President Xi thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in New Era. This is the combination of the previous practical and theoretical contribution to Marxism. That is to stick to the principle of Marxism, however, while still focusing on the Chinese situation."

Two centuries on, despite huge and profound societal changes, Karl Marx is still respected all over the world. President Xi said, in the new era, Chinese Communists still need to learn from Marx, and to study and practice Marxism to keep the great ship of national rejuvenation sailing in the right direction. Chuck Tin-te, CGTN, BEIJING.