On March 25, 1949, Mao Zedong (1893–1976) led the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to settle in Xiangshan, or Fragrant Hills, in the western suburb of Beiping (now Beijing). This made Xiangshan the headquarters of the CPC in leading China's War of Liberation (1946–1949) to national victory.

On September 12, 2019, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, visited the revolutionary memorial sites at the foot of Xiangshan, where he delivered an important speech, deeply elucidating the revolutionary spirit of Xiangshan, including the ethos of "carrying the revolution through to the end," the principle of "building the Party for the public and governing for the people," and the virtues of "being humble and cautious, not arrogant or impatient, and striving diligently."

'Establishing and building a new China'

In March 1949, at the second plenary session of the Seventh CPC Central Committee held on the eve of the CPC Central Committee's entry into Xiangshan, Mao Zedong boldly stated that the CPC will be not only capable of dismantling the old world but also of building a new one. 

On April 21, 1949, Mao Zedong and Zhu De (1986–1976) issued an order to advance across the entire country, calling for the resolute, thorough, clean and complete elimination of all reactionary elements of the Kuomintang who dared to resist within China, the liberation of the entire populace, and the safeguarding of China's territorial sovereignty, integrity and independence.

By the end of September 1949, the Chinese mainland had been liberated, except for some areas such as southwest China, and Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces.

During their time in Xiangshan, the CPC Central Committee prepared to convene the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and resolved to achieve the strategic task of "establishing and building a new China" proposed at the second plenary session of the Seventh CPC Central Committee.