New Three Principles of the People

For the original interpretation, see Three Principles of the People.

Sun Yat-sen tribute in Tiananmen Square in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes, 2021

The New Three Principles of the People (Chinese: 新三民主义; pinyin: Xīn Sānmín Zhǔyì) refers to a reinterpretation of Sun Yat-sen's "Principles of the Kuomintang" (as outlined in the Declaration of the First National Congress of the Chinese Kuomintang) by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Mao Zedong. This concept was introduced to distinguish the revolutionary theory of the First United Front period from the original "Three Principles of the People" prior to the Northern Expedition. However, high-ranking officials of the Kuomintang (KMT), including Chiang Kai-shek, explicitly opposed the division of the Three Principles into "Old" and "New" versions.

According to the CCP's interpretation of Sun Yat-sen's speech during the congress, the specific content of the New Three Principles of the People consists of:

1. Nationalism (Minzu): A united nationalism that opposes imperialism, feudalism, and warlord interference, seeking the complete liberation of the nation through the Northern Expedition.
2. Democracy (Mianquan): An advanced form of democracy that utilizes the experience and assistance of the October Revolution to establish a National Revolutionary Army. Through the "Three Great Policies" (Alliance with Russia, alliance with the CCP, and support for workers and peasants), it aimed to sweep away warlords, establish constitutionalism, and pursue equality for all classes, ensuring that the right to vote is not monopolized by the bourgeoisie.
3. Livelihood (Minsheng): The establishment of socialism by supporting the working class and peasantry. This involves the equalization of land rights , regulation of capital, and the "Land to the Tiller" program, alongside the creation of state-owned enterprises to elevate the status of workers and peasants in political participation.

The CCP argues that the New Three Principles were a reinterpretation based on the "Three Great Policies" (Alliance with the Soviet Union, Alliance with the CCP, and Assistance to Peasants and Workers) established by Sun Yat-sen in collaboration with Soviet envoy Mikhail Borodin. In his 1940 work On New Democracy, Mao Zedong stated: "Sun Yat-sen reinterpreted the Three Principles of the People in the Manifesto of the First National Congress of the Kuomintang in January 1924... the Three Principles of the People in the new period of revolution are the Three Principles of the Three Great Policies." The CCP considers the New Three Principles as the fundamental basis for the KMT-CCP cooperation. In his book China's Destiny (中國之命運), Chiang Kai-shek refuted the CCP's division of the Principles into "Old" and "New."