National Chinese Core Journals
Chinese Core Journals in Humanities and Social Sciences
100 Key Journals of the 3rd China National Periodical Award
Founded in 1983, Mao Zedong Thought Study is mainly organized by Sichuan Provincial Academy of Social Sciences while the other organizers include Social Sciences Federation of Sichuan Province. The magazine is currently China's first and the unique large academic journal for the publication of research on and advocacy of Mao Zedong Thought. Originally published a quarterly periodical, the Journal has been published bimonthly since 1997. Its purpose: through combining theory, history and reality, the Journal conducts the study and advocacy of Mao Zedong Thought, with the focus on the new development of Mao Zedong Thought Study (Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Important Thought of the “Three Represents”) since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC.
The Journal has readers across China, of whom 80% of such subscribers are outside Sichuan Province. With the development of international academic exchanges, overseas readers of the Journal also are increasing. Having fully taken into account its nature and target readers, the magazine establishes such work guidelines as “based in Sichuan, facing China and going globally”. Accordingly, the Journal has established and developed ties with relevant Central Party’s and governmental departments and institutions (e.g. Party Literature Research Centre of the CPC Central Committee, Party History Research Center of the CPC Central Committee, Party School of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, etc.) and related research, teaching and publicity units either nationwide or in the army system (especially those Mao Zedong Thought research bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Hunan, Hubei, Shandong, Jilin as well as seven centers for the study of Deng Xiaoping Theory in the country). Besides applying care and support from these above partners, the Journal also carries out a number of academic contacts and exchanges with foreign counterparts, so as to make itself be more vigorous through the implementation of open-minded operation.
Due to the adherence to the above purpose and guidelines, the Journal thus received concern and help from many revolutionary predecessors and famous experts. One renowned expert on Mao Zedong Thought, the former secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, Comrade Yang Chao contributed enormous care for the Journal. Exactly under his initiative and guidance, the magazine was incepted, and Comrade Yang personally served as the chief editor for the first session. In addition, Xing Bensi (former Central Party School Vice-President, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor), Shao Huaze (Chairman of All-China Journalists' Association), Jiang Siyi (Lieutenant General and Researcher form the Academy of Military Sciences) and other famous experts and scholars in China were gladly hired as the editors of the Journal, which also won trust and praise from readers. Tao Wuxian(former Chairman of Sichuan Peoples Consultative Congress) is currently the Honorary Chair of the editorial board. Over the years, the Journal has set up a batch of influential characteristic columns, such as research on Mao Zedong Thought from various areas, study on the elder generation of Proletarian Revolutionists, history exploration, exploration and free views, Deng Xiaoping Theory Study, promotion of the spirit and guidelines of the Long March, Party history and construction research, ideological and political studies, academic trends, book review and so forth. Moreover, required by continuous development of the situation, the Journal has successively created some new columns, such as the study and implementation of the spirit of the 18th CPC National Congress, contemporary ideological and political studies, etc.
The Journal was awarded for three consecutive times as one of National Chinese Core Journals, as well as Chinese Core Journals in Humanities and Social Sciences, and ranked the first place among periodicals on Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. In 2005, the magazine won the title of 100 Key Journals of the 3rd China National Periodical Award. The Journal is designated for the collection by Central Archives, as well as the submission to Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Theory Bureau for review. The Journal received inscriptions by a school of revolutionary predecessors as well as well-known experts and scholars in China, who are respectively Song Renqiong, Li Desheng, Hu Sheng, Zhang Guoji, Fang Yi, Shao Huaze, Wang Shoudao, Sun Yi, Xing Bensi, Pang Xianzhi, Wang Mengkui, Su Xing, etc. Some other writers for the Journal include leaders such as Yu Qiuli, Yang Rudai, XieShijie, HouShudong, etc. Originally published in the Journal, many papers were full-page reprinted by Xinhua Digest, Replicated Journals of Renmin University of China and other newspapers and magazines.
With its overseas distribution available, Mao Zedong Thought Study already exerts widespread international impact. For introducing and reviewing the Journal, Dr. Nick Wright from Griffith University in Australia presented a special article (i.e. Mao Research in China: A Review on Mao Zedong Thought Study) in CPC Research Communication, which is influential and published in the U.S. Mao Zedong Thought Study used to establish relationships with many overseas institutions, including University of Sydney, Griffith University and the University of New England in Australia, Boston University in the U.S., the former Institute of Mao Zedong Thought Study in Japan, the former Soviet Academy of Sciences Institute of Philosophy, Sprout House in Hong Kong, etc., of which some by now keep interchanging publications and information with the Journal. A number of foreign academic counterparts have been successively greeted during their visits to the Journal. In a number of foreign research institutions and university libraries, e.g. East Asia Highlights, Yale University, University of California, Harvard University, Cambridge University and Stalin Memorial, the Journal is on display, and some of the above agencies even have collected all publications of the Journal since its inception in 1983.