2nd National People's Congress

The 2nd National People's Congress was a big meeting of people from China. It happened from 1959 to 1964.

During this time, the Congress met four times. They talked about and made decisions on many important things for the country. This group helped make rules and plans that guided China during those years.

Background

The 2nd National People's Congress was special because it was the first Congress chosen under the 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China. In February 1959, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress finished getting ready for choosing deputies. Representatives from provincial legislatures and the legislatures of Beijing and Shanghai voted for these deputies, following the rules set in the 1953 Electoral Law.

Seat distribution

The first session

The first session happened from April 18 to April 28, 1959. During this time, Mao Zedong stopped being the chairman of the People's Republic, and Liu Shaoqi became the new chairman. The Congress picked many important leaders for the country, including:

• Chairman of the People's Republic of China: Liu Shaoqi
• Vice Chairmen of the People's Republic of China: Soong Ching-ling and Dong Biwu
• Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress: Zhu De
• Premier of the State Council: Zhou Enlai
• President of the Supreme People's Court: Xie Juezai
• Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate: Zhang Dingcheng