Constitution of China

Constitution of China
Constitution of China
Simplified Chinese	中华人民共和国宪法
Traditional Chinese	中華人民共和國憲法
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Xiànfǎ

Constitution of the
People's Republic of China
Constitution of the; People's Republic of China
	Cover of the current constitution
Overview
Original title	中华人民共和国宪法
Jurisdiction	China
Ratified	September 20, 1954
Date effective	September 20, 1954
System	Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic
Government structure
Branches	Six (Legislative, Executive, Military, Supervisory, Judicial, Procuratorial)
Head of state	President
Chambers	Unicameral (National People's Congress)
Executive	State Council headed by the Premier of the State Council
Judiciary	Supreme People's Court; Supreme People's Procuratorate
Federalism	No - Decentralization within a Unitary State (special administrative regions)
Electoral college	Yes – the National People's Congress, which elects all other state authorities, is itself elected by two layers of Indirect election: County and Township People's Congresses elect the members of Provincial People's Congresses, who in turn elect the members of the National People's Congress.
History
First legislature	September 21, 1949 (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference); September 27, 1954 (National People's Congress)
First executive	September 27, 1954 (1st National People's Congress); October 1, 1949 (Central People's Government)
First court	October 22, 1949
Amendments	5
Last amended	11 March 2018
Location	Beijing
Commissioned by	Constitution Drafting Committee
Supersedes	Common Program
Full text
	Constitution of the People's Republic of China at Wikisource
Footnote
	^ China does not have a head of state constitutionally, but a "state representative". While the President of China has many of the characteristics of the head of state, the Chinese constitution does not define it as such. ; ^ The de facto legislature is the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress ;

The Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the supreme law of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In September 1949, the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference adopted the Common Program, which acted as the temporary constitution after the PRC's foundation. On September 20, 1954, the first constitution was adopted by the first session of the 1st National People's Congress. The constitution went through two major revisions in 1975 and 1978. The current constitution was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on December 4, 1982, with five subsequent revisions.

The current constitution consists of 4 chapters and 143 articles. It explains the nature of the People's Republic of China, highlights the concept of democratic centralism, and states that the People's Republic of China is a "socialist state governed by a people's democratic dictatorship that is led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and peasants". It stipulates the central and local state institutions work under the system of people's congress, and states that China implements basic political systems such as the system of community-level self-governance and the regional ethnic autonomy system. The constitution also lists its basic national policies and establishes the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

[state_representative-1] China does not have a head of state constitutionally, but a "state representative". While the President of China has many of the characteristics of the head of state, the Chinese constitution does not define it as such.

[2] The de facto legislature is the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

[a]

[b]