Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought Research Team

In the late 1970s, Xiangtan University took the lead in China in establishing Mao Zedong Thought Research Office, which was later renamed "Mao Zedong Thought Research Center" (hereinafter referred to as "the center" for short). In its long-term development, the center has built up a strong research team of 45 full-time and part-time researchers, including some professors with the title of “Changjiang Scholar” specially granted by the Ministry of Education and chief experts of "Research and Construction Project of Marxist Theory".

The center was selected as a key research base of humanities and social sciences of the Ministry of Education in 2004. The Center for Cooperative Innovation Studies on Mao Zedong Thought set up with the center as the core was approved as a "Cooperative Innovation Center in 2011" of Hunan Province and was elected as a think-tank with professional characteristics in Hunan. Marxist theory, the main supporting discipline of the center, has the right to confer doctor's degree and the research on the sinicization of Marxism rates among the national key disciplines. The center has confirmed such steady research orientations as the development history of Mao Zedong thought, the basic theory of Mao Zedong thought, Mao Zedong thought and the contemporary social development as well as the revolutionary spirit and cultural resources of CCP.

In the past 10 years, the center has undertaken a large number of significant and major research projects funded by the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science or the Ministry of Education and has published many symbolical research achievements such as The Dictionary of Mao Zedong's Works, The Red Documents: Collection of Progressive Journals (1915-1949), Research Series on Mao Zedong and Marxism and so on. At the same time, the center has published more than 200 papers on some important newspapers and authoritative academic journals and has won more than 20 provincial and ministerial awards.

The center has been compiling and publishing a semi-annual academic journal, Mao Zedong Research (which is now renamed Mao Zedong Forum). It has established the “Digital Library of Mao Zedong”, the "Academic Website for Studies on Mao Zedong Thought" and a public account of WeChat and it has been hosting the annual National Mao Zedong Forum as well. The center has made many significant achievements in such aspects as the academic research on Mao Zedong's thought and life stories, the publicity and education of Mao Zedong thought, the cultivation of talents and relevant consultative and administrative service.