At the start of the 20th century, China was a hotbed of revolts and uprisings as the Qing dynasty collapsed. Political organisations contested for the leadership of radicalising workers and peasants, and the Chinese Communist Party, having only established itself in the early 1920s, grew to become a mass party within only a few years.

This rapid rise carries timeless lessons for revolutionary socialist party builders, and sets the stage for later struggles over the future of the Asian working class.