Abstract: Over the course of its century-long history, the Communist Party of China (CPC) adopted three historical resolutions in 1945, 1981 and 2021. These resolutions are authoritative summaries of the Party’s history and embody the internal logic through which the CPC has transformed historical experience into theoretical knowledge and advanced the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. In specific terms, the dialectical unity of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground serves as the logical starting point of theoretical innovation to ensure its correct direction; the principle of putting the people first provides the value foundation of theoretical innovation to clarify its fundamental position in responding to the people’s practice, safeguarding the people’s interests and integrating the people’s discourse; the interaction between theory and practice serves as the source of impetus for theoretical innovation to advance it in the process of responding to practical issues, summarizing practical experience and guiding practical transformation; and the adherence to upholding truth and correcting errors constitutes the intrinsic character of theoretical innovation to consolidate correct understanding and rectify erroneous judgments through comparison between positive and negative experience. Interconnected to make an organic whole, these four aspects constitute a basic framework for understanding the CPC’s theoretical innovation.

Key words: three historical resolutions, theoretical innovation, adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground path, the people-first principle