China has recently published a special dictionary on the members and alternate members of the Central Committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Compiled by the Publicity Department and the Party history study office of the CPC Central Committee, the dictionary covers all the 1,600 members and alternate members of all central committees of the CPC, from first one held in 1921 to the 16th committee in 2003.

Consisting of 1.4 million Chinese characters, the dictionary is rated as the country's first normal and authoritative dictionary since the CPC came to power in 1949.

The entries of the dictionary include the dates of members' birth and death, nationality, birth place and major events during their political life.

According to the publicity department, the dictionary is designed to provide full and detailed materials for the readers to understand the 80-year history of the CPC.

The dictionary also contain appendixes including the name lists of all the heads, members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committees, the CPC's consultant committees, the CPC Central Committee' supervision commission and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2004)