The 8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in two sessions, the first 15–27 September 1956 and the second 5–23 May 1958 in Beijing.

It was the first Congress of the Chinese Communist Party since the start of it taking full control of mainland China in 1949 and establishing the People's Republic of China.

The Great Leap Forward was promulgated and unilaterally put in effect.

Mao Zedong Thought was taken out of the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party and the cult of personality was denounced; Party technocrats Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping assume higher profiles.

The 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected.