The founding of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History was supported by Mao Zedong.
On the eve of the liberation of Beijing, Mao Zedong told his mentor, Fu Dingyi, in Shijiazhuang that the CCP would have an arrangement for senior indigent scholars and would create an institute for them.
On December 2, 1949, in a letter to Liu Yazi, Mao mentioned again that "the issue of institute of culture and history has been assigned to premier Zhou Enlai, and will be soon settled".
Later, Mao and Zhou asked Fu Dingyi, Liu Yazi, Zhang Shizhao among others to join the planning work, and also appointed Lin Boqu and Qi Yanming to be in charge of the founding project.
Since 1986, Xiao Qian, Wu Kong, Qigong, Wang Chuguang and Yuan Xingpei have served as vice president.