After the Second Sino-Japanese War, in order to adapt to the new social and political situation, it was officially renamed as the Chinese New Democracy Youth League in April 1949.

[citation needed] Prior to the Cultural Revolution, the CYLC was a major mass organization which had an important role in political mobilization and implementing party-state policies.

[3]: 21 In 1988, reformist Chinese policymakers proposed a project to loosen CCP control of the CYLC and make the organization more independent.

[3]: 37–38  Along with university student unions, the CYLC began hosting on-campus cultural activities like singing, poetry, and sports competitions.

[3]: 38  In 1989, the CYLC's central body organized a national "challenge cup" science competition, which was later also adopted by various universities.

[3]: 18  Through this program, the CYLC has channeled millions of volunteers into poverty alleviation, educational assistance, and environmental protection projects.

[3]: 57  If accepted into the program after passing an exam, university graduates work for three years in underdeveloped parts of western China.

[3]: 57 The Communist Youth League has contributed a number of top echelon leaders of the CCP-led government of the People's Republic of China.

In 2005, the 90th anniversary of Hu Yaobang's birth, a new museum and a series of commemorative books and television programs were launched.

[3]: 130 The death of the son of Ling Jihua and Gu Liping, a couple associated with the Communist Youth League, may have tarnished the reputation of the organization as a path to power.

[8][9] Xi effectively closed the Central School of China Communist Youth League, folding it into the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

[3]: 22 Beginning in March 2016, the CYLC and Alibaba began a collaboration to promote online entrepreneurship among rural Chinese youth.

[11]: 129 At the CYLC's centennial in May 2022, Xi described the organization as the "party's loyal assistant and reliable reserve force.

[3]: 19  The All-China Youth Federation is also an umbrella organization which includes the Young Pioneers of China, among other youth-focused groups.

[15]: 65  Prospective members must submit an application statement and be approved by the local branch, which do not typically take a highly selective stance.

[3]: 114 As it lost political influence under Xi, CYLC has started to increase its presence on social media, appealing to nationalism and attacking foreign brands in China accused of misbehavior.

[8] The social media accounts of the CYLC have engaged in harassment of foreign journalists, including during the 2021 Henan floods when the Communist Youth League asked its social media followers to locate and report the location of a BBC News journalist on assignment covering the story.