The Five-Sphere Integrated Plan
At its sixth plenary session held in 1986, the 12th CPC Central Committee unveiled an overall plan for China's development: to reform the economic and political structures and promote ethical and cultural progress while taking economic development as the central task.
In October 1987, the CPC at its 13th National Congress outlined what may be called a three-sphere integrated plan for building Chinese socialism, which encompassed economic prosperity, political democracy, and ethical and cultural progress. The three-sphere overall plan covering economic, political and cultural progress to promote China's socialist modernization was confirmed at the Party's 14th, 15th and 16th national congresses.
Talking to a session of officials at the provincial/ministerial level in February 2005, CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao raised the idea of a four-sphere integrated plan that covered economic, political, cultural and social progress.
This plan was further expanded with the inclusion of eco-environmental conservation at the 18th National Congress of the CPC held in November 2012, hence, the Five-sphere Integrated Plan – the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics encompassing economic, political, cultural, social and eco-environmental development.
The Five-sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy support each other and interact in a planned manner. Proceeding from economic growth, they help promote a socialist market economy, democratic governance, an advanced culture, eco-environmental progress, and a harmonious society, so as to make the people more prosperous, the country stronger, and China more beautiful.
The formulation of China's general development plan reflects the CPC's further understanding of the importance of coordination in development and of the factors influencing socialism with Chinese characteristics.
“五位一体”总体布局
1986年召开的中共十二届六中全会首次提出了以经济建设为中心，坚定不移地进行经济体制改革，坚定不移地进行政治体制改革，坚定不移地加强精神文明建设的总体布局。
1987年10月，中共十三大明确提出了经济富强、政治民主、精神文明“三位一体”的中国特色社会主义事业的总体布局，此后中共十四大、十五大、十六大都延续了经济建设、政治建设、文化建设“三位一体”的社会主义现代化建设总体布局。
2005年2月，胡锦涛在省部级主要领导干部专题研讨班上提出了社会主义经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设“四位一体”总布局。
2012年11月召开的中共十八大，将生态文明建设提升到总体布局中来，从而形成了“五位一体”的建设中国特色社会主义总体布局。即在坚持以经济建设为中心的同时，全面推进经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设、生态文明建设，促进现代化建设各个环节、各个方面协调发展。“五位一体”总体布局和“四个全面”战略布局相互促进、彼此联动，在推动经济发展的基础上，统筹建设社会主义市场经济、民主政治、先进文化、生态文明、和谐社会，协同推进人民富裕、国家强盛、中国美丽。
“五位一体”总体布局的提出，体现了中国共产党对协调发展的规律性认识不断深化，对中国特色社会主义的规律性认识不断深化。