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Revolution
Military revolts by reform-minded officers lead to proclamation of Republic of China under Sun Yat-sen and abdication of last Qing emperor. The revolution consisted of many revolts and uprisings. The turning point was the Wuchang uprising on 10 October 1911, which was the result of the mishandling of the Railway Protection Movement. The revolution ended with the abdication of the six-year-old Last Emperor, Puyi, on 12 February 1912, that marked the end of 2,000 years of imperial rule. -
Kuomingtan
The death of Sun Yat-sen brings Chiang Kai-shek to the fore. He breaks with the Communists and confirms the governing Kuomintang as a nationalist party. The mass struggles in China from 1925 up to the Shanghai insurrection of 1927 and its crushing by the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek, who was supported by the Chinese Communist Party. -
war with japan
The Japanese invasion on 7 July 1937 put the Chinese Republic in mortal danger. In the end, the Republic prevailed. But China was devastated. The war also made possible a successful Communist revolution that destroyed traditional society. By 1945, Japan, too, was almost destroyed. Both nations were fundamentally transformed by the conflict. The China-Japan war, the catalyst of these changes, is arguably the most important event in the history of East Asia in the twentieth century. -
Long march of communist party
In October of 1934, tens of thousands of Chinese Communist soldiers embarked on a trek from one side of China to the other, not knowing how long they would be walking, what they would eat, or how their largely unarmed ranks would survive enemy attacks.
Mao Zedong emerges as Communist leader during the party's "Long March" to its new base in Shaanxi Province. -
Second sino japan war
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan from July 7, 1937, to September 2, 1945. It began with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937 in which a dispute between Japanese and Chinese troops escalated into a battle.
Kuomintang and Communists nominally unite against Japanese. Civil war resumes after Japan's defeat in Second World War. -
Revolution in 1949
Mao Zedong, having led the Communists to victory against the Nationalists after more than 20 years of civil war on October 1, 1949, proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China. The Nationalists retreat to the island of Taiwan and set up a government there. -
Enforce
China sends People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops into Tibet enforcing a longstanding claim. -
mao's plan
Mao launches the "Great Leap Forward", a five-year economic plan. Farming is collectivised and labour-intensive industry is introduced. The drive produces economic breakdown and is abandoned after two years. Disruption to agriculture is blamed for the deaths by starvation of millions of people following poor harvests.
Mao launched the Four Pests Campaign, which encouraged the eradication of rats, flies, mosquitos and sparrows. -
Revolt of tibet
A rebellion broke out in the Tibetan regional capital Lhasa after rumors the government was planning to arrest the 14th Dalai Lama at the local PLA headquarters.
Chinese forces suppress large-scale revolt in Tibet. -
sino indian war
The PLA attacked Indian forces across the Line of Actual Control a over disputed Himalayan border -
cultural revolution
"Cultural Revolution", Mao's 10-year political and ideological campaign aimed at reviving revolutionary spirit, produces massive social, economic and political upheaval.'The CPC launched a campaign to destroy the Four Olds. -
Meet with US president
The United States and China issued the Shanghai Communiqué pledging to normalize relations during the visit of the former's president Richard Nixon. -
Mao dies
Mao dies. "Gang of Four", including Mao's widow, jockey for power but are arrested and convicted of crimes against the state. From 1977 Deng Xiaoping emerges as the dominant figure among pragmatists in the leadership. Under him, China undertakes far-reaching economic reforms. -
Disaster
1976 Tangshan earthquake: An earthquake with its epicenter near Tangshan killed roughly a quarter of a million people. -
diplomatic relation with US
China and the United States issued the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, under which the latter recognized the PRC as the legitimate government of China and terminated its participation in the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty with Taiwan. -
Sino-Vietnamese War
China declared that the punitive objective of its invasion of Vietnam had been achieved and began to retreat. -
special economic zone
The first of the Special Economic Zones of China, characterized by low regulation and the encouragement of foreign investment, were established.