People's Republic of China (1949- )
On October 1, 1949 a grand ceremony was witnessed by 300,000 people in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and Mao Zedong, chairman
of the Central People's Government, solemnly proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China.
During the initial post-Liberation period, the Chinese government successfully carried out land reform in areas accounting for over 90
percent of the total national agricultural population, and 300 million farmers were granted approximately 47 million ha of land. Amazing
achievements were made during the First Five-Year Plan period, from 1953 to 1957. The average annual increase rate of the national
income reached over 8.9 percent. China established basic industries necessary for full industrialization hitherto non-existent
domestically, producing airplanes, automobiles, heavy machinery, precision machinery, power-generating equipment, metallurgical and
mining equipment, high-grade alloy steels and non-ferrous metals.
The ten years from 1957 to 1966 was the period in which China started large-scale socialist construction. Though China suffered from
the mistakes in its policies during the period, it also accomplished a great deal. The nation's total industrial fixed assets quadrupled
between 1956 and 1966 and the national income increased by 58 percent in constant prices. The output of essential industrial
products increased by several or even a dozen times. Large-scale agricultural capital construction and technical transformation got
underway. Unfortunately, the "cultural revolution," which lasted for ten years (1966-1976), made the state and its people suffer the most serious setbacks and losses since its founding.
The Jiang Qing counter-revolutionary clique was smashed in October 1976, marking the end of the "cultural revolution," and the beginning of a new era in Chinese history. The CPC reinstated Deng Xiaoping, previously general secretary of the CPC, to all the Party
and governmental posts he had been dismissed from during the "cultural revolution." In 1979, China instituted a guiding policy of
"reform and opening to the outside world" under Deng's leadership, and the focus was shifted to modernization. Major efforts were
made to reform the economic and political systems. China was step by step establishing a road with Chinese characteristics, a road that
would lead to socialist modernization. Profound changes have come about in China since the country embarked on the policy of reform
and opening-up characterized by a vigorously advancing economy and markedly improved living standard.
Jiang Zemin became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 1989 and head of the state in 1993. Succeeding him, Hu
Jintao took the position of general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2002 and president of the state in 2003.
New-Democratic Revolution (1919-1949)
The May 4th Movement of 1919 is regarded as the ideological origin of many important events in modern Chinese history. Its direct
cause was the unequal treaties imposed on China after the First World War. Out of strong patriotism, students initiated the movement,
and it further developed into a national protest movement of people from all walks of life. It also marked the introduction into China of
various new ideologies, among which the spread of Marxism-Leninism was worthy of special mention. Under the influence of Russia's
October Revolution of 1917, 12 delegates, including Mao Zedong, representing Communist groups in different places throughout the
nation, held the First National Congress in Shanghai in 1921 to found the Communist Party of China.
The Chinese people led by the CPC underwent successively the Northern Expeditionary War (1924-27), War of Agrarian Revolution
(also known as "Ten-Year Civil War," 1927-37), War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-45) and War of Liberation (1945-49). Owing to
the cooperation and joint resistance of the CPC and Kuomintang, the Japanese aggressors were defeated. But shortly after the
anti-Japanese war, the Kuomintang launched a civil war. After the three-year War of Liberation led by the CPC, the Kuomintang government was overthrown in 1949.
Modern Period (1840-1919)
During the early 19th century, the Qing Dynasty declined rapidly. Britain smuggled into China large quantities of opium, and in
response the Qing government imposed a ban on the drug. In an effort to protect its opium trade, Britain launched a war against China
in 1840, which led to the Qing government's signing with the British government the Treaty of Nanking, a treaty of national betrayal
and humiliation. Many countries, including Britain, the United States, France, Russia and Japan forced the Qing government to sign
various unequal treaties following the Opium War. China was gradually relegated to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country.
The Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen was one of the greatest events in modern Chinese history, as it overthrew the
200-odd-year-old Qing Dynasty, ending over 2,000 years of feudal monarchy, and established the Republic of China.
Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (960-1911)
Following the Tang Dynasty came a period of almost continual warfare known as the Five Dynasties and Ten States. In 960, Zhao
Kuangyin, a general of the State of Later Zhou, established the Song Dynasty (960-1279), known in history as the Northern Song
Dynasty. When the Song Dynasty moved its capital to the south, it became known in history as the Southern Song Dynasty. China in
the Song Dynasty was in the forefront of the world in astronomy, science and technology. Bi Sheng invented movable type printing in
the 1040s, ushering in a major revolution in the history of printing.
 In 1206, Genghis Khan established the Mongolian Khanate. In 1271, Kublai, a grandson of Genghis Khan, conquered
the Central Plains, founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and made Dadu (today's Beijing) the capital. Kublai ended the centuries-long situation in which many independent
regimes existed side by side by forming a united country that brought Xinjiang, Tibet and Yunnan under its sway. During the Song-Yuan period, the "four great inventions" in science
and technology of the Chinese people in ancient times — papermaking, printing, the compass and gunpowder — were further developed, and spread abroad.
In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Nanjing, reigning as Emperor Taizu. When his son and successor Zhu Di (1360-1424) ascended the
throne, he built and expanded the palaces, temples, city walls and moats in Beijing. In 1421, he officially moved the capital to Beijing. During his reign, he dispatched a eunuch
named Zheng He to lead a fleet of many ships to make seven far-ranging voyages. Passing the Southeast Asian countries, the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Maldives
Islands, Zheng He explored as far as Somalia and Kenya on the eastern coast of Africa. These were the largest-scale and longest voyages in the world before the age of Columbus.
The Manchus of northeast China established the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in 1644. The best known of the Qing Dynasty emperors,
Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) restored the central empire's rule over Taiwan, and resisted invasions by tsarist Russia. To reinforce the
administration of Tibet, he also formulated the rules and regulations on the confirmation of the Tibetan local leaders by the Central
Government. He effectively administered over 11 million sq km of Chinese territory.
The Dynasties
Dynasty |
Date |
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2070-1600 B.C. |
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1600-1046 B.C |
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1046-771 B.C. |
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770-476 B.C. |
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475-221 B.C. |
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221-206 B.C |
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206 B.C.-A.D. 24 |
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25-220 |
Three Kingdoms (Wei, Shu and Wu) |
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220-265 |
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265-316 |
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