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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317-420 |
Southern and Northern Dynasties |
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420-589 |
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581-618 |
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618-907 |
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907-960 |
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960-1127 |
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1127-1279 |
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1271-1368 |
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1368-1644 |
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1644-1911 |
Prehistoric and Ancient History (1.7 million years ago-476 B.C.)
China's earliest primitive human discovered so far is known as "Yuanmou Man," a fossil anthropoid unearthed in Yuanmou in Yunnan
Province who lived approximately 1.7 million years ago. The better-known "Peking Man," discovered in the Zhoukoudian area in the suburbs
of Beijing, lived about 600,000 years ago. Peking Man was able to walk upright, make and use simple tools, and make fire. By the start of the
Neolithic Age in China about 10,000 years ago, people were cultivating rice and millet with farming tools, something revealed by relics found
in the ruins of Hemudu in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, and Banpo, near Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. The Hemudu site, about 7,000 years old,
was one of the earliest New Stone Age locations along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Archaeologists have unearthed in the area of
Hemudu piles of rice grains, husks, stalks and leaves — and other indications of abundant rice cultivation. The rice grown at Hemudu was
long-grained non-glutinous rice, and is the earliest example of artificially cultivated rice that has been found in China to date. The relics are also the oldest rice found so far in Asia.
The Xia Dynasty started in 2070 B.C. The center of Xia was the western section of modern Henan Province and the southern section of
modern Shanxi Province with a sphere of influence that reached the northern and southern areas of the Yellow River. It was in this period that
the slave society began to appear. The Xia Dynasty was overthrown by Shang. The Western Zhou (1046-771 B.C.) Dynasty saw further
development of slave society. This era was followed by the Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C.) and Warring States (475-221 B.C.) periods
when silk production advanced and steel production started. This era also produced the philosophers Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius and Mo Zi,
as well as the military scientist Sun Wu, author of the Art of War.
Thanks to China.org.cn
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