Hchronology 1

20th CENTURY CHINA: A PARTIAL CHRONOLOGY

By Mitchell H

  • Part One:

    • college students staged a series of demonstrations to protest the terms of the Versailles Treaty
    • the demonstrations inaugurated a new phase of national consciousness in China
    • the term "May 4th Movement" came to symbolize the spirit of patriotism among youths
    • the term "May 4th Period" signifies an era of intense intellectual debate concerning the roles of traditional Chinese culture, modern science, and Western style democracy

  • Part One:

    • October 1, Mao Zedong proclaims the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

  • Part One: 1966-76

  • Part One: 1978

    • Deng Xiaoping launches economic reforms and proclaims the "Four Modernizations," in industry, agriculture, science and defense.
    • A stretch of construction wall near a busy commercial district in Beijing attracts nation-wide attention as the "Democracy Wall," a place where people put up posters to voice their criticism of the political system.

  • Part One: 1979

    • The United States and the People's Republic formally establish diplomatic relations.
    • Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping arrives in the U.S. on January 28, the first official visit ever by a senior Chinese Communist leader.
    • The government suppresses the "Democracy Wall" and arrests several activists, the most famous among them being Wei Jingsheng. Wei is sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

  • Part One: 1981

    • In June, Hu Yaobang is appointed as the Party General Secretary.

  • Part One: 1986

    • In late fall, college students in several cities stage demonstrations to demand political reform.

  • Part One: 1987

    -In January, Hu Yaobang is accused of being soft on the student protests and on "bourgeois liberalism," and is forced to resign. Later, Zhao Ziyang becomes the General Secretary of the Communist Party, and Li Peng the Premier.

  • Part One: 1988

    • The Central Committee endorses Premier Li Peng's policy to slow the pace of economic reforms, a setback for Zhao Ziyang.