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fall of Qing Dynasty.
1911 is the year when China leaps forward and got out of the Qing Dynasty. -
Establishment of Republic of China
Establishment of Republic of China -
Period: to
1911-1976 Timeline
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After the 1911 collapse of the Qing Dynasty, China declares itself a republic in 1912 with Sun Yat-sen as the first president.
After the 1911 collapse of the Qing Dynasty, China declares itself a republic in 1912 with Sun Yat-sen as the first president. Sun founds the Nationalist Party, Kuomintang (KMT) and later resigns in favor of Yuan Shihkai. Shihkai attempts to reinstate the monarchy but fails, and after his death in 1916 the country is left without a strong central leader, and the country descends into a period of control by warlords. -
Death of Yuan Shikai.
Yuan Shikai died in 1916 -
China entered World War I on the side of the allies.
China entered World War I on the side of the allies. Although China did not see any military action, it provided resources in the form of laborers that worked in allied mines and factories. The Treaty of Versailles ignored China’s plea to end concessions and foreign control of China. -
The May Fourth Movement took place in which students demonstrated in protest of the Treaty of Versailles.
On May 4, 1919, the May Fourth Movement took place in which students demonstrated in protest of the Treaty of Versailles. The Movement helped the Chinese by promoting science and making Chinese adopt a new easier form of writing. Moreover, the movement was the foundation for the forming of the Communist Party of China (CCP). -
Traditional arranged marriage
Traditional arranged marriage continues in both the legal system and local customs; it is marked by complex negotiations of families through matchmakers regarding the bride price and the bride’s dowry. -
The Chinese Communist Party is founded in Shanghai.
The Chinese Communist Party is founded in Shanghai. Mao Zedong leads the Long March and establishes revolutionary headquarters in Yenan. -
Sun Yat-sen's death
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. -
Sun Yat-sen dies
Sun Yat-sen dies; Chiang Kai-shek assumes leadership of KMT and launches the Northern Expedition that reunifies China under Nationalist government. -
Massacre of Communists in Shanghai
The Shanghai massacre of April 12, 1927, known commonly in China as the April 12 Incident, was the violent suppression of Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations in Shanghai by the military forces of Chiang Kai-shek and conservative factions in the Kuomintang. Following the incident, conservative KMT elements carried out a full-scale purge of Communists in all areas under their control, and even more, violent suppression occurred in Guangzhou and Changsha. -
Japan began to occupy Manchuria and established a puppet government called Manchukuo.
Japan began to occupy Manchuria and established a puppet government called Manchukuo. The Japanese aggression in China became full blown on July 7, 1937, the beginning of World War II. By 1939, Japan controlled most of the east coast of China, while Chiang blockaded the Communists in the northwest region. By 1944, the United States began to help nationalist China, but the nationalist remained weak due to high inflation and economic strife. -
Sino-Japanese War
During the Sino-Japanese War, the four-month Japanese occupation of Nanking known as the Rape of Nanking is the cause of an estimated 260,000 Chinese civilian casualties during the invasion. -
Civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists results in the Communists’ victory
Civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists results in the Communists’ victory; the Nationalist government evacuates to the island of Taiwan. -
The Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a war fought between the Kuomintang (KMT)-led government of the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China (CPC). Although particular attention is paid to the four years of Chinese Communist Revolution from 1945 to 1949, the war actually started in August 1927, with the White Terror at the end of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expedition, and essentially ended when major hostilities between the two sides ceased in 1950 -
Mao proclaims the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Mao proclaims the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. -
Mao travels to Moscow
In December of 1949, immediately after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China, Mao travels to Moscow to negotiate a friendship treaty. The negotiations drag on for a very long time. Mao stays almost three months in Moscau. In fact, rumors spring up in China that he may have been taken into custody. However, by mid-February 1950 the "Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty" is signed. Stalin agrees to give credits and send technical experts to China to help the struggling communist neighbor. -
The Agrarian Reform Law
The Agrarian Reform Law redistributes the land of landlords and wealthy farmers to millions of peasants. -
A new marriage law
A new marriage law bans polygamy and arranged marriages, promoting women’s equality and encouraging freedom of choice in selecting a spouse. -
A planned economy demands rationed household goods and food.
A planned economy demands rationed household goods and food. By national poverty line criteria, people in poverty are estimated at 260 million and the income gap between rural and urban populations grows. -
Agreement between China and Soviet Union
China and the Soviet Union sign "Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance". -
The People's Republic of China takes control of Tibet.
The People's Republic of China takes control of Tibet. -
Mao begins Rural Collectivization based on a five-year plan.
Mao begins Rural Collectivization based on a five-year plan. Individual landownership is abolished and replaced with cooperatives. -
100 Flowers Movement
The Hundred Flowers Campaign also termed the Hundred Flowers Movement was a period in 1956 in the People's Republic of China[1] during which the Communist Party of China (CPC) encouraged its citizens to express openly their opinions of the communist regime. -
“Anti-Rightist” campaign
An “Anti-Rightist” campaign is used by Mao to eliminate critical intellectuals. A half-million dissidents are sent to remote labor camps for “reform through labor.” -
The “Great Leap Forward” plan
The “Great Leap Forward” plan calls for an unrealistic increase in industrial and agricultural production. All land is collectivized and farmers are organized into People’s Communes. Mao declares the goal of passing Great Britain in industrial production by 1972, and backyard furnaces for steel production are created across the country. However, the steel produced is of poor quality, with an estimated 30 million deaths from starvation. -
"Great Leap Forward" triggers largest famine in human history with an estimated 14-30 million casualties.
The famine triggered by the "Great Leap Forward" was one of the largest man-made disasters in human history. Estimates of the number of casualties vary greatly and are difficult, if not impossible, to verify. Conservative estimates assume that from 1958 to 1961, over 14 million people died of starvation, and the number of reported births was about 23 million fewer than under normal conditions. Other authors have estimated the number of famine-related death of up to 30 million or higher. -
Test of first nuclear bomb in China.
China's first nuclear test is undertaken with a Uranium 235 pure-fission device named "596". The device weighs 1550 kg. The test is carried out at "Lop Nur Test Ground" at 7:00 GMT. The bomb's yield is 22 Kt. This test is a huge gain in prestige for China. Now China is a nuclear superpower, despite strong American opposition and hostile Sino-Soviet relations. -
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Under the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution China’s jurisdiction, research, and educational systems are paralyzed. Student bands of “Red Guards” search and destroy anything considered bourgeois—anything representing capitalism, religion, tradition, and the West. -
First line of Beijing's subway is completed
Originally planned in the early 1960s, the first line of the Beijing subway was designed as a military infrastructure to move personnel and troops quickly from the government compound in the city center to bunkers in the Western Hills. Regular operations began on September 15, 1981, when the first line was finally opened to the public. With a length of 27.6 km, it had 19 stations - linking the Beijing Railway Station to the Western Hills. -
It was not until 1970’s that most Western nations established diplomatic ties to Communist China.
It was not until 1970’s that most Western nations established diplomatic ties to Communist China. With the help of President Richard Nixon and his philosophy of Détente, China was incorporated into the world community. The high point of the People’s Republic of China came in 1971 when it was given Taiwan’s position on the United Nation’s Security Council. -
Henry Kissinger secretly visits China
In early July 1971 Henry Kissinger, President Nixon's Assistant for National Security Affairs secretly visits China to arrange an official state visit. On July 15, the Chinese and American government simultaneously issue a statement announcing President Nixons intention to travel to China. China and the US are about to establish a new relationship. Due to the historical relevance of the event, the visit is prepared carefully. -
Richard Nixon visits China
Richard Nixon visits China, normalizing the relationship between the United States and China. -
Chiang Kaishek's death
Chiang Kai‐shek, the President of Nationalist China and the last survivor of the Big Four Allied leaders of World War II, died of a heart attack here last night. He was 87 years old. -
Death of Premier Zhou Enlai.
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China. Zhou was China's head of government, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976. -
Mao's death
Mao died on September 9, 1976 at the age of 82. By that time he suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease and emphysema, and had three heart attacks in the previous four months. Li and a team of 16 of China's best doctors and 24 first-rate nurses were at Mao's side when he died at 12:10am.