China Civilization

  • Proclamation of the People's Republic of China

    Proclamation of the People's Republic of China
    Proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong, at the Gate of Celestial Peace in Tiananmen, October 1, 1949. The photo was taken by Mao's propaganda photographer Hou Bo.
  • 1950-1953.

    Before the first 5-year plan, China's educational system is socialized. All private schools are closed. While the system still has many organizational structures from the Republican period, education is increasingly reformed according to the Soviet-style model - particularly at the University level. In primary school, there are usually 4-year lower grade classes and 2-year upper grade classes. At the secondary level, there is a dual system of vocational and general schools.
  • China.

    While the academic output of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences is certainly impressive (some 6000 research reports per year), the practical value of its research is often questioned. Experts have estimated that only 30 to 40 percent of the research reports are accessible to the public. In fact, the great majority of the farmers have little interest in the Academy's research results. They are often purely theoretical with little relevance for actual farming.
    With the economic reforms i
  • China

    China
    The "Great Leap Forward" was certainly one of the largest man-made catastrophes in human history, triggered by policital fanatism, ruthless suppression, and technological ignorance. Mao Zedong wanted to transform a predominantly agricultural society into an industrial economy within a few years.
  • China

    France is the first major country in the West to establish formal diplomatic relations with China. This is a major success for China and a direct blow to the United States, which had tried to isolate the communist country. The Sino-French relations are used by General de Gaulle to demonstrate France's souvereignity and independence.
  • China

    Only two years and eight months after China exploded her first atomic bomb, the country's scientists have developed a hydrogen bomb. It is successfully tested in Western China - making China the forth nation with the ability to construct a hydrogen fusion device.
  • China

    In 1974, a group of peasants digging a well in Xi'an, China, found fragments of a terra-cotta figure. This led to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. The excavation revealed an entire army of more than 7,000 life-size terra cotta figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and horses, designed to follow their emperor Qin (221-206BC) into eternity. The excavation is now on the list of the UNESCO as a world-class cultural heritage site.
  • China

    China signes agreement with Russia setteling their long-lasting border conflicts.