History of China 1500 - 1950

By Quinn Sullivan
  • Period: Jan 1, 1500 to

    1500 to 1950

  • Jan 23, 1556

    The Deadlist Earthquake of All TIme

    The Deadlist Earthquake of All TIme
    The Shanxi Earthquake of 1556 killed around 830,000 people, and was recorded as the deadliest earthquake of all time.
  • Jan 29, 1568

    Great Wall Renovation Complete

    Great Wall Renovation Complete
    One of the major renovations of the Great Wall of China is completed.

  • The Largest Nation in the World

    The Largest Nation in the World
    The Chinese Empire is the largest nation in the world.

  • The Capital - Sacked!

    The Capital - Sacked!
    The city of Beijing is sacked, causing the last Ming Emperor to commit suicide, and end the rule. Thus, Beijng became the capital of China and the Qing Dynasty.

  • Opening Foreign Trade

    Opening Foreign Trade
    Canton, present-day Guangzhou, opens to foreign trade.

  • Foreign Trade

    Foreign Trade
    The British open a trading post in Canton, present day Guangzhou.

  • Treaty of Kyakhta

    Treaty of Kyakhta
    China and Russia sign the Treaty of Kyakhta, forming the borders between the two countries.

  • Confinement of Foreign Trade

    Confinement of Foreign Trade
    Foreign trade is confined to Guangzhou.

  • Gigantic Opium Trade

    Gigantic Opium Trade
    275 tons of opium are imported from Britain to China.

  • The Opium Wars

    The Opium Wars
    1700 Chinese opium dealers are arrested in Guangzhou, while several tons of the drug itself is seized from foreign traders. The Chinese urge Queen Victoria to stop the trade, which gives the British major profit. In turn, they start the first of two "Opium Wars."

  • Hong Kong

    Hong Kong
    Hong Kong becomes part of the British Colonial Empire.

  • Taiping Rebellion

    Taiping Rebellion
    A civil war, lead by Hong Xiuquan, who believed himself to be the son of God. This civil war was one of the bloodiest in human history, resulting in at least 20 million lives lost.

  • First Sino-Japanese War

    First Sino-Japanese War
    This war was fought between the Chinese Qing Dynasty, and Meiji Japan, over Korea, and ended in Japan winning the land, while the dynasty was humiliated.

  • The Boxer Rebellion

    The Boxer Rebellion
    Several Chinese farmers and peasants, whose lives had been ruined by Imperialism and foreign trade, began to kill Christians and foreigners, eventually massacring them in Beijing.

  • CPC Founded

    CPC Founded
    The Communist Party of China is founded, sparking off a new chapter to the Chinese Revolution.