Modern Chinese Timeline

  • Boxer Rebellion

    Boxer Rebellion
    The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government.
  • Fall of The Qing Dynasty

    Fall of The Qing Dynasty
    The Qing Dynasty fell in 1911, overthrown by a revolution brewing since 1894.
  • Establishment of the Republic of China

    Establishment of the Republic of China
    A republic was formally established on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution.
  • May Fourth Movement

    May Fourth Movement
    In its broader sense, the May Fourth Movement led to the establishment of radical intellectuals who went on to mobilize peasants and workers into the Communist party and gain the organizational strength that would solidify the success of the Communist Revolution.
  • Second Sino-Japanese War

    Second Sino-Japanese War
    A conflict that broke out when China began a full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory, which had begun in 1931.
  • People’s Republic of China established

    People’s Republic of China established
    On October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People's Republic of China
  • The Great Leap Forward

    The Great Leap Forward
    The central idea behind the Great Leap was that rapid development of China's agricultural and industrial sectors should take place in parallel. The hope was to industrialize by making use of the massive supply of cheap labour and avoid having to import heavy machinery.
  • 1960’s Cultural Revolution

    1960’s Cultural Revolution
    Launched by Mao, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People's Republic of China, its stated goal was to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Mao Zedong Thought, known outside China as Maoism.
  • 1970’s Economic Reform

    1970’s Economic Reform
    Led by Deng Xiaoping, often credited as the "General Architect", the reforms were launched by reformists within the Chinese Communist Party on December 18, 1978, during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period.
  • Tiananmen Square Massacre

    Tiananmen Square Massacre
    The Tiananmen Square protests, known as the June Fourth Incident in China, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989.