This article attempts to present a concise picture of significant developments.
Events are grouped chronologically into major directories, with individual years listed in sub-directories.
Events outside of China and those involving foreign countries are listed in blue.
It is important to note that the information presented here does not necessarily match official or academic versions of history, which often suffer from distortion, taboo, official censorship, self-censorship, diplomatic constraints, etc.
We will continue to check and update accordingly.
The modern history of China can roughly be divided into several periods:
End of the Qing Dynasty (1911)
Civil wars and the Republican period (1912 - 1936)
War with Japan (1937 - 1945)
People’s Republic of China vs Republic of China (1949 - )
Modernization and democracy movements (1976 - )
Major Events
British victory at the Battle of Waterloo. (1815)
First Opium War. (1840)
Second Opium War. (1858)
Meiji Restoration in Japan. (1868)
First Sino-Japanese War. (1894)
Hundred Days' Reform. (1898)
Founding of the Republic of China. (1911)
Yuan Shikai attempts to become emperor.(1912-1916)
First World War. (1814-1818)
May Fourth movement for science and democracy. (1919)
Civil war among warlords. (1920-1923)
Northern Expedition and establishment of Nationalist China. (1924-1928)
Civil wars. (1929-1936)
Second Sino-Japanese War. (1937-1945)
Second World War. (1939-1945)
Civil war between Nationalists and Communists. (1945-1949)
Land reform in Taiwan. (1949)
Founding of the People’s Republic of China. (1949)
Korean War. (1950-1953)
Great Leap Forward. (1958-1961)
Cultural Revolution. (1966-1976)
Economic reform and the Four Modernizations. (1978)
Democratic elections in Taiwan. (1986)
Democracy movement in Beijing. (1989)
1941
January – Due to a dispute on the route to cross the Yangtze, Nationalist forces clash with the Communist New Fourth Army. 9,000 Communist soldiers are killed or captured. Publicity of the event fans widespread sympathy for the Communists and anger at the Nationalists.
January - The Chinese halted the attack by 90,000 Japanese troops in the southern Henan province.
March - Under domestic and foreign pressure, the Nationalists resume talks with the Communists.
March - Japanese launch an attack in Jiangxi province with 40,000 men. After three weeks of fighting, the attack fails, with 15,000 Japanese casualties.
April – The Soviet Union signs a neutrality pact with Japan. The Soviet Union recognized the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, and Japan recognized the independence of Outer Mongolia. Supply routes from the Soviet Union into China are closed.
April – Franklin Roosevelt gave secret authorization for forming the American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) that would fly combat missions for China.
April - Japanese forces capture Ningpo, Wenzhou and Fuzhou port cities.
May - Nationalist guerrillas in southern Shanxi province are forced to retreat by Japanese troops. Communist guerrillas would occupy the same area afterwards.
May – The United States declares China eligible for Lend-Lease aid.
June – Germany invades the Soviet Union.
July - Japanese troops allowed into southern Vietnam, occupying the entire country.
August - The United States imposes an oil embargo on Japan.
September – Second Battle of Changsha. Intense fighting in Hunan province. Japanese forces fail to take the city, suffering over 40,000 casualties. The Chinese also suffer heavy losses.
October - Soviet Union urges the Chinese Communists to intensify their attacks on the Japanese.
October - Tojo Hideki becomes prime minister in Japan.
November - U.S. civilians and military personnel are evacuated from China.
November - Japanese fleet leaves for Hawaii in secret.
December – Japan attacks Hawaii and Southeast Asia. The United States entered the war.
December - Japanese forces enter Thailand.
December - Germany declares war on the United States.
December – Japanese capture Hong Kong, a British colony.
1942
January - Britain and the United States agreed on Europe's first strategy, making the defeat of Germany a priority.
January – Third battle of Changsha. The Japanese attack on Changsha failed, with over 50,000 casualties. First Allied victory after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
January - Japanese forces enter Burma from Thailand.
February - Rectification movement in Yan'an. A long series of political campaigns would cumulate in Mao Zedong becoming the absolute leader of the Communist Party by the war's end in 1945. Thousands are killed in the process.
February – Japanese forces capture Singapore, a British colony.
March – U.S. general Joseph Stilwell arrives in China and becomes Chiang Kai-shek’s chief of staff.
March - Chinese Expeditionary Force made up of China's best troops enter Burma.
March - Japanese forces capture Rangoon, Burma. British forces in retreat.
April - Conflicts between Joseph Stilwell and Chinese commanders in Burma. Stilwell takes command.
April – U.S. bombers involved in the Doolittle raid on Japan crash land in China. Japan retaliates by attacking Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces with a force of 100,000 to eliminate airfields in those areas.
April - The Chinese 38th Division, commanded by Sun Liren, relieves the British First Burma Division at Yanangyaung.
April – Japanese forces capture Lashio, Burma. The last major supply line into China is cut. Allied forces in Burma are cut off.
April – Allied forces in Burma in general retreat. British troops and part of the Chinese Expeditionary Force retreated towards India. A large portion of the Chinese force disintegrates in the Burmese jungle on their way back to China. By the time all Chinese forces left Burma in August, half of the 100,000 crack Chinese troops that began the campaign had been lost, along with their American equipment.
May – U.S. forces in the Philippines surrender.
May - Between May and July, Japanese forces massacre about 250,000 Chinese civilians along the Chinese coast in retaliation for their assistance to the Doolittle crew.
May - Regular flights over the Himalayan Mountains (the Hump) begin. Flights from India would be the only effective means to provide foreign supplies to China for the next three years.
June – U.S. Navy defeats the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway.
June - Chiang Kai-shek expresses dissatisfaction with Joseph Stilwell.
June - Germans capture Tobruk, North Africa. British forces in retreat.
June - Chiang Kai-shek was unhappy with diverting U.S. supplies from the Chinese theatre.
August – U.S. Marines land on Guadalcanal.
September - Chinese troops were transported to India to receive U.S. training. Joseph Stilwell would command the troops.
September - Communist coup in Xinjiang province fails.
October –The United States and the United Kingdom agree to drop “extraterritoriality” in China – the practice of making foreign citizens immune from Chinese law.
November– British forces defeat the Germans at El Alamein.
November – Allied forces land in North Africa.
November – Soong Mayling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, visits the United States.
1943
January - End of unequal treaties. The United States and Britain signed new treaties with China as equals.
January – The German Sixth Army surrenders to Soviet forces at Stalingrad.
February - Soon Mayling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek, addresses the U.S. Congress.
March - In the Communist Party, Mao Zedong becomes chairman of the Politburo and the Secretariat. Political cleansing continues. Thousands are arrested.
April – The Japanese attack Nationalist guerrilla forces in the area bordering Shanxi, Hebei and Henan provinces. The guerrilla bases suffer heavy losses and are eliminated.
April - Soviet Union agrees to withdraw troops from Xinjiang province.
April - Nationalist troops enter Xinjiang province.
May – In the Soviet Union, the Communist International is dissolved.
May – Axis forces in North Africa surrender.
April – A sizeable Japanese force moves up the Yangtze from Hubei and Hunan provinces. The Japanese attack is beaten back.
June - Negotiations between Nationalists and Communists fail.
June - The U.S. State Department contemplates sending a mission to the Communists areas.
June - Operation Cartwheel. U.S. forces advance in the South Pacific.
July - Initial conception of Mao Zedong's Thought in the Communist Party.
July - In the Soviet Union, German forces were defeated at the Battle of Kursk.
July – Allied forces land in Sicily.
July - Nationalist attacks on Communist bases in northwest China are called off.
August - Generals in eight provinces conspire to replace Chiang Kai-shek.
August - The Communists eliminated most Nationalist forces in Shandong province.
September - Italy surrenders.
September - Chiang Kai-shek requests the replacement of Joseph Stilwell but later reluctantly allows him to stay.
October - Chinese troops (the X Force) launch an attack from India into northern Burma. Engineers followed behind to build a road that would bring supplies to China.
November – Battle of Chengde. From November to December, Japanese forces attack Changde in Hunan province. The city is lost and recaptured after fierce battles. The Japanese suffered about 20,000 casualties, while the Chinese lost about 50,000 men.
November – The Cairo Declaration. The United States, Britain, and China signed the declaration and announced that Manchuria and Taiwan would be returned to China after the war.
November - The Tehran Conference. The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union agreed that allied efforts would be concentrated on the war in Europe.
1944
January - Questioning the Nationalist government's ability and commitment to fight Japan, the United States threatens to stop sending aid to China.
February - U.S. forces capture the Marshall Islands.
February - the United States requests sending a mission to Communist Yan'an.
March - India's forces (the X Force) capture Maingkwan, Burma.
March – Japanese forces in Burma strike and surround British and Indian troops at Imphal and Kohima in India.
April - The United States and China disagree on sending reinforcements into Burma from China. Under intense U.S. pressure, orders were given to send 70,000 Chinese troops (the Y Force) into Burma from Yunnan province in May.
April – Operation Ichigo. Beginning the most extensive Japanese attack in the war, involving over 350,000 Japanese troops over 900 miles. The aim is to open a land transport route from Beijing to the border with Vietnam. The operation lasted eight months, with Chinese troops retreating on all fronts.
April - Japanese troops capture Zhengzhou, a critical rail junction south of the Yellow River.
May - Chinese troops (the Y Force) begin their advance towards Burma from Yunnan province.
June - Communists ask for an end to the Nationalist blockade of Yan'an, the formation of a democratic coalition government, freedom of speech and assembly, and also a portion of the U.S. aid to fight the Japanese.
June – Japanese troops launch an attack from Wuhan in central China while smaller forces advance from Guangzhou and Vietnam in the south.
June – Chinese and foreign journalists visit Communist Yan'an.
June – Japanese forces capture Changsha.
June – Allied troops land in Normandy, France.
July - United States demands all Chinese forces entirely command Joseph Stilwell. Chiang Kai-shek refuses.
July – The United States Army Observer Group, informally known as the Dixie Mission, arrives at the Communist base in Yan’an. The Communists are seen as supporters of democracy.
August - A combined force of U.S. and Chinese troops captured Myitkyina, Burma.
August – the Japanese captured Hengyang in Hunan province after 47 days of intense fighting.
September - Japanese make substantial advances in Guangxi province.
October - The Democratic League calls for an immediate end to the one-party dictatorship of the Nationalist Party.
October – Upon Chiang Kai-shek's request, Joseph Stilwell is dismissed from his posts and leaves China. Albert C. Wedemeyer replaces Stilwell.
November – Japanese troops enter Guizhou province, threatening war-time capital Chongqing.
November - Japanese forces complete the link-up of rail transport from Beijing to Vietnam. Operation Ichigo ends.
December - In Burma, Chinese troops from India (the X Force) capture Bhamo and reach the Chinese border.
1945
January - Zhou Enlai travels from Xi'an to Chongqing for negotiations. The Communist Party calls for the formation of a coalition government.
January - Chinese forces from India (X Force) and China (Y Force) join up at Muse, Burma. Road transport from India to China is open.
February – Yalta Agreement. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet at Yalta in Soviet Crimea. In exchange for joining the war against Japan, the Soviet Union would reclaim privileges in Manchuria, including using ports and railroads. Outer Mongolia would be recognized as an independent state. Details of the agreement were not disclosed to the Chinese government until June.
February – U.S. forces capture Manila.
March - Negotiations between the Communists and Nationalists to form a coalition government failed.
March - Japanese launch last ditch effort to capture airbases in central China. After two months of fighting, the effort ended with limited success.
April - The Soviet Union breaks the neutrality pact with Japan.
April - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt dies of illness.
April - Seventh Congress of the Communist Party. Mao Zedong becomes an absolute leader. The Party now commands an armed force of about one million in Communist-controlled areas. The Congress calls for a coalition government with the Nationalists and free elections.
May – May Fourth Directive of the Chinese Communist Party on land reform. The land will be transferred from landlords and rich peasants to peasants who do not own land.
May – Sixth Party Congress of the Nationalist Party. Congress passes a resolution to end political tutelage, one-party rule, elections, and legalization of all political parties. Rejects Communist requests for a coalition government.
May – Germany surrenders to the Allies.
May - Chinese troops begin an offensive in Guangxi province as the Japanese retreat north. For the first time in the war, the Chinese have military superiority over the Japanese.
June - China is informed of details of the Yalta agreement reached in February among the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. China objects to the agreement.
June - Nationalist and Communist forces clash in various parts of China.
June - The Republic of China is the first country to sign the United Nations Charter in San Francisco.
August 6 – The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
August 8 – The Soviet Union declares war on Japan.
August 9 - 1.5 million Soviet and Mongolian troops launch an attack into Manchuria shortly after midnight.
August 9 – The United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
August 10 - Japan agrees to surrender.
August 10 - Communist forces launch attacks to occupy northern and central China territories.
August 11 – Communist forces move towards Manchuria to link up with the Soviet army.
August 14 – The Sino-Soviet Treaty. China accepts the terms of the Yalta Agreement. Outer Mongolia would be recognized as an independent state. The Soviet Union would not interfere in Manchuria. Soviet troops would leave Manchuria in three months. The treaty would be nullified in 1952 by the Republic of China for Soviet support of the Communists in the Chinese civil war.
August 15 – Emperor Hirohito announces the Japanese surrender.
August 28 – Mao Zedong goes to Chongqing for talks with Chiang Kai-Shek.
September - Formal surrender of Japanese troops in Nanjing. Over one million Japanese troops are stationed in China at the time. Throughout the eight-year war, the Chinese military suffered over three million casualties (mostly Nationalists), including the deaths of 268 generals (one Communist). Incalculable numbers of civilians were killed.
September - Nationalist troops were transported by U.S. planes to Beijing and Tianjin.
September - U.S. troops land in Tianjin.
October - U.S. troops land in Qingdao.
October – The Nationalists and the Communists issue a communiqué. The two sides agreed to establish a political democracy, unify China’s armed forces under Chiang Kai-shek, and convene a political consultative conference to develop a democratic government.
October –Soviet officers in Manchuria deny Nationalist troops permission to land in Dalian and Port Arthur, citing the Yalta Agreement.
October - Transported by the U.S. Navy, Nationalist troops land in Taiwan, a Japanese colony since 1895.
October - Assisted by the U.S., Nationalist troops land in Qinhuangdao, south of the Manchurian border and begin an advance up north, encountering Communist resistance along the way.
November – In Manchuria, 2,000 Communist troops were allowed into Changchun by the Soviet army.
November - Over 100,000 Communist troops attack Nationalist-controlled cities in Shandong province.
November - U.S. Ambassador to China Patrick Hurley resigns, citing disagreements with the State Department over the situation in China.
December – George Marshall arrives from the U.S. as a mediator between the Nationalists and the Communists.
1946
January – U.S. representative George Marshall begins his mediation in China.
January - First ceasefire between the Nationalists and Communists.
January - Opening of the People’s Consultative conference in Chongqing.
January - Communist forces capture the port city of Yingkou in Manchuria.
February – Establishment of the American Military Advisory Group (MAGIC) in China.
March – George Marshall visits Yan'an.
March – Soviet forces begin their final withdrawal from Manchuria. Some territories occupied by the Soviets were turned over to the Communists.
April - After a Soviet withdrawal, Communists captured and briefly held the city of Changchun.
May - Soviet troops complete their withdrawal from Manchuria, turning over large quantities of captured Japanese arms and supplies to the Communists. Large machinery and industrial equipment are transported back to the Soviet Union.
May - Nationalist government moves back to Nanjing from Chongqing.
May - Nationalist forces win a significant battle at Siping, Manchuria.
June – Second ceasefire. Under U.S. pressure, Nationalist forces agree to a two-week truce. Nationalists began to lose military superiority and would eventually lose Manchuria and mainland China.
June – Negotiations between the Nationalists and the Communists fail. Nationalist forces renew their attacks.
July - Li Gongpu, a leader of the Democratic League, is assassinated by Nationalist agents. Four days later, Wen Yiduo, a critic of the Nationalist government, is also assassinated.
August – The United States places an embargo on the shipment of arms and ammunition to Nationalist forces.
September - Negotiations between Nationalists and Communist's resume.
November - Third ceasefire.
November - National Assembly convenes without the participation of the Communists. Communist Party considers this the end of negotiations.
December – Harry Truman calls for a broadly representative government in China that would include the Communists.
December - National Assembly drafts a new constitution of the Republic of China, effective December 1947.
1947
January – George Marshall leaves China, ending his mediation between the Nationalists and Communists.
January - George Marshall was sworn in as Secretary of State in the United States.
February – Police confiscation of contraband sparks massive protests in Taiwan. The subsequent crackdown causes a rift between mainland Chinese and native Taiwanese, leading to a Taiwan independence movement.
March - T.V. Soong resigns as prime minister due to disagreements with Chiang Kai-shek on the civil war and the country's financial situation.
April - Nationalist forces suffer heavy losses in Shandong province.
May – Demonstrations against hunger and civil war spread to all urban areas.
May - Communists begin their counteroffensive in Manchuria.
May – the United States lifts the arms embargo against Nationalist forces.
July – Nationalist government orders general mobilization against the Communists.
August – Trade agreements were reached between the Chinese Communist Party and the Soviet Union.
September – Large-scale offensives by the Communists in Manchuria.
October – The Democratic League is considered an accomplice of the Communists and is banned.
December - Implementation of the new constitution.
1948
January - Nationalist forces routed outside the city of Shenyang in Manchuria.
January - The exchange rate of the Chinese currency suffers dramatic falls.
January - Central Committee of the Democratic League meets in Hong Kong and allies with the Communists.
April - Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren were elected president and vice president by the National Assembly in Nanjing.
April – The U.S. Congress approves the China Aid Act.
May - Siege of Changchun begins. The five-month siege would end in the surrender the Nationalist defenders and the deaths of about 300,000 civilians due to starvation.
May - Temporary Provisions for Mobilization for the Period of Suppressing Rebellion. The Constitution is suspended. The Temporary Provisions would not be terminated until 1987.
June – Kaifeng, the capital of Henan province, is captured by the Communists.
August – Announcement of reforms: a new currency called the Gold Yuan is introduced, all precious metals and foreign currencies are to be handed to the government in exchange for the new currency, prices and wages are fixed at their August 1948 levels, and all strikes and public protests are prohibited.
September – Communists capture Jinan, the capital of Shandong province. Communist forces permanently took the first large city south of the Great Wall.
October – The United States decides to evacuate its citizens from Beijing and Tianjin.
November – Harry Truman was re-elected president of the United States.
November – Communist forces capture the city of Shenyang in Manchuria. U.S. consul general Ward stays behind and is put under house arrest.
November - All of Manchuria comes under Communist control.
November - U.S. military supplies begin to arrive in China under the U.S. China Aid Act. Much of the aid is delivered to Taiwan.
December - Communist forces capture Xuzhou, the gateway to the Nationalist capital Nanjing.
December - Beijing is surrounded by Communist forces.
1949
January - Many Nationalist troops and officials begin to retreat to Taiwan.
January - Nationalist troops in Tianjin surrender.
January - George Marshall resigns as Secretary of State of the United States. Dean Acheson replaces Marshall.
January - Chiang Kai-shek withdraws from his office as the president. Chiang named Li Zongren acting president.
January - Commander of Nationalist forces in Beijing turns over the city peacefully to the Communists.
January - Nationalist government moves from Nanjing to Guangzhou. Most foreign ambassadors choose to stay in Nanjing.
February – Chiang Kai-shek ordered the remainder of the government’s gold reserves transferred to Taiwan.
February – Li Zongren attempts to negotiate with the Communists from Nanjing.
March – Mao Zedong arrives in Beijing.
April - First stage of three-stage land reform in Taiwan. Land rent is limited to 37.5 per cent of the annual yield of the main crops.
April– Negotiations between the Nanjing government and the Communists begin in Beijing. An agreement cannot be reached.
April – Communist forces crossed the Yangtze River.
April - Negotiating team from Nanjing defects to the Communists. Li Zongren leaves Nanjing and goes to Guilin in Guangxi province.
April - Communist forces capture Nationalist capital Nanjing.
May - Implementation of martial law in Taiwan. Martial law would not be lifted until 1987.
May – Communist forces enter Shanghai. There is no resistance.
June - Provincial government in Taiwan issues the New Taiwan (NT) dollar.
June – Mao Zedong publishes his essay “On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship.” China was an ally of the Soviet Union. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is the best model.
July - U.S. vice consul in Shanghai is beaten by the police and dies in detention.
August - U.S. Ambassador Stuart leaves China.
August – The United States issues the White Paper on U.S.-China policy.
September - The Republic of China files a formal complaint at the United Nations against the Soviet Union for supporting the communist insurrection violating the Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1945.
October - The People’s Republic of China is established.
October - The Soviet Union recognizes the People's Republic of China.
October - The People's Republic of China recognizes Outer Mongolia as an independent country.
October – Nationalist forces successfully defended the island of Jinmen (Quemoy), ensuring Nationalist control of Taiwan.
November - Li Zhongren goes to the United States via Hong Kong.
December - Nationalist government moves the capital of the Republic of China to Taipei, Taiwan.
December - Chiang Kai-shek arrives in Taipei.
December - Mao Zedong arrives in Moscow to meet with Stalin.
1950
January – Harry Truman declares that the United States would no longer protect the Republic of China. The United States will not provide military aid or advice to the Nationalist forces in Taiwan.
January - Britain recognizes the People's Republic of China.
February – The People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union sign a thirty-year Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance.
March - Chiang Kai-shek resumes his presidency of the Republic of China.
April - Communist troops take Hainan Island.
May - Kim Il-sung, leader of North Korea, visits Beijing.
May - Nationalist troops withdraw from the Zhoushan islands off the coast of Shanghai.
May - Communists gain complete control of mainland China.
June - In Taiwan, rumours of a coup by Sun Liren to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek.
June – North Korean troops invade South Korea and capture Seoul.
June - The United Nations passed a resolution authorising South Korea's military assistance. The Soviet Union does not exercise its veto power.
June - Harry Truman orders the U.S. Seventh Fleet to patrol the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from mainland China.
June - Land reform begins in mainland China. The program would last until 1952. About one million landlords are liquidated, and their land is given to the tenants.
July - Douglas MacArthur takes command of United Nations forces consisting of troops from 18 countries, mainly from the United States.
September - United Nations troops land in Inchon, Korea.
September - United Nations troops recapture Seoul, Korea.
September - Beijing government repeatedly warns United Nations troops not to cross into North Korea.
October - United Nations troops cross into North Korea.
October - Chinese Communist troops enter Korea.
October - Communist troops enter Tibet.
November - In Korea, United Nations forces are in full retreat.
December - Communist troops capture Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
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