1840s-1860s: Foreign Invasion and Crisis of the Old Regime
1840-1842: First Opium War; China defeated, forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842).
1843: Treaties of Humen (Bogue), Wangxia (U.S.), and
Huangpu (France) further erode Chinese sovereignty.
1851-1864: Taiping Rebellion; rebels issue The Land
System of the Heavenly Dynasty and New Treatise on
Aid to Governance.
1856-1860: Second Opium War; Anglo-French forces
burn the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan); Treaties
of Tianjin (1858) and Beijing (1860) imposed.
1861-1894: Self-Strengthening Movement; Qing Dynasty
establishes modern industries like the Jiangnan Arsenal.
Late 19th to Early 20th Century: National Crisis and Reform Attempts
1894-1895: First Sino-Japanese War; China signs the
Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan. Foreign powers
carve China into "spheres of influence."
1898: Hundred Days' Reform (Wuxu Reform) led by Kang
Youwei and Liang Qichao fails; conservative backlash.
1900: Boxer Rebellion; Eight-Nation Alliance invades;
Boxer Protocol (1901) humiliates China.
1905: Imperial examination system abolished; Sun Yat-sen
founds the Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui),
advocating the Three Principles of the People.
1910s-1920s: End of Empire and Rise of New Ideologies
October 1911: Wuchang Uprising sparks the Xinhai Revolution,
toppling the Qing Dynasty.
January 1912: Republic of China established;
Provisional Constitution enacted.
1915: New Culture Movement begins with
Chen Duxiu's Youth Magazine (later New Youth).
May 1919: May Fourth Movement erupts,
fueling anti-imperialist and pro-democracy sentiments.
July 1921: Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
holds its First National Congress.
1920s-1930s: KMT-CCP Cooperation and Revolutionary Struggles
1924: First National Congress of the KMT;
formalizes First United Front with the CCP.
August 1927: Nanchang Uprising marks
the CCP's independent military leadership.
September 1931: September 18 Incident;
Japan occupies Manchuria, establishes puppet state Manchukuo.
1934-1936: Long March; CCP retreats 6,000 miles;
Mao Zedong gains leadership at Zunyi Conference.
December 1936: Xi'an Incident forces KMT-CCP
cooperation against Japan.
1937-1945: War of Resistance Against Japan
July 1937: Marco Polo Bridge Incident triggers
full-scale Japanese invasion.
December 1937: Nanjing Massacre;
over 300,000 Chinese civilians slaughtered.
August 1940: Hundred Regiments Offensive;
CCP-led Eighth Route Army disrupts Japanese supply lines.
August 1945: Japan surrenders unconditionally;
China declares victory.
1945-1949: Civil War and Founding of the PRC
June 1946: KMT attacks CCP-held Central Plains;
full-scale civil war begins.
September 1948-January 1949: Liaoshen, Huaihai,
and Pingjin Campaigns; CCP secures strategic victories.
April 1949: Yangtze River Crossing Campaign;
CCP captures Nanjing, KMT regime collapses.
October 1, 1949: Mao Zedong proclaims
the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing.