Contents

Editor’s Note 1

1949 1

1950 7

1951 13

1952 16

1953 20

1954 24

1955 29

1956 32

1957 38

1958 42

1959 45

1960 49

1961 52

1962 54

1963 57

1964 61

1965 64

1966 66

1967 68

1968 70

1969 72

1970 74

1971 75

1972 77

1973 79

1974 81

1975 82

1976 84

1977 87

1978 90

1979 96

1980 101

1981 105

1982 108

1983 113

1984 116

1985 120

1986 124

1987 128

1988 131

1989 136

1990 140

1991 143

1992 145

1993 149

1994 156

1995 159

1996 162

1997 164

1998 170

1999 174

2000 176

2001 180

2002 184

2003 187

2004 193

2005 197

2006 201

2007 205

2008 211

2009 217

2010 220

2011 223

2012 226

2013 232

2014 244

2015 257

2016 271

2017 283

2018 294

2019 309

1949

October 1
The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China was established. 
Previously from September 21 to 30, the 1st Plenary Session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held, at which the Common Program of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an interim constitution, was adopted. The Common Program stipulated that the state system of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was the people’s democratic dictatorship led by the working class on the foundation of the alliance of workers and farmers, and its system of government was a people’s congress system characterized by democratic centralism. The Session also passed the Organization Law of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the Organization Law of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. The Session decided that the PRC’s capital was Beijing, which was to be renamed from Peiping; China’s official calendar was to follow the AD system; the “March of the Volunteers” was to serve as the interim national anthem; and the Five-Starred Red Flag was to be the national flag. The Session elected Mao Zedong chairman of the Central People’s Government, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Soong Ching Ling, Li Jishen, Zhang Lan and Gao Gang vice-chairmen, and Chen Yi and 55 other members of the Central People’s Government Committee. At 2 pm on October 1, the Central People’s Government Committee held its first meeting and unanimously decided to accept the Common Program as the administrative policy of the government, and appointed Zhou Enlai as premier of the Administrative Council of the Central People’s Government, Mao Zedong as chairman of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission and Zhu De as commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army. At 3 pm, a ceremony was solemnly held at the Tiananmen Square, Beijing to celebrate the founding of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the Central People’s Government, followed by a grand military parade and a mass parade. On December 2, the 4th Meeting of the Central People’s Government Committee was held, which decided that October 1 of each year was to be the national day of the People’s Republic of China. The founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 marked China’s great leap from its millenia-old feudal autocracy to democracy of the people, a milestone of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation since modern times. At that moment, the Chinese nation ushered in a new era of development and progress.
October 2
The Soviet Union decided to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC. On October 3, Zhou Enlai replied that China welcomed the immediate establishment of diplomatic relations and the exchanges of ambassadors between the two countries. China and the Soviet Union officially established diplomatic relations. On January 27, 1964, China established diplomatic relations with France, the first major Western country to establish such relations with China. By September 21, 2019, China had established diplomatic relations with 179 countries.
October 9
The 1st Session of the 1st CPPCC National Committee was held. Mao Zedong was elected chairman of the 1st CPPCC National Committee.
October 21 
The Administrative Council of the Central People’s Government was established.
October 22 
The Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procurator Department were established. The latter was renamed the Supreme People’s Procuratorate in 1954.
October 25 
The General Administration of Customs of the Central People’s Government was established, marking the beginning of the Chinese people’s total control of the Chinese customs.
November 9 
The CPC Central Committee decided to set up the Party Commission for Discipline Inspection at the central and local levels, and Zhu De was appointed as secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
November 11 
The Leading Body of the Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was established. Before and after that, the navy, artillery and other military units and their leading bodies were set up.
November 21 
The 2nd Congress of People from All Walks of Life in Beijing adopted a resolution to close brothels, and afterwards actions were taken throughout the country to close all the brothels.
December 2 
At its 4th meeting, the Central People’s Government Committee decided to issue people’s victorious discount bonds, and adopted general rules on organizing congresses of people from all endeavors at the provincial, municipal and county levels. Congresses of representatives at various levels were held by the people’s governments in various localities to carry out the functions of the people’s congress, and served as a transitional form before the convening of the people’s congresses.
December 6 
The Culture and Education Commission of the Administrative Council set up a committee to handle the return of Chinese students studying abroad. From August 1949 to November 1955, a total of 1,536 senior intellectuals, including Li Siguang, Hua Luogeng and Qian Xuesen, returned from overseas to participate in building the new nation.
December 23–31 
The 1st National Conference on Education Work was held, which proposed that education must serve the construction of the country, and schools must open their doors to workers and farmers.