10 Most Famous Historical events that happened in China

Four-segment panorama of Pudong, Shanghai, China. By King of Hearts, Wikimedia

10 Most Famous Historical events that happened in China

China is a vast country with an intricate history involving many kingdoms, revolutions, and myths. With its ever-increasing tourism and rise as a vibrant superpower, interest in China has increased manifold. Many people are intrigued by the country’s ancient history.

1. The World Trade Organization

China became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 11 December 2001, after the agreement of the Ministerial Conference. The admission of China to the WTO was preceded by a lengthy process of negotiations and required significant changes to the Chinese economy. China’s membership in the WTO has been contentious, with substantial economic and political effects on other countries which are sometimes referred to as the China shock, and controversies over the mismatch between the WTO framework and China’s economic model.

2. Olympics in Beijing

 China hosted the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Meanwhile, a 2008 Gallup poll revealed that 40% of Americans considered China to be the world’s leading economic power (with only 33% choosing their own country). In the months before the Games’ start, a devastating earthquake in Sichuan province, international focus on China’s pollution problems, and protests over China’s human rights record and Tibet became part of the Olympic story. 

3. Cultural revolution

Propaganda oil painting of Mao during the Cultural Revolution (1967),By 人民画报, Wikipedia

Mao Zedong initiated the “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,”  after the results of the radical agricultural and industrial “reforms” of the Great Leap Forward (1958-1961) ended up being disastrous. He instituted the reforms after he was to lead the Chinese Communists to victory in the civil war against the Nationalists (1949). After Mao died in 1976, Deng Xiaoping led China in a much more moderate direction, and a significant aspect of his rule was acknowledging Mao’s mistakes. The official slogan is that Mao was seventy percent right and thirty percent wrong. However, China continues to wrestle with Mao’s legacy. Mao founded the People’s Republic of China, so to completely repudiate him would be to disavow Communism.

4. World’s largest automobile market

China has overtaken the US to become the biggest car market in the world as government policy initiatives spur demand. China sold more than 13.5m vehicles last year, the official Xinhua news agency said today, compared with 10.4m cars and light trucks sold in the US, the lowest level in 27 years.

China’s market grew by 45% year-on-year in 2009, providing a rare glimmer of hope for the world’s beleaguered car manufacturers, such as General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota. Total industry sales fell 21% in the formerly dominant US market, and Volkswagen has said that China is now its biggest market.

5. Liu Xiaobo

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese human rights activist who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009. Three weeks later, China announced its peace prize, the “Confucius Peace Prize” (awarded to Lien Chan, Taiwan’s former vice president of the KMT). During his fourth prison term, Liu was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. He was therefore the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China.

6. Ethnic Violence

Armed police and metal detector at the Kargilik bazaar, By Eric Feng, Wikipedia

Ethnic violence in China’s restive Xinjiang province left more than 140 people dead and hundreds injured. Chinese authorities said that it was the bloodiest violence in the country since the Tiananmen Square protests.

Clashes broke out between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi, the western region’s capital, last night. Officials said 828 people were injured and hundreds had been arrested.  The protests were said to have started when several thousand people rallied in the grand bazaar to protest at the death of two Uighur migrants, and injuries suffered by hundreds of others, during an ethnic conflict between workers in a factory in Guangdong, southern China.

7. Akmal Shaikh

Shaikh is the first European to be executed by China since 1951. China executed the British national Akmal Shaikh, who was arrested for smuggling heroin, despite pleas for clemency by his family, who said he was mentally unstable. Relatives of Akmal Shaikh,  and the British government had appealed for clemency, arguing the former businessman suffered from bipolar disorder, or manic depression.

But the Chinese Supreme Court rejected the appeal, saying there was insufficient evidence of mental illness, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Shaikh had been given all due legal rights.  

 8. The Chongzhen Emperor

A modern portrait of the Chongzhen Emperor, By Unknown author, Wikipedia

The Chongzhen Emperor came to power in 1627 AD at the age of 16 after the death of the Tianqi Emperor. His succession was helped by Empress Zhang (widow of the Tianqi Emperor) even though it was opposed by the central eunuch, Wei Zhongxian, who wanted to retain power over the magnificent court.

From the start of his rule, the Chongzhen Emperor did his best to keep the Ming dynasty alive but despite his best efforts, years of internal corruption and an empty treasury made it difficult to fill essential government posts. 

9. The Ming Dynasty

Emperor Hongwu ruled from 1368 AD to 1398 AD and was one of the most prominent yet savage leaders of imperial China. He established a framework for the longstanding political and social stability of the Ming administration but slaughtered a huge number of his advisors and their families during this time.

 In 1402 AD, the Zhongle Emperor, the son of Emperor Hongwu came to power. He was as tyrannical as his father had been and killed many members of the Jianwen Emperor’s administration after defeating him in battle. 

10. China’s national flag

The flag of the People’s Republic of China is raised for the first time on 1 October 1949,By Unknown author, Wikipedia

China’s national flag was adopted in September 1949 as a result of a flag design competition that received a total of 2992 entries. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in a semicircle set off towards the fly (the side farthest from the flagpole).

The red in the flag symbolizes revolution. The large star symbolizes communism, and the little stars represent the Chinese people and their respective social classes. The five stars and their relationship represent the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party. Plus, the number five is considered lucky in Chinese culture.