1949, Oct.: Proclamation of the People's Republic of China.

1949, Nov.: China founds Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), merging Academia Sinica (Nanjing) and Beiping Academy (Beijing).

The 1950s

1950: New marriage law bans polygamy and arranged marriages. Tries to strengthen women's status.

1949, Dec.: Mao Zedong travels to Moscow to negotiate a friendship treaty with Joseph Stalin.

1950-1953: Socialization of the educational system. Introduction of Soviet-style curricula.

1950-1955: Mao favors pro-natalistic population policy.

1950-1955: Significant improvement of food security among small-scale peasants due to land reform.

1950, Feb.: China and the Soviet Union sign "Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance".

1950, June: Agrarian Reform Law. Land of landlords and wealthy farmers is re-distributed to millions of peasants

1950, Oct.: Chinese People's Volunteer Army invades Korean Peninsula to support their North Korean allies agains the USA.

1950, Nov.: The People's Republic of China takes control of Tibet.

1951: Vatican and China break off diplomatic relations.

1951: United Nations places a global arms embargo on China because China's involvement in Korean War.

1953-1957: 1. Five Year Plan focusing on Soviet-style development of heavy industries.

1956-1957: "Hundred Flowers" campaign misleads intellectuals to complain about problems.

1956, Aug.: First mass mobilization for birth control by the Ministry of Public Health has very little impact.

1956, Sept.: The Sino-Soviet agreement on technological aid in the field of nuclear industry is signed in Moscow.

1957-1958: "Anti-Rightist" Campaign is used by Mao to eliminate critical intellectuals.

1957, March: Foundation of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Zhongguo nongye kexueyuan).

1958: All land is collectivized and farmers are organized into (large) People's Communes.

1958: Begin of the "Great Leap Forward" campaign.

1958: First introduction of the Pinyin phonetic spelling system for Romanization of Chinese words.

1958-1961: Utopian ideas for transforming the family, marriage, and children's education ("new human being").

1958-1961: Mao's program of rural industrialization leads to absurd technology of backyard furnaces for steel production.

1958-1961: Large-scale deforestation due to cultivation of wooded areas and firewood demand (backyard furnaces).

1959: Sino-Soviet relations deteriorate dramatically. The Soviet Union is restricting transfer of science and technology to China.

1959: Revolutionary romanticism: Monumental nature painting in Great Hall of the Peoples (Fu Baoshi, Guan Shanyue).

1959-1961: "Great Leap Forward" triggers largest famine in human history with an estimated 25-35 million casualties.

1959, March: Tibetan population revolts against Chinese occupation is suppressed with "iron fist".

The 1960s

1960: Almost all research is focused on the development of nuclear technology.

1960: With availability of gasoline and electricity in the 1960s, farmers begin to use tube wells for irrigation in Northern China.

1960: Increasing use of tube wells for irrigation in Northern China will lead to groundwater depletion in the 1990s.

1960, July: Khrushchev recalls Soviet advisors and technical experts in China. Open conflict between China and USSR.

1961-1965: Increase in production and import of agricultural inputs (fertilizers, machinery, pesticides)

1961-1965: Readjustment and recovery: "Agriculture First" policy. Food situation improves.

1962: Border conflict with India over areas in the Himalaya.

1962-1972: In the 1960s China's population growth peaks. Between 1962 and 1972 some 300 million babies are born.

1962-1972: High population growth (average of 26.7 million birth per year) in the late 1960 increases pressure on natural resources.

1964, Jan.: China and France establish diplomatic relations. Taiwan's embassy in Paris is closed.

1964, Oct.: Test of first nuclear bomb in China.

1965: Tibet becomes autonomous region.

1966: The "Little Red Book". Climax of Mao-cult.

1966-1976: During Cultural Revolution China's jurisdiction essentially ceases to operate.

1966-1968: Destruction of "The Four Olds": Old ideas, old culture, old customs, old habits.

1966-1976: 10 years of turmoil at schools and universities seriously harm China's intellectual elites.

1966-1976: Mao's political concept of a "permanent cultural revolution" paralyzes his political enemies.

1966-1976: Between "Cultural Revolution" and Mao's death stagnation in agriculture and industry.

1966-1976: During the Cultural Revolusion, religious practice is condemned as feudalistic.

1966-1976: The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution - a decade lost in anarchy and chaos.

1967: Test of first nuclear fusion device in China

1968: The Space Flight Medical Research Centre is founded in preparation for manned space flights (led by Tsien Hsueshen).

1969: Mao Zedong anoints Lin Biao as his heir apparent.

1969, March: Clash with Soviet troops at Damansky Island (Zhen Bao) of the Ussuri river (Wusuli Jiang).

1969, Oct.: First line of Beijing's subway is completed.

The 1970s

1970: In the mid-1970s China's relations with Vietnam begin to deteriorate. Violent incidents along the Sino-Vietnamese border.

1970: First satellite launch ("Long March").

1970-1980: Based on a 50-year forest inventory, researchers find that between 1970 and 1980 Chinese forest expanded significantly.

1970-1976: "Gang of Four" with Mao's wife is trying to get influence by spearheading the "Cultural Revolution".

1970-1976: Mao Zedong is increasingly disappearing from public life due to health problems.

1971, March: Successful launch of the SJ-1 statellite into orbit with two scientific payloads (detecting cosmic rays).

1971, July: Henry Kissinger secretly visits China.

1971, Sept.: Lin Biao is killed in airplane crash while fleeing after an attempted military coup.

1971, Nov.: The People's Republic replaces the Republic of China (Taiwan) in UN Security Council.

1972-1973: Group in State Council of China mobilizes resources for a nationwide birth control campaign, which has little impact.

1972, Feb.: Visit of US President Richard Nixon to China. Normalization between US and China begins.

1974: Discovery of "Terracotta Army" in tomb near Xian with thousands of statues.

1975: Maximum recommended family size - in cities: two children, in rural areas: three to four children

1976, Jan.: Death of Premier Zhou Enlai.

1976, July: Massive earthquake (7.8 Richter scale) devastates the city of Tangshan (Hebei Province). At least 270,000 people die.

1976, Sept.: Chairman Mao Zedong dies at the age of 82. "Gang of Four" with Mao's widow tries to get into power.

1977: After the end of the Cultural Revolution the national unified entrance examination for unitversities is re-introduced.

1977: Hua Guofeng starts "Open Door" policy, which is later incorporated in Deng Xiaopings "Four Modernizations" program.

1977: Deng Xiaoping wins the power struggle after Mao's death.

1978: The 1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China guarantees freedom of religion with a number of restrictions.

1978: Pinyin system approved by State Council as the standard system of phonetic spelling of Chinese words.

1978-1990: Introduction of Pragmatism in China's political and economic system. Promotion of market elements.

1978-1979: Deng Xiaoping introduces stepwise economic reforms: "The Four Modernizations".

1978-1979: "Democracy Wall" in Beijing with pro-democratic posters.

1978, June: State Council establishes a new "Birth Planning Small Leading Group" to strengthen family planning.

1978, Sept.: E-mail link is established between Germany and China (CSNET protocol). First message from China: Sept. 20.

1979: First modern environmental legislation in China.

1979: Diplomatic relations are established between the US and China.

1979: Introduction of the "Household Responsibility System" in agriculture greatly improves China's food security.

1979: Introduction of China's strict "One-Child" family planning program at provincial level, in 1980 at national level.

1979, Jan.: Pinyin phonetic spelling system officially adopted by PRC government.

1979, Jan.: U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits China.

1979, Feb.: China invades Vietnam (for 29 days) after Vietnamese troups had ousted the pro-Beijing Pol-Pot regime in Cambodia.

1979, July: New Criminal Code becomes effective, legally banning torture and physical punishment of suspects.

The 1980s

1980: Special Economic Zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou (Guangdong), Xiamen (Fujian), and the entire province of Hainan.

1980: Stop of the surface test program of nuclear bombs near Lop Nor in Xinjiang province after 23 tests.

1980: Early 1980s: Debates between "Reds" who favour ideological correctness and "Technocrats" who promote pragmatic reform.

1980-1990: Great improvement of China's food security. Significant reduction of rural poverty.

1980, June: Timothy Berners-Lee writes "Enquire" - a program that became the conceptual basis for the World Wide Web (www).

1980, Aug.: First Special Economic Zones are established in Shenzhen.

1981, Sept.: Successful launch of three satellites (SJ-2, SJ-2A, SJ-2b) on one rocket into orbit.

1982: China's population surpasses 1 billion people.

1982, Dec.: The Fifth National People's Congress adopts a new constitution for China.

1984: 14 coastal cities are completely opened to foreign investment.

1984, Jan.: China joins the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

1984, April: State Council authorizes Yangtze Valley Planning Office to draft feasibility report for Three Gorges Dam project.

1985: Free higher education is abolished and replaced by academic scholarships based on academic ability.