A calendar of Chinese history
20 events
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Politics
Nurhaci proclaims himself khan of the Later Jin
Nurhaci proclaims himself khan of the Later Jin, the state that preceded the Qing dynasty. Leader of the Aisin Gioro clan, he had united the Jurchen tribes, the later Manchus, and built up the Eight Banners military system.
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Politics
Kangxi becomes emperor of China
Kangxi becomes emperor at the age of seven, on the death of his father Shunzhi. The fourth ruler of the Qing dynasty, he reigns for more than sixty-one years, the longest reign in Chinese history.
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Birth
Birth of writer Mo Yan
Novelist Mo Yan, born Guan Moye, comes into the world in Gaomi, in Shandong province. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on 11 October 2012.
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Birth
Birth of Nvidia founder Jensen Huang
Taiwanese-American businessman Jensen Huang is born. An electrical engineer, he co-founded Nvidia in 1993 at the age of thirty and became its chief executive.
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Politics
Nixon sets out for China
Richard Nixon leaves the United States on the first visit by an American president to Communist China.
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War
Start of the Sino-Vietnamese War
Chinese troops, backed by aircraft and armour, cross into northern Vietnam and seize several towns near the border. Beijing casts the offensive as a response to Vietnam's 1978 invasion of Cambodia, and the fighting lasts until 16 March 1979.
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Birth
Birth of Empress Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian is born in Lizhou. The only woman ever to reign as emperor in Chinese history, she founds her own dynasty, the Zhou, and rules from 690 to 705.
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Birth
Birth of politician Bo Yibo
Bo Yibo is born in Shanxi province. A vice premier, he ranks among the most senior political figures in China during the 1980s and 1990s.
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Birth
Birth of Tiananmen student leader Wu'er Kaixi
Wu'er Kaixi is born in Beijing into a Uyghur family. A student at Beijing Normal University, he becomes one of the leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, publicly challenging Premier Li Peng on national television.
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Birth
Birth of historian Lien Heng
Taiwanese historian, linguist and poet Lien Heng is born. His best-known work, a general history of Taiwan, helped shape a shared Taiwanese cultural identity.
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Birth
Birth of footballer Xu Yunlong
Footballer Xu Yunlong is born in Beijing. A defender with Beijing Guoan and a Chinese league champion in 2009, he won seventy-two caps for the national team between 2000 and 2008.
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Birth
Birth of badminton player Bao Chunlai
Badminton player Bao Chunlai is born in Changsha. He plays professionally from 2002 to 2011.
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Birth
Birth of diver Sang Xue
Chinese diver Sang Xue is born in Tianjin. She goes on to become an Olympic champion.
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Birth
Birth of footballer Wang Gang
Footballer Wang Gang is born in Tianjin. A right-back, he plays for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League.
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Birth
Birth of speed skater Zhang Chutong
Short-track speed skater Zhang Chutong is born in Jilin. She takes bronze in the 3,000 metres relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, then gold at the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
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Death
Death of general and fighter pilot Liu Yudi
General Liu Yudi dies. A MiG-15 pilot described by the Xinhua agency as a Korean War ace with six kills, he later commanded the Beijing Military Region Air Force.
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Event
Murder of a young Hong Kong woman in Taipei
Poon Hiu-wing, a pregnant young woman from Hong Kong, is killed in Taipei by her boyfriend, Chan Tong-kai, while the couple are on holiday. Back in Hong Kong he admits the killing, yet he cannot be tried for murder there or sent to Taiwan, as no extradition arrangement exists between them.
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Sport
Nordic combined events close at the Winter Games
The Nordic combined events of the 2022 Winter Olympics come to an end in China, at the Snow Ruyi ski jump and the Guyangshu nordic skiing and biathlon centre. The only men-only discipline at those Games, Nordic combined has been on the Olympic programme since 1924.
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Sport
Women's alpine combined held at Yanqing
The women's alpine combined of the 2022 Winter Olympics is held on the Xiaohaituo course, in Yanqing district. Twenty-six racers start, with Petra Vlhova absent.
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Death
Death of Empress Xiaomucheng
Xiaomucheng dies. A consort of the future Daoguang Emperor, she came from the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan.