A calendar of Chinese history
16 events
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Birth
Birth of Li Na
Birth in Wuhan of the tennis player Li Na, the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the French Open in 2011. A professional from 1999 to 2014, she wins nine WTA tournaments, including two Grand Slam titles.
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War
Fall of Kaifeng to the Mongols
The siege of Kaifeng, capital of the Jin dynasty, ends in a Mongol victory. Begun in April 1232 under the general Subutai, it saw the city withstand plague and famine until the emperor Aizong of Jin fled to Caizhou; the general Cui Li, left in charge, opens the gates.
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Birth
Birth of Wang Dan
Birth in Beijing of Wang Dan, one of the most prominent student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He later earns a doctorate in history from Harvard University and remains active in promoting democracy in China.
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Economy
Taoyuan International Airport opens
Taoyuan International Airport, the main airport serving Taipei and the largest in Taiwan, opens. It is initially named Chiang Kai-shek International Airport.
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Death
Death of the general Cheng Yaojin
Death of the general Cheng Yaojin, born in 589, who served the emperors Gaozu, Taizong and Gaozong in the early Tang dynasty. His portrait hangs in the Lingyan Pavilion alongside those of 23 other officials honoured by Taizong for meritorious service.
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Death
Death of Admiral Guan Tianpei
Admiral Guan Tianpei, commander-in-chief of Qing naval forces in the First Opium War, dies in the Anunghoy forts during the Battle of the Bogue against the British.
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Politics
Treaty of Ganghwa between Japan and Korea
Japan and Korea sign the Treaty of Ganghwa, which grants Japanese citizens extraterritorial rights in Korea, opens three Korean ports to Japanese trade and ends Korea's status as a tributary state of Qing China.
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Death
Death of the poet Mu Dan
Death of the poet Mu Dan, born Zha Liangzheng in Tianjin in 1918. He served with the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma during the Second World War and later took a master's degree in English literature at the University of Chicago.
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Birth
Birth of Zheng Siwei
Birth in Wenzhou of the badminton player Zheng Siwei, a mixed doubles specialist ranked world number one with Chen Qingchen and later with Huang Yaqiong.
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Birth
Birth of Maggie Mac Neil
Birth of the Canadian swimmer Maggie Mac Neil, originally from Jiujiang, China, world champion in the 100 metres butterfly in 2019 and Olympic champion in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
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Birth
Birth of Alex Fong
Birth of Alex Fong, Hong Kong actor, singer and swimmer nicknamed Little Flying Fish, who represents Hong Kong at the Sydney 2000 Olympics before launching a singing career in 2001.
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Birth
Birth of Ming Dao
Birth of Ming Dao, a Taiwanese actor, singer and model known for starring in The Prince Who Turns into a Frog.
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Birth
Birth of Guo Shuang
Birth of Guo Shuang, a Chinese track cyclist.
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Birth
Birth of Kwok Ho-ting
Birth of the Hong Kong cyclist Kwok Ho-ting.
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Birth
Birth of Wu Haiyan
Birth of Wu Haiyan, a Chinese footballer who plays in defence and has been a member of the national team since 2012.
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Death
Death of Simon Li
Death of Simon Li, Hong Kong senior judge and politician, born in 1922.