A calendar of Chinese history
21 events
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Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest in history
Disaster
An earthquake strikes Shaanxi province in 1556. Regarded as the deadliest in recorded history, it may have killed as many as 830,000 people.
Source : earthquake
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China-United States trade war begins
Economy
The trade war between China and the United States begins in January 2018 when President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines. Washington cites unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft; Beijing accuses the Trump administration of nationalist protectionism and retaliates.
Source : China–United States trade war
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Birth of Hai Rui
Birth
Hai Rui, a philosopher and official of the Ming dynasty, is born in 1514. He is remembered as a model of honesty and integrity in office. He dies in 1587.
Source : Hai Rui
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Birth of writer Su Tong
Birth
Writer Su Tong, born Tong Zhonggui, is born in Suzhou in 1963. A leading figure of the "new historical novel" within China's neorealist movement, he is best known for Wives and Concubines, adapted for the screen by Zhang Yimou, and wins the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize for The Boat to Redemption.
Source : Su Tong
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Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident
Politics
Five people set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on the eve of Chinese New Year in 2001. Chinese government sources describe them as Falun Gong practitioners, a movement banned in mainland China; Falun Gong disputes this, noting that its teachings forbid violence and suicide, and some journalists claim the event was staged.
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COVID-19 pandemic reaches Hong Kong
Disaster
The COVID-19 pandemic officially begins in Hong Kong on 23 January 2020. By 30 October 2022 the territory has recorded 10,373 deaths.
Source : Pandémie de Covid-19 à Hong Kong
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Song crossbowmen defeat the Southern Han war elephants
War
In 971, Song dynasty troops armed with crossbows soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
Source : crossbow
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Death of Empress Xiaoherui
Death
Empress Xiaoherui, of the Manchu Niohuru clan and second empress consort of the Jiaqing Emperor, dies in 1850. Empress from 1801 to 1820, then honoured as Empress Dowager Gongci under her stepson the Daoguang Emperor, she was the longest-serving empress consort in Qing history.
Source : Empress Xiaoherui
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Birth of general Chen Jitang
Birth
Chen Jitang, a Hakka general of the Kuomintang, is born in 1890. He dies in 1954.
Source : Chen Jitang
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Death of Mao Yichang, father of Mao Zedong
Death
Mao Yichang, a peasant and grain merchant from the village of Shaoshan in Hunan, dies in 1920. Born into poverty in 1870, he became a moneylender and grain trader and one of the wealthiest farmers in Shaoshan; he is remembered as the father of Mao Zedong.
Source : Mao Yichang
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Birth of footballer Dong Fangzhuo
Birth
Chinese international footballer Dong Fangzhuo, a centre-forward, is born in Dalian in 1985.
Source : Dong Fangzhuo
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Birth of chess player Shen Yang
Birth
Chess player Shen Yang is born in Nanjing in 1989. World Junior Girls champion in 2006 and Chinese women's champion in 2009, she earns the International Master title in 2013.
Source : Shen Yang
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Birth of badminton player Ou Xuanyi
Birth
Badminton player Ou Xuanyi is born in 1994. Part of the Chinese teams that win the 2022 Asian Games, the 2023 Sudirman Cup and the 2024 Thomas Cup, he takes eight World Tour titles and reaches a career-high world number two in men's doubles in May 2023.
Source : Ou Xuanyi
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Birth of footballer Wang Shuang
Birth
Chinese international footballer Wang Shuang is born in Wuhan in 1995. A forward, she plays for Tottenham Hotspur.
Source : Wang Shuang
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Earthquake in Xinjiang near the Kyrgyz border
Disaster
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes the Tian Shan mountains in 2024, 135 km west of Aksu in China's Xinjiang Uyghur region and 136 km south of Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, at a depth of about 20 km.
Source : Séisme de 2024 à la frontière entre la Chine et le Kirghizistan
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Death of general Liao Xilong
Death
General Liao Xilong, born in June 1940 in Sinan County, Guizhou, dies in Beijing in 2026. He served as a general in the People's Liberation Army.
Source : Liao Xilong
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Birth of weightlifter Li Fengying
Birth
Taiwanese weightlifter Li Fengying is born in 1975.
Source : Li Fengying
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Birth of footballer Yuto Nakamura
Birth
Footballer Yuto Nakamura, a striker born in Japan, is born in 1987. He goes on to play for the Hong Kong national team.
Source : Yuto Nakamura
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Birth of footballer Zhang Xizhe
Birth
Footballer Zhang Xizhe, an attacking midfielder, is born in 1991.
Source : Zhang Xizhe
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Birth of Qi Ying
Birth
Chinese sport shooter Qi Ying is born in 1997.
Source : Qi Ying (sport shooter)