1949 in China

Events in the year 1949 in China.

Incumbents
Republic of China: People's Republic of China:
 * President: Chiang Kai-shek (-January 21), Li Zongren (January 21-)
 * Premiers: Sun Fo, He Yingqin, Yan Xishan
 * Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party: Mao Zedong
 * Chairman of the Government: Mao Zedong
 * Premier: Zhou Enlai

January

 * January 21 — Chiang Kai-shek resigns from the presidency in a "temporary absence". Vice President Li Zongren was named as the successor

April

 * April 23 — Communists capture the KMT's capital, Nanjing

June

 * the Communist Party organised a "Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" (CPPCC) to prepare for the establishment of a "New Democracy" regime to replace the Kuomintang-dominated Republic of China government

July

 * Tropical storm Irma kills 1,600 people and destroys more than 63,000 houses in Shanghai, the worst typhoon on record in the city.

September

 * September 21 — The first meeting of the CPPCC, which was attended by the Communist Party along with eight aligned parties
 * September 27 — Establishment of the Flag of the People's Republic of China, a red field charged in the canton (upper corner nearest the flagpole) with five golden stars.

October

 * October 1 — The People's Republic of China is officially proclaimed in Beijing
 * October 17 — Chinese communist troops take Guangzhou.
 * October 25–27 — Battle of Guningtou in Kinmen, Fujian
 * October 27 — Chinese communist troops fail to take Kinmen in the Battle of Kuningtou; their advance towards Taiwan is halted.

December

 * December 8 — The government of the Republic of China finishes its evacuation to Taiwan, and declares Taipei its temporary capital city.
 * December 17 — Burma recognizes the People's Republic of China.
 * December 30 — India recognizes the People's Republic of China.

Births

 * June 23 — Charles Ho, Hong Kong pro-Beijing businessman
 * July 3 — Bo Xilai, politician

Deaths
November 20 — Jiang Zhuyun, communist resistance fighter (b. 1920)
 * February 11 — Tai Chi-t'ao, journalist (b. 1891)
 * August 27 — Politicians who died in the Transbaikal plane crash
 * Ehmetjan Qasim, Uyghur revolutionary and statesman (b. 1914)
 * Abdulkerim Abbas, Uyghur politician (b. 1921)
 * Ishaq Beg Munonov, ethnic Kyrgyz political leader (b. 1902)
 * Dalelkhan Sugirbayev, ethnic Kazakh political leader (b. 1906)
 * Luo Zhi, revolutionary activist and leader in Xinjiang (b. 1915)
 * September 6 — Yang Hucheng, general (b. 1893)