1981 in China

Events from the year 1981 in China.

Incumbents

 * Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party – Hua Guofeng / Hu Yaobang
 * Chairman of the Congress – Ye Jianying (head of state)
 * Premier – Zhao Ziyang
 * Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference – Deng Xiaoping
 * Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China – Wan Li

Governors

 * Governor of Anhui Province – Zhang Jingfu then Zhou Zijian
 * Governor of Fujian Province – Ma Xingyuan
 * Governor of Gansu Province – Feng Jixin then Li Dengying
 * Governor of Guangdong Province – Xi Zhongxun then Liu Tianfu
 * Governor of Guizhou Province – Su Gang
 * Governor of Hebei Province – Li Erzhong
 * Governor of Heilongjiang Province – Chen Lei
 * Governor of Henan Province – Liu Jie then Dai Suli
 * Governor of Hubei Province – Han Ningfu
 * Governor of Hunan Province – Sun Guozhi
 * Governor of Jiangsu Province – Hui Yuyu
 * Governor of Jiangxi Province – Bai Dongcai
 * Governor of Jilin Province – Yu Ke
 * Governor of Liaoning Province – Chen Puru
 * Governor of Qinghai Province – Zhang Guosheng
 * Governor of Shaanxi Province – Yu Mingtao
 * Governor of Shandong Province – Su Yiran
 * Governor of Shanxi Province – Luo Guibo
 * Governor of Sichuan Province – Lu Dadong
 * Governor of Yunnan Province – Liu Minghui
 * Governor of Zhejiang Province – Li Fengping

Events
1981 was the year of the rooster in the Chinese Zodiac.


 * January 24 - Dawu earthquake
 * May 22 - 1st Golden Rooster Awards
 * July 9 - Chengdu-Kunming rail crash
 * July 22 - Yangquan theatre bombing
 * Unknown date – TTK Home Appliance, as predecessor of TCL Technology was founded in Guangdong Province.

Establishments

 * National Population and Family Planning Commission
 * Beijing Marathon
 * Capital Museum
 * China Daily
 * Chongqing Broadcasting Group
 * Jinling Hotel
 * Golden Rooster Awards
 * Flying Apsaras Awards
 * Duzhe
 * TCL Corporation
 * Soong Ching-ling Memorial Residence (Shanghai)
 * Shantou Special Economic Zone

Births

 * January 2 - Zhang Juanjuan, archer
 * January 18 - Song Lun, figure skater
 * February 3 - Huang Zhiyi, footballer
 * April 4 - Zhang Lei, racing cyclist
 * April 6 - Wang Di, football referee
 * April 19 - Zhang Yalin, footballer (d. 2010)
 * August 29 - Zeng Shaoxuan, tennis player
 * September 23 - Zhang Ai, softball player
 * Liu Jiayin, independent filmmaker

Deaths

 * Zhang Dingcheng
 * Hu Lancheng, died in Japan
 * Du Yuming
 * Liu Yuzhang, died in Taiwan
 * Wang Shujin, died in Taiwan
 * Lü Wencheng
 * Jiang Yukun