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Identification List

1. Mao Zedong Mao Zedong, famously known as Chairman Mao, was the chief leader of the Chinese Communist Revolution, and the founding father of People’s Republic of China in 1949, which he ruled as chairman until 1959. He was also the leader of Chinese Communist party from 1943 to 1976. His Marxist–Leninist theories, military strategies, as well as socialist revolutionary thoughts have been termed as Maoism. Mao Zedong is widely recognized by the Chinese people as the savior of China, and he’s also one of the most pivotal figures in modern world history. But in his later reign, he became controversial for bringing about political persecution, cultural oppression, and a totalitarian regime, which caused deaths of millions of people.

2. Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping was the paramount leader of People’s Republic of China from 1978 to 1992. He gradually gained political power after the death of Mao Zedong, and made China a richer and stronger country by adopting the historic policy of reform and opening-up in 1976, and negotiated with the UK government in 1980s to ensure the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, under his famous theory of “one country, two systems”. Therefore, he was called the “Architect of Modern China”.

3. Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China, and served from 1949 until his death in 1976. He was a leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party since its early years, and played an instrumental role in its rise to power. He was a master in foreign affairs and diplomacy, as well as in governing domestic affairs. He was also widely respected by the Chinese people, for both his political achievement and affable character.

4. Lei Feng Lei Feng, originally named Lei Zhengxing, was a solider in the People's Liberation

Army and an iconic communist figure in China. He was famous for his selflessness, modesty, and the devotion to the Chinese Communist Party, as well as to Chairman Mao. He became the hero of a nationwide propaganda, and people were encouraged to regard him as their role model. However, many of Lei Feng’s stories are disputed in its truthfulness.

5. Soong Family Soong Family was one of the most prominent and influential families in modern Chinese history. T.V. Song was the financier and official of the Chinese Nationalist government from 1927 to 1949. Ailing Song married the finance minister of China, Dr. H.H.Kung, who was then the richest man in Republic of China. Meiling Song married Kiang Kai-Shek, who was the leader of Guomingdang, and later the president of Republic of China. She also was a great politician in her own right. Qingling Song

married Sun Yat-sen who was regarded as the Father of Modern China, and the first President of Republic of China.

6. May Fourth Movement May Fourth Movement was a radical anti-imperialism, anti-feudalism, cultural, political and intellectual movement in China, whose beginning was marked by students’ protests that took place on May 5th, 1919, in Beijing. It was provoked by the Chinese government’s diplomatic failure at the Paris Peace Conference, which allowed Japan to obtain territories in Shandong. The movement soon spread nationwide to other social classes and marked a turning point in the Chinese modern history.

7. Hundred Flowers Movement Hundred Flowers Movement was a movement launched by the Chinese Communist Party in 1956, which encouraged people to freely express their opinions and criticisms about the communist reign. It was based on Chairman Mao’s famous quote, “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend”. However, with the criticisms getting more fierce and rampant, Mao soon cracked down on the dissenters, and the movement turned into an Anti-Rightist campaign, during which hundreds of thousands of people were persecuted and purged.

8. Shanghai Communique Shanghai Communique was the first joint communique of the United States and the People’s Republic of China. It was issued in February, 1972, when American President Richard Nixon was visiting China. It was a significant diplomatic document because it marked the turning point of Sino-US relations from decades of antagonism to the normalization of relations. In Shanghai Communique, the U.S. government also acknowledged the “one-China policy” with regard to the political status of Taiwan.

9. Tiananmen Tiananmen, also known as the Gate of Heavenly Peace, is located at the center of

Beijing, as an entrance to the Imperial City. Originally it was built in the early 15th century during Ming Dynasty, and because its location, it has gained great political significance. The portraits of Sun Yat-sen, Kiang Kai-shek, Stalin and Zhu De were all hung at the gate once, and since the founding of People’s Republic of China, Chairman Mao’s portrait has been hung there singularly. Tiananmen has now become the symbol of People’s Republic of China. Many historical events also happened in front of it, such as the protests in May Fourth Movement and the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

10. Nanjing Nanjing is now the capital of Jiangsu Province in People’s Republic of China, but

in history it has served as the national capital for numerous dynasties and

governments including Ming Dynasty and Republic of China. In fact its name “Nanjing” literally means “the Southern Capital”. It has also long been a major city of culture, economics, education and politics in China. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the brutal Nanking Massacre took place in Nanjing, which caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people.

a. From 1911 to 1949, pick any four events/figures/issues/movements to represent the period from the Xinhai Revolution to the founding of the People's Republic of China. In selecting each, create an argument about what it illustrates about the changing politics, economics, social life, and culture of Chinese society and/ors it impact on generations to come in the twentieth century.

During the period from the Xinhai Revolution to the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China went through a series of major historical events, and witnessed a constellation of historical figures who left indelible marks upon the Chinese modern history. Among them, I would like to choose the following four symbolic events or figures to represent this chaotic, transitional era.

May Fourth Movement was a watershed event that determined the direction in which China was headed at that point of time. It changed the political outlook, rallied the national spirit, altered the cultural values, and had a huge impact upon future generations. It was provoked by the Chinese government’s diplomatic fiasco at the Paris Peace Conference, when the territories in China’s Shandong province conceded by the defeated Germany were given to Japan. The Beijing students protested in front of Tiananmen on May Fourth 1919, and then the working class in Shanghai went on a strike to protest against the government. The movement soon spread nationwide and marked the beginning of a new chapter in China’s anti-imperialism revolution. The movement achieved great success when Japan returned the territories in 1922. Also, in the broad cultural and social aspects, it liberated the Chinese people’s minds, ushered in new democratic ideas that attacked the feudalism, and changed China’s ideology radically. It has such a long-lasting impact upon the modern China that literally every Chinese people nowadays still bears the mark of this movement.

Chairman Mao was a most pivotal figure in this era, because he was the leader of the communist revolution that culminated in the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chairman Mao rose to power during this era, and with his powerful Maoism, which was a combination of the Marxism–Leninist theories and his Chinese revolutionary practices, he led the Chinese Communist Party to successfully defeat Guomingdang in the civil war, and determined the ultimate path of China towards the modern era.

Long March was also a watershed event during this period. It was the military retreat and also survival of the Chinese Communist Party and its Red Army from the Guomingdang’s encirclement campaign. It proved the immense military wisdom, the will power and the perseverance of the Chinese Communist Party, and it witnessed the political rise of Mao Zedong. By escaping the Guomingdang’s pursuit, and winning several battles, Chinese Communist Party gained its stronghold in the north, and also along the way, it made a successful political propaganda among the masses, especially the peasants. It was a costly but epic, triumphant struggle. It paved the way for the success of communist revolution, and now it has become a source of revolutionary spirit for the Chinese people.

Xi’an Incident was another political watershed in that period. When the Japanese invasion was aggravating in scale, Kiang Kai-shek, the leader of Guomingdang was still concentrated on eliminating the Chinese Communist Party. His subordinates Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng then detained him in Xi’an in 1936 to force him to change the domestic and foreign policies. After Xi’an Incident, Kiang Kai-shek finally agreed to align with the Chinese Communist Party to fight against the Japanese invasion, which was also part of the Second World War. This incident saved China from the total colonization by Japan, and also in some way influenced the ultimate outcome of the rivalry between Guomingdang and the Chinese Communist Party, as the latter consolidated its own position and military forces on the united front.

In conclusion, this period from the Xinhai Revolution to the founding of People’s Republic of China was both transitional and formative, and through a chain of historical events, with the agencies of many historical figures, the Chinese Communist Party emerged victorious and founded the People’s Republic of China.