The following lists events in the year

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Incumbents

* General Secretary of the Communist Party:

Zhao Ziyang Zhao Ziyang ( zh, 赵紫阳; pronounced , 17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He was the third premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 19 ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Li Xiannian Li Xiannian (pronounced ; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader, President of the People's Republic of China (''de jure'' head of state) from 1983 to 1988 under Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping and t ...

Yang Shangkun Yang Shangkun (3 August 1907 – 14 September 1998) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader, President of the People's Republic of China (''de jure'' head of state) from 1988 to 1993, and one of the Eight Elders that dominated ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Li Peng Li Peng (; 20 October 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Chinese politician who served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1987 to 1998, and as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Ch ...

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Ulanhu Ulanhu or Ulanfu ( 23 December 1907 – 8 December 1988), born Yun Ze (), was the founding Chairman of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, serving from 1947 to 1966. An ethnic Tumed Mongol, he took the nom de guerre Ulanhu () and had n ...

(until April 8), Wang Zhen (starting April 8) * Vice Premier:

Wan Li Wan Li (1 December 1916 – 15 July 2015) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician. During a long administrative career in the People's Republic of China, he served successively as Vice Premier, Chairman of the Standing Committee of ...

(until 25 March), Yao Yilin (starting 25 March)

Governors

* Governor of Anhui Province – Lu Rongjing * Governor of Fujian Province –

Wang Zhaoguo Wang Zhaoguo (; born 14 July 1941) is a retired Chinese politician who came to prominence during the era of Deng Xiaoping. An automobile factory technician by trade, Wang had a long and varied political career, known for having acquired a minist ...

* Governor of Gansu Province –

Jia Zhijie Jia Zhijie (; born 1935) is a retired politician of the People's Republic of China. He was born in Jilin Province. He graduated from the Moscow Petroleum Institute in 1960, the same year he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He served as gov ...

* Governor of Guangdong Province –

Ye Xuanping Ye Xuanping (; 20 December 1924 – 17 September 2019) was a Chinese politician, who served as Mayor of Guangzhou from 1980 to 1985 and Governor of Guangdong, his native province, from 1985 to 1991. Ye was a strong supporter of Deng Xiaoping's r ...

* Governor of Guizhou Province –

Wang Zhaowen Wang Chaowen (; born October 1930) is a Chinese politician of Miao ethnicity who served as governor of Guizhou from 1983 to 1993 and chairman of Guizhou Provincial People's Congress from 1994 to 1998. He was a member of the 12th, 13th and 14t ...

* Governor of Hainan Province –

Liang Xiang Liang Xiang (; 1919 – 13 December 1998) was a politician of the People's Republic of China. He was originally from the city of Kaiping, in Guangdong province. He graduated from Beijing Normal University, and was a representative in the fifth, ...

then Liu Jianfeng * Governor of Hebei Province – Xie Feng then

Yue Qifeng Yue Qifeng () (December 1931 – March 24, 2008) was a People's Republic of China politician. He was born in Daming County, Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous ...

* Governor of Heilongjiang Province –

Hou Jie Hou Jie () (1931–2000) was a People's Republic of China politician. He was born in Luan County, Hebei Province. He was governor of Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a Provinces of China ...

* Governor of Henan Province –

Cheng Weigao Cheng Weigao (; September 1933 – December 28, 2010) was a Chinese politician, best known for his term as the Communist Party Secretary of Hebei province between 1993 and 1998. In his late career, Cheng was expelled from the Chinese Communi ...

* Governor of Hubei Province –

Guo Zhenqian Guo Zhenqian (; February 1933 – 13 August 2019) was a Chinese politician and banker. He served as Governor of Hubei Province from 1985 to 1990, Vice Governor of the People's Bank of China from 1990 to 1993, and Auditor-General of the Nationa ...

* Governor of Hunan Province – Xiong Qingquan * Governor of Jiangsu Province –

Gu Xiulian GU, Gu, or gu may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Gu (instrument), Chinese drums ** Bangu (drum) () or Gu (), a Chinese "flowerpot" drum * ''Global Underground'', an electronic dance music compilation series Other media * GU Comics, an ...

* Governor of Jiangxi Province –

Wu Guanzheng Wu Guanzheng (born August 11, 1938), also spelled as Wu Kuan-cheng is a former Chinese politician and one of the major leaders of the Chinese Communist Party during the administration of Hu Jintao. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee ...

* Governor of Jilin Province –

He Zhukang He Zhukang () (born 1932) is a People's Republic of China politician. He was born in Qidong, Jiangsu. He was a delegate to the 6th National People's Congress (1983–1988), 7th National People's Congress (1988–1993) and 8th National People's C ...

* Governor of Liaoning Province –

Li Changchun Li Changchun (born February 1, 1944) is a retired Chinese politician and a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party's top leadership council, and as the top official ...

* Governor of Qinghai Province – Song Ruixiang * Governor of Shaanxi Province – Hou Zongbin * Governor of Shandong Province –

Jiang Chunyun Jiang Chunyun (; April 1930 – 28 August 2021) was a Chinese politician most active in the 1980s and 1990s, who served as Vice-Premier, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and a member of the Politburo of ...

* Governor of Shanxi Province –

Wang Senhao Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thaila ...

* Governor of Sichuan Province –

Jiang Minkuan Jiang Minkuan (; May 1930 – 6 June 2012) was a politician and engineer of the People's Republic of China. He served as Governor of Sichuan province, deputy director of the State Science and Technology Commission, and deputy head of the United F ...

(until January),

Zhang Haoruo Zhang Haoruo (; 1932 – 27 March 2004) was a politician and petroleum engineer of the People's Republic of China. He served as Governor of Sichuan province and Minister of Internal Trade. Biography Zhang Haoruo was born in Jiaozuo Jiaozuo ( ; ...

(starting February) * Governor of Yunnan Province –

Li Jiating Li Jiating () (born 1944) is an ethnic Yi People's Republic of China politician. He was born in Shiping County, Yunnan. He was a graduate of Tsinghua University. He was mayor of Harbin, Heilongjiang and governor of his home province. He was an a ...

* Governor of Zhejiang Province –

Xue Ju Xue Ju () (died 618), formally Emperor Wu (武皇帝, "Martial"), was the founding emperor of a short-lived state of Qin at the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, whose state was eventually destroyed by the Tang Dynasty. He rose against Sui ...

(until January),

Shen Zulun Shen Zulun ( Chinese: 沈祖伦; March 1931 – 27 February 2023) was a Chinese politician who served as Governor of Zhejiang Province. Biography A native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, Shen joined the Communist Party of China in April 1948. Before t ...

(starting February)

Events

7th National People's Congress The 7th National People's Congress () was in session from 1988 to 1993. It held five sessions in this period. Election results Elected state leaders In the 1st Session in 1988, the Congress elected the state leaders: *President of the People's ...

*18 January –

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 was an Ilyushin Il-18 that crashed near Chongqing, China, on 18 January 1988 with the loss of all 108 passengers and crew. The crash was caused by poor maintenance. Flight Flight 4146 was a scheduled domest ...

*24 January – According to

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

official confirmed report, a

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

crush, and 13 cars

derailment In rail transport, a derailment occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially ...

Qujing Qujing () is a prefecture-level city in the east of Yunnan province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the southeast; thus, it was called "Key between Yunnan and Guizhou" () and "Throat of Y ...

Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

, total kills 80 person and injures 65 person. *14 March – Johnson South Reef Skirmish *17 September –

China National Petroleum Corporation The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) () is a major national oil and gas corporation of China and one of the largest integrated energy groups in the world. Its headquarters are in Dongcheng District, Beijing. CNPC was ranked fourth ...

was established, as changing from Petroleum and chemical industrial section of PRC. (People's Republic of China) *December–January 1989 – Nanjing anti-African protests *unknown date **

Ping An Insurance Ping An Insurance known also as Ping An of China (), full name Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. is a Chinese holding conglomerate whose subsidiaries provide insurance, banking, asset management, financial, healthcare services. ...

founded. ** Xigang Real Estate Development, as predecessor of

Wanda Group Wanda Group (), or the Dalian Wanda Group (), is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in Dalian, Liaoning and headquartered in Beijing. It is a private property developer and owner of Wanda Cinemas and the Hoyts Group. With inv ...

founded in

Dalian Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on ...

Liaoning Province Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

. **

Skyworth Skyworth (), officially Skyworth Group Co., Ltd., is a Chinese holding company. Its subsidiaries design, manufacture and sell televisions and other audio-visual products. They also invest in properties. Headquartered in Nanshan High-tech Park, ...

was founded in

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provi ...

Culture

* List of Chinese films of 1988

Sport

* China at the 1988 Summer Paralympics * China at the 1988 Summer Olympics won a total of 28 medals * China at the 1988 Winter Olympics won no medals

Births

* January 21 – Xiao Yiming * February 3 – Qian Jialing * February 21 – Fan Jiachen * March 14 –

Ma Sichun Sandra Ma Sichun (, born 14 March 1988) is a Chinese actress of Hui ethnicity. She is noted for her roles in the films ''The Left Ear'' (2015) and '' Soul Mate'' (2016), for which she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress alongsid ...

, Chinese actress * June 23 – Fu Yanlong * November 25 –

Rong Jing Rong Jing (; born 25 November 1988) is a Paralympic fencer from China. She competed in three foil and épée events at the 2016 Paralympics and won a gold medal in each of them. She served as the flag bearer for China at the 2016 Summer Paralym ...

Deaths

Liang Shuming Liang Shuming (, Wade-Giles ''Liang Shu-ming''; sometimes ''Liang Sou-ming'', October 18, 1893 – June 23, 1988), born Liang Huanding (), courtesy name Shouming (), was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and writer in the Rural Reconstruct ...

Li Fenglou Li Fenglou (Chinese: 李凤楼; June 15, 1912 – July 31, 1988) was a Chinese footballer and coach. As a player, he represented Zixing Football Team and North China, however he is predominantly remembered for being the People's Republic of China ...

Chen Shixiang Chen Shixiang (; 1905–1988), also known as Sicien H. Chen, was a Chinese entomologist. A native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang, he graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai in 1928 before going to France for his doctoral work at the University of Paris ...

References

Years of the 20th century in China 1980s in China

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