The proclamation of the People's Republic of China was made by
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
, the
chairman
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP), on October 1, 1949, in
Tiananmen Square in
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. The government of a new state under the CCP, formally called the
Central People's Government, was proclaimed by Mao at the ceremony, which marked the foundation of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
Previously, the CCP had proclaimed the establishment of the
Chinese Soviet Republic (CSR) within the discontinuous territories of China they controlled, on November 7, 1931, in
Ruijin. The CSR had lasted seven years until it was abolished in 1937.
"
March of the Volunteers" was played as the new national anthem, and the new
national flag of the People's Republic of China (the Five-starred Red Flag) was officially unveiled to the newly founded state and hoisted for the first time during the celebrations as a
21-gun salute fired in the distance. The first public military parade of the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
took place following the national flag raising with the playing of the PRC national anthem.
The
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
(ROC) had
retreated to the
island of Taiwan by December 1949.
Historical background
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
(KMT)-led
Nationalist government
The Nationalist government, officially the National Government of the Republic of China, refers to the government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China from 1 July 1925 to 20 May 1948, led by the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT ...
of the ROC and the CCP lasting intermittently between 1927 and 1949. The war is generally divided into two phases with an interlude: from the August 1927 to 1937, the
First United Front collapsed during the
Northern Expedition, and the Nationalists controlled most of China. On November 7, 1931, the
Chinese Soviet Republic (CSR) was declared by the CCP in
Ruijin within
Communist-controlled areas of China and the CSR government moved north to
Yan'an
Yan'an; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi Province of China, province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several c ...
during the
Long March
The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...
until the CSR's dissolution. From 1937 to 1945, hostilities were put on hold, and the
Second United Front fought the
Japanese invasion of China with eventual help from the
World War II Allies. The civil war resumed with the Japanese defeat, and the CCP gained the upper hand in the final phase of the war from 1945 to 1949, generally referred to as the
Chinese Communist Revolution.
Major combat in the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
ended in 1949 with the CCP in control of most of
mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
, and the
Kuomintang retreating offshore, reducing its territory to only
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
(a former Japanese colony that was received in 1945),
Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
, and their surrounding islands. On 21 September 1949, CCP Chairman
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China with a speech at the
first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
This was followed by a mass celebration in
Tiananmen Square on October 1, at which the proclamation was made publicly by Mao at the Tiananmen Gate, the date becoming the new country's first
National Day.
Declaration
At exactly 3:00 pm Beijing Time on October 1, 1949, Mao announced to the nation from the top of the Tiananmen Gate:
After the national anthem had been played, Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China that day on top of the Tiananmen Gate, declaring:
Celebrations
The first National Day military parade took place right after the proclamation of the PRC. Commanded by
Nie Rongzhen, the Commander of the Northern China Military Region and inspected by
Zhu De, the Commander-in-Chief of the PLA, the parade involved around 16,000 PLA officers and personnel. The parade, which was approved in June 1949, was the first large-scale and modern Chinese
military parade, with the country having never done a public review of troops before under previous governments.
Liu Bocheng proposed to parade directors
Yang Chengwu and
Tang Yanjie be organized in the Soviet format, having personally witnessed a military parade on
Red Square in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. The
Northern Military Region Band (now the Central Military Band of the PLA) provided musical accompaniment which included the
Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army.
Aftermath
The Republic of China
retreated to the
island of Taiwan by December 1949. The CCP remains the sole ruling party of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), since October 1, 1949. The PRC officially claims
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
as its 23rd
province as
Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China
Taiwan Province refers to a notional administrative division claimed by the People's Republic of China. The PRC constitution asserts Taiwan as part of its territories, although the PRC has never controlled Taiwan since the PRC's establishme ...
in its
constitution. The People's Republic of China on mainland China and Republic of China on Taiwan both
officially claim to be the legitimate government of
all China. No
armistice or
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...
has ever been signed over the Chinese Civil War.
Shortly after the proclamation occurred, the Soviet Union and other communist states were the first to recognize the PRC. Moreover, many Western countries, including the United States, initially continued to recognize the move of the ROC to Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. Following the proclamation, the PRC moved quickly to consolidate its power from the ROC and began nationalizing industries.
Reactions
* The
Government of the Republic of China and the Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek through his letter on the 38th
Republic of China National Day described the PRC as a "
puppet regime of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
".
See also
*
Outline of the Chinese Civil War
*
Retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan
References
{{portalbar, China, Communism
Chinese Civil War
1940s in Beijing
History of the People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong
Military history of the People's Republic of China
Military parades in China
People's Republic of China
Proclamations
1949 establishments in China
1949 in China
1949 in international relations
Chinese Communist Revolution