1949
Mao Zedong proclaims the establishment of the People's Republic of China
The Chinese civil war comes to an end. The Nationalist government escapes to the island of Taiwan and sets up government there. On the mainland Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), proclaims the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and moves the capital from Nanjing to Beijing.
1966
Mao launches the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Officially aiming to culturally 'purify' the Chinese people, the Cultural Revolution has the effect of eliminating Mao's political and ideological rivals. Intellectuals and artists are imprisoned, sent to labour camps or placed under house arrest. In the social chaos and political persecution that ensues, thousands die and millions are imprisoned or exiled. Mao puts his wife Jiang Qing in charge of the country's cultural apparatus. With the help of her party leader associates, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen (together known as the 'Gang of Four'), Jiang Qing exerts an ever-increasing political influence.
1976
Amateur photographers document the mass mourning for moderate premier Zhou Enlai (April 5th Movement).
On the day of the Qingming Festival (4 April) - a traditional holiday to remember and honour one's ancestors - 100,000 people flock to Tiananmen Square to mourn the recently deceased Premier Zhou Enlai (1898-1976) who was well-liked for his moderate attitudes. The Gang of Four condemns the mourners and, on 5 April, authorises the use of force to disperse the demonstrators. Photographers document what becomes known as the April 5th Movement and found an underground group to exchange their images.
Death of Mao Zedong on 9 September is followed by arrest of Cultural Revolution leaders, the 'Gang of Four'
After the death of Mao, the Gang of Four is accused of attempting to seize power. Following a two-year struggle for power, the Gang is overthrown and its members imprisoned.
1978
Deng Xiaoping emerges as new leader after Mao's appointed successor Hua Goufeng is ousted
Deng Xiaoping is one of the politicians rehabilitated after the death of Mao and the toppling of the Gang of Four. With his 'Open Door Policy' he brings about the opening of China and the economic reforms that allow the country to emerge from its poverty stricken state.
1979
Thousands attend Nature, Society and Man, the first exhibition of the April Society, a Beijing-based photography club that promotes art as personal expression
Consisting of 280 works by 51 artists, this unofficial exhibition in Beijing's Sun Yat-sen Park creates a sensation. The introduction to the exhibition states, 'the beauty of photography lies not necessarily in "important subject matter" or in official ideology, but should be found in nature's rhythms, in social reality and in emotions and ideas'.
1980
Central government initiates the Open Door Policy, to open China up to the outside world and establish Special Economic Zones where market economics can be tested
The opening up of China brings about an information explosion. For the first time in the history of the PRC western publications on a wide variety of topics become available to the Chinese urban public.
1988
Five Chinese photographers attend the Arles Photography Festival in France
The Xin Chao, or New Wave, movement of the 1980s affects all aspects of cultural production. In photography, the movement is dominated by documentary photography. During the late 1980s, more conceptually based photography emerges and allies itself with the burgeoning qian wei, or avant-garde, art movement. This work soon attracts international attention and the Arles festival choses 'China' as one of its themes.
1989
China/Avant-Garde, the first nationwide avant-garde art exhibition opens at the National Gallery, Beijing, in February
Under the Chinese title Zhongguo Xiandai Yishuzhan [Modern Chinese Art Exhibition] the exhibition includes photography, painting, sculpture, installation and performance art.
Official prohibition of avant-garde art and art journals follows Tiananmen Square incident
After the government crackdown, censorship on artistic production becomes tight and qian wei, or avant-garde, art is officially banned. Art photography and documentary photography again become part of the official establishment.
1989
Demonstrations against inflation and government corruption lead to mass protest and violent clashes in Tiananmen Square (June 4th Movement).
As with the events of 1976, the Tiananmen Square incident evolves out of public mourning for an ousted liberal politician, in this case Hu Yaobang, who dies of a heart attack on 15 April. Starting in Beijing, demonstrations spread to many other urban capitals in China. Workers, civil servants and a large section of the population join students and intellectuals to protest against inflation and widespread government corruption. On 20 May the government declares martial law and starts to move troops into the centre of Beijing. The group of demonstrators however continues to swell and the protestors' demands extend to calls for deep-rooted government reform and even democracy. On 3 June official media outlets broadcast a final warning by the government and the moderate politician Zhao Ziyang goes to the square to make an impassioned plea for the students to leave. During the night heavily armed troops enter the square with tanks. The protestors are cleared and fighting continues in the surrounding areas. Many are killed.
1992
After debates within the Communist Party, Deng Xiaoping reaffirms the Open Door Policy and Special Economic Zones, so kick-starting China's economic boom
With his 'Southern Tour' to the SEZ coastal areas such as Shenzhen, Deng puts an end to the retrenchment of the post-Tiananmen years and effectively kick-starts China's economic boom. This soon spreads across the whole of China's urban belt and leads to the rapid transformation of urban realty and life.
1993
International commercial galleries and art-school affiliated spaces first emerge in Beijing and Shanghai. Artists start to gather in Beijing's East Village. Performance artists and photographers work together to create pieces that circumvent state censorship and police interference
Experimental photographers establish an alternative position by organising communities, exhibitions and activities outside the official institutions of Chinese photography. New video and digital technologies are embraced by many young artists, creating by the mid 1990s a trend for experimental photography and lens-based work.
1996
Image and Phenomena exhibition at the China National Academy of Fine Arts is the first to focus exclusively on video art. The Shanghai Biennale is the first internationally styled biennale in mainland China. New Photo is first avant-garde magazine devoted to photography
1997
Death of Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping (1904 97), the father of China's economic reforms, dies after a prolonged period of ill health. Jiang Zemin (born 1926), who has already been leading China since Deng Xiaoping's unofficial retirement a few years earlier, emerges as new leader.
1999
48th Venice Biennale includes work by 20 artists from mainland China, putting Chinese contemporary art on the international map
2002
The first Guangzhou Triennial presents a comprehensive survey of the past decade of experimental art in China
2003
Hu Jintao takes over from Jiang Zemin as China's leader
Jiang Zemin retires first as party leader and then, in March 2003, as president of the People's Republic of China. Hu Jintao (born 1942), who is young by comparison with other Chinese premiers, takes over the leadership of the country.
Alors la Chine? at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, is the first international exhibition of experimental Chinese art to be officially sponsored by the Chinese government
Success of the 1st Beijing Biennale, sponsored by the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and other official bodies
Established after China's accession to the World Trade Organisation and Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing International Art Biennale aims 'to show the graceful bearing of opening-up in an all-round way'. The second Beijing Biennale opens on 20 September, 2005.
2005
Guangzhou International Photo Biennale is the first biennale dedicated to photography in the Chinese mainland