Learning Chinese

History

Modern China

The last dynasty fell only a little over a century ago. The pace of change in modern China — political, economic, social — has been dramatic.

CharacterPinyinMeaning / use
Qīnglast dynasty / "clear"
chánglong (as in 长城, the Great Wall)

Qing (清) — the last dynasty

The 清 dynasty (1644 – 1912) was founded by the Manchus, a people from Manchuria — not ethnic Han. Qing reached its peak in the 18th century, then declined sharply in the 19th: it lost the Opium Wars to Britain and was forced to cede territory and grant treaty ports to multiple foreign powers.

Republican Era (1912 – 1949)

In 1911 a revolution overthrew the Qing. The Republic of China (中华民国) was declared in 1912 — China's first non-monarchical government. But warlord conflict, the Japanese invasion (1937 – 1945), and civil war between the Nationalists and Communists kept the country in turmoil for decades.

People's Republic (1949 – )

In 1949, after winning the civil war, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国). The Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, where the Republic of China still exists. The PRC's first three decades saw the disastrous Great Leap Forward (1958 – 1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966 – 1976). After Mao's death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping launched "reform and opening up" (改革开放), turning China into the world's second-largest economy within a generation.

Quiz

Pick the best answer for each question. You get feedback right away.

  1. The Qing dynasty was founded by which group?

  2. In what year was the People’s Republic of China founded?

  3. 改革开放 ("reform and opening up") was launched by: