China’s Communist Party centenary 1917-20: Following Russia’s October Revolution, Marxist ideologies, spread by Lenin’s Bolsheviks, inspire Chinese intellectuals Jul 1, 1921: Chinese Communist Party (CCP) founded in Shanghai by thirteen young supporters of Marxism, including Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao. Chen is elected Secretary General – party includes Mao Zedong (right) 1923: Kuomintang (KMT) nationalist party allies with CCP to defeat warlords who control much of northern China 1927: KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek (far left) launches purge against communists. Mao and CCP forces retreat to south east China 1934, Long March: Surrounded by KMT forces, Mao leads his 86,000 surviving followers on 10,000km journey to northwest China. Half of army perishes – Mao establishes his dominance of CCP 1937-45: Temporary alliance between CCP and KMT during war with Japan 1946-49, Civil war: Between CCP and KMT. Communists are victorious – Chiang flees to Taiwan. Mao proclaims founding of People’s Republic of China, naming himself head of state 1950-53, Korean War: China supports North Korea against U.S.-backed South Korea 1958-60, Great Leap Forward: Chairman Mao’s campaign ends in disaster causing world’s deadliest recorded famine – estimated 30 million people die 1966-76, Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution: Mao’s Little Red Book used as weapon to purge “bourgeois” infiltrators in party, including General Secretary Deng Xiaoping. Red Guards close schools and country disintegrates to chaos and near-civil war. Some 1.5 million opponents are killed 1971: China joins United Nations 1972: U.S. President Richard Nixon (left) visits China 1976: Mao Zedong dies. His wife, Jiang Qing, arrested as one of Gang of Four, blamed for Cultural Revolution 1977: Deng Xiaoping becomes leader 1984: Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China, Portugal to return Macau 1989, Tiananmen Square: Army kills hundreds of pro-democracy protesters 1993: Jiang Zemin becomes president 1997: Deng dies. Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule 2001: China joins World Trade Organization. Foreign trade soars to $475 billion 2002: Hu Jintao becomes Communist Party chief, and president in 2003 2008: Successful Olympic Games cements China's place as world superpower 2009: China surpasses Germany to become world’s largest exporting nation 2010: China replaces Japan as world’s second largest economy 2012: Xi Jinping becomes Communist Party leader, and president in 2013 2013, Belt and Road Initiative: President Xi unveils signature foreign policy plan to build new “Silk Road” of trade links from East Asia to Europe 2018: China's constitution is changed to allow Xi to be president for life 2019 - present, Hong Kong: After months of pro-democracy protests, Beijing imposes direct authoritarian rule. Draconian National Security Law replaces Hong Kong’s autonomy with rule and political ideology of Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong Deng Xiaoping Hu Jintao Jiang Zemin Xi Jinping Sources: Reuters, Council on Foreign Relations, South China Morning Post Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS