August 1, 1927
The national revolutionary troops, headed by Chinese Communist Party leaders Zhu De and Zhou Enlai, led the Nanchang Uprising in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, where they declared to the public that a new army was being created to fight for a New China.
September 9, 1927
Mao Zedong led the Autumn Harvest Uprising in Hunan Province. In October, the troops arrived at Jinggang Mountain where Mao decided to name them the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army - the military arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). In April 1928, the troops led by Mao Zedong and Zhu De joined forces in Jinggang Mountains to protect their new revolutionary base.
July 11, 1933
The New China Soviet Republic Provisional Government fixed August 1 as Army Day.
March 1934-October 1935
The Red Army embarked on the Long March.
August 1937
The Red Army joined the Kuomintang forces as the Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army when the Kuomintang and CPC forged a united front for the second time to fight the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
November 11, 1948
All military forces under the CPC leadership were officially named the People's Liberation Army.
November 11, 1949
The Air Force of the PLA was established.
April 14, 1950
The Navy of the PLA was established.
September 1955
The system of military ranks was formally introduced into the PLA, but it was abolished in May 1965.
July 1966
The strategic missile troops of the PLA were established, which is also coded as the Second Artillery Forces.
October 1, 1988
The system of military ranks was re-introduced into the PLA.
July 1, 1997
The PLA Hong Kong Garrison assumed defense responsibility in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
December 21, 1999
The PLA Macau Garrison took on its defense responsibility in the Macao Special Administrative Region.
October 10-11, 2002
China and Kyrghyz held a joint military drill, the first time that the PLA held a drill with a foreign army.
Since 1950, the PLA has undergone restructuring and personnel reductions 10 times, from an infantry army of 5.5 million to 10 modernized combat branches today comprised of 2.3 million men and women.
(Source: China Daily) |