1949 in China

Republic of China:

• President: Chiang Kai-shek (-January 21), Li Zongren (January 21-)
• Premiers: Sun Fo, He Yingqin, Yan Xishan

People's Republic of China:

• Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party: Mao Zedong
• Chairman of the Government: Mao Zedong
• Premier: Zhou Enlai

• January 21 — Chiang Kai-shek resigns from the presidency in a "temporary absence". Vice President Li Zongren was named as the successor

• April 23 — Communists capture the KMT's capital, Nanjing

• the Communist Party organised a "Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" (CPPCC) to prepare for the establishment of a "New Democracy" regime to replace the Kuomintang-dominated Republic of China government

• Tropical storm Irma kills 1,600 people and destroys more than 63,000 houses in Shanghai, the worst typhoon on record in the city.

• September 21 — The first meeting of the CPPCC, which was attended by the Communist Party along with eight aligned parties
• September 27 — Establishment of the Flag of the People's Republic of China ({{zh|s=中华人民共和国国旗|t=中華人民共和國國旗|p=Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó guóqí}}), a red field charged in the canton (upper corner nearest the flagpole) with five golden stars.{{cite web|url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/64165/70293/70320/4861365.html|script-title=zh:1949年9月27日 中华人民共和国国旗诞生|trans-title=September 27, 1949: The Birth of PRC's Flag|publisher=CPC News|access-date=2009-11-04|language=zh|archive-date=2019-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106215919/http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/64165/70293/70320/4861365.html|url-status=dead}}

• October 1 — The People's Republic of China is officially proclaimed in Beijing
• October 17 — Chinese communist troops take Guangzhou.
• October 25–27 — Battle of Guningtou in Kinmen, Fujian
• October 27 — Chinese communist troops fail to take Kinmen in the Battle of Kuningtou; their advance towards Taiwan is halted.

• December 8 — The government of the Republic of China finishes its evacuation to Taiwan, and declares Taipei its temporary capital city.
• December 17 — Burma recognizes the People's Republic of China.
• December 30 — India recognizes the People's Republic of China.

• January 1 — Paula Tsui, Hong Kong Cantopop singer
• January 5 — Zhang Ruimin, founder of Haier Group
• January 21 — Wan Sha Lang, Taiwanese singer and film actor (d. 2023)
• Chang Wanquan, 11th Minister of National Defense of China

• February 13 — Yeh Chu-lan, Taiwanese politician

• March 27 — Michael Kwan, Hong Kong Cantopop singer

• April 4 — Shing-Tung Yau, Chinese-American mathematician
• April 5 — Sheng Guangzu, last Minister of Railways of China
• April 7 — Bennett Pang, Hong Kong musician, singer and actor

• May 21 — Angela Pan, Hong Kong actress
• May 22 — Wu Kwok Hung, Hong Kong football player (d. 2015)

• June 1 — Mu Tiezhu, prominent basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
• June 23 — Charles Ho, Hong Kong pro-Beijing businessman{{cite news|url=http://www.scmp.com/article/996602/peoples-champion-or-bogeyman|title=People's champion or bogeyman?|date=26 March 2012|publisher=South China Morning Post|accessdate=17 August 2014|location=Hong Kong}}

• July 3 — Bo Xilai, politician
• July 20 — Nina Paw, Hong Kong actress
• July 22 — Stephen Shiu, Taiwan-based Hong Kong media personality

• August 8 — Meng Xuenong, 18th Governor of Shanxi

• September 19 — Chi Shangbin, football player and coach (d. 2021)

• October 1 — Li Congjun, former President of Xinhua News Agency
• October 14 — Damian Lau, Hong Kong film and television actor

• November 12 — Wang Fuli, actress

• December 3 — Lu Yao, novelist (d. 1992)
• December 8 — Su Shao-lien, Taiwanese poet
• December 22 — Ching Cheong, journalist

• January 9 — Wang Maozu, educator and philosopher (b. 1891)
• January 10 — Qiu Qingquan, Nationalist general (b. 1902)
• January 15 — Lu Zhengxiang, diplomat (b. 1871)

• February 11 — Dai Jitao, journalist (b. 1891)
• Tang Yulin, general in the Northeastern Army (b. 1871)

• March 30 — Zaixun, Manchu noble (b. 1885)

• April 14 — Hu Zhengzhi, newspaper publisher (b. 1889)
• April 24 — Liang Huazhi, Nationalist official (b. 1906)

• May 7 — Li Bai, communist spy (b. 1910)
• May 25 — Wang Jingzhai, Muslim scholar (b. 1880)

• Ren Kainan, educator (b. 1884)

• August 27 — Politicians who died in the Transbaikal plane crash
• Ehmetjan Qasim, Uyghur revolutionary and statesman (b. 1914)
• Abdulkerim Abbas, Uyghur politician (b. 1921)
• Ishaq Beg Munonov, ethnic Kyrgyz political leader (b. 1902)
• Dalelkhan Sugirbayev, ethnic Kazakh political leader (b. 1906)
• Luo Zhi, revolutionary activist and leader in Xinjiang (b. 1915)
• August 31 — Chan Chak, Admiral of the Republic of China Navy (b. 1894)

• September 6 — Yang Hucheng, general (b. 1893)

• October 2 — Wu Zanzhou, military officer and politician (b. 1885)
• October 17 — Liu Wencai, landlord (b. 1887)

• November 2 — Chen Shufan, general of the Anhui Clique (b. 1885)
• November 20 — Jiang Zhuyun, communist resistance fighter (b. 1920)
• November 26 — Hu Ruoyu, Governor of Yunnan (b. 1894)

• Li Shaogeng, politician (b. 1896)
• Qi Yaolin, politician (b. 1862)

• 1949 in Chinese film

{{Reflist}}

{{Years in China}}

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Category:Years of the 20th century in China

China