January 6

  The Beijing Municipal Military Control Commission issued a notice, announcing the recovery of  foreign military estate in Beijing and the requisition of barracks and other buildings. Tianjin, Shanghai and other places then followed suit. The rights of imperialist countries to station their military forces in the Chinese mainland were thus completely revoked.

January 30

The Administrative Council promulgated the Decision on Unifying National Tax Administration, adopting the Guidelines for Implementing National Tax Administration in operating and unifying China’s taxation.

February 14

     The Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance between China and the Soviet Union and other related agreements were signed. Mao Zedong paid a two-month visit to the Soviet Union from December 1949 to February 1950.

February 24

      The Administrative Council issued the General Order on the Prohibition of Opium. By the end of 1952, the cultivation, production, trafficking and smoking of opium left over from Old China had been basically banned.

March 3

      The Administrative Council issued the Decision on Unifying National Financial and Economic Work in an effort to curb inflation, stabilize prices and achieve the balance of the state’s fiscal revenue and expenditure.

May 1

 The CPC Central Committee issued the Instructions on Carrying out the Rectification Movement throughout the Party and the Military, and accordingly the whole Party campaigned to enhance the ideological and political level among offificials and Party members, to avoid making mistakes in their work, to overcome arrogance, bureaucracy and commandism, and to improve the relations between the Party and the people. The movement came to an end at the end of the year.

     On the same day, the Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China, the first law formulated after the founding of the PRC, was promulgated. The Marriage Law stipulated a new marriage system characterized by the freedom of marriage, monogamy, equal rights of men and women and protection of the legitimate rights and interests of women and their children.

On the same day, the PLA liberated the Hainan Island. After the founding of the PRC, the PLA fifinally eliminated the remnants of the Kuomintang army in China’ south, southwest, northwest and coastal islands. By June 1950, all China’s territories had been liberated except Tibet, Taiwan and some coastal islands.

June 6–9

The 3rd Plenary Session of  the 7th CPC Central Committee was held, at which Mao Zedong submitted a written report entitled “Fight for a Fundamental Turn for the Better of the Nation’s Financial and Economic Situation,” and delivered a speech entitled “Don’t Hit Out in All Directions.”

June 29

The Central People’s Government promulgated the Trade Union Law of the People’s Republic of China.

June 30

     The Central People’s Government promulgated the Land Reform Law of People’s Republic of China. By the end of 1952, with the exception of some ethnic minority areas, land reform had been completed in the Chinese mainland and feudal land ownership had been completely abolished.

July 28

Forty Christian representatives jointly made a declaration entitled “Ways for Chinese Christianity to Contribute to the Construction of the PRC,” expressing their support for the Common Program, their determination to sever the ties between the church and imperialism, and their decision to launch the movement of self-management, self-reliance and self-dissemination. In November, Chinese Catholics also declared to launch the “Three Self-” patriotic movement.

August 7–19

The 1st National Health Conference was held, identifying three major principles of  health work in the PRC—“orientation towards workers, farmers and soldiers,” “prevention first” and “integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.”

September 20–29

     The 1st National Conference on Education of Workers and Farmers was held and the slogan—“Promote literacy and gradually reduce illiteracy”— was put forward.

Early October

 At the request of the Workers’ Party of Korea(WPK) and government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK), the CPC Central Committee made a strategic decision to “resist US aggression, aid Korea and defend our homeland.” On October 8, Mao Zedong issued an order to establish the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (PVA), with Peng Dehuai as commander and political commissar. On October 19, the PVA entered the North Korean battlefield. OnOctober 25, the PVA encountered with the enemy and launched their fifirst battle abroad, and then throughout China there came large-scale campaigns to “resist US aggression and aid Korea.” On July 27, 1953, the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed. By October 1958, all the PVA troops had withdrawn in three batches from North Korea.

October 10

The CPC Central Committee issued the Instructions on Suppressing Counter-Revolutionary Activities. By the end of October 1951, the nationwide crackdown on counter-revolutionary activities had mostly come to an end.

October 14

The Administrative Council issued the Decision on Harnessing the Huaihe River. In 1951, Mao Zedong wrote an inscription—“The Huaihe River must be harnessed.” By the winter of 1957, preliminary results had been achieved in the harnessing efforts.

November 3

The Administrative Council issued the Instructions on Strengthening People’s Judicial Work, calling for the step-by-step establishment and improvement of the people’s judicial system throughout the country.

November 24

The 60th meeting of the Administrative Council ratified the Pilot Plan for Training Ethnic Minority Officials and the Pilot Plan for Establishing the Central Institute for Ethnic Groups. On June 11, 1951, the Minzu University of China was opened.

From: Chronicle of the People's Republic of China (October 1949 — September 2019) ,edited by The Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, PP7-12