PLA History

Major events in PLA's history 1950-1966

(China Military Online)
Updated: 2010-07-29 12:36
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Major events in PLA's history 1950-1966

In early October 1950, the CPC Central Committee made a strategic decision to establish the Chinese People's Volunteers to resist US aggression and aid Korea. [Photo/PLA Daily]

The year of 1950

In January 1950, the PLA launched large-sized operations to suppress the bandits and remaining forces of the Kuomintang.

In March 1950, the 15th Army Corps of the 4th Field Army launched the campaign to liberate the Hainan Island.

On April 14, 1950, the leading organ of the PLA Navy was founded in Beijing.

On April 14, 1950, the General Staff Headquarters of the PLA informed by telegraph the leaders of different strategic areas of the resolution adopted at a meeting held by the CPC Political Bureau. According to the resolution, the total number of the PLA would be cut to 4 million from the existing 5.5 million.

On July 13, 1950, the Central Military Commission made a decision to establish the Northeast Frontier Defense Army with the 13th Army Corps as the main force.

On August 1, 1950, the leading organ of the artillery force of the PLA was set up in Beijing.

On September 1, 1950, the leading organ of the armored force of the PLA was set up in Beijing.

September 25-30, 1950, the First National Combat Heroes Representatives Meeting was held in Beijing.

In early October, 1950, the CPC Central Committee made a decision to set up the Chinese People’s Volunteers to fight against the U.S. aggression and aid Korea. The Chinese People’s Volunteers entered Korea on October 19, 1950.

On October 23, 1950, the leading organ of the aerial defense force of the PLA was set up in Beijing.

On November 8, 1950, the leading organ of the public security force of the PLA was set up in Beijing.

On December 25, 1950, the leading organ of the engineer corps of the PLA was set up in Beijing. In August of 1955, the engineer corps was renamed engineering corps.

The year of 1951

On January 4, 1951, the Ordnance Industry Committee of the Central Military Commission was founded.

On January 15, 1951, the Military College of the PLA was founded in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province.

On February 1, 1951, the General Staff Headquarters of the PLA promulgated the Routine Service Regulations (draft), the Formation Regulations (draft) and the Discipline Regulations (draft) within the whole army.

The year of 1952

On May 16, 1952, the Logistics Academy of the PLA was founded in Beijing.

From 1st to 11th of August, 1952, the 1st Sports Meeting of the PLA was held in Beijing.

The year of 1953

On June 1, 1953, the PLA started to implement the unified military training plan stipulated by the Central Military Commission, which was seen as an important step made by the PLA towards the regularization of the troops.

On July 27, 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, marking the end of the War to Resist the U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

On September 1, 1953, the Military Engineering College of the PLA was founded in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilingjing Province.

From December 7, 1953 to January 26, 1954, a meeting attended by senior cadres of the CPC in the PLA was held in Beijing and a general objective to realize the modernization and regularization of the PLA was made at the meeting.

The year of 1954

On April 15, 1954, the CPC Central Committee and the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission promulgated the Regulations on Political Work of the PLA (draft).

On September 3, 1954, the PLA combat troops stationed in the front line in Fujian started as ordered the bombardment against the Kuomintang troops who were entrenched on the Greater and Lesser Kinmen Islands.

On September 28, 1954, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC adopted a resolution on the establishment of the Central Military Commission of the CPC.

Major events in PLA's history 1950-1966

In September 1955, the PLA introduced the military rank system and the grand ceremony of conferring military rank to marshals and generals was held in Beijing on Sept 27, 1955. [Photo/PLA Daily]

The year of 1955

On January 15, 1955, the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee held an enlarged meeting in Beijing to make a decision on the development of A-energy and the A-bomb.

On January 18, 1955, the PLA launched a joint operation involving the troops of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to liberate the Yijiangshan Island occupied by the Kuomintang troops.

On February 11, 1955, the State Council made a decision to divide the existing 6 military area commands in northeast China, north China, northwest China, east China, central and south China and southwest China into 12 military area commands, namely, the Shenyang, Beijing, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Kunming, Lanzhou, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Tibet Military Area Commands.

On July 30, 1955, the Second Meeting of the 1st National People’s Congress ratified the Military Service Law of the People’s Republic of China, which stipulated the People’s Republic of China shall practise a military service system based mainly on conscription. According to this law, China started to practice the conscription in 1956.

In September 1955, the PLA started to practice the military rank system. The grand ceremony of conferring military ranks and medals to marshals and generals was held in Beijing on Sept 27, 1955.

On October 24, 1955, the navies of the East China and the Central and South China Military Area Commands were renamed respectively the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy.

The year of 1956 - 1958

On January 1, 1956, the PLA Daily was officially published in the military circle.

On March 15, 1958, the Academy of Military Science of the PLA was established in Beijing.

From March 15 to October 26, 1958, the Chinese People’s Volunteers withdrew from Korea in batches and returned to China.

With a command from the Central Military Commission, the PLA combat troops stationed in the front line in Fujian bombarded against the Kuomintang troops who were entrenched on the Greater and Lesser Kinmen Islands on August 23, 1958.

The year of 1959 - 1960

In March 1959, the PLA troop units stationed in Tibet launched a campaign to put down the armed rebellion staged by the Tibetan upper-reactionary group. The campaign ended up in December 1961 with success.

On August 1, 1960, the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy on the basis of the Qingdao Base of the PLA Navy was founded.

The year of 1963 - 1964

On March 5, 1963, Mao Zedong issued his autograph “Learn from Comrade Lei Feng” to call on Chinese people to follow the example of Lei Feng, a soldier of the PLA who was selfless, modest and devoted to the CPC and a model of serving people wholeheartedly.

In June 1964, the contests of military skills were kicked off in all the combat units of the PLA.

On October 16, 1964, China successfully conducted the explosion test of its first A-bomb.

The year of 1965 - 1966

On June 1, 1965, the PLA cancelled the military rank system and all the officers and men began to have new-type military uniforms.

On July 1, 1966, the leading organ of the Second Artillery Force of the PLA was founded in Beijing.

On October 27, 1966, China got a success in its first nuclear missile launching test.