See Modern China in and around Sichuan.

The story of Modern China begins at the start of the 20th Century.

After thousands of years of Kings and Emperors and Dynasties, the Last Emperor (Puyi) was forced from his position in 1912.

There was lots of conflict and confusion in the first half of the 20th century.

New political parties struggled for power and new philosophies were sought.

Sun Yatsen

Sun Yatsen was one of several revolutionaries appearing at this time.

He actually lived in the USA for a period and did not like the poor state that China had fallen into. He agitated for change, the end of the Qing dynasty and he started the Kuomintang (KMT) party.

Sun Yatsen was the first President of China in 1912.

However succeeding years saw a number of people jostling for power, including Chiang Kaishek who succeeded Sun Yatsen and Mao Zedong who led the Communist Party.

Kuomintang and the Communist Party

The KMT and the Communist Party fought each other particularly in the 1920s and the 1930s.

An uneasy truce was established to fight the Japanese who invaded China in 1931. The wartime capital was Chongqing as the Japanese occupied large parts of China.

You can see the wartime headquarters at the Red Crag Museum in Chongqing. Chiang Kaishek and Mao Zedong worked together here to defeat the Japanese.

The People's Republic of China

After World War II, the KMT and Communists resumed hostilities until the Communists gained the upper hand and established the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Chongqing Convention Center

Chiang Kaishek had a close involvement with Sichuan in the final years of the KMT in China.

He lead his party from Chongqing for several years after World War II.

The picture shows an island under the bridge in modern day Chongqing. This is an old airfield from which Chiang Kaishek fled from Chongqing.

A new era under Communist government began.

There were many hardships along the way.

Attempts were made to industrialise very quickly with several plans.

The Cultural Revolution (1966-70) destroyed many historical and cultural treasures as links with the past were eradicated.

Politically it is a one party state but economically it has adopted a freerer approach.

Businesses are thriving - indeed the economy is thriving!

Chongqing Construction In recent years, China has opened up to the outside world.

Construction and expansion are occurring at a tremendous pace.

You may have thought Sichuan in Western China might have lagged behind cities such as Beijing and Shanghai - not so - Chengdu and Chongqing are thriving modern cities.

You only have to go to Sichuan and look for yourself.

Modern highways and airports are recent constructions. Apartment blocks are being built everywhere as the middle class grows. Gigantic projects such as the Three Gorges Dam are being undertaken.

Modern China has become one of the giant economic powers of the world at the beginning of the 21st century.

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