About
Chronicles of Modern China
An independent, non-partisan bilingual digital archive of modern Chinese history from 1949 to the present. We place primary sources side by side — without editorial bias — and let the evidence speak.
Our Philosophy
Sources Side by Side
For every event, we present Beijing official records, Taiwan archival sources, Western academic analysis, and eyewitness testimony alongside one another. Readers compare directly and draw their own conclusions.
Data Speaks
Where numbers and documents can make the case, we avoid narrative editorialising. Every casualty figure and policy outcome carries a source citation and credibility grade for verification and academic citation.
Decentralised Interpretation
For contested events, we use a Narrative Comparison table to surface diverging perspectives rather than synthesise them into a single conclusion. The right to historical judgement belongs to the reader, not the editor.
Content Standards
Source Types
Government documents, party resolutions, official communiqués, and state-issued records.
Peer-reviewed journals, university press monographs, and scholarly conference proceedings.
Contemporary journalistic accounts from domestic and international outlets.
Memoirs, oral histories, diaries, and first-hand witness accounts.
Previously classified government intelligence and diplomatic cables.
Credibility Grades
Original documents, direct testimony, or data produced at the time of the event.
Analysis or synthesis of primary sources that has undergone academic peer review.
Included for reference; credibility or provenance has not yet been fully verified.
Scope
CMC covers major events from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the present, across four categories — political, economic, social, and diplomatic — organised into six historical periods:
- 1949–1956Founding & Consolidation
- 1957–1965Exploration & Leap Forward
- 1966–1976Cultural Revolution
- 1977–1991Reform & Opening Up
- 1992–2012High-Speed Development
- 2013–presentNew Era
Contact & Contribute
CMC is an ongoing open project. If you identify factual errors, missing sources, or translation issues, please reach out via the channels below. We also welcome researchers with backgrounds in history, archival studies, or related fields to participate in content review.