Capture of Nanjing
Japan sponsors the Reformed Government of the Republic of China at Nanjing as a collaborationist regime.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1938 in China
Explore 16 historical events and records for China in 1938.
Historical records for China in 1938
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 16 of 16 unique records.
16Unique records
1 of 1Page
16Named events on this page
5Named people on this page
10Places on this page
March
May
Capture of Xiamen
Japanese forces capture Xiamen, tightening their control over important coastal positions.
Leaflet Raid over Japan
Chinese aircraft fly over Japan and drop propaganda leaflets rather than bombs, demonstrating long-range capability.
June
Capture of Kaifeng
Japanese forces capture Kaifeng during the campaign in Henan.
Yellow River Dike Breach
Nationalist authorities breach Yellow River dikes in an attempt to slow the Japanese advance, causing catastrophic flooding across large rural areas.
Capture of Anking
Japanese forces capture Anqing during their advance along the Yangtze River.
October
Capital
The Nationalist government continues operating from Chongqing as the Japanese offensive drives deeper into central China.
Capture of Canton
Japanese forces capture Guangzhou, threatening China’s remaining coastal supply routes.
Capture of Wuchang
Japanese forces capture Wuhan after months of fighting, while the Nationalist government continues resistance from Chongqing.
Siege of Wuhan
Wuhan falls to Japanese forces, reinforcing the Nationalist government’s decision to continue the war from Chongqing.
Other events (month unknown)
Battle of Suchow
Defeats a Japanese force near Suchow
Constitution of China
Wins supremacy in the Communist Party after overcoming Wang Ming
Defection
Defects to the nationalists
Political Support
The United States extends a $25 million credit to Nationalist China as support for continued resistance to Japan.
Purge
Expelled from the Communist Party
Yangtze Bureau
Leads Communist political and united-front work through the Yangtze Bureau in wartime Wuhan.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.