Presidential Election
The National Assembly elects Chiang Kai-shek as the first President under the new Constitution.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1948 in China
Explore 17 historical events and records for China in 1948.
Historical records for China in 1948
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 17 of 17 unique records.
17Unique records
1 of 1Page
15Named events on this page
3Named people on this page
9Places on this page
April
Siege of Yanan
Communist forces reoccupy Yan’an after Nationalist troops withdraw from the area.
May
Temporary Provisions Promulgated
Promulgates the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion, expanding emergency presidential powers during the civil war.
Presidential Inauguration
Takes office as the first constitutional President of the Republic of China.
Capture of Shanghai
Shanghai surrenders to the Communists
August
Gold Yuan Reform
The government replaces the failing fabi currency with the gold yuan in an unsuccessful effort to control wartime inflation.
October
Capture of Manchuria
300,000 Nationalist troops surrender & the Communists gain power over Manchuria
November
Battle of Huai-Hai
The Huaihai Campaign begins; catastrophic Nationalist defeats during the campaign destroy major armies and accelerate the collapse of Chiang’s mainland position.
Battle of Huai-Hai
The Nationalist 7th & Second Army Groups are defeated along the Lung-Hai railway
Capture of Chungking
Chunking surrenders to the Communists
Pingjin Campaign
Nationalist forces suffer mounting pressure in the Pingjin Campaign as Communist armies isolate major cities across northern China.
Second Army
The Nationalist 7th & Second Army Groups are defeated along the Lung-Hai railway
December
Emergency Martial Law
Declares emergency martial-law measures as Communist military victories intensify the Nationalist government’s crisis.
Chen Cheng Appointment
Appoints Chen Cheng as Governor of Taiwan Province while preparing the island as an increasingly important Nationalist base.
Chiang Ching-kuo Taiwan Party Appointment
Places Chiang Ching-kuo in charge of the Kuomintang organization in Taiwan Province as the party prepares for possible retreat from the mainland.
Other events (month unknown)
Capture of Shanghai
Shanghai surrenders to the Communists. Shanghai surrenders to the Communists who then gain control of Canton
Kuomingtang
Founder of the Kuomindang Revolutionary Committee, 1 of Chinas 8 democratic parties
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.