Permanent historical records ยท Updated 2026-11-03

1981 in China

Explore 10 historical events and records for China in 1981.

Historical records for China in 1981

Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 10 of 10 unique records.

10Unique records
1 of 1Page
7Named events on this page
5Named people on this page
1Places on this page

January

Trial

Chunqiao, Zhang ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Sentenced to death, suspended for 2 yrs, "Gang of Four" members recieve long sentences

Trial

Qing, Jiang ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Maos widow is sentenced to death, suspended for 2 yrs

Trial of Gang of Four

Qing, Jiang ยท Beijing ยท Former Member of Gang of Four ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Jiang Qing receives a suspended death sentence for counter-revolutionary crimes connected to the Cultural Revolution

June

Historical Resolution

Xiaoping, Deng ยท Beijing ยท Paramount Leader ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

The party adopts a historical resolution condemning the Cultural Revolution as a grave error

Historical Resolution

Yaobang, Hu ยท Beijing ยท Chairman of CCP ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Hu Yaobang leads the party as it formally reassesses Mao's errors and the Cultural Revolution

Chairman

Yaobang, Hu ยท Chairman of CCP ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Hua Guofeng is replaced by Hu Yaobang (an ally of Deng Xiaoping) as as Party Chairman of Communist China

Party Secretary

Yaobang, Hu ยท Party Secretary of CCP ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Appointed Party Secretary of the Communist Party

Other events (month unknown)

Economy of China

Xiaoping, Deng ยท Party Leader of CCP ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Deng Xiaoping seizes power and launches pseudo-capitalistic economic reforms

Economy of China

Yaobang, Hu ยท Chairman of CCP ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

The Communist Party formally condemns Mao for the economic disasters from 1957 till his death

Minister of Electric Power

Peng, Li ยท Minister of Electric Power ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Appointed Minister of Electric Power, 2nd term

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.