January 1924: The CPC formed an alliance with the Kuomintang (KMT) to fight local warlords supported by imperialists.

April 1927: The KMT broke up the alliance by staging a coup, during which many CPC members were killed.

August 1927: The CPC launched an uprising and formed its own armed forces.

January 1935: The CPC elected a new leadership, with Mao Zedong playing an important role.

1937-45: The CPC and the KMT joined hands again in an eight-year war to resist Japanese aggression.

June 1945: The CPC established Mao Zedong Thought as its guideline.

1946-49: The CPC led the people to fight against the KMT troops in the civil war launched by the KMT.

October 1, 1949: The CPC won the war and founded the People's Republic of China (PRC).

September 1954: The first Constitution of the PRC was enacted.

September 1956: The CPC re-oriented its political line to focus on national economic construction.

1966-76: Mao Zedong launched the "cultural revolution" which put the whole country into political turmoil and pushed the national economy to the brink of collapse.

October 1971: The UN General Assembly restored the PRC's seat at the world organization.

December 1978: The CPC shifted its central task to economic development and adopted the reform and opening-up policy. Deng Xiaoping became the core of the Party's central collective leadership.

August 1980: Special economic zones were established in the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Fujian.

September 1982: Deng Xiaoping called on the Party and the country to build socialism with Chinese characteristics.

June 1989: The CPC elected Jiang Zemin as its general secretary.

November 1993: The CPC adopted the Decision on Issues Concerning the Establishment of Socialist Market Economic System.

July 1, 1997: China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong.

December 20, 1999: China resumed sovereignty over Macao.

November 2002: Hu Jintao was elected as the Party's new general secretary.

October 2010: The CPC made its proposal on the nation's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

(Compiled by Beijing Review)