Beijing (The Era of Relative Peace)

Beijing (Peking) is the capital of the Chinese Federated Union. It served for some timed in the past as the capital of various ancient Chinese dynasties, the Republic of China, and the People's Republic of China.

Pre-War
Beijing was the capital of several ancient Chinese dynasties up until the Qing Dynasty. In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion broke out in the city, with anti-colonial and anti-Christian scholars called "Boxers" rose up against the Western colonial powers. The rebellion was crushed and China was forced to make concessions for the foreign powers. The city would then become the capital of the Republic of China in 1912.

From the 1920s to the 1930s, China would be in a state of civil war, fought between the Nationalist Koumintang (KMT), the Chinese Communist Party, and various warlords fighting for control. The civil war was only interrupted when Japan invade Manchuria in 1937, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War - which would then be a part of the Pacific Theatre in World War II. The civil war resumed in 1946 after the defeat of the Japanese Empire on the favor of the communists. On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was established by Chairman Mao Zedong in the Forbidden City with its capital in Beijing. In May 1950, the communists expelled the last KMT holdout in Hainan Island, resulting in Chiang Kai-Shek's forces retreating to the island of Taiwan.China would then experience turbulent periods from 1950s to the 1960s, namely the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. In 1969, China and the Soviet Union held a brief border conflict in the Ussuri River over Zhenbao Island. The early 1970s was the period in which China reopened relations with the West, particulary the United States. President Richard Nixon became the first president to visit China where he met with Mao Zedong in Beijing. Up towards the 1980s, the United States and China cooperated to contain the Soviet Union. Ronald Reagan visited Beijing in April 1984; George H.W. Bush visited the Chinese capital in February 1989. The city was the site of the Tiananmen Square Protests that started in April 15, 1989 where students have gathered after the death of Hu Yaobang, a liberal reformer who was deposed after losing a power struggle with hardliners over the direction of political and economic reforms. The following weeks to come, more and more students backed by citizens began protesting for more transparency. Former CPC General Secretary Zhao Ziyang made an appearance in the square to ask for a compromise from the students. Premier Li Peng declared Martial Law around Beijing on May 20, 1989. On the dawn of June 4, 1989, the People's Liberation Army brutally suppresses the student protests in the square. The following day, the military had complete control over the square. International news reports showed footage of lines of tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers around the square. The iconic "Tank Man" photo was also taken and leaked to international stations, which would serve as a symbol of defiance against the Communist Party.