On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong stood atop of Beijing's Tian'anmen and solemnly declared to the world that the People's Republic of China (​PRC) was founded, and the Chinese people had stood up. 

Great efforts had been made to prepare for this grand moment. It was the end of an unhappy 100-year period in history that had seen the nation poor, weak and bullied by foreign powers. With the Communist Party of China (CPC) in power, China was now free to embark on its own path of national rejuvenation.