Global InformationRetreat of the government of Republic of China to Taiwan information
 Five retreats of the ROC Government in 1949 | |
| Native name | 中華民國政府遷臺 |
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| English name | Republic of China Government's retreat to Taiwan |
| Date | December 7, 1949 |
| Location | Taipei, Taiwan Province, Republic of China |
| History of the Republic of China |
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| Retreat of the Government of the Republic of China to Taiwan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 中華民國政府遷臺 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中华民国政府迁台 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The "Kuomintang's retreat to Taiwan" or the "Great Retreat" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 大撤退 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The retreat of the government of Republic of China to Taiwan (Chinese: 中華民國政府遷臺), also known as the Kuomintang's retreat to Taiwan or the Great Retreat (Chinese: 大撤退) in Taiwan, refers to the exodus of the remnants of the then-internationally-recognized Kuomintang-ruled government of the Republic of China (ROC) to the island of Taiwan (Formosa) on December 7, 1949, after losing the Chinese Civil War in the Chinese mainland. The Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party), its officers, and approximately 2 million ROC troops took part in the retreat, in addition to many civilians and refugees, fleeing the advance of the People's Liberation Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP, who now effectively controlled most of Mainland China, spent the subsequent years purging any remnant Nationalist agents and bandits in western and southern China, solidifying the rule of the newly established People's Republic of China.
ROC troops mostly fled to Taiwan from provinces in southern China, in particular Sichuan Province, where the last stand of the ROC's main army took place. The flight to Taiwan took place over four months after Mao Zedong had proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing on October 1, 1949.[1] The island of Taiwan remained part of Japan during the occupation until Japan severed its territorial claims in the Treaty of San Francisco, which came into effect in 1952.
After the retreat, the leadership of the ROC, particularly Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek, planned to make the retreat only temporary, hoping to regroup, fortify, and reconquer the mainland.[1] This plan, which never came into fruition, was known as "Project National Glory", and made the national priority of the ROC on Taiwan. Once it became apparent that such a plan could not be realized, the ROC's national focus shifted to the modernization and economic development of Taiwan. The ROC, however, continues to officially claim exclusive sovereignty over the now-CCP-governed mainland China. As the ROC does not recognize any border agreements made by the PRC, it also technically claims Mongolia as well as parts of Russia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. (Both the ROC and PRC also claim the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands administered by Japan.)[2][3][4]
- ^ a b Han, Cheung. "Taiwan in Time: The great retreat". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ Hudson, Christopher (2014). The China Handbook. Routledge. p. 59. ISBN 9781134269662. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ Rigger, Shelley (2002). Politics in Taiwan: Voting for Reform. Routledge. p. 60. ISBN 9781134692972. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "File:ROC Administrative and Claims.svg - Wikimedia Commons". commons.wikimedia.org. October 31, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2023.