Published : 2025-01-22

On January 22, 1949, the Kuomintang (KMT) army at the time relinquished control of Beiping (now Beijing), and the complete takeover by the Communist Party of China (CPC) meant the long-standing civil war was nearing its end.

Beiping, which had been the capital during the Ming and Qing dynasties, had been under siege for over a month before its liberation. The KMT general Fu Zuoyi (傅作義) reached an agreement with the CPC, who were striving for peaceful unification in North China.

According to the agreement, a joint committee was established to oversee the transition to the new communist-led regime. Following the agreement, the KMT troops responsible for defending the city peacefully handed over control of Beiping.

Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), the KMT leader who had been fighting the communists for over 20 years, also announced his "retirement" from the presidency, in a bid to end the hostilities.