On October 1, 1949, after a near complete victory by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the Chinese Civil War, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China (PRC) from atop Tiananmen (the gate of heavenly peace). Meanwhile, the remaining force of Kuomingtang (Chinese Nationalist Party) led by Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan. The PRC has for several decades been synonymous with China, but it is only the most recent political entity to govern mainland China, preceded by the Republic of China (ROC) and thousands of years of imperial dynasties.
