China became a communist state on October 1, 1949 , when Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defeated the Nationalists in the civil war.

Quick timeline

  • 1921: Chinese Communist Party is founded in Shanghai.
  • 1927–1949: Long struggle between CCP and Nationalists (including the Long March and the full civil war).
  • October 1, 1949: Mao declares the People’s Republic of China; this is the key moment when China is generally said to have “become communist.”

So if you’re answering “when did China become communist?” the commonly accepted date is October 1, 1949.

TL;DR: China’s communist government officially began on October 1, 1949, with the founding of the People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.