Chronicle TIMELINE
A chronological, causal record of the resistance, major political crises, and contemporary truth.
2023.08.30
·Reported
·Importance III
·Sources 1
·甘肃省敦煌市
On the afternoon of August 30, 2023, Li Keqiang, who had been retired for half a year, made a public appearance at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu. This was his first public appearance after a long period of no public activities, and also his last public footage. The highest-ranking official accompanying him was identified as the Party Secretary of the Dunhuang Academy. Citizens at the scene spontaneously gathered around and shouted "Hello, Premier" to Li Keqiang.
2023.08.30
·Reported
·Importance III
·Sources 2
·Shanghai
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an went to Shanghai to attend the Twin City Forum, saying that the more turbulent cross-strait relations become, the more dialogue is needed; the two cities signed memoranda of cooperation on exhibitions and conventions, carbon reduction, and other areas.
2023.08.28
·Verified
·Importance IV
·Sources 2
·Guizhou
On August 28, 2023, former Guizhou Provincial Party Secretary Sun Zhigang was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, becoming the first former provincial-level Party secretary to fall after the 20th Party Congress.
2023.08.26
·Verified
·Importance V
·Sources 2
·Urumqi
After concluding his trip to South Africa, Xi Jinping made a temporary stop in Urumqi to hear work reports from the Xinjiang Party Committee and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, with Ma Xingrui present.
2023.08.18
·Reported
·Importance I
·Sources 1
·France
On August 18, 2023, France's 20 Minutes reported on a parody video that face-swapped Mbappé with Mao Zedong and set it to the red song "The Sun in the Sky Is Red"; the meme originated as fans' satire of his outsized influence within the team.
2023.08.17
·Reported
·Importance IV
·Sources 2
·Zhuozhou, Hebei
During the floods in Zhuozhou, Xi Jinping was accused of vacationing in Beidaihe and not visiting the disaster area; on August 17 the Political Bureau Standing Committee held a meeting to study flood control, disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction, after which the central authorities arranged to issue 1 trillion yuan in treasury bonds.
2023.08.15
·Verified
·Importance IV
·Sources 2
·Beijing
On August 15, 2023, a spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics announced the suspension of the release of urban survey unemployment rates by age group. Previously, the youth unemployment rate for the 16-24 age group had reached a record high of 21.3% in June. The data resumed publication in January 2024 using a new statistical methodology.
2023.08.03
·Verified
·Importance III
·Sources 2
·United States
The US Department of Justice stated that Chinese-American Wei Jingchao conspired in 2022 to sell military secrets to China, was arrested in August 2025, and was sentenced to 200 months in prison.
2023.08
·Reported
·Importance IV
·Sources 3
·Zhuozhou, Hebei
In the early stage of the Zhuozhou floods, several civilian rescue teams from other provinces said they were required to present a local invitation letter and complete registration before being allowed to enter; volunteers said the Zhuozhou Emergency Management Bureau had been flooded and lost power, with its official seal in another building surrounded by water, and that they were arranging for people to wade through the water to fetch it.
2023.08
·Verified
·Importance III
·Sources 1
·Nanjing, Jiangsu
Duan Weihong, who had been detained by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection system for six years, successively made public appearances in Nanjing and Fujian, gaining limited freedom.
2023.08
·Verified
·Importance III
·Sources 1
·Japan
Since August 2023, China has completely banned imports of Japanese seafood due to the nuclear wastewater dispute, causing Japanese seafood exports to China to drop to zero in the following years, while most of the share was taken up by markets such as the United States, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.
2023.08
·Reported
·Importance III
·Sources 1
·广西壮族自治区
In August 2023, the journal Science warned that the construction of the Pinglu Canal would occupy large areas of mangrove forests, causing irreversible major harm to the local wetland ecosystem and species breeding.