- Events
- 1839 – In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kg of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.
- 1989 – The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.
- 2013 – At least 120 people are killed in a fire at a poultry plant in Northeast China.
- Births
- 1901 – Zhang Xueliang, Chinese general and warlord (d. 2001)
- Deaths
- 628 – Liang Shidu, Chinese rebel leader
- 1928 – Li Yuanhong, Chinese general and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of China (b. 1864)
- 2009 – Shih Kien, Chinese actor (b. 1913)