In one paragraph, identify which event you think was most influential in China's recent history and explain why.

The most influential event of China's recent history was the Chinese Revolution of 1911 which ended last China's dynasty and established the Republic of China. It ended with two thousand years of Empire, being the first time in which a dynasty was not succeded by another. Although claiming democratic ideals the revolution brought quite the contrary.

I think that the year 1978, when Deng Xiaoping became the leader of China, is the most influential in China's recent history. Deng started introducing various reforms, especially in the field of agriculture. Framers had to grow a certain amount of crops for the government and could sell surplus crops for profits. Deng created special economic zones to encourage other countries to carry out trade with China. Job opportunities increased, and people started migrating from rural areas. Many modern buildings were constructed. Deng gave a lot of importance to education and urged the youth of China to travel abroad for higher education. People's standard of living improved. However, this rapid modernization has led to pollution and other environmental concerns in China today. Though China has gained the position of the strongest economy, it still has a long way to go to undo the ill effects of industrialization and urbanization.