People's Republic of China

   A period of Chinese history which began with the success of the Communist revolution in 1949. An important phase in this period was the Cultural Revolution, which lasted from 1966-1976. This was a comprehensive reform movement initiated by Mao Zedong in 1965 to eliminate counterrevolutionary elements in China's institutions and leadership. The People's Republic of China's most prominent style has been its official style, socialist realism, although this has lessened since the encouragement of capitalistic enterprises began in the 1980s.