List of massacres in China
The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in China. The massacres are grouped for different periods.
Imperial China (before 1912)
Republic of China (since 1912)
1912–1937
1937–1945 (Sino-Japanese War)
| Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Notes |
| Nanjing Massacre | 1937, 13 December | Nanjing | 110000 | 40,000–300,000 deaths by Japanese military.The death toll is disputed, ranging from some Japanese claims of several hundred, to the Chinese claim of a non-combatant death toll of 300,000. Most other nations believe the death toll to be between 150,000–300,000, based on the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal verdict. |
| Three Alls Policy | 1940-1942 | North China | 2,700,000 | Scorched earth policy conducted by Japanese military. |
| Changjiao massacre | 1943, 9–12 May | Changjiao, Hunan | 30,000 | Conducted by Japanese military. |
1945–1949 (Civil War)
| Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Notes |
| February 28 incident | 1947, 28 February – 16 May | Taiwan | 5,000 to 28,000 | Beginning of the White Terror campaign. The Chinese Kuomintang-led government imposed martial law until 1987. |
Since 1950
People's Republic of China (since 1949)
1949–1966
| Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Notes |
| Chinese Land Reform | 1948–1951 | Nationwide | 1,000,000 – 4,500,000 | Launched by Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China. Liquidation of the landlord class in struggle sessions. |
| Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries | 1950–1951 | Nationwide | 712,000 – 2,000,000 | Launched by Mao Zedong and CPC. |
| Three-anti and Five-anti Campaigns | 1951–1952 | Nationwide | Exact death toll is unknown. In Shanghai alone, from 25 January to 1 April 1952, at least 876 people committed suicides. Launched by Mao Zedong and CPC. | |
| Sufan movement | 1955–1956 | Nationwide | 53,000 | Launched by Mao Zedong and CPC. |
| Anti-Rightist Campaign | 1957 | Nationwide | Exact death toll is unknown. Official statistics shows that at least 550,000 people were purged and many died. Launched by Mao Zedong and CPC. | |
| Xunhua Incident | 1958 | Qinghai | 435 | The massacre was conducted by People's Liberation Army towards local civilians. |
| 1959 Tibetan uprising | 1959 | Tibet | 87,000 | The exact number of deaths has been disputed. |
| Socialist Education Movement | 1963–1965 | Nationwide | 77,560 | Launched by Mao Zedong. |
1966–1976 (Cultural Revolution)
was launched by Mao Zedong in May 1966, with the help of the Cultural Revolution Group. The estimated total death toll ranges from hundreds of thousands to 20 million, while massacres took place across the country. Some of the massacres occurred during the Violent Struggles, struggle sessions or political purges such as Cleansing the Class Ranks. Chinese scholars have estimated that at least 300,000 people were killed in these massacres. Massacres in Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province were among the most serious; in Guangxi, the official documents of at least 43 counties report local massacres with 15 of them recording a death toll of over 1000, while in Guangdong at least 28 counties report local massacres with 6 of them recording over 1000 deaths. The following table only includes major massacres which have been well documented in literature.| Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Notes |
| Red August | August – September 1966 | Beijing | 1,772 | Origin of the Red Terror of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, triggering "Daxing Massacre" which killed 325 people in a few days. Statistics from 1985 showed a death toll of over 10,000 during the Red August. |
| Guangxi Massacre | 1966–1976 | Guangxi | 100,000 – 150,000 | Massive cannibalism occurred. |
| Inner Mongolia incident | 1967–1969 | Inner Mongolia | 16,632 – 100,000 | Mostly Mongols. |
| Qinghai Massacre | February 1967 | Qinghai | 173 | Conducted by People's Liberation Army. |
| Guangzhou Laogai Fan Incident | August 1967 | Guangzhou, Guangdong | 187-197 | Part of the Guangdong Massacre. Caused by the rumor that Laogaifan were released. Local citizens began massive killings as self-defense. |
| Anti-Peng Pai Incident | August 1967 | Shanwei, Guangdong | >160 | Targeted the relatives of Peng Pai. |
| Qingtongxia Incident | August 1967 | Qingtongxia, Ningxia | 101 | Conducted by People's Liberation Army. |
| Yangjiang Massacre | 1967–1969 | Yangjiang, Guangdong | 3,573 | Part of the Guangdong Massacre. Mainly in Yangjiang and Yangchun. |
| Daoxian massacre | August – October 1967 | Daoxian, Hunan | 9,093 | Took place in more than 10 counties, mainly in Dao County. |
| Shaoyang County Massacre | July – September 1968 | Shaoyang, Hunan | 991 | Influenced by Daoxian Massacre. |
| Dan County Massacre | August 1968 | Danzhou, Hainan | >700 | Part of the Guangdong Massacre. Over 50 thousand people were jailed and thousands were permanently disabled. Conducted by People's Liberation Army and local militias. |
| Ruijin Massacre | September –October 1968 | Ruijin, Jiangxi | >1000 | Took place in Ruijin County, Xingguo County, and Yudu County. |
| Zhao Jianmin Spy Case | 1968–1969 | Yunnan | 17,000 | Over 1.3 million people persecuted. |
| Shadian Incident | July – August 1975 | Yunnan | 1,600 | Mostly Hui people. Conducted by People's Liberation Army. |