March 18, 1926: March 18 Massacre

On March 12, 1926, a Japanese warship bombarded the Taku Forts, killing several Guominjun troops guarding the forts. In retaliation, Guominjun troops fired back and drove the warship out of the Tanggu harbor. The act was treated by Japan as a violation of the Boxer Protocol, signed in 1900 in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion. Four days later, ambassadors representing eight countries that were signatory nations to the Protocol sent an ultimatum to the Beiyang Government under Duan Qirui. The demand was that the Duan government should destroy all defense establishments on the Taku Forts. A demonstration was organized in front of the Tiananmen Gate on March 18. Li Dazhao, the leader of the demonstrators, made an emotional address. He called for an end to all unequal treaties signed between China and the foreign powers, in addition to expelling foreign ambassadors who issued the ultimatum. The Nationalist army, who were based in Guangzhou at the time, was urged to confront possible imperialist incursions since the Beiyang Government was unwilling to. A subsequent march by the protesters ended on a square in front of the Beiyang Government headquarter. Duan Qirui, who was worried about the situation becoming destabilized, ordered an armed military police to disperse the protesters. The confrontation led to violence, of which 47 protesters were killed and more than 200 injured. Those who died include Liu Hezhen, a student of the Female Normal University of Peking. Li Dazhao was also wounded during the massacre.

March 18—31, 1978: The national science conference is held in Beijing

Deng Xiaoping stressed in his opening remarks that science and technology were productive forces, and the key to the four modernizations was the modernization of science and technology.

March 18, 1988: The State Council issues a "notice on expanding the range of the coastal economic open zones" which determined to appropriately expand the costal economic open zones of 140 cities and counties, including Hangzhou, Nanjing and Shenyang

March 18, 1997: The Nanning-Kunming Railway is completed with a total length of 898 km