1981 in China
Events from the year 1981 in China.
Incumbents
- Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party – Hua Guofeng / Hu Yaobang
- Chairman of the Congress – Ye Jianying
- Premier – Zhao Ziyang
- Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference – Deng Xiaoping
- Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China – Wan Li
Governors
- Governor of Anhui Province - Zhang Jingfu then Zhou Zijian
- Governor of Fujian Province - Ma Xingyuan
- Governor of Gansu Province - Feng Jixin then Li Dengying
- Governor of Guangdong Province - Xi Zhongxun then Liu Tianfu
- Governor of Guizhou Province - Su Gang
- Governor of Hebei Province - Li Erzhong
- Governor of Heilongjiang Province - Chen Lei
- Governor of Henan Province - Liu Jie then Dai Suli
- Governor of Hubei Province - Han Ningfu
- Governor of Hunan Province - Sun Guozhi
- Governor of Jiangsu Province - Hui Yuyu
- Governor of Jiangxi Province - Bai Dongcai
- Governor of Jilin Province - Yu Ke
- Governor of Liaoning Province - Chen Puru
- Governor of Qinghai Province - Zhang Guosheng
- Governor of Shaanxi Province - Yu Mingtao
- Governor of Shandong Province - Su Yiran
- Governor of Shanxi Province - Luo Guibo
- Governor of Sichuan Province - Lu Dadong
- Governor of Yunnan Province - Liu Minghui
- Governor of Zhejiang Province - Li Fengping
Events
- January 24 - Dawu earthquake
- May 22 - 1st Golden Rooster Awards
- July 9 - Chengdu-Kunming rail crash
- July 22 - Yangquan theatre bombing
- Unknown date - TTK Home Appliance, as predecessor of TCL Technology was founded in Guangdong Province.
Establishments
- National Population and Family Planning Commission
- Beijing Marathon
- Capital Museum
- China Daily
- Chongqing Broadcasting Group
- Jinling Hotel
- Golden Rooster Awards
- Flying Apsaras Awards
- Duzhe
- TCL Corporation
- Soong Ching-ling Memorial Residence
- Shantou Special Economic Zone
Births
- January 2 - Zhang Juanjuan, archer
- January 18 - Song Lun, figure skater
- February 3 - Huang Zhiyi, footballer
- April 4 - Zhang Lei, racing cyclist
- April 6 - Wang Di, football referee
- April 19 - Zhang Yalin, footballer
- August 29 - Zeng Shaoxuan, tennis player
- September 23 - Zhang Ai, softball player
- Liu Jiayin, independent filmmaker
Deaths
- January 6 — Cao Juru, 2nd Governor of the People's Bank of China
- March 9 — Cai Xitao, botanist
- March 27 — Mao Dun, novelist, essayist, journalist, playwright, literary and cultural critic
- April 11 — Liu Yuzhang, prominent nationalist general
- April 21 — Wang Shijie, Kuomintang politician and scholar
- April 30 — Zhu Yunshan, former Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
- May 7 — Du Yuming, Kuomintang field commander
- May 29 — Soong Ching-ling, Honorary Chairwoman of China
- June 19 — Chen Qihan, general in the People's Liberation Army
- July 25 — Hu Lancheng, writer and politician
- August 22 — Lü Wencheng, composer and musician
- August 25 — Fu Qiutao, politician and senior general in the People's Liberation Army
- December 16 — Zhang Dingcheng, 2nd Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
- December 27 — Yu Hanmou, colonel general in the National Revolutionary Army
Dates unknown
- Wang Shujin, martial artist, practitioner of baguazhang, taijiquan and xingyiquan
- Jiang Yukun, Tai chi master