Portal:China/Anniversaries/January/January 23

971 – In China, the war elephant corps of the Southern Han are soundly defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song dynasty troops.
1368 – In a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang ascends to the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries.
1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. (map pictured) The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
2001 – Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Communist Party of China to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.