From Ragtag Rifles to World-Class Force: Inside the PLA's 99-Year Transformation

That ragtag beginning stands in stark contrast to the force the PLA has become as it approaches its 99th anniversary on August 1, 2026 — and the much more consequential centenary deadline of 2027.

The PLA's Journey from Guerrilla Origins

The PLA traces its roots to the August 1, 1927 Nanchang Uprising, when Communist forces under Zhou Enlai, He Long, and Ye Ting launched an armed resistance against the Kuomintang . Though militarily unsuccessful, the uprising marked the birth of the Chinese Red Army, later renamed the People's Liberation Army . The army grew under Mao Zedong and Zhu De from about 5,000 troops in 1929 to 200,000 by 1933, though only a fraction survived the Long March .

Key phases of its transformation include:

• Civil War and Korean War era (late 1940s–1953): The Red Army was formally renamed the People's Liberation Army in 1947 . After defeating the Nationalists in 1949, the PLA fought the Korean War (1950–1953) with Soviet-supplied equipment, transitioning from a purely guerrilla force to a more conventional army .

• Post-1978 Deng Xiaoping reforms: China's modern military modernization push began in 1978 and accelerated in the 1990s . Deng shifted the PLA's focus from revolutionary politics to professionalization, technological upgrading, and reduced force size . The establishment of a professional military equipped with modern weapons and doctrine was the last of the Four Modernizations .

• 1990s–2000s acceleration: After the 1991 Gulf War demonstrated the power of high-tech warfare, China intensified R&D and procurement of advanced aircraft, naval vessels, and precision missiles . The PLA undertook a massive transformation "from a mass peasant infantry to smaller, highly-trained, and well-educated integrated army that stresses high technology" .

• 2017 three-step goals under Xi Jinping: Xi formalized a roadmap: (1) mechanization and initial "networked" capability by 2020; (2) "basically complete" modernization by 2035; (3) becoming a "world-class military" by 2049, the centenary of the People's Republic of China .

The 2027 Centenary Goal

In 2021, the Chinese Communist Party established the "2027 centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army" — a set of objectives to be met by the 100th anniversary of the PLA's founding on August 1, 2027 . The 2027 goal was first framed in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) as an effort to accelerate military development, improve force readiness, and enhance deterrence capabilities . It focuses on improving strategic capabilities and is described as the "critical year" milestone before the longer 2035 and 2049 targets .

The 2027 benchmark represents the start of a new three-step development strategy that continues Xi's approach of military reform to transform the PLA . The original three-step strategy sought to achieve mechanization by 2020, make major progress in "informationization" — the integration of information and communications technology — and then build a fully modernized force . The 2027 goal specifically calls for accelerating the integrated development of a mechanized, informatized, and "intelligentized" military .

Where the PLA Stands in 2026

As of August 1, 2026, the PLA commemorates its 99th anniversary during what state media calls the "critical year" toward achieving the centenary goals . President Xi Jinping has urged efforts to fulfill the goals for the centenary and make "decisive progress" in basically realizing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces .

In late July 2026, Xi also told the PLA to strengthen its use of artificial intelligence and unmanned systems — pushing for an "intelligent military system" as part of the 2027 goals . Analysts note that the PLA has made major equipment leaps and combat readiness improvements in recent years, though debate continues about how fully it will meet all centenary objectives .

The three-step plan aims to ultimately build the PLA into a force capable of fighting and winning modern, informationized wars . Yet the 2027 goal should be understood as a centennial milestone, not an expedited completion of full modernization — the 2035 target for "basically complete" modernization remains distinct .

From 200 soldiers with bolt-action rifles in the Shaanxi mountains to one of the world's largest defense budgets and a growing inventory of advanced aircraft, naval vessels, and precision missiles, the PLA's transformation over 99 years is one of the most dramatic military modernizations in modern history — and the next year will reveal whether it can meet the ambitious targets Xi has set for its 100th anniversary.