Chinese Dynasties

By rileyhoffman
  • Period: 4000 BCE to 2000 BCE

    Beginning of Chinese civilization

    Settlements along the banks of the Yellow River
  • 3000 BCE

    Yellow river

    Yellow river
    Location of early Chinese settlements
  • Period: 2000 BCE to 1046 BCE

    Shang Dynasty

    Used bronze weapons to establish supremacy over Stone Age civilization
  • 1500 BCE

    Bronze axe

    Bronze axe
    Bronze and Jade axe used during Shang Dynasty
  • Period: 1046 BCE to 256 BCE

    Zhou Dynasty

    Feudal aristocracy
    Confucius was born
  • 551 BCE

    Confucius

    Confucius
    Confucius was born during the Zhou Dynasty
  • Period: 221 BCE to 206 BCE

    Qin Dynasty

    Shi Huangdi conquered entire region and established a strong central government.
    Dynasty was eventually overthrown by a peasant rebellion.
  • 215 BCE

    Qin Shi Huangdi

    Qin Shi Huangdi
    Some say Shi Huangdi was a ruthless leader while others claim he did what needed to be done to create a government structure that would last for thousands of years.
  • Period: 206 BCE to 220

    Han Dynasty

    Made Confucian philosophy the basis of education and government and training
    Invention of paper occurred.
  • 7 BCE

    Paper invented

    Paper invented
    Paper was invented during the Han dynasty
  • Period: 581 to 618

    Sui Dynasty

    Brutal and short-lived
  • 600

    Great Wall

    Great Wall
    Under the Sui Dynasty, the Great Wall was improved.
  • Period: 618 to 906

    Tang Dynasty

    Brought territorial expansion and economic vigor to China.
    Trade and culture contacts with Western peoples brought renewed vitality and variety to Chinese political and social life.
    The arts demonstrated great progress and porcelain manufacture developed into a high craft and art form.
  • 800

    Porcelain Horse

    Porcelain Horse
    This porcelain horse is an example of the plethora of fine art, especially porcelain, that was created during the Tang Dynasty.
  • Period: 960 to 1279

    Song Dynasty

    Leaders ushered in a period of renewed emphasis on Confucian philosophy and great advancements in the arts of painting and porcelain work.
  • 1100

    Song Painting

    Song Painting
    This piece of art was created during the Song Dynasty in the early 12th century by Emperor Huizong.
  • Period: 1279 to 1368

    Yuan Dynasty

    MONGOLS! First time in the country's history that it was ruled by a foreign power.
    Leader was Kublai Khan.
    Toppled by a peasant rebellion.
  • 1300

    Yuan Mongols

    Yuan Mongols
    A depicition of the Mongols invading China, beginning the Yuan Dynasty.
  • Period: 1368 to

    Ming Dynasty

    Mongols were driven back to their homeland under the leadership of Zhu Yuanchang.
    Great naval expeditions sailed far west to the coasts of Arabia and Africa.
    Became famous for blue and white porcelain.
  • 1420

    Ming Naval Comparison

    Ming Naval Comparison
    This model shows how Chinese naval technology of the 1400's dwarfed that of Europe.
  • Period: to

    Qing Dynasty

    Reign of the Manchus-- another foreign power.
    China's last imperial power.

  • Manchu Men

    Manchu Men
    Men dressed in tradition Qing era costumes, complete with the queue ponytail.
  • Period: to

    People's Republic of China

    In the nineteenth century, a combination of political weakness and incompetence at the top, and popular dissatisfaction and commerical pressure from foreign nations caused the Qing dynasty to loose its grip on power. By 1911, their hold on the country was so weak that they were overthrown by a revolution.

  • Xi Jinping

    Xi Jinping
    The current President of China.