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Period: 2100 BCE to 1600 BCE
Xia (Hsia) Dynasty
Important Leaders: Yu the Great (Founder), Shao Kang (Credited for starting ancestor worship)
It's debated if the Xia Dynasty is only a legend or if it truly happened. It's history is recorded in ancient Chinese writings but no archaeological evidence prove it existed.
Most of the Xia were farmers. They invented bronze casting but used stone and bone tools for everyday use. They developed irrigation and a calendar.
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/xia_dynasty.php -
Period: 1600 BCE to 1050 BCE
Shang Dynasty
First Chinese Dynasty with recorded history, legend has it that the Shang were united under Cheng Tang who defeated the evil King Jie of Xia.
The Shang used "oracle bones" to determine the future.
The Shang invented writing that was somewhat similar to modern Chinese script.
Government consisted of high level officials who were related to the king and warlords that ruled over land and provided soldiers for war.
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/shang_dynasty.php -
Period: 1046 BCE to 256 BCE
Zhou (Chou) Dynasty
Time period consisting of the Western and Easter Zhou.
Introduced the idea of "Mandate of Heaven", that said the leaders would gain their authority to rule from the gods.
Zhou's government was based on the feudal system, with land divided into fiefs ruled by relatives. The rulers of the fiefs basically owned the farmers who worked the land.
The Zhou Dynasty invented cast iron which enabled strong iron tools to be manufactured.
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/zhou_dynasty.php -
Period: 1046 BCE to 771 BCE
Western Zhou
The first part of the Zhou Dynasty. This period was when there was relative peace. But, as time went on, the local rulers started to become identified more to their assigned territories than the king. They start to ignore their duties and fight amongst themselves, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/zhou_dynasty.php
https://www.ancient.eu/Zhou_Dynasty/ -
Period: 771 BCE to 256 BCE
Eastern Zhou
Around the 770 BCE, the king started to lose control of his territories. Many of the lords rebelled against him and took over the capital city. The king's son then escaped to the east and built a new capital there. The Dynasty that ruled this capital was now referred to as the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/zhou_dynasty.php -
Period: 221 BCE to 206 BCE
Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty
The state of Qin had victories in The Warring States period which ended when they finally conquered China and unified it for the first time ever.
The practice of Legalism (philosophical belief that humans do more wrong than right due to being motivated by self interest) reaches its peak in Chinese history.
Building projects resulting in the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal.
https://www.ancient.eu/Qin_Dynasty/ -
Period: 206 BCE to 220
Han Dynasty
Considered the golden age of Chinese history, in arts, politics and technology. Also a model of a united empire and self-sustaining government.
Liu Bang = 1st Chinese emperor who was originally a commoner
Pulleys and wheelbarrows were used to move goods
Opening of the Silk Road = major economic achievement
"Records of the Great Historian" written by Sima Qian covered over 2,000 years of Chinese history from the Xia to his own time.
https://www.ancient.eu/Han_Dynasty/ -
Period: 206 BCE to 9
Western/Former Han
The Han reign in Chang'an. It ended with Wang Man being beheaded by the Red Eyebrows while trying to restore order. Wang Man tried to evenly distribute land amongst peasants but was opposed by the aristocracy.
https://www.ancient.eu/Han_Dynasty/ -
Period: 25 to 220
Eastern/Later Han
The period in Luoyang after relocating from Chang'an.
Liu Xiu takes control of the empire and re-establishes the Han lineage. He leads his loyal officials to the city of Luoyang, where the imperial capital was now located.
https://www.ancient.eu/Han_Dynasty/ -
Period: 220 to 589
Six Dynasties Period
Name due to the six dynasties that ruled from their capitals at Jianye.
Confucianism system starts to disappear while Daoism and Buddhism start to grow and create changes.
Advancements made in medicine, astronomy, botany, and chemistry.
Architecture like temples and monasteries start to appear.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Six-Dynasties -
Period: 220 to 265
Three Kingdoms
During this period, China was ruled by three different kingdoms:
Wei, Shu, and Wu.
Cao Wei: Strongest Kingdom, 220-266
Shu Han: Southwest Kingdom, 221-263
Dong Wu: Last of the Kingdoms, 229-280
The Kingdoms period ended after the Jin made Sun Hao of Dong Wu surrender.
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/three-kingdoms.htm -
Period: 265 to 420
Jin Dynasty
Western Jin: 265-316, they attacked the Han to regain control of all regions. The emperor died and the heirs fought for succession in a civil war, weakening the empire. The Xiongnu attacked while they were still weak and the clan members fled.
Eastern Jin: 317-420, The members moved south and founded the new empire but with a weak imperial court imperial court, leading to the Liu Song.
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-jin-dynasty.htm -
Period: 386 to 589
Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties
A time of of war, but also a time of art and technology.
Southern Dynasties: Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, and Cheng
Northern Dynasties: North Wei, East Wei, West Wei, North Qi, and North Zhou
Taoist reformers emerged during both Dynasties, giving Taoism a new look.
Paintings were made in the South and stone carvings made in the North, showing progress in art.
[https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-southern-northern-dynasties.htm](www.timetoast.com) -
Period: 581 to 618
Sui Dynasty
A short but important time period for China.
Yang Jian replaced the Northern Zhou with Sui and called himself the new emperor, founding the Sui Dynasty. Their court defeat the remaining Southern Dynasties and then reunified the nation.
Due to reunification, the society stabilized and became peaceful.
Grand Canal created to help interactions with north and south.
New political system: 3 Departments and 6 Ministries
[https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/sui/](www.timetoast.com) -
Period: 618 to 906
Tang (T'ang) Dynasty
The dynasty period was also known as the golden age for its art, and well known for their poetry. This dynasty peaked around the early 8th century in wealth and power. This dynasty was located around China's eastern plain. Had a successful government based on the Sui model. The Tang Dynasty had 2 capitals Changton and Luoyang. The founder and first emperor of this dynasty was Li Yuan. It collapsed in 906 because rebels and weak government.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tang-dynasty -
Period: 907 to 960
Five Dynasties Period
This was a very unstable era for China with 5 different dynasties in less than a century. It started with the Hou Liang dynasty founded by Zhu Wen (907-912). Secondly the Hou Tang dynasty founded by Li Cunxu (923-936). Thirdly the Hou Jin dynasty founded by Gaozu. Fourthly the Hou Han dynasty founded by Liu Zhituan. Lasly came a longer dynasty called the Song. A different type of poetry, ci, was created which went with a musical tone.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Five-Dynasties -
Period: 960 to 1279
Song (Sung) Dynasty
The Song dynasty/Sung dynasty was one if the greatest dynasty of Chinese history. It was founded by Emperor Taizu and created a centralized government. Some people consider this dynasty as the start of the Chinese industrial revolution. During this dynasty flamethrowers, gunpowder, and iron advances were made. This dynasty can be broken into 2 different dynasties the Northern Song(960-1127) and the Southern Song(1127-1279).
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Song_Dynasty -
Period: 960 to 1127
Northern Song
This time period was filled with lots of changes in the Chinese society social and political. The capital was Bianjinj present day Kaifeng. The government went from a hereditary order to a central government. They started the the monumental landscaping painting which is very important today in the Chinese society. This was the best era in the later imperial Chinese era culturally. Their were 9 emperors and the longest one was Renzong(1022-1063).http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nsong/hd_nsong.htm -
Period: 1127 to 1279
Southern Song
North Song dynasty was attack by northern invaders which forced them to move to the south. But that didn't stop them, they continued improving in different ways than before. Their decorative arts reach a level of elegance and technique perfection. During this time the capital was Lin'an(present day Hangzhou), and they had a total of 9 emperors, and the longest one was Lizong(1224-1264). Their military started increasing in naval strength.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ssong/hd_ssong.htm -
Period: 1279 to 1368
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty was a massive empire founded by Genghis Khan. The first emperor was Kusbai Khan from Mongol and made this be the first foreign-led dynasty in China. The capital was Dadu in modern-day Beijing. They were also the first to have paper money as their primary currency. During this time Marco Polo found China and introduced them to the Europeans. The decline of the dynasty was cause by natural disease.
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-yuan-dynasty.htm -
Period: 1368 to
Ming Dynasty
The founder of the Ming dynasty was Zhu Yuanzhang who wanted an imperial power government and sent his sons to rule parts of his empire. He restored the rule by Han ruling house. Noted for many achievements mostly in architecture. Also has been noted for having a great government and stable society and also many classic Chinese literature. It had 2 capitals Beijing and Nanjing. The dynasty collapse because of corruption of court officials.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/ming.htm -
Period: to
Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty
This was the last of the imperial dynasties of China that was founded by the Manchas the capital: Beijing. The population went from 150-450 million. They had their "golden Age" 1661-1796, emperors Kangxi and Qianlos had the riches period in Chinese history. They were able to integrate a national economy but stayed traditional while the world was changing. The introduction to Christianity brought down the dynasty.
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-qing-dynasty.htm -
Period: to
Republic Period
This was a revolutionary era for China by ending a very long imperial power. The founder of this period was, Sun Yatsen but later replaced by Yuna Shikai as "emperor" to prevent war. There were 2 different parties fighting the Nationalist ans the Chinese Communist party. This was a very unstable era economically and politically in China. The capitals were: Beijing, Wuban, and Nanjing. The period ended with the end of WW II as Japan was defeated.
http://www.chinasage.info/republic.htm -
Period: to
People's Republic of China
This was a more stable time period of China. The main founders and leaders of this period was Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. The capital till today has been Beijing. During the begging of this era there were 4 classes: peasants, workers, middle class, and the national capitalist. Just as soon as China was begging to be recognized by many their interaction in the Korean war cause them many sanctions by the UN.
http://totallyhistory.com/peoples-republic-of-china-1949-to-present/