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Spanning from 1600 BCE to 1050 BCE, the Shang Dynasty is the first dynasty for which there is a historical record and archaeological evidence. Archaeological objects were found of hieroglyphic writing on things such as bronze works and bones, the earliest literature works of China.
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Spanning from 1100 BCE to 221 BCE, the literary works of the Zhou Dynasty were mostly focused on philosophy and religion. Such pieces of literature became the basis for Chinese religious such as Taoism, Confucianism and other prominent religions.
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Spanning from 221 BCE to 207 BCE, the Qin emperor was the first to declare himself an emperor of China. He wanted to keep control as soon as he attained it, therefore he abolished literature that involved philosophical and religious teachings. The Emperor ordered the destruction of most books all over the empire, even killed those found disobeying him. However, he did allow books on scientific subjects like medicine or agriculture to survive.
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Spanning from 206 BCE to AD 220, the Han Dynasty brought Confucianism back to everyday life. Confucian texts were rewritten and republished and available to the people. The era’s major contributions were historical texts and scientific works. Historical Records were written which examined major events that occurred from before the Shang Dynasty until the Han Dynasty.
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Spanning from AD 618 to AD 907, the Tang Dynasty created the movable type and made writing more simple and convenient. This helped to spread knowledge through publishing works in a more cost and time efficient way.
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Spanning from 1279 to 1368, the novelists of the Yuan Dynasty influenced the future development of novels. "Water Margin" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" are still widely read now and are generally considered two of the four greatest novels in Chinese literature
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Spanning from 1368 to 1644, traveling and exploration in the Ming Dynasty was popular due to the isolationism that was put into place during this time. Novels were this era's main contribution.
