East Asian Dynasty Timeline

By kaylaaa
  • 2200 BCE

    Xia

    Xia
    Dynasty of China from 2200 to 1700. The Xia dynasty is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography.
  • 1766 BCE

    Shang

    Shang
    Dynasty of China from 1766 to 1080. They were known for their advances in math, astronomy, artwork and military technology.
  • 1045 BCE

    Zhou

    Zhou
    Dynasty of China from 1045 to 221. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history.
  • 960 BCE

    Song

    Song
    Dynasty of China from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou, ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
  • 618 BCE

    Tang

    Tang
    Dynasty of China from 618 to 907. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
  • 581 BCE

    Sui

    Sui
    Dynasty of China from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties and reinstalled the rule of ethnic Chinese in the entirety of China proper, along with sinicization of former nomadic ethnic minorities within its territory.
  • 221 BCE

    Qin

    Qin
    Dynasty of China from 221 to 206. The Qin dynasty was the first dynasty of Imperial China. The Qin is the fact that it unified China, creating the first dynasty ruled by the first emperor Qin Shi Huang. Other well-known achievements is the creation of the Great Wall and a large army of Terracotta Warriors.
  • 206 BCE

    Han

    Han
    Dynasty of China from 206 to 221. The Han dynasty succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period. Spanning over four centuries, the Han period is considered a golden age in Chinese history.
  • 57 BCE

    Silla

    Silla
    Dynasty of Korea from 57 BCE to 935. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
  • 37 BCE

    Goguryeo

    Goguryeo
    Dynasty of Korea from 37 BCE to 668 CE. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most of the Korean peninsula, large parts of Manchuria and parts of the Russian Far East and eastern Mongolia.
  • 18 BCE

    Baekje

    Baekje
    Dynasty of Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jumong and So Seo-no, at Wiryeseong.
  • 698

    Balhae

    Balhae
    Dynasty of Korea from 698 to 926. Balhae was established by refugees from the fallen Korean kingdom of Goguryeo and Tungusic Mohe tribes in 698, when the first king, Dae Joyeong, defeated the Wu Zhou dynasty at Tianmenling.
  • 710

    Nara and Heian

    Nara and Heian
    Period of Japanese history from 710 to 1192. The monasteries quickly gained such strong political influence that, in order to protect the position of the emperor and central government, the capital was moved to Nagaoka in 784, and finally to Heian (Kyoto) in 794 where it would remain for over one thousand years.
  • 918

    Goryeo

    Goryeo
    Dynasty of Korea from 918 to 1392. During a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula.
  • 1192

    Kamakura

    Kamakura
    Period of Japanese history from 1192 to 1333. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan.
  • 1279

    Yuan

    Yuan
    Dynasty of China from 1279 to 1368. The Yuan Dynasty was China's first foreign-led dynasty, in between the Chinese Song and Ming dynasties. It was established by Kublai Khan, leader of the vast Mongol Empire, and fell into internal rebellion after it lost touch with its Mongol roots.
  • 1338

    Muromachi

    Muromachi
    Period of Japanese history from 1338 to 1573. The Muromachi period is a division of Japanese history. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established.
  • 1368

    Ming

    Ming
    Dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. Known for its trade expansion to the outside world that established cultural ties with the West, the Ming Dynasty is also remembered for its drama, literature and world-renowned porcelain.
  • 1392

    Joseon

    Joseon
    Dynasty of Korea from 1392 to 1910. The Joseon dynasty was a Korean dynastic kingdom that lasted for approximately five centuries. Joseon was founded by Yi Seong-gye and was replaced by the Korean Empire.
  • 1573

    Azuchi-Momoyama

    Azuchi-Momoyama
    Period of Japanese history from 1573 to 1603. The Azuchi–Momoyama period is the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japan. These years of political unification led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.

  • Edo

    Edo
    Period of Japanese history from 1603 to 1868. The Edo period or Tokugawa period is the period when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyō.

  • Qing

    Qing
    Dynasty of China from 1644 to 1911. The Qing Dynasty was the final imperial dynasty in China. It was an era noted for its initial prosperity and tumultuous final years, and for being only the second time that China was not ruled by the Han people.

  • Meiji

    Meiji
    Period of Japanese history from 1868 to 1912. This era represents the first half of the Empire of Japan, during which period the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk.

  • Taisho and Early Showa

    Taisho and Early Showa
    Period of Japanese history from 1912 to 1945. During the era of the weak Emperor Taisho, the political power shifted from the oligarchic clique (genro) to the parliament and the democratic parties.