Chinese Dynasties | Historic Events

The following is a chronology of the dynasties in Chinese history. In reality, Chinese history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated.

In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled over by different groups. At times like these, there was no dynasty ruling a unified China. As a case in point, there is much dispute about times in and after the Western Zhou period. One example of the potential for confusion will suffice:

Bronze statue image by drs2biz!

The conventional date 1644 marks the year in which the Manchu Qing dynasty armies occupied Beijing and brought Qing rule to China proper, succeeding the Ming dynasty. However, the Qing dynasty itself was established in 1636 (or even 1616, albeit under a different name), while the last Ming dynasty pretender was not disposed of until 1662. The change of ruling houses was a messy and prolonged affair, and the Qing took almost twenty years to extend their control over the whole of China. It is therefore inaccurate to assume China changes all at once in the year 1644.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article...

"Peking Man Skull": Ryan Semma

"Homo Sapiens": Professor Rogers

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First hominids in China (Lantian Man, Peking Man)..."AA Explorer - China".

Peking man was excavated in Zhou Kou Dian, near Beijing. They knew how to start fires and were good at hunting.

Homo sapiens in Africa.... "AA Explorer - China"

500,000 BCE Rock Paintings at Bhimbetaka (India). Homo Erectus colonised Eurasia , spreading from Africa.

"Running Spiral Design Coloured Pottery"

"Ghar Dalam Cave": Glen Bowman

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Yangshao culture (red earthenware pots) and Longshan culture (black burnished wares)... "AA Explorer - China"

Earliest pottery, weaving and rice cultivation.
5000~4500 BCE Hemudu culture
5000~3000 BCE Daxi culture
5000~3000 BCE Majiabang culture

Egyptians invent the calendar of 12 months, each of 30 days... "AA Explorer - China"

In Britain: pottery in common use; first evidence of farming; antler combs, stone axes. On Malta: Ghar Dalam ("Cave of Darkness") culture.

There are still some archaeological experts that argue that the Xia Dynasty is a legend, as there is no supporting written documentation of its' existence, apart from the Records of the Grand Historian and the Bamboo Annals. Most have accepted now that such a civilisation existed since the discovery of the ruins at Erlitou in 1959 and the subsequent recent finds of palaces that coincide with the available descriptions.

The people from this period lived in the southern Shanxi Province and western area of Henan Province .The Xia dynasty lasted nearly 500 years, is the first dynasty in Chinese history and included the reign of 17 emperors. Click here for more information on the Xia Dynasty!

King Yu of Xia (Yu the Great): Wikimedia

Giza. Pyramid of Khafre & Sphinx: Cornell

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Earliest recorded dynasty. Earliest bronze-ware and carved jade objects..."AA Explorer - China".

Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, first great libraries in Egypt. Minoan culture in Crete... "AA Explorer - China"

2,040~1,640 BC: Middle Kingdom of Egypt.
2,000 BCE: Wheeled wagons and chariots.

Bronze-ware technology was refined and a two-horse chariot was introduced, with spoked wooden wheels. The Shang introduced a 366 day lunar calendar and a decimal counting system. Their greatest contribution was a written language of pictographs found on oracle bones. Read more here about the Shang Dynasty!

"Ruding Pattern Bronze Vessel": drs2biz

"Gold Mask of Tutankhamen": matsuyuki

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Earliest Chinese characters - 15,000 pictographs carved on oracle bones used in harvest rituals and medical diagnosis. Sophisticated bronze vessels... "AA Explorer - China"

Trojan War (1,193 BCE). Moses leads the Israelites to Canaan. Burial of Tutankhamen... "AA Explorer - China"

The Zhou kings believed in moral authority and planned the overthrow of the Shang as a result of a belief in their own moral superiority. They introduced the concept of the "Mandate of Heaven" which relied in not only guidance from ancestors like the Shang, but the right to rule granted by the gods. In a similar fashion, they introduced a template for the planning of their capital city, with both of these concepts being mirrored down through the centuries. Read more here about the Western Zhou Dynasty!

"Western Zhou Dynasty Bronze": drs2biz

"Olympia, Stadium Entrance": Alun Salt

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Bronze working reaches its technical and artistic peak. Chinese script fully developed. First mathematical text books... "AA Explorer - China"

King David rules Israel (1000 to 960 BCE). Carthage founded (814 BCE)... "AA Explorer - China"

1047-1007 BCE: King Saul, 1st King of Israel.
971-931 BCE: Solomon, 3rd King of Israel.
776 BCE: First Olympic Games.

"Fuchai's Bronze Ice Container": drs2biz

"large buddha, bodh gaya": manbartlett

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"Iron replaces bronze for tools and weapons. Confucius (~551-479 BCE). Laozi, founder of Taoism (~570-490 BCE)... "AA Explorer - China"

Rome founded (750 BCE). Homer (700 BCE). Buddha in India (560-483 BCE). Roman Republic founded (530 BCE)"... "AA Explorer - China"

"Warring States Period Bronze": drs2biz

"Alexander the Great": Yuval Y

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Metal coinage. The legalists. Invention of crossbow, calligraphy brushes, chopsticks... "AA Explorer - China"

Cast iron was first used in this period, as was the trebuchet catapult.
453 BCE Zhou pioneers the use of cavalry
450 BCE Invention of crossbow
430 BCE Large scale irrigation increases agriculture
407 BCE Philosopher Li Kui writes the "Book of Law" forming the legal structure for Qin dynasty and Han dynasty to follow.
334 BCE Hui Shi, Mohist philosopher, leads Ji Xia Academy; Mencius becomes leading light
310 BCE Xun Zi born - Founder of legalist thought. Concept of Yin-Yang developed
293 BCE Interstate warfare endemic
256 BCE Dujiangyan Irrigation System
246 BCE Shang Yang succeeds to throne of Qin. Calls himself "Shihuang Di " (first leader)
238 - 221 BCE He destroys all the states

Socrates condemned to death (399 BCE). Plato (428-347 BCE) Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) Mexican Sun Temple at Teotihuac (300 BCE)... "AA Explorer - China"

470 BCE Socrates of Athens, philosopher born
460 BCE Hippocrates of Cos, Greek physician born
451 BCE Athens makes peace with Sparta and wages a war against Persia
446 BCE Aristophanes of Athens, playwright born
431 BCE The Peloponnesian War begins between Sparta and Athens and their allies
430 BCE Athens suffers a major epidemic believed to be typhus
400 BCE City of London thought to have its origins as far back as this time
399 BCE Socrates dies
385 BCE Aristophanes dies
377 BCE Hippocrates dies

"Terracotta Warrior": drs2biz

"hannibal in fresco": antmoose

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Qin Shi Huangdi first emperor to rule all China. Great Wall completed. Standardisation of weights, measures and coinage. Suppression of Confucianism in favour of Legalist ideas. The Terracotta Army at Xi'an... "AA Explorer - China"

Hannibal crosses the Alps to invade Italy (21 BCE). Cato, the Roman politician (234 to 139 BCE). Death of Archimedes, Greek mathematician (212 BCE)... "AA Explorer - China"

"Western Han Bronze Rhinoceros": drs2biz

"julius cäsar": findustrip

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Revival of Confucianism. First civil service examinations. Silk Road opened... "AA Explorer - China"

First clock (159 BCE). Venus De Milo carved (140 BCE). Virgil, Roman poet (70 to 19 BCE). Modern calendar introduced (46 BCE)... "AA Explorer - China"

49 BCE: Julius Caeser (100 - 44 BCE) "Crossed the Rubicon"

"Pi pie": pauladamsmith

"Jesus Christ - Christus Statue": midiman

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"Buddhism brought to China via the Silk Road. Seismograph invented. Value of Pi (∏) calculated to the first five decimal places. First treatises on acupuncture and moxibustion... "AA Explorer - China"

Christ crucified (30 CE). First Christian church in Corinth (40 CE). London founded (43 CE). St Paul's missionary travels begin (45 CE). Gospels written (85 CE). First Mayan monuments (164 CE)... "AA Explorer - China"

"Xian Fu Ren": drs2biz

"Hagia Sophia": access.denied

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Three clans (Wu, Wei and Shu) fighting for supremacy (221 to 265 CE). 'Barbarians' (non-Chinese nomadic peoples) conquer parts of China and adopt Chinese customs. Chinese population shifts south to Yangtze valley... "AA Explorer - China"

513~602 CE: Heroine Xian Fu Ren.

Constantinople becomes capital of the Roman Empire (331 CE). The Roman Empire splits into Eastern and Western Empires with two emperors (340 CE). Alaric the Goth sacks Athens (398 CE) and Rome (410 CE). Death of British King Arthur (537 CE). Rats spread plague throughout Europe (542 to 547 CE)... "AA Explorer - China"

"Sui Dynasty Figurines": drs2biz

"Mohammed": Damon | Photography

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The Grand Canal built from Beijing to Hangzhou... "AA Explorer - China"

Petroleum ('burning water') first discovered in Japan (615 CE)... "AA Explorer - China"

570~632 CE Muhammad, prophet of Islam.
600 CE: Smallpox spreads from India into Europe.

This was a period when China was the most powerful nation on earth. A codified legal structure was implemented in 624 CE, and a system of examination was introduced for those wanting to enter civil service. This system, designed to test the merit of candidates, was so successful it was only abandoned in 1911 CE, at the end of the Qing Dynasty. The arts flourished, and poetry dominated the artistic landscape of T'ang Dynasty China.

"Man Taming Horse - Tang Dynasty Figurines": drs2biz

"Doge's Palace at St. Mark's Square": viZZZual.com

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China's Golden Age: flourishing trade with central Asia. China's only empress (Wu Zetian, 690-705 CE). First printed books. Arabs defeat the Chinese in the Battle of the River Talas (751 CE)... "AA Explorer - China"

Greek fire (sulphur, petrol, resin and salt) first used in warfare during the siege of Constantinople (678 CE). Charlemagne crowned first Holy Roman Emperor (800 CE). Doge's Palace, Venice (814 CE) and St Mark's (828 CE). Vikings discover Iceland (861 CE). "AA Explorer - China"

Zhu Quanzhong overthrew the Tang Dynasty and founded the Latter Liang Dynasty (907-923 CE), Together with four dynasties that followed, these were called "The Five Dynasties" in Chinese history. In addition, during this period there were ten kingdoms originating from the former Jiedushi (regional military attachment) of the Tang Dynasty.

"Figurine - 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms": drs2biz

"Viking Ship on Display in Dublin": by infomatique

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"Paper money (910 CE). Gunpowder (919 CE)... "AA Explorer - China"

Fatamid dynasty in north Africa. Cordoba in Spain a flourishing centre of Arabic learning and commerce... "AA Explorer - China"

"ceramic baby pillow": rosemanios

"Christian Krogh's painting of Leif Ericson"

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First movable type printing. Landscape painting reaches a peak of excellence. Neo-Confucianism..."AA Explorer - China"

Arabic numerals first used in Europe (975 CE). Leif Ericson sails to America (1,000 CE). First Crusade (1,096 CE)... "AA Explorer - China"

1095~1099 CE: First Crusade; Pope Urban II urged all Christians to join a war against the Turks.
1119 CE: Hugues de Payens, returning from Crusade, establishes the Knights Templar to protect pilgrims to the holy land.

"china ceramic celadon vase": rosemanios

"Oxford University": by TEDizen on Flickr

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"Mongols capture Beijing (1215 CE). Marco Polo's journeys in China (1271-1292 CE). Celadon porcelain..."AA Explorer - China"

1,161 CE Explosives used in a war against Manchuria.
1,165 CE Peace Treaty signed with Manchuria.
1,206 CE Genghis Khan invades Manchuria after uniting Mongolia.
1,214 CE Genghis Khan signs Peace Treaty with Manchuria.
1,224 CE Mongols invade Russia.
1,233 CE Jin Kingdom ended after Mongols and Song invade Manchurians.

Earliest European windmills (1180 CE). First tea imports (1191 CE). Leprosy imported to Europe by Crusaders (1230 CE). Paris University founded (1250 CE) followed by Oxford (1263)... "AA Explorer - China"

1,151 CE: Toltec Empire in Mexico ceases.
1,173 CE: Foundation stones laid for Leaning Tower of Pisa.
1,129 CE: Templars sanctioned by the Pope at the Council of Troyes, becoming the first "warrior monks".
1,147~1,149 CE: Second Crusade; Bernard of Clairvaux calls for war after Muslims conquer Edessa.
1,187~1,192 CE: Third Crusade; Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, recaptured Jerusalem. Pope Gregory VIII called for a crusade. Philip II of France, Richard I of England (aka Richard the Lion-heart), and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor were leaders.
1, 202~1,204 CE: Fourth Crusade; Pope Innocent III ordered invasion of Holy Land through Egypt. Caused a huge split b/w Eastern Orthodox Church and (Western) Roman Catholic Church.
1,209 CE: Albigensian Crusade launched to eliminate "heretical" Cathars of Occitania in Southern France (who owned desirable land).
1,210 CE: Francis of Asisi founds Franciscan Order.
1,215 CE: Magna Carta proclaimed, with justice to all and no imprisonment without a fair trial.

"Yuan Dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan": Wikimedia

"Get Medieval: jurvetson" (100 Yrs War) Flickr

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"Mongol rule in China. Kublai Khan (1214 - 1294 CE). Drama flourished... "AA Explorer - China"

1,281 CE: Attempted incursions into Japan.
1,288 CE: War in Asia Minor & Turkey.
1,292 CE: Vietnam & Java overrun.
1,294 CE: Kublai Khan dies.
1,295 CE: Marco Polo returns to Italy. Roman Catholicism & Nestorian faith spread.
1,312~1,321 CE: Han bureaucracy establishes government institutions.

Drama (1265 - 1321 CE). Black Death in Europe (1347 - !351 CE)."... from "AA Explorer - China"

1,300 CE: Incas empire expanded from Ecuador to Chile, England wool trade, Great enclosure of Zimbabwe built.
1,307 CE: (Friday, October the 13th) King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France.
1,312 CE: Knights Templar disbanded by papal bull.
1,314 CE: Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and his deputy, Geoffrey de Charney, burnt at the stake as heretics.
1324 CE: Great Mosque at Timbuktu built by King of Mali after return from Mecca.
1337 CE: 100 year war b/w England & France.
1347 to 1350 CE: "The Black Death" strikes Europe, wipes out half the population.

"Zheng He's Ship compared to Columbus' ": Larsz

"Galileo Facing Roman Inquisition" on Wikimedia

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Admiral Zheng He (1371-1433 CE) makes extensive voyages of exploration to Arabia. First Dalai Lama (1447 CE). First Portuguese explorers reach Guangdong (1514 CE). First British trade with Hangzhou (1637 CE)... from "AA Explorer - China"

Gutenberg prints the first book in Europe (1450 CE). Columbus sails to the Americas (1492 CE). Vasco Da Gama sails round the Cape of Good Hope to India (1497 CE). Luther's 59 Theses spark the Reformation (1517 CE). Cortes enters Mexico (1519 CE). Galileo's trial by The Inquisition (1633 CE)... from "AA Explorer - China"

"Qing Dynasty Xiuying Battery": drs2biz

"George Washington": Joye~

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Opium Wars (1839-1842 CE) force China to open ports to Western powers. Hong Kong ceded to Britain in perpetuity (1842 CE). Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864 CE). Boxer rebellion (1900 CE). Boy Emperor Pu Yi abdicates (February 1912 CE) ending 2,000 years of imperial rule in China.... from "AA Explorer - China"

American Revolution (1776 CE). French Revolution (1789 CE). Marx (1818-1883 CE). Communist Manifesto issued by Marx and Engels (1848 CE). Industrial revolution begins in Britain from 18th Century!
... from "AA Explorer - China"

1910 CE: Federal Reserve Banking System secretly planned on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

"Presidential Palace, Nanjing": xiaojiecha

"Damnatio Memoriae": by fabbio

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Sun Yatsen first President (1911 CE). Communist Party founded (1921 CE). At death of Sun Yatsen (1925 CE) Chiang Kai-shek becomes nationalist leader. Massacre of communists in Shanghai (1927 CE). Chiang Kai-shek tries to drive communists from China by means of 'Encirclement Campaigns' (1930 CE). Japan occupies Manchuria (1931 CE). Mao gathers the surviving communists to begin 'The Long March' (1934-5 CE). War between China and Japan (1937-45 CE). Civil War (1946-49 CE). Chiang Kai-shek and Nationalists flee to Taiwan (1949 CE)... from "AA Explorer - China"

World War I (1914-18 CE). Russian Revolution (1917 CE). Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany (1933 CE). Wall Street Crash (1937 CE). Chamberlain's Munich Pact with Hitler (1938 CE). World War II (1939-45 CE). Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japan surrenders (August 1945 CE). United Nations created out of the old League of Nations with New York as its permanent headquarters (1945 CE)... from "AA Explorer - China"

1913 CE: Federal Reserve banking system introduced. US government hands control of money supply to private bankers.
1921 CE: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) formed.
1922 CE: CFR endorses World Government.
1933 CE: Gold Standard abolished and replaced by fiat money [fractional reserve banking system].
1945 CE: President Truman endorses World Government.

"Soldier at Tian'anmen Square": Richard.Fisher

"JFK man on the moon": thesmuggler - Night of the Swallow

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First Five Year Plan (1953-57 CE). Great Leap Forward (1958 CE). Tibetan uprising (1958 CE). Cultural Revolution launched (1966 CE). President Nixon visits China and establishes diplomatic relations (1972 CE). Mao dies, Gang of 4 arrested (1976 CE). Democracy movement (1978-79 CE). Open-door policy launched (1982 CE). Sino-British agreement on future of Hong Kong (1984 CE). Hu Yao Bang forced to resign in aftermath of student demonstrators (1987 CE). Tiananmen Square Massacre (1989 CE)... from "AA Explorer - China"

1949 CE: Mao Zedong becomes Chairman of China. Rules until 1976 CE.
1957 CE: The Great Leap Forward, socio-economic plan by Mao to convert China from agrarian society to modern communism. Results in famine and millions die.
1965 to 1975 CE: Cultural Revolution. Mao organises communist youth into "Red Guards" to counter party elements whom he thought wanted to restore capitalism. "Gang of Four" led by Jiang Qing, Mao's last wife, controls this movement.
1976 CE: Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai both die.
1976 to 1981 CE: Hua Guofeng chairman of Communist Party. Brings to an end the Cultural Revolution and purges the Gang of Four. Continues Maoist ideology and is ousted for it.
1981 to 1993 CE: Deng Xiaoping chairman of Communist Party. Introduces social and economic reforms to modernise China.
1993 CE to present: Jiang Zemin appointed. Makes efforts to repair relationships with western world. Leads China in fight against corruption and economic inflation. China's economy booms.

Korean War (1950-53 CE). Death of Stalin (1953 CE). Kennedy assassinated (1963 CE). Vietnam War (1964-75 CE). Martin Luther King assassinated (1968 CE). Student riots in Paris and Prague. Spring ends in the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Russian tanks (1968 CE). First moon landing (1969 CE). Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet Head of State (1988 CE), introduces glasnost (openness) and presides over the collapse of Communism in Europe (1989-91 CE)... from "AA Explorer - China"

1954 CE: Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands establishes the Bilderbergers.
1967 CE: Richard Nixon calls for New World Order.
1968 CE: Nelson Rockefeller pledges support for New World Order.
1972 CE: President Nixon visits China. Expresses to Premier Chou En-lai "the hope that each of us has to build a new world order."
1972 CE: (September 11th) terrorism at the Munich Olympic Games.
1973 CE: Trilateral Commission established by banker David Rockefeller.
1974 CE: (September 11th) Chilean President Salvador Allende assassinated by General Augusto Pinochet. Henry Kissinger strongly implicated.
1988 CE: Mikhail Gorbachev calls for mutual consensus, and a New World Order, in an address to the United Nations.
1989 CE: President G.H.W. Bush invites the Soviets "back into the world order".
1990 CE: Russian President Gorbachev announces Russia would join New World Order.
2001 CE: (September 11th) "terrorists" attack and destroy the World Trade Centre and severely damage the Pentagon.