Chinese History

Neolithic China

Predates Ancient China until 2070 BC

Xia Dynasty

2070-1600 BC: Considered Mythical by Western Scholars, but associate with the beginning of the Bronze Age

Shang Dynasty

1600 - 1050 BC

Zhou Dynasty

1046 - 256 BC: End of “Ancient” China, Zhou king “ruled until 256 technically but only as a figure head and really only actually ruled until 221, beginning of Iron Age during this Dynasty

Qin Dynasty

221 - 206 BC: Beginning of Imperial China, First unification of China

Han Dynasty

206 BC - 220 AD: 206 BC - 9 AD = Western/Former Han | 9 - 23 AD = Brief interlude of Xin Dynasty | 23 - 25 AD = Civil War Period after fallout of Xin Dynasty | 25 - 220 AD = Eastern/Later Han named as such because the Emperor was reinstated with the support of landholding and merchant families east of the former capital

Six Dynasties/Period of Disunity

220 - 589 AD: 220 - 280 AD = Three Kingdoms | 266 - 420 AD = Jin Dynasty, Brief unification | 304 - 439 AD = Sixteen Kingdoms | 420 - 589 AD = Northern and Southern Dynasties

Sui Dynasty

581 - 618 AD: Overlap because they were part of the end Six Dynasties Period and reunified China in 581 and the point of reunification is considered the beginning of the dynasty not the point when they started ruling, Beginning of Mid-Imperial China

Tang Dynasty

618 - 907 AD: Golden Age of Civilization

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

907 - 960 AD: Brief Political Disunity, Five dynasties ruled the north and ten kingdoms ruled the south and west

Song Dynasty

960 - 1279 AD

Yuan Dynasty

1271 - 1368: Overlap due to Mongol grandson of Genghis Khan assuming title of Emperor of China when he inherited his portion of the Mongol Empire in 1271 with the Song dynasty officially falling in 1279, Conquest Dynasty by the Mongols

Ming Dynasty

1368 - 1644: Capital became Beijing, Age of Exploration

Qing Dynasty

1644 - 1912: Last Dynasty, End of Imperial China, Conquest Dynasty by Manchus, Opium Wars in the 1800s

Republic of China

1912 - 1949: Nationalists vs Communists and Wars, United during against Japan in 1937 and became part of Allies in WWII, After WWII Fighting between parties resumed and Nationalists were were pushed south and eventually fled to Taiwan which they controlled during WWII, ROC recognized politically as sole legitimate government of China until the Early 1970s due to anti communist Cold War even though CCP was in control of Mainland China, 1971 PRC was seated in UN, ROC only recognized by 12 UN States as of 2024

People’s Republic of China

1949 - Present: Mao Zedong took over on October 1st, 1949 and established the People’s Republic of China, Again not technically politically recognized in the UN until 1971