A Fascinating Timeline of China's Rich History
China is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, with more than 4,000 years of written history. China was ruled by different dynasties for much of its history. This table shows the timeline of Chinese history. Read on to find more information.
Timeline of Chinese History
Year | Dynasty | Founder | Capital (Today's City Area) |
---|---|---|---|
1.7 million years ago - the 2100 BC | Prehistoric Times | Yao, Shun, Yu, etc | |
2100 - 1600 BC | Xia Dynasty | Yu | Yangcheng (cities of Dengfeng and Zhengzhou in Henan Province) |
1600 - 1046 BC | Shang Dynasty | Tang | Yin (Anyang in Henan Province) |
1046 - 256 BC | Zhou Dynasty | ||
1046 - 771 BC | Western Zhou | Ji Fa (King Wu) | Haojing (Xi'an) |
770 - 256 BC | Eastern Zhou | Ji Yiju (King Ping) | Luoyi (Luoyang) |
770 - 476 BC | Spring and Autumn Period | ||
475 - 221 BC | Warring States Period | ||
221 - 207 BC | Qin Dynasty | Qin Shi Huang / First Emperor of Qin (Ying Zheng) |
Xianyang (Xi'an) |
202 BC - 220 AD | Han Dynasty | ||
206 BC - 9 AD | Western Han | Liu Bang | Chang'an (Xi'an) |
9 - 23 | Xin Dynasty | Wang Mang | Chang'an (Xi'an) |
25 - 220 | Eastern Han | Liu Xiu | Luoyang |
220 - 280 | Three Kingdoms | ||
220 - 265 | Kingdom of Wei | Cao Pi | Luoyang |
221 - 263 | Kingdom of Shu | Liu Bei | Chengdu |
222 - 280 | Kingdom of Wu | Sun Quan | Jianye (Nanjing) |
265 - 420 | Jin Dynasty | ||
265 - 316 | Western Jin | Sima Yan | Luoyang |
317 - 420 | Eastern Jin | Sima Rui | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
304 - 439 | Five Hus and Sixteen States | ||
420 - 589 | Northern and Southern Dynasties | ||
386 - 581 | Northern Dynasties | ||
386 - 534 | Northern Wei | Tuoba Gui | Pingcheng (Datong), Luoyang |
534 - 550 | Eastern Wei | Yuan Shanjian | Yecheng (Handan) |
535 - 557 | Western Wei | Yuan Baoju | Chang'an (Xi'an) |
550 - 557 | Northern Qi | Gao Yuan | Yecheng (Handan) |
557 - 581 | Northern Zhou | Yuwen Jue | Chang'an (Xi'an) |
420 - 589 | Southern Dynasties | ||
420 - 479 | Song | Liu Yu | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
479 - 502 | Qi | Xiao Daocheng | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
502 - 557 | Liang | Xiao Yan | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
557 - 589 | Chen | Chen Baxian | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
581 - 618 | Sui Dynasty | Yang Jian | Daxing (Xi'an), Luoyang |
618 - 907 | Tang Dynasty | Li Yuan | Chang'an (Xi'an), Luoyang |
907 - 960 | Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period | ||
907 - 923 | Later Liang | Zhu Wen | Kaifeng |
923 - 936 | Later Tang | Li Cunxu | Luoyang |
936 - 946 | Later Jin | Shi Jintang | Kaifeng |
947 - 950 | Later Han | Liu Zhiyuan | Kaifeng |
951 - 960 | Later Zhou | Guo Wei | Kaifeng |
907 - 1125 | Liao Dynasty | Yelv Abaoji | Shangjing (Chifeng in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) |
960 - 1279 | Song Dynasty | ||
960 - 1127 | Northern Song | Zhao Kuangyin | Bianjing (Kaifeng) |
1127 - 1279 | Southern Song | Zhao Gou | Lin'an (Hangzhou) |
1038 - 1227 | Western Xia Dynasty | Liu Yuanhao | Xingqing (Yinchuan) |
1115 - 1234 | Jin Dynasty | Wanyan Aguda | Huining (Harbin), Zhongdu (Beijing), Bianjing (Kaifeng) |
1271 - 1368 | Yuan Dynasty | Kublai Khan | Dadu (Beijing) |
1368 - 1644 | Ming Dynasty | Zhu Yuanzhang | Yingtian (Nanjing), Shuntian (Beijing) |
1644 - 1912 | Qing Dynasty | Huang Taiji | Beijing |
1912 - 1949 | Republic of China | Sun Yat-sen | Beijing, Wuhan, Nanjing |
1949 - present | People's Republic of China | Mao Zedong | Beijing |