CHINA—Timeline of Historical Periods
• Annotated Timeline of Chinese History
• Visual Timeline of China's Historical Periods [PDF]
• "The Dynasties Song" for Remembering the Major Chinese Dynasties
• Historical Thinking: China (Education about Asia)
Timeline of Chinese Dynasties
Xia (Hsia) Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
Zhou (Chou, pronounced "Joe") Dynasty
Western Zhou (ca. 1046-771 BCE)
Eastern Zhou (ca. 771-256 BCE)
Confucius (ca. 551-479 BCE)
Warring States Period (ca. 475-221 BCE)
Qin (Ch'in, pronounced "chin") Dynasty/
Qin Shihuangdi dies, 210 BCE
Han Dynasty
Western/Former Han (206 BCE-9 CE)
Confucianism officially established as basis for Chinese state by Han Wudi (r. 141-86 BCE)
Eastern/Later Han (25-220 CE)
Six Dynasties Period
Three Kingdoms (220-265 CE)
Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE)
Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589 CE)
Cao Wei, Shu Han, Dong Wu
Sui (pronounced "sway") Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
Five Dynasties Period
Song (Sung) Dynasty
Northern Song (960-1127)
Southern Song (1127-1279)
Yuan Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty
Republic Period
People's Republic of China
Annotated Timeline of Chinese History
Neolithic Cultures
Xia (Hsia) Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
One of the Three Dynasties, or San Dai (Xia, Shang, and Zhou), thought to mark the beginning of Chinese civilization: characterized by its writing system, practice of divination, walled cities, bronze technology, and use of horse-drawn chariots.
Zhou (Chou, pronounced "Joe") Dynasty: Western Zhou (ca. 1046-771 BCE), Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE)
A hierarchical political and social system with the Zhou royal house at its apex: power was bestowed upon aristocratic families as lords of their domains or principalities. Although often compared to European "feudalism," what actually gave the system cohesion was a hierarchical order of ancestral cults. The system eventually broke down into a competition for power between rival semi-autonomous states in what became known as the Spring and Autumn period (ca. 770-475 BCE) and the Warring States (ca. 475-221 BCE) period. It was during these tumultuous times that Confucius (551-479 BCE) lived.
Qin (Ch'in, pronounced "chin") Dynasty
Created a unitary state by imposing a centralized administration and by standardizing the writing script, weights and measures. Known for its harsh methods of rule, including the suppression of dissenting thought.
Han Dynasty: Western/Former Han (206 BCE-9 CE) and Eastern/Later Han (25-220 CE)
Modified and consolidated the foundation of the imperial order. Confucianism was established as orthodoxy and open civil service examinations were introduced. Han power reached Korea and Vietnam. Records of the Historian, which became the model for subsequent official histories, was completed.
"Period of Disunity" or Six Dynasties Period
The empire was fragmented. The North was dominated by invaders from the borderland and the steppes. The South was ruled by successive "Chinese" dynasties. Buddhism spread.
Sui (pronounced "sway") Dynasty
China reunified.
Tang Dynasty
A time of cosmopolitanism and cultural flowering occurred. This period was the height of Buddhist influence in China until its repression around 845. Active territorial expansion until defeated by the Arabs at Talas in 751.
Song (Sung) Dynasty: Northern Song (960-1127) and Southern Song (1127-1279)
An era of significant economic and social changes: the monetization of the economy; growth in commerce and maritime trade; urban expansion and technological innovations. The examination system for bureaucratic recruitment of neo-Confucianism was to provide the intellectual underpinning for the political and social order of the late imperial period.
Yuan Dynasty
Founded by the Mongols as part of their conquest of much of the world. Moved capital, called "Dadu" (present-day Beijing), to the north. Dramas, such as the famous Story of the Western Wing, flourished.
Ming Dynasty
The first Ming emperor, Hongwu, laid the basis of an authoritarian political culture. Despite early expansion, it was an inward-looking state with an emphasis on its agrarian base. Gradual burgeoning of the commercial sector; important changes in the economy and social relations in the latter part of the dynasty; also a vibrant literary scene as represented by publication of the novel Journey to the West.
Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty
A Manchu dynasty. Continued the economic developments of the late Ming, leading to prosperity but also complacency and a dramatic increase in population. The acclaimed novel Dream of the Red Chamber was written in this period. Strains on the polity were intensified by a rapid incorporation of substantial new territories. Its authoritarian structure was subsequently unable to meet the military and cultural challenge of an expansive West.
Republic Period
Weak central government following the collapse of the dynastic system in 1911-12; Western influence was shown by the promotion of "science" and "democracy" during the New Culture Movement. The attempt of the Nationalist government (est. 1928) to bring the entire country under its control was thwarted by both domestic revolts and the Japanese occupation (1937-45). The Nationalists fled to Taiwan after defeat by the Communists.
People's Republic of China
Communist government. The drive for remaking society ended in disasters such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Economic reform and political retrenchment since around 1978.
currently associate professor of Chinese history, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Text ©1995 Columbia University, Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching,
(Ainslie Embree and Carol Gluck, eds., Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharp Inc. 1995).
This "dynasties song," sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques,"
can help students remember the major Chinese dynasties in chronological order.
Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
Shang, Zhou, Qin, HanSui, Tang, Song
Sui, Tang, SongYuan, Ming, Qing, Republic
Yuan, Ming, Qing, RepublicMao Zedong
Mao Zedong
— Courtesy of the teachers on the College Board AP-World History Listserv
Historical Thinking: China (Education about Asia)
- Historical Thinking: China (Education about Asia Exclusive)
A perennial problem is how to make survey history courses, often most likely the only history many high school and college students will ever take, meaningfully encourage students to think deeply about what they learn to better understand not only history, but contemporary cultures as well. How useful is Periodization? How can timelines be vehicles for historical thinking? How can students more deeply understand historical change? In the three articles that follow, students both learn history and as important, are introduced to historical thinking.
- Keith Knapp in “Did the Middle Kingdom Have a Middle Period?: The Problem of ‘Medieval’ in China’s History” (Winter 2007, Vol. 12, No. 3) defends the often justifiably criticized concept of periodization through defending the application of the concept “Medieval” to Chinese history. His defense of this Latin derivative that only became a historical tool in nineteenth century Europe, is not facile but thoughtful. The author utilizes similarities and differences between “Medieval” China and “Medieval” Europe to introduce social scientists and humanists who are not historians to possible common and divergent patterns in China and the West that could apply to their understanding of the contemporary world.
- AP World History teacher Angela Lee in “Periodization and Historical Patterns in Chinese History: Approaches to Historical Thinking Skills in AP World History” (Spring 2016, Vol. 21, No. 1) uses five different historical timelines of the Imperial Period in Chinese History in lucidly demonstrating to students how varying perspectives and ideologies of individuals and groups substantially impact their perspectives on history and culture. See a larger format table from Angela’s article in our online supplements.
- In “China and a New Era: The Latest Twist in an Enduring Pattern?” (Winter 2018, Vol. 23, No. 3) Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Maura Elizabeth Cunningham artfully use one of the most discussed recent and ongoing development in global affairs, the Xi Jinping so-called “Era” to high light a seemingly simple generalization that many, if not most, of my students have not considered: historical eras are messy and usually don’t neatly start and stop as textbook meta-narratives might suggest. Focused attention on this generalization is almost guaranteed to stimulate all of us to view contemporary and recent national and global affairs through a new lens.
