China History
China, with a recorded history of more than 5,000 years, is one of the four ancient civilizations. From the time of the founding of Xia dynasty in the 21st century BC to the late Spring and Autumn period, with the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties in between, society was slavery based. From the time of the Warring States period of 475 BC to the early period of the Qing dynasty, with Qin, Western Han, Eastern Han, Three Kingdom, Western Jin, Eastern Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five dynasties, Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Ming in between, society was feudal. After the Opium War in 1840, China gradually turned into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society as a result of imperialist invasion. In 1911, the 1911 Revolution, led by Sun Yat-sen, ended the monarchy and on October 1, 1949, the CPC, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, led the masses and established the People’s Republic of China.Chinese History Chronology
|
Dynasty |
Period |
Founder |
Capital |
| Prehistoric Times | 1.7 million years ago - the 21st century BC | recorded leaders include Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun... | around the Yellow River and Yangtze River in central China |
| Xia Dynasty | 21st - 17th century BC | Yu the Great |
Anyi ( in Yuncheng, Shanxi); Yangcheng (in todays's Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan); Yangdi (in todays's Yuzhou, Henan); Zhenxun (in Luoyang, Henan) |
| Shang Dynasty | 17th century BC - 1046 BC | Tang | Bo (in Shangqiu, Henan); Yin (in Anyang, Henan) |
| Zhou Dynasty | 1046 - 256 BC | ||
 Western Zhou |
1046 BC - 771 BC | King Wu (Ji Fa) | Fengjing and Haojing (in today's Xian, Shaanxi) |
| Eastern Zhou |
770 - 256 BC | King Ping (Ji Yijiu) | Luoyi (today's Luoyang) |
| 770 - 476 BC | |||
| ---Warring States | 475 - 221 BC | ||
| Qin Dynasty | 221 - 207 BC | Qin Shi Huang (Ying Zheng / Zhao Zheng) |
Xianyang (in today's Xianyang and Xian of Shaanxi) |
| Han Dynasty | 202 BC - 220 AD | Liu Bang | |
| Western Han |
202 BC - 9 AD | Liu Bang | Chang'an (today's Xian) |
| Xin Dynasty |
9 - 23 AD | Wang Mang | Chang'an (today's Xian) |
| Eastern Han |
25 - 220 AD | Liu Xiu | Luoyang |
| Three Kingdoms | 220 - 280 AD | ||
| Wei |
220 - 265 AD | Cao Pi | Luoyang |
| Shu |
221 - 263 AD | Liu Bei | Chengdu |
| Wu |
222 - 280 AD | Sun Quan | Jianye (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu) |
| Jin Dynasty | 265 - 420 AD | Sima Yan | |
| Western Jin |
265 - 316 AD | Sima Yan | Luoyang |
| Eastern Jin |
317 - 420 AD | Sima Rui | Jiankang (Nanjing, Jiangsu) |
| 304 - 439 AD | |||
| Southern & Northern | 420 - 589 AD | ||
| Southern Dynasties |
420 - 589 AD | ||
| --- Song | 420 - 479 | Liu Yu | Jiankang (today's Nanjing) |
| --- Qi | 479 - 502 | Xiao Daocheng | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
| --- Liang | 502 - 557 | Xiao Yan | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
| --- Chen | 557 - 589 | Chen Baxian | Jiankang (Nanjing) |
| Northern Dynasties |
386 - 581 AD | ||
| --- Northern Wei | 386 - 534 | Tuoba Gui | Pingcheng (today's Datong, Shanxi); Luoyang |
| --- Eastern Wei | 534 - 550 | Yuan Shanjian (actually controlled by Gao Huan) | Yecheng (in Linzhang, Handan, Hebei) |
| --- Western Wei | 535 - 557 | Yuan Baoju (actually controlled by Yuwen Tai) | Chang'an (today's Xian) |
| --- Northern Qi | 550 - 577 | Gao Yang | Yecheng (in Linzhang, Handan, Hebei) |
| --- Northern Zhou | 557 - 581 | Yuwen Jue | Chang'an (today's Xian) |
| Sui Dynasty | 581 - 618 AD | Yang Jian | Daxing (in today's Xian, Shaanxi); Luoyang |
| Tang Dynasty | 618 - 907 AD | Li Yuan | Chang'an (today's Xian); Luoyang |
| 907 - 960 AD | Bianliang (Kaifeng, Henan); Luoyang | ||
| --- Later Liang | 907 - 923 AD | Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong / Zhu Huang) | Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
| --- Later Tang | 923 - 936 AD | Li Cunxu | Luoyang |
| --- Later Jin | 936 - 946 AD | Shi Jingtang | Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
| --- Later Han | 947 - 950 AD | Liu Zhiyuan | Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
| --- Later Zhou | 951 - 960 AD | Guo Wei | Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
| Ten States |
902 - 979 AD | ||
| Song Dynasty | 960 - 1279 AD | Zhao Kuangyin | |
| Northern Song |
960 - 1127 AD | Zhao Kuangyin | Bianjing (Kaifeng) |
| Southern Song |
1127 - 1279 AD | Zhao Gou | Nanjing (today's Shangqiu, Henan); Lin'an (Hangzhou) |
| Liao | 907 --- 1125 AD | Yelü Abaoji | Shangjing (Baarin Left Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia) |
| Western Xia Dynasty | 1038 - 1227 AD | Li Yuanhao | Xingqing (today's Yinchuan, Ningxia) |
| Jin Kingdom | 1115 - 1234 AD | Wan-yen A-ku-ta (Wanyan Aguda / Wanyan Min) | Huining (Harbin, Heilongjiang); Zhongdu (today's Beijing); Bianjing (Kaifeng) |
| Yuan Dynasty | 1271 - 1368 AD | Kublai Khan | Dadu (today's Beijing) |
| Ming Dynasty | 1368 - 1644 AD | Zhu Yuanzhang | Yingtian (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu); Shuntian (today's Beijing) |
| Qing Dynasty | 1644 - 1911 AD | Aisin Gioro Nurhachi / Hong Taiji / Fulin (Emeror Shunzhi) | Beijing |
| Republic of China | 1911-1949? | Nanjing(Chongqing 1938-1945) | |
| People's Republic of China |
1949- | Mao Zedong | Beijing |
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