Basin (pen), Jar & Ritual object (bi) from Neolitic period.

Peking Man, Prehistory, China.

Ding from Xia dynasty

Vase from Shang dynasty

'Zhou wen wang' also called ' Zhou wu wang' - Founder of Zhou dynasty

'Qin Shi Huang Di' & his Terracotta Army

The Great Wall of China, Qin dynasty.

Replica of seismometer by Zhang Heng of East Han dynasty

Guan Yu,also called' Guan Gong' - sworn brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Three Kingdoms.

History of China

Home / History of China /Easy Timeline of Chinese History

China history is the longest in the world (over 5000 years) and is the only continues histoy till today since ancient times (in terms of culture).

Overview of History of China:

China: a country with 5000 years long civilization by Chinese central Gov

China history by U.S. Department of State

A history of China by Wolfram Eberhard

Timeline of Chinese History

PREHISTORY

Overview:

The Dawn of History, China- (Library of Congress Country Study/Area Handbook [1987])

Images:

Peking Man (image), China -- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

Articles/News:

        Peking Man Lived 200,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

        Ancestral Human Skull Found in China

Ancient China

Overview:

          The ancient dynasties, China ( University of Maryland)

XIA
21-16 CENTURY BC

Overview:

             Xia dynasty (History of China, wikipedia)

Articles/News:
Stunning Capital from Xia dynastry unearthed in China, 2003.

SHANG

16-11 CENTURY BC

Overview:
Shang Overview (Stanford University)
Shang dynasty from History of China, wikipedia

Images:
Shang Oracle Bone (image)--[Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
Another Shang Oracle Bone (image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

Articles/News:

              Ruins of capital of Shang dynasty is included in the world heritage list

ZHOU

1111 BC-249 BC

Overview:
The Zhou Period- (Library of Congress Country Study/Area Handbook [1987])
The zhou dynasty and the age of confucius (Columbia University)
Zhou dynasty from History of China, wikipedia

Others:
The Hundred Schools of Thought- (Library of Congress Country Study/Area Handbook [1987])
The Hundred Schools of Thought- (University of Maryland)

Articles/News:
Relics of zhou dynasty unearthed in China, 2005

Imperial Era

QIN DYNASTY
(255-) 221-207 BC

Overview:
Qin Overview (University of Maryland)
Qin dynasty from History of China, wikipedia

        Qin dynasty (Minnesota State University)

Others:
The great wall of Chinaby world heritage Centre
Sima Qian: The Legalist Policies of the Qin-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
The Terracotta Army from China, wikipedia
Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army from answer.com

Videos:

        The Great Wall of China in videos

        The Terracotta Army in videos







HAN DYNASTY
206 BC-220
Western [Former] Han 206 BC - 24 AD .... Eastern [Later] Han AD 25 - 220

Overview:
Han dynasty (Minnesota State University)
Han Overview(Discovery Channel)
Han Overview (University of Maryland)
Han dynasty (History of China, wikipedia)

Maps:
Map of Han China(image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

Others:
Sima Qian: Shiji (extracts)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
The Silk Road, China (University of Califonia)
The military organization of the Later Han -- [The Australia National University]
South China under the Later Han Dynasty -- [The Australia National University]

Articles/News:

        Cemetery of Western Han dynasty discovered at China

THREE KINGDOMS
220-280
Shu Han 221 - 263 ..... Wei 220 - 265 .... Wu 222 - 280

Overview:

        The three kingdoms (Minnesota State University)

        Three Kingdoms From History of China, wikipedia

Others:
Cao Cao of Wei, three kingdoms-- [The Australia National University]
Liu Beiof Shu, three kingdoms (History of China, wikipedia)
Sun Quan of Wu, three kingdoms (History of China, wikipedia)
Romance of the three kingdoms (History of China, wikipedia)

JIN DYNASTY
265-420
Western Jin 265 - 316 .... Eastern Jin 317 - 420 .... Sixteen Kingdoms 304 - 420

Overview:
Jin dynasty (History of China, wikipedia)

SOUTHERN/NORTHERN DYNASTIES
420-589
SOUTHERN DYNASTIES: Liu Song 420 - 479 .... Southern Qi 479 - 502 .... Liang 502 - 557 .... Chen 557 ~589
NORTHERN DYNASTIES: Later [Northern] Wei 386 - 534 .... Eastern Wei 534 -550 .... Western Wei 535 - 556 .... Northern Qi 550 - 577 .... Northern Zhou 557 ~581

Overview:
Dynasties of the north and south (Minnesota State University)
Southern and Northern Dynasties (History of China, wikipedia)

SUI DYNASTY
581-618

Overview:
Sui dynasty(Minnesota State University)
Sui Overview (University of Maryland)
Sui dynasty (History of China, wikipedia)

Others:
Grand Canal, Sui dynasty, China (Grand Canal, China, Wikipedia)

TANG DYNASTY
618-907

Overview:
Tang Overview (Maryland University)

             Tang dynasty (Minnesota State University)

        Tang dynasty (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)

        Tang dynasty (History of China, wikipedia)

Maps:
Map of Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty (image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

Images:
Founder of the Tang Dynasty(image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
Tang Taizong(image)

Others:
Han Yu's Memorial on Buddhism (819 CE)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
Dunhuang Art in the First Half of the Tang Dynasty-- [Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts]
Dunhuang Art in the Second Half of the Tang Dynasty-- [Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts]

Articles/News:
        Chinese scientists disputes German theory of Tang dynasty collapse

FIVE DYNASTIES
907-979
Later Liang 907 ~ 923.... Later Tang 923 - 936 .... Later Jin 936 - 47 .... Later Han 947 - 950 .... Later Zhou 951 - 960

Overview:
The Five Dynasties (Minnesota State University)
Five Dynasties history (history of China, wikipedia)

LIAO DYNASTY
(907-) 947-1125

Overview:

        Liao dynasty (British museum)

        Liao dynasty(history of China, wikipedia)

SONG DYNASTY
960-1279
Northern Song 960 - 1127 .... Southern Song 1127 - 1279.... Jin Dynasty 1115 - 1234

Overview:
Song Overview (Maryland University)
The northern and southern Song dynasties (Minnesota State University)
Nothern Song dynasty (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)
Southern Song dynasty (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)
Song dynasty (history of China, wikipedia)

Maps:
China under the Northern Song Dynasty (map)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
China under the Southern Song Dynasty (map)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

Images:
Song Taizu(image)
Song Renzong(image)

YUAN DYNASTY
1279-1368

Overview:
Yuan dynasty (Minnesota State University)
Yuan dynasty (University of Maryland)
Mongolian Interlude- (Library of Congress Country Study/Area Handbook [1987])
Yuan dynasty(The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)
Yuan dynasty (History of China, wikipedia)

Others:

        The legacy of Genghis Khan

        (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)

        Marco polo's travel in China during Yuan dynasty

        (SilkRoad foundation)

Images:
Genghis Khan(image)
Kublai Khan(image)
Kublai Khan (image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
Queen of Kublai Khan(image)
Marco Polo (image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
Mongol archers(image)-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

MING DYNASTY
1368-1644

Overviews:
Ming dynasty (Minnesota State University)
Ming dynasty (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)
Ming Overview (University of Maryland)
The Chinese Regain Power- (Library of Congress Country Study/Area Handbook [1987])
Ming dynasty (history of China, wikipedia)

Maps:
Map of Ming China-- [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]

Others:
Zheng he's voyages of discovery (University of California)
The Great Chinese Mariner Zheng He (Chinapage)
Zheng He (China, wikipedia)
Missionaries and Mandarins: the Jesuits in China
Mudan ting (Peony Pavilion), Ming play by Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) : English summary, full Chinese text (Big5)
Scripta Sinica : full-text sources-- [Academia Sinica Computer Center, Taiwan] -- (Big5)

Images:
Ming Taizu(image)
Ming Chengzu (Yongle Emperor)(image)
Chinese cannon (1368)(image)
Ming Dynasty Wheelbarrow-- (image) ... [Brooklyn College Core 9 Chinese Culture]
Ming Tribute System(image)

Articles/News:
Wreck yields Ming treasure Trove

QING DYNASTY
1644-1911

Overviews:
Qing dynasty (Minnesota State University)
Qing Overview (Maryland University)
The Rise of the Manchus- (Library of Congress Country Study/Area Handbook [1987])
Qing dynasty (history of China, wikipedia)

Articles/News:
          Qing dynasty vase fetches $6 Million at auction in Hong Kong, China

Mordern Era - Present

1911-present

Overviews:

          China,1900 A.D.-Present

          (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york)

        Mordern Era (history of China, wikipedia)

Others:

        The history of Republic of China (History of China, wikipedia)

        The history of People's Republic of China (History of China, wikipedia)

Present

          The Republic of China (Control over Taiwan, China)

          The People's Republic of China (Control over Mainland, China)

Today, China is still in a state of civil war between 'The Republic of

China' and 'The people's Republic of China'. No peace treaty has ever been signed between the two opposing parties.