Dynastic, Political and Economic Timeline of China
| Timeline | Dynasty | Political | Economy |
| 23rd century BCE | Emperor Yao (legend) | Burn and clear agriculture | |
| 23rd century BCE | Emperor Shun (legend) | ||
| 21st to 16th century BCE | Hsia (Xia) Dynasty | ||
| 16th to 11th century BCE | Shang Dynasty | 1600-900 BCE palace civilization (political, religious, military, and economic) | |
| 11th century to 771 BCE | Western Chou (Zhou) | 900-500 BCE aristocratic cities (based on kinship and privileges) | |
| 770 to 221 BCE - 770 to 475 BCE - 475 to 221 BCE |
Eastern Chou (Zhou) - Spring and Autumn Period - Warring States Period |
500-220 BCE monarchical institutions (centralized state - peasantry, a source of economic and military power) | |
| 221 to 206 BCE | Chin (Qin) Dynasty Capital Changan Ch'ang-an [mod Xian Sian] |
220 BCE-190 CE conquest of all the former kingdoms(centralization of power favored the palace) | |
| 206 BCE to 24 CE | Western Han Capital Changan Ch'ang-an [mod Xian Sian], Luoyang Loyang |
||
| 9 to 23 CE | Jin (Hsin) | 7 BCE Permanent Agriculture | |
| 25 to 220 CE | Eastern Han | ||
| 220 to 280 CE - 220 to 265 CE - 221 to 263 CE - 222 to 280 CE |
Three Kingdoms - Wei - Shu - Wu |
||
| 265 to 316 CE | Western Tsin (Chin) | 190-310 CE leaders of independent armies military dictatorship vs growing power of the rich landed families | |
| 317 to 420 CE | Eastern Tsin (Chin) | 310-590 CE non-Chinese kingdoms with governmental and military institutions | 3 CE - State Administration of Land state colonies and hereditary military households in Wei |
420 to 589 CE - 420 to 479 CE - 479 to 502 CE - 502 to 557 CE - 557 to 589 CE - 386 to 534 CE - 534 to 550 CE - 535 to 557 CE - 550 to 577 CE - 557 to 581 CE |
Southern and Northern Dynasties Southern Dynasties - Liu Song (Sung) - Southern Qi (Chi) - Liang (Ch'enI) - Qen (Chen) Northern Dynasties Northern Wei Eastern Wei Western Wei Northern Qi (Chi) Northern Zhou (Chou) |
||
| 581 to 618 CE | Sui Dynasty | 590-755 CE Sino-barbarian autocracy supervision of properties | |
| 618 to 907 CE | Tang (T'ang) Dynasty Capital Changan Ch'ang-an [mod Xian Sian] |
755-960 CE Military adventurers divided the Chinese lands | 7 C Yangtze River valley becomes the basis of imperial power |
| 907 to 960 CE - 907 to 923 CE - 923 to 936 CE - 936 to 947 CE - 947 to 950 CE - 951 to 960 CE |
Five Dynasties - Later Liang - Later Tang (T'ang) - Later Tsin (Chin) - Later Han - Later Zhou (Chou) |
8-12 CE new techniques, water transport, study of nature and science, development of machinery | |
| 947-1125 CE | Liao | 960-1280 CE scholarly families living off agricultural rents | |
| 960 to 1127 CE | Northern Sung (Song) Capital Kaifeng |
||
| 1127 to 1279 CE | Southern Sung (Song) Capital Hangzhou Hangchow |
||
| 1032 to 1227 CE | Western Xia (Hsi-hsia) | ||
| 1115 to 1234 CE | Jin (Chin) | ||
| 1279 to 1368 CE | Yuan Dynasty (Mongol) Capital Beijing Peking |
1280-1370 CE Big non-Chinese empires eliminated beginning of the thirteenth century by the growing power of the Mongols |
14 CE economic development without significant technological change |
| 1368 to 1644 CE | Ming Dynasty Capital Nanjiing Nanking, Beijing Peking |
1370-1520 CE very strong autocratic tendencies supervised by means of a secret police 1520-l650 CE serious social and political crisis |
|
| 1644 to 1911 CE | Qing (Ching) Dynasty (Manchu) Capital Beijing Peking |
1650-1800 CE Sinicized peoples overcome the old Chinese governing classes 1800-1900 CE decomposition of state and society, collapse of the economy, and loss of national independence |
18 CE expanding Western world-economy swamped China, which had difficulty adjusting |
| 1911 to 1949 CE | Republic of China (Chung Hwa Ming Kuo) Capital Nanjing Nanking |
1900-1950 CE leaders of new armies supported by the foreign powers, then finally swept foreign powers away through the development of peasant militias | |
| 1949 CE | People's Republic of China Capital Beijing Peking |
Copyright © 1998-2007 ChinaGenWeb, David M. Lawrence
Thanks to Carol Whyte of Auckland, New Zealand for creating this page.
