|
Year |
Dynasty |
Imperialist Capitals in blue |
|
ca. 2100-1600 BCE |
Xia (Hsia) |
|
|
ca. 1600-1050 BCE |
Shang |
Near present-day Zhengzhou and Anyang |
|
ca. 1046-256 BCE |
Zhou (Chou) |
Hao (near present-day Xi’an and Luoyang) |
|
ca. 1046-771 BCE |
Western Zhou |
|
|
ca. 771-256 BCE |
Eastern Zhou |
Spring and Autumn Period (770-ca. 475 BCE) |
|
|
|
Confucius (ca. 551-479 BCE) |
|
|
|
Warring States Period (ca. 475-221 BCE) |
|
221-206 BCE |
Qin (Ch’in) |
Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) |
|
|
|
Qin Shihuangdi dies, 210 BCE |
|
206 BCE-220 CE |
Han |
|
|
|
Western/former Han (206 BCE-9 CE) |
Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) |
|
|
|
Confucianism officially established as basis for Chinese State by Han Wudi (r. 141-86 BCE) |
|
|
Eastern/later Han (25-220 CE) |
Luoyang |
|
220-589 CE |
Six Dynasties Period |
Period of disunity and instability following the fall of the Han; Buddhism introduced in China |
|
|
Three Kingdoms (220-265 CE) |
Cai Wei, Shu Han, Dong Wu |
|
|
Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE) |
|
|
|
Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589 CE) |
|
|
581-618 CE |
Sui |
Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) |
|
618-906 CE |
Tang (T’ang) |
Chang’an and Luoyang |
|
907-960 CE |
Five Dynasties Period |
|
|
960-1279 |
Song(Sung) |
|
|
|
Northern Song (960-1127) |
Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng) |
|
|
Southern Song (1127-1279) |
Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou) |
|
1279-1368 |
Yuan |
The reign of the Mongol empire; Dadu (present-day Beijing) |
|
1368-1644 |
Ming |
Re establishment of rule by Han ruling house; Nanjing and Beijing |
|
1644-1912 |
Qing (Ch’ing) |
Reign of the Manchus; Beijing |
|
1912-1949 |
Republic Period |
Beijing, Wuhan, Nanjing |
|
1949-present |
People’s Republic of China |
Beijing |
Retrieved August 19, 2012, from Timeline of Chinese Dynasties and Other Key Events