5000 - 1900 BC

Neolithic Chinese build settlements in the Yellow River. They farm, keep animals, produce painted earthware pots and worship animist gods.

1900 - 1050 BC

Shang Dynasty, capital Luoyang. Bronze casting perfected, writing invented, cities developed.

1050 - 770 BC

Western Zhou Dynasty. Concept of Mandate of Heaven introduced.

770 - 475 BC

Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Spring and Autumn Period. Confucius sets out code of ethics. Sun Tzu writes "The Arts of War."

475 - 221 BC

Eastern Zhou, Warring States. Lao Zi formulates Taoism. Mencius advocates moral code.

221 - 207 BC

Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qin conquers all kingdoms for a united China, begins building the Great Wall, creates capital at Changan, standardizes weights and measures, builds tombs filled with Terra-cotta Warriors and bronze chariots, bans all non-military books.

207 BC - 9 AD

Western Han Dynasty establishes traditional Chinese state with Mandarin civil service. Changan becomes a great city. Gunpowder invented. Border conquests. Population 58 million.

9 - 25 AD

Xin Dynasty.

25 - 220

Eastern Han Dynasty, capital Luoyang, Silk Road trade develops. Buddhism introduced. Explorers sent to Central Asia. Paper invented, calligraphy and figure painting perfected.

220 - 265

Three Kingdoms. Epic struggles between Shu, Wei and Wu, later celebrated in Romance of Three Kingdoms.

265 - 589

Six Southern Dynasties and Northern Dynasties. Period of wars, migration and border threats. Great Wall reconstructed. Buddhist art in Mogao and Longmen caves. Chan (Zen) Buddhism flourishes.

589 - 618

Sui Dynasty established and peace restored with Luoyang as capital. Great wall repaired. Grand Canal built to connect Luoyang with Hangzhou and what would become Beijing. First Japanese embassy arrived. Northern wars exhaust empire.

618 - 906

Tang Dynasty. A Golden Age for the arts of peace: music, dance, poetry (Li Bai, Du Fu), porcelain, architecture. Changan a great international city with merchants from Central and Southern Asia, scholars from Japan, Nestorians from Syria. A Chinese princess marries the Tibetan king.

906 - 960

Five Dynasties. Local lords battle for supremacy.

907 - 1123

Liao Dynasty. Mongols rule northern China, with capitals including Beijing. Population 108 million.

960 - 1126

Northern Song Dynasty, with capital Kaifeng. Beginning of modern Chinese government and arts. Opera developed, literature flourishes, Buddhist Scriptures printed. fireworks perfected. Golden Age of landscape painting. Invention of mariner's compass . Tea becomes popular throughout China.

1126 - 1279

Southern Song Dynasty, with capital Hangzhou. Philosophy, science and arts flourish. Porcelain in use. First windmill.

1279 - 1368

Yuan Dynasty formed following Mongol invasion. Kublai Khan makes Dadu (Beijing) his Tartar capital. Marco Polo travels the country.

1368 - 1644

Ming Dynasty established with the overthrow of the Mongols by native Chinese. Zheng He leads explorations to India and East Africa. Matteo Ricci and other Jesuits become scholars in court, and the Portuguese are permitted to settle in Macao. Blue and white ceramics first made. Beijing becomes a great city.

1644 - 1911

Qing Dynasty set up by invading Manchus, who take advantage of a court weakened by corruption. First emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong adopt Chinese ways, honor the heritage. Western expansion leads to domination of Xinjiang, Yunnan, Greater Tibet. Later emperors weak, influenced by corrupt courtiers. Western traders set shops in Guangzhou (Canton), and opium becomes prime commodity, leads to Opium War (1839-40) and cession of Hong Kong to Britain. Other Europeans, Russians and Japanese form quasi-colonies in China. Domestic unrest leads to Taiping Uprising (1860s) and Boxer Rebellion (1900). Finally Sun Yat-sen spearheads the 1911 revolution that brings the Manchu empire to an end.

1911 - 1949

The Chinese Republic, born with Sun's ideals of equality and justice, sinks between Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists and the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong, as well as local warlords. Foreign capitalists, missionaries and adventurers take advantage of the situation. Japan invades and occupies much of the country. After the war the Nationalists fail to resume power and are defeated by the Communists. Many flee to Taiwan.

1949 - Present

The People's Republic of China is proclaimed by Mao Zedong in Beijing. In 1978 Deng Xiaoping introduces the Open Door policy to modernize the economy and welcome visitors from overseas.