Timeline of Chinese history

China is one of the world's oldest civilized nation, which dates back to more than 10,000 years. The 5,000 years period is commonly used as the date when China became unified under a large empire. China alternated between periods of political unity and disunity at intervals, and was occasionally conquered by external groups of people, some eventually being assimilated into the Chinese population.

The following is a timeline of the history of China :

Ancient China	Ruling entity	Date	Events	Founder	Capital
	Neolithic China	5000BC-2000BC	the last period of a long prehistory; Yangshao culture; longshan culture	／	／
	Xia Dynasty	2100BC-1600BC	the first slavery dynasty	Qi	Anyang
	Shang Dynasty	1600BC-1046BC	first records of Chinese characters	Tang	Yin
	Zhou Dynasty	1046BC-256BC	Mandate of Heaven; Spring and Autumn Period; Warring States Period	King Wu	Haojing
Early Imperial China	Qin Dynasty	221BC-207BC	the first unified, multi-national, autocratic and power-centralized state in Chinese history; banished or put to death many dissenting Confucian scholars and confiscated and burned their books; the building of Great Wall	Yin Zheng	Xianyang
	Han Dynasty	202BC-220AD	the adoption of Confucian ideals; the formation of the Silk Road ; the invention of paper; the Yellow Turbans	Liu Bang	Chang'an
	The Three Kingdoms	220AD-280AD	introduction of Buddhism; development of tea and porcelain; the battle of the Red Cliff	／	／
	Jin Dynasty	265AD-420AD	War of the Eight Princes; sixteen kingdoms	Sima Yan	Luoyang
	Southern and Northern Dynasties	317AD-588AD	invention of gunpowder ; Buddhism f lourished; Bodhidharma arrives in China	／	／
Classical Imperial China	Sui Dynasty	581AD-618AD	the foundation of Three Departments and Six Ministries; the adoption of imperial examination system; the land equalization; the excavation of the Grand Canal ;	Emperor Wen	Chang'an
	Tang Dynasty	618AD-907AD	first Christian missionaries arrive in China ; the birth of Islam in China ; mass persecution of Buddhism ;	Liyuan	Chang'an
	Song Dynasty	960AD-1279AD	the battle of Chenqiao; the adoption of hereditary monarchy	Zhao Kuangyin	Kaifeng
Later Imperial China	Yuan Dynasty	1271AD-1368AD	unify the whole of China for the first time under a non-Chinese regime; the development of drama and the novel; voyages of Marco Polo	Hu Bilie	Dadu
	Ming Dynasty	1368AD-1644AD	the last native Chinese dynasty to rule the empire; Construction of the Forbidden City begins; Voyages of Zhen He; the creation of self-supporting agricultural communities; the final and lasting construction of the Great Wall; a rebel army led by Li Zicheng	Zhu Yuanzhang	Nanjing
	Qing Dynasty	1636AD-1912AD	the Dynasty founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro ; literary inquisition; eight-part essay; the Eight Banners system; Publication of the Kangxi Dictionary ; First Opium War; Taiping Rebellion; Hundred Days' Reform	Nurhaci	Beijing
Modern China	Republic of China	1912AD-1949AD	Xinhai Revolution; Nanchang Uprising; the foundation of Chinese Soviet Republic ; Long March; being one of the founding members of the UN	Sun Yat Sen	Wuchang
	People's Republic of China	1949AD-nowadays	Hundred Flowers campaign; Three Years of Natural Disasters; Cultural Revolution; Start of Chinese economic reforms; One-child policy; Hong kong handover, becomes a Special Administrative Region; Macau handover; Accession to World Trade Organization; SARS outbreak	Mao Zedong	Bejing