Timeline of History: Page 1 | 2 | 3
Highlights Of Chinese History

 Year

Period

Development/Event

1.6 Million BCE

YuanMou Man

Earliest human findings.
Stone tools and use of fire.
700-500,000 BCE

LanTian Man, Peking Man

20,000 BCE

Upper Cave Man

5,000 BCE

YangShao Culture

Farming villages in the Yellow River Valleys, Painted pottery.
2,500 BCE

LongShan Culture

East China and Central River Valleys. Wheel-made pottery. Divination and Ancestrial worship.
2852-2205 BCE

Three Rulers & Five Emperors

Mythical rulers, credited with inventing farming, building, medicine, silk culture.
2205-1766 BCE

Xia Dynasty

China's legendary first dynasty. Emperor Yu, is credited with flood control and irrigation systems.
1766-1122 BCE

Shang Dynasty

First verifiable dynasty. Ritual bronze vessels and "oracle bones" calligraphy. Evidence of a relatively sophisticated medical system using acupuncture needles and medical observations inscribed.
1122-256 BCE

Zhou Dynasty

Western Zhou later cited as a model period. Capital city near Xian. Confucius born in 551 BCE. Flowering in classical literature, arts, and philosophy; Confuciansim, Taoism. Lao Tze and Chuang Tze lived around this period. The first transporation canals were built. Internal alchemy, meditation, and breathing techniques were developed.
770-256 BCE

Eastern Zhou

722-481 BCE

Spring and Autumn

403-221 BCE

Warring States

221-206 BCE

Qin Dynasty

Unification of China. State walls are joined to form the Great Wall. Palace and mausoleum near Xian, standardization of weights, measures, calligraphy.
206 BCE-220 CE

Han Dynasty

Capitals at Changan and Luoyang rivals that of Rome. Buddhism enters China from India. Birth of Confucian civil service. Paper invented.
206 BCE-9 CE

Western Han

25 CE-220 CE

Eastern Han

220-280 CE

Three Kingdoms
Wei, Shu-Han, Wu

Han generals divide empire. This period is romanticized as a time of chivalry and heorism in later literature.
265-316 CE

Western Jin

China briefly united under one Emperor. Capitals at Luoyang, Changan.
317-589 CE

Southern and Northern Dynasties

Succession of numerous dynasties, including 24 short-lived ones, on the north and south sides of the Yangtze. Developing period for Buddhism. Cave temples at Dunhuang, Yungang, and Longmen.
317-420 CE

Eastern Jin

386-534 CE

Northern Wei

386-535 CE   Bohidarma (TaMo) arrives in China. Shaolin Monastery built and Shaolin boxing develops in the temples
    Continued on next page

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