Highlights Of Chinese History |
Year |
Period |
Development/Event |
589-618 CE |
Sui Dynasty |
North conquers south and unites China. The Grand Canal
is built. The capital is established at Changan. |
618-907 CE |
Tang Dynasty |
Scholarship and the Arts flouish. Gunpowder invented.
Block (movable type) printing is invented. The silk road trade to Europe
thrives. |
907-960 CE |
Five Dynasties (North) and Ten Kingdoms (South) |
A period of war and fragmentation as North and South divides into smaller
kingdoms. |
960-1279 CE |
Song Dynasty |
High culture develops. Painting, Poetry, Calligraphy
becomes mainstream. Military powers decline. The invention of the compass.
The Jin invade the North, the Song moves capital from Kaifeng to Hangzhou. |
960-1127 CE |
Northern Song |
1127-1279 CE |
Southern Song |
1279-1368 CE |
Yuan Dynasty (Mongol) |
Kublai Khan conquers China. A new capital is established
at Peking (Beijing) and the Grand Canal is extended to supply the capital.
Marco Polo serves Khan in China. |
1360 CE |
|
Zhang Sanfeng (Chang Sanfeng) travels to Wudang Mountains is generally credited
with inventing the 13 postures of Taijiquan (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) |
1368-1644 CE |
Ming Dynasty |
Mongols are defeated. Strong Emperors bring about
a very prosperous era. Building of the Forbidden City and Imperial Tombs.
Arrival of Jesuits. Changan city changes it's name to Xian. |
1644-1911 CE |
Qing Dynasty (Manchu) |
Han People are subjugated by the Manchus. The neglected Forbidden City is
restored and the Summer Palace is rebuilt. |
1839-1842 CE |
Foreign trade pressures leads to the Opium War. |
1850-1864 CE |
Taiping Rebellion in the south, Anti-Qing revolt is inspired by mixture
of Chinese and Christian ideas. |
1858-1860 CE |
Anglo-French invasions at Canton, Tianjin. Foreign troops destroy the Summer
Palace near Peking. |
1894-95 CE |
Sino-Japanese War. Japan dominates Korea and Taiwan |
1900 CE |
Anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion is suppressed by foreign
troops. Qing court flees and Westerners occupy Peking. |
1911-1949 CE |
Republic of
China |
1911 Revolution. China attempted deomocratic government. |
1912 CE |
Sun Yat-Sen briefly serves as China's first president.
Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist party is formed. |
1916 CE |
Warlord period begins. |
1921 CE |
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is founded) |
1926-27 CE |
Joint KMT-CCP expedition against warlords has limited success, but causes
a hostile division of the country. |
1934-35 CE |
Long march of the Communists to the northwest. |
1937-1945 CE |
Second Sino-Japanese War. KMT is led by Chian Kai-shek. American military
aids during the World War II. Japan surrenders. |
1946-49 CE |
Civil war errupts between the KMT and the Communist
Party (CCP). |
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Continued on next page |