It is recorded that Yuanmou man is the oldest hominoid in China and the oldest dynasty is Xia Dynasty. From the long history of China, there emerge many eminent people that have contributed a lot to the development of the whole country and to the enrichment of her history. Among them, there are emperors like Li Shimin (emperor Taizong of the Tang), philosophers like Confucius, great patriotic poets like Qu Yuan and so on.
Chinese society has progressed through five major stages - Primitive Society, Slave Society, Feudal Society, Semi-feudal and Semi-colonial Society, and Socialist Society. The rise and fall of the great dynasties forms a thread that runs through Chinese history, almost from the beginning. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, China has become a socialist society and become stronger and stronger.
|
Dynasty |
Period |
Founder |
Capital |
|
Prehistoric Times |
1.7 million years ago - the 21st century BC |
recorded leaders include Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun... |
around the Yellow River and Yangtze River in central China |
|
Xia |
21st - 17th century BC |
Yu the Great |
Anyi ( in Yuncheng, Shanxi); Yangcheng (in todays's Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan); Yangdi (in todays's Yuzhou, Henan); Zhenxun (in Luoyang, Henan) |
|
Shang |
17th century BC - 1046 BC |
Tang |
Bo (in Shangqiu, Henan); Yin (in Anyang, Henan) |
|
Zhou |
1046 - 256 BC |
|
|
|
Western Zhou |
1046 BC - 771 BC |
King Wu (Ji Fa) |
Fengjing and Haojing (in today's Xian, Shaanxi) |
|
Easten Zhou |
770 - 256 BC |
King Ping (Ji Yijiu) |
Luoyi (today's Luoyang) |
|
--- Spring and Autumn Period |
770 - 476 BC |
|
|
|
--- Warring States Period |
475 - 221 BC |
|
|
|
Qin |
221 - 207 BC |
Qin Shi Huang |
Xianyang (in today's Xianyang and Xian of Shaanxi) |
|
Han |
202 BC - 220 AD |
Liu Bang |
|
|
Western Han |
202 BC - 9 AD |
Liu Bang |
Chang'an (today's Xian) |
|
Xin Dynasty |
9 - 23 AD |
Wang Mang |
Chang'an (today's Xian) |
|
Eastern Han |
25 - 220 AD |
Liu Xiu |
Luoyang |
|
Three Kingdoms Period |
220 - 280 AD |
|
|
|
Kindom of Wei |
220 - 265 AD |
Cao Pi |
Luoyang |
|
Kingdom of Shu |
221 - 263 AD |
Liu Bei |
Chengdu |
|
Kingdom of Wu |
222 - 280 AD |
Sun Quan |
Jianye (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu) |
|
Jin |
265 - 420 AD |
Sima Yan |
|
|
Western Jin |
265 - 316 AD |
Sima Yan |
Luoyang |
|
Eastern Jin |
317 - 420 AD |
Sima Rui |
Jiankang (Nanjing, Jiangsu) |
|
Five Hus and Sixteen States |
304 - 439 AD |
|
|
|
Southern and Northern Dynasties |
420 - 589 AD |
|
|
|
Southern Dynasties |
420 - 589 AD |
|
|
|
--- Song |
420 - 479 |
Liu Yu |
Jiankang (today's Nanjing) |
|
--- Qi |
479 - 502 |
Xiao Daocheng |
Jiankang (Nanjing) |
|
--- Liang |
502 - 557 |
Xiao Yan |
Jiankang (Nanjing) |
|
--- Chen |
557 - 589 |
Chen Baxian |
Jiankang (Nanjing) |
|
Northern Dynasties |
386 - 581 AD |
|
|
|
--- Northern Wei |
386 - 534 |
Tuoba Gui |
Pingcheng (today's Datong, Shanxi); Luoyang |
|
--- Eastern Wei |
534 - 550 |
Yuan Shanjian (actually controlled by Gao Huan) |
Yecheng (in Linzhang, Handan, Hebei) |
|
--- Western Wei |
535 - 557 |
Yuan Baoju (actually controlled by Yuwen Tai) |
Chang'an (today's Xian) |
|
--- Northern Qi |
550 - 577 |
Gao Yang |
Yecheng (in Linzhang, Handan, Hebei) |
|
--- Northern Zhou |
557 - 581 |
Yuwen Jue |
Chang'an (today's Xian) |
|
Sui |
581 - 618 AD |
Yang Jian |
Daxing (in today's Xian, Shaanxi); Luoyang |
|
Tang |
618 - 907 AD |
Li Yuan |
Chang'an (today's Xian); Luoyang |
|
Five Dynasties and Ten States |
907 - 960 AD |
|
Bianliang (Kaifeng, Henan); Luoyang |
|
--- Later Liang |
907 - 923 AD |
Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong / Zhu Huang) |
Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
|
--- Later Tang |
923 - 936 AD |
Li Cunxu |
Luoyang |
|
--- Later Jin |
936 - 946 AD |
Shi Jingtang |
Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
|
--- Later Han |
947 - 950 AD |
Liu Zhiyuan |
Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
|
--- Later Zhou |
951 - 960 AD |
Guo Wei |
Bianliang (Kaifeng) |
|
Ten States |
902 - 979 AD |
|
|
|
Song |
960 - 1279 AD |
Zhao Kuangyin |
|
|
Northern Song |
960 - 1127 AD |
Zhao Kuangyin |
Bianjing (Kaifeng) |
|
Southern Song |
1127 - 1279 AD |
Zhao Gou |
Nanjing (today's Shangqiu, Henan); Lin'an (Hangzhou) |
|
Liao |
907 --- 1125 AD |
Yelü Abaoji |
Shangjing (Baarin Left Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia) |
|
Western Xia Dynasty |
1038 - 1227 AD |
Li Yuanhao |
Xingqing (today's Yinchuan, Ningxia) |
|
Jin |
1115 - 1234 AD |
Wan-yen A-ku-ta (Wanyan Aguda / Wanyan Min) |
Huining (Harbin, Heilongjiang); Zhongdu (today's Beijing); Bianjing (Kaifeng) |
|
Yuan |
1271 - 1368 AD |
Kublai Khan |
Dadu (today's Beijing) |
|
Ming |
1368 - 1644 AD |
Zhu Yuanzhang |
Yingtian (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu); Shuntian (today's Beijing) |
|
Qing |
1644 - 1911 AD |
Aisin Gioro Nurhachi / Hong Taiji / Fulin (Emeror Shunzhi) |
Beijing |
