Chinese History Timeline

Chinese History Timeline c. 500,000 B.C.E Peking Man hominid fossils c. 10,000 B.C.E Domestication of rice in Jiangxi c. 4600 B.C.E Neolithic village cultures in northern China c. 2100 B.C.E Xia "dynasty" in Yellow River valley c. 1500 B.C.E Shang state on North China Plain 1045 B.C.E Zhou Conquest 722-481 B.C.E Spring and Autumn period 480-221 B.C.E Warring States period 207 B.C.E Fall of Qin dynasty 202 B.C.E.-220 C.E Han dynasty 141-87 B.C.E Reign of Wudi 81 B.C.E Debate on Salt and Iron 9-23 Usurpation of Wang Mang c. 100 First Buddhist temple in China 182 Yellow Turban uprising 220-280 Three Kingdoms period c. 310 Turkic migrations into northern China begin 581-618 Sui dynasty 618-906 Tang dynasty 684-705 Reign of Empress Wu Zetian 713-756 Reign of Xuanzong 755-763 An Lushan rebellion 768-824 Han Yu 845 Official suppression of Buddhism 907-960 Five Dynasties period 907-1125 Liao dynasty of the Khitan people 960-1127 Northern Song dynasty 1126-1234 Jin dynasty of the Jurchen people 1127-1279 Southern Song dynasty 1130-1200 Zhu Xi 1206 Temujin elected as Great Khan 1260-1368 Mongol Yuan dynasty 1272-1290 Marco Polo in China 1313 Mongols restore Confucian examinations 1340s Great plague in Yangzi River valley 1368-1644 Ming dynasty 1402 Zhu Di usurps the throne 1405-1435 Ming voyages of exploration 1572-1620 Reign of Wanli emperor c. 1580 "Single Whip" tax reforms 1626 Nurhaci inaugurates Manchu language use 1636 Qing dynasty proclaimed by Manchus 1644 Fall of Ming dynasty and Manchu invasion 1661-1722 Reign of Kangxi 1673-1681 Rebellion of the Wu Sangui 1712 Kangxi's tax edict 1723-1735 Reign of Yongzheng 1736-1795 Reign of Qianlong 1793 British trade mission to China 1813 Secret society rebellion against Qing 1839-1842 Opium War '1850-1864 Taiping Rebellion 1864-1895 Self-Strengthening Movement 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese War 1898 100 Days Reforms 1899-1900 Boxer Rebellion 1905 Confucian examinations abolished October 11, 1911 Wuhan mutiny sets off revolution February 12, 1912 Abdication of last emperor, Pu Yi February 15, 1912 Yuan Shikai becomes president 1916 Yuan Shikai tries to become emperor May 4, 1919 Student demonstration in Beijing July 1921 Founding of Chinese Communist Party 1922-1927 First United Front of Communists and Nationalists 1926 Northern Expedition of Chiang Kaishek April 1927 Split between CCP and GMD 1929-1934 Jiangxi period of Chinese Communists September 18, 1931 Japanese invade Manchuria Oct 1934-Oct 1935 Long March December 1936 Xian incident: Chiang "arrested" 1937-1945 Second United Front July 7, 1937 Marco Polo Bridge incident: Japanese invasion 1945 End of war with Japan 1945-1949 Civil war between Communists and Nationalists 1948 Nationalists massacre Taiwanese 1949 Nationalists withdraw to Taiwan October 1, 1949 Mao proclaims People's Republic of China