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Dynasties in Chinese history

 

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Dynasties in Chinese history



 
 
The following is a chronology
Chronology

Chronology is a chronicle or arrangement of events in their occurrence order. General chronology is the science of locating and resolution of temporal sequence of past events in time...
 of the dynasties
Dynasty

A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations. A dynasty is also often called a "Royal House", e.g. the House of Saud or House of Habsburg....
 in Chinese history
. In reality, Chinese history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated.

In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled over by different groups.






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The following is a chronology
Chronology

Chronology is a chronicle or arrangement of events in their occurrence order. General chronology is the science of locating and resolution of temporal sequence of past events in time...
 of the dynasties
Dynasty

A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations. A dynasty is also often called a "Royal House", e.g. the House of Saud or House of Habsburg....
 in Chinese history
. In reality, Chinese history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated.

In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled over by different groups. At times like these, there was no dynasty ruling a unified China. As a case in point, there is much dispute about times in and after the Western Zhou period. One example of the potential for confusion will suffice:

The conventional date 1644 marks the year in which the Manchu
Manchu

The Manchu people are a Tungusic peoples who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the seventeenth century, with the help of Ming rebels , they conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until its abolition in 1911 after the Xinhai Revolution, which established Republic of China in its place....
 Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....
 armies occupied Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
 and brought Qing rule to China proper
China proper

China proper refers to the historical lands of China where the Han Chinese are the majority ethnic group, in contrast with other regions that form parts of the former Imperial era of Chinese historys and the current People's Republic of China....
, succeeding the Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
. However, the Qing dynasty itself was established in 1636 (or even 1616, albeit under a different name), while the last Ming dynasty pretender
Pretender

A pretender is a claimant to an abolished throne or to a throne already occupied by somebody else. The English word :wikt:pretend comes from the French word pr?tendre, meaning "to put forward, to profess or claim"....
 was not disposed of until 1662. The change of ruling houses was a messy and prolonged affair, and the Qing took almost twenty years to extend their control over the whole of China. It is therefore inaccurate to assume China changes all at once in the year 1644.

For more details on the dynasties listed here and their emperors, follow the relevant links in the table. Click on H for the history of the dynasty, and E for a table of its emperors (or other rulers).

Chronology of dynasties


DynastyLinks Years
Three Sovereign Ones and the Five Emperors????san huáng wu dì(H - E)before 2070 BCE628+
Xià Dynasty
Xia Dynasty

The Xia Dynasty of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and Bamboo Annals....
?xià(H
Xia Dynasty

The Xia Dynasty of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and Bamboo Annals....
 - E)
2100 BCE — 1600 BCE470
Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was according to traditional sources the first Dynasties in Chinese history. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley....
?shang(H
Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was according to traditional sources the first Dynasties in Chinese history. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley....
 - E)
1600 BCE — 1046 BCE554
Western Zhou Dynasty??xi zhou(H
Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
 - E)
1046 BCE — 771 BCe275
Eastern Zhou Dynasty
Traditionally divided into
Spring and Autumn Period
Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty . Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 BC and 481 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius....

Warring States Period
Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
??

??
??
dong zhou
chun qiu
zhàn guó
(H
Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
 - E)

(H
Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty . Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 BC and 481 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius....
 - E)
(H
Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
 - E)
770 BCE — 256 BCE

722 BCE — 476 BC
475 BCE — 221 BCE
514

246
254
Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was preceded by the feudal Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. The unification of China in 221 BCE under the Qin Shi Huang marked the beginning of Imperial China, a period which lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 CE....
?qín(H
Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was preceded by the feudal Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. The unification of China in 221 BCE under the Qin Shi Huang marked the beginning of Imperial China, a period which lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 CE....
 - E)
221 BCE — 206 BCE15
Western Han Dynasty??xi hàn(H
Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins....
 - E)
206 BCE — 9 CE215
Xin Dynasty
Xin Dynasty

The Xin Dynasty was a China dynasty which lasted from 9-23 AD. It followed the Western Han Dynasty and preceded the Eastern Han Dynasty.The sole emperor of the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang , was the nephew of Empress Wang Zhengjun....
?xin(H
Xin Dynasty

The Xin Dynasty was a China dynasty which lasted from 9-23 AD. It followed the Western Han Dynasty and preceded the Eastern Han Dynasty.The sole emperor of the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang , was the nephew of Empress Wang Zhengjun....
 - E
Wang Mang

Wang Mang , courtesy name Jujun , was a Han Dynasty official who seized the throne from the Liu family and founded the Xin Dynasty Dynasty , ruling AD 9?23....
)
9
9

Year 9 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar....
 — 23
23

Year 23 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar....
14
Eastern Han Dynasty??dong hàn(H
Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins....
 - E)
25
25

Year 25 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar....
 — 220
220

EventsBy PlaceRoman Empire* The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans.* An Indian delegation visits Roman emperor Elagabalus....
195
Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors....
??san guó(H
Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors....
 - E)
220
220

EventsBy PlaceRoman Empire* The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans.* An Indian delegation visits Roman emperor Elagabalus....
 — 265
265

Events...
45
Western Jin Dynasty??xi jìn(H
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The J?n Dynasty , one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. The dynasty was founded by the Sima family ....
 - E)
265
265

Events...
 — 317
317

Events...
52
Eastern Jin Dynasty??dong jìn(H
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The J?n Dynasty , one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. The dynasty was founded by the Sima family ....
 - E)
317
317

Events...
 — 420
420

Sorry, no overview for this topic
103
Southern and Northern Dynasties
Southern and Northern Dynasties

The Southern and Northern Dynasties followed the Jin Dynasty and preceded Sui Dynasty in China. It was an age of civil war and political disunity....
???nán bei cháo(H
Southern and Northern Dynasties

The Southern and Northern Dynasties followed the Jin Dynasty and preceded Sui Dynasty in China. It was an age of civil war and political disunity....
 - E)
420
420

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 — 589
589

Events...
169
Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes....
?suí(H
Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes....
 - E)
581
581

Events...
 - 618
618

Events...
37
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
?táng(H
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
 - E)
618
618

Events...
 — 907
907

Events...
289
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms????wu dài shí guó(H
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south....
 - E)
907
907

Events...
 — 960
960

Events...
53
Northern Song Dynasty??bei sòng(H
Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling Chinese dynasty in China between 960–1279 AD; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty....
 - E)
960
960

Events...
 — 1127
167
Southern Song Dynasty??nán sòng(H
Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling Chinese dynasty in China between 960–1279 AD; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty....
 - E)
1127 — 1279152
Liao Dynasty
Liao Dynasty

The Liao Dynasty , 907-1125, also known as the Khitan Empire , was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper....
?liáo(H
Liao Dynasty

The Liao Dynasty , 907-1125, also known as the Khitan Empire , was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper....
 - E)
916
916

Year 916 was a common year of the Gregorian calendar in the 10th century....
 — 1125
209
Jin Dynasty?jin(H - E)1115 — 1234119
Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368....
?yuán(H
Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368....
 - E)
1271 — 136897
Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
?míng(H
Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
 - E
List of Emperors of the Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644, succeeding the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and falling amidst much peasant turmoil to the Manchu Qing Dynasty....
)
1368 — 1644276
Shun Dynasty
Shun Dynasty

The Shun Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history created in the brief lapse from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty rule in History of China#Qin Dynasty: The Beginning of Imperial China....
?shùn(H
Battle of Shanhai Pass

The Battle of Shanhai Pass , fought in the Great Wall of China's Shanhaiguan, China in 1644, was the decisive battle leading to the formation of the Qing Dynasty in China....
 - E
Shun Dynasty

The Shun Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history created in the brief lapse from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty rule in History of China#Qin Dynasty: The Beginning of Imperial China....
)
1644
<1
Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....
?qing(H
Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....
 - E
List of Emperors of the Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was founded as the "Later Jin Dynasty" in 1616 by Nurhaci, a Manchu of the Aisin-Gioro Clan, his son Hung Taiji changed its name to "Qing" in 1636....
)
1644 — 1912268

See also

  • History of China
    History of China

    China civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River valley in the Neolithic era. The written history of China begins with the Shang Dynasty ....
  • Timeline of Chinese history
    Timeline of Chinese history

    The following is a timeline of the history of China. Between the changing of the Dynasties in Chinese history, most dates overlap as ruling periods do not transfer immediately....
  • Table of Chinese monarchs
    Table of Chinese monarchs

    The following list of Chinese monarchs is in no way inclusive. From the Shang Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty, rulers usually held the title King . With the division of China into separate Warring States, this title had become so common that the unifier of China, the first Qin Emperor Qin Shi Huang created a new title for himself, that of Emperor...
  • List of recipients of tribute from China
    List of recipients of tribute from China

    Chinese state entities have paid tribute to a number states and confederations throughout history. Due to Sinocentrism, China had not paid them willingly, as it regarded itself as the most advanced, important, and the Middle Kingdom, so these were forced upon China with threats of attacks and raids, which many of the peoples who received trib...
  • List of tributaries of Imperial China
    List of tributaries of Imperial China

    The following is a list of tribute of Imperial China....
  • Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project
    Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project

    The Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project was a multi-discipline project commissioned by the People's Republic of China in 1996 to determine with accuracy the location and time frame of the Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty....
  • Dynastic cycle
    Dynastic cycle

    Dynastic cycle is an important political theory in History of China. According to this theory, every dynasties in Chinese history goes through a dynastic cycle....