Timeline of Chinese history

The following is a timeline of the history of China. Between the changing of the dynasties, most dates overlap as ruling periods do not transfer immediately. Dates prior to 841 BC (beginning of the Gonghe regency) are provisional and subject to dispute.

Pre-Historic China

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
400,000 BC		Peking Man of Zhoukoudian (est.)
7600 BC		Zhenpiyan Culture	Archaeological evidence on domestication of pig for the first time.^[1]
7000 BC		Peiligang Culture and Pengtoushan Culture
6600 BC			Jiahu Script; scholars still debate if it is actual writing or not.
6000 BC		Cishan Culture	Archaeological evidence on domestication of dog and chicken for the first time.^[1]
5000 BC		Baijia Culture	Archaeological evidence on domestication of ox and sheep for the first time.^[1]
4500 BC		Approximate end of Hemudu culture.
4000 BC			Banpo Script; scholars still debate if it is actual writing or not.
3630 BC			Approximate date of the oldest discovered silk in China, found by archaeologists in what is now Henan province in what was the late Yangshao period.
3000 BC		Longshan Culture	During the Longshan Neolithic period, the buffalo are domesticated for the first time in China, and the plow may have been used.
2570 BC			Approximate date for the silk and other items found at the Liangzhu culture site at Qianshanyang in Wuxing District, Zhejiang; silk items found there included a braided silk belt, silk threads, and woven silk.

Ancient China

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Date	Ruler	Events	Other people/events
2852 BC	Fuxi	This period is part of the Chinese mythology
2737 BC	Yan Emperor
2697 BC	Yellow Emperor		The Battle of Banquan, the first battle in Chinese history and the Battle of Zhuolu, the second battle in Chinese history, fought by the Yellow Emperor.
2650 BC			Legend of Cangjie, inventor of the Chinese Character
2597 BC	Shaohao
2514 BC	Zhuanxu
2436 BC	Emperor Ku
2358 BC	Yao
2255 BC	Shun
2205 BC			The End of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Xia Dynasty

Date	Ruler	Events	Other people/events
2100 BC	Yu	Bronze Age in China
2070 BC		Erlitou Culture
1600 BC

Shang Dynasty

Date	Ruler	Events	Other people/events
1723 BC
1400 BC		Erligang Culture
1398 BC	Pan Geng	Around this time, the capital is moved from Zhengzhou to Yinxu.
1250 BC	Wu Ding
1200 BC		Oracle Bone Script, providing the first evidence for the Chinese calendar system.	Around this time, the militant consort Fu Hao is buried in her tomb at Yinxu.
1122 BC		The Zhou Dynasty is founded on the periphery of the Shang realm.
1101	Di Yi
1075 BC	King Zhou of Shang
1050 BC		King Wen of Zhou dies, making this the alleged latest date for the creation of the mathematical King Wen sequence.
1047 BC		King Zhou of Shang takes Daji as his concubine.
1046		Battle of Muye; last Shang ruler allegedly dies while his palace burns to the ground.

Western Zhou Dynasty

Date	Ruler	Events	Other people/events
1034 BC	Wu	Bronzeware script in greater use.
1042 BC	Cheng
1027 BC
1020 BC	Kang
1000 BC		Earliest possible date for the compilation of the Shi Jing (Book of Songs)
995 BC	Zhao
976 BC	Mu	During the 12th year of King Mu's reign, Zhou forces attacked and defeated some branches of the Rong people, allowing for territorial expansion of Zhou. King Mu's critics, including the Duke of Zhai (as recorded in a later 4th century BC discourse of the Mu Tian zizhuan), stated that Mu's expeditions to displace the Rong people were unjustified, as they kept to their own lands and hence abided by their station in the cosmological-political order with China at the center.
922 BC	Gong
899 BC	Yi (Ji Jian)
891 BC	Xiao
885 BC	Yi (Ji Xie)	When the nomadic Rong people of Taiyuan staged an attack on the Zhou capital at Haojing, King Yi called upon the aid of his nobles, a significant event which demarcated the beginning of the Zhou monarchs' dependence on their regional nobles to defend the kingdom. Under the command of Guo Gong, the Zhou were able to defeat the Rong people in a significant battle circa 854 BC, reportedly capturing about a thousand horses.
877 BC	Li	During Li's reign, the Western Rong people launched an invasion deep into Chinese territory before being pushed out.
841 BC	Gonghe Regency	First year of concise, consecutive court dating at the beginning of the regency of Gonghe.
827 BC	Xuan
781 BC	You
771 BC		After King You had replaced Queen Shen with a favored concubine Baosi, the queen's father, the Marquis of Shen, allied with the Quanrong nomadic tribe to sack the capital. Queen Shen's son Ji Yijiu was then put on the throne, initiating the Eastern Zhou era.

Eastern Zhou Dynasty

Date	Ruler	Events	Other people/events
770 BC	Ping
722 BC		Spring and Autumn Period begins, the State of Lu begins the chronicle of the Spring and Autumn Annals.	Capital moved from Xi'an to Luoyang.
720 BC	Huan
707 BC		King Huan of Zhou led a campaign against Duke Zhuang of Zheng after the latter refused to appear in the capital, angered that Huan had dismissed him from his old post as Left Advisor at court. King Huan was allegedly shamed when he was injured in the shoulder by an arrow in an ensuing battle. Duke Zhuang continued to rule Zheng until his death in 701 BC.
697 BC	Zhuang
685 BC		The Duke Huan of Qi began rule over the State of Qi in this year, and was the first of the Five Hegemons who assumed great autonomy from the Zhou Dynasty monarch, the latter whom became more or less a figurehead during the Eastern Zhou.
682 BC	Xi
677 BC	Hui
651 BC	Xiang
645 BC		Death of Guan Zhong, the chancellor of Qi who was appointed by Duke Huan as recommended by Bao Shuya. Guan initiated centralizing administrative and economic reforms that, for a time, made Qi the most successful and developed state in ancient China.
632 BC		Battle of Chengpu
618 BC	Qing
612 BC	Kuang
606 BC	Ding	Sunshu Ao, China's first known hydraulic engineer.
595 BC		Battle of Bi
585 BC	Jian
575 BC		Battle of Yanling
571 BC	Ling
551 BC		Lao Zi, Confucius
548 BC		Oldest known reference to the weiqi or go board game.
544 BC	Jing (Jia Gui)		Four occupation (est.)
543 BC		Guided by the aristocratic statesman Zi Chan, the State of Zheng creates a formal code of law.
520 BC	Jing (Ji Gai)
515 BC		King Liao of Wu is assassinated by Zhuan Zhu, allowing King Helü of Wu to ascend to the throne.
506 BC		Battle of Boju
500 BC		Approximate date for the invention of cast iron in China and the earliest possible date for the invention of the iron plough, which by the 3rd century BC, with better casting techniques, would become the heavy moldboard iron plough.	Approximate date for the first use of bronze knife money.
486 BC		King Fuchai of Wu has the 'Han Gou' built, a proto-section of the Grand Canal of China
484 BC		Death of Wu Zixu, an official of Wu and advisor to King Helü.
482 BC		King Goujian of Yue captures the Wu state capital in a surprise assault while King Fuchai was away at Huangchi.
481 BC		End of Spring and Autumn Period
475 BC	Yuan
473 BC		The State of Wu is annexed by the State of Yue.
470 BC		Birth of Mozi
468 BC	Zhending
465 BC		Death of King Goujian of Yue; his sword was later found in an archaeological site in Hubei in the 1960s.
441 BC	Ai & Si
440 BC	Kao
432 BC		Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng
425 BC	Weilie
403 BC		The State of Jin is partitioned, marking the beginning of the Warring States. Meanwhile, the Marquis Wen of Wei ascends to power, sponsoring Confucianism in Wei, and employing able advisors such as the Legalist Li Kui, the militant officer Wu Qi, and the hydraulic engineer Ximen Bao.
401 BC	An
400 BC		Astronomers Gan De and Shi Shen Star catalogue compilation (est.)	Earliest date for the creation of the earliest known maps made in China, from the State of Qin.
389		Latest possible date for the Zuo Zhuan historical text.
386		The city of Handan is founded, serving as the capital for Zhao.
381 BC		Wu Qi assassinated at the funeral of King Diao of Chu; his book, the Wuzi, is considered one of the Seven Military Classics.
375 BC	Lie	The State of Zheng is annexed by Han.
370 BC		Philosopher Zhuangzi is born around this time.
368 BC	Xian
354 BC		Battle of Guiling
350 BC		Earliest proposed date for the Guodian Chu Slips, containing the oldest known version of the Tao Te Ching, parts of the Classic of History, and a chapter from the Classic of Rites
342 BC		Battle of Maling	Crossbow used in China.
320 BC	Shenjing
319 BC		Philosopher Mencius becomes an official in the State of Qi
316 BC		Death of Sun Bin
314 BC	Nan
310 BC		Birth of Xunzi
307 BC		Imitating the northern nomadic armies, King Wuling of Zhao reforms the Zhao state's military by adopting formal cavalry ranks over charioteers and importing the trouser-pants style of the nomads for soldiers.
305 BC		Birth of Zou Yan, whose school of thought would for the first time systematically combine the two premodern theories of Yin and yang and the Five Elements.
300 BC		Erya, China's oldest known dictionary
293 BC		Battle of Yique
278 BC		The poem "Lament for Ying" is written by Qu Yuan after discovering that the capital of Chu had been captured by Qin.
260 BC		Battle of Changping
256 BC		Last king of Zhou dies, marking the end of the dynasty.	Dujiangyan Irrigation System
250 BC		Repeating crossbow featured in drawings from the records of Chu.
246 BC		The Zhengguo Canal is completed by Zheng Guo of Qin.

Imperial China

Qin Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
361 BC	Xiao
356 BC		Shang Yang initiates a reform movement in the Qin state, which is outlined in the Book of Lord Shang.
338 BC	Huiwen	Shang Yang is executed.
316 BC		Shu and Ba are conquered by Qin
311 BC	King Wu
306 BC	Zhaoxiang
293 BC		Battle of Yique
255 BC		Seven Warring States
250 BC	Xiaowen	Seven Warring States
249 BC	Zhuangxiang
246 BC	Ying Zheng	Ying Zheng becomes King of Qin
230 BC		Han is conquered by Qin
227 BC		Jing Ke fails to assassinate the King of Qin.
223 BC		Chu is conquered by Qin
222 BC		Yan and Zhao are conquered by Qin.
221 BC	Qin Shihuang (First Emperor)	Qin state emerges victorious, as the warring states of China are unified under a single empire with a powerful central government.	Imperial Seal of China
220 BC		Great Wall construction begins	Li Si standardizes the writing system with Small Seal Script characters.
214 BC		The Lingqu Canal is engineered by Shi Lu, and is the oldest contour canal (i.e. follows a contour line) in the world
213 BC		Start of the Book Burning policy
210 BC		Burial of the Terracotta Army, featuring over 8,000 terracotta statues and the earliest known umbrellas in China.
209 BC	Qin Er Shi	Chieftain Modu Shanyu establishes the Xiongnu Empire on the northern steppe.	Low-ranking officers Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebel against Qin after fear of execution for delay of arriving at a post with newly-drafted conscripts; their small revolt initiates a gradual but massive and uncoordinated revolt on several fronts against Qin authority.
208 BC		Chief eunuch Zhao Gao has the Chancellor Li Si executed, destabilizing Qin as the rebellions of Xiang Yu and others become widespread.	Qin General Zhang Han defeats Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.
207 BC	Ziying	Xiang Yu forces the surrender of Qin general Zhang Han, but Liu Bang captures Hanzhong, the heart of Qin. Qin leader Ziying executes his chief eunuch Zhao Gao and formally submits to Liu Bang	Nanyue is established in Vietnam by Qin general Zhao Tuo.
206 BC		In the first month of 206 BC, after Liu Bang occupied the Qin capital of Xianyang, his rival Xiang Yu arrives at the city and allegedly plunders and burns it to the ground, killing Ziying and the remnants of the Qin royal family. Although Ziying had already submitted to Liu Bang in the last month of 207 BC, this event is viewed by historians as the final event of the Qin Dynasty.

Western Han Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
206 BC		Chu-Han contention begins, a civil war between the forces of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu after the fall of Qin that lasts until 202 BC	Feast at Hong Gate
205 BC		Battle of Jingxing
202 BC	Gaozu	Battle of Gaixia
200 BC		Battle of Baideng	Sometime in the 2nd century BC, the multi-tube seed drill is invented and increases agricultural yields as seeds are carefully planted in rows instead of being cast out onto the crop field.
193 BC		Death of Xiao He, the Prime Minister of Han
195 BC
190 BC	Hui	Chang'an becomes the eastern terminus of the Silk Road connecting to Europe
189 BC		Death of Zhang Liang, a former marquis of the State of Han and key advisor to Liu Bang who helped found the Han Dynasty.
180 BC	Wen	Rule of Wen and Jing	Lü Clan Disturbance
168 BC		Mawangdui Silk Texts are interred at the tombs of Mawangdui, containing some of the oldest known textual versions of the Book of Changes.
157 BC	Jing
141 BC	Wu
140 BC		Persuaded by Dong Zhongshu's essay in a literary competition, Emperor Wu, or his Prime Minister Wei Wan, adopts Confucianism at court.
139 BC		Under the patronage of Prince Liu An, the scholars known as the Eight Immortals of Huainan publish the Huainanzi, a philosophical text that also covered subjects of military strategy as well as geography and cartography.
133 BC		Sino-Xiongnu War	Battle of Mayi
130 BC		Sino-Roman relations
125 BC		Zhang Qian returns to China to report on his travels and the kingdoms of Dayuan (Fergana), Kangju (Sogdiana), Daxia (Greco-Bactrian Kingdom), Shendu (Indo-Greek Kingdom), Anxi (Parthia), and Taozhi (Mesopotamia).
119 BC		Battle of Mobei
108 BC		Battle of Loulan	Wiman Joseon in Korea falls to Han forces.
102 BC		Emperor Wu's forces besiege Kokand in the Fergana Valley
100 BC		Steel in China.
94 BC	Zhao
91 BC		Sima Qian completes the Records of the Grand Historian, a groundbreaking work in Chinese historiography.
86 BC		Death of Jin Midi, an official of Xiongnu ethnicity who became a regent of the Han Dynasty during the early reign of Zhao.
74 BC	Xuan
67 BC		Battle of Jushi
60 BC		Protectorate of the Western Regions is established.
48 BC	Yuan	Consort Ban, a famous female poet, is born around this time.
40 BC		The Ji Jiu Pian dictionary records China's first known use of the treadle-operated tilt hammer, while the later book Xinlun by Huan Tan (d. 28 AD) described the first hydrualic-powered trip hammer which would have been operated by a waterwheel.
37 BC		Death of Jing Fang, who was the first in music theory to note that 53 just fifths approximates 31 octaves. Like the later Zhang Heng, he was also a proponent of the 'radiating influence' theory, which stated that the light of the moon was merely the reflected light of the sun.
36 BC		Battle of Zhizhi
30 BC		First mention of the wheelbarrow in history.
18 BC		Lienü zhuan, a book about exemplary women in Chinese history, is compiled by the scholar Liu Xiang.
32 BC	Cheng
6 BC	Ai
1 BC	Ping
1 AD		Sometime from this year until the end of the century, the earliest representation of a stern-mounted rudder for steering ships is made in China, on a tomb model of a sailing junk.
2		Han government census counts 59 million people in the empire.
3		Emperor Ping establishes a nationwide school system on the central, prefectural, and county levels.
6	Ruzi
8		Liu Xin completes his star catalogue of 1080 stars, as well as fixing the year at 365.25016 days long (11 minutes longer than the modern year) by calculating the synodic month to be 29 43/81 days long, with a total of 235 synodic months adding up to 19 years. He is also the first Chinese to attempt a more accurate calculation of pi at 3.154, as the Chinese before him simply approximated it to 3. Zhang Heng and Liu Hui would later improve upon Liu's calculation in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, respectively.

Xin Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
9	Wang Mang	Ruzi Ying is dethroned; Wang Mang initiates the short-lived Xin Dynasty	Wang Mang introduces the well-field system of land distribution and agricultural production.
10		Wang Mang introduces an income tax of 10% for professionals and skilled laborers.	Wang Mang outlaws the private use of crossbows. Despite this, Liu Xiu (the later Emperor Guangwu of Han) purchases them on the black market to aid the rebellion of his brother Liu Yan and rebel leader Li Tong in early winter of 22.
12		With pressure from aristocrats, Wang is forced to rescind the well-field system.
17		Wang Mang imposes government monopolies on liquor, salt, iron, coinage, forestry, and fishing.	Mother Lü initiates rebellion against a county magistrate in Shandong province.
18		Death of Yang Xiong, a poet, Daoist, and author who wrote the first dialect dictionary of China, the Fangyan.
23		Battle of Kunyang	Storming of Weiyang Palace, Wang Mang is killed, Gengshi restores the Han Dynasty.

Eastern Han Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
23	Gengshi
25	Guangwu
27		Chimei rebels surrender to Han authority after defeat
31		Prefect Du Shi invents waterwheel-powered bellows for the blast furnace in making cast iron.
33		Rebellion of Gongsun Shu; Gongsun blockades the width of the Yangzi River with a fortified floating pontoon bridge, but his defenses give in once Han General Cen Peng employs 'castle ships' to ram and attack Gongsun's rebel navy
43		Second Chinese domination of Vietnam
52		The first known gazetteer of China, the Yuejue Shu, is written.
57		Sino-Japanese relations
58		Death of Deng Yu, the Prime Minister of Han and military officer.
65		Liu Ying, son of Emperor Guangwu, sponsors Buddhism.
68		White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China, is founded.
73		Battle of Yiwulu
83		Wang Chong correctly theorizes the nature of the water cycle; he is also the first in Chinese history to mention use of the chain pump.
87		Yuan An, an advocate of marriage alliance policies with the Xiongnu, is promoted to the position of Minister over the Masses.
88	He
89		Battle of Ikh Bayan
97		Ban Chao reaches the Caspian Sea with his army, sends envoy Gan Ying to the outskirts of the Roman Empire.
100		The Shuowen Jiezi dictionary is completed by Xu Shen.
105		Cai Lun invents papermaking	Goguryeo-Han Wars
106	Shang
111		Ban Zhao completes the Book of Han, which was begun by her father Ban Biao and continued by her elder brother Ban Gu.
120		Zhang Heng completes his star catalogue, documenting 2,500 stars in over 100 constellations, writes a new formula for pi, corrected mistakes in the Chinese calendar, gave reasoning for a spherical moon that reflects light, and noted that lunar eclipse occurred when the earth obstructed the sunlight reaching the moon, while a solar eclipse was the moon's obstruction of sunlight reaching earth.
125		Zhang Heng invents the first hydraulic-powered armillary sphere, given motive power by a waterwheel and incorporating an inflow water clock, the latter of which he improved by adding a compensating tank between the reservoir and the inflow vessel.	The earliest known Chinese depiction of a mechanical distance-marking odometer is drawn on a mural of the Xiao Tang Shan Tomb.
132		Zhang Heng invents a seismometer device that, with a pendulum and complex set of gears and cranks, is able to discern the cardinal direction of earthquakes by the dropping of bronze balls into wrought toad's mouths indicating the direction.	Birth of Cai Yong, a mathematician, astronomer, musician, calligrapher, and father of Cai Wenji.
142	Shun	The Kinship of the Three
147		Birth of Lokaksema, a Yuezhi monk from Kushan who translated Mahayana Buddhist texts into Chinese.
148		An Shigao, a Persian prince from Parthia, arrives in China in this year to translate Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist texts into Chinese.
166		Roman embassy reaches China.	Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions
168	Ling
177		Birth of Cai Wenji, a famous female poet and musical composer.
179		Earliest known reference to the The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
180		Ding Huan invents the manual-powered rotary fan, which is recorded in the Hou Han Shu as being able to make halls cool enough for people to shiver during the summer. During the Tang Dynasty, hydraulics were applied to power the rotary fan first innovated by Ding.
184		Yellow Turban Rebellion
185		Zhi Yao, a Yuezhi monk from Kushan, translates Buddhist texts into Chinese.
189	Prince of Hongnong	Dong Zhuo poisons the Prince of Hongnong	Massacre of Eunuchs
190	Xian	Campaign against Dong Zhuo	Battle of Hulao Pass, Battle of Sishui Pass, Battle of Xingyang
191		Battle of Jieqiao	Battle of Yangcheng, Battle of Xiangyang
192		Lü Bu murders his tyrannical stepfather Dong Zhuo, an assassination plot whose main architect was Wang Yun.
193		Battle of Fengqiu
194		Sun Ce's conquest of Wu Territory	Battle of Yan Province
197		Battle of Wancheng
198		Battle of Xiapi	Battle of Yijing
199		Campaign against Yuan Shu
200		Battle of Guandu
202		Battle of Bowang
204		Gongsun Kang, a Chinese warlord of Liaodong, establishes the Daifang Commandery in northern Korea.
208		Battle of Red Cliffs	Battle of Changban, Battle of Xiakou, Battle of Yiling, Battle of Jiangling
211		Battle of Tong Pass
213		Siege of Jicheng	Battle of Licheng
214		Liu Bei's takeover of Yi Province	Battle of Jiameng Pass
215		Battle of Yangping	Battle of Baxi
217		Battle of Hefei	Battle of Ruxukou
218		Battle of Mount Dingjun
219		Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province	Battle of Han River, Battle of Fancheng
220		Cao Pi forces the last Han emperor to abdicate.

Three Kingdoms

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
221	(Cao Pi-Wei) (Liu Bei-Shu) (Sun Quan-Wu)	Battle of Xiaoting
222		Battle of Yiling
225		Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign
227		Battle of Xincheng
228		Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions	Battle of Tianshui, Battle of Jieting, Battle of Shiting, Siege of Chencang
232			Death of Cao Zhi, a famous poet and son of Cao Cao.
234		Battle of Wuzhang Plains
244		Battle of Xingshi
247		Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions
248			The rebellion of Triệu Thị Trinh in Vietnam is defeated by Wu.
249		Incident at Gaoping Tombs
250		Introduction of Buddhism in China
255		Ma Jun invents the South Pointing Chariot, a mechanical directional pathfinder that acts like a compass in that it always points north; this device employed a differential gear system, the same found in modern automobiles.	Battle of Didao
263		Conquest of Shu by Wei	Liu Hui publishes the revised version of The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, with Liu's commentary.
265		Nine-rank system
280		Conquest of Wu by Jin

Western Jin Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
265	Wu	Sometime between this year and 271, the Jin Dynasty cartographer and geographer Pei Xiu noted a groundbreaking development in Chinese cartography, as he was the first to describe the grid reference and graduated scale of measurement for Chinese maps; however, it is known that grids and familiarity with scaled distance on maps existing beforehand, while scholars point to evidence that it might have been an original innovation of Zhang Heng.
271
280		Unification of China, defeat of Wu	Records of Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou.
290	Hui
291		War of the Eight Princes
304		Sixteen Kingdoms (Han Zhao, Later Zhao, Cheng Han, Former Liang, Later Liang, Northern Liang, Western Liáng, Southern Liang, Former Yan, Later Yan, Northern Yan, Southern Yan, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Qin, Xia)
306
307	Huai
311	Min		Emperor Huai is captured by Han Zhao forces, the capital is moved from Luoyang to Chang'an.
313		The state of Goguryeo in Manchuria and Korea conquers the Jin-Chinese Lelang Commandery.
316		Chang'an is captured, Emperor Min of Jin surrenders to Liu Yao, a general of the Xiongnu state Han Zhao. The Jin court flees south to Jiankang, what is now Nanjing, the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
318		Former Emperor Min is executed by Liu Cong, emperor of Han Zhao.

Eastern Jin Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
317	Yuan	Sixteen Kingdoms and Six Dynasties
322			First accurate tomb depiction of stirrups.
323	Ming
324			The sick and ailing rebel Wang Dun dies while his forces are being repelled by Emperor Ming's troops.
325	Cheng
328			Su Jun, who had waged war against the regent Yu Liang, is defeated by generals Tao Kan and Wen Jiao.
342	Kang
344	Mu
353			Famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi writes the Lantingji Xu in semi-cursive script.
361	Ai
365	Fei
366			Famous painter Gu Kaizhi becomes an officer of Jin.
369			Jin general Huan Wen is defeated by Murong Chui, a general of the ethnic Xianbei state Former Yan.
372	Xiaowu
383			Battle of Fei River
396	An
399			Faxian sails to Sri Lanka and India to recover Buddhist texts.
405			Famous poet Tao Qian goes into retirement for the next 22 years, until his death.
419	Gong
420			The regent Liu Yu seizes the throne from Emperor Gong, initiating the Liu Song Dynasty.

Southern and Northern Dynasties

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
386
404		Huiyuan, founder of Pure Land Buddhism, writes the book On Why Monks Do Not Bow Down Before Kings, where he argues that Buddhist clergy should stay out of politics but Buddhist laypeople make good subjects because of belief in karma.
439
475		Bodhidharma arrives in China
477		Oldest known painted depiction of a horse collar, on a cave mural of Dunhuang, Northern Wei Dynasty.
485		After the well-field system had fallen out of use, Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei introduces the equal-field system.
496		Change of Xianbei names to Han names
501		Cui Hong begins compiling the Shiliuguo Chunqiu
523		Songyue Pagoda is built, the earliest known fully brick pagoda in China, in departure from the fully timber tradition. It still stands at a height of 40 m (131 ft).
543		The Chinese dictionary Yupian is completed by Gu Yewang.
581		Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou is forced to step down from the throne by his regent Yang Jian, who assumes power as Emperor Wen of Sui, initiating the Sui Dynasty.

Sui Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
581	Wen
582		Compilation begins on the Jingdian Shiwen dictionary.
589		Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to toilet paper in history.
598		Goguryeo-Sui Wars begin in what is now North Korea.
600		First of the Japanese embassies to China.
601		Lu Fayan publishes the rime dictionary Qieyun.
602		Third Chinese domination of Vietnam
604	Yang
605		Imperial examinations are instituted, beginning a long bureaucratic tradition of scholar-officialdom in China.	Zhaozhou Bridge completed.
607		Japanese emissary Ono no Imoko arrives in China.
609		Grand Canal of China completed.
610		Engineers Geng Xun and Yuwen Kai improve the clepsydra clock model when they provided a steelyard balance that allowed seasonal adjusment in the pressure head of the compensating tank and could then control the rate of flow for different lengths of day and night. The earlier Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty was the first to add the compensating tank between the reservoir and the inflow vessel.	Emperor Yang collaborates a huge effort for all the commanderies of China to submit gazetteers describing their local areas and providing maps to the central government, in an effort to maintain control and provide better security.
611		Four Gates Pagoda is completed.
612		Battle of Salsu
617		After capturing Chang'an, the rebel-turned-emperor Li Yuan demotes Emperor Yang to the status of a Taishang Huang (Retired Emperor).

Tang Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
618	Gaozu	Transition from Sui to Tang
621		Battle of Hulao
624		The Yiwen Leiju encyclopedia is completed by Ouyang Xun.
626	Taizong	Emperor Taizong's campaign against Eastern Tujue	Incident at Xuanwu Gate
635		First Christian missionaries arrive in China: Nestorian monks from Asia Minor and Persia, building Daqin Pagoda. Alopen, a Persia bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, also writes the Jesus Sutras.	Emperor Taizong's campaign against Tuyuhun; also, Book of Liang is published.
636		Xumi Pagoda is completed.	Compilations of the Book of Chen, Book of Northern Qi, Book of Zhou, and the Book of Sui.
638		Emperor Taizong's campaign against Tufan
639		Emperor Taizong's campaign against Xueyantuo
640		Protectorate General to Pacify the West	Emperor Taizong's campaign against Xiyu states
643		Emperor Taizong commissions artist Yan Liben to paint the portraits of 24 different emperors and 18 noted scholars for the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion.
644		Emperor Taizong's campaign against Goguryeo, Tang allies with Korean Silla during the Goguryeo-Tang Wars
646		Great Tang Records on the Western Regions is compiled by Bianji, documenting the travels of Buddhist monk Xuanzang through the Gobi Desert, Kucha, Tashkent, Samarkand, Gandhara, and finally to India where he studied at Nalanda.
647		Protectorate General to Pacify the North
648		Book of Jin is compiled.
649	Gaozong	Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar (est.)
650		The Records of the Tang Dynasty describes a landmark visit to China by Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, one of the sahaba, in 650 C.E. This event is considered to be the birth of Islam in China.
657		Emperor Gaozong commissions the compilation of a large materia medica documenting the use of 833 medicinal drugs.
659		Compilations for the History of Southern Dynasties and History of Northern Dynasties is completed.
663		Battle of Baekgang, Silla-Tang forces defeat Japanese-Baekje navy.
666		Two Chinese Buddhist monks, Zhi Yu and Zhi You, craft a mechanical South Pointing Chariot for Japanese Emperor Tenji.
668		Protectorate General to Pacify the East
684	Wu Zetian	Qianling Mausoleum is completed.	Death of poet Luo Binwang.
699		Chinese troops retake the Four Garrisons of Anxi from the Tibetans.
700		Approximate date for the creation of the Dunhuang map, an astronomical chart.
704		Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is rebuilt.
705	Zhongzong
709		Small Wild Goose Pagoda is completed.
710	Ruizong	The Shitong, a history of Chinese historiography up until the late 8th century, is compiled by Liu Zhiji.	Death of Shangguan Wan'er, a female writer, government official, and concubine.
712	Xuanzong	Pear Garden, an Academy of Music that trained acting troupes.
713		Kai yuan newspaper
725		Yi Xing invents a water-powered celestial globe featuring an escapement mechanism and striking clock.
729		Gautama Siddha completes the compilation of the Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era.
740		This year marks the death of both Wu Daozi, a renowned Tang painter, and Meng Haoran, a renowned Tang poet.
744		Famous poets Du Fu and Li Bai meet for the first time.
751		Battle of Talas; this battle marks the beginning of the westward transmission of the ancient Chinese papermaking process.
755		An Lushan Rebellion	Death of Zhang Xuan, a renowned painter.
756	Suzong	Battle of Yongqiu
758		Arab and Persian pirates loot and burn the seaport of Guangzhou, causing Chinese officials to virtually shut down the port for five decades while foreign vessels from the Indian Ocean came mostly to Hanoi in Chinese-controlled Vietnam to trade there instead.
757		Battle of Suiyang
760		Earliest date for the Classic of Tea by Lu Yu.
761		Death of Wang Wei, a renowned painter, musician, poet, scholar, and official.
762	Daizong	The Jingxingji is written by Du Huan, which described several major foreign countries including the Abbasid Empire and the Byzantine Empire.
763		Shi Siming is killed by his own son, putting an end to the An Lushan Rebellion
779	Dezong
781		Nestorian Stone is composed.
783		Death of the famous painter Han Gan.
785		Official Jia Dan begins a monumental work of cartography and geography. In it he describes many foreign places, including the Japan, Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Arabian Peninsula, the Euphrates River and Baghdad of modern day Iraq, and minaret lighthouses in the Persian Gulf that were later described by al-Mas'udi and al-Muqaddasi.
794		Prince Li Gao has the first Chinese paddle-wheel ships made.
798		The Army of Divine Strategy, staffed by eunuch officers, reaches 240,000 troops, thanks largely to the revenues of the salt commission.
799		The lucrative trade of the salt commission, a government monopoly, accounts for half of the government's incoming revenues by this year.
801		Compilation of the Tongdian history and encyclopedia by Du You is complete.
805	Xianzong
806		With a renewed military, Emperor Xianzong of Tang begins a series of seven major military campaigns in which he quells all remaining rebelling provinces except for two.
820	Muzong
824	Jingzong	Death of Han Yu, an essayist and poet who was an early proponent of the Classical Prose Movement, while his works are considered foundations for later Neo-Confucianism. He was also an early polemecist and advocate against Buddhism.
826	Wenzong
831		An Uyghur Turk sues the son of a Tang grand general who had failed to repay a debt of 11 million government-issued copper coins. Emperor Wenzong of Tang soon hears the news, and is so upset that he not only banishes the general, but attempts to ban all trade between Chinese and foreigners except for trade in livestock. This ban is unsuccessful, and trade with foreigners resumes, especially in maritime affairs overseas.
840	Wuzong
843		Chang'an, a large fire consumes 4,000 homes, warehouses, and other buildings in the East Market, yet the rest of the city is at a safe distance from the blaze (which is largely quarantined in East Central Chang'an thanks to the large width of roads in Chang'an that produce fire breaks).
845		Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution
846	Xuānzong	Death of Bai Juyi, a renowned Tang poet who penned over 2,800 poems in his lifetime.
851		Arab merchant Suleiman al-Tajir visits Guangzhou seaport and describes Chinese porcelain manufacture, tea consumption, granaries, and the Islamic mosque of the city. He notes that the Chinese use toilet paper instead of washing with water.
852		Death of Du Mu, a famous poet renowned for his vivid and realistic style.
853		Duan Chengshi publishes his Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang.
858		An enormous flood along the Grand Canal and on the North China Plain kills tens of thousands of people.
859	Yizong
863		Duan Chengshi describes the slave trade, ivory trade, and ambergris trade in Berbera, Somalia, East Africa.
868		Woodblock printing of the Diamond Sutra
873	Xizong
874		Huang Chao Rebellion
879		Huang Chao burns and loots the international seaport at Guangzhou, killing thousands of native Chinese and foreign merchants from all over the Asian continent.
884		The Huang Chao Rebellion is finally crushed by Tang troops.
889	Zhaozong
904	Ai
907		Zhu Wen overthrows the Tang Dynasty and initiates the Later Liang	Ten thousand years (est.)

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Date	5 Dynasties	10 Kingdoms	Events
907	Later Liang Dynasty	Wu Wuyue Min Chu Southern Han Former Shu Later Shu Jingnan Southern Tang Northern Han
917			Earliest known description in China of Greek Fire.
919			Earliest known description of a flamethrower in China.
923	Later Tang Dynasty
936	Later Jin Dynasty
947	Later Han Dynasty
950			The earliest known depiction of a fire lance (proto gun) and lobbed grenade.
960			Around this time, Gu Hongzhong paints the classic Night Revels of Han Xizai.
951	Later Zhou Dynasty
960
961			Huqiu Tower is built.
979

Liao Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
907	Taizu
926	Taizong
947	Shizong
951	Muzong
969	Jingzong
982	Shengzong
993		The First Goryeo-Khitan War, marking the beginning of the Goryeo-Khitan Wars
997		The Chinese dictionary Longkan Shoujian is compiled by the monk Xingjun.
1005		Treaty of Shanyuan
1010		Second Goryeo-Khitan War
1018		Third Goryeo-Khitan War	Battle of Kwiju
1031	Xingzong
1055	Daozong
1056		Pagoda of Fogong Temple is completed.
1101	Tianzuo
1120		Pagoda of Tianning Temple is completed.
1124		Kara-Khitan Khanate
1125		Song and Jin conquest of Liao.

Northern Song Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
960	Taizu	Hundred Family Surnames (est.)	In the Wuli Xiaoshi (1630), Fang Yizhi states that Song Taizu was presented with gunpowder-impregnated fire arrows in this year.
971		Song troops defeat the war elephants of the Southern Han.
974		Song troops construct and defend a floating pontoon bridge across the Yangzi River in order to secure supply lines while fighting against the Southern Tang forces.
976	Taizong	Yuelu Academy founded.
977		Longhua Pagoda is built.
978		Extensive Records of the Taiping Era is completed. It is the first of the Four Great Books of Song.
981		Battle of Bach Dang
983		Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era is completed.
984		Canal pound lock invented by Qiao Weiyo
986		Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature is completed.
990		Famous painter Fan Kuan is born around this time.
997	Zhenzong
1100		Sometime between this year and the end of the century, the Chinese discovered how to use bituminous coke instead of charcoal for blast furnaces in casting iron, sparing thousands of acres of prime timberland from deforestation.
1005		Treaty of Shanyuan between Liao and Song.
1010		After 39 years in the making, the enormous atlas of China commissioned by the emperor and drawn by a team of scholars under Lu Duosun and Song Zhun is completed in 1556 chapters, including maps for individual towns, districts, counties, prefectures, circuits (provinces), and a map of the whole of China.
1011		The Guangyun rime dictionary is completed by Chen Pengnian and Qiu Yong.
1013		Prime Tortoise of the Record Bureau is completed.
1022	Renzong
1037		Ding Du publishes the Jiyun rime dictionary.
1041		Bi Sheng invents the earliest movable type printing.
1043		Officials Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu introduce the Qingli Reforms, which would soon be rescinded in 1045.
1044		Wujing Zongyao, first book with written gunpowder formula; the book also describes the double-piston flamethrower.
1045		Lingxiao Pagoda is completed.
1049		Iron Pagoda is completed.
1055		Liaodi Pagoda is completed.
1060		The compilation of the New Book of Tang, edited by Ouyang Xiu, is presented to the throne.
1063	Yingzong	Pizhi Pagoda is completed.
1067	Shenzong
1068		First use of the drydock in China
1069		Chancellor Wang Anshi introduces the reforms of the New Policies, which included the Baojia system, his policies breed factionalism at court while the later chancellor Sima Guang would lead the conservatives against his party.
1070		Su Song publishes the Bencao Tujing, an interdisciplinary pharmaceutical treatise incorporating info on botany, zoology, and mineralogy.
1072		Guo Xi paints his famous work Early Spring.
1075		Diplomat Shen Kuo asserts Song's rightful borders by using court archives against the bluff of Emperor Daozong of Liao.	Shen Kuo travels to Cizhou, and describes a forging process of cast iron under a cool blast that is considered by historians Needham and Hartwell as a predecessor to the metallurgic Bessemer process.
1076		Wang Anshi resigns as chancellor.
1077		Su Song is sent on a diplomatic mission to the Liao Dynasty, discovers that the Khitan calendar is more mathematically accurate than the Song; Emperor Zhezong later sponsors Su Song's clock tower in order to compete with Liao astronomers.
1078		According to the research of Robert Hartwell, China was producing on annual average 127,000,000 kg (125,000 t) of cast iron by this year, a sixfold increase since the year 806 during the Tang.
1080		Song forces inflict defeats on the Western Xia Dynasty, Shen Kuo takes up defense at Yan'an.
1081		An officer disobeys commands and his army is destroyed by the Tanguts; although he successfully defended Yan'an, Shen Kuo is blamed for the fiasco and impeached.	Su Song publishes a 200 volume work on Liao-Song relations.
1084		Sima Guang completes the compilation of Zizhi Tongjian, a universal history text of 294 volumes with 3 million Chinese characters.	Famous lady poet Li Qingzhao is born.
1085	Zhezong	The New Policies Group, a political faction once led by Wang Anshi, is ousted from power as the new Empress dowager and regent over the young Zhezong Emperor sides with the faction led by the statesman and historian Sima Guang.
1088		Dream Pool Essays by Shen Kuo, first book to describe the magnetic compass; Shen also postulates theories in early geomorphology and paleoclimatology, describes Bi Sheng's movable type printing, atmospheric refraction, problems of calculus and trigonometry, methods of archaeology, and is the first in China to describe camera obscura (after Ibn al-Haytham) and the concept of true north.
1090		First known description of the mechanical belt drive is found in the Book of Sericulture by Qin Guan.
1094		Clock tower of Su Song is completed in Kaifeng, featuring an escapement mechanism and chain drive to rotate an armillary sphere and sound an intricate striking clock.
1094		Dongpo Academy is established on the island of Hainan, on the same spot where famous poet and official Su Shi was exiled by the New Policies court faction.
1100	Huizong
1103		Yingzao Fashi architectural treatise is published by Li Jie and is promoted by Huizong's government as a standard manual for construction and building.
1107		Death of famous painter, calligrapher, and poet Mi Fu.
1111		Donglin Academy is founded.
1119		Zhu Yu publishes his Pingzhou Table Talks, confirming Shen Kuo's description of the magnetic compass by stating its use in seafaring.
1125		Song Dynasty forces ally with rebel Jurchens to topple the Khitan Liao Dynasty.
1126	Qinzong
1127		Jingkang Incident, the northern third of China is conquered by the Jurchens under the Jin Dynasty, the capital of Song China is pushed south from Kaifeng to Hangzhou.

Southern Song Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1127	Gaozong
1132		China's first permanent standing navy is established, with Song naval headquarters at Dinghai.	A fire destroys some 13,000 homes in the new capital at Hangzhou.
1135		General Yue Fei defeats the rebels under Yang Yao by first entangling his paddle-wheel ships in rotten logs and other floating debris.
1141		Treaty of Shaoxing between Jin and Song.
1161		Battle of Tangdao and Battle of Caishi, Song naval victories over Jin after the latter attempted to conquer southern China.	The Yunjing rime dictionary is compiled by Zhang Linzhi.
1162	Xiaozong	Beisi Pagoda is completed.
1165		Liuhe Pagoda is completed
1179		White Deer Grotto Academy is rebuilt by Zhu Xi.
1189	Guangzong
1194	Ningzong
1215		Battle of Beijing
1224	Lizong
1241		Emperor Lizong sponsors Zhu Xi's Four Books and Neo-Confucianism.
1247		Qin Jiushao writes his Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections, which included use of the Horner scheme hundreds of years before it was discovered independently by William George Horner.
1259		Möngke Khan dies in Chongqing during the Fishing Battle of Fishing Town.
1260		Ariq Böke threatens civil war, forcing Kublai Khan to retreat north as Song Dynasty Chancellor Jia Sidao pushes Mongol troops north of the Yangzi River in an opportune assault.
1264	Duzong
1261		Although written of around 1100, Yang Hui draws the first known Chinese diagram of Pascal's triangle.	From this year until the conquest of Song, Kublai attempts to gain southern Chinese acceptance in benevolent displays of releasing large bands of Southern Song merchants after short periods of capture and detainment at the border.
1265		Kublai Khan invades Sichuan and captures 146 Song naval ships as war booty.
1267		Battle of Xiangyang begins.
1269		In this year, and every consecutive year until 1272, the Song navy attempts to break the enormous Mongol and Northern Chinese naval blockade on the Han River. All attempts are unsuccessful, as thousands of men and hundreds of ships are lost in the process.
1271		Voyage of Marco Polo begins
1273		Battle of Xiangyang ends, Yuan victory.
1275		Turkish general Bayan defeats Song Chancellor Jia Sidao's army of 130,000 troops; Jia is impeached from court and killed by one of his own guards.
1276	Duanzong	Unlike his contemporary and fellow painter Zhao Mengfu, the scholar-official Qian Xuan declines the offer to serve the Yuan government out of Song patriotism and devotes his retirement (until his death in 1305) to creating works of art.
1278	Bing
1279		Battle of Yamen; the Yuan Dynasty Chinese General Zhang Hongfan crushes the last resistance of the Southern Song.

Western Xia

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1038	Jingzong
1048	Yizong
1067	Huizong
1086	Chongzong
1139	Renzong
1193	Huanzong
1206	Xiangzong
1211	Shenzong
1223	Xianzong
1226	Mozhu
1227		Genghis Khan died during the siege of the final Western Xia stronghold in 1227, so it is his successor Ögedei Khan who in this year resumes the war against Jin.

Jin Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1115	Taizu
1123	Taizong
1127		Jingkang Incident
1135	Xizong
1149	Hailingwang
1153		The Jin capital is moved from Huining Fu to Zhongdu (Beijing)
1157		The capital is moved again, this time from Beijing to Kaifeng.
1161	Shizong	The Jin Dynasty under Hailingwang attempts to invade and conquer the Southern Song Dynasty, but their naval forces are destroyed at the Battle of Tangdao and Battle of Caishi
1164		The Treaty of Longxing between Song and Jin ushers in four decades of peace.
1189		Chengling Pagoda is built.
1190	Zhangzong
1209	Weishaowang
1211		The Mongol leader Genghis Khan launches a major military campaign against the Jin Dynasty.
1213	Xuanzong
1214		In the terms of a treaty with Genghis Khan, the Jin Dynasty becomes a vassal state of the expanding Mongol Empire.
1215		When the Jin court moves their capital from Beijing to Kaifeng once more, Genghis Khan sees this as open revolt, and sacks the former capital Beijing, burning the city to the ground.
1216		The Song Dynasty assaults Jin from the south, and again in 1223 while the Jin empire was collapsing.
1224	Aizong
1227		Genghis Khan died during the siege of the final Western Xia stronghold in 1227, so it is his successor Ögedei Khan who in this year resumes the war against Jin.
1233		The Jin capital at Kaifeng is captured by Ögedei Khan's forces.
1234	Modi	The last Jin emperor is killed by Mongol forces in what is now Runan County of Henan.

Yuan Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1260		Kublai Khan makes the Tibetan lama Drogön Chögyal Phagpa the State Preceptor and grants him power over Tibet, his Sakya regime lasting until its overthrow in the 1350s by the Phagmodru myriarchy.
1270		Sambyeolcho Rebellion in Korea against Mongol-dominated Goryeo.
1271	Kublai Khan
1273		Battle of Xiangyang
1274			Mongol Invasions of Japan
1276		Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory is built.
1279		Battle of Yamen
1287		Rabban Bar Sauma, a Nestorian Uyghur Turk from Beijing, travels to Europe in this year and hosted by Andronikos II Palaiologos of the Byzantine Empire, Philip IV of France, and Edward I of England in hopes of striking an alliance to seize Jerusalem, then under the Muslim Mamluk Bahri dynasty.	Battle of Pagan, end of Pagan
1288		Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)
1289		Franciscan friars begin mission work in China
1294	Chengzong
1298		Wang Zhen improves the movable type printing of Bi Sheng by introducing the first successful wooden type characters; he also experiments with tin metal type characters.
1308	Wuzong
1311	Renzong
1316		Guo Shoujing dies; among his life achievements were fixing the calendar year at 365.2425 (same as the Gregorian Calendar), building upon Shen Kuo's mathematical work on trigonometry by introducing spherical trigonometry, and engineered an artificial Kunming Lake in Beijing.
1321	Yingzong
1323	Taiding
1324		The rime dictionary Zhongyuan Yinyun is published by Zhou Deqing.
1328	Wenzong
1330		Pagoda of Bailin Temple is completed
1333	Huizong
1334		Wang Dayuan ventures to North Africa.
1352		The penniless monk—and later emperor—Zhu Yuanzhang joins the Red Turban Rebellion
1356		Zhu Yuanzhang captures Nanjing.
1363		Battle of Lake Poyang, one of the largest naval battles in world history in terms of personnel.
1368		Rebel general Xu Da defeats Yuan forces, while Ukhaantu Khan, Emperor Huizong of Yuan flees Dadu (Beijing). Zhu Yuanzhang establishes the Ming Dynasty and reigns as the Hongwu Emperor.

Ming Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1368	Hongwu	City Wall of Nanjing is rebuilt.	The Phagspa script, devised by the Tibetan lama Drogön Chögyal Phagpa as a universal writing system for Kublai Khan's Mongol Empire, begins to wane in use and then becomes extinct over the course of the Ming Dynasty.
1371		Hai Jin maritime trade ban
1373		Emperor Hongwu bans the Imperial examinations in favor of a recommendation system.	The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is rebuilt.
1375		Latest possible date for the writing of the Huolongjing treatise on gunpowder weapons, as its co-editor Liu Ji dies on May 16.
1380		Hongwu abolishes the Chancellery of China, taking over direct responsibility of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, although the later Grand Secretariat would aid the emperor in managing the state.
1381		The Ming Dynasty annexes land from the Kingdom of Dali, in what is now Yunnan and Guizhou, spurring a Chinese migration of hundreds of thousands.
1382		The Jinyi Wei, a secret police organization, is established.
1384		Imperial examinations are reinstated by Hongwu, but he had the chief examiner executed on charges of corruption.
1397		The Daming Lu law code is completed, yet drawing much of its clauses from the earlier Tang Code of 653.
1398	Jianwen
1402	Yongle	Yongle takes the throne after a three-year long civil war with his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor.
1405		The overseas voyages of the eunuch Muslim admiral Zheng He begin, sailing around Southeast Asia, throughout the Indian Ocean, and as far as East Africa to reestablish tributary relations of foreign countries with China.	Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is completed.
1406		Construction of the Forbidden City begins, as well as new Beijing city fortifications
1407		Fourth Chinese domination of Vietnam, although Chinese troops were pushed out two decades later by Lê Lợi of the Lê Dynasty.	Deshin Shekpa, the fifth Karmapa of Tibet, visits the court of Yongle.
1408		The massive Yongle Encyclopedia is completed.
1415		Restoration work on the Grand Canal is completed.
1420		After 13 years of a massive construction project for a new capital and Forbidden City, the Yongle Emperor declares Beijing the new capital, while Nanjing is demoted.	Ming Dynasty Tombs are built.
1424	Hongxi
1425	Xuande
1427		Famous painter Shen Zhou is born.
1431		The Lê Dynasty of Vietnam is recognized by the Ming court as a tribute state.
1435	Zhengtong
1443		The Zhihua Si Temple is built.
1446		The Precious Belt Bridge is rebuilt.
1449	Jingtai	Battle of Tumu Fortress
1457	Tianshun
1461		Rebellion of Cao Qin
1464	Chenghua	The Miao people and Yao people of Guangxi rebel against Ming authority; a combined Ming force of 190,000 (including 1,000 Mongols) crushes the rebellion within two years.
1473		Zhenjue Temple is completed.
1487	Hongzhi
1488		The Korean official Choe Bu shipwrecks along Zhejiang coast of China. Travels the entire length of the Grand Canal to repatriate back to Joseon Korea. He later wrote a famous book on his travels, which was printed in both Korea and Japan in the latter half of the 16th century.
1505	Zhengde
1516		First Portuguese contact by Jorge Álvares in Macau, followed up by Rafael Perestrello in Guangzhou.
1517		Fernão Pires de Andrade and Tomé Pires are sent as ambassadors to China by Manuel I of Portugal; they land at Guangzhou.
1521	Jiajing	Events, such as the Portuguese conquest of Malacca, lead to the rejection of the Portuguese embassy and the new Jiajing Emperor calling upon the Portuguese to return power of Malacca to the loyal Ming vassal Mahmud Shah; Chinese and Portuguese ships fight at Tuen Mun, but relations are eventually smoothed out later by Leonel de Sousa and others determined to repair the reputation that the Portuguese initially won in China.
1522	Jiajing
1529		Death of philosopher Wang Yangming
1530		Around this time, mechanical engineer Zhou Shuxue improves Zhan Xiyuan's 14th century sand-driven mechanical clock by adding a fourth large gear wheel, revising gear teeth ratios, and widening the orifice which collected sand in Zhan's clock, since Zhou complained that the device clogged up too often. Although lacking the essential escapement mechanism of earlier Chinese clocks, this sand-driven clock of Zhan and Zhou featured a stationary dial face over which a pointer circulated by mechanical timing.
1549		Portuguese ships make continuous annual trade stops to Shangchuan Island from now on.
1550		Altan Khan breaches the Great Wall, besieges Beijing, and burns down its suburbs after looting it.
1553		Outer City of Beijing to the south is completed, which brought the overall size of the city to 4 by 4½ miles.
1556		Shaanxi Earthquake. 850,000 casualties
1557		Portuguese establish permanent settlement in Macau.
1558		Qi Jiguang is victorious over Japanese pirates at Cengang.
1566	Longqing
1567		Hai jin laws are formally repealed; government allows private foreign maritime trade, although the state had conducted all foreign trade during the ban.
1572	Wanli
1573		After the Spanish establish a permanent base at Manila in the Philippines, their American-mined silver trade with China trumps the Portuguese-Japanese silver trade.
1574		Qin Liangyu, a later female military officer of Miao heritage, is born.
1576		Pagoda of Cishou Temple is built.
1577		Wanshou Temple is built.
1581		Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng implements the Single Whip Reform, allowing the land tax to be paid entirely in silver due to inflated paper currency and widespread counterfeit coinage.
1582		Jesuits begin mission work in China	First reference is made about the publishing of private newspapers in Beijing.
1584		Abraham Ortelius, in his atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, is the first known European to feature an illustration of the Chinese invention known as the 'sailing carriage', essentially a wheelbarrow with a ship's mast and a sail.
1587		Physician and pharmacologist Li Shizhen publishes the Bencao Gangmu, detailing the use of over 1,800 medicinal drugs.
1590		Journey to the West is written.
1592		When Japan invades Korea in the Imjin War, Ming China aids Korea with troops and supplies.
1593		Siege of Pyongyang
1597		Siege of Ulsan
1598		Battle of Sacheon	Battle of Noryang Point; the theatrical drama The Peony Pavilion, written by playwright Tang Xianzu, is performed at the Pavilion of Prince Teng.
1602		From this year until 1682, the Dutch East India Company ships some six million Chinese porcelain items to Europe.
1604		Donglin Movement
1607		The Greek mathematical treatise Euclid's Elements is translated into Chinese by Xu Guangqi, Sabatino de Ursis, and Matteo Ricci.
1609		Sancai Tuhui encyclopedia is published.
1610		Plum in the Golden Vase is published.
1615		The Chinese dictionary Zihui is compiled by Mei Yingzuo.
1616		Nurhaci found the Qing Dynasty in Manchuria	The Nanjing Religious Incident begins in this year, when all foreign Jesuits were expelled from the Ming court and the astronomy bureau; this was a temporary triumph of traditionalist Confucian officials who rejected Western science in favor of Chinese science; by 1622 this policy was reversed, and the astronomy burea was once again staffed by European Jesuits and Chinese supportive of Western science.
1619		Battle of Sarhu	Chinese philosopher Wang Fuzhi is born.
1620	Tianqi
1624		Headquartered in Jakarta, the Dutch East India Company establishes Dutch rule of Taiwan.
1626		Johann Adam Schall von Bell writes the first treatise on the telescope into the Chinese language.	Jesuit Nicolas Trigault writes the Xiru Ermu Zi, establishing the first system of Chinese Romanization.
1627	Chongzhen	First Manchu invasion of Korea; downfall of eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who ruled as a virtual dictator for seven years; Zhang Zilie publishes the Chinese dictionary Zhengzitong.	Polish Jesuit Michael Boym first introduces the heliocentric model of the solar system into Chinese astronomy.
1628		Battle of Ningyuan
1632		By this time, the Manchus have conquered much of Inner Mongolia.
1634		Chongzhen Emperor acquires the telescope of the late Johann Schreck.
1635		Liu Tong adds his preface to the Dijing Jingwulue, a Chinese prose classic.
1637		Second Manchu invasion of Korea	Song Yingxing publishes the Tiangong Kaiwu encyclopedia; due to his scholarly and encyclopedic achievements, scientist and sinologist Joseph Needham calls him the "Diderot of China".
1638		The Beijing Gazette switches its production method from woodblock printing to movable type printing in this year.
1639		The Nongzheng Quanshu agricultural treatise of Xu Guangqi is published.	Painter Chen Hongshou travels to Beijing and earns instant acclaim by the court.
1641		Death of Xu Xiake, whose published travel diary of some 404,000 Chinese characters includes notes on regional geography, climate, and mineralogy.
1642		The Kaifeng flood	With new additional Han Chinese banners, the full Eight Banners of the Manchu Qing Dynasty are established.
1644		Battle of Shanhai Pass; the Chongzhen Emperor hangs himself on the Guilty Chinese Scholartree, after hearing that rebels under Li Zicheng breached the gates of the capital Beijing	Chinese general Wu Sangui and the Manchu prince Dorgon occupy Beijing; soon after, the Shunzhi Emperor is proclaimed ruler of China under the Qing Dynasty.

Shun Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1644	Li Zicheng

Qing Dynasty

Date	Emperor	Events	Other people/events
1644	Shunzhi
1652		Lozang Gyatso, 5th Dalai Lama of Tibet visits the court of Shunzhi in Beijing.
1659		Jesuits Martino Martini and Ferdinand Verbiest arrive in China, the former for the second time.
1661		On the death of the Shunzhi Emperor, his confidant Johann Adam Schall von Bell is thrown into prison, eventually released, but dies shortly after.
1662	Kangxi	The Siege of Fort Zeelandia ends with the Dutch East India Company's surrender of Taiwan to Koxinga.
1674		Revolt of the Three Feudatories
1682		Belgian Jesuit Antoine Thomas arrives in China.
1683		Battle of Penghu, surrender of the Kingdom of Tungning
1689		Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia
1690		Death of Yun Shouping, a painter who was considered one of the "Six Masters" of the Qing era.
1698		Lugou Bridge is reconstructed.
1705		Papal legate Charles-Thomas Maillard De Tournon arrives in China.
1700		Thirteen Factories
1711		British East India Company establishes a trading post in Guangzhou	The Peiwen Yunfu rime dictionary is completed.
1716		Publication of the Kangxi Dictionary
1720		In opposition to the Dzungars, Qing troops conquer and occupy Lhasa in Tibet.
1721		In a culmination of the Chinese Rites controversy, the Kangxi Emperor delivers a decree banning Christian preaching in China in response to a papal bull by Pope Clement XI.
1722	Yongzheng
1725		The Gujin Tushu Jicheng encyclopedia is completed.
1732		Death of Jiang Tingxi, a painter, calligrapher, and encyclopedist
1735	Qianlong
1750		French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot is sent to China.
1755		Ten Great Campaigns	Puning Temple is built in commemoration of the defeat of the Dzungars.
1760		Initiation of the Canton System.
1771		Putuo Zongcheng Temple is completed.
1774		The Wenjin Chamber is built.
1780		Fragrant Hills Pagoda is built.
1782		Imperial collection of Four encyclopedia is completed.
1790
1791		Dream of the Red Chamber is published.
1793		Anglo-Chinese relations and the Macartney Embassy; Lord Macartney, the first British envoy to Beijing, is hosted by Qianlong's confidant Heshen.
1796	Jiaqing	White Lotus Rebellion
1807		Robert Morrison, first Protestant missionary arrives
1814
1820
1821	Daoguang
1823			Publication of the Bible in Chinese
1839		First Opium War
1842		First of the Unequal Treaties, Treaty of Nanjing
1844		Wei Yuan publishes his Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, a gazetteer inspired by the desire to learn more of the West and the threat it posed to Qing China.	Treaty of Wanghia between the Qing Empire and the United States, with the first United States Ambassador to China.
1850		Ten Tigers of Canton
1851	Xianfeng	Taiping Rebellion	Jintian Uprising
1855		Third Pandemic of Bubonic plague	Punti-Hakka Clan Wars
1856		Second Opium War
1858		Battle of Sanhe	Treaty of Aigun, Treaties of Tianjin
1860		Burning of Old Summer palace	Beijing Convention
1861		Following the Convention of Peking, Prince Gong establishes the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Office).
1862	Tongzhi	Dungan revolt	The Tongwen Guan, or School of Combined Learning, is established to teach Chinese students Western languages.
1864		After fighting the Taiping rebels for four years, the Ever Victorious Army is disbanded; it was the first Chinese army that employed a European officer corps and as well as tactics, strategy, and techniques.
1868		Yangzhou riot	End of the Nien Rebellion
1870		Tianjin Massacre
1871		The famous general Li Hongzhang is appointed to the position of Viceroy of Zhili, an office he would hold until 1895, serving again in the same post from 1900 to 1901, until replaced by Yuan Shikai.
1873		End of the Panthay Rebellion
1875	Guangxu
1876		After the murder of Augustus Raymond Margary in the 'Margary Affair', the Chefoo Convention is held to resolve the issue but turns into an excuse for the British to press for additional concessions.
1884		Sino-French War
1885		Battle of Foochow
1891		Founding of Shanghai Sharebrokers Association
1894		First Sino-Japanese War (Battle of Pungdo, Battle of Seonghwan, Battle of Pyongyang, Battle of Yalu River, Battle of Jiuliangcheng, Battle of Lushunkou, Battle of Weihaiwei, Battle of Yingkou)
1895			Treaty of Shimonoseki
1898		Hundred Days' Reform	Coup by Empress Dowager Cixi
1900		Boxer Rebellion
1901		Boxer Protocol
1908	Puyi
1910		Huanghuagang Uprising
1911		Xinhai Revolution	Wuchang Uprising

Modern China

Republic of China

Date	Head of State	Events	Other people/events
1912	Sun Yat Sen	Xinhai Revolution	Foundation of Kuomintang
1913
1915	Yuan Shikai	Empire of China New Culture Movement	National Protection War Japan's Twenty-One Demands Chen Duxiu starts New Youth
1916	Li Yuanhong	Warlord era begins
1919		May Fourth Movement	Treaty of Versailles
1920		Push for Vernacular Chinese
1921		Foundation of Communist Party of China	The True Story of Ah Q
1923			Radio Corporation of China
1924		First United Front
1926		Northern Expedition
1927		Nanchang Uprising Chinese Civil War	Kuomintang-Communist split
1928	Zhang Zuolin	Nanjing decade	Jinan Incident
1930		Encirclement Campaign against Northeastern Jiangxi Soviet
1931		Chinese Soviet Republic 1931 China floods	Invasion of Manchuria Mukden Incident
1932	Lin Sen	Imperial Japanese colonialism in Manchukuo Pacification of Manchukuo	January 28 Incident Defense of Harbin
1933
1934		Long March	New Life Movement
1935		December 9th Movement	First Encirclement Campaign against Hubei-Henan-Shaanxi Soviet
1936		Xian incident	Japan establishes the Mengjiang
1937		Second Sino-Japanese War (Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Battle of Shanghai, Battle of Pingxingguan, Battle of Nanjing, Battle of Tai'erzhuang, Battle of Changsha 1939, Hundred Regiments Offensive, Battle of Changsha 1941, Battle of Changsha 1942, Battle of Changsha 1944)	Nanking Massacre Second United Front
1938			Bombing of Chongqing
1939
1940
1941			Yan'an Rectification Movement
1942
1943
1944
1945			US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, World War II ends The Nationalist government become one of the founding members of the United Nations The Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Northeast China
1947		228 Incident
1948	Chiang Kai-shek	Liaoshen Campaign, Pingjin Campaign, and Huaihai Campaign

PRC/ROC

Date	People's Republic of China			Republic of China (on Taiwan)
Date	Paramount Leader	Events	Other people/events	President	Events	Other people/events
1949	Mao Zedong (Mao Zedong Thought)	Founding of the People's Republic of China		Li Tsung-jen	Kuomintang retreats to Taiwan, becomes government of the Republic of China	White Terror
1950		Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Landing Operation on Hainan Island	Korean War Canidrome massacre	Chiang Kai-shek
1951		PLA operations in Tibet
1952		Three-anti/five-anti campaigns
1953
1956		Hundred Flowers campaign
1957		Anti-Rightist Movement	Asian Flu
1958		Great Leap Forward
1959		Great sparrow campaign causes famine Three Years of Natural Disasters begins	Tibetan uprising
1960		Sino-Soviet split
1961
1962		Sino-Indian War
1964		Destruction of Four Olds State Council pushed for Simplified Chinese character in the mainland	First PRC atomic bomb detonation, 596 nuclear test		Taiwan continued the use of Traditional Chinese characters
1966	Mao Zedong	Cultural Revolution Three-Self Patriotic Movement Down to the Countryside Movement	The Little Red Book		Chinese Cultural Renaissance
1967
1968			Deng Pufang handicap incident
1969		Zhenbao Island Sino-Soviet border conflict	Beijing Subway
1970		Long March rocket, first satellite launch
1971			Henry Kissinger visits Beijing		UN resolution 2758, PRC replace ROC as UN representative
1972		Shanghai Communiqué Richard Nixon visits China
1974
1975		Four Modernizations		Yen Chia-kan
1976	Hua Guofeng	Tiananmen incident following the death of Zhou Enlai	The Great Tangshan earthquake
1977		Beijing Spring
1978	Deng Xiaoping (Deng Xiaoping Theory)	Chinese economic reforms	Democracy Wall Movement	Chiang Ching-kuo
1979		One-child policy Four cardinal principles Sino-American relations	Border-war with Vietnam		Taiwan Relations Act passed by United States Congress	Kaohsiung Incident
1980		Special Economic Zones	Trial of Gang of Four
1984		Margaret Thatcher in China, signs Sino-British Joint Declaration
1987					Lifting of Taiwanese aborigines Martial Law
1988				Lee Teng-hui
1989		Tiananmen Square protests	PRC declares Martial law on Lhasa, Tibet		Cheng Nan-jung self-immolation
1990					Wild Lily student movement
1991		First McDonald's restaurant in Beijing			Democratic Progressive Party represents Taiwanese Independence
1992	Jiang Zemin (Three Represents)	Falon Gong introduction			1992 Consensus
1996		Karamay fire incident			Third Taiwan Strait Crisis
1997		Hong Kong handover, becomes a Special Administrative Region	Death of Deng Xiaoping
1998		Great Firewall of China	Banning of China Democracy Party
1999		Macau handover NATO bombing of embassy	Persecution of Falun Gong begins		Resolution on Taiwan's Future
2000		The PRC passes Japan as the country with which the USA has the largest trade deficit		Chen Shui-bian	DDP ended Kuomintang rule in the 2000 ROC election	Four Noes and One Without
2001		Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident Accession to World Trade Organization	Hainan Island incident
2002					Accession to World Trade Organization
2003		SARS outbreak	Shenzhou 5, PRC's first manned space mission		SARS outbreak
2004	Hu Jintao (Scientific Development Concept)		Jiang Zemin retires from his post as Chairman of the Central Military Commission		3-19 shooting incident
2005		Anti-Secession law	Jilin Chemical plant explosions Anti-Japanese history revisionism		Pan-Blue visit
2006		Structural work finished in the Three Gorges Dam			Rename "Chiang Kai-shek airport" to "Taiwan airport"
2007		Head of SFDA Zheng Xiaoyu executed Chang'e 1 of Lunar Exploration Program	Chinese slave scandal Reincarnation application		Rename "Chiang Kai-shek memorial" to "Taiwan memorial"
2008		2008 Summer Olympics 2008 Summer Paralympics Hangzhou Bay Bridge opens Shenzhou 7 first spacewalk	Early winter storms China Railways train T195 accident Tibetan unrest Sichuan earthquake South China floods Milk scandal	Ma Ying-jeou	Cross-strait charter 1025 demonstration Chen Yunlin visit Wild Strawberry student movement	Lien Chen & Hu Jintao at APEC Peru

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Huang et al (2002).

References

Zhenguo, Huang et al (2002). "The relative stability of prehistorical geographic environment in China´s tropics on the basis of archaeology," in Journal of Geographical Sciences, Vol. 12, No. 4.