|
Hsia
c. 2200-1766BC |
Most historians believed the Hsia to be a mythical dynasty, but recent archaeological
findings have verified their existence. |
|
Shang
1766- c.1040BC |
Excavations have confirmed descriptions in ancient Chinese literature of a highly developed
culture. The Shang Dynasty was distinguished by an aristocratic government, great artistry in bronze, a writing system still
in use today, an agricultural economy, and armies of thousands whose commanders rode in chariots. |
|
Chou
c.1040BC-
256BC |
The semi-nomadic Chou people from northwestern China overthrew the Shang king. The Chou
court developed a feudal society in China. |
|
Ch’in
221BC-206BC |
The Legalists strengthened state power and control over the people. Weights and measures,
and the Chinese writing system were unified. Chinese defenses were strengthened by creating the Great Wall. |
|
Han
206BC-AD220
|
The Han Dynasty is often compared to the Roman Empire. It is considered the "Golden
Age of Chinese History." Today the Chinese word for Chinese person means "a man of Han." |
|
Sui
589-618 |
The Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties were quite similar. The short-lived Sui dynasty reunified
China after four hundred years of fragmentation. |
|
Tang
960-1279 |
Li Yuan was a Sui general who founded the Tang Dynasty, the largest, wealthiest, and
most populous in the world at that time. The Tang based their laws on based on Confucian thought. |
|
Song
1279-1368 |
The Song Dynasty continued the flowering of Chinese culture. |
|
Yuan (Mongol)
1279-1368 |
Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty after his Mongol tribes defeated China. The
Yuan encouraged Europeans to travel overland to China; Marco Polo was the most famous of the early Europeans to make the journey.
|
|
Ming
1368-1644 |
Founded by a Buddhist monk who led a peasant army to victory over the Mongols. |
|
Qing (Manchu)
1644-1911 |
Founded by conquerors from Manchuria in 1644, the Qing was the last imperial dynasty
of China. When it was overthrown in 1911, China became a republic. |
