Timeline of Chinese Dynasties and Some Key Events
| ca. 2100-1600 BC | Xia Dynasty | |
| ca. 1600-1050 BC | Shang Dynasty | Capitals: near present-day Zhengzhou and Anyang |
| ca. 1046-256 BC | Zhou Dynasty | Capitals: Hao (near present-day Xi'an) and Luoyang |
| Western Zhou (ca. 1046-771 BC) | ||
| Eastern Zhou (ca. 771-256 BC) | Spring and Autumn Period (770-ca. 475 BC) |
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| Confucius (ca. 551-479 BC) | ||
| Warring States Period (ca. 475-221 BC) |
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| 221-206 BC | Qin Dynasty | |
| 206 BC-220 AD | Han Dynasty | |
| Western/Former Han (206 BC-9 AD) | ||
| Eastern/Later Han (25-220) | ||
| 220-589 | Six Dynasties Period | Period of disunity and instability following the fall of the Han |
| Three Kingdoms (220-265) | Wei, Shu, and Wu | |
| Jin Dynasty (265-420) | ||
| Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589) | ||
| 581-618 | Sui Dynasty | |
| 618-906 | Tang Dynasty | |
| 907-960 | Five Dynasties Period | |
| 960-1279 | Song (Sung) Dynasty | |
| Northern Song (960-1127) | ||
| Southern Song (1127-1279) | ||
| 1279-1368 | Yuan Dynasty | The reign of the Mongol Empire |
| 1368-1644 | Ming Dynasty | |
| 1644-1912 | Qing Dynasty | Reign of the Manchus |
| 1912-1949 | Republic of China | |
| 1949-present | People's Republic of China |
Adapted from Embree, A. T., & Gluck, C. (2015). Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching. Routledge.
