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China is one of the world's four ancient civilizations; here we give a concise overview of more than 5000 years of Chinese history, including the Great Wall and the four great inventions of ancient China. Do you know what they are?
The written history of China can be said to date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC), over 3,000 years ago. The first dynasty was founded in the 21st century B.C., and China was first unified in 221 B.C.

mperial Era

First Dynasties

The founding of China's first dynasty, Xia Dynasty in the 21st century B.C. marked a change from a primitive society to a slave society. Slave society developed further during the Shang (16th-11th century B.C.) and the Western Zhou (11th century-770 B.C.) Dynasties.
This era was followed by the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (475-221 B.C.), and the transition from the slave society to feudal society.

he First Emperor

Ying Zheng, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty and the people began to construct the Great Wall

In 221 B.C., Ying Zheng, a man of great talent and bold vision, ended the rivalry among the independent principalities in the Warring States Period.
He established the first centralized, unified, multi-ethnic state in Chinese history, under the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). He called himself Shi Huang Di (the First Emperor), also known as Qin Shi Huang, or First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty.
During his reign, Qin Shi Huang standardized the script, currencies, and weights and measures, established the system of prefectures and counties, and began the construction of the world-renowned Great Wall . He also built a large palace, a mausoleum (the Terracotta Army), and temporary regal lodges in Xi’anyang, Lishan, and other places.
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang, a peasant leader, overthrew the Qin regime in cooperation with Xi’ang Yu, an aristocratic general. A few years later, Liu Bang defeated Xi’ang Yu and established the strong Han Dynasty in 206 B.C.

Han Dynasty

The Silk Road, an important trade road, was formed in Han Dynasty

During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce were well developed. During the reign of Emperor Wudi (Liu Che, 140-87 B.C.), the Han regime reached the period of its greatest prosperity. The multi-ethnic country became more united during the Han regime, which existed in total 426 years.
The emperor conquered the Xiongnu nomads, sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions (Central Asia), and in the process pioneered the route known as the "Silk Road" from the Han capital Chang' an through Xinjiang to Europe.
One of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, Wang Zhaojun, was married as a ‘political bride’ to chieftain of the Xiongnu in 33 B.C. Her life and influence created a famous inspiring story about marriage between the Han and the Xiongnu. (See Former Residence of Wang Zhaojun in Yichang, the starting point of the upstream Yangtze Cruise)

Middle Dynasties

Han Dynasty was followed by the Three Kingdoms Period (220-265) of Wei, Shu, and Wu. It was followed by the Jin (265-420), the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), and the Sui Dynasty (581-618).
A jade item displayed at Beijing Forbidden City Museum.
In 618, Li Yuan founded the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Later, Li Shimin (r. 626-649), son of Li Yuan, ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong, considered one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history.
After the Tang Dynasty, came the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960).

Song and Yuan Dynasties

Kublai Khan, the first man made Beijing the capital

In 960, General Zhao Kuangyin of the Later Zhou Dynasty rose in mutiny, and founded the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
In 1206 Genghis Khan unified all the tribes in Mongolia and founded the Mongol Khanate. In 1271, his grandson, Kublai Khan, conquered the Central Plain, founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and made Dadu (today's Beijing) the capital.
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, handicraft industry and domestic and foreign trade boomed. Many merchants and travelers came from abroad. Marco Polo from Venice traveled extensively in China, later describing the country's prosperity in his book ‘Travels’.
The "four great inventions" of the Chinese people in ancient times, paper making, printing, the compass and gunpowder, were further developed in the Song and Yuan dynasties, and introduced to foreign countries.

Ming and Qing Dynasties

The Forbidden City is the imperial palace of Ming and Qing Dynasty.

In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Nanjing, and reigned as Emperor Taizu. When his son, and successor, Zhu Di, ascended the throne, he started to build the palace, temples, city walls, and moat in Beijing. In 1421, he officially made Beijing his capital.
In the late Ming Dynasty, the Manchus in northeast China grew in strength. Under the leadership of Nurhachi, the Manchus invaded the Central Plain for three generations in succession, and finally founded the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911).
The two most famous emperors of the Qing Dynasty were Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1772) and Emperor Qianlong (r. 1735-1796). The Kangxi and Qianlong reign periods were known as the "times of prosperity".
China was reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country since the first Opium War in 1840. The Revolution of 1911, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, ended the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

Modern Era

The Revolution of 1911 is of great significance in modern Chinese history: the monarchical system was discarded with the founding of the provisional government of the Republic of China.
The victory was soon compromised by concessions on the part of the Chinese bourgeoisie, and the country entered a period dominated by the Northern Warlords, headed by Yuan Shikai.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China has entered a new Communist era of stability, with the Reform and Opening Up policies of 1978, bringing in China’s phenomenal economic growth.
China Highlights' culture tours offer travelers a great opportunity to dig deeper into Chinese history, or we can help you customize a tour according to your interests.

List of Chinese Dynasties and Modern Governments

Dynasties			Period	Capital	Founder	Historical Relics
Prehistoric Times			1.7 million years - the 21st century BC
Xia Dynasty			2070–1600 BC	Xia County in Shanxi Province	Yu	Bronzeware
Shang Dynasty			1600–1046 BC	Xiangqiu in Henan Province	Tang	Bronzeware
Zhou Dynasty	Western Zhou		1046–771 BC	Xi'an	King Wu of Zhou
	Eastern Zhou	Spring and Autumn Period	770–476 BC		King Ping of Zhou	Philosophical and Religious Literature
	Eastern Zhou	Warring States Period	475–221 BC		King Ping of Zhou	Philosophical and Religious Literature
Qin Dynasty			221–206 BC	Xi'an	Qinshihuang	Terracotta Army, the Great Wall
Han Dynasty		Western Han	206 BC–AD 9	Xi'an	Emperor Liubang	The Silk Road
		Xin Dynasty	9–23
		Esatern Han	25–220	Luoyang
Three Kingdoms		Wei	220-265	Luoyang	Cao Pi
		Suhan	221-263	Chengdu	Liu Bei
		Wu	222-280	Nanjing	Sun Quan
Jin Dynasty		Western Jin	265–317	Luoyang	Simayan	Tomb fresco
Jin Dynasty		Eastern Jin	317–420	Nanjing	Simarui	Tomb fresco
Southern and Northern Dynasties			420–589			Sacred Grottos
Sui Dynasty			581–618	Xi'an	Yangjian	The Grand Canal
Tang Dynasty			618–907	Xi'an	Liyuan	Literature
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms			907–960	Kaifeng
Song Dynasty		Northern Song	960–1127	Kaifeng	Zhao Kuangyin
Song Dynasty		Southern Song	1127–1279	Lin'an in Zhejiang	Zhao Gou
Liao Dynasty			916–1125	Liaoning	Yelü Abaoji
Dali Kingdom			937–1254	Dali		Dali Ancient Town
Western Xia Dynasty			1032-1227	Yinchuan		Rock Carvings
Jin Dynasty			1115–1234	Beijing	Aguda
Yuan Dynasty			1271–1368	Beijing	Genghis Khan	Novels
Ming Dynasty			1368–1644	Beijing	Hongwu Emperor	The Great Wall, the Forbidden City
Qing Dynasty			1644-1911	Beijing	Nurhaci	Summer-palace, the Forbidden City
Republic of China			1911-1949	Nanjing
People's Republic of China			From 1949	Beijing	Chairman Mao