Annotated Timeline of Chinese History (NON AP SOURCE)

Question 1

Neolithic Cultures

Answer 1

10,000-2,000 BCE

Question 2

Xia (Hsia) Dynasty

Answer 2

ca. 2100-1600 BCE

Question 3

Shang Dynasty

Answer 3

ca. 1600-1050 BCE

One of the Three Dynasties, or San Dai (Xia, Shang, and Zhou), thought to mark the beginning of Chinese civilization: characterized by its writing system, practice of divination, walled cities, bronze technology, and use of horse-drawn chariots.

Question 4

Zhou (Chou, pronounced “Joe”) Dynasty

Answer 4

ca. 1046-256 BCE

Western Zhou (ca. 1046-771 BCE), Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE)

A hierarchical political and social system with the Zhou royal house at its apex: power was bestowed upon aristocratic families as lords of their domains or principalities. Although often compared to European “feudalism,” what actually gave the system cohesion was a hierarchical order of ancestral cults. The system eventually broke down into a competition for power between rival semi-autonomous states in what became known as the Spring and Autumn period (ca. 770-475 BCE) and the Warring States (ca. 475-221 BCE) period. It was during these tumultuous times that Confucius (551-479 BCE) lived.

Question 5

Qin (Ch’in, pronounced “chin”) Dynasty

Answer 5

221-206 BCE

Created a unitary state by imposing a centralized administration and by standardizing the writing script, weights and measures. Known for its harsh methods of rule, including the suppression of dissenting thought.

Question 6

Han Dynasty

Answer 6

206 BCE-220 CE

Western/Former Han (206 BCE-9 CE) and Eastern/Later Han (25-220 CE)

Modified and consolidated the foundation of the imperial order. Confucianism was established as orthodoxy and open civil service examinations were introduced. Han power reached Korea and Vietnam. Records of the Historian, which became the model for subsequent official histories, was completed.

Question 7

“Period of Disunity” or Six Dynasties Period

Answer 7

220-589 CE

The empire was fragmented. The North was dominated by invaders from the borderland and the steppes. The South was ruled by successive “Chinese” dynasties. Buddhism spread.

Question 8

Sui (pronounced “sway”) Dynasty

Answer 8

581-618 CE

China reunified.

Question 9

Tang Dynasty

Answer 9

618-906 CE

A time of cosmopolitanism and cultural flowering occurred. This period was the height of Buddhist influence in China until its repression around 845. Active territorial expansion until defeated by the Arabs at Talas in 751.

Question 10

Song (Sung) Dynasty

Answer 10

960-1279 CE

Northern Song (960-1127) and Southern Song (1127-1279)

An era of significant economic and social changes: the monetization of the economy; growth in commerce and maritime trade; urban expansion and technological innovations. The examination system for bureaucratic recruitment of neo-Confucianism was to provide the intellectual underpinning for the political and social order of the late imperial period.

Question 11

Yuan Dynasty

Answer 11

1279-1368 CE

Founded by the Mongols as part of their conquest of much of the world. Moved capital, called “Dadu” (present-day Beijing), to the north. Dramas, such as the famous Story of the Western Wing, flourished.

Question 12

Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty

Answer 12

1644-1912 CE

A Manchu dynasty. Continued the economic developments of the late Ming, leading to prosperity but also complacency and a dramatic increase in population. The acclaimed novel Dream of the Red Chamber was written in this period. Strains on the polity were intensified by a rapid incorporation of substantial new territories. Its authoritarian structure was subsequently unable to meet the military and cultural challenge of an expansive West.

Question 13

Ming Dynasty

Answer 13

1368-1644 CE

The first Ming emperor, Hongwu, laid the basis of an authoritarian political culture. Despite early expansion, it was an inward-looking state with an emphasis on its agrarian base. Gradual burgeoning of the commercial sector; important changes in the economy and social relations in the latter part of the dynasty; also a vibrant literary scene as represented by publication of the novel Journey to the West.

Question 14

Republic Period

Answer 14

1912-1949 CE

Weak central government following the collapse of the dynastic system in 1911-12; Western influence was shown by the promotion of “science” and “democracy” during the New Culture Movement. The attempt of the Nationalist government (est. 1928) to bring the entire country under its control was thwarted by both domestic revolts and the Japanese occupation (1937-45). The Nationalists fled to Taiwan after defeat by the Communists.

Question 15

People’s Republic of China

Answer 15

1949 CE-present

Communist government. The drive for remaking society ended in disasters such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Economic reform and political retrenchment since around 1978.