China

Large Meeting Houses

3000 BCE

At Banpo, in northern China, communities build large meeting houses over 60 feet long

Production of Silk

2700 BCE

The production of silk from silkworms begins

Bronzeworking

2500 BCE

Broneworking begins to develop

Shang Dynasty

1766 BCE

Foundation of the Shang Dynasty, the first for which solid archaeological evidence exists

Oracle Bones

1400 BCE

Bones are inscribed with a fully developed script

Zhou Dynasty

1027 BCE

The Shang Dynasty is overthrown by the Zhou.

Widespread Bronzeworking

1000 BCE

Skilled bronzemaking is widespread

Ironworking

600 BCE

Ironworking begins to develop

The Book of Songs

600 BCE

The Book of Songs, the first anthology of Chinese poetry is compiled

Birth of Confucius

551 BCE

The Art of War

500 BCE

Sun Tzu writes the Art of War, the earliest military handbook

Bronze Coins

500 BCE

Bronze coins are introduced

Warring States Period

481 BCE

A weakened China is divided among about 20 different kingdoms vying for supremacy. In theory the emperors of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty still have overall control, but in practice their authority counts for little.

Death of Confucius

479 BCE

Death of Confucius, the Chinese sage whose name is given to the body of Chinese beliefs known as Confucianism

Kingdom of Qin

361 BCE

Xiao becomes the ruler of the Kingdom of Qin in western China; his chief minister, the philosopher Shang Yang, introduces sweeping reforms to end the power of the aristocracy and strengthen the army. Over the next 21 years Shang Yang turns Qin from a small realm into a strong, centralized state

The Crossbow

350 BCE

The crossbow is invented

Beginning of The Great Wall

350 BCE

Earthen frontier walls are built in northern China as a defense against invading nomads; they will continue to be built and linked together until 214 BCE forming the Great Wall of China

Warring States Period

280 BCE

By this time the conflicts of the Warring States are slowly drawing toward a resolution: Only seven main kingdoms - Qin, Zhou, Wei, Han, Qi, and Yan - now survive as independent states.

Qin Dynasty

221 BCE

Kingdom of Qin has final victory and unifies China under the First Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi

Great Wall is Completed

214 BCE

The Great Wall of China is completed

Terracotta Army

210 BCE

Qin Shi Huangdi dies and is buried with a Terracotta Army of more than 7,000 pottery soldiers. After his death civil war breaks out among his heirs

Qin Royal Family Massacred

206 BCE

The entire Qin Royal family is killed by rebels led by a peasant warrior, Liu Bang

Han Dynasty

202 BCE

Liu Bang establishes the Han Dynasty becoming its first emperor under the name Gaozu

Iron and Salt Monopolies

117 BCE

Iron and salt are made state monopolies, increasing the Han Dynasty's control over the nation's economy

Minting Monoploy

112 BCE

The minting of coins is made a state monopoly

Invention of Paper

105 BCE

Traditional date for the invention of paper, made from scraps of cloth and wood chips. For the next two centuries paper will only be used for wrapping and packing, not for writing

Silk Road

100 BCE

The Silk Road trade route between China and the West across Central Asia is in full swing

Lacquerware

85 BCE

The earliest known Chinese lacquerware dates from this time.

Drilling Wells

10 BCE

The Chinese invent methods for drilling wells over 3,250 feet deep to obtain water and natural gas

Census

2

The census gives the population of China's Han Empire at 57 million

Suspension Bridges

10

The Chinese build cast-iron suspension bridges

Buddhism enters China

50

Brought by Indian merchants and missionaries, Buddhism establishes a presence in China, but makes headway only slowly against the country's own stront spiritual traditions

Grand Canal is started

70

Work begins on China's Grand Canal which eventually reaches a length of more than 1,100 miles

Three Kingdoms

220

The last Han emperor is deposed and the empire is divided into three separate kingdoms: Shu, Wei, and Wu

Dunhuang

350

Dunhuang, an oasis town at the edge of the Gobi Desert on the Silk Road, becomes a flourishing Buddhist center

Spread of Buddhism

450

By this time 90 percent of the population of northern China is Buddhist

Spread of Buddhism

517

Emperor Wu Ti becomes a Buddhist and introduces the new religion to central China

Tang Dynasty

618

Usurping his Sui cousin, Li Yuan seizes power in China, founding the Tang Dynasty

Tang Law Code

653

The first known Tang Dynasty law code dates from this year; its influence will linger for centures

Silk Road

659

Tang Dynasty victories against the Turks extend Chinese control of the Silk Road westward

Art

700

China enjoys a period of great artistic creativity under the Tang emperors; poetry, figure painting, and pottery all reach high levels of attainment

Schools

738

Schools are established in every prefecture and district in China by imperial edict

Printing

750

The Chinese develop woodblock printing on single-sheets of paper; at first it is used mainly to print devotional Buddhist pictures and literature

Paper Money

811

The Tang Emperors of China issue an early for of paper currency

Confucianism Restored as State Religion

845

Nonnative religions, including Buddhism and Christianity, are banned in China; Confucianism is restored as the state ideology

Gunpowder

850

Gunpowder is mentioned for the first time

Song Dynasty

960

Seizing power in a military coup, Taizu becomes the first emperor of the Song Dynasty

Canal Lock

984

Chiao Wei-Yo invents the canal lock for raising and lowering boats as they pass from one level to another

Coal

1000

By this time the Chinese are burning coal for fuel

Reforms

1044

The Song administrator Fan Zhongyan introduces a program of bureaucratic, military, and land reforms. Measures include civil-service recruitment strictly on academic merit and the abolition of appointments by patronage.

Magnetized needle compass

1075

Magnetized needle compasses are in use as navigational devices on Chinese ships

Landscape Paintings

1075

Landscape painting on panels or long rolls of silk flourishes under the Song emperors

Ironworking

1078

Iron production in China reaches 125,000 tons per year; a single ironworks employs nearly 30,000 workers

History of China

1083

Sima Guang, Chinese scholar and statesman, completes a history of China from 403 BCE to the beginning of the Song Dynasty

Clock

1092

A water-driven mechanical clock is built for the Song court

Civil-Service Examinations

1095

80,000 candidates take the civil service examinations

Paddlewheel ships

1130

Paddlewheel ships are in use on lakes and rivers in China

Gunpowder-fired Rockets

1232

First recorded use of gunpowder-fired rockets by the Chinese against a Mongol army

Yuan Dynasty

1271

Kublai Khan establishes the Yuan Dynasty

Marco Polo

1275

European traveler Marco Polo arrives at the Chinese court

Porcelain

1330

The technique of decorating porcelain in underglaze cobalt blue is popular in China

Ming Dynasty

1368

China's Mongol Yuan ruler fless to Mongolia, and Zhu Yuanzhang proclaims the new Ming Dynasty, assuming the imperial title Hongwu

Isolation

1424

After the death of Emperor Yongle, China soon surrenders its position as the leading naval power in the Indian Ocean and retreats into isolation

Manchu People

1615

Nurhachi, leader of the Juchen (Manchu) people, unites the tribes on China's northeast frontier, laying the groundwork for his later conquest of China and the founding of the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty

Emperor Kangxi

1662

Emperor Kangxi comes to the throne as the age of seven, assisted by his regents, he grants his Chinese subjects parity with the Manchus