Chinese Dynasties

Beginning of the Shang Dynasty

1750 BCE

This is when the first major rulers of China came into power. They weren't very involved in the rest of the world yet, as they were just getting started as a society, but they were really into farming and aristocracy. This is considered "The Bronze Era" because they started making weapons and tools using bronze.

The Bronze Age

1700 BCE

People began using bronze for things such as weapons and tools during this time. They became more technologically advanced, so they could use more resources. This is when they started to butt heads with other groups of people

People began using chopsticks

1200 BCE

As everyone knows, chopsticks are a commonly used utensil for Asian food, typically. They're been around for centuries, and it's said that people have been using them for multiple different purposes for thousands of years for things like tending to fires, stirring food, and eating.

Fall of the Shang Dynasty

1046 BCE

The Shang Dynasty fell when the Zhou family invaded and conquered the capital. They successfully made the Shang family fall out of power and took over. The reason for the invasion, according to the Zhou family, was that the Shang ruler was corrupt and evil and that Heaven wanted him to rule no longer.

Beginning of the Zhou Dynasty

1045 BCE

This is when the Zhou family insists the Mandate of Heaven (which is the idea that the emperor rules with divine, godly power. This also means that if an emperor isn't up to snuff in terms of the way they rule, that emperor can be overthrown and a new dynasty can take over. During this dynasty, the iron plow was invented, which made crops much easier to yield. Silk farms were also becoming more prevalent in China, as well as the Chinese written language coming into play.

Feudal system develops

1040 BCE

So basically, the Zhou King kind of realized that he can't control all of China by himself, so he appointed people to be dukes and lords of certain territories of his empire. They had lots of power, but they still owed allegiance to the King. This concept decentralized the power and made it easier to handle all of the areas.

China begins to have prosperity and power

1000 BCE

Their economy was solely based on agriculture and trade in the early years of the Zhou Dynasty, but this is when things really start to come together for them. They begin to build cities, foster rituals and establish concrete religious ideas. China is J-chilling during this era.

Confucius is born

551 BCE

Confucius was a man who created the concept of Confucianism, which is the idea that humans are inherently good. Some of the key concepts of this theory are Li (proper behavior and etiquette), Ren (Benevolence and humaneness), and Filial Piety (Respect for parents and ancestors). His theories impacted societal moralism and harmony.

Invention of the plow

475 BCE

Farming takes a lot of work. People wanted to make it easier on themselves, so they invented the human-powered plow. The concept of it is a flat, V-shaped piece of iron that was attached to a wooden handheld machine that could be pushed by a human being in order to plow a field for crops.

Period of the Warring States

403 BCE

The Zhou Dynasty faces troubles in their government and a civil war breaks out and lasts about 180 years. It lasted so long because of the cultivation of better weaponry. Iron weapons were being produced as well as better battle strategies and the crossbow.

Invention of the crossbow

400 BCE

Because people literally cannot get along to save their lives, we fight, and therefore we need weapons to defend ourselves. And some guy was like, "Nah, fam, I don't want to get too close to THAT guy, is there any way we can just chuck stuff at them?" So they made the crossbow, which shoots arrows and crap at your enemy and, you know, unalives them.

Han Feizi is born

280 BCE

He was the key figure in legalism. The concepts of it were strict laws and punishments as well as the idea that human nature was selfish (sounds like an amazing guy, right?)

Beginning of the Qin Dynasty

221 BCE

This is when China becomes unified through roads and a monetary system. Legalism develops as well.

Completion of the Great Wall of China

220 BCE

The Great Wall of China is considered one of the most impressive feats of human engineering in the world. The Wall stretches over 13,000 miles across Northern China and was built as a fortification from the Mongol neighbors, who weren't exactly friendly.

Standardization of weights, measurements, and currency

220 BCE

Qin Shi Huang (the emperor of China) decided that t China seriously needed a foundation for measurements and things like that. So he standardized bronze coins to be made for currency and trade, a writing system for unification and communication across the empire, and made standard measurements for things like distances and amounts.

Burning of books (OH NO)

217 BCE

Qin Shi Huang orders the burning of books and the execution of scholars who oppose the regime. This is part of his effort to suppress intellectual dissent and unify thought under Legalism. Works not aligned with the state ideology (except for books on medicine, agriculture, and divination) are destroyed. This was, like, crazy controversial of him.

The Terracotta Army is built

210 BCE

The Terraccotta Army is a collection of clay sculptures that represent the army of Qin Shi Huang, who was the first emperor of China. These statues are each individually unique, so we know that they were not made from a mold. The purpose of these statues is to protect Qin Shi Huang in his afterlife.

Death of Qin Shi Huang

210 BCE

My homeboy dies while he's on a tour of the eastern provinces. Bro just wanted to do stuff to help his country, but his body was like, "I'm out." His death marked the beginning of the end of the Qin Dynasty, which is kinda sad because this guy was pretty chill. His son, Qin Er Shi, took over, but he just wasn't his dad. The dynasty slowly unraveled. Qin Shi Huang was buried in the Terracotta Army to protect him during the afterlife.

Fall of the Qin Dynasty

206 BCE

The reign of the Qin Dynasty was very short. It fell due to a warlord named Xiang Yu, who executed the emperor and destroyed the capital. Because of this, the empire split into 18 separate states and caused the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

Rise of the Han Dynasty

206 BCE

While the Qin Dynasty was at its weakest, the Hans decided to overthrow the government. Liu Bang was the leader of the rebel forces and they kind of destroyed the Qin Dynasty.The Han Dynasty will later become one of the most influential dynasties in Chinese history, setting many precedents in governance, culture, and law.