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Period: 220 to 581
Era of Division in China
The roughly 400 years following the Han Dynasty in which China was divided both politically and socially. Ended with the reunification of China by the Sui Dynasty. -
Period: 581 to 618
Sui Dynasty
Short dynasty known for its accomplishment of reunifying China after its Era of Division. Also expanded the Grand Canal under Emperor Yang. -
Period: 618 to 907
Tang Dynasty
Often considered "China's Golden Age" with the Song Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty was well-known for its accomplishments of expanding trade routes as well as refining of the civil service examination system. -
Period: 960 to 1279
Song Dynasty
Chinese Dynasty known for its advancement of technology and population growth. Moved to Southern China in the early 12th century. -
Period: 1200 to 1300
Mongol Conquests
Led by Genghis Khan, the Mongol Conquests brought an end to the Song Dynasty in 1279. -
Period: 1279 to 1368
Yuan Dynasty
Established by the Mongols and one of the Mongol Khanates -
1368
Mongols Expelled from China
Driven out of China by Zhu, the emperor who established the Ming Dynasty. -
1368
Ming Dynasty Begins
Established by Zhu, who drove the Mongols out of China and took a new name (Hongwu) and extended his rule over northern China. -
Period: 1405 to 1433
Zhenghe Expiditions
Maritime expeditions in the Indiand Ocean in the early 1400s funded by Emperor Yongle. Ended due to a redirection of funding towards military. -
Qing Dynasty Begins
Manchus invade from Manchuria -
Period: to
Qing Dynasty
Founded by the Manchus, the Qing Dynasty ruled China with a dyarchy. Enforced laws to single out dissenters by forcing culture, such as how they forced men to wear their hair in a queue hairstyle. A notable emperor was Kangxi, a known supporter of Confucianism. -
Period: to
Isolated Trade in Canton
Isolationist policies restricted foreign trade and merchants to Canton. -
Opium War
1839 - 1842
Maritime conflict between China and Great Britain over the presence of opium in the Chinese society. Lin Zexu was charged with solving the opium problem, but his interference in economics led the British to open fire. Ended with the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 -
Taiping Rebellion
Rebellion in which Nanjing was seized in 1853 by the Taiping rebels, who came mainly from the lower class and were rebelling against the Manchu government. Suppressed in 1854. -
Period: to
Rule of Cixi
Originally the Empress Dowager (mother of the emperor) then Empress who controlled the Chinese government and politics from 1861 to 1908. Supported the Boxer Rebellion. -
Sino-Japanese War
War between China and Japan over Korea's status as a tributary state of China. Ended with the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 in which China was forced to recognize Korea's independence and ceded Taiwan and the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan. -
Boxer Rebellion
1899 - 1901
Anti-foreign rebellion funded by Empress Cixi. Suppressed by Western nations in 1901. After it was suppressed, negotiations forced China to allow foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing and destroy several fortifications. -
Chinese Nationalist Revolution
Nationalist revolution led by Sun Yat-Sen with the goal of freeing China from foreign control (Qing rulers) and creating a republic government. -
WWI (1914-1918)
Although wartime participation was limited, China joined the Allies in WWI so as to regain lost territory and ensure a seat at peace negotiations. -
Period: to
Great Depression
Though limited, the Great Depression in China impacted the Chinese economy and made it weaker when Japan began invading and conquering Manchuria. -
Period: to
Years of the Cold War
China was very much connected and supported by the Soviet Union during the Cold War as they both held the same political ideology: communism. China was fairly isolated from the West during the Cold War. -
PRC Established
Mao Zedong established the People's Republic of China 1949, forcing Chiang Kai-Shek and his forces to flee to the nearby island of Taiwan. -
Korean War
1950 - 1953
One of the many proxy wars fought during the Cold War, the Korean War was fought between Communist North Korea (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and Democratic South Korea (supported by the United States and the UN). Ended with the establishment of the DMZ on the 38th parallel in 1953. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
Cold War proxy war fought between the communist north led by Ho Chi Minh and the democratic south supported by the United States. When the US left Vietnam in 1973, Ho Chi Minh led the Fall of Saigon (1975), effectively marking the end of the Vietnam War. -
Great Leap Forward
1958 - 1961
Five-year economic program pushed by Mao and the Chinese Communist Party with the goal of initiating a large-scale industry in all parts of China. Attempted to turn family farms to urbanized communes, leading to great famine. Failed to spur China into full industry. -
Period: to
Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Started by Mao Zedong in 1966, worked to cleanse China of its traditional beliefs. Mobilized the Red Guard, a student-led mass used to enforce the Cultural Revolution. -
Four Modernizations Announced
Announced by Deng Xiaoping, the four modernizations were areas of development that China focused on beginning in the late 1970s. They were as follows: industry, agriculture, science and technology, and national defense. -
Period: to
Deng Xiaoping
Leader of the PRC who led China away from Maoist policies, opening China up to foreign investment and technology. Ultimately, he turned China into one of the world's fastest-growing economies.