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551 BCE
Birth of the philosopher Confucius .
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221 BCE
Qin Shi Huangdi, the ruler of the Kingdom of Qin, conquers neighbouring kingdoms and becomes the first Emperor of China. Work begins on the Great Wall of China
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210 BCE
Death of Qin Shi Huangdi
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202 BCE
Rise of the Han Dynasty (until AD 220)
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750
The Chinese invent block printing
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1050
The Chinese invent moveable print
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1092
The first mechanical clock, the Su Song clock, is built
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1271
Marco Polo arrives in China
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1279
The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
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1368
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
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1405
The first voyages of the great treasure fleet of Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He)
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Discovery of the terracotta army guarding the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi