China is one of the world’s oldest civilisations and so it has a very long and complicated history. To save time, here’s the short version…
• People first lived in China tens of thousands of years ago, when people came to settle on the banks of the Yellow River.
• The Xia might have been the first Chinese dynasty – a powerful family that ruled the country – but historians can’t agree whether they really existed or were just a story. After the Xia came the Shang – everyone agrees they really did exist (they developed writing) and ruled from about 1600 BC to 1046 BC. After them came the Zhou dynasty who ruled for even longer.
• After the Zhou dynasty came a period known as the Warring States. During this time, hard nut Qin Shi Huangdi battled to unite China. Shi Huangdi managed to do so, became the first Chinese Emperor, and began the Qin dynasty. Imperial China lasted from the Qin dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911.
• Dynasties came and went, and the Chinese territory split up into smaller bits then joined up again, and grew, shrank and grew again. In 1271, China was part of the Mongol Empire under the Yuan dynasty, started by Kublai Khan, who built an enormous and beautiful palace in northern China that was big enough for 6,000 guests.
• A poor peasant, who became a Buddhist monk to avoid starvation, ended up overthrowing the ruling Mongols, as well as rival Chinese groups, and became the first Ming emperor. China started trading with other countries and grew wealthy. The Great Wall of China was built during the Ming dynasty.
• Invaders from the north conquered China, despite the Great Wall, and began the Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644 to 1911. China’s territory grew to its biggest ever size during this time.
• In 1911 the imperial court was overthrown and China was made a republic. In 1949 Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the People’s Republic of China.
List of Chinese Dynasties
Xia 2700–1600 BC
Shang 1600–1046 BC
Western Zhou 1046–771 BC
Eastern Zhou 770–256 BC
Spring, Autumn and Warring States Period 771–221 BC
Qin 221–206 BC
Western Han 206 BC–AD 9
Xin 9–23
Eastern Han 25–220
Three Kingdoms 220–265
Western Jin 265–317
Eastern Jin 317–420
Southern and Northern 420–589
Sui 581–618
Tang 618–907
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907–960
Northern Song 960–1127
Southern Song 1127–1279
Liao 907–1125
Jin 1115–1234
Yuan 1271–1368
Ming 1368–1644
Qing 1644–1911