Timeline of Chinese Dynasties

China has a long history stretching back nearly 5,000 years. Understanding something of this will allow you to get more out of a visit there and put some flesh onto the many monuments and temples to the past you will see. Click on each Dynasty name to find out more about that period.

Time Period	Dynasty
BC 2100 to BC 1600	Xia Dynasty
BC 1600 to BC 1046	Shang Dynasty
BC 1046 to BC 221	Zhou Dynasty
BC 221 to BC 206	Qin Dynasty
BC 206 to AD 220	Han Dynasty
AD 265 to 420	Jin Dynasty
AD 420 to 589	Southern & Northern Dynasties
AD 589 to 618	Sui Dynasty
AD 618 to 907	Tang Dynasty
AD 907 to 960	Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms
AD 960 to 1279	Song, Liao, Western Xia, & Jin
AD 1279 to 1368	Yuan Dynasty
AD 1368 to 1644	Ming Dynasty
AD 1644 to 1911	Qing Dynasty
AD 1911 to 1949	Republic of China
AD 1949 to Present	The Communist Party