AN ATLAS OF CHINESE DYNASTIES
Dynasties of China
From Xia to Qing · Rulers, events and people
- Periods
- 23
- Ruler entries
- 304
- Date range
- c. 2070 BCE–1912 CE
Xia, Shang and Western Zhou;Eastern Zhou divides in two:Spring and Autumn, Warring States.Qin unites; two Han follow.Wei, Shu and Wu divide the land;Western and Eastern Jin succeed.Northern and Southern courts coexist;Sui, Tang, then Five Dynasties.Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing—the imperial age draws to a close.
A river of history
Drawn to scale · Coexisting states appear on separate rows · Select a dynasty to explore
Early China
The beginnings of civilizationc. 2070–221 BCE
Xia dynastyc. 2070–1600 BCE · c. 470 years
Tradition credits Yu with controlling the floods and Qi with establishing hereditary rule. Xia is the earliest hereditary dynasty recorded in traditional Chinese histories.
Shang dynastyc. 1600–1046 BCE · c. 554 years
Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin and Wu Ding revived royal power. Oracle-bone inscriptions and bronze vessels provide the earliest surviving contemporary written evidence of a Chinese dynasty.
Western Zhou1046–771 BCE · 275 years
King Wu defeated Shang, and the Duke of Zhou helped establish Zhou institutions. Enfeoffment and lineage shaped the ritual order; secure annual chronology begins in 841 BCE.
Spring and Autumn period770–476 BCE · 294 years
As the Zhou court moved east and royal authority weakened, rival states competed for dominance. Laozi and Confucius helped shape the emerging traditions of Chinese thought.
Warring States period475–221 BCE · 254 years
Seven major states competed through reform, warfare and intellectual debate. After over two centuries of conflict, Qin conquered its rivals and unified the realm.
Qin & Han
Foundations of a unified empire221 BCE–220 CE
Qin dynasty221–207 BCE · 14 years
Qin conquered the six rival kingdoms, established the imperial title, extended commandery-and-county government, and standardized writing and vehicle axle widths. It collapsed in its second reign.
Western Han202 BCE–8 CE · 210 years
Liu Bang founded the dynasty after defeating his rivals. The reigns of Wen and Jing restored the economy, and Emperor Wu expanded the empire and opened contacts with the Western Regions.
Eastern Han25—220 · 195 years
Emperor Guangwu restored the Han. Ban Chao expanded its influence in the Western Regions and Cai Lun improved papermaking, while factional struggles eventually fractured the empire.
Wei, Jin & the Northern and Southern Dynasties
Division and exchange220—589
Three Kingdoms220—280 · 60 years
Wei, Shu and Wu divided the realm. The Battle of Red Cliffs and Zhuge Liang's northern campaigns shaped an age of rivalry that ended with Jin reunification.
Western Jin266—316 · 50 years
The Sima family replaced Wei and conquered Wu to end the Three Kingdoms. The War of the Eight Princes and the Yongjia catastrophe ended a reunification lasting only a few decades.
Eastern Jin317—420 · 103 years
Elite families crossed the Yangtze and shared power with the imperial court. Sixteen Kingdoms rose and fell in the north; the Battle of the Fei River helped preserve the southern regime.
Northern and Southern Dynasties420—589 · 169 years
Northern and southern courts coexisted for nearly 170 years. Northern Wei reforms encouraged cultural integration, while the south developed and Buddhism, literature and the arts flourished.
Sui, Tang & the Five Dynasties
An age of prosperity581—979
Sui dynasty581—618 · 37 years
Sui reunited north and south, advanced imperial administration and the examination system, and connected the regions through the Grand Canal, but collapsed in its second reign.
Tang dynasty618—907 · 289 years
The Zhenguan and Kaiyuan eras brought prosperity, cosmopolitan Chang'an and remarkable poetry. The An Lushan Rebellion marked a turning point toward decline.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms907—979 · 72 years
Five dynasties succeeded one another in the north within 53 years. Southern kingdoms enjoyed greater stability, while lyric poetry and landscape painting developed in new directions.
Liao, Song, Xia, Jin & Yuan
Coexisting states907—1368
Liao dynasty907—1125 · 218 years
The Khitans built a northern empire, ruled diverse peoples through different institutions, and secured over a century of coexistence with Northern Song after the Chanyuan Treaty.
Northern Song960—1127 · 167 years
Founded after the Chenqiao mutiny, Northern Song favored civil government and fostered trade, education and culture, before falling in the Jingkang Incident.
Western Xia1038—1227 · 189 years
Li Yuanhao founded a Tangut state in the northwest and created a writing system. Western Xia defeated Song armies and coexisted with Song, Liao and Jin for nearly two centuries.
Jin dynasty1115—1234 · 119 years
The Jurchens rose in the northeast, conquered Liao and defeated Northern Song within little more than a decade, then faced Southern Song across a divided China for over a century.
Southern Song1127—1279 · 152 years
After the Jingkang disaster, the Song court moved south and ruled from the Yangtze region for over 150 years. Economic and cultural achievements flourished before the final defeat at Yamen.
Yuan dynasty1271—1368 · 97 years
Mongol conquests created an immense empire. Yuan provincial administration influenced later governments, while drama, science and technology flourished.
Ming & Qing
The end of imperial rule1368—1912
Ming dynasty1368—1644 · 276 years
Founded by an emperor of humble origins, Ming sent Zheng He on seven ocean voyages. Its later emperors ruled from Beijing, where the dynasty ended in 1644.
Qing dynasty1636—1912 · 276 years
Rising beyond the Great Wall, Qing conquered China and reached prosperity under Kangxi and Qianlong. Internal crises and foreign pressure brought the dynasty and imperial rule to an end.