Autumn Jade Publishing - Chinese History

2100-1066 BC

Xia and Shang Dynasty

1066-221 BC

Zhou Dynasty
Capital city is constructed in Xian, later moved to city of Luoyang. "Middle Kingdom" idea is introduced. Confucius (551-479 BC) creates a code of ethics.

221-207 BC

Qin Dynasty
Emperor Qin Shi Huang unites China and divides the empires into provinces and prefectures. Standards are set for weights, measures and written languages. The first section of the Great Wall is completed. Army of Terra Cotta Warriors is created to guard the emperor's tomb.

207 BC-220 AD

Han Dynasty
Important inventions introduced include: gun powder and paper. Buddhism is introduced into China; Confucianism is instituted as the basis of education and admission to civil service.

220-581 AD

Three Kingdoms Period (Jin, Southern & Northern Dynasties)
China is split into three kingdoms- North, Central, and Southern Kingdoms. The Great Wall is expanded and many of China's famous large Buddhas are carved.

581-907 AD

Sui & Tang Dynasty
China is reunited and begins "golden age" of arts that flourishes throughout the Tang Dynasty. The Grand Canal is constructed, linking the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. The Great Wall is repaired and expanded.

907-1279

Five Dynasties, Song & Liao Dynasty
China once again splits into independent states, with five dynasties controlling the north of China while ten kingdoms control the south. Mongols invade northern China and Beijing (then known as Dadu) is established as the capital city under rule of Genghis Khan.

1279-1368

Yuan Dynasty
Marco Polo visits China. Ghengis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan, constructs Palace of All Tranquilities, later to be known as the Forbidden Palace. The Grand Canal is repaired and extended.

1368-1644

Ming Dynasty
The Great Wall is repaired and extended to keep the Mongols out of China. Buddhism and Taoism are made state religions. Original Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven are constructed in Beijing.

1644-1911

Qing Dynasty
Manchurians invade China and set up government modeled after Ming rulers. Tibet is incorporated into the Chinese empire. Increased trade with the west leads to the introduction of opium. Sun Yat-sen leads the revolution that ends the Manchu empire. The last Qin Emperor, Puyi, leaves the Forbidden City in 1924, ending Imperial rule in China.

1911-1949

The Republic

1911	Empire overthrown (Pu Yi was 5); Provisional government is established on October 10, 1911 by Sun Yat-sen
1924	Rule of the warlords
1927	The Communist party is established in 1921.
1927	Kuomintang under Chiang Kai-shek unifies most of China
1931	Japanese invade Manchuria
1932	Manchukuo established under Pu Yi
1934-1935	Long March: Communists to Yan'an
1937	Japanese attack deep into China; Communist-Kuomintang alliance
1945	Japanese surrender
1946-1949	Kuomintang-Communist civil war

1949-

The People's Republic

1949	Mao Tse Tung announces the formation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949; Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan
1950	Land reform
1951	Campaign to "suppress counter-revolutionaries"
1952	Three Antis Campaign: corruption, waste, bureaucracy Five Antis Campaign: bribery, tax evasion, fraud, theft of state property, obtaining economic information through corruption
1955	Campaign to "uncover hidden counter-revolutionaries"
1956	Hundred Flowers Campaign
1957	Anti-Rightest Campaign
1958	Great Leap Forward; backyard steel furnaces and communes
1959-1961	Famine; campaign to catch "rightest opportunists"
1963	"Learn from Lei Feng"; cult of Mao escalates
1965	Cultural Revolution begins
1966	August: Red Guards spread terror Campaign against the Four Olds: old ideas, old culture, old customs, old habits
1966-1969	Four Phases of the Cultural Revolution: Teenage Red Guards Rebels and attackes on "capitalist-roaders" Factional fighting among the Rebels "Clean up the Class Ranks" campaign -- students and officials sent to the countryside by Revolutionary Committees
1971	Lin Biao dies; mass rehabilitations
1972	President Nixon visits China
1973	Deng Xiaoping rehabilitated
1976	Zhou Enlai dies (January);Mao Tse Tung dies, September 8, 1976; Gang of Four arrested; end of the Cultural Revolution
1981	Deng Xiaoping's reforms kick in
1989	Tiananmen Square massacre (June)
1997	After the death of Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin assumes control of the country

Chinese History

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