History of China

Read the history of China in multiple languages.

The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the king Wu Ding's reign, who was mentioned as the twenty-first Shang king by the same. Ancient historical texts such as the Book of Documents (early chapters, 11th century BC), the Records of the Grand Historian (c. 100 BC) and the Bamboo Annals (296 BC) mention and describe a Xia dynasty (c. 2070–1600 BC) before the Shang, but no writing is known from the period, and Shang writings do not indicate the existence of the Xia.[5] The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is among the world's oldest civilizations and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) supplanted the Shang, and introduced the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. The central Zhou government began to weaken due to external and internal pressures in the 8th century BC, and the country eventually splintered into smaller states during the Spring and Autumn period. These states became independent and fought with one another in the following Warring States period. Much of traditional Chinese culture, literature and philosophy first developed during those troubled times.

This app covers these topics of

Prehistory

Paleolithic

Neolithic

Bronze Age

Ancient China

Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC)

Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC)

Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC)

Spring and Autumn period (722–476 BC)

Warring States period (476–221 BC)

Imperial China

Qin dynasty (221–206 BC)

Han dynasty (202 BC–AD 220)

Jin dynasty (AD 265–420)

Yuan dynasty (AD 1271–1368)

Ming dynasty (AD 1368–1644)

Qing dynasty (AD 1644–1911)

Modern China

Republic of China (since 1912)

People's Republic of China (since 1949)

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