China, one of the countries that can boast of an ancient civilization, has a long and mysterious history of almost 5,000 years. China can trace her culture back to a blend of small original tribes which have expanded till they became the great country we have today. Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers both along the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era. Also, the Yellow River is to be said as the Cradle of Chinese Civilization.It is recorded that Yuanmou man is the oldest hominoid in China and the oldest dynasty is Xia Dynasty. From the long history of China, there emerge many eminent people that have contributed a lot to the development of the whole country and to the enrichment of her history.
Among them, there are emperors like Li Shimin (emperor Taizong of the Tang), philosophers like Confucius, great patriotic poets like Qu Yuan and so on.
Chinese society has progressed through five major stages - Primitive Society, Slave Society, Feudal Society, Semi-feudal and Semi-colonial Society, and Socialist Society.
Timeline of Chinese Dynasties
| Dynasties | Period | |||||||||
| Xia (Hsia) | ca.2000-1500 B.C. | |||||||||
| Shang | 1700-1027 B.C. | |||||||||
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| Qin(Chin) | 221-207 B.C. | |||||||||
| Han | Western Han | 206 B.C.-A.D.24 | ||||||||
| Estern Han | A.D.25-220 | |||||||||
| Three Kingdoms Period | Wei | 220-265 | ||||||||
| Shu | 221-263 | |||||||||
| Wu | 229-280 | |||||||||
| Jin(Tsin) | Western Jin(Tsin) | 265-316 | ||||||||
| Eastern Jin(Tsin) | 317-420 | |||||||||
| Southern and Northern | Southern Dynasties | 420-588 | ||||||||
| Northern Dynasties | 386-588 | |||||||||
| Sui | 581-617 | |||||||||
| Tang | 618-907 | |||||||||
| Five Dynasties | Later Liang | 907-923 | ||||||||
| Later Tang | 923-936 | |||||||||
| Later Jin | 936-947 | |||||||||
| Later Han | 947-950 | |||||||||
| Later Zhou | 951-960 | |||||||||
| Song(Sung) | Northern Song(Sung) | 960-1127 | ||||||||
| Southern Song(Sung) | 1127-1280 | |||||||||
| Liao | 916-1125 | |||||||||
| Jin | 1115-1234 | |||||||||
| Yuan | 1271-1368 | |||||||||
| Ming | 1368-1644 | |||||||||
| Qing(Ching) | 1644-1911 | |||||||||
| Republic of China(ROC)* | 1911-(Taiwan) | |||||||||
| People's Republic of China(PRC) | 1949-(Mainland China) | |||||||||