China is one of the world's four ancient civilizations, and the written history of China dates back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), over 3,000 years ago.
| Year | Era | Dynasty | Capital | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2100–1600 BC | Ancient China | Xia | Luoyang Dengfeng Zhengzhou |
The first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography |
| 1600–1046 BC | Shang | Anyang | First dynasty to have historical records remaining | |
| 1046–221 BC | Zhou | Xi'an Luoyang |
Confucianism emerged | |
| 221–206 BC | Imperial China | Qin | Xi'an | First to unite China as a country under an emperor |
| 206 BC – 220 AD | Han | Xi'an Luoyang |
The same period as the Roman Empire | |
| 220–581 | Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties | Luoyang Chengdu Nanjing |
Frequent regime changes | |
| 581–618 | Sui | Xi'an Luoyang |
A system was established to select talents by examination | |
| 618–907 | Tang | Xi'an Luoyang |
It had the only female emperor. | |
| 960–1279 | Song | Kaifeng Hangzhou |
Printing, the compass, and gunpowder were invented. | |
| 1271–1368 | Yuan | Beijing | The first foreign regime to unite China | |
| 1368–1644 | Ming | Nanjing Beijing |
Most of the Great Wall today was built or repaired during the Ming Dynasty. | |
| 1644–1912 | Qing | Beijing | The last dynasty of China | |
| 1912–1949 | Republic of China | Republic of China | Beijing Wuhan Nanjing |
|
| 1949–present | Modern China | People's Republic of China | Beijing |
