Timeline of
Events in Classical China
This page is still under
construction! The following timeline is a compilation from several
sources: the first two are D. C. Lau's notes to The
Tao Te Ching and his notes to The Analects, both
in the Penguin Classics series; the second is History's Timeline:
a 40,000 Year Chronology of Civilization by Cooke, Kramer,
and Rowland-Entwistle. The third is Edward H. Schafer's Ancient
China from Time Life Books (1967).
HSIA DYNASTY (LEGENDARY) (2000-1500
BCE, Bronze Age)
Legendary philosopher-king Fu Hsi is
reputed to have inventd the eight symbols used in divination.
otter's Wheel introduced.
Pigs, dogs, oxen, goats, sheep domesticated.
SHANG DYNASTY (1500-1000
BCE)
Shang
Dynasty establishes and maintains a loosely organized authority
over small settlements in the Yellow River valley.
The Shang capitol Anyang established.
Many palaces, irrigation projects, warehouses, and granaries
built.
Logocentric writing system invented.
(Each written word is a stylized picture).
Flourishing of art, including bronzework,
ritual vessles, stone carvings, and jade carvings.
Composite bow invented. Chariot in widespread
use.
Water buffalo and several species of
bird domesticated.
The Book of Changes (I Ching)
written.
The Book of History (Shu Ching)
written.
EASTERN OR EARLY CHOU DYNASTY
(770-256 BCE)
The Spring
and Autumn Period (722-481 BCE)
Spring and Autumn Annals written.
Li Erh
(Lao-Tzu) born c. 560 BC. He writes the Tao-te
Ching and founds the Taoist
school of thought.
Confucius
born (551 or 552 BCE)
Confucius presents himself to the Viscount
of T'an, then on a visit to Lu (525 BCE)
Confucius comments on a gamekeeper
who would rather die than answer the wrong form of summons
(522 BCE)
Confucius comments on the number of
wan dancers taking part in a performance in the courtyard
of the Chi Family; Confucius first visits Ch'i
on a brief trip (517 BCE)
Sometime after 502 BCE, Confucius becomes
ssu k'ou in Lu.
On diplomatic errands, Confucius assists
at ceremony during meeting between Duke Ting of Lu and Duke
Ching of Ch'i in Chia Ku (500 BCE)
Unsuccessful attempt to demolish strongholds
of the Three Families in Lu (498 BCE)
Confucius leaves Lu and starts on his
travels across China; First visit to Wei (497 BCE)
Confucius passes throug Sung on way
to Ch'en when Huan T'ui was said to have attempted to assassinate
him (c.496-493?)
While in Ch'en, Confucius comments
on fire in the temples of Duke Huan and Duke Hsi in Lu (492
BCE)
It is likely Confucius travelled in
the region of Ch'en and Tsai during the invasion of Ch'en
by Wu. Confucius visits Ts'ai and met the Governor of She
in Fu Han (489 BCE)
Confucius returns to Wei (c. 488 BCE?)
Confucius travels to Lu from Wei (484
BCE)
The Warring States Period
(480-222 BCE)
Confucius requests Duke Ai to send expedition
against Ch'en Heng, who had assassinated Duke Chien of Ch'i.
Traditional date of Confucius' death
(479 BCE)
Mo Tzu (? c. 400s BCE)
Yang Chu (300s BCE)
Heyday of the Legalist
philosophical movement in China.
Meng-tzu (Mencius) (372-289 BCE)
Sung K'eng [and Yin Wen] (c. 375-300
BCE)
Shen Tao [and T'ien P'ien] (c.
325-275 BCE)
Chuang Tzu (c. 350-299 BCE) lives.
He is the second greatest Taoist
writer after Lao-Tzu.
Hsün Tzu (c. 350-250 BCE)
The Lü shih ch'un ch'iu postface
dated 240 BCE
Han Fei Tzu (d. 233 BCE)
CH'IN
DYNASTY (221-207 BCE)
WESTERN HAN DYNASTY
(206 BCE-8 CE)
Fu Poetry at its height.
The Huai nan tzu compiled (c.
140 BCE)
Szu-ma Hsiang-Ju (179-117 BCE)
Szu-ma Ch'ien (145-86
BCE), writes the Shih Chi (The Records of the
Historian)
The Li Chi compiled by Tai
Sheng (c. 90 BCE)
Liu Hsiang, the Hsin hsu
and the Shuo yüan presented to the Emperor (c. 16
BCE)
Yang Hsiung (53 BCE-18
CE)
WANG
MANG (9-23 CE)
EASTERN HAN DYNASTY
(25-220 CE)
Wang Ch'ung
experimentswith Lun Heng Poetry (27-97 CE)
Pan Ku
(32-92 CE),
writes The History of the Former Han
(Han shu)
Chang Heng (78-139 CE)
THREE KINGDOMS (220-265
CE, an age of political division)
Shih Poetry popular
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN
DYNASTIES (316-589 CE)
Shih Poetry popular
Emergence of Wen Hsüan literature.
T'ao Ch'ien (365-427 CE)
Hsiao T'ung (501-531 CE)
SIX KINGDOMS (589-618
CE)
SUI RULE
T'ANG DYNASTY
(618-907 CE, early medieval period)
Resurgence of Shih Poetry, which had
fallen out of use during the Six Kingdom Period.
Wang Wei (699-759
CE)
Li Po (701-762
CE)
Tu Fu (712-770
CE)
Po Chü (772-846
CE)
Li Ho (790-816
CE)
Li Shang-Yin (812-858
CE)
Emergence of "Neoclassical"
Chinese Prose, increase in buddhist Tles and Tz'u Poetry.
Han Yü (768-824
CE)
Liu Tsung-Yüan (773-819
CE)
Po Hsing-Chien (d. 826 CE)
Shen Tsung, Emperor of China takes the Imperial Dragon Throne.
Radical reforms are carried through by his minister Wan An-Shih.
Temujin (Ghengis
Khan) leads Mongolian tribes to unification (1190s CE)
Kublai Khan, Ghengis
Khan's grandson, completes conquest
of China and founds the Yuan dynasty.
YUAN (MONGOL) DYNASTY
(1237-1368 CE)
Batu Khan sweeps
into Eastern Europe (1237) and establishes the Kingdom of the
Golden Horde on the lower reaches of the Volga river.
Timur the Lame (Tamerlane) sets
up Islamic kingdoms in western and central Asia (1390s CE)
Babar Khan sets
up Mughal (Mongol)
Islamic kingdom in India (1526 CE). It lasts until the 1700s.
MING DYNASTY
(1368-1644 CE)
