1600 BCE - 1050 BCE: Shang Dynasty
770 BCE - 475 BCE: Spring and Autumn Period
Confucianism: Confucius
Taoism: Lao Tzu
Buddhism (India): Siddhartha Gautama
Art of War: Sun Tzu
475 BCE - 221 BCE: Warring States Period
221 BCE - 206 BCE: Qin Dynasty
First emperor: Qin Shi Huang
Origin of China’s name
206 BCE - 220: Han Dynasty
220 - 265: Three Kingdoms
Shu (SW): Liu Bei
Wei (N): Cao Cao
Wu (SE): Sun (clan)
265 - 420: Jin Dynasty
581 - 618: Sui Dynasty
618 - 906: Tang Dynasty
960 - 1279: Song Dynasty
1279 - 1368: Yuan Dynasty
Mongols
Writing of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
1368 - 1644: Ming Dynasty
Writing of Journey to the West
Writing of Water Margin
1644 - 1912: Qing Dynasty
Manchuria
Writing of Dream of the Red Chamber
1912 onwards : Republic ROC
Founder: Sun Yat-sen
Civil War (until 1949): Mao Zedong (PRC) vs Chiang Kai-shek (ROC)
1949 onwards: PRC (Mainland)
Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Xi Jinping