| PERIOD | DATES | CULTURE/EMPIRE NAME | LOCATION | ||||||||
| Paleolithic | |||||||||||
| B.C. | 20000–7000 | Xianren Cave culture | Wannian County, Shangrao, Jiangxi | ||||||||
| Neolithic | |||||||||||
| B.C. | 8500–7700 | Nanzhuangtou culture | Yellow River region in southern Hebei | ||||||||
| 7500–6100 | Pengtoushan culture | Central Yangtze region in northwestern Hunan | |||||||||
| 7000–5000 | Peiligang culture | Yi-Luo river basin valley in Henan | |||||||||
| 6500–5500 | Houli culture | Shandong | |||||||||
| 6200–5400 | Xinglongwa culture | Inner Mongolia-Liaoning border | |||||||||
| 6000–5000 | Kuahuqiao culture | Zhejiang | |||||||||
| 6000–5500 | Cishan culture | Southern Hebei | |||||||||
| 5800–5400 | Dadiwan culture | Gansu and western Shaanxi | |||||||||
| 5500–4800 | Xinle culture | Lower Liao River on the Liaodong Peninsula | |||||||||
| 5400–4500 | Zhaobaogou culture | Luan River valley in Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei | |||||||||
| 5300–4100 | Beixin culture | Shandong | |||||||||
| 5000–4500 | Hemudu culture | Yuyao and Zhoushan, Zhejiang | |||||||||
| 5000–3000 | Daxi culture | Three Gorges region | |||||||||
| 5000–3000 | Majiabang culture | Lake Tai area and north of Hangzhou Bay | |||||||||
| 5000–3000 | Yangshao culture | Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi | |||||||||
| 4700–2900 | Hongshan culture | Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Hebei | |||||||||
| 4100–2600 | Dawenkou culture | Shandong, Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu | |||||||||
| 3800–3300 | Songze culture | Lake Tai area | |||||||||
| 3400–2250 | Liangzhu culture | Yangtze River Delta | |||||||||
| 3100–2700 | Majiayao culture | Upper Yellow River region in Gansu and Qinghai | |||||||||
| 3100–2700 | Qujialing culture | Middle Yangtze region in Hubei and Hunan | |||||||||
| 3000–2000 | Longshan culture | Central and lower Yellow River | |||||||||
| 2800–2000 | Baodun culture | Chengdu Plain | |||||||||
| 2500–2000 | Shijiahe culture | Middle Yangtze region in Hubei | |||||||||
| 1900–1500 | Yueshi culture | Lower Yellow River region in Shandong | |||||||||
| Ancient Dynasty | |||||||||||
| B.C. | 2070-1600 | Xia dynasty | Click on link for geographic information | ||||||||
| 1600-1046 | Shang dynasty | Click on link for geographic information | |||||||||
| 1046-256 | Zhou | Click on link for geographic information | |||||||||
| Imperial Dynasty | |||||||||||
| B.C. | 221-207 | Qin | Click on link for more information | ||||||||
| 202-220 | Han | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| A.D. | 220-280 | Three Kingdoms | Click on link for more information | ||||||||
| 266–420 | Jin | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 420–589 | Northern and Southern dynasties | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 581–618 | Sui | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 618–907 | Tang 618–907 | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 916–1125 | Liao | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 960–1279 | Song | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 1271–1368 | Yuan | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 1368–1644 | Ming | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| European settlement of Americas begins | |||||||||||
| 1636–1912 | Qing | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| Modern Period | |||||||||||
| A.D. | 1912-1927 | Republic of China | Click on link for more information | ||||||||
| 1927-1937 | Republican Civil War | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 1937-1945 | World War II Japanese Invasion | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 1945-1949 | Republican Civil War Continues | Click on link for more information | |||||||||
| 1949-Present | People's Republic of China | Click on link for more information | |||||||||