| NEOLITHIC | Yanshao Farming Culture | c. 5000 | - | 2700 BC |
| | (Ban Po, W. Henan) | | |
| Longshan Culture | c. 3500 BC |
| "Legendary Sage Emperors" | | | |
| | (cultural heroes & warriors) | c. 2852 | - | 2255 BC |
| | | | | | |
| EARLY HISTORIC: | Xia Dynasty (Hsia) | c. 2205 | - | 1818 BC |
| DIVIDED CHINA | Shang Dynasty | c. 1766 | - | 1122 BC |
| Zhou (Chou) (2 phases): | c. 1100 | - | 221 BC |
| | - Western Zhou | c. 1100 | - | 770 BC |
| | - Eastern Zhou (2 sub-phases): | c. 770 | - | 221 BC |
| | | -- Spring & Autumn Period | c. 770 | - | 481 BC |
| | | -- Warring States Period | c. 481 | - | 221 BC |
| | | | | | |
| UNITED CHINA | Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty | c. 221 | - | 202 BC |
| Han Dynasty | c. 202 BC | - | AD 220 |
| | | | | | |
| Age of Disunity (2 phases): | AD 221 | - | 331 |
| | - Three Kingdoms (Wei, Wu, Shu) | AD 220 | - | 280 |
| | - Jin Dynasty | AD 280 | - | 311 |
| Northern Wei Dynasty | AD 386 | - | 534 |
| | | | | | |
| Sui Dynasty | AD 589 | - | 617 |
| T'ang Dynasty | AD 618 | - | 906 |
| POLITICAL COLLAPSE | AD 906 | - | 960 |
| Sung Dynasty | AD 960 | - | 1279 |