- Xia Dynasty 2070 BC – 1600 BC
- have flood protection
- increased crop yields
- Shang Dynasty 1600 BC – 1046 BC
- bronze weapons
- use writing
- have slaves
- Zhou Dynasty 1046 BC – 256 BC
- aided by slaves
- Taoism, Confucianism
- Warring States Period with 7 Kingdoms
- Qin Dynasty 221 BC – 206 BC
- Qin Shi Huang united 7 Kingdoms
- executed scholars to erase the histories of the other kingdoms
- Great Wall, canals, highways, and Qin’s tomb were built
- Han Dynasty 206 BC – 220 AD
- 1st golden age
- unified the nation after Qin Shi Huang’s death
- silk road to the Roman Empire
- Six Dynasties 220 AD – 586 AD
- Sui Dynasty 581 AD – 618 AD
- unified the northern and southern dynasties
- brilliant period in artistic production
- Tang Dynasty 618 AD – 907 AD
- 2nd Golden Age
- scientific advancement and cultural refinement
- merchants, artisans, and philosophers
- persecute Buddhists and became more authoritarian
- Five Dynasties – 907 AD – 960 AD
- Song Dynasty 960 AD – 1279 AD
- 3rd golden age
- magnetic compass, gunpowder, mass printing
- Yuan Dynasty 1279 AD – 1368 AD
- invaded by Genghis Khan
- unified the silk road
- Ming Dynasty 1368 AD – 1644 AD
- high point for art and literature
- Qing Dynasty 1644 AD – 1911 AD
- began like a golden age but ended in a disaster
- tea and the opium war with Great Britain