Neolithic China

c. 3500–1600 B.C.E.

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Neolithic artists in China perfected the same techniques that are still used to carve jade today.

Shang dynasty

c. 1600–1046 B.C.E.

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Objects from the Shang dynasty give us clues to the concerns of people more than 3,000 years ago.

Zhou dynasty

c. 1050–221 B.C.E.

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The Zhou shared many cultural similarities with the Shang—they performed similar religious rituals, used bronze ritual vessels, and practiced divination.

Qin dynasty

221–206 B.C.E.

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The state of Qin was China’s first unified state whose power was centralized instead of spread among different kingdoms in the north and south.

Han dynasty

206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.

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The elite men and women of China’s second imperial dynasty enjoyed an opulent lifestyle that continued into the afterlife.

Period of Division

220–589 C.E.

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The Period of Division witnessed a flourishing of culture, ideas, and art comparable to that of the European Renaissance.

Tang dynasty

618–907 C.E.

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Under the Tang dynasty, China expanded its borders and diplomatic relations, becoming one of the greatest powers in the medieval world.

Five Dynasties period

907–979 C.E.

The fall of the Tang empire left Imperial China divided, resulting in several smaller dynasties and kingdoms fighting to gain political control.

Liao dynasty

907–1125 C.E.

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The Liao dynasty was formed of the nomadic Khitan people in northern China, and blended both their own cultural traditions with those of Tang and Song dynasties.

Song dynasty

960–1279 C.E.

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The Song dynasty saw the flowering of Chinese culture still recognizable today.

Yuan dynasty

1271–1368 C.E.

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During this period, China became subject to foreign rule—by the great Mongol empire.

Ming dynasty

1368–1644 C.E.

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The Ming dynasty reestablished independent rule in China, along with Chinese artistic and architectural traditions.

Qing dynasty

1644–1912 C.E.

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The Manchu ruled during the final imperial dynasty of China, a time of foreign influence and challenge.

Modern China

1912–present

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From the end of the twentieth century to today, rapid improvements in the economy, increasing globalization, and growing status as a major political and military power have continued to significantly alter life, including in the cultural sphere, ensuring China’s place in the contemporary art field.