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Quickly look up the years, historical capitals, and modern locations of Chinese dynasties.
| Dynasty | Period | Capital | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xia | c. 2146-1675 BCE | Any i | Xia County, Shanxi | |
| Shang (1) | c. 1675-1029 BCE | Bo | Shangqiu, Henan | |
| Zhou | Western Zhou | c. 1029-771 BCE (2) | Haojing | Xi'an, Shaanxi |
| Eastern Zhou | 770-256 BCE | Luoyi | Luoyang, Henan | |
| Qin | 221-207 BCE | Xianyang | Xianyang, Shaanxi | |
| Han | Western Han (3) | 206 BCE-25 CE | Chang'an | Xi'an, Shaanxi |
| Eastern Han | 25-220 | Luoyang | Luoyang, Henan | |
| Three Kingdoms | Wei | 220-265 | Luoyang | Luoyang, Henan |
| Shu | 221-263 | Chengdu | Chengdu, Sichuan | |
| Wu | 222-280 | Jianye | Nanjing, Jiangsu | |
| Western Jin | 265-317 | Luoyang | Luoyang, Henan | |
| Eastern Jin Sixteen Kingdoms | Eastern Jin | 317-420 | Jiankang | Nanjing, Jiangsu |
| Sixteen Kingdoms (4) | 304-439 | — | — | |
| Southern Dynasties | Song | 420-479 | Jiankang | Nanjing, Jiangsu |
| Qi | 479-502 | Jiankang | Nanjing, Jiangsu | |
| Liang | 502-557 | Jiankang | Nanjing, Jiangsu | |
| Chen | 557-589 | Jiankang | Nanjing, Jiangsu | |
| Northern Dynasties | Northern Wei | 386-534 | Pingcheng | Datong, Shanxi |
| Luoyang | Luoyang, Henan | |||
| Eastern Wei | 534-550 | Ye | Linzhang, Hebei | |
| Northern Qi | 550-577 | Ye | Linzhang, Hebei | |
| Western Wei | 535-557 | Chang'an | Xi'an, Shaanxi | |
| Northern Zhou | 557-581 | Chang'an | Xi'an, Shaanxi | |
| Sui | 581-618 | Daxing | Xi'an, Shaanxi | |
| Tang | 618-907 | Chang'an | Xi'an, Shaanxi | |
| Five Dynasties Ten Kingdoms | Later Liang | 907-923 | Bian | Kaifeng, Henan |
| Later Tang | 923-936 | Luoyang | Luoyang, Henan | |
| Later Jin | 936-946 | Bian | Kaifeng, Henan | |
| Later Han | 947-950 | Bian | Kaifeng, Henan | |
| Later Zhou | 951-960 | Bian | Kaifeng, Henan | |
| Ten Kingdoms (5) | 902-979 | — | — | |
| Song | Northern Song | 960-1127 | Kaifeng | Kaifeng, Henan |
| Southern Song | 1127-1279 | Lin'an | Lin'an, Zhejiang | |
| Liao | 907-1125 | Imperial Capital (Shangjing) | Balin Right Banner, Liaoning | |
| Western Xia | 1038-1227 | Xingqing Prefecture | Yinchuan, Ningxia | |
| Jin | 1115-1234 | Huining | Acheng (Heilongjiang) | |
| Zhongdu | Beijing | |||
| Kaifeng | Kaifeng, Henan | |||
| Yuan | 1206-1368 | Dadu | Beijing | |
| Ming | 1368-1644 | Beijing | Beijing | |
| Qing | 1616-1911 | Beijing | Beijing | |
| Republic of China | 1912-1949 | Nanjing | Nanjing, Jiangsu | |
| The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, with its capital in Beijing. | ||||
(1) In the mid-14th century BCE, Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin; thereafter Shang was also called Yin.
(2) The year 841 BCE (the first year of the Gonghe Regency of Western Zhou) marks the start of reliable dating in Chinese history.
(3) Includes the Xin dynasty founded by Wang Mang (8-23 CE). During this period large peasant uprisings broke out and short-lived peasant regimes appeared. The Xin regime fell in 23 CE; the Eastern Han was established in 25 CE.
(4) In northern China, a number of feudal states existed in succession, including Han (Former Zhao), Cheng (Cheng Han), Former Liang, Later Zhao (Wei), Former Yan, Former Qin, Later Yan, Later Qin, Western Qin, Later Liang, Southern Liang, Northern Liang, Southern Yan, Western Liang, Northern Yan, Xia, etc. Collectively known as the Sixteen Kingdoms.
(5) Besides Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou, other feudal states existed in succession, including Wu, Former Shu, Wuyue, Chu, Min, Southern Han, Jingnan (Nanping), Later Shu, Southern Tang, and Northern Han. Collectively known as the Ten Kingdoms.
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When you need to quickly confirm the starting and ending years, capital locations, and their modern-day equivalents for Chinese historical dynasties, this tool provides an authoritative reference chart. It displays information for successive dynasties from the Xia Dynasty to the Republic of China in a structured table. The data includes dynasty names, exact or estimated start and end dates (marked as BCE/CE), historical capital names, and their modern geographic locations, helping users establish a clear historical and spatial coordinate system.
Which dynasties are included in the Chinese dynasty timeline?
It covers major dynasties including Xia, Shang, Zhou (including Western/Eastern Zhou), Qin, Han (including Western/Eastern Han), the Three Kingdoms through the Qing Dynasty, and the Republic of China.
Why is the Zhou Dynasty divided into Western and Eastern Zhou?
Due to the relocation of the political center (from Haojing to Luoyi) and changes in the nature of the regime, the tool uses branch dynasties to show the differences in capital locations (modern Xi'an vs. Luoyang) and ruling periods.
1. Years marked with "c." (circa) during the Xia and Shang periods are academic estimates.
2. Exact dating begins from the first year of the Gonghe Regency in the Western Zhou Dynasty (841 BCE).
3. The table only lists major capitals; some dynasties had multiple capitals.
4. Pay attention to merged cells indicating inclusive periods (e.g., the "Three Kingdoms" includes Wei, Shu, and Wu).
5. The footnotes contain explanations for special periods like the Sixteen Kingdoms, so please be sure to read them.
When studying historical geography, we recommend using this tool alongside ancient maps. For example, the table reveals that Chang'an (modern Xi'an) served as the capital across 13 dynasties, including Zhou, Han, and Tang, while Beijing was the imperial capital for five consecutive dynasties from the Jin to the Qing. This phenomenon of continuous capital establishment reflects the migration patterns and geographic strategic value of ancient China's political centers.
