China, one of the oldest nations in the world, has its long cultural and national history with a significant aspect. The Chinese people have shared a common culture longer than any other group on Earth. The ancient Chinese civilization—one of the world's earliest—flourished in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The Chinese writing system, for example, dates back almost 4,000 years. China's political system was based on hereditary monarchies, known as dynasties, beginning with the semi-mythological Xia of the Yellow River basin (approx. 2000 BC) and ending with the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Since 221 BC, when the Qin Dynasty first conquered several states to form a Chinese empire, the country has fractured and been reformed numerous times. The imperial dynastic system of government was overturned in 1911, and a weak republican form of government existed until 1949. In that year, after a long civil war, the People's Republic of China, with a Communist government, was proclaimed. This government and the ruling Communist party have controlled China ever since. As of September 2011, all but 23 countries have recognized the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China.
CHINESE DYNASTIC CHRONOLOGY
PRE-IMPERIAL CHINA
Emperor Yao (legendary) 3rd Millennium BC
Emperor Shun (legendary) 3rd Millennium BC
Xia Dynasty 21 C. BC ~ 16 C. BC
Shang Dynasty 16 C. BC ~ 1066 BC
Zhou Dynasty 1111 BC ~ 249 BC
Western Zhou 1066-771 BC
Eastern Zhou 771-221 BC
Spring and Autumn 722-481 BC
Warring States 480-222 BC
THE EARLY EMPIRE
Qin Dynasty (255 - ) 221 BC ~ 206 BC
Han Dynasty 206 BC ~ 220 AD
Western Han 206 BC-23 AD
Xin 9-23
Eastern Han 25-220
Three Kingdoms - Wei 220-265, Shu 221-263, Wu 222-280
Jin Dynasty 265 ~ 420
Southern & Northern Dynasties 420 ~ 589
South - Liu Song 420-479, Qi 479-502, Liang 502-557, Chen 557-589
North - Wei 386-550, Qi 550-577, Zhou 557-581
THE MIDDLE EMPIRE
Sui Dynasty 581 ~ 618
Tang Dynasty 618 ~ 907
Five Dynasties 907 ~ 979
Later Liang 907-923
Later Tang 923-936
Later Jin 936-47
Later Han 947-950
Later Zhou 951-960
THE LATER EMPIRE
Liao (907-) 947-1125
Song Dynasty 960 ~ 1279
Northern Song 960-1127
Southern Song 1127-1279
Western Xia Dynasty (990)-1032-1227
Jin Dynasty 1115-1234
Yuan [Mongol] Dynasty 1279 ~ 1368
Ming Dynasty 1368 ~ 1644
Qing [Manchu] Dynasty 1644 ~ 1911
POST IMPERIAL CHINA
Republic of China 1912 ~ 1949
People's Republic of China 1949.10 ~