Throughout Chinese history, there have been a total of 24 dynasties, which are chronologically listed as follows:
Xia Dynasty (circa 2070 BC – 1600 BC)
Shang Dynasty (circa 1600 BC – 1046 BC)
Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC – 771 BC)
Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 BC – 256 BC) (including the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods)
Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 207 BC)
Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 8 AD)
Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD – 220 AD)
Three Kingdoms Period (220 AD – 280 AD) (including Wei, Shu, and Wu)
Western Jin Dynasty (265 AD – 316 AD)
Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 AD – 420 AD)
North and South Dynasties Period (420 AD – 589 AD) (Southern Dynasties: Song, Qi, Liang, Chen; Northern Dynasties: Northern Wei, East Wei, West Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou)
Sui Dynasty (581 AD – 618 AD)
Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD)
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 AD – 979 AD)
Song Dynasty (960 AD – 1279 AD) (divided into Northern Song and Southern Song)
Liao Dynasty (907 AD – 1125 AD)
Western Xia Kingdom (1038 AD – 1227 AD)
Jin Dynasty (1115 AD – 1234 AD)
Yuan Dynasty (1271 AD – 1368 AD)
Ming Dynasty (1368 AD – 1644 AD)
Qing Dynasty (1644 AD – 1912 AD)
These dynasties collectively constitute the rich and diverse historical long river filled with changes in China, with each dynasty boasting its own unique political, economic, and cultural characteristics. Visit WhatsChina website for more information or read Chinese-related history books.