China timeline

A chronology of key events:

c 1700-1046 BC - Shang Dynasty is the first Chinese state for which clear written records remain.

The philosopher Confucius has had a major influence on Chinese culture

221-206 BC - Qin Dynasty marks the emergence of China as a major regional power and centre of civilisation.

Imperial China

960-1279 AD - Song Dynasty marks the high point of Chinese classical culture, with the flowering of literature, scientific innovation and the adoption of Neo-Confucianism as the official state ideology.

1271-1368 - Mongols conquer China and establish their own Yuan Dynasty, founded by Kublai Khan. Marco Polo and other Westerners visit. Beijing becomes the capital of a united China.

1368 - Ming Dynasty overthrows Mongols and establishes sophisticated agricultural economy, creating strong centralised bureaucracy and military. Great Wall of China completed.

1644 - Manchu Qing Dynasty drives out Ming. Chinese empire reaches its zenith, with the annexation of Tibet, Mongolia and present-day Xinjiang (Turkestan).

19th Century - China begins a long decline. Western powers impose "unequal treaties" that create foreign concessions in China's ports.

1899-1901 - "Boxer Rebellion" in Northern China seeks to stifle reforms in the Qing administration, drive out foreigners and re-establish traditional rule. Defeated by foreign intervention, with Western powers, Russia and Japan extracting further concessions from weakened Qing government.

The Republic

1911-12 - Military revolts by reformer officers lead to proclamation of Republic of China under Sun Yat-sen and abdication of last Qing emperor. Republic struggles to consolidate in in rise of the Communist Party.

1931-45 - Japan invades and gradually occupies more and more of China.

1934-35 - Mao Zedong emerges as Communist leader during the party's "Long March" to its new base in Shaanxi Province.

1937 - Kuomintang and Communists unite against Japanese. Civil war resumes after Japan's defeat in Second World War.

Communist victory

1949 - 1 October - Mao Zedong, leads the Communists to victory against the Nationalists after more than 20 years of civil war, and proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China. The Nationalists retreat to the island of Taiwan and set up a government there.

Landmark Great Wall

1950 - China intervenes in the Korean War on the side of North Korea.

Tibet becomes part of the People's Republic of China

1958 - Mao launches the "Great Leap Forward", a five-year economic plan. He collectivised farming and introduces labour-intensive industry. The drive produces economic breakdown and is abandoned after two years. There is death by starvation of millions of people following poor harvests.

1966-76 - "Cultural Revolution", Mao's 10-year political and ideological campaign to revive revolutionary spirit, produces massive social, economic and political instability.

Mao Zedong

Death of Mao

1976 - Mao dies. From 1977 Deng Xiaoping emerges as the dominant figure among pragmatists in the leadership. Under him, China undertakes far-reaching economic reforms.

1979 - Diplomatic relations established with the US.

Government imposes one-child policy in effort to control population growth.

Deng Xiaoping

1986-90 - China's "Open-door policy" opens the country to foreign investment and encourages development of a market economy and private sector.

1989 - Jiang Zemin takes over as Chinese Communist Party general secretary. Stockmarkets open in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

1992 - Russia and China sign declaration restoring friendly ties.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranks China's economy as third largest in the world after the US and Japan.

Three Gorges project

1993 - Jiang Zemin officially replaces Yang Shangkun as president.

Preliminary construction work on the Three Gorges dam begins. It will create a lake almost 600 kilometres (375 miles) long and submerge dozens of cultural heritage sites by the time it is completed in 2009.

1995 - China tests missiles and holds military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, apparently to intimidate Taiwan during its presidential elections.

TIANANMEN SQUARE

1997 - Deng Xiaoping dies, aged 92. There are riots on day of Deng's funeral. Separatists plant three bombs on buses in Urumqi, Xinjiang, killing nine and injuring 74. Hong Kong reverts to Chinese control.

1998 - Zhu Rongji is the new premier, announces reforms in the wake of the Asian financial crisis and continues deceleration of the economy.

Hong Kong is wealthier and freer than much of the mainland

2001 June - Leaders of China, Russia and four Central Asian states launch the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and sign an agreement to fight ethnic and religious militancy while promoting trade and investment. The group emerges when the Shanghai Five - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - are joined by Uzbekistan.

2001 June - China carries out military exercises simulating an invasion of Taiwan, at the same time as the island's armed forces test their capability to defend Taiwan against a missile attack from China.

Shanghai: The financial powerhouse drives China's economy

2001 November - China joins the World Trade Organisation.

2002 February - US President George W Bush visits, on the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's visit to China - the first by a US president.

2003 March - National People's Congress elects Hu Jintao as president. He replaces Jiang Zemin, who steps down after 10 years in the post.

Sars virus outbreak

2003 March-April - China and Hong Kong are hit by the pneumonia-like Sars virus, thought to have originated in Guangdong province in November 2002. Strict quarantine measures are enforced to stop the disease spreading.

THREE GORGES PROJECT

Massive hydro-power scheme is set for completion in 2009

2003 June - Hong Kong is declared free of Sars. Days later the World Health Organization lifts its Sars-related travel warning for Beijing.

China in space

2003 October - Launch of China's first manned spacecraft: Astronaut Yang Liwei is sent into space by a Long March 2F rocket.

2004 September - Former president Jiang Zemin stands down as army chief, three years ahead of schedule.

Many rural Chinese have not shared in the economic boom

2004 November - China signs a landmark trade agreement with 10 south-east Asian countries; the accord could eventually unite 25% of the world's population in a free-trade zone.

2005 January - Former reformist leader Zhao Ziyang dies. He opposed violent measures to end 1989's student protests and spent his last years under virtual house arrest.

2005 March - Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa resigns. He is succeeded in June by Donald Tsang.

Tensions with Japan

2005 April - Relations with Japan deteriorate amid sometimes-violent anti-Japanese protests in Chinese cities.

China's economic drive is transforming Tibet

2005 August - China and Russia hold their first joint military exercises.

2005 October - China conducts its second manned space flight, with two astronauts circling Earth in the Shenzhou VI capsule.

2005 November - Explosion at a chemical plant poisons the Songhua river, cutting off water supplies to millions of people.

2006 May - Work on the structure of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, is completed.

POLLUTION

China has overtaken the US as the biggest emitter of CO2

2006 July - New China-Tibet railway line, the world's highest train route, begins operating.

Missile test

2007 January - Reports say China has carried out a missile test in space, shooting down an old weather satellite. The US, Japan and others express concern at China's military build-up.

Severe snowstorms disrupted the holiday plans of millions

2007 June - New labour law introduced after hundreds of men and boys were found working as slaves in brick factories.

2007 October - China launches its first moon orbiter.

2008 January - The worst snowstorms in decades are reported to have affected up to 100 million people.

SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE

Quake reports, pictures

2008 May - A massive earthquake hits Sichuan province, killing tens of thousands.

2008 July - China and Russia sign a treaty ending 40-year-old border dispute which led to armed clashes during the Cold War.

2008 August - Beijing hosts Olympic Games.

Hua Guofeng, who succeeded Mao Zedong for a short period in 1976, dies in Beijing aged 87

Global financial crisis

2008 November - Wen Jiabao says the effect of the global financial crisis on China is worse than expected.

ONE-CHILD POLICY

Policy has had profound impact on Chinese society

First sign of relaxation of strictly enforced one-child policy, as officials in Shanghai urge parents to have a second child in effort to counter effects of ageing population.

Leaders of China and Taiwan exchange direct messages for the first time in more than 60 years.

2009 October - China stages mass celebrations to mark 60 years since the Communist Party came to power.

2010 October - Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo is awarded Nobel Peace Prize, prompting official protests from Beijing.

Vice-President Xi Jinping named vice-chairman of powerful Central Military Commission, in a move widely seen as a step towards succeeding President Hu Jintao.

2011 July - Leaders of the Asian regional block Asean sign a deal with China on guidelines for talks on the South China Sea dispute. It fails to mention overlapping territorial claims that have led to tension between the Philippines, Vietnam and China over the summer.

         Source:  BBC Learning English – Country profile