When the Chinese refer to their history, they might be speaking of times that are already legendary. After all, Chinese written history dates back approximately four thousand years. Archaeological material, which has been found, indicates that people were already living in the territory of China today one million years ago. The table below is a Chronological Table of Chinese Dynasties.

Before 221 BC rulers were referred to as kings, after the unification in 221 BC they were proclaimed as emperors. The new Republic was formed in 1912, under president Sun Yatsen, ending the succession of Chinese rulers that we refer to as Dynasties.

Chronological Table of Chinese History 
  
    Primitive Society ( 600,000 - 4,000 years ago ) 
     Slavery Society ( c. 2100 - 475 B.C. ) 
      o Hsia ( 2100 - 1600 B.C. ) 
      o Shang ( 1600 - 1100 B.C. ) 
      o Western Chou ( 1100 - 770 B.C ) 
      o Spring and Autumn Period ( 770 - 475 B.C ) 

    Feudal Society ( 475 B.C. - 1840 A.D. ) 
      o Warring States Period ( 475 - 221 B.C. ) 
      o Chin ( 221 - 207 B.C. ) 
      o Western Han ( 206 B.C. - 24 A.D. ) 
      o Eastern Han ( 25 - 220 A.D. ) 
      o Three Kingdoms ( 220 - 265 A.D.) 
      o Western Tsin ( 265 - 316 A.D. ) 
      o Eastern Tsin ( 317 - 420 A.D. ) 
      o Southern and Northern Dynasties ( 420 - 589 A.D. ) 
      o Sui ( 581 - 618 A.D. ) 
      o Tang ( 618 - 907 A.D. ) 
      o Five Dynasties ( 907 - 960 A.D. ) 
      o Sung ( 960 - 1279 A.D. ) 
      o Liao ( 916 - 1125 A.D. ) 
      o Kin ( 1115 - 1234 A.D. ) 
      o Yuan ( 1271 - 1368 A.D. ) 
      o Ming ( 1368 - 1644 A.D. ) 
      o Ching ( 1644 - 1912 A.D. )

    Modern China
      Republic of China ( 1912 - 1949 A. D. )
      People's Republic of China ( 1949 - )