slug: chicago

label: Chicago

description: city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America

date: August 12

text: August 12 – The settlement of Chicago is established by 350 settlers at the estuary of the Chicago River in the U.S. state of Illinois.

title: 1833

section: Events › July–September

date: April 3

text: April 3 – The Chicago Board of Trade is founded by 82 Chicago merchants and business leaders.

title: 1848

section: Events › April–June

section: Technology & Infrastructure

date: June

text: June – The Grand Excursion takes prominent Eastern United States inhabitants from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois, by railroad, then up the Mississippi River to Saint Paul, Minnesota, by steamboat.

title: 1854

section: Culture & Society

text: St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago is founded, and construction on the school's main building began. It is one of only five buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The building was designed by the Canadian architect Toussaint Menard in the Second Empire architecture style.

title: 1869

section: Events › Date unknown

date: February 24

text: February 24 – Chicago is selected to host the World's Columbian Exposition.

title: 1890

date: June 19

text: June 19 – Food processing giant Nabisco is founded in Chicago by merger as the National Biscuit Company.

title: 1898

section: Events › June

section: Health & Medicine

text: American retail pharmacy Walgreens is founded in Chicago.

title: 1901

section: Conflict & Security

date: April 6

text: April 6 – A violent strike by the Teamsters' Union begins in Chicago.

title: 1905

section: Events › April

date: February 23

text: February 23 – Rotary International is founded in Chicago in the U.S.

title: 1905

date: June 22

text: June 22 – Suspects in the Chicago Restaurant Poisonings are arrested, and more than 100 waiters are taken into custody for poisoning restaurant customers with a lethal powder called Mickey Finn.

title: 1918

date: October 9

text: October 9 – Municipal Grant Park Stadium, in Chicago, Illinois (later known as Soldier Field) is officially dedicated.

title: 1924

section: Events › October

date: December 26

text: December 26 – The original stage version of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams premieres in Chicago.

title: 1944

section: Events › December

section: Births

date: September 13

text: September 13 – Peter Cetera, lead singer and guitarist of American rock group Chicago

title: 1944

section: Births › September

date: March 20

text: March 20 – The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Denver and Rio Grande Western and Western Pacific railroads inaugurate the California Zephyr passenger train between Chicago and Oakland, California, as the first long-distance train to feature Vistadome cars as regular equipment.

title: 1949

date: July 13

text: July 13 – In Chicago, United States, Richard Speck breaks into a nurses' dormitory and murders eight of the nine student nurses who live there.

title: 1966

section: Events › July

section: Climate & Environment

date: January 26

text: January 26 – The largest-ever blizzard to hit the US city of Chicago begins.

title: 1967

section: Events › January

date: August 22

text: August 22–30 – 1968 Democratic National Convention protests: Police clash with anti-Vietnam War protesters in Chicago outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which nominates Hubert Humphrey for U.S. president and Edmund Muskie for vice president. The riots and subsequent trials are an essential part of the activism of the Youth International Party.

title: 1968

section: Events › July–August

text: October 9–12 – Days of Rage: In Chicago, the Illinois National Guard is called in to control demonstrations involving the radical Weathermen, in connection with the "Chicago Eight" Trial.

title: 1969

date: August 16

text: August 16 – Brookfield Zoo, Chicago. After a 3-year-old boy falls into the 20 ft m deep gorilla enclosure, Binti Jua, a female lowland gorilla sits with the injured boy until his rescue.

title: 1996

date: August 29

text: August 29 – U.S. president Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are re-nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

title: 1996


slug: chief-justice-of-the-united-states

label: Chief Justice of the United States

description: presiding judge of the United States Supreme Court

date: April 29

text: April 29 – Oliver Ellsworth, American founding father and 3rd Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1807)

title: 1745

date: March 17

text: March 17 – Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1864)

title: 1777

section: Births › January–March

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: January 31

text: January 31 – John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the United States.

title: 1801

section: Events › January–March

section: Deaths

date: November 26

text: November 26 – Oliver Ellsworth, American founding father and 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)

title: 1807

section: Deaths › July–December

date: January 13

text: January 13 – Salmon P. Chase, American politician, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1873)

title: 1808

section: Births › January–June

date: November 29

text: November 29 – Morrison Waite, American politician and Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1888)

title: 1816

section: Births › July–December

date: May 17

text: May 17 – John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)

title: 1829

section: Deaths › January–June

date: July 6

text: July 6 – John Marshall, influential American Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1755)

title: 1835

date: April 11

text: April 11 – Charles Evans Hughes, American jurist, politician, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1948)

title: 1862

section: Births › April–June

date: October 12

text: October 12 – Roger Taney, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1777)

title: 1864

date: October 11

text: October 11 – Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1946)

title: 1872

section: Births › October–December

date: May 7

text: May 7 – Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1808)

title: 1873

date: March 23

text: March 23 – Morrison Waite, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1816)

title: 1888

section: Deaths › January–March

date: March 19

text: March 19 – Earl Warren, American politician and Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1974)

title: 1891

date: September 17

text: September 17 – Warren E. Burger, 15th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1995)

title: 1907

date: May 19

text: May 19 – Edward Douglass White, 9th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1845)

title: 1921

section: Deaths › May–June

date: October 1

text: October 1 – William Rehnquist, 16th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 2005)

title: 1924

section: Births › October

date: August 27

text: August 27 – Charles Evans Hughes, 11th Chief Justice of the United States, 1916 Republican presidential candidate (b. 1862)

title: 1948

section: Deaths › August

date: October 5

text: October 5 – Earl Warren is appointed Chief Justice of the United States, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

title: 1953

date: September 8

text: September 8 – Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1890)

title: 1953

section: Deaths › September


slug: childebert-i

label: Childebert I

description: Frankish King

section: Births

text: Childebert I, king of the Franks (d. 558)

title: 496

date: November 27

text: November 27 – King Clovis I dies at Paris (Lutetia) at age 45, and is buried in the Abbey of St. Genevieve. The Merovingian dynasty is continued by his four sons (Theuderic I, Chlodomer, Childebert I and Chlothar I), who divide the Frankish Kingdom and rule from the capitals at Metz, Orléans, Paris and Soissons, respectively.

title: 511

section: Events › By place › Europe

section: Conflict & Security

text: King Sigismund of Burgundy is defeated by the invading Franks under Chlodomer, Childebert I and Chlothar I. He is captured and taken as prisoner to Aurelianum (modern Orléans).

title: 523

date: June 25

text: June 25 – Battle of Vézeronce: The Franks under Chlodomer, Childebert I and Chlothar I are defeated by the Burgundians and allied Ostrogoths near Isère (France), averting the Frankish advance into Burgundy. During the fighting Chlodomer is killed. Later Childebert annexes the cities of Chartres and Orléans.

title: 524

text: King Childebert I receives pleas from his sister Clotilde, wife of King Amalaric, claiming that she is abused by her husband. Childebert invades Septimania (Gaul).

title: 531

text: Battle of Autun - The Franks, under command of King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I, invade the Kingdom of Burgundy. They defeat the Burgundians under King Godomar near Autun (modern France).

title: 532

text: The Frankish kings Childebert I and Chlothar I overthrow Godomar, king of the Burgundians, and end the Kingdom of Burgundy.

title: 534

text: King Childebert I and his brother Chlothar I invade Visigothic Spain. They capture Pamplona, but Zaragoza withstands a siege and the Franks retreat to Gaul. From this expedition Childebert brings back to Paris a relic, the tunic of Saint Vincent.

title: 542

date: December 13

text: December 13 – King Chlothar I reunites the Frankish Kingdom after his brother Childebert I dies, becoming sole ruler of the Franks.

title: 558

text: December 13 – Childebert I, king of the Franks

title: 558


slug: childebert-ii

label: Childebert II

description: King of Austrasia

text: Childebert II, king of Austrasia (d. 595)

title: 570

text: Palace coup in Austrasia: New advisors break the peace treaty with King Guntram, and make a new alliance with his half brother Chilperic I, in which Childebert II, age 11, is recognized as Chilperic's heir.

title: 581

text: King Childebert II, age 15, takes up his sole rule of Austrasia. A Frankish army under King Guntram marches to Comminges (Pyrenees), and besieges the citadel of Saint-Bertrand.

title: 585

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

date: November 28

text: November 28 – Treaty of Andelot: Guntram recognizes King Childebert II of Austrasia as heir. He signs a treaty with Queen Brunhilda at Andelot-Blancheville.

title: 587

text: The Franks and Burgundians under King Guntram and his nephew Childebert II invade Northern Italy, but suffer a disastrous defeat against the Lombards.

title: 588

section: Religion & Belief

text: King Childebert II attempts to impose taxes on the citizens of Tours; Bishop Gregory successfully opposes this by claiming state immunity instituted by Fredegund.

title: 589

text: Egidius, bishop of Reims, is tried at Metz before a council of bishops for a conspiracy against King Childebert II; he is found guilty and exiled to Strasbourg.

title: 590

section: Events › By topic › Religion

date: January 28

text: January 28 – King Guntram, age 59, dies after a 31-year reign, and is succeeded by his nephew Childebert II, who becomes ruler of Burgundy. He is buried at Saint Marcellus of Chalons Church, in Chalon-sur-Saône (Eastern France).

title: 592

text: Childebert II, king of Austrasia (b. 570)

title: 595

date: October

text: October – King Childebert II dies; his mother Brunhilda attempts to rule Austrasia and Burgundy, as regent for her grandsons. He is succeeded by his two young sons, Theudebert II and Theuderic II.

title: 595


slug: chile

label: Chile

description: country in South America and Oceania, with a claim in Antarctica

section: Science & Discovery

date: July 20

text: July 20 – A partial solar eclipse, part of the Solar Saros 120 cycle, is visible to the natives of southern South America in what are now Brazil, Uruguay and Chile.

title: 1023

section: Events › July–September

text: Battle of Reynogüelén: Spanish conquistadors defeat a group of Mapuches in Chile, during the expedition of Diego de Almagro.

title: 1536

section: Events › Date unknown

date: February 12

text: February 12 – Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, which will become the capital of Chile.

title: 1541

section: Events › January–March

date: March 12

text: March 12 – Arauco War: Battle of Penco – Several hundred Spanish and indigenous troops under the command of Pedro de Valdivia defeat an army of 60,000 Mapuche in modern-day Chile.

title: 1550

text: February 12 – Pedro de Valdivia founds the Chilean city of Valdivia, as Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia.

title: 1552

date: April 30

text: April 30 – Arauco War – Battle of Mataquito: Spanish forces of Governor Francisco de Villagra launch a dawn surprise attack against the Mapuche (headed by their toqui Lautaro), in present-day Chile.

title: 1557

section: Events › April–June

date: March 25

text: March 25 – Battle of Angol in Chile: Spanish Conquistador Lorenzo Bernal del Mercado defeats and kills the toqui Illangulién.

title: 1564

section: Culture & Society

text: The seat of the Audiencia Real in Chile moves from Concepción to Santiago.

title: 1575

section: Climate & Environment

date: September 16

text: September 16 – An estimated 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Arica

title: 1615

date: February 3

text: February 3 – In what is now the South American nation of Chile, the indigenous Mapuche lay siege to the Spanish colonial settlement of Nacimiento. The Spanish captain and a force of 40 men are able to hold out until reinforcements arrive two days later, but the attackers take muskets and two cannons.

title: 1628

section: Exploration & Expansion

date: October 28

text: October 28 – Dutch expedition to Valdivia: The Dutch end their occupation of Valdivia in Chile.

title: 1643

section: Events › October–December

date: January 11

text: January 11 – Arauco War – Battle of Río Bueno in southern Chile: Indigenous Huilliche warriors rout Spanish troops from Fort Nacimiento, who are attempting to cross the Bueno River.

title: 1654

date: May 25

text: May 25 – The British privateer Speedwell, captained by George Shelvocke, is wrecked off of the coast of Chile on the uninhabited "Robinson Crusoe Island" (Más a Tierra, where Alexander Selkirk was marooned for 5 years). The crew is marooned for 5 months but can build a boat from timbers salvaged from the wreck, and is able to escape the island on October 6.

title: 1720

date: March 9

text: March 9 – The Mapuche Uprising begins in Chile as the indigenous Mapuche people, commanded by Toqui (war chief) Vilumilla, leading an attack against the city of Tucapel. The war lasts until February 13, 1726.

title: 1723

date: July 8

text: July 8 – 1730 Valparaíso earthquake: An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 9.1 strikes Valparaíso, in modern-day Chile but at this time in the Viceroyalty of Peru.

title: 1730

section: Disasters & Accidents

date: May 14

text: May 14 – HMS Wager, one of the vessels of George Anson's voyage around the world, is wrecked on the coast of Chile, killing most of the crew who have survived scurvy.

title: 1741

date: November 17

text: November 17 – José Miguel Carrera, Chilean founding father, is sworn in as President of the executive Junta of the government of Chile.

title: 1811

date: March 28

text: March 28 – War of 1812 – Battle of Valparaíso: Two British Royal Navy ships easily defeat and capture USS Essex and a sister ship off the coast of Chile.

title: 1814

section: Events › March

text: February 12 – Battle of Chacabuco: Argentine and Chilean soldiers of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata defeat the Spanish royalist troops in what is now Chile, marking the turning point in the war against European rule of South America.

title: 1817

date: January 19

text: January 19 – An army of 5,423 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, starts crossing the Andes from Argentina, to liberate Chile and then Peru.

title: 1817

text: February 12 – Chilean Declaration of Independence from Spain is proclaimed in Chile.

title: 1818

date: February 6

text: February 6 – Capture of Valdivia: Lord Cochrane occupies Valdivia in the name of the Republic of Chile.

title: 1820

date: November 19

text: November 19 – An earthquake near Valparaíso in Chile kills around 200 people, causes a tsunami and raises the coastal area.

title: 1822

date: January 20

text: January 20 – Battle of Yungay: Chile defeats the Peru–Bolivian Confederation, leading to the restoration of an independent Peru.

title: 1839

date: May 23

text: May 23 – Chile takes possession of the Strait of Magellan.

title: 1843

text: Germans are encouraged to immigrate to Chile.

title: 1852

section: Technology & Infrastructure

text: February 12 – The city of Puerto Montt is founded in the Reloncaví Sound, Chile.

title: 1853

date: December 8

text: December 8 – The Church of the Company Fire in Santiago, Chile, kills between 2,000 and 3,000 people.

title: 1863

section: Events › December

date: November 26

text: November 26 – Chincha Islands War: Battle of Papudo – The Spanish ship Covadonga is captured by the Chileans and the Peruvians, north of Valparaíso, Chile.

title: 1865

section: Events › November

date: February 7

text: February 7 – Battle of Abtao: A Spanish naval squadron fights a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet, at the island of Abtao, in the Chiloé Archipelago of southern Chile.

title: 1866

section: Events › February

date: August 7

text: August 7 – Banco de Concepcion, predecessor of Itaú Unibanco, a major financial services provider in South America, is founded in Chile.

title: 1871

date: October 20

text: October 20 – Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province is ceded to Chile, ending Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.

title: 1883

section: Events › October

date: April 4

text: April 4 – The Treaty of Valparaiso, an armistice between Chile and Bolivia, ends the War of the Pacific; Bolivia is obliged to cede Antofagasta to Chile, leaving Bolivia as a landlocked country.

title: 1884

section: Events › April

text: January 19 – A British Royal Navy squadron is ordered to Chile.

title: 1891

text: August 15 – Valparaíso, Chile founds its first football team, Santiago Wanderers.

title: 1892

text: August 16 – 1906 Valparaíso earthquake: A magnitude 8.2 earthquake in Valparaíso, Chile leaves nearly 4,000 dead and approximately 20,000 injured.

title: 1906

text: December 21 – Santa María School massacre: In Chile, soldiers fire at striking mineworkers gathered in the Santa María School in Iquique; over 2,000 are killed.

title: 1907

text: Battle of Más a Tierra: Off the coast of Chile, the British Royal Navy forces the Imperial German Navy light cruiser SMS Dresden (last survivor of the German East Asia Squadron) to scuttle.

title: 1915

text: April 19 – Colo-colo, a well-known football club of Chile, is founded in Macul, suburb of Santiago.

title: 1925

text: April 27 – The Carabineros de Chile (Chilean national police force and gendarmerie) are created.

title: 1927

text: June 3 – The Treaty of Lima settles a border dispute between Peru and Chile.

title: 1929

text: January 24 – 1939 Chillán earthquake: An earthquake in Chile kills an estimated 30,000 people and razes about 50,000 sqmi km2 of land.

title: 1939

text: May 22 – The 9.5 Valdivia earthquake affects Chile with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme). This megathrust earthquake ruptures from Arauco to Chiloé Archipelago, causing the most powerful earthquake on record and a destructive basin-wide tsunami.

title: 1960

text: July 20 – Chilean poet Pablo Neruda receives the first Viareggio-Versile prize.

title: 1967

text: November 3 – Salvador Allende takes office as president of Chile.

title: 1970

text: October 24 – Salvador Allende is elected President of Chile by a run-off vote in the National Congress

title: 1970

text: September 4 – Chilean Socialist Senator Salvador Allende wins 36.2% of the vote in his run for presidency defeating former right-wing President Jorge Alessandri with 34.9% of the votes and Christian Democrat Radomiro Tomic with 27.8% of the votes.

title: 1970

text: June 17 – Chilean president Salvador Allende forms a new government.

title: 1972

text: December – Chile breaks diplomatic contacts with Sweden.

title: 1973

text: September 11 – Chile's democratically elected government is overthrown in a violent military coup after serious political instability. President Salvador Allende allegedly commits suicide during the coup in the presidential palace and General Augusto Pinochet heads a US-backed military junta that governs Chile for the next 17 years.

title: 1973

text: September 21 – Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. by agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

title: 1976

text: December 22 – Argentina begins Operation Soberanía against Chile, but Argentinian forces quickly withdraw.

title: 1978

text: March 11 – Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet is sworn in as President of Chile for another 8-year term.

title: 1981

text: May 1 – Pensions in Chile: The new Chilean pension system, based on private pension funds, begins.

title: 1981

text: May 18 – Falklands War: The British Special Air Service launches Operation Plum Duff, a reconnaissance mission preliminary to Operation Mikado, which is planned to destroy three Argentinean Exocet missiles and five Super Étendard fighter-bombers. Both Operation Plum Duff and Operation Mikado are called off after the Plum Duff insertion is revealed by a helicopter landing in Chile.

title: 1982

text: March 3 – The 8.0 Algarrobo earthquake hits Santiago and Valparaíso, Chile, leaving 177 dead, 2,575 injured, 142,489 houses destroyed, and approximately a million people homeless.

title: 1985

text: February 11 – Gabriel Boric, President of Chile

title: 1986

text: September 7 – Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet survives an assassination attempt by the FPMR; 5 of Pinochet's bodyguards are killed.

title: 1986

text: October 5 – Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet loses a national plebiscite on his rule; he relinquishes power in 1990.

title: 1988

text: December 14 – Chile holds its first free election in sixteen years, electing Patricio Aylwin as president. This marks the first time that all Ibero-American nations, except Cuba, have elected constitutional governments simultaneously.

title: 1989

text: October 10 – Indictment and arrest of Augusto Pinochet: General Augusto Pinochet, Chilean dictator from 1973 to 1990, is indicted for human rights violations he committed in Chile by Spanish magistrate Baltasar Garzón. 6 days later British police place him under house arrest during his medical treatment in the UK. This is a leading case in the law of universal jurisdiction.

title: 1998

text: February 27 – An 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurs in Chile, triggering a tsunami over the Pacific and killing at least 525. The earthquake is one of the largest in recorded history.

title: 2010

text: May 7 – Chile becomes the 31st member of the OECD.

title: 2010

text: September 2 – 2011 Chilean Air Force C-212 crash. A CASA C-212 Aviocar military transport of the Chilean Air Force on a flight from Santiago to Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile, crashed into the sea while manoeuvring to land. All 21 passengers and crew on board were killed.

title: 2011

text: September 16 – An 8.4 earthquake strikes 46 km from Coquimbo (in Chile). 22 people are killed and 34 more injured.

title: 2015

text: January 15 – A large eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai, a submarine volcano in Tonga, triggers tsunami warnings in Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United States.

title: 2022


slug: chilperic-i

label: Chilperic I

description: king of Neustria from 561 to 584 (537-584)

section: Births

text: Chilperic I, king of Neustria (approximate date)

title: 539

text: Galswintha, Neustrian queen, married to Chilperic I (d. 568)

title: 540

section: Deaths

date: November 29

text: November 29 – King Chlothar I ("the Old") dies at Compiègne at age 64. The Merovingian dynasty is continued by his four sons (Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I), who divide the Frankish Kingdom and rule from the capitals at Paris, Orléans, Reims and Soissons, respectively.

title: 561

section: Events › By place › Europe

text: Sigebert I, king of Austrasia, marries Brunhilda, and his half brother Chilperic I marries Galswintha, both daughters of the Visigothic king Athanagild.

title: 567

section: Conflict & Security

text: Sigebert I, king of Austrasia, repels a second attack from the Avars. His half brother Chilperic I strangles his wife Galswintha at the instigation of his mistress Fredegund.

title: 568

text: Galswintha, queen consort of Neustria, married to Chilperic I (b. 540)

title: 568

text: Rigunth, daughter of Chilperic I (d. 585)

title: 570

text: King Sigibert I goes to war against his half brother Chilperic I of Neustria at the urging of his wife, Brunhilda. He appeals to the Germans on the right bank of the Rhine for help, and they obligingly attack the environs of Paris and Chartres.

title: 573

text: The Franks under Sigibert I pursue his half brother Chilperic I, and conquer the cities Poitiers and Tournai. While he is proclaimed new king of Neustria by the nobles, Sigibert is assassinated at Vitry-en-Artois (Northern Gaul) by hirelings of Fredegund.

title: 575

text: Heavy taxes levied by Merovingian king Chilperic I of Neustria produce a revolt at Limoges (central France), as he sells bishoprics to the highest bidder.

title: 579

text: Audovera, wife of Chilperic I (approximate date)

title: 580

text: Palace coup in Austrasia: New advisors break the peace treaty with King Guntram, and make a new alliance with his half brother Chilperic I, in which Childebert II, age 11, is recognized as Chilperic's heir.

title: 581

text: Chilperic I, king of Neustria (or Soissons)

title: 584

date: September

text: September – King Chilperic I is stabbed to death while returning from a hunt near Chelles, after a 23-year reign over a territory extending from Aquitaine, to the northern seacoast of what later will be France. His wife Fredegund, who has paid for his assassination, seizes his wealth, flees to Paris with her son Chlothar II, and persuades the nobles to accept him as legitimate heir while she serves as regent, continuing her power struggles with Guntram, king of Burgundy, and her sister Brunhilda, queen mother of Austrasia.

title: 584

text: Rigunth, daughter of Chilperic I (b. 570)

title: 585


slug: china

label: China

description: country in East Asia

text: 1766 BC: Shang conquest of the Xia dynasty. China.

title: 18th century BC

section: Events

section: Geopolitics & Diplomacy

text: c. 1700 BC: Bronze Age starts in China.

title: 17th century BC

year_label: 947 BCE

text: 947 BC— Zhou mo wang, King of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 940s BC

year_label: 935 BCE

text: 935 BC—Zhou gong wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 930s BC

year_label: 782 BCE

text: 782 BC—Death of King Xuan of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 780s BC

section: Events and trends

year_label: 781 BCE

text: 781 BC—King You of Zhou becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 780s BC

year_label: 720 BCE

text: 720 BC—Death of King Ping of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 720s BC

section: Significant people

year_label: 719 BCE

text: 719 BC—Zhou Huan Wang of the Zhou dynasty becomes ruler of China.

title: 710s BC

year_label: 697 BCE

section: Health & Medicine

text: 697 BC—Birth of Duke Wen of Jin in China.

title: 690s BC

year_label: 696 BCE

text: 696 BC—Zhou Zhuang Wang becomes king of the Zhou Dynasty of China.

title: 690s BC

year_label: 682 BCE

text: 682 BC—King Zhuang of Zhou, King of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 680s BC

year_label: 677 BCE

text: King Xi of Zhou, king of the Zhou Dynasty of China.

title: 677 BC

year_label: 676 BCE

text: Zhou Hui Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.

title: 676 BC

section: Events › By place › China

year_label: 651 BCE

text: Zhou Xiang Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 651 BC

section: Events › Asia

year_label: 636 BCE

text: Duke Wen of Jin becomes ruler of the State of Jin in Zhou dynasty China.

title: 636 BC

year_label: 613 BCE

text: King Qing of Zhou, king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty

title: 613 BC

year_label: 612 BCE

text: King Kuang of Zhou becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 612 BC

year_label: 607 BCE

text: King Kuang of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 607 BC

year_label: 586 BCE

text: 586 BC—King Ding of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 580s BC

year_label: 575 BCE

text: Battle of Yanling in Henan Province, China takes place between Jin and Chu forces. The State of Jin is victorious.

title: 575 BC

year_label: 558 BCE

text: The Chinese state of Jin defeats its rival state of Qin in battle.

title: 558 BC

year_label: 544 BCE

text: Zhou jing wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.

title: 544 BC

year_label: 531 BCE

text: Laozi, Chinese founder of Taoism (approximate date)

title: 531 BC

year_label: 520 BCE

text: King Dao becomes king of the Zhou Dynasty of China but dies before the end of the year.

title: 520 BC

text: King Dao of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 520 BC

text: King Jing of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China from 544 to 520 BC

title: 520 BC

year_label: 519 BCE

text: Zhou Jing Wang/Ji Gail becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.

title: 519 BC

year_label: 496 BCE

text: King Helü of Wu, king of the Chinese State of Wu

title: 496 BC

year_label: 479 BCE

text: Confucius, Chinese philosopher (b. 551 BC)

title: 479 BC

year_label: 473 BCE

text: King Fuchai of Wu, the last king of Wu in Zhou dynasty, China

title: 473 BC

year_label: 469 BCE

text: King Yuan of Zhou (Ji Ren), 27th king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 469 BC

year_label: 468 BCE

text: Zhou Zhen Ding Wang becomes the twenty-eighth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou dynasty.

title: 468 BC

year_label: 465 BCE

text: King Goujian of Yue, king of the Chinese State of Yue

title: 465 BC

year_label: 453 BCE

text: May 8 – The Chinese city of Jinyang is severely flooded in the Battle of Jinyang, where the elite families of Jin, Zhao, Zhi, Wei and Han fight. The Wei and the Han swap allegiances to side with Zhao and eliminate the Zhi house, ending the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history.

title: 453 BC

text: Zhou zhen ding wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 442 BC

text: Zhou Ai Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China but dies before the year's end, to be succeeded by Zhou Si Wang.

title: 441 BC

text: King Zhending of Zhou, 28th king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 441 BC

text: Zhou Kao Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 440 BC

text: Zhou kao wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 426 BC

text: Zhou wei lie wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 425 BC

text: Zhou wei lie wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 402 BC

text: Zhou an wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 401 BC

text: Mozi, Chinese philosopher (approximate date) (b. c. 470 BC)

title: 391 BC

text: Wen, marquis of the State of Wei, China

title: 387 BC

text: Duke Xiao of Qin, Chinese ruler of the Qin state. (died in 338 BC)

title: 381 BC

text: King Dao of Chu, Chinese king of the state of Chu (unknown birth)

title: 381 BC

text: Wu Qi, Chinese military general, Prime Minister of the State of Chu, also a servant of the State of Lu (born in Wei, 440 BC)

title: 381 BC

text: Zhou An Wang, king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty

title: 376 BC

text: Zhou Lie Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 375 BC

text: Zhou Xian Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 368 BC

text: The Chinese astronomer Gan De from the State of Qi reportedly discovers the moon Ganymede, belonging to Jupiter, and makes the earliest known sunspot observations.

title: 364 BC

text: Zhou Shen Jing Wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of China

title: 315 BC

text: Zhou Nan Wang becomes King of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 314 BC

text: Zhang Yi, strategist of the Chinese state of Qin

title: 309 BC

text: Mencius (Mèng Zǐ or Meng Zhu), Chinese philosopher (approximate date) (b. c. 372 BC)

title: 289 BC

text: Zheng, who will later become king of the State of Qin, and then later the First Emperor of China (d. 210 BC)

title: 260 BC

text: February 18 – Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China (d. 210 BC)

title: 259 BC

text: Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty of China (d. 195 BC)

title: 256 BC

text: King Hui of Zhou becomes the last claimant king of the Zhou dynasty of China.

title: 255 BC

text: The Zhengguo Canal, approximately one hundred miles long, is built across the current-day province of Shaanxi in China, greatly adding to the agricultural productivity of the area and to the military potency of the Qin dynasty.

title: 246 BC

text: Han Fei, Chinese philosopher who, along with Li Si, has developed Xun Zi's philosophy into the doctrine embodied by the School of Law (or Legalism) (b. c. 280 BC)

title: 233 BC

text: Xiang Yu, Chinese rebel general against the Qin dynasty, as well as the later nemesis of Liu Bang in the civil war of the Chu-Han contention (d. 202 BC)

title: 232 BC

text: The state of Qi – by now the only other independent state in China –, is invaded by the Qin generals Wang Ben, Li Xin and Meng Tian and surrenders after offering minimal resistance. Ying Zheng, the king of Qin unifies China and proclaims himself the First Emperor, as he is the first Chinese sovereign able to rule the whole country, thus ending the Warring States period. He is known by historians as Qin Shi Huang.

title: 221 BC

text: Qin Shi Huang begins a system of tree-lined roads to interconnect all parts of China, and begins to join regional walls to form the beginnings of the Great Wall (Wan li chang cheng).

title: 220 BC

text: Qin Er Shi becomes Emperor of the Qin dynasty of China. His advisors Zhao Gao and Prime Minister Li Si forge a decree by the late Emperor Qin Shi Huang that orders the execution of Qin Er Shi's elder brother Fusu and Fusu's ally, the general Meng Tian.

title: 210 BC

text: Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China (b. 259 BC)

title: 210 BC

text: Zhao Gao, Chief eunuch in the service of the Emperors of the Qin dynasty of China (assassinated)

title: 207 BC

text: Qin Er Shi, Emperor of the Qin dynasty of China (assassinated) (b. 229 BC)

title: 207 BC

text: Chinese create a padding material.

title: 200 BC

text: Chang'an, the capital of China, is thought to become the largest city in the world at this time, taking over from Pataliputra, the capital of the Mauryan empire.

title: 195 BC

text: Jing of Han, emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty, who ruled from 157 BC (d. 141 BC)

title: 188 BC

text: 30 July – Wu of Han, who will be emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 141 BC (d. 87 BC)

title: 157 BC

text: July 6 – Wen of Han, Emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty since 180 BC (b. 200 BC)

title: 157 BC

text: Confucianism is adopted as the state religion in China by Emperor Wu.

title: 136 BC

text: Parthia makes a trade treaty with China.

title: 115 BC

text: March 29 – Emperor Wu of Han dies after a 54-year reign in which he leads the Han dynasty (China) through its greatest expansion. The Empire's borders span from modern Kyrgyzstan in the west, to Mongolia in the north, to Korea in the east, and to northern Vietnam in the south.

title: 87 BC

text: The Xiongnu split into two hordes. The Eastern horde is subject to China.

title: 51 BC

text: May 10 – The earliest dated record of a sunspot by Chinese astronomers.

title: 28 BC

text: Estimation: Rome, capital of the Roman Empire, becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Chang'an, capital of China.

title: 25 BC

text: AD 2 – The first census is concluded in China after having begun the year before: final numbers show a population of nearly 60 million (59,594,978 people in slightly more than 12 million households). The census is one of the most accurate surveys in Chinese history.

title: 0s

text: Famine hits China; some citizens turn to cannibalism.

title: 10s

text: December 25 – Wu Han commands the forces of Emperor Guang Wu of the Eastern Han to conquer the separatist Chengjia Empire, reuniting China.

title: 30s

text: The Trung Sisters resist the Chinese influences in Vietnam.

title: 30s

text: Vietnam is designated a province of China.

title: 40s

text: The Yuejue Shu, the first known gazetteer of China, is written during the Han Dynasty.

title: 50s

text: Emperor Guang Wu grants Nakoku (located around modern-day Fukuoka City) a golden seal, being the oldest evidence of writing in Japan. In return King Na sends an envoy to China.

title: 50s

text: Emperor Ming of Han introduces Buddhism to China inviting monks from the western Indus Valley.

title: 50s

text: In China, the first official reference to Buddhism is made.

title: AD 65

text: Paper is used by the general populace in China, starting around this year.

title: AD 100

text: The Temple of the God of Medicine is built in Anguo, China.

title: AD 100

text: In China, Ban Yong, son of Ban Chao, reestablishes the Chinese control over the Tarim Basin.

title: AD 123

text: Paper, made in China, arrives in Transoxiana.

title: AD 150

text: First year of Yuanjia of the Chinese Han dynasty.

title: AD 151

text: The first Buddhist monks arrive in China.

title: AD 160

text: Antonine Plague: A pandemic breaks out in Rome, after the Roman army returns from Parthia. The plague significantly depopulates the Roman Empire and China.

title: AD 165

text: A Roman envoy arrives by sea in Rinan commandery, in southern China (central Vietnam). He travels to the Chinese capital Luoyang, and is greeted by Emperor Huan of the Han dynasty.

title: AD 166

text: Scholars who have denounced eunuchs are arrested, killed or banished from the capital and official life in Han dynasty China. This is the first of the Disasters of the Partisan Prohibitions, which end in 184.

title: AD 166

text: Confucian scholars try to ensure their capacity in the royal court of China. They are massacred by the eunuchs.

title: AD 175

text: Han dynasty China: The full title of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art appears on two bronze standard measures dated to this year, yet there is speculation that the same book existed beforehand only under different titles. In the 3rd century, Liu Hui would provide commentary on this important early Chinese mathematical treatise.

title: AD 179

text: The volcano associated with Lake Taupō in New Zealand erupts, one of the largest on Earth in the last 5,000 years. The effects of this eruption are seen as far away as Rome and China.

title: AD 181

text: The Yellow Turban Rebellion and Liang Province Rebellion break out in China.

title: AD 184

text: Battle of Jieqiao: Yuan Shao narrowly defeats Gongsun Zan, in northern China.

title: AD 191

text: First year of the Xingping era, during the Han Dynasty in China.

title: AD 194

text: In China, the Xiongnu federation crosses the Great Wall and establishes itself in Shanxi Province.

title: AD 195

text: Cao Fang succeeds his adoptive father Cao Rui as emperor of the Cao Wei state, in the Three Kingdoms period of China.

title: 239

text: Fan Chan of Funan sends a tribute mission to China (approximate date).

title: 243

text: Lady Triệu, a Vietnamese warrior, begins her 3-year resistance against the invading Chinese.

title: 245

text: March 1–3 – Zhong Hui's Rebellion in China is quelled.

title: 264

text: A magnetic compass is first used in China.

title: 271

text: March 2 – Mani, a sage of Persia, dies at Gundeshapur after 30 years of preaching his "heresy" at the court of the late Sassanian King Shapur I and on long journeys to Khorasan, India and China. He is executed or allowed to die in prison, and claims to be a prophet of God. Mani combines Zoroastrian dualism with Christian theology, and his disciples gain wide support for Manichaeism, despite opposition from Roman Emperors.

title: 274

text: Tuoba Liwei, chieftain of the Tuoba clan (China)

title: 277

text: May 16 – Emperor Wu of Jin, founder of the Western Jin Dynasty, dies after a 25-year reign. He reunified north and south, but gave away many dukedoms to his kinsmen. Crown Prince Sima Zhong succeeds his father, and has to deal with conflicts among the aristocratic families in China.

title: 290

text: War of the Eight Princes: After the death of Emperor Sima Yan (Jin Wudi), a civil war breaks out among the princes and dukes of the Jin Dynasty. The struggle devastates and depopulates the provinces of northern China.

title: 291

text: The magnetic compass for navigation is invented in China (approximate date).

title: 300

text: The War of the Eight Princes ends in China.

title: 306

text: The Han-Zhao Dynasty is established in northern China, marking the official inception of the long lasting Uprising of the Five Barbarians.

title: 308

text: The first dependable representation of a horse rider with paired stirrups is found in China, in a Jin Dynasty tomb.

title: 322

text: Jin Kangdi succeeds his brother Jin Chengdi as emperor of China.

title: 342

text: Jin Mudi, age 1, succeeds his father Jin Kangdi as emperor of China. His mother, Empress Dowager Chu, becomes the ruling authority at court, and serves as regent.

title: 344

text: The Ran Wei-Later Zhao war breaks out in North China. Ethnic Han ruler Ran Min had used the infighting between the brothers who reigned in quick succession as emperors of the Jie state of the Later Zhao to assume power, establish the Ran Wei dynasty, have an alleged 200,000 non-Han subjects (mostly Jie and Xiongnu) massacred and end the Later Zhao dynasty. This situation will soon be exploited by the neighbouring state of Former Yan which expands from the northeast towards the Yellow River.

title: 350

text: The earliest sighting of a supernova occurs in China.

title: 352

text: Fu Sheng, emperor of the Former Qin, reigns in northern China.

title: 354

text: The reign of Fú Jiān, the emperor of Former Qin, commences in China.

title: 357

text: Former Qin conquers Former Yan in China.

title: 370

text: China is divided between the Former Qin in the north and the Eastern Jin in the south.

title: 376

text: The Northern Wei Dynasty begins in China. The Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe (proto-Mongol people) is politically separated from the Chinese dynasties established in Jiankang (modern Nanjing). The Northern Wei rulers are ardent supporters of Buddhism. Prince Dao Wu Di, age 15, becomes the first emperor (see Northern dynasties).

title: 386

text: The Chinese Buddhist monk Huiyuan, who founded the Pure Land Buddhism sect and the monastery on Mount Lushan, writes the book On Why Monks Do Not Bow Down Before Kings in this year. In his book he argues that although the Buddhist clergy should remain independent and undisturbed by politics, the Buddhist laymen nonetheless make good subjects under monarchs, due to their fear of retribution of karma and desire to be reborn in paradise.

title: AD 404

text: The Khitan are first mentioned in Chinese chronicles. They wander along the boundaries of Kara-muren, and form part of the Donghu (Tong-hou) confederation.

title: 405

text: Fa-Hien, Chinese Buddhist monk, spends 2 years in Ceylon and is more than 200 days at sea as storms drive his ship off its course, but returns with sacred Buddhist texts back to China (see 414).

title: 412

text: The Southern Dynasties begin in China.

title: AD 420

text: July 10 – The Jin Dynasty ends in China. Liu Yu (Emperor Wu of Liu Song) becomes the first ruler of the Liu Song Dynasty. The capital of the dynasty is Nanjing.

title: AD 420

text: Shao Di, age 16, eldest son of Wu Di, succeeds his father as emperor of the Liu Song dynasty (China).

title: 422

text: Feng Ba abdicates as emperor of the Northern Yan, one of the states vying for control of China. He is succeeded by his brother Feng Hong.

title: 430

text: The Daming calendar is introduced in China by mathematician Zu Chongzhi (approximate date).

title: 462

text: Chinese chronicles record a memorial sent by the "King of Japan" (possibly Yūryaku), who describes himself as "Supreme Director of Military Affairs in Japan and Korea" to the Court of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Chinese emperor responds by confirming the Japanese dynasty in those titles. This is the earliest verifiable date in Japanese history.

title: 478

text: Summer – The Liu Song dynasty ends and the Southern Qi dynasty begins in southern China. Emperor Shun Di is forced to abandon the throne and Qi Gao Di becomes the first ruler of Southern Qi. Later former Emperor Shun and empress Wang Zhenfeng are killed by the imperial guard, near the vicinity of the capital Jiankang.

title: 479

text: The town of Guilin, China, is renamed Guizhou.

title: 507

text: Emperor Wu Di of the Liang Dynasty becomes a Buddhist, and introduces the new religion to central China. He demands that sacrifices to imperial ancestors be changed to using dried meat, instead of the traditional animals (goats, pigs and cows).

title: 517

text: Rudravarman is granted investiture by China, as the first king of the fourth dynasty of Champa (modern Vietnam).

title: 529

text: The Northern Wei dynasty ends: The northern region of China is split into the Eastern Wei and the Western Wei during a civil war. The first ruler is Wen Di; he makes his son Fei Di crown prince.

title: 535

text: Jianwen Di succeeds his father Wu Di as emperor of the Liang Dynasty (China).

title: 549

text: Justinian I receives the first silkworm eggs from two Nestorian monks at Constantinople. They were sent to Central Asia (see 550) and smuggled the precious eggs from China hidden in rods of bamboo.

title: 552

text: A predecessor of the modern match, small sticks of pinewood impregnated with sulfur, are first used in China. Besieged by military forces of Northern Zhou and Chen, Northern Qi court ladies use the "lighting sticks" to start fires for cooking and heating.

title: 577

section: Events › By topic › Science and Invention

text: Emperor Xiao Jing Di succeeds his father Xiao Ming Di as ruler of the Liang dynasty (China).

title: 585

text: The Guanghua Temple in Putian (China) is built during the Chen dynasty, under Emperor Chen Wu Di.

title: 588

text: Summer – Emperor Wéndi reduces taxes, due to an overflowing abundance of food and silk in the governmental stores. He sends messengers around central China, redistributing land to give the poor farming land.

title: 592

text: Empress Suiko begins a long reign during a pivotal period, in which Buddhism influences the development and culture of Japan. She is the first female ruler and the first to receive official recognition from China.

title: 593

text: Empress Suiko issues the "Flourishing Three Treasures Edict", officially recognizing the practice of Buddhism in Japan. She begins diplomatic relations with the Sui dynasty (China).

title: 594

text: Construction begins on the Zhaozhou Bridge ("Safe crossing bridge") in Hebei Province, during the Sui dynasty (China).

title: 595

text: Chinese-influenced sculptures of Buddha begin to be created in Japan.

title: 600

text: Yángdi introduces an imperial examination, designed to select the best administrative officials (after they receive the jinshi) for the state; this begins a long bureaucratic tradition of scholar-officialdom in China.

title: 605

text: August 1 – Empress Suiko appoints Ono no Imoko as official envoy to the Sui Court (Japanese missions to Imperial China). She sends him to pay tribute to Emperor Yángdi, and let him deliver the famous letter from prince-regent Shōtoku which begins: "The Son of Heaven where the sun rises (Japan), to the Son of Heaven where the sun sets (China), may good health be with you." (Traditional Japanese date: July 3, 607).

title: 607

text: September 8 – Battle of Huoyi: Rebel forces under Li Yuān defeat the Sui troops near the Fen River, and capture the Chinese capital, Chang'an. Li has gained support from Shibi, ruler (khagan) of the Eastern Turks, who secures his northern frontier and supplies him with 2,000 horses.

title: 617

text: Tuyuhun invasion of Gansu: Tang forces under Chai Shao defeat the Tuyuhun, and prevent further incursions into Gansu (China).

title: 623

text: Emperor Tai Zong sends envoys to the Xueyantuo, vassals of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, bearing gold and silk in order to obtain the release of enslaved Chinese prisoners, who were captured during the transition from the Sui to the Tang dynasty from the northern frontier. The embassy succeeds in freeing 80,000 men and women, who are safely returned to China.

title: 631

text: Chang'an, capital of the Tang dynasty (China), becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Ctesiphon, capital of Persia.

title: 637

text: An unsuccessful revolt of Prince Kürşat (of the Eastern Turks) breaks out in China.

title: 639

text: Peroz III, son of Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid king of Persia, flees to territory under the control of the Tang dynasty in China (approximate date).

title: 643

text: Emperor Kōtoku establishes the Taika Reform: a land reform based on Confucian ideas and philosophies from China (approximate date)

title: 645

text: Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk, returns to China after a 16-year pilgrimage to India. He is greeted with much honor by Emperor Taizong.

title: 645

text: The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is constructed in Chang'an (modern Xi'an), during the Tang dynasty (China). It is completed in the same year, during the reign of Emperor Gao Zong.

title: 652

text: Emperor Kōtoku sends an embassy to the court of the Tang dynasty in China. Japanese ambassadors, priests and students sail for the capital Chang'an, but some of the ships are lost en route.

title: 653

text: June 5 – In China, the Daming Palace becomes the government seat and royal residence of Emperor Gao Zong of the Tang dynasty.

title: 663

text: Chinese Buddhist monks Zhi Yu and Zhi Yuo craft more south-pointing chariot vehicles (a non-magnetic, mechanical-driven directional-compass vehicle that incorporates the use of a differential).

title: AD 666

text: The broad-based peninsular effort under Silla's leadership, to prevent Chinese domination of Korea, succeeds in forcing Chinese troops to withdraw into Manchuria, in northeast China.

title: 676

text: October 16 – Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty, and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire as "Holy and Divine Emperor". She becomes the first and only female "emperor" in 5,000 years of Chinese history. Wu Zetian changes the dynasty's name to the Zhou Dynasty, and begins to murder throne pretendants and ministers who try to oppose her. During her reign she elevates the status of Buddhism above Taoism.

title: 690

text: Tea drinking gains popularity among the Chinese. It is also valued for its alleged medicinal values (approximate date).

title: 708

text: September 8 – Emperor Rui Zong abdicates after a brief reign, in favor of his 27-year-old son Xuan Zong, who ascends the imperial throne of the Tang dynasty (China).

title: 712

text: Construction begins on the Leshan Giant Buddha near Leshan, Sichuan Province (China). Upon its completion in 803, it will become the largest stone carved Buddha in the world.

title: 713

text: Empress Genmei abdicates the throne after an 8-year reign, in which she has built a replica of the Chinese imperial palace at Japan's new capital, Nara. Genmei is succeeded by her daughter Genshō.

title: 715

text: Shōmu orders that houses of the Japanese nobility be roofed with green tiles, as in China, and have white walls with red roof poles (approximate date).

title: 724

text: During the Tang dynasty in China, by this year there is 149,685,400 kg (165,000 short tons) of grain shipped annually along the Grand Canal.

title: 735

text: Much to the delight of the citizens of Chang'an, the Chinese government of the Tang dynasty orders fruit trees to be planted along every main avenue of the city, which enriches not only the diets of the people but also the surroundings (approximate date)

title: 740

text: China has accomplishments in poetry, painting and printing, but its monarchical system tends toward failure. Emperor Xuan Zong has fallen under the spell of his son's wife Yang Guifei (one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China), a Taoist priestess. He is ignoring the economy and the Tang dynasty is declining.

title: 745

text: Emperor Xuan Zong abolishes the death penalty in China, during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).

title: AD 747

text: The "Western Paradise" of Amitābha Buddha, detail of a wall painting in Cave 217, Dunhuang (China), is made during the Tang Dynasty (approximate date).

title: 750

text: December 16 – General An Lushan begins the Anshi Rebellion against Emperor Xuan Zong of the Tang Dynasty (China). His army surges down from Fanyang (near modern Beijing), and moves rapidly along the Grand Canal. Meanwhile, Xuan Zong sends Feng Changqing, governor of Fanyang, to build up defenses at the eastern capital of Luoyang.

title: 755

text: An Lushan Rebellion: Tang forces under Guo Ziyi lay siege to the city of Yanjing (Northern China) as they increase their efforts to end the rebellion. The fighting creates such a shortage of food within its walls that rats sell at enormous prices.

title: 759

text: The Kingdom of Nanzhao (Nanchao) in modern-day southern China expands into the Irrawaddy River region, first into Burma, then down into northern Laos and Thailand (approximate date).

title: 760

text: February 17 – An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Shi Chaoyi hangs himself to avoid being captured by Tang troops sent by the renegade Li Huaixian, ending the 7-year rebellion against the Tang dynasty in China.

title: 763

text: At around this time, Baghdad becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Chang'an, capital of China.

title: 775

text: June 12 - In China, De Zong (personal name Li Kuo) succeeds his father Dai Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 779

text: New city of Bian (汴) is constructed on the site of Kaifeng during the Tang dynasty (China).

title: 781

text: Nanchan Temple on Wutaishan, Shanxi, is built during the Tang Dynasty (China).

title: 782

text: Arab traders make Baghdad a financial center of the Silk Road between China and Europe. Caravans carry little or no money on their long journeys; Chinese traders use what they call fei qian (zh) ("flying money") to avoid robbery. The Arabs have adopted a similar banking system known as hawala to transmit funds (approximate date).

title: 793

text: Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist monk, travels in a government-sponsored expedition to China, in order to learn more about the Mahavairocana Sutra. He brings back texts of Shingon (Esoteric Buddhism).

title: 804

text: Priest Saichō, patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, visits China and introduces tea to Japan on his return (or 804).

title: 805

text: Li Jifu is appointed chancellor, during the reign of Emperor Xian Zong in China.

title: 807

text: The Chinese government takes over the issuing of paper bank drafts, the ancestor of paper money.

title: 812

text: Emperor Saga of Japan is the first sovereign to drink tea (according to legend), imported from China by monks. The upper classes adopt this beverage for medicinal use.

title: 815

text: April 22 – Emperor Wu Zong (Li Chan) dies after a 6-year reign. He is succeeded by his uncle Xuān Zong, as Chinese ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

title: 846

text: Suleiman al-Tajir, Muslim merchant and traveller, visits China during the Tang Dynasty. He observes the manufacturing of Chinese porcelain at Guangzhou, and writes of his admiration for its transparent quality. Suleiman also describes the mosque at Guangzhou, its granaries, its local government administration, some of its written records, and the treatment of travellers, along with the use of ceramics, rice wine, and tea (approximate date).

title: 851

text: Emperor Uda orders commercial relations (called Imperial Japanese embassies to China) to cease with China (approximate date).

title: 894

text: In China, Fuzhou City (Fujian Province) is expanded, with the construction of a new city wall ("Luo City").

title: 901

text: Spring – Emperor Zhao Zong appoints Yang Xingmi as the overall commander of the Eastern circuits in China. He receives the title of Prince Wuzhong of Wu.

title: 902

text: China loses control over Annam (Northern Vietnam). The village notable Khuc Thua Du leads a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. The Chinese garrison at Tong Binh (modern Hanoi) is destroyed. Khuc Thua Du declares Annam autonomous.

title: 905

text: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period begins in China.

title: 907

text: Abaoji, Khitan ruler and founder of the Liao Dynasty, adopts Chinese court formalities in which he declares himself emperor in the Chinese style and adopts an era name, Taizu of Liao. He names his eldest son Yelü Bei as heir apparent, a first in the history of the Khitan. Abaoji leads a campaign in the west, conquering much of the Mongolian Plains.

title: 916

text: May 13 – The Later Liang, one of the Five Dynasties in China, falls to Later Tang (founded by Li Cunxu). Li proclaims himself emperor and moves his residence back to the old Tang capital of Luoyang.

title: 923

text: Emperor Zhuang Zong of Later Tang bestows the chancellor title on Gao Jixing (Prince of Nanping) and creates the Nanping State (Central China). The Qi State falls to Later Tang.

title: 924

text: Winter – Former Shu, one of the Ten Kingdoms in China, is invaded by Later Tang forces of Emperor Zhuang Zong, who incorporates the kingdom into his domains.

title: 925

text: May 23 – At Luoyang, Zhao Guangyin, the Grand Chancellor (equivalent to a Prime Minister) of the Emperor Li Cunxu of Later Tang dynasty China, dies. Zhao's duties are assumed by Li Cunxu's son, Prince Li Siyuan.

title: 925

text: Yelü Bei, prince and elder brother of the Liao dynasty (Khitan) Emperor Taizong, leaves for China.

title: 930

text: November 10 – Li Bian usurps the throne and deposes Emperor Yang Pu. The Wu State is replaced and Li (called "Xu Zhigao") becomes the first emperor of Southern Tang, one of the Ten Kingdoms in southern China.

title: 937

text: Battle of Bach Dang: Tĩnh Hải Quân forces under the rule of Ngô Quyền defeated an invading force of the Southern Han state at the Bach Dang River. This put an end to Chinese imperial domination in Vietnam after nearly 1,000 years.

title: 938

text: In China the Longquan Monastery is founded during the Liao Dynasty.

title: 957

text: Emperor Chai Rong of the Later Zhou invades the Northern Han and the Khitan Empire in the Sixteen Prefectures (northern China), but is defeated.

title: 958

text: Gao Baoxu, king of Nanping (China) (b. 924)

title: 962

text: The Nanping State, one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China, is forced to surrender, when invaded by armies of the Song Dynasty.

title: 963

text: Viśa' Saṃbhava, king of Khotan (China)

title: 966

text: Qiao Weiyue, a Chinese engineer, innovates the first known use of the double-gated canal pound lock during the Song dynasty, for adjusting different water levels in segments of the Grand Canal in China.

title: 984

text: April 30 – The brightest supernova ever recorded, SN 1006, occurs in the constellation of Lupus. It is observed and described in China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt, and Europe and possibly depicted in North American rock art. Modern astronomers now consider its distance at about 7,200 light-years. The supernova provides enough light to read by on a night with a dark moon.

title: 1006

text: Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah sends a tributary mission to Emperor Zhenzong of the Song dynasty in order to reestablish trade relations between the Fatimid Caliphate and China (approximate date).

title: 1008

text: Song Zhun of Song dynasty China completes the work of the earlier geographer Lu Duosun, an enormous atlas of China that is written and illustrated in 1,556 chapters, showing maps of each region, city, town, and village (the atlas took 39 years to complete).

title: 1010

text: January 9 – An earthquake in Dingxiang, China kills an estimated 32,300.

title: 1038

text: Movable type printing is invented by Bi Sheng in China.

title: 1045

text: Bao Zheng (Lord Bao), a Chinese government officer during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, writes a memorial to the throne. He warns about governmental corruption – and a foreseeable bankruptcy of the Chinese iron industry – if increasingly poorer families continued to be listed on the register for iron-smelting households (while rich households avoid being listed for fear of financial calamity). Apparently the government heeds the warning, and produces more iron products by the year 1078 than China ever had before.

title: 1046

text: The Pagoda of Fogong Temple at Shanxi in northern China is built during the Liao dynasty. Work begins on the Pizhi Pagoda of Lingyan Temple at Shandong under the opposing Song dynasty.

title: 1056

text: The Pizhi Pagoda located at Lingyan Temple (Shandong province) in China is completed, standing at a height of 54 m (177 ft) tall.

title: 1063

text: January 25 – Emperor Yingzong (or Zhao Shu) of the Song dynasty dies after a 4-year reign. He is succeeded by his 18-year-old son Shen Zong as emperor of China.

title: 1067

text: The Jin dynasty (1115–1234) (or Great Jin) is created by the Jurchen tribal chieftain Taizu (or Aguda). He establishes a dual-administration system: a Chinese-style bureaucracy to rule over northern and northeast China.

title: 1115

text: Aak music is introduced to the Korean court, through a large gift of 428 musical instruments as well as 572 costumes and ritual dance objects from China, by Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty.

title: 1116

text: The magnetic compass is first used for maritime navigation purposes during the Song dynasty in China.

title: 1117

text: Emperor Emperor Huizong of Song sends an expedition to crush the rebellion at Hangzhou (modern-day Zhejiang) in China. The rebels are defeated and their leader Fang La is captured and executed.

title: 1121

text: Spring – In China, scholars and farmers demonstrate around the capital city of Kaifeng, for the restoration of a trusted military official, Li Gang (李綱). Small conflicts erupt between the protestors and the government.

title: 1126

text: Jin–Song War – Song forces under Yue Fei begin a counteroffensive against the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty in northern China. He defeats Jin forces, by entangling his paddle-wheel ships at the Huai River.

title: 1135

text: In China during the Song Dynasty, a fire breaks out in the new capital of Hangzhou. The government suspends the requirement of rent payments, alms of 108,840 kg (120 tons) of rice are distributed to the poor, and items such as bamboo, planks and rush-matting are exempted from government taxation.

title: 1137

text: October 11 – Treaty of Shaoxing: The northern Jin Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty sign a peace treaty, this ending the Jurchen campaigns against the Song Dynasty in China.

title: 1142

text: Anping Bridge is completed in China's Fujian province. Its total length will not be exceeded until 1846.

title: 1151

text: February 10 – Taira no Tadamori dies after a career in which he has used his military and diplomatic skills to subdue the pirates menacing commerce in the Seto Inland Sea. He expands trade with China and becomes the first samurai to serve Emperor Konoe as personal bodyguard. He is succeeded by his son Taira no Kiyomori, who assumes control of the Taira Clan. He establishes the first samurai-dominated government in Japan.

title: 1153

text: Jin–Song Wars: The Battle of Tangdao (November 16) and Battle of Caishi (November 26–27) on the Yangtze River, between the Jin dynasty and the Song dynasty in China result in two pivotal Song naval victories.

title: 1161

text: Yuanqu County (also known as Wanting County) in China is destroyed by a flood of the Yellow River.

title: 1168

text: Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty in China, becomes the largest city in the world, surpassing Fez in the Almohad Caliphate.

title: 1180

text: February 18 – Emperor Xiaozong abdicates in favour of his son Guangzong as ruler of the Song dynasty. Xiaozong becomes a Taishang Huang ("Retired Emperor") and remains as the de facto ruler of China.

title: 1189

text: Jin China is overrun by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, who plunder the countryside and cities, until only Beijing remains free, despite two bloody palace coups and a lengthy siege.

title: 1213

text: Dōgen Zenji receives Dharma transmission and inka from his master Rujing in China, settling his "life's quest of the great matter", going on to introduce Sōtō Zen Buddhism into his native Japan.

title: 1227

text: Spring – Mongol forces (some 80,000 men), under Hulagu Khan, cross the Oxus River, and begin their campaign to destroy the remaining Muslim states in southwestern Asia – with the first objectives being the Nizari Ismaili strongholds and Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. The roads across Turkestan and Persia are repaired, and bridges built. Carts are requisitioned to bring siege machines from China.

title: 1256

text: The 17-year-old Marco Polo departs from Venice with his father and uncle Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, to set off for Asia to meet the Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan (the grandson of Genghis Khan) at his court in Beijing, China. They sail across the Mediterranean Sea and travel overland, crossing Armenia, Persia and the Pamir Mountains.

title: 1271

text: Rabban Bar Sauma, Chinese Nestorian monk, embarks on a pilgrimage from China to Jerusalem. He travels to Hotan, Kashgar, Taraz and Khorasan (modern Afghanistan).

title: 1275

text: Spring – The court of the Southern Song dynasty of China and hundreds of thousands of its citizens flee from Hangzhou to Fujian, and then Guangdong, in an effort to escape a Mongol invasion under Kublai Khan.

title: 1276

text: Migration of the (Southern) Song dynasty: Some 50,000 citizens of the Song dynasty in China become the first recorded inhabitants of Macau, as they seek refuge from the invading armies of the Yuan dynasty. They also stay for a short period in (New) Kowloon.

title: 1277

text: June 24 – Battle of Chương Dương: Joint forces of Champa and Đại Việt defeat the Mongol-led Yuan fleet on the Red River. Most of the Yuan warships are burned during the battle, and the Mongol army retreats to China in late June. The Vietnamese royal court returns to the capital in Thang Long following a six-month conflict.

title: 1285

text: In the Lao kingdom of Muang Sua, King Panya Leng is overthrown in a coup d'état led by his son, Prince Panya Khamphong, which is likely to have been supported by the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty in China.

title: 1286

text: September 27 – The 6.8 Zhili earthquake affects the province of Zhili in China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 7,270–100,000 people.

title: 1290

text: Kublai Khan sends a Mongol expeditionary force (some 20,000 men) to Java. He collects an invasion fleet with some 500–1,000 ships and enough provisions for a year from Fujian, Jiangxi and Huguang in southern China. The fleet travels past Champa (modern Vietnam) and the Karimata Islands. The Mongols land on Java, taking the capital of Kediri, but it proves impossible to hold.

title: 1292

text: Marco Polo returns to Venice after 24 years of travel in China. When the Polos arrive, Venice is engaged in a naval war with the rival city of Genoa. Marco joins the war and arms a galley equipped with a trebuchet.

title: 1295

text: Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Hangzhou in Mongolian China (approximate date).

title: 1315

text: In China, the Grand Canal, which runs from Beijing to Hangzhou over a distance of 1,800 km, is completed.

title: 1327

text: A famine (lasting until 1337) breaks out in China, killing six million.

title: 1333

text: Estimation: Hangzhou in Mongolian China becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Cairo, capital of Mamluk Egypt.

title: 1348

text: After years of begging and being a Buddhist monk, the penniless Chinese peasant Zhu Yuanzhang joins the Red Turban Rebellions against the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China; he will later become the first emperor of the Ming dynasty.

title: 1352

text: Chinese rebels capture the Goryeo capital.

title: 1361

text: August 30–October 4 – Battle of Lake Poyang: The Dahan rebel forces of Chen Youliang are defeated by the Red Turban Rebel forces of Zhu Yuanzhang, during the final decade of Yuan dynasty control over China. Zhu's naval forces of 200,000 are pitted against Chen's naval forces of 650,000 troops, in what is not only the largest naval battle of the medieval age, but also one of the largest naval battles in history.

title: 1363

text: The Hongwu Emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty issues a decree ordering every country magistrate in the empire to open a Confucian school of learning.

title: 1369

text: The Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty in China introduces the census registration system of lijia, or the hundreds-and-tithing system, throughout the Yangzi Valley. This system groups households into units of ten and groups of one hundred, whereupon their capacities for paying taxes and providing the state with corvée labor service can be assessed. The system becomes fully operational in 1381, when it counts 59,873,305 people living in China (the historian Timothy Brook asserts that the number was much higher, somewhere between 65 million and 75 million).

title: 1371

text: The Kingdom of Chūzan, ruled by King Satto on the island of Okinawa, in Japan) enters tributary relations with Ming dynasty China by way of an envoy, Yang Zai, sent by the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

title: 1372

text: February 12 – Hu Weiyong, the Grand Chancellor of Ming dynasty China, is accused of treason and executed as the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (Emperor Hongwu) begins a purge of over 30,000 people perceived as opponents of the Imperial government.

title: 1380

text: September 24 – Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor of Ming dynasty China, declares that all males must wear the queue hairstyle.

title: 1392

text: In China, the Emperor Cheng Zu moves the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, commissions the Yongle Encyclopedia, one of the world's earliest and largest known general encyclopedias, and orders his coastal provinces to build a vast fleet of ships, with construction centered at Longjiang near Nanjing; the inland provinces are to provide wood and float it down the Yangtze River.

title: 1403

text: January 23 – The Yongle Era in China begins with the first day of the Chinese New Year, six months after King Zhu Di of the Yan State arrived at Nanjing, deposed the southern Chinese Emperor Zhu Yun Wen, and proclaimed himself as the Emperor Cheng Zu.

title: 1403

text: Timur is hit by a fever, while preparing to invade China.

title: 1404

text: October 19 – Awang Pateh Berbai, in Nanjing in China as part of the family accompanying his nephew, the Sultan Abdul Majid Hassan, becomes the new Sultan of Brunei when Abdul dies from an illness.

title: 1408

text: Lam Sơn uprising: Lê Lợi, founder of the Lê dynasty in Vietnam, liberates Annam (the territory occupied by Ming dynasty China in 1407) and restores the kingdom as Đại Việt.

title: 1428

text: September 14 – Emperor Xuanzong of Ming dynasty China welcomes the envoys of 11 foreign nations that had sent representatives to travel back to China with Admiral Zheng He's fleet. Present at the Imperial Court as guests are envoys of the kings of Samudera, Kingdom of Kotte, Kingdom of Cochin, Calicut, Dhofar, Aden, Coimbatore, Hormuz, Jayile and Mecca.

title: 1433

text: In Ming Dynasty China, a long episode of drought, flood, locust infestation, and famine cripple agriculture and commerce in areas throughout the country, until 1448.

title: 1434

text: Just two years after the Ming dynasty court of China allowed landowners paying the grain tax to pay their tax in silver instead, the Ming court now decides to close all silver mines and prohibit all private silver mining in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. This is a concerted effort to halt the increase of silver circulating into the market. The illegal mining of silver is now an offense punishable by death; although it becomes a dangerous affair, the high demand for silver also makes it very lucrative, and so many chose to defy the government and continue to mine.

title: 1438

text: After a long episode of drought, flood, locust infestation and famine in Ming dynasty China since the year 1434, these natural afflictions finally wane, and agriculture and commerce return to a state of normality.

title: 1448

text: July 30 – Hongzhi Emperor of China (d. 1505)

title: 1470

text: September 9 – Chenghua Emperor of China (b. 1447)

title: 1487

text: The population of China reaches 56.238 million.

title: 1491

text: May – Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares and his crew land on Lintin Island, in the Pearl River estuary, near Guangzhou, becoming the first Europeans to arrive in China by sea.

title: 1513

text: The Ming dynasty government of China greatly reduces the quotas for taking grain, severely diminishing the state's capacity to relieve famines through a previously successful granary system.

title: 1527

text: In Henan province, China, during the mid Ming dynasty, a vast drought deprives the region of harvests for the next two years, killing off half the people in some communities, due to starvation and cannibalism.

title: 1528

text: January 8 – Zhang Qijie becomes the most powerful woman in Ming dynasty China as the primary wife of the Jiajing Emperor, shortly after the death of the Empress Xiaojiesu.

title: 1529

text: The first in a decade-long series of severe famines and epidemics sweep central and southeastern China during the Ming dynasty, made worse by a decision of 1527 to cut back on the intake of grain quotas for granaries.

title: 1538

text: In Henan province, China, a severe drought with swarms of locusts is made worse, by a major epidemic outbreak of the plague.

title: 1539

text: April 15 – General Zhu Wan of Ming dynasty China dispatches a fleet of ships, commanded by Lu Tang, to destroy smugglers and pirates at Shangyu, a port on Liuheng Island. The fleet sets off from Wenzhou and makes its attack in June.

title: 1548

text: Although trade existed between the two beforehand, in this year the Portuguese begin to send regular seasonal maritime trade missions to Ming dynasty China, at Sao João Island (also known as Shangchuan Island) near Macau.

title: 1549

text: February 2 – The Wanli Era begins in Ming dynasty China on the first New Year after 9-year-old Zhu Yijun ascends the throne.

title: 1573

text: 12 million pesos of silver cross the Pacific. Although it is unknown just how much silver flowed from the Spanish base of Manila in the Philippines to the Ming Dynasty of China, it is known that the main port for the Mexican silver trade—Acapulco—shipped out 150,000 to 345,000 kg (4 to 9 million taels) of silver annually from this year to 1602.

title: 1597

text: July 13 – The 1605 Guangdong earthquake, of 7.5 magnitude, strikes China's Hainan Province causing widespread damage and thousands of deaths.

title: 1605

text: Manuel Dias, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, introduces the telescope for the first time in China, in his book Tian Wen Lüe (Explicatio Sphaerae Coelestis).

title: 1615

text: November 1 – Zhu Youlang, Prince of Gui, the Yongli Emperor, the 4th and last emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty of China (d. 1662)

title: 1623

text: February 10 – Battle of Ningyuan: In Xingcheng in China, after an 8-day battle, Ming dynasty commander Yuan Chonghuan defeats the much larger force of Manchu leader Nurhaci, who dies soon after and is succeeded by Huang Taiji.

title: 1626

text: June 28 – A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Lingqiu County, in China, killing 5,200 residents.

title: 1626

text: March 3 – After the First Manchu invasion of Korea, the Joseon dynasty of Korea becomes a tributary state of the Manchus, but still pays respects to the Ming dynasty of China. After rejecting a Manchu alteration to the original diplomatic terms in 1636, the Manchus invade again in 1637.

title: 1627

text: Manchus occupy the Liaoning region in north China, select Shenyang (Mukden) as their capital, and proclaim the new Qing dynasty (pure).

title: 1636

text: April 25 – Chongzhen, last Ming Emperor of China (suicide) (b. 1611)

title: 1644

text: June 6 – The invading Qing army, with the help of Ming general Wu Sangui, captures Beijing in China, marking the beginning of Manchu rule over China proper, which will last until 1912.

title: 1644

text: December 16 – In China, the 1661 edict of the "Great Clearance", the forcible evacuation of the coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangnan, and Shandong in order to fight a rebellion, is rescinded by the Kangxi Emperor after lobbying by Zhou Youde, the Viceroy of Liangguang.

title: 1668

text: September 2 – The 8.0 magnitude Sanhe-Pinggu earthquake devastates Beijing and Hebei in China.

title: 1679

text: November 27 – Annular solar eclipse is visible through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, eastern China, Myanmar and northern Philippines.

title: 1704

text: June 29 – Flemish Jesuit missionary François Noël is welcomed in China by the Kangxi Emperor at the Forbidden City in Beijing, and discusses the Emperor's disdain over the disapproval of Jesuit accommodation of Confucian rites by the Roman Catholic Church.

title: 1706

text: June 19 – A 7.5 earthquake shakes Tongwei County in China, killing 73,000 people.

title: 1718

text: February 9 – The Swedish East India Company begins its profitable first expedition to China, departing Gothenburg on the ship Friedericus Rex Sueciae under the command of Colin Campbell.

title: 1732

text: October 18 – In China, Qianlong succeeds his father, Yongzheng, as Emperor and begins a 60-year-long reign within the Qing dynasty.

title: 1735

text: January 3 – A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China killing 50,000 people.

title: 1739

text: July 3 – Father Joachim Royo, the last of the five Spanish Catholic missionaries to Fuzhou in China, is captured by Chinese authorities, after having spent three decades defying orders to not evangelize.

title: 1746

text: October 24 – China's Qianlong Emperor reverses a longstanding policy that barred Chinese subjects from ever returning to China if they remained out of the country for more than three years.

title: 1754

text: July 25 – The Imperial Court of China's Emperor Qianlong and his three senior grand councilors, Fuheng, Yenjisan and Liu T'ung-hsun, issues a directive to officials in the Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces warning them about the need to respond to rumors of sorcery.

title: 1768

text: In China, written work begins on the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, the largest literary compilation of books in China's history (surpassing the Yongle Encyclopedia of the 15th Century). Upon completion in 1782, the books are bound in 36,381 volumes (册) with more than 79,000 chapters (卷), comprising about 2.3 million pages, and approximately 800 million Chinese characters.

title: 1773

text: October 23 – A 6.8 earthquake shakes northern China causing many houses and caves to collapse, killing at least 13,000 people.

title: 1815

text: November 3 – The becomes the first American warship to visit China, landing at Lintin Island, off of the coast of Canton.

title: 1819

text: July – Taiping Rebellion: Hong Xiuquan orders the general mobilisation of rebel forces in China.

title: 1850

text: April 3 – The Nepalese invasion of Tibet (west of China) to the north across the Himalaya Mountains (tallest and most rugged in the world) starts the Nepalese–Tibetan War (1855–1856).

title: 1855

text: October 24 – Chinese massacre of 1871: In Los Angeles' Chinatown, 19 Chinese immigrants are killed by a mob of 500 men.

title: 1871

text: January 2 – U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote American trade with China.

title: 1900

text: August 22 – A 7.7 earthquake shakes the border between China and Kyrgyzstan killing 10,000 people.

title: 1902

text: April 24 – China's Empress Regent Cixi (Tzu Hsi) abolishes further use in executions of the nation's three most cruel torture execution methods, lingchi ("death by a thousand cuts"), gibbeting (similar to crucifixion, hanging until dying of exposure, thirst or starvation), and desecration of a dying person.

title: 1905

text: June 26 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, a future President of Finland, meets the 13th Dalai Lama in Shanxi, China, becoming only the third European to be granted an audience with him.

title: 1908

text: March 4 – Bank of Communications, a major financial services provider in China, is founded in Beijing.

title: 1908

text: June 5 – The Nanyang industrial exposition ("Nanking Exposition"), an official world's fair, opens in Qing dynasty China.

title: 1910

text: November 7 – Red China News Agency (a predecessor of the Xinhua News Agency) is officially founded, and news wire service start in Ruijin, Jiangxi Province, China.

title: 1931

text: June 5 & 7 – The 1938 Yellow River flood is created by the Nationalist government in central China, breaching embankments during the early stage of the Second Sino-Japanese War, in an attempt to halt the rapid advance of Japanese forces. The flood kills at least 400,000, covers and destroys thousands of square kilometers of farmland, and shifts the mouth of the Yellow River hundreds of kilometers to the south.

title: 1938

text: April 11 – Battle of Nanri Island: The Republic of China seizes the island from the People's Republic of China.

title: 1952

text: Mao Zedong admits that 800,000 "class enemies" had been summarily liquidated in China between 1949 and 1954.

title: 1957

text: August 31 – The Workers' Stadium sports venue in Beijing (China) is officially opened.

title: 1959

text: March–May – Yi–Ta incident: At least 60,000 Chinese citizens migrate from the People's Republic of China to the Soviet Union, predominantly (but not exclusively) ethnic Kazakhs.

title: 1962

text: November 21 – The Sino-Indian War ends with a Chinese victory with India surrendering Aksai Chin to China.

title: 1962

text: August 23 – In a crackdown on crime, the Chinese state executes 19 people for murder, 10 for rape, and one for auto theft. By the end of the year, Amnesty International estimates that at least 600 people have been executed in China.

title: 1983

text: May 14 – Mikhail Gorbachev visits China, the first Soviet leader to do so since Nikita Khrushchev in the 1960s, ending the Sino-Soviet split.

title: 1989

text: October 2 – According to The Civil Aviation of China, two commercial planes collide on the runway at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangdong, China. The total death toll is 128; 53 people were wounded, 97 were rescued.

title: 1990

text: November 5 – China and Vietnam restore diplomatic relations after a 13-year rift which followed the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.

title: 1991

text: August 24 – China and South Korea establish diplomatic relations.

title: 1992

text: March 8 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: China begins surface-to-surface missile testing and military exercises off Taiwanese coastal areas. The United States government condemns the act as provocation, and the Taiwanese government warns of retaliation.

title: 1996

text: July 10 – American soccer player Brandi Chastain scores the game winning penalty kick against China in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

title: 1999

text: November 20 – China launches the first Shenzhou spacecraft.

title: 1999

text: March 14 – China ratifies an anti-secession law, aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence.

title: 2005

text: May 1 – Expo 2010 is held in Shanghai, China.

title: 2010

text: October 31 – Expo 2010 concludes in Shanghai, China.

title: 2010

text: July 23 – Wenzhou train collision; 2 high speed trains in Wenzhou, China collided on a viaduct, sending multiple cars off the viaduct and crushing some. 40 people are killed and 192 people are injured.

title: 2011

text: November 15 – After the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping succeeds Hu Jintao as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and becomes the top leader of China.

title: 2012

text: April 25 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal and causes 8,857 deaths in Nepal (including 19 at Everest base cammp), 130 in India, 27 in China and 4 in Bangladesh with a total of 9,018 deaths.

title: 2015

text: May 12 – A second major earthquake in Nepal, measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale, results in 153 deaths in Nepal, 62 in India, 1 in China and 2 in Bangladesh, with a total of 218 deaths.

title: 2015

text: July 12 – The Philippines wins the arbitration case they filed at the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the legality of China's "nine-dash line" claim over the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

title: 2016

text: October 25 – At the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping assumes his second term as General Secretary (China's paramount leader), and the political theory Xi Jinping Thought is written into the party's constitution.

title: 2017

text: September 14–16 – Typhoon Mangkhut impacts the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, resulting in more than 60 fatalities.

title: 2018

text: December 1 – COVID-19 pandemic: First known human case of Coronavirus disease 2019, in Wuhan, Hubei, China.

title: 2019

text: March 31 – Taiwan scrambles its fighter aircraft after two Chinese jets crossed the maritime border between the two nations. Just the day before, Japan had similarly scrambled its jets after Chinese jets flew between Miyako and Okinawa.

title: 2019

text: April 17 – The China Securities Regulatory Commission approves a transaction in which Switzerland's Credit Suisse will take a majority interest in a China securities firm, making Credit Suisse the first foreign bank to own a majority of such a company since the easing of foreign ownership rules in 2018.

title: 2020

text: August 5 – U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar travels to Taiwan, the highest U.S. official visit to the country in 40 years. The PRC condemns the visit.

title: 2020

text: January 20 – COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese authorities publicly confirm human-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

title: 2020

text: January 23 – COVID-19 pandemic: The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, is quarantined, with all scheduled public transport services and intercity flights halted.

title: 2020

text: June 30 – China passes the controversial Hong Kong national security law, allowing China to crack down on opposition to Beijing at home or abroad.

title: 2020

text: March 24 – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reports that the domestically transmitted epidemic is now under control. Two days later, China temporarily suspends entry for foreign nationals with visas or residence permits, effective midnight on March 28.

title: 2020

text: March 26 – Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed. The U.S. surpasses China and Italy in the total number of known COVID-19 cases, with at least 81,321 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.

title: 2020

text: January 1 – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest free trade area in the world, comes into effect for Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

title: 2022

text: October 16–October 23 – The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is held. Xi Jinping is elected as General Secretary by the Central Committee, beginning a third term as the paramount leader of China.

title: 2022

text: September 5 – A 6.8 earthquake strikes Luding County in Sichuan province, China, killing 117 and injuring 424.

title: 2022

text: February 17 – The South African Navy hosts a 10-day joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean with Russia and China.

title: 2023

text: March 26 – Honduras switches its formal diplomatic recognition of "China" from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China.

title: 2023

text: March 29 – Brazil and China sign an agreement to trade in their own currencies, ceasing the usage of the United States dollar as an intermediary.

title: 2023

text: July 23 – China brokers a unity agreement between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas to form a single government.

title: 2024

text: August 15–17 – The first World Humanoid Robot Games are held in Beijing, China.

title: 2025


slug: chinese-buddhism

label: Chinese Buddhism

description: Buddhism with Chinese characteristics

year_label: 71 CE

text: Liu Ying, Chinese prince of the Han Dynasty who converted to Buddhism

title: AD 71

text: Tao Sheng, Chinese Buddhist scholar (approximate date)

title: AD 360

section: Exploration & Expansion

text: Fa-Hien, Chinese Buddhist monk, spends 2 years in Ceylon and is more than 200 days at sea as storms drive his ship off its course, but returns with sacred Buddhist texts back to China (see 414).

title: 412

section: Events › By topic › Religion

text: Huiyuan, Buddhist teacher and founder of the Donglin Temple (b. 334)

title: 416

text: Fa-Hien, Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler (approximate date)

title: 422

text: Tao Sheng, Chinese Buddhist scholar

title: 434

text: Liu Zhun, age 10, becomes Emperor Shun of the Liu Song dynasty after his brother Houfei is assassinated by general Xiao Daocheng. He installs Shun as puppet ruler and sets himself up as regent. Xiao receives near-imperial powers, establishes Buddhism as the state religion and sets up the "Three Leaders" system, under which native hamlet, village and district officers are responsible for taxation and conscription.

title: 477

text: Dushun, Chinese (Buddhist) patriarch (d. 640)

title: 557

text: Daoxuan, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 667)

title: 596

section: Religion & Belief

text: The Guoqing Temple is built on Mount Tiantai (Zhejiang), and becomes the site for the teachings of Chinese Buddhism.

title: 598

text: Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler (d. 664)

title: 602

text: Dushun, (Chinese Buddhist) patriarch (b. 557)

title: 640

text: The Chinese Buddhist monks Zhi Yu and Zhi You recreate several south-pointing chariots, for the Japanese prince Tenji. This is a 3rd-century device made by Ma Jun, and acts as a mechanical-driven directional-compass vehicle (according to the Nihon Shoki).

title: 658

section: Events › By place › Asia

title: 664

text: Daoxuan, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 596)

title: 667

text: Yijing, Chinese Buddhist monk, travels by boat from Guangzhou, and visits the capital of the partly Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya in Palembang (Indonesia). He stays for 6 months to study Sanskrit grammar and the Malay language.

title: 671

section: Crime & Justice

date: October 16

text: October 16 – Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty, and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire as "Holy and Divine Emperor". She becomes the first and only female "emperor" in 5,000 years of Chinese history. Wu Zetian changes the dynasty's name to the Zhou Dynasty, and begins to murder throne pretendants and ministers who try to oppose her. During her reign she elevates the status of Buddhism above Taoism.

title: 690

text: Emperor Xuan Zong forbids all commercial vendors and shops in the Chinese capital city of Chang'an to copy and sell Buddhist sutras, so that the emperor can give the clergy of the Buddhist monasteries the sole right to distribute written sutras to the laity.

title: 714

text: Chengguan, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 839)

title: 738

text: Emperor Xuan Zong begins to favor Taoism over Buddhism, adopting the new reign title Tianbao ("Heavenly Treasures"), to indicate his divine mandate. The total number of enlisted troops in the Tang armies has risen to about half a million, due to Xuan Zongs's earlier military reforms.

title: 742

text: Yaoshan Weiyan, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 827)

title: 745

text: Hui-kuo, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 805)

title: 746

text: Jianzhen, Chinese Buddhist monk, arrives in Nara, where he is welcomed by former emperor Shōmu and empress Kōmyō. During his visit Jianzhen introduces sugar to the Japanese court, using it to mask the flavors of foul-tasting herbal tea.

title: 754

text: Wu Yantong, Chinese Buddhist monk (approximate date)

title: 759

text: Zhaozhou, Chinese Zen Buddhist master (d. 897)

title: 778

text: Guifeng Zongmi, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 841)

title: 780

text: Hui-kuo, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 746)

title: 805

text: Wu Yantong, Chinese Buddhist monk

title: 826

text: Yaoshan Weiyan, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 745)

title: 827

text: Yunju Daoying, Chinese Buddhist teacher (d. 902)

title: 830

text: Guanxiu, Chinese Buddhist monk and poet (d. 912)

title: 832

text: Chengguan, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 738)

title: 839

text: Yunyan Tansheng, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 780)

title: 841

text: Guifeng Zongmi, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 780)

title: 841

text: Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution: Emperor Wu Zong begins the persecution of Buddhists and other foreign religions in China, such as Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity and Manichaeism. More than 4,600 monasteries, 40,000 temples and numerous shrines are destroyed. More than 260,000 Buddhist monks and nuns are forced to return to secular life.

title: 845

text: Deshan Xuanjian, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk

title: 865

text: Zhaozhou, Chinese Zen Buddhist master (b. 778)

title: 897

text: Yunju Daoying, Chinese Buddhist teacher (b. 830)

title: 902

text: Guanxiu, Chinese Buddhist monk and poet (b. 832)

title: 912

text: Yunmen Wenyan, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk

title: 949

text: Rinchen Zangpo, Tibetan Buddhist monk (d. 1055)

title: 958

text: Xuedou Chongxian, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 1052)

title: 980

text: Touzi Yiqing, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (d. 1083)

title: 1032

text: Zhenxie Qingliao, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (d. 1151)

title: 1088

text: Dahui Zonggao, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (d. 1163)

title: 1089

text: Tiantong Zongjue, Chinese Buddhist monk and patriarch (d. 1162)

title: 1091

text: Hongzhi Zhengjue, Chinese Chan Buddhist monk and writer (d. 1157)

title: 1091

text: Xuedou Zhijian, Chinese Zen Buddhist monk (d. 1192)

title: 1105

text: Changlu Zongze, Chinese Chan Buddhist monk

title: 1107

text: A collection of Zen Buddhist koans is compiled, in the Chinese Blue Cliff Record.

title: 1125

text: Tiantong Zongjue, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 1091)

title: 1162

text: Wansong Xingxiu, Chinese Buddhist monk (d. 1246)

title: 1166

text: After years of begging and being a Buddhist monk, the penniless Chinese peasant Zhu Yuanzhang joins the Red Turban Rebellions against the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China; he will later become the first emperor of the Ming dynasty.

title: 1352


slug: chinese-calligraphy

label: Chinese calligraphy

description: calligraphy with Chinese script; one of the four arts (music, chess, calligraphy and painting)

section: Births

text: Wang Xizhi, Chinese calligrapher (d. 361)

title: 303

text: Yang Xi, Chinese scholar and calligrapher (d. 386)

title: 330

text: Wang Xianzhi, Chinese calligrapher (d. 386)

title: 344

text: Wang Xizhi, Chinese calligrapher (b. 303)

title: 361

section: Deaths › Date unknown

text: Wang Xianzhi, Chinese calligrapher (b. 344)

title: 386

text: Sun Guoting, Chinese calligrapher (d. 691)

title: 646

text: Sun Guoting, Chinese calligrapher (b. 646)

title: 691

text: Yan Zhenqing, Chinese calligrapher (d. 785)

title: 709

text: Autumn – Li Bai (also Li Po), Chinese poet and skilled calligrapher, meets Du Fu for the first time.

title: 744

text: Liu Gongquan, Chinese calligrapher (d. 865)

title: 778

text: Yan Zhenqing, Chinese calligrapher (b. 709)

title: 785

text: Han Xizai, Chinese official and calligrapher (d. 970)

title: 902

date: January 8

text: January 8 – Su Dongpo, Chinese calligrapher (d. 1101)

title: 1037

text: Cai Jing, Chinese official and calligrapher (d. 1126)

title: 1047

text: Mi Fu, Chinese painter, poet and calligrapher (d. 1107)

title: 1051

text: Cai Xiang, Chinese calligrapher and poet (b. 1012)

title: 1067

text: Mi Fu, Chinese painter, poet and calligrapher (b. 1051)

title: 1107

text: Wuzhun Shifan, Chinese calligrapher and painter (d. 1249)

title: 1178