China

country in East Asia

354 dated entries naming China, drawn from 322 separate years between 1766 BCE and 2025 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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18th century BC

1766 BCE1766 BC: Shang conquest of the Xia dynasty. China.source

17th century BC

1700 BCEc. 1700 BC: Bronze Age starts in China.source

10th century BC

947 BCE947 BC— Zhou mo wang, King of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
935 BCE935 BC—Zhou gong wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source

8th century BC

782 BCE782 BC—Death of King Xuan of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
781 BCE781 BC—King You of Zhou becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
720 BCE720 BC—Death of King Ping of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
719 BCE719 BC—Zhou Huan Wang of the Zhou dynasty becomes ruler of China.source

7th century BC

697 BCE697 BC—Birth of Duke Wen of Jin in China.source
696 BCE696 BC—Zhou Zhuang Wang becomes king of the Zhou Dynasty of China.source
682 BCE682 BC—King Zhuang of Zhou, King of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
677 BCEKing Xi of Zhou, king of the Zhou Dynasty of China.source
676 BCEZhou Hui Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.source
651 BCEZhou Xiang Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
636 BCEDuke Wen of Jin becomes ruler of the State of Jin in Zhou dynasty China.source
613 BCEKing Qing of Zhou, king of the Chinese Zhou dynastysource
612 BCEKing Kuang of Zhou becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
607 BCEKing Kuang of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource

6th century BC

586 BCE586 BC—King Ding of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
575 BCEBattle of Yanling in Henan Province, China takes place between Jin and Chu forces. The State of Jin is victorious.source
558 BCEThe Chinese state of Jin defeats its rival state of Qin in battle.source
544 BCEZhou jing wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.source
531 BCELaozi, Chinese founder of Taoism (approximate date)source
520 BCEKing Dao becomes king of the Zhou Dynasty of China but dies before the end of the year.source
520 BCEKing Dao of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
520 BCEKing Jing of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China from 544 to 520 BCsource
519 BCEZhou Jing Wang/Ji Gail becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.source

5th century BC

496 BCEKing Helü of Wu, king of the Chinese State of Wusource
479 BCEConfucius, Chinese philosopher (b. 551 BC)source
473 BCEKing Fuchai of Wu, the last king of Wu in Zhou dynasty, Chinasource
469 BCEKing Yuan of Zhou (Ji Ren), 27th king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
468 BCEZhou Zhen Ding Wang becomes the twenty-eighth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou dynasty.source
465 BCEKing Goujian of Yue, king of the Chinese State of Yuesource
453 BCEMay 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.source
442 BCEZhou zhen ding wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
441 BCEZhou Ai Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China but dies before the year's end, to be succeeded by Zhou Si Wang.source
441 BCEKing Zhending of Zhou, 28th king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
440 BCEZhou Kao Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
426 BCEZhou kao wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
425 BCEZhou wei lie wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
402 BCEZhou wei lie wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
401 BCEZhou an wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source

4th century BC

391 BCEMozi, Chinese philosopher (approximate date) (b. c. 470 BC)source
387 BCEWen, marquis of the State of Wei, Chinasource
381 BCEDuke Xiao of Qin, Chinese ruler of the Qin state. (died in 338 BC)source
381 BCEKing Dao of Chu, Chinese king of the state of Chu (unknown birth)source
381 BCEWu Qi, Chinese military general, Prime Minister of the State of Chu, also a servant of the State of Lu (born in Wei, 440 BC)source
376 BCEZhou An Wang, king of the Chinese Zhou dynastysource
375 BCEZhou Lie Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
368 BCEZhou Xian Wang becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
364 BCEThe Chinese astronomer Gan De from the State of Qi reportedly discovers the moon Ganymede, belonging to Jupiter, and makes the earliest known sunspot observations.source
315 BCEZhou Shen Jing Wang, king of the Zhou dynasty of Chinasource
314 BCEZhou Nan Wang becomes King of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
309 BCEZhang Yi, strategist of the Chinese state of Qinsource

3rd century BC

289 BCEMencius (Mèng Zǐ or Meng Zhu), Chinese philosopher (approximate date) (b. c. 372 BC)source
260 BCEZheng, who will later become king of the State of Qin, and then later the First Emperor of China (d. 210 BC)source
259 BCEFebruary 18 – Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China (d. 210 BC)source
256 BCELiu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty of China (d. 195 BC)source
255 BCEKing Hui of Zhou becomes the last claimant king of the Zhou dynasty of China.source
246 BCEThe 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.source
233 BCEHan 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)source
232 BCEXiang 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)source
221 BCEThe 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.source
220 BCEQin 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).source
210 BCEQin 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.source
210 BCEQin Shi Huang, first emperor of China (b. 259 BC)source
207 BCEZhao Gao, Chief eunuch in the service of the Emperors of the Qin dynasty of China (assassinated)source
207 BCEQin Er Shi, Emperor of the Qin dynasty of China (assassinated) (b. 229 BC)source

2nd century BC

200 BCEChinese create a padding material.source
195 BCEChang'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.source
188 BCEJing of Han, emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty, who ruled from 157 BC (d. 141 BC)source
157 BCE30 July – Wu of Han, who will be emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 141 BC (d. 87 BC)source
157 BCEJuly 6 – Wen of Han, Emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty since 180 BC (b. 200 BC)source
136 BCEConfucianism is adopted as the state religion in China by Emperor Wu.source
115 BCEParthia makes a trade treaty with China.source

1st century BC

87 BCEMarch 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.source
51 BCEThe Xiongnu split into two hordes. The Eastern horde is subject to China.source
28 BCEMay 10 – The earliest dated record of a sunspot by Chinese astronomers.source
25 BCEEstimation: Rome, capital of the Roman Empire, becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Chang'an, capital of China.source

1st century

2AD 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.source
14Famine hits China; some citizens turn to cannibalism.source
36December 25 – Wu Han commands the forces of Emperor Guang Wu of the Eastern Han to conquer the separatist Chengjia Empire, reuniting China.source
39The Trung Sisters resist the Chinese influences in Vietnam.source
43Vietnam is designated a province of China.source
52The Yuejue Shu, the first known gazetteer of China, is written during the Han Dynasty.source
57Emperor 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.source
58Emperor Ming of Han introduces Buddhism to China inviting monks from the western Indus Valley.source
65In China, the first official reference to Buddhism is made.source
100Paper is used by the general populace in China, starting around this year.source
100The Temple of the God of Medicine is built in Anguo, China.source

2nd century

123In China, Ban Yong, son of Ban Chao, reestablishes the Chinese control over the Tarim Basin.source
150Paper, made in China, arrives in Transoxiana.source
151First year of Yuanjia of the Chinese Han dynasty.source
160The first Buddhist monks arrive in China.source
165Antonine Plague: A pandemic breaks out in Rome, after the Roman army returns from Parthia. The plague significantly depopulates the Roman Empire and China.source
166A 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.source
166Scholars 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.source
175Confucian scholars try to ensure their capacity in the royal court of China. They are massacred by the eunuchs.source
179Han 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.source
181The 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.source
184The Yellow Turban Rebellion and Liang Province Rebellion break out in China.source
191Battle of Jieqiao: Yuan Shao narrowly defeats Gongsun Zan, in northern China.source
194First year of the Xingping era, during the Han Dynasty in China.source
195In China, the Xiongnu federation crosses the Great Wall and establishes itself in Shanxi Province.source

3rd century

239Cao Fang succeeds his adoptive father Cao Rui as emperor of the Cao Wei state, in the Three Kingdoms period of China.source
243Fan Chan of Funan sends a tribute mission to China (approximate date).source
245Lady Triệu, a Vietnamese warrior, begins her 3-year resistance against the invading Chinese.source
264March 1–3 – Zhong Hui's Rebellion in China is quelled.source
271A magnetic compass is first used in China.source
274March 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.source
277Tuoba Liwei, chieftain of the Tuoba clan (China)source
290May 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.source
291War 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.source
300The magnetic compass for navigation is invented in China (approximate date).source

4th century

306The War of the Eight Princes ends in China.source
308The Han-Zhao Dynasty is established in northern China, marking the official inception of the long lasting Uprising of the Five Barbarians.source
322The first dependable representation of a horse rider with paired stirrups is found in China, in a Jin Dynasty tomb.source
342Jin Kangdi succeeds his brother Jin Chengdi as emperor of China.source
344Jin 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.source
350The 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.source
352The earliest sighting of a supernova occurs in China.source
354Fu Sheng, emperor of the Former Qin, reigns in northern China.source
357The reign of Fú Jiān, the emperor of Former Qin, commences in China.source
370Former Qin conquers Former Yan in China.source
376China is divided between the Former Qin in the north and the Eastern Jin in the south.source
386The 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).source

5th century

404The 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.source
405The Khitan are first mentioned in Chinese chronicles. They wander along the boundaries of Kara-muren, and form part of the Donghu (Tong-hou) confederation.source
412Fa-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).source
420The Southern Dynasties begin in China.source
420July 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.source
422Shao Di, age 16, eldest son of Wu Di, succeeds his father as emperor of the Liu Song dynasty (China).source
430Feng 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.source
462The Daming calendar is introduced in China by mathematician Zu Chongzhi (approximate date).source
478Chinese 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.source
479Summer – 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.source

6th century

507The town of Guilin, China, is renamed Guizhou.source
517Emperor 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).source
529Rudravarman is granted investiture by China, as the first king of the fourth dynasty of Champa (modern Vietnam).source
535The 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.source
549Jianwen Di succeeds his father Wu Di as emperor of the Liang Dynasty (China).source
552Justinian 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.source
577A 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.source
585Emperor Xiao Jing Di succeeds his father Xiao Ming Di as ruler of the Liang dynasty (China).source
588The Guanghua Temple in Putian (China) is built during the Chen dynasty, under Emperor Chen Wu Di.source
592Summer – 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.source
593Empress 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.source
594Empress Suiko issues the "Flourishing Three Treasures Edict", officially recognizing the practice of Buddhism in Japan. She begins diplomatic relations with the Sui dynasty (China).source
595Construction begins on the Zhaozhou Bridge ("Safe crossing bridge") in Hebei Province, during the Sui dynasty (China).source
600Chinese-influenced sculptures of Buddha begin to be created in Japan.source

7th century

605Yángdi 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.source
607August 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).source
617September 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.source
623Tuyuhun invasion of Gansu: Tang forces under Chai Shao defeat the Tuyuhun, and prevent further incursions into Gansu (China).source
631Emperor 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.source
637Chang'an, capital of the Tang dynasty (China), becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Ctesiphon, capital of Persia.source
639An unsuccessful revolt of Prince Kürşat (of the Eastern Turks) breaks out in China.source
643Peroz 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).source
645Emperor Kōtoku establishes the Taika Reform: a land reform based on Confucian ideas and philosophies from China (approximate date)source
645Xuanzang, Chinese Buddhist monk, returns to China after a 16-year pilgrimage to India. He is greeted with much honor by Emperor Taizong.source
652The 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.source
653Emperor 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.source
663June 5 – In China, the Daming Palace becomes the government seat and royal residence of Emperor Gao Zong of the Tang dynasty.source
666Chinese 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).source
676The 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.source
690October 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.source

8th century

708Tea drinking gains popularity among the Chinese. It is also valued for its alleged medicinal values (approximate date).source
712September 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).source
713Construction 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.source
715Empress 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.source
724Shōmu 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).source
735During 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.source
740Much 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)source
745China 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.source
747Emperor Xuan Zong abolishes the death penalty in China, during the Tang dynasty (approximate date).source
750The "Western Paradise" of Amitābha Buddha, detail of a wall painting in Cave 217, Dunhuang (China), is made during the Tang Dynasty (approximate date).source
755December 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.source
759An 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.source
760The 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).source
763February 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.source
775At around this time, Baghdad becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Chang'an, capital of China.source
779June 12 - In China, De Zong (personal name Li Kuo) succeeds his father Dai Zong, as emperor of the Tang Dynasty.source
781New city of Bian (汴) is constructed on the site of Kaifeng during the Tang dynasty (China).source
782Nanchan Temple on Wutaishan, Shanxi, is built during the Tang Dynasty (China).source
793Arab 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).source

9th century

804Kūkai, 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).source
805Priest Saichō, patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, visits China and introduces tea to Japan on his return (or 804).source
807Li Jifu is appointed chancellor, during the reign of Emperor Xian Zong in China.source
812The Chinese government takes over the issuing of paper bank drafts, the ancestor of paper money.source
815Emperor 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.source
846April 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.source
851Suleiman 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).source
894Emperor Uda orders commercial relations (called Imperial Japanese embassies to China) to cease with China (approximate date).source

10th century

901In China, Fuzhou City (Fujian Province) is expanded, with the construction of a new city wall ("Luo City").source
902Spring – 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.source
905China 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.source
907The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period begins in China.source
916Abaoji, 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.source
923May 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.source
924Emperor 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.source
925Winter – 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.source
925May 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.source
930Yelü Bei, prince and elder brother of the Liao dynasty (Khitan) Emperor Taizong, leaves for China.source
937November 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.source
938Battle 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.source
957In China the Longquan Monastery is founded during the Liao Dynasty.source
958Emperor Chai Rong of the Later Zhou invades the Northern Han and the Khitan Empire in the Sixteen Prefectures (northern China), but is defeated.source
962Gao Baoxu, king of Nanping (China) (b. 924)source
963The Nanping State, one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China, is forced to surrender, when invaded by armies of the Song Dynasty.source
966Viśa' Saṃbhava, king of Khotan (China)source
984Qiao 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.source

11th century

1006April 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.source
1008Caliph 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).source
1010Song 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).source
1038January 9 – An earthquake in Dingxiang, China kills an estimated 32,300.source
1045Movable type printing is invented by Bi Sheng in China.source
1046Bao 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.source
1056The 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.source
1063The Pizhi Pagoda located at Lingyan Temple (Shandong province) in China is completed, standing at a height of 54 m (177 ft) tall.source
1067January 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.source

12th century

1115The 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.source
1116Aak 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.source
1117The magnetic compass is first used for maritime navigation purposes during the Song dynasty in China.source
1121Emperor 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.source
1126Spring – 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.source
1135Jin–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.source
1137In 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.source
1142October 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.source
1151Anping Bridge is completed in China's Fujian province. Its total length will not be exceeded until 1846.source
1153February 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.source
1161Jin–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.source
1168Yuanqu County (also known as Wanting County) in China is destroyed by a flood of the Yellow River.source
1180Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty in China, becomes the largest city in the world, surpassing Fez in the Almohad Caliphate.source
1189February 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.source

13th century

1213Jin 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.source
1227Dōgen 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.source
1256Spring – 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.source
1271The 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.source
1275Rabban Bar Sauma, Chinese Nestorian monk, embarks on a pilgrimage from China to Jerusalem. He travels to Hotan, Kashgar, Taraz and Khorasan (modern Afghanistan).source
1276Spring – 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.source
1277Migration 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.source
1285June 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.source
1286In 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.source
1290September 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.source
1292Kublai 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.source
1295Marco 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.source

14th century

1315Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Hangzhou in Mongolian China (approximate date).source
1327In China, the Grand Canal, which runs from Beijing to Hangzhou over a distance of 1,800 km, is completed.source
1333A famine (lasting until 1337) breaks out in China, killing six million.source
1348Estimation: Hangzhou in Mongolian China becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Cairo, capital of Mamluk Egypt.source
1352After 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.source
1361Chinese rebels capture the Goryeo capital.source
1363August 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.source
1369The Hongwu Emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty issues a decree ordering every country magistrate in the empire to open a Confucian school of learning.source
1371The 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).source
1372The 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.source
1380February 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.source
1392September 24 – Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor of Ming dynasty China, declares that all males must wear the queue hairstyle.source

15th century

1403In 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.source
1403January 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.source
1404Timur is hit by a fever, while preparing to invade China.source
1408October 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.source
1428Lam 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.source
1433September 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.source
1434In Ming Dynasty China, a long episode of drought, flood, locust infestation, and famine cripple agriculture and commerce in areas throughout the country, until 1448.source
1438Just 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.source
1448After 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.source
1470July 30 – Hongzhi Emperor of China (d. 1505)source
1487September 9 – Chenghua Emperor of China (b. 1447)source
1491The population of China reaches 56.238 million.source

16th century

1513May – 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.source
1527The 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.source
1528In 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.source
1529January 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.source
1538The 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.source
1539In Henan province, China, a severe drought with swarms of locusts is made worse, by a major epidemic outbreak of the plague.source
1548April 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.source
1549Although 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.source
1573February 2 – The Wanli Era begins in Ming dynasty China on the first New Year after 9-year-old Zhu Yijun ascends the throne.source
159712 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.source

17th century

1605July 13 – The 1605 Guangdong earthquake, of 7.5 magnitude, strikes China's Hainan Province causing widespread damage and thousands of deaths.source
1615Manuel Dias, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, introduces the telescope for the first time in China, in his book Tian Wen Lüe (Explicatio Sphaerae Coelestis).source
1623November 1 – Zhu Youlang, Prince of Gui, the Yongli Emperor, the 4th and last emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty of China (d. 1662)source
1626February 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.source
1626June 28 – A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Lingqiu County, in China, killing 5,200 residents.source
1627March 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.source
1636Manchus occupy the Liaoning region in north China, select Shenyang (Mukden) as their capital, and proclaim the new Qing dynasty (pure).source
1644April 25 – Chongzhen, last Ming Emperor of China (suicide) (b. 1611)source
1644June 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.source
1668December 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.source
1679September 2 – The 8.0 magnitude Sanhe-Pinggu earthquake devastates Beijing and Hebei in China.source

18th century

1704November 27 – Annular solar eclipse is visible through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, eastern China, Myanmar and northern Philippines.source
1706June 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.source
1718June 19 – A 7.5 earthquake shakes Tongwei County in China, killing 73,000 people.source
1732February 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.source
1735October 18 – In China, Qianlong succeeds his father, Yongzheng, as Emperor and begins a 60-year-long reign within the Qing dynasty.source
1739January 3 – A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China killing 50,000 people.source
1746July 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.source
1754October 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.source
1768July 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.source
1773In 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.source

19th century

1815October 23 – A 6.8 earthquake shakes northern China causing many houses and caves to collapse, killing at least 13,000 people.source
1819November 3 – The becomes the first American warship to visit China, landing at Lintin Island, off of the coast of Canton.source
1850July – Taiping Rebellion: Hong Xiuquan orders the general mobilisation of rebel forces in China.source
1855April 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).source
1871October 24 – Chinese massacre of 1871: In Los Angeles' Chinatown, 19 Chinese immigrants are killed by a mob of 500 men.source
1900January 2 – U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote American trade with China.source

20th century

1902August 22 – A 7.7 earthquake shakes the border between China and Kyrgyzstan killing 10,000 people.source
1905April 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.source
1908June 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.source
1908March 4 – Bank of Communications, a major financial services provider in China, is founded in Beijing.source
1910June 5 – The Nanyang industrial exposition ("Nanking Exposition"), an official world's fair, opens in Qing dynasty China.source
1931November 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.source
1938June 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.source
1952April 11 – Battle of Nanri Island: The Republic of China seizes the island from the People's Republic of China.source
1957Mao Zedong admits that 800,000 "class enemies" had been summarily liquidated in China between 1949 and 1954.source
1959August 31 – The Workers' Stadium sports venue in Beijing (China) is officially opened.source
1962March–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.source
1962November 21 – The Sino-Indian War ends with a Chinese victory with India surrendering Aksai Chin to China.source
1983August 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.source
1989May 14 – Mikhail Gorbachev visits China, the first Soviet leader to do so since Nikita Khrushchev in the 1960s, ending the Sino-Soviet split.source
1990October 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.source
1991November 5 – China and Vietnam restore diplomatic relations after a 13-year rift which followed the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.source
1992August 24 – China and South Korea establish diplomatic relations.source
1996March 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.source
1999July 10 – American soccer player Brandi Chastain scores the game winning penalty kick against China in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup.source
1999November 20 – China launches the first Shenzhou spacecraft.source

21st century

2005March 14 – China ratifies an anti-secession law, aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence.source
2010May 1 – Expo 2010 is held in Shanghai, China.source
2010October 31 – Expo 2010 concludes in Shanghai, China.source
2011July 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.source
2012November 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.source
2015April 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.source
2015May 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.source
2016July 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.source
2017October 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.source
2018September 14–16 – Typhoon Mangkhut impacts the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, resulting in more than 60 fatalities.source
2019December 1 – COVID-19 pandemic: First known human case of Coronavirus disease 2019, in Wuhan, Hubei, China.source
2019March 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.source
2020April 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.source
2020August 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.source
2020January 20 – COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese authorities publicly confirm human-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.source
2020January 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.source
2020June 30 – China passes the controversial Hong Kong national security law, allowing China to crack down on opposition to Beijing at home or abroad.source
2020March 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.source
2020March 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.source
2022January 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.source
2022October 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.source
2022September 5 – A 6.8 earthquake strikes Luding County in Sichuan province, China, killing 117 and injuring 424.source
2023February 17 – The South African Navy hosts a 10-day joint military exercise in the Indian Ocean with Russia and China.source
2023March 26 – Honduras switches its formal diplomatic recognition of "China" from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China.source
2023March 29 – Brazil and China sign an agreement to trade in their own currencies, ceasing the usage of the United States dollar as an intermediary.source
2024July 23 – China brokers a unity agreement between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas to form a single government.source
2025August 15–17 – The first World Humanoid Robot Games are held in Beijing, China.source