The history of China is also the history of China’s many governing dynasties (a series of rulers from the same family). Travel through our timeline of major events in China's history.

Around 1766 B.C.:
The Shang Dynasty establishes China's first royal family. It is the first Chinese dynasty to leave a historical record.

551-479 B.C.:
Confucius, China's most famous teacher and philosopher, inspired many during this period with his thoughts about the importance of peaceful human relations. They helped define Chinese culture and philosophy for ages to come.

221-206 B.C.:
Qin Shi Huangdi unites China as a single, great empire and becomes its first emperor. He begins building the Great Wall to protect China from northern invaders. Later, he builds an underground tomb holding an army of statues.

105 B.C.:
The Chinese invent paper. Early paper was made of mulberry-tree bark.

960-1279 A.D.:
The Song family rules China. It is the longest-ruling dynasty in Chinese history. Under the Song emperors, interest in Chinese painting, writing and poetry grows.

1279-1368:
Kublai Khan defeats the Song dynasty. Khan is the leader of the Mongols, a group of traveling people from north of China. He establishes the Yuan dynasty. Under the Yuan, the city that is now Beijing becomes the capital of China.

1368-1644:
The Mongols are driven from power by rulers of the Ming dynasty. Landscape painting, caligraphy, porcelain pottery, embroidery and other arts grow during this period.

1898:
The British take ownership of the port city of Hong Kong as part of an agreement with China.

1949:
Mao Zedong (also known as Mao Tse-Tung), head of the Communist political party, establishes the People's Republic of China. He forces out rivals in the Nationalist political party. The Nationalists move to Taiwan, off China's eastern coast.

1958-1961:
Mao's plan to change China's economy and agriculture system fails miserably. More than 30 million people starve to death.

1966:
Under Mao's rule, Communist party members called Red Guards launch the Cultural Revolution, an attack on expressions of art, religion, scholarly teaching and Western influences.

1972:
President Richard Nixon is the first U.S. President to ever visit China. His visit opens communication between the U.S. and China for the first time in many years.

April 1989:
About one million university students protest for democracy in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The uprising is crushed by Chinese troops.

1997:
China regains control of Hong Kong after 99 years of British rule.

2008:
Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.