Appendix D
Chinese Periods and Dynasties
Chinese history is a fascinating discipline—rich, complex, and exhaustive. Remember, the Chinese have had flourishing civilizations for thousands of years. Looking at feng shui without even a rudimentary understanding of some historical basis is unwise. So much is inextricably woven into particular periods, events, and individuals. Throughout this book, we have referred to individuals, dates, and dynasties. We hope this list will compare some of feng shui’s evolutions with that of Chinese history. Please note, although it appears some dynasties may overlap, in fact, they do not. Only a thorough investigation of Chinese history can adequately account for this.
The dates reflecting China’s legendary and prehistoric periods, and the dynastic dates of the Shang early Zhou, are speculative and subject to dispute.
| Legendary Period | |
| Three Emperors | 2852–2597 B.C.E. |
| Fuxi | 2852–2737 B.C.E. |
| Shennong | 2737–2697 B.C.E. |
| Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) | 2697–2597 B.C.E. |
| Shao Hao | 2597–2513 B.C.E. |
| Zhuan Xu | 2513–2435 B.C.E. |
| Five Rulers | 2435–2197 B.C.E. |
| Di Ku | 2435–2365 B.C.E. |
| Di Zhi | 2365–2356 B.C.E. |
| Yao | 2356–2255 B.C.E. |
| Shun | 2255–2205 B.C.E. |
| Yu | 2205–2197 B.C.E. |
| Prehistoric Period | |
| Yangshao culture | c. 5000 B.C.E. |
| Longshan culture | c. 2500 B.C.E. |
| Xia dynasty | c. 2100–c. 1600 B.C.E. |
| Historical Period | |
| Shang dynasty | c. 1600–1045 B.C.E. |
| Zhou dynasty | 1045–221 B.C.E. |
| Western Zhou | 1045–771 B.C.E. |
| Eastern Zhou | 770–256 B.C.E. |
| Spring and Autumn Period | 722–481 B.C.E. |
| Warring States Period | 403–221 B.C.E. |
| Qin dynasty | 221–206 B.C.E. |
| Han dynasty | 206 B.C.E.–220 C.E. |
| Western Han | 206 B.C.E.–24 C.E. |
| Eastern Han | 25-220 C.E. |
| Three Kingdoms | 220–280 |
| Wei | 220–265 |
| Shu Han | 221–263 |
| Wu | 222–280 |
| Jin dynasty | 265–420 |
| Western Jin | 265–316 |
| Eastern Jin | 317–420 |
| Southern and Northern dynasties | 420–589 |
| Southern | 420–589 |
| Northern | 386–581 |
| Sui dynasty | 581–618 |
| Tang dynasty | 618–907 |
| Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | 907–960 |
| Song dynasty | 960–1279 |
| Northern Song | 960–1127 |
| Southern Song | 1127–1279 |
| Liao dynasty (Khitan Tartars) | 916–1125 |
| Jin dynasty (Jurchen Tartars) | 1115–1234 |
| Yuan dynasty (Mongol) | 1271–1368 |
| Ming dynasty | 1368–1644 |
| Qing dynasty (Manchu) | 1644–1911 |
| Republic of China | 1912–1949 |
| People’s Republic of China | 1949–present |