---
node: china
type: region
slug: china
title: "China"
lead: "China is one of the world's oldest civilizations, with a continuous written tradition reaching back over 3,000 years to Shang oracle bones. Its recorded dynastic history runs from the traditional Xia to the Qing, which ended in 1912, followed by the Republic of China and, from 1949, the People's Republic."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---

## Overview

Chinese characters evolved without interruption from the oracle bone script of the Shang to the modern script, carrying a single written tradition across three millennia. The imperial era spans from the Qin unification of 221 BC to 1912, when the last dynasty fell.

## The major eras

Recorded dynastic history begins with the traditional Xia and the historically attested Shang, and continues through successive dynasties to the Qing, the last of them. A recurring pattern is the cycle of unification and division: the unified Qin and Han empires gave way to the Three Kingdoms division, and the Sui and Tang later reunified the country. After the Qing ended in 1912 came the Republic of China era and, from 1949, the People's Republic.