c. 1600 BCE
The Shang Dynasty
China
The Shang ruled parts of the Yellow River valley and left some of the earliest surviving written records from ancient China.
History • Change • Connection
East Asia Through Time
Travel through thousands of years of East Asian history. See kingdoms rise, ideas travel, empires expand, borders change and modern nations emerge — while exploring how the histories of the region connect.
Explore the timeline
See what was happening across the region.
View the whole story or choose a place to follow its journey through the wider history of East Asia.
01
Era
Early Worlds
Early settlements, societies and civilisations begin to develop across the region.
c. 1046 BCE
The Zhou Dynasty begins
China
The Zhou defeated the Shang and established a dynasty that would last for centuries.
221 BCE
China is unified under the Qin
China
Qin Shi Huang defeated rival states and became the first emperor of a unified Chinese empire.
206 BCE – 220 CE
The Han Dynasty
China
The Han ruled a powerful empire and expanded political and trading connections across Asia.
02
Era
Kingdoms & Dynasties
Powerful kingdoms and dynasties grow, while ideas, religions and technologies travel between societies.
c. 1st century BCE – 7th century CE
Korea's Three Kingdoms
Korea
Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla became major kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas.
1st–6th centuries CE
Buddhism spreads across East Asia
ChinaKoreaJapan
Buddhism travelled from South and Central Asia into China and later became influential in Korea and Japan.
618–907
Tang China
ChinaKoreaJapan
The Tang Dynasty ruled during a period of major cultural, political and economic influence.
668
Silla controls most of the Korean Peninsula
KoreaChina
With Tang assistance, Silla defeated rival kingdoms and came to control much of the Korean Peninsula.
794–1185
Japan's Heian period
Japan
The imperial court at Heian-kyo, modern Kyoto, became the centre of an influential period of Japanese court culture.
03
Era
Empires & Exchange
Conquest, trade and cultural exchange reshape East Asia and connect it with a much wider world.
1206
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
MongoliaChinaKorea
Temüjin was proclaimed Genghis Khan after uniting many Mongol groups and began building a vast empire.
1271–1368
The Yuan Dynasty
MongoliaChinaKorea
Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty and eventually conquered the Southern Song.
1368–1644
The Ming Dynasty
China
The Ming replaced the Yuan and ruled China for nearly three centuries.
1392–1910
The Joseon Dynasty
Korea
Joseon became the dominant Korean dynasty and ruled for more than five centuries.
1443–1446
Hangul is created
Korea
King Sejong and scholars developed a new writing system for the Korean language.
1603–1868
The Tokugawa shogunate
Japan
The Tokugawa shogunate established a long period of political stability under military government in Japan.
1644–1912
The Qing Dynasty
ChinaMongoliaTaiwan
The Manchu-led Qing became China's final imperial dynasty and ruled a large multi-ethnic empire.
1683
Taiwan comes under Qing rule
TaiwanChina
Qing forces defeated the Zheng regime and incorporated Taiwan into the Qing Empire.
04
Era
Change & Conflict
Industrialisation, imperial expansion and political upheaval transform the region.
1868
The Meiji Restoration
Japan
Political change restored imperial rule in Japan and began a period of rapid modernisation and industrialisation.
1895
Taiwan comes under Japanese rule
TaiwanJapanChina
Following China's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan.
1910
Japan annexes Korea
KoreaJapan
Japan formally annexed Korea after years of increasing political and military control.
1911–1921
Mongolia moves towards independence
MongoliaChina
Mongolia declared independence from Qing rule in 1911, with revolutionary change in 1921 helping establish lasting separation from China.
1912
The Republic of China is established
ChinaTaiwan
The Qing Dynasty ended following revolution, bringing more than two thousand years of imperial government in China to a close.
1937–1945
War spreads across East Asia
ChinaJapanKoreaTaiwan
Full-scale war between China and Japan began in 1937 and later became part of the wider Second World War in Asia and the Pacific.
05
Era
Division & Rebuilding
War, revolution and new political borders reshape East Asia during the twentieth century.
1945–1948
Korea is divided
Korea
After Japanese colonial rule ended in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was divided into Soviet and American occupation zones. Separate governments emerged in 1948.
1945
Japanese rule of Taiwan ends
TaiwanJapan
At the end of the Second World War, administration of Taiwan passed from Japan to the Republic of China government.
1949
Two governments across the Taiwan Strait
ChinaTaiwan
The Chinese Communist Party established the People's Republic of China on the mainland. The Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan after losing the Chinese Civil War.
1950–1953
The Korean War
KoreaChina
War broke out between North and South Korea and drew in forces from several other countries.
06
Era
Modern East Asia
Rapid economic, technological and social change creates the East Asia we recognise today.
1950s–1980s
Japan's rapid economic growth
Japan
Post-war Japan experienced decades of rapid industrial and economic growth.
1960s–1990s
South Korea transforms
Korea
South Korea experienced rapid industrialisation and economic development, followed by a transition towards democratic government.
From 1978
Economic reform in China
China
China introduced major economic reforms that expanded market activity, international trade and foreign investment.
1980s–1990s
Taiwan democratises
Taiwan
Taiwan moved away from decades of authoritarian rule and developed a competitive democratic political system.
21st century
East Asia today
ChinaJapanKoreaMongoliaTaiwan
East Asia is home to major global economies, rapidly changing cities, powerful cultural industries and hundreds of millions of people whose lives connect the region to the wider world.