| ca. 230–208 B.C.E. |
Construction of Great Wall |
|
| 221 B.C.E. |
China unified under Qin Dynasty |
| 206 B.C.E.–220 C.E. |
Han Dynasty |
| 145–ca. 85 B.C.E. |
Sima Qian, Chinese historian |
| 114 B.C.E. |
Han government gains control over Silk Road trade routes across Central Asia |
| 111 B.C.E. |
Emperor Wu conquers Nam Viet |
| 108 B.C.E. |
Han government establishes colonies in Korea |
| 105 C.E. |
Chinese invention of paper |
| ca. 200 C.E. |
Buddhism begins rapid growth in China |
| 220–589 C.E. |
Age of Division in China |
| 313–668 C.E. |
Three Kingdoms Period in Korea |
| 372 C.E. |
Buddhism introduced in Korea |
| 538 C.E. |
Buddhism introduced in Japan |
| 581–618 C.E. |
Sui Dynasty |
| 604 C.E. |
Prince Shōtoku introduces Chinese-style government in Japan |
| 605 C.E. |
Introduction of merit-based examination system for the selection of officials in China |
| 618–907 C.E. |
Tang Dynasty; great age of Chinese poetry |
| 668 C.E. |
First political unification of Korea under Silla |
| 690 C.E. |
Empress Wu declares herself emperor, becoming the only Chinese woman emperor |
| 710 C.E. |
Nara made the capital of Japan |
| 735–737 C.E. |
Smallpox epidemic in Japan |
| 845 C.E. |
Tang emperor begins persecution of Buddhism |