CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
| B.C. | |
| 2705-2595 | Huang Ti, mythological emperor. |
| 2357-2206 | Legendary sages to whose teachings Confucius harked back. |
| 551 | Birth of Confucius. |
| 255-206 | Ch’in Shih Huang Ti, the emperor who burned the books and built the Great Wall. |
| 206 B.C. to 221 A.D. | Han Dynasty—Recovery of literature—Introduction of Buddhism. |
| A.D. | |
| 221-265 | The “Three Kingdoms”—Age of romantic chivalry. |
| 618-906 | The T’ang Dynasty—Emperor Ming Huang, traditional founder of the theater, and his consort Yang Kuei-fei, China’s most famous beauty. China was at this time the most civilized country in the world. Li Po and other great lyric poets. |
| 960-1127 | The Sung Dynasty—Development of landscape painting. |
| 1280-1368 | The Yuan or Mongol Dynasty—Classical age of Chinese drama. Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. Marco Polo. |
| 1368-1644 | The Ming Dynasty—Restoration of Chinese rulers—Drama in the hands of scholars. |
| 1644-1911 | The Ch’ing or Manchu Dynasty—Emperors K’ang Hsi and Ch’ien Lung encourage arts and letters, including the theater. |
| 1912- | The Republic. |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
History of the Drama under the Sung and Yuan Dynasties. Wang Kuo-wei. Commercial Press. Shanghai, 1915.