| 206 BC | Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty, defeats the last Qin emperor, ending the Qin Dynasty. |
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| 202 BC | Liu Bang is crowned Emperor Gaozu, marking the beginning of the Han Dynasty. He establishes the capital at Chang’an. |
| 195 BC | Emperor Gaozu dies and is succeeded by his son, Emperor Hui. |
| 180 BC | Emperor Hui dies and is succeeded by Emperor Wen, who introduces various reforms and lowers taxes. |
| 141-87 BC | Emperor Wu’s reign. He expands the Han Dynasty’s territory through military conquests, reaching present-day Korea, Vietnam, and Central Asia. |
| 104-101 BC | The Han Dynasty fights the War of the Heavenly Horses against the Dayuan Kingdom, ultimately obtaining Ferghana horses for their cavalry. |
| 9 AD | Wang Mang seizes the throne, establishing the Xin Dynasty and ending the Western Han period. |
| 23 AD | Wang Mang is overthrown, and the Han Dynasty is restored by Liu Xiu, who becomes Emperor Guangwu. The Eastern Han period begins, and the capital is moved to Luoyang. |
| 58-75 AD | Emperor Ming’s reign. Buddhism is introduced to China during his rule. |
| 105 AD | Cai Lun invents paper, revolutionizing Chinese writing and record-keeping. |
| 166 AD | The first known contact between the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire occurs when a Roman envoy reaches Luoyang. |
| 189 AD | Emperor Ling dies, leading to a power struggle and the decline of the Han Dynasty. |
| 190 AD | The warlord Dong Zhuo seizes control of the Han court and places a puppet emperor, Emperor Xian, on the throne. |
| 208 AD | The Battle of Red Cliffs takes place, a pivotal event in the era of the Three Kingdoms. The allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeat Cao Cao’s army. |
| 220 AD | Emperor Xian abdicates, and the Han Dynasty officially ends. The Three Kingdoms period begins with the formation of the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu. |
| 280 AD | The Jin Dynasty unifies China, ending the Three Kingdoms period and marking the beginning of the Sixteen Kingdoms and Southern and Northern Dynasties period. |