Tracing Chinese civilization from its prehistoric origins to the fall of the Qing dynasty, this sweeping 100-part documentary explores the rulers, wars, philosophies, religions, cultural achievements and social transformations that shaped one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Through archaeological evidence, historical records and expert commentary, the series presents a chronological account of China’s dynasties, peoples and institutions across thousands of years of history.
Episodes Season Season 1 · 0/100 0/100 watched · 2013 S01E01 China Road 2013-01-21 45m
An introduction to the long development of Chinese civilization, tracing the ideas, institutions, cultural traditions and historical forces that shaped China’s distinctive path from antiquity to the end of imperial rule. more S01E02 The Earliest Chinese 2013-01-21 45m
Archaeological discoveries reveal the prehistoric peoples who lived across ancient China and the gradual formation of communities, cultures and shared traditions that would contribute to later Chinese civilization. more S01E03 The Rise of Agriculture 2013-01-21 45m
The episode explores the origins of farming in ancient China, including the domestication of millet and rice, the growth of settled communities and the social changes produced by agricultural life. more S01E04 The Origins of Civilization 2013-01-21 45m
Early cities, ritual centers, crafts and systems of social organization illuminate the transition from Neolithic cultures to complex civilization in the lands that became China. more S01E05 The Age of Early States 2013-01-21 45m
Competing regional societies developed fortified settlements, political hierarchies and ritual authority, laying the foundations for the earliest states recorded in Chinese history. more S01E06 The Xia Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
Archaeology and ancient texts are examined in the search for the Xia, traditionally regarded as China’s first dynasty, with particular attention to the Erlitou culture and debates over its identity. more S01E07 The Rise and Fall of the Shang Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
The Shang dynasty emerges as a powerful Bronze Age kingdom before internal weakness and military defeat bring its rule to an end at the hands of the Zhou. more S01E08 Shang Civilization 2013-01-21 45m
Oracle bones, bronze vessels, royal tombs and sacrificial practices reveal the political order, religious beliefs, warfare and artistic achievements of Shang civilization. more S01E09 King Wu's Conquest of Shang 2013-01-21 45m
The Zhou campaign against the last Shang king culminates in the Battle of Muye, establishing a new dynasty and introducing the enduring political idea of the Mandate of Heaven. more S01E10 The Regency of the Duke of Zhou 2013-01-21 45m
Serving as regent for the young King Cheng, the Duke of Zhou suppresses rebellion, consolidates Zhou rule and helps shape political and ritual institutions revered by later generations. more S01E11 The Decline of the Zhou Royal House 2013-01-21 45m
The authority of the Zhou kings weakens as regional lords grow more powerful, leading to the fall of the Western Zhou and the fragmented political order of the Eastern Zhou. more S01E12 The Struggle for Supremacy in the Spring and Autumn Period 2013-01-21 45m
Powerful states and ambitious rulers compete for leadership while alliances, reforms and warfare transform the political landscape of the Spring and Autumn period. more S01E13 Confucius 2013-01-21 45m
The life and teachings of Confucius are explored, from his search for ethical government to the development of ideas about ritual, virtue, education and social responsibility. more S01E14 Reforms Among the Warring States 2013-01-21 45m
Rival states adopt sweeping military, administrative and economic reforms as rulers seek stronger governments and armies during an age of intensifying competition. more S01E15 The Seven Warring States 2013-01-21 45m
The seven major powers struggle for survival and supremacy through diplomacy, strategy and mass warfare, setting the stage for Qin’s eventual conquest of its rivals. more S01E16 The Hundred Schools of Thought 2013-01-21 45m
Philosophers including Confucians, Daoists, Mohists and Legalists offer competing answers to the disorder of their age, creating a rich intellectual legacy for Chinese civilization. more S01E17 The Rise of the State of Qin 2013-01-21 45m
Philosophers including Confucians, Daoists, Mohists and Legalists offer competing answers to the disorder of their age, creating a rich intellectual legacy for Chinese civilization. more S01E18 Qin Shi Huang Unifies China 2013-01-21 45m
The king of Qin conquers the rival states, becomes China’s First Emperor and imposes far-reaching systems of administration, law, measurement, writing and imperial control. more S01E19 The Chu-Han Contention 2013-01-21 45m
After the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang battle for control of China in a dramatic civil war that ends with the founding of the Han dynasty. more S01E20 The Parallel System of Commanderies and Kingdoms 2013-01-21 45m
The early Han balances centrally administered commanderies with semi-autonomous kingdoms, creating tensions that test the new dynasty’s ability to maintain unity. more S01E21 The Rule of Wen and Jing 2013-01-21 45m
Emperors Wen and Jing reduce taxes and state burdens, encourage recovery and strengthen the Han through cautious government, producing an era remembered for stability and prosperity. more S01E22 Emperor Wu of Han 2013-01-21 45m
Emperor Wu expands Han power, confronts the Xiongnu, centralizes authority and promotes Confucian state ideology, while the costs of warfare place heavy demands on the empire. more S01E23 Confucian Learning During the Two Han Dynasties 2013-01-21 45m
Confucian classics become central to education, scholarship and government as Han thinkers interpret ancient texts and establish traditions that influence imperial China for centuries. more S01E24 The Reign of Emperors Zhao and Xuan 2013-01-21 45m
Following Emperor Wu’s expensive campaigns, the Han court pursues recovery, administrative reform and more restrained government under Emperors Zhao and Xuan. more S01E25 Wang Mang's Reforms 2013-01-21 45m
Wang Mang seizes the throne and launches ambitious reforms intended to restore ancient institutions, but resistance, economic disruption and rebellion bring his Xin dynasty to collapse. more S01E26 The Restoration of Emperor Guangwu 2013-01-21 45m
Liu Xiu reunifies the realm after years of rebellion, restores the Han dynasty as Emperor Guangwu and rebuilds imperial government from a new capital at Luoyang. more S01E27 The Silk Road 2013-01-21 45m
Diplomacy, conquest and long-distance trade connect Han China with Central Asia and lands farther west, carrying goods, technologies, religions and cultures across Eurasia. more S01E28 The Pure Critiques and the Partisan Prohibitions 2013-01-21 45m
Scholar-officials criticize corruption and eunuch power at the Eastern Han court, provoking political purges that deepen factional conflict and weaken the dynasty. more S01E29 The Yellow Turban Rebellion 2013-01-21 45m
Religious movements, social distress and resentment of the Han government erupt into the Yellow Turban uprising, accelerating the breakdown of imperial authority. more S01E30 The Three Kingdoms 2013-01-21 45m
The collapse of the Han gives rise to the rival states of Wei, Shu and Wu, whose rulers and generals compete through warfare, diplomacy and shifting alliances. more S01E31 Zhuge Liang Governs Shu 2013-01-21 45m
As chief minister of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang seeks to stabilize the state, improve administration, develop the southwest and pursue campaigns against the stronger kingdom of Wei. more S01E32 The Unification Under Western Jin 2013-01-21 45m
he Sima family replaces Wei, conquers Shu and Wu and briefly reunites China under the Western Jin before court conflict and rebellion undermine the dynasty. more S01E33 The Spirit of the Wei and Jin Periods 2013-01-21 45m
Amid political turmoil, scholars and artists cultivate personal expression, philosophical debate and unconventional lifestyles that define the celebrated cultural spirit of the Wei and Jin. more S01E34 Rule by the Great Aristocratic Clans 2013-01-21 45m
Powerful hereditary families dominate politics and society during the era of division, shaping court government, official appointments and relations between northern émigrés and southern elites. more S01E35 Emperor Wu of Liang's Government 2013-01-21 45m
Emperor Wu presides over a long reign marked by cultural patronage, Buddhist devotion and administrative ambition, but court weakness and rebellion ultimately devastate the Liang dynasty. more S01E36 Emperor Xiaowen's Reforms 2013-01-21 45m
The Northern Wei emperor moves the capital to Luoyang and promotes sweeping cultural and political reforms intended to integrate his dynasty with the traditions of the Central Plains. more S01E37 Emporer Wu of Northern Zhou 2013-01-21 45m
Emperor Wu strengthens the Northern Zhou, curbs rival institutions and conquers Northern Qi, bringing northern China closer to reunification before his sudden death. more S01E38 The Rise and Fall of the Chen Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
The final southern dynasty struggles to preserve stability and independence until internal weakness and the military power of Sui bring the Chen dynasty to an end. more S01E39 Buddhism in the Wei and Jin Periods 2013-01-21 45m
Buddhism spreads and adapts across a divided China, influencing philosophy, art, ritual and monastic life while becoming deeply rooted in Chinese society. more S01E40 The Restoration of Unity 2013-01-21 45m
After centuries of division, Yang Jian founds the Sui dynasty, defeats rival regimes and reunifies China through centralized institutions and large-scale reconstruction. more S01E41 Emperor Yang of Sui: Achievements and Failures 2013-01-21 45m
Emperor Yang expands canals, capitals and imperial projects, but costly wars, forced labor and rebellion turn spectacular ambition into the rapid collapse of the Sui. more S01E42 The Reign of Zhenguan 2013-01-21 45m
Emperor Taizong and his ministers establish a respected model of Tang government based on political consultation, military success, legal order and restrained rule. more S01E43 Empress Wu Zetian 2013-01-21 45m
Wu Zetian rises from imperial consort to become China’s only female emperor, using political skill, administrative reform and patronage to secure her extraordinary rule. more S01E44 The Prosperous Kaiyuan Era 2013-01-21 45m
Under Emperor Xuanzong, the Tang reaches a height of wealth, cultural achievement and international influence before complacency and court tensions threaten the flourishing empire. more S01E45 The An Lushan Rebellion 2013-01-21 45m
A frontier commander’s revolt plunges the Tang into years of war, causing immense destruction and permanently weakening central authority. more S01E46 The Predicament of the Middle and Late Tang 2013-01-21 45m
Regional military governors, eunuch influence, fiscal strain and court factionalism erode Tang power as the dynasty struggles to govern an increasingly divided empire. more S01E47 Chang'an: Metropolis of the World 2013-01-21 45m
The Tang capital is presented as a vast, cosmopolitan city where officials, merchants, diplomats, monks and travelers from across Asia meet. more S01E48 The Rise and Fall of the Tibetan Empire 2013-01-21 45m
The Tibetan Empire expands across the plateau and Central Asia, alternately fighting and negotiating with Tang China before internal conflict brings its imperial power to an end. more S01E49 Dunhuang 2013-01-21 45m
The oasis city of Dunhuang preserves the artistic and religious legacy of the Silk Road through its caves, manuscripts, murals and centuries of cultural exchange. more S01E50 The Tang Dynasty's Foreign Relations 2013-01-21 45m
Envoys, merchants, monks and armies connect the Tang with neighboring states and distant regions, making the dynasty a central power in a broad Asian world. more S01E51 Religion During the Tang Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
Buddhism, Daoism and foreign faiths flourish in Tang China, shaping art and society while also becoming entangled in debates over wealth, authority and state control. more S01E52 The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 2013-01-21 45m
Following the Tang collapse, short-lived northern dynasties and competing southern kingdoms divide China until new political and military forces prepare the way for reunification. more S01E53 Emperor Taizu of Song 2013-01-21 45m
Zhao Kuangyin founds the Song dynasty, reunifies much of China and limits military power through institutions designed to place civil government above the generals. more S01E54 The Chanyuan Treaty 2013-01-21 45m
After years of conflict, Song and Liao negotiate a landmark peace that stabilizes their frontier and creates a lasting diplomatic relationship between rival empires. more S01E55 Governing the Realm with the Scholar-Officials 2013-01-21 45m
The Song expands examinations, schools and civil administration, creating a government in which educated scholar-officials exercise unprecedented influence. more S01E56 Wang Anshi's Reforms 2013-01-21 45m
Wang Anshi introduces controversial policies to strengthen state finances, defense and rural society, dividing the Song court between reformers and their opponents. more S01E57 The Jingkang Catastrophe 2013-01-21 45m
Jurchen armies capture the Northern Song capital and its emperors, ending the dynasty’s rule in the north and forcing the court to rebuild in the south. more S01E58 War and Peace Between Song and Jin 2013-01-21 45m
The Southern Song and Jin alternate between fierce warfare and negotiated peace as each seeks security, legitimacy and control of the contested frontier. more S01E59 The Southern Song's Refuge in the Southeast 2013-01-21 45m
Driven from northern China, the Song establishes a new center in the prosperous southeast, where commerce, maritime activity and urban culture support a resilient dynasty. more S01E60 The Dreamlike Splendor of the Eastern Capital 2013-01-21 45m
The bustling life of Northern Song Kaifeng is reconstructed through markets, festivals, entertainment and urban scenes immortalized in art and literature. more S01E61 Neo-Confucianism During the Song Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
Song thinkers reinterpret Confucian tradition through new discussions of morality, human nature and the cosmos, culminating in a philosophy that reshapes education and government. more S01E62 Song Dynasty Culture 2013-01-21 45m
Printing, scholarship, painting, literature, science and urban life illustrate the extraordinary cultural creativity of the Song era. more S01E63 The Rise of Khitan 2013-01-21 45m
The Khitan peoples unite under Abaoji, found the Liao dynasty and build an empire that combines steppe traditions with institutions suited to ruling agricultural lands. more S01E64 The Founding of Western Liao 2013-01-21 45m
After the fall of the Liao in the east, Yelü Dashi leads Khitan followers westward and establishes a powerful new state in Central Asia. more S01E65 Wanyan Aguda 2013-01-21 45m
The Jurchen leader Wanyan Aguda unites his people, rebels against Liao domination and founds the Jin dynasty, transforming the balance of power in northern China. more S01E66 The Rise and Fall of the Jin Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
The Jin conquers the Liao and Northern Song, rules a vast multiethnic realm and then faces internal strain and the devastating advance of the Mongols. more S01E67 Liao and Jin Culture 2013-01-21 45m
The cultural achievements of the Khitan Liao and Jurchen Jin reveal societies that blended their own traditions with the institutions, religions and arts of neighboring peoples. more S01E68 The Rise and Fall of Western Xia 2013-01-21 45m
The Tangut state builds a distinctive empire along the northwestern frontier, develops its own script and culture, and survives between powerful neighbors until the Mongol conquest. more S01E69 The Rise of the Mongols 2013-01-21 45m
Temüjin unites the Mongol tribes as Genghis Khan and creates a military empire whose campaigns transform Eurasia and threaten every state in northern China. more S01E70 Kublai Khan 2013-01-21 45m
Kublai Khan completes the conquest of the Southern Song, establishes the Yuan dynasty and governs China as ruler of a vast, multiethnic Mongol empire. more S01E71 Imperial Progresses Between the Two Capitals 2013-01-21 45m
The Yuan court moves seasonally between Dadu and Shangdu, reflecting the dynasty’s effort to balance steppe traditions with the administration of China. more S01E72 Phagpa, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan 2013-01-21 45m
The Tibetan lama Phagpa becomes an influential adviser to Kublai Khan, shaping Yuan religious policy and creating a new script intended for the empire. more S01E73 The Maritime Silk Road 2013-01-21 45m
Ports, ships and merchant communities link Yuan China to Southeast Asia, India and the wider Indian Ocean through a flourishing network of maritime trade. more S01E74 Marco Polo and China 2013-01-21 45m
The celebrated traveler’s account provides a window into Yuan China while raising enduring questions about observation, memory and the transmission of knowledge between East and West. more S01E75 Emperor Shun of Yuan 2013-01-21 45m
The last Yuan emperor confronts factional conflict, natural disasters, fiscal crisis and widespread rebellion as Mongol rule in China collapses. more S01E76 Zhu Yuanzhang, Founder of the Ming Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
From impoverished beginnings and rebellion against the Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang rises to found the Ming dynasty and creates an intensely centralized imperial state. more S01E77 The Yongle Emperor Moves the Capital 2013-01-21 45m
The Yongle Emperor transfers the Ming capital to Beijing, constructs the Forbidden City and reshapes the political and strategic center of the empire. more S01E78 Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Oceans 2013-01-21 45m
The Ming court dispatches Zheng He’s enormous fleets across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, projecting imperial prestige through diplomacy, trade and maritime power. more S01E79 The Grand Secretariat System 2013-01-21 45m
The Ming grand secretariat evolves into a powerful coordinating institution, helping emperors manage the bureaucracy despite the dynasty’s formal rejection of the chancellorship. more S01E80 The Tumu Crisis 2013-01-21 45m
A disastrous campaign against the Oirats ends with the capture of the Ming emperor, creating a succession crisis and exposing serious weaknesses in court and military leadership. more S01E81 Wang Yangming's Philosophy of Mind 2013-01-21 45m
The philosopher Wang Yangming teaches that moral knowledge is rooted within the mind and must be united with action, challenging established interpretations of Neo-Confucian learning. more S01E82 Maritime Frontiers and Foreign Trade 2013-01-21 45m
S01E83 Zhang Juzheng's Reforms 2013-01-21 45m
The grand secretary Zhang Juzheng strengthens finances, administration and imperial authority through ambitious reforms, but his program faces reversal after his death. more S01E84 The Jesuits Come to China 2013-01-21 45m
Jesuit missionaries enter late Ming China and build relationships through astronomy, mathematics, cartography and scholarship, opening a complex new era of cultural exchange. more S01E85 The Market Towns of Jiangnan 2013-01-21 45m
Commercial towns, specialized crafts and regional markets transform the prosperous Jiangnan region into one of the most dynamic centers of the late imperial economy. more S01E86 Silver Capital 2013-01-21 45m
The influx and circulation of silver reshape taxation, trade and everyday life in Ming China, tying the empire more closely to emerging global economic networks. more S01E87 The Chongzhen Emperor 2013-01-21 45m
The final Ming emperor struggles against rebellion, fiscal collapse, factional conflict and external threats as the dynasty moves toward catastrophe. more S01E88 Entering and Ruling the Central Plains 2013-01-21 45m
The Manchus cross the Great Wall, seize Beijing and begin the difficult process of conquering and governing China under the new Qing dynasty. more S01E89 The Consolidation of the Qing Dynasty 2013-01-21 45m
Early Qing rulers suppress resistance, rebuild administration and adapt imperial institutions in order to secure their authority over a vast and diverse realm. more S01E90 The Recovery of Taiwan 2013-01-21 45m
The Qing defeats the Zheng regime in Taiwan and incorporates the island into the empire, reshaping maritime defense and cross-strait administration. more S01E91 The Great Enterprise of Unification 2013-01-21 45m
Through warfare, diplomacy and frontier administration, the Qing expands and consolidates a multiethnic empire across Inner Asia and the Chinese heartland. more S01E92 The Grand Council 2013-01-21 45m
Created to handle urgent military affairs, the Grand Council develops into the Qing emperor’s most efficient instrument for confidential decision-making and centralized rule. more S01E93 Incorporating the Poll Tax into the Land Tax 2013-01-21 45m
A major Qing fiscal reform merges head taxes with land taxes, simplifying collection and altering the relationship between population, property and state revenue. more S01E94 Civil Government and the Literary Inquisitions 2013-01-21 45m
The Qing sponsors scholarship and cultural projects while also prosecuting writings considered politically dangerous, revealing the close connection between learning and imperial control. more S01E95 Reluctant Self-Strengthening 2013-01-21 45m
After military defeats, Qing officials adopt Western weapons, industry and technical knowledge while attempting to preserve the dynasty’s traditional political and cultural foundations. more S01E96 The Opium War 2013-01-21 45m
Commercial conflict, opium smuggling and diplomatic confrontation lead to war with Britain, exposing Qing military weakness and beginning a new era of unequal foreign pressure. more S01E97 The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom 2013-01-21 45m
A vast religious rebellion establishes the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and wages a devastating civil war that transforms Qing politics, society and regional military power. more S01E98 The First Sino-Japanse War 2013-01-21 45m
Conflict over Korea ends in a decisive Japanese victory, revealing the limits of Qing reform and triggering a profound crisis over China’s future. more S01E99 Reform and Revolution 2013-01-21 45m
Intellectuals, officials and activists pursue constitutional reform, modernization and revolution as the Qing struggles to respond to domestic crisis and foreign pressure. more S01E100 The End of Imperial Rule 2013-01-21 45m
Revolution spreads across China, forcing the abdication of the last Qing emperor in 1912 and bringing more than two thousand years of imperial government to an end. more 
