Major Periods in Chinese History
| Dynasty or Period | Dates | Developments in Religion | |
| Shang (Yin) | 16th-11th c. BCE | Court ritual: divination and sacrifice | |
| Western Zhou | 11th-8th c. BCE | Mandate of Heaven; beginnings of Five Classics | |
| Eastern Zhou | 8th-3rd c. BCE | ||
| "Spring & Autumn" | 722-481 BCE | Confucius (551-479) | |
| "Warring States" | 480-221 BCE | Mencius, Xunzi (Classical Confucianism) "Laozi," Zhuangzi ( Classical Daoism) |
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| Qin | 221-206 BCE | Qin Shi Huangdi (First Emperor) supports Legalism; Burning of the Books | |
| Former Han | 206 BCE - 9 CE | Confucianism becomes state orthodoxy | |
| Xin | 9 - 23 CE | Wang Mang, the "usurper" | |
| Latter Han | 23-220 CE | Beginnings of Daoist religion; Buddhism enters China |
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| "Six Dynasties" (disunion; also known as Wei-Jin and Northern & Southern dynasties) |
220-589 | Daoism and Buddhism flourish; Confucianism declines |
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| Sui | 589-618 | Beginning of new schools of Buddhism: Pure Land, Tiantai, Huayan, and Chan |
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| Tang | 618-907 | 845: suppression of Buddhism | |
| Five Dynasties (disunion) | 907-960 | ||
| Song | 960-1279 | Confucian revival (Neo-Confucianism); Pure Land and Chan Buddhism flourish |
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| Yuan (Mongol) | 1279-1368 | Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism becomes basis of civil service examinations | |
| Ming | 1368-1644 | Wang Yangming's Neo-Confucianism | |
| Qing (Manchu) | 1644-1911 | Critical study of ancient texts; Western learning | |
| Republic of China (ROC) | 1911- | Confucian bureaucratic & educational systems dropped; traditional religions maintained |
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| People's Republic of China (PRC) (ROC moves to Taiwan) |
1949- |
Under Mao Zedong (d. 1976): |
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