Glossary · East Asia
Every East Asian territory on the map
China's dynasties, the steppe khaganates, Korea and Japan.
- Entries
- 129
- Span
- AD 1 – today
- Eras
- 6
What this region covers
China's imperial dynasties and the states that broke them up, the steppe khaganates of the Xiongnu, Turks, Uyghurs and Mongols, the Three Kingdoms of Korea, the shogunates of Japan and the island kingdoms of Okinawa and Jeju — from Byeonhan to the states on the map today.
Nothing matches that.
Confederacies, Han and the steppe
AD 1 – 300 18 entries- AD 1–566 Byeonhan confederacy Samhan confederacy of about twelve statelets in the Nakdong River basin, famed for iron production and trade with Wa and Lelang.
- AD 1–153 Dong-okjeo Small tribal state on the northeastern Korean coast, a Goguryeo tributary supplying salt, fish, and cloth.
- AD 1–391 Dongye Chiefdom on the east-central Korean coast known for its Mucheon harvest festival and strict, penalty-enforced village boundaries.
- 37 BCE – 668 CE Goguryeo Largest of Korea's Three Kingdoms, founded by Jumong, famed for repelling massive Sui invasions before falling to Tang and Silla.
- AD 1–5, 30–237 Han Dynasty Chinese Han imperial presence in northeast Korea through the Four Commanderies, chiefly Lelang, until Goguryeo expelled it.
- AD 1–377 Jinhan confederacy Samhan confederacy of about twelve statelets near Gyeongju whose leading polity, Saro, grew into the kingdom of Silla.
- AD 1–346 Mahan confederacy Largest Samhan confederacy, with some fifty-four statelets in the southwest, absorbed by its rising member state Baekje.
- AD 1–153 Xiongnu Nomadic steppe confederation of Mongolia unified by Modu Chanyu, who forced Han China into tribute until Emperor Wu struck back.
- 9–23 CE Xin Dynasty Short-lived Chinese state founded when the Han regent Wang Mang usurped the throne and enacted failed land and currency reforms.
- AD 51–105 Southern Xiongnu Xiongnu branch that submitted to the Eastern Han and settled the northern frontier as border guards, gradually sinicizing.
- AD 60–237 Xianbei Proto-Mongolic steppe people descended from the Donghu whose clans later founded states including the Tuoba Northern Wei.
- 155–220 CE Cao Cao Warlord who unified northern China under the late Han, won at Guandu but lost at Red Cliffs, sealing the Three Kingdoms split.
- 229–280 Eastern Wu Three Kingdoms state on the lower Yangtze founded by Sun Quan, the longest-lasting of the three before falling to the Western Jin.
- 220–266 Cao Wei Northern Three Kingdoms state founded by Cao Pi after deposing the Han, strongest of the three until the Sima clan took power.
- 221–263 Shu Han Three Kingdoms state in Sichuan founded by Liu Bei, whose chancellor Zhuge Liang led campaigns against Wei before its conquest.
- AD 263–681, 936–1278 Tamna Island kingdom of Jeju founded in legend by three demigods, ruled by rival clans and trading widely before Joseon absorbed it.
- 266–420 Western Jin Chinese dynasty that briefly reunified the land after Cao Wei's fall before princely warfare and Xiongnu invasions destroyed it.
- c. 284/313–663/670 Tuyuhun Xianbei-led kingdom on the Qinghai plateau controlling Silk Road routes, eventually destroyed by the Tibetan Empire.
The Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern dynasties
300 – 580 31 entries- 304–347 Cheng Han Sichuan state founded by the Ba-Di leader Li Xiong amid famine migrations, one of the first Sixteen Kingdoms before its conquest.
- 304–329 Former Zhao Xiongnu-founded state whose sack of Luoyang and Chang'an destroyed the Western Jin, later renamed Zhao before its own fall.
- 320–376 Former Liang Han-Chinese refuge state in the Hexi Corridor under the Zhang family, prospering on Silk Road trade until conquered by Former Qin.
- 337–370 Former Yan Xianbei Murong state dominating northeast China and the North China Plain until conquered by the Former Qin under Fu Jiān.
- 18 BCE – 660 CE Baekje One of Korea's Three Kingdoms, founded by Onjo, that transmitted Buddhism to Japan before falling to a Tang-Silla invasion.
- 351–394 Former Qin State that briefly unified northern China under Fu Jiān before defeat at the Fei River shattered it into rival successor states.
- 57 BCE – 935 CE Silla Kingdom that grew from a Jinhan statelet into one of Korea's Three Kingdoms, later uniting most of the peninsula with Tang's help.
- 386/389–403 Later Liang Hexi Corridor state founded by the Former Qin general Lü Guang after Western Regions campaigns, riven by revolts before surrender.
- 384–417 Later Qin State founded by the Qiang leader Yao Chang, a major patron of Buddhism under Yao Xing before Eastern Jin forces destroyed it.
- 384–409 Later Yan Xianbei Murong state restored after the Fei River defeat, later shattered by the rising Tuoba Northern Wei in the northeast.
- 386–535 Northern Wei Tuoba Xianbei dynasty that reunified northern China, enacted sweeping sinicization, then split into eastern and western halves.
- 385–400, 409–431 Western Qin Small Xianbei Qifu state in the Longxi region, twice extinguished and restored before the Xia finally destroyed it.
- 384–394 Western Yan Unstable Xianbei Murong state marked by seven rulers dying violently in a decade before Later Yan conquered it.
- 397–439 Northern Liang Hexi state ruled by the Xiongnu Juqu clan, a Buddhist center whose fall to the Northern Wei ended the Sixteen Kingdoms.
- 397–414 Southern Liang Short-lived Xianbei Tufa state in eastern Qinghai and Gansu before it fell to the Western Qin in the early fifth century.
- 330–555 Rouran Khaganate Nomadic confederation dominating the Mongolian steppe whose ruler first used the title khagan, until vassal Turks destroyed it.
- 398–410 Southern Yan Remnant Murong state on the Shandong peninsula founded by a Later Yan prince, conquered by the Eastern Jin general Liu Yu.
- 400–421 Western Liang Han-Chinese learning center at Dunhuang founded by Li Gao, later claimed as an ancestor of the Tang imperial house.
- 407–436 Northern Yan Successor state to Later Yan in the northeast, effectively ruled by the Han Chinese Feng clan before falling to the Northern Wei.
- 407–431 Xia Fiercely militaristic Xiongnu Tiefu state built around the fortress of Tongwancheng, briefly seizing Chang'an before its defeat.
- 420–479 Liu Song First and largest of the Southern Dynasties, founded by the general Liu Yu, reaching a cultural peak under Emperor Wen.
- 479–502 Southern Qi Shortest of the Southern Dynasties, plagued by paranoid rulers who massacred the imperial clan before a kinsman overthrew it.
- 502–557 Liang Dynasty Cultural golden age under the devoutly Buddhist Emperor Wu, ended by the devastating Hou Jing rebellion that ravaged its capital.
- 534–550 Eastern Wei Eastern successor of the divided Northern Wei, a puppet regime under the strongman Gao Huan before his son founded Northern Qi.
- 535–557 Western Wei Western successor of Northern Wei dominated by the general Yuwen Tai, whose militia reforms underpinned later Sui-Tang power.
- c. 538–710 Asuka Japan Era of Yamato Japan that adopted Buddhism, Chinese writing, and continental statecraft under the reforms of Prince Shōtoku.
- 550–577 Northern Qi Militarily strong but notoriously unstable dynasty founded by Gao Yang from Eastern Wei, conquered by its rival Northern Zhou.
- AD 555–762, 793–1219 Yenisei Kyrgyz Turkic people of southern Siberia who sacked the Uyghur capital and scattered the Uyghurs, though never building a lasting empire.
- 557–589 Chen Dynasty Last and weakest of the Southern Dynasties, founded by Chen Baxian, conquered by the Sui in China's eventual reunification.
- 555–587 Later Western Liang Rump puppet state of the Liang dynasty ruling from Jiangling under Western Wei backing, abolished when the Sui absorbed its lands.
- 557–581 Northern Zhou Dynasty founded by the Yuwen clan that reunified northern China before a regent seized power to found the Sui dynasty.
Sui, Tang and the khaganates
580 – 900 13 entries- AD 587–632 Eastern Göktürk Khaganate Successor of the First Turkic Khaganate on the Mongolian steppe, crushed by Tang generals and reduced to vassalage under Taizong.
- 581–618 Sui Dynasty Dynasty founded by Emperor Wen that reunified China and built the Grand Canal, undone by failed invasions of Goguryeo.
- AD 623–625 Gao Kaidao Rebel salt-boiler turned warlord who founded a short-lived state of Yan in northern Hebei during the Sui-Tang transition.
- 618–907 Tang Dynasty Golden age Chinese dynasty ruling from cosmopolitan Chang'an, shaken by the An Lushan Rebellion before a warlord ended it.
- 668–935 Unified Silla Korean kingdom formed when Silla defeated Baekje and Goguryeo and expelled Tang forces, ushering a golden age of Buddhist art.
- 699–766 Türgesh Khaganate Turkic On Oq confederation in the Ili valley whose khan Suluk resisted Umayyad expansion into Transoxiana for a decade.
- 698–926 Balhae Successor state to Goguryeo in Manchuria and northern Korea founded by Dae Joyeong, destroyed by the Khitan Liao.
- 710–794 Nara Japan Era of Japan's first permanent Chinese-style capital at Nara, when its great chronicles and Buddhist temples were built.
- 738–902 Nanzhao Yunnan kingdom founded by Piluoge that defeated Tang armies and sacked Chengdu before collapsing into short-lived states.
- 744–840 Uyghur Khaganate Steppe power and crucial Tang ally that helped suppress the An Lushan Rebellion, destroyed by the Yenisei Kyrgyz in 840.
- 794–1185 Heian Japan Classical age of Japanese court culture dominated by Fujiwara regents, ended when the Genpei War inaugurated warrior rule.
- 894–1036 Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom Turkic Uyghur state in the Hexi Corridor sharing the region with Dunhuang, eventually conquered by the Tangut Western Xia.
- 892/900–936 Hubaekje Later Baekje state founded by the rebel general Gyeon Hwon, undone by a succession dispute before Goryeo's conquest in 936.
Fragmentation, Song and the conquest dynasties
900 – 1368 36 entries- 907–925 Former Shu Prosperous Sichuan state of the Ten Kingdoms founded by Wang Jian, a refuge for poets and painters until Later Tang conquest.
- 936–947 Later Jin Third of the Five Dynasties, founded with Khitan Liao aid at the cost of ceding the strategic Sixteen Prefectures for centuries.
- 907–923 Later Liang Dynasty First of the Five Dynasties, founded by the warlord Zhu Wen who ended the Tang, destroyed by the rival Shatuo Jin.
- 916–1125 Liao Dynasty Conquest dynasty founded by the Khitan leader Abaoji, ruling Mongolia, Manchuria, and northern China under dual administration.
- 909–945 Min One of the Ten Kingdoms in Fujian founded by Wang Shenzhi, a maritime trading and tea-growing state torn by fratricidal strife.
- 901/907–924 Qi Kingdom Principality of the Five Dynasties period ruled solely by the late-Tang warlord Li Maozhen from his stronghold at Fengxiang.
- 927–951 Southern Chu One of the Ten Kingdoms in Hunan founded by Ma Yin, prospering on the tea trade until succession disputes led to its annexation.
- 902/907–937 Southern Wu One of the Ten Kingdoms on the lower Yangtze founded by Yang Xingmi, whose regent's son usurped it to found the Southern Tang.
- 901–918 Taebong State of the monk-turned-warlord Gung Ye during Korea's Later Three Kingdoms, ended when his generals staged a coup against him.
- 907–978 Wuyue Prosperous Ten Kingdoms state in Zhejiang founded by Qian Liu, built on seawalls and Buddhism, then peacefully surrendered.
- 911–913 Yan Kingdom Short-lived state around modern Beijing proclaimed by the cruel warlord Liu Shouguang before the Shatuo Jin destroyed it.
- c. 907–923 Former Jin Shatuo Turk power based at Taiyuan under Li Keyong and his son Li Cunxu, the principal rivals of the Later Liang dynasty.
- 918–1392 Goryeo Korean kingdom founded by Wang Geon that reunified the Later Three Kingdoms and gave the country its Western name.
- 924–963 Jingnan Smallest of the Ten Kingdoms, founded by Gao Jixing on the middle Yangtze, surviving as a tribute-paying buffer until annexed.
- 923–937 Later Tang Second of the Five Dynasties, founded by the Shatuo Turk Li Cunxu, who destroyed the Later Liang and conquered Former Shu.
- 934–965 Later Shu One of the Ten Kingdoms in Sichuan founded by Meng Zhixiang, a prosperous cultural haven producing early printed books and poetry.
- 937–1253 Kingdom of Dali Yunnan kingdom founded by the Bai noble Duan Siping as heir to Nanzhao, on the Tea-Horse Road, later conquered by the Mongols.
- 947–951 Later Han Fourth and shortest of the Five Dynasties, founded by the Shatuo Turk Liu Zhiyuan, marked by harsh rule before its overthrow.
- 951–960 Later Zhou Last of the Five Dynasties, founded by Guo Wei, whose reforming successor Chai Rong laid the groundwork for reunification.
- 951–979 Northern Han One of the Ten Kingdoms, the Shatuo remnant of the Later Han in Shanxi and a Liao client, the last holdout against reunification.
- 937–976 Southern Tang Largest and most culturally brilliant of the Ten Kingdoms, founded from Southern Wu, whose poet-ruler was conquered by the Song.
- 960–1127 Northern Song Dynasty founded by Zhao Kuangyin that reunified China proper and led a commercial revolution before falling to the Jurchen Jin.
- 1038–1227 Western Xia Tangut Empire founded by Li Yuanhao in the northwest, controlling Silk Road trade and creating its own script before its conquest.
- 1127–1279 Southern Song Continuation of the Song after the north was lost, an economic and cultural powerhouse that resisted the Mongols for decades.
- c. 1087–1189 Northern Fujiwara Warrior-noble family ruling northern Japan from Hiraizumi, wealthy from gold mining, until destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo.
- 1115–1234 Great Jin Jurchen conquest dynasty founded by Aguda that destroyed the Liao and the Northern Song before the Mongols destroyed it in turn.
- 1124–1218 Qara Khitai Central Asian state founded by the fleeing Liao prince Yelu Dashi, ruling a tolerant Muslim realm until usurped and conquered.
- 1185/1192–1333 Kamakura Shogunate Japan's first warrior government, founded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, later ruled by Hōjō regents who repelled two Mongol invasions.
- 1187–1259/1260 Shunten Dynasty Legendary first ruling line of Chūzan on Okinawa, founded by Shunten and claimed to descend from an exiled Japanese samurai.
- 1206–c. 1368 Mongol Empire Largest contiguous land empire in history, founded by Genghis Khan, spanning Korea to Europe before fragmenting into khanates.
- 1271–1368 Yuan Dynasty Chinese dynasty founded by Kublai Khan that conquered the Southern Song and ruled under a Mongol elite until Red Turban revolts.
- c. 1314–1429 Chüzan Central and most powerful of Okinawa's three Sanzan kingdoms, whose king Shō Hashi conquered the other two to unify Okinawa.
- c. 1314–1416 Hokuzan Northern Sanzan kingdom of Okinawa centered on Nakijin Castle, ruled by petty lords who sent tribute missions to Ming China.
- c. 1314–1429 Nanzan Southern Sanzan kingdom of Okinawa based at Ōzato Castle, riven by succession disputes before Chūzan conquered it.
- 1333–1336 Kenmu Restoration Emperor Go-Daigo's attempt to restore direct imperial rule after the Kamakura shogunate's fall, undone by warrior discontent.
- 1336/1338–1573 Ashikaga Shogunate Muromachi shogunate founded by Ashikaga Takauji, presiding over a flowering of Zen culture before eroding into the Sengoku period.
Ming, Joseon, Ryukyu and the later steppe
1368 – 1800 13 entries- 1368–1644 Ming Dynasty Dynasty founded by the peasant rebel Zhu Yuanzhang that restored Han rule, built the Forbidden City, and sent Zheng He to sea.
- 1368–1635 Northern Yuan Mongol regime continuing after expulsion from China, whose khans threatened the Ming until surrendering their seal to the Manchus.
- 1392–1897 Joseon Long-lived Korean dynasty founded by Yi Seong-gye, whose ruler Sejong the Great promulgated the Hangul alphabet.
- 1429–1879 Ryukyu Kingdom Maritime trading state unifying Okinawa under Shō Hashi, an entrepôt linking China, Japan, and Korea before Satsuma's invasion.
- 1468–1635 Mongol Khanate Post-Yuan Mongol khanates of the steppe uniting the Eastern Mongols and western Oirats before falling under Qing suzerainty.
- c. 1467–1600/1615 Warring States Japan Sengoku era of near-constant civil war among daimyō warlords, ended when three unifiers reforged Japan under the Tokugawa.
- c. 1500–1571 Maynila Fortified Tagalog-Muslim trading polity at the Pasig River's mouth, a Bruneian satellite later burned by attacking Spanish forces.
- 1642–1717 Khoshut Khanate Oirat Mongol khanate on the Tibetan Plateau founded by Güshi Khan, who made himself patron-protector of the fifth Dalai Lama.
- 1603–1868 Tokugawa Shogunate Edo shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, bringing centuries of peace through strict seclusion before Perry forced it open.
- 1616–1636 Later Jin Jurchen state founded by Nurhaci, who unified the tribes and created the Eight Banners, renamed Qing by his son Hong Taiji.
- 1644–1645 Li Zicheng Shun dynasty proclaimed by the rebel leader Li Zicheng, whose capture of Beijing ended the Ming before Manchu forces crushed him.
- 1636/1644–1912 Qing Dynasty China's last imperial dynasty, founded by the Manchus, which doubled its territory before falling to the Xinhai Revolution.
- 1644–1662 Southern Ming Series of Ming loyalist regimes resisting the Qing from shifting southern capitals until the last claimant was captured in Burma.
Empire, war and the modern states
1800 – today 18 entries- 1851–1864 Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Massive Christian-utopian rebel state in southern China led by Hong Xiuquan, one of history's deadliest civil wars.
- 1856–1873 Panthay Rebellion Hui-led multi-ethnic uprising against Qing rule in Yunnan led by Du Wenxiu, who ruled from Dali until its fall and his execution.
- 1868–1947 Empire of Japan Modern Japanese state from the Meiji Restoration that became Asia's first industrial power before its wartime defeat.
- 1897–1910 Korean Empire State proclaimed by King Gojong to assert Korea's full sovereignty through the Gwangmu Reforms, ended by Japan's annexation.
- 1911–1919, 1921–1924 Great Mongol State Theocratic Bogd Khanate declared after the Qing's collapse, ruled by the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu as Bogd Khan until his death.
- 1912–1915, 1930–2024 Republic of China State founded after the Xinhai Revolution, treated here in its Taiwan form under the relocated Kuomintang government.
- 1915–1916 Empire of China Abortive monarchy of Yuan Shikai, who declared himself emperor and was forced to renounce it after eighty-three days of revolt.
- 1927–1937 Nationalist China Kuomintang-led Republic of China on the mainland during the Nanjing Decade, modernizing amid warlords and Japanese aggression.
- 1921–1923 Provisional Priamurye Government Last White Russian enclave in the Far East, seated at Vladivostok after a coup, ended when the Red Army took the city.
- 1924–1992 Mongolian People's Republic World's second communist state, a Soviet satellite under Choibalsan that endured Stalinist purges before a democratic revolution.
- 1928–1931 Chinese Communists Communist Party bases built after breaking from the Kuomintang, which survived the Long March and later won China's civil war.
- 1930–1931 Anti-Kuomintang Coalition Alliance of regional warlords who fought Chiang Kai-shek's government in the Central Plains War, largest of the warlord conflicts.
- 1931–1937 Chinese Communist areas Chinese Soviet Republic proclaimed by Mao Zedong and Zhu De at Ruijin, forced out by encirclement to start the Long March.
- 1948–2024 North Korea State founded under Kim Il-sung with Soviet backing after Korea's division, a nuclear-armed state under dynastic Kim rule.
- 1948–2024 South Korea State founded under Syngman Rhee south of the 38th parallel, which endured authoritarian rule before rapid industrialization.
- 1950–2024 People's Republic of China State proclaimed by Mao Zedong after the Communist victory, transformed by Deng Xiaoping's reforms into a market economic power.
- 1953–2024 Japan Postwar parliamentary democracy under a pacifist constitution that achieved an economic miracle and remains a major global power.
- 1992–2024 Mongolia Multiparty democracy since its peaceful revolution, moving from communist rule to a market economy based on mining and herding.
Common questions
- How many East Asian states are in this glossary?
- 129 — every East Asian territory the atlas draws, from Byeonhan confederacy (AD 1–566) to the states on the map today. Each entry lists its dates, its peak extent and the sources it was written from.
- Which is the oldest East Asian state on the map?
- Byeonhan confederacy, AD 1–566 — the first territory the atlas draws in East Asia. The most recent to appear is Mongolia (1992–2024).
- Which East Asian state covered the most ground?
- Of the territories mapped here, the Mongol Empire reached the largest area — about 30.5M km² at its peak, as drawn by the border data.