Writing a web-based history of a country that has developed such a complex social and cultural tapestry over thousands of years is as daunting as anything that I have ever tried to do. While it is impossible to adequately cover any of the myriad facets of the Middle Kingdom in detail, we hope to introduce you to each of the major time periods covered by our collection.

To access each dynasty's story, simply click on the dynasty name on the timeline above. Each vignette will outline the basic political climate of the time as well as the development of the potter's craft during that phase of Chinese history. For a detailed list of reference resources that we believe you will find helpful, please link to the Chinese Reference Library page