Dynasty or Period                Dates                      Developments in Religion

Shang(Yin)                           15th-11th c. BCE      Ritual: divination and sacrifice

Western Chou                       11th-8th c. BCE       Mandate of Heaven;  beginnings of Five Classics
Eastern Chou                         8th-3rd c. BCE
    "Spring & Autumn"     722-481 BCE                 Confucius,
    "Warring States"         480-221 BCE                  Mencius, Hsün Tzu  (Classical Confucianism)
                                                                              "Lao Tzu," Chuang Tzu ( Classical Taoism)

Ch'in                                      221-206 BCE          Legalism (Li Ssu)

Former Han                           206 BCE - 9 CE      Confucianism becomes state orthodoxy
Latter Han                                 23-220 CE           Beginnings of Taoist religion; 
                                                                              Buddhism enters China

"Six Dynasties"  (disunion)      220-589                  Taoism and Buddhism flourish;
                                                                             Confucianism declines

Sui                                         589-618                  New schools of Buddhism:
                                                                              Pure Land, T'ien-t'ai, Hua-yen, and Ch'an

T'ang                                      618-907                  845:   suppression of Buddhism

Sung                                      960-1279                 Confucian revival (Neo-Confucianism);
                                                                              Pure Land and Ch'an Buddhism flourish

Yüan (Mongol)                      1279-1368                Chu Hsi's Neo-Confucianism becomes orthodox

Ming                                     1368-1644                Wang Yang-ming's Neo-Confucianism

Ch'ing (Manchu)                    1644-1911                Critical study of ancient texts; Western learning

Republic of China (ROC)       1911-                       Confucian bureaucratic & educational systems
                                                                                dropped; traditional religions maintained

People's Republic of China     1949-                       Under Mao Tse-tung (d. 1976):
     (PRC)                                                                 Confucianism discredited, temples destroyed,
(ROC moves to Taiwan)                                            atheism official doctrine.
                                                                            Since 1979: Confucianism regains some legitimacy,
                                                                               Taoism and Buddhism restored,
                                                                                popular religion tolerated.
                                                                           Taiwan: religion thrives.