Editing Timeline of Chinese history (section)

== 3rd century BC ==
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
! style="width:6%" | Year || style="width:10%" | Date || Event
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | 300 <small>BC</small> || || ''[[Erya]]'' was published.
|-
| || The [[Guodian Chu Slips]] were produced.
|-
| [[293 BC|293 <small>BC</small>]] || || ''[[Battle of Yique]]'': [[Qin (state)|Qin]] dealt a bloody defeat to a [[Wei (state)|Wei]]-[[Han (Warring States)|Han]] alliance.
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | [[278 BC|278 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Qin (state)|Qin]] conquered the [[Chu (state)|Chu]] capital [[Ying (Chu)|Ying.]]
|-
| || The [[Chu (state)|Chu]] poet [[Qu Yuan]] wrote ''[[Lament for Ying]]'' and drowned himself in the [[Miluo River]] because he could not bear his exile any long or to his despair for the state of his fellow countrymen
|-
| [[262 BC|262 <small>BC</small>]] || April || ''[[Battle of Changping]]'': [[Zhao (state)|Zhao]] intercepted a [[Qin (state)|Qin]] invasion of the [[commandery (China)|commandery]] of [[Shangdang]] .
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | 260 <small>BC</small> || July || ''Battle of Changping'': [[Qin (state)|Qin]] forces encircled the [[Zhao (state)|Zhao]] army, forcing its surrender.  The Zhao general [[Zhao Kuo]] was killed in action.
|-
| July || ''Battle of Changping'': The captured [[Zhao (state)|Zhao]] soldiers were executed.
|-
|259 BC
|18 February
|[[Qin Shi Huang]] is Born.
|-
| rowspan="3" valign="top" | [[256 BC|256 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[King Nan of Zhou|Nan]] submitted to [[King Zhaoxiang of Qin|Zhaoxiang]] and took the title [[Duke]] of West Zhou.
|-
| || [[King Nan of Zhou|Nan]] died.  His territory was annexed by [[Qin (state)|Qin]].
|-
| || The [[Dujiangyan irrigation system]] was built.
|-
| [[251 BC|251 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[King Zhaoxiang of Qin|Zhaoxiang]] died.
|-
| rowspan="3" valign="top" | 250 <small>BC</small> || || The first drawings of the repeating crossbow appeared in [[Chu (state)|Chu]] records.
|-
| 13 September || [[King Zhaoxiang of Qin|Zhaoxiang's]] son [[King Xiaowen of Qin]] became [[Chinese sovereign|king]] of [[Qin (state)|Qin]].
|-
| 15 September || [[King Xiaowen of Qin|Xiaowen]] died.  He was succeeded by his son [[King Zhuangxiang of Qin]].
|-
| [[247 BC|247 <small>BC</small>]] || 7 May || [[King Zhuangxiang of Qin|Zhuangxiang]] died.  He was succeeded by his son [[Qin Shi Huang]].
|-
| [[246 BC|246 <small>BC</small>]] || || The [[Zhengguo Canal]] was completed by [[Zheng Guo]] of [[Qin (state)|Qin]].
|-
| 230 <small>BC</small> || || ''[[Qin's wars of unification]]'': [[Qin (state)|Qin]] invaded [[Han (Warring States)|Han]].
|-
| [[227 BC|227 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Jing Ke]] failed in an assassination attempt on [[Qin Shi Huang]].
|-
| [[225 BC|225 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Qin (state)|Qin]] conquered [[Wei (state)|Wei]].
|-
| [[223 BC|223 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Qin (state)|Qin]] conquered [[Chu (state)|Chu]].
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | [[222 BC|222 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Qin (state)|Qin]] conquered [[Yan (state)|Yan]].
|-
| || [[Qin (state)|Qin]] conquered [[Zhao (state)|Zhao]].
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | [[221 BC|221 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Qin (state)|Qin]] conquered [[Qi (state)|Qi]].
|-
| || The [[Heirloom Seal of the Realm]] was carved.
|-
| rowspan="3" valign="top" | [[220 BC|220 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Qin Shi Huang]] took the title Qin Shi Huang, first [[emperor of China]].
|-
| || Construction began on the [[Great Wall of China]].
|-
| || [[Chancellor (China)|Chancellor]] [[Li Si]] standardized the Chinese writing system with the creation of [[Small Seal Script]].
|-
| [[214 BC|214 <small>BC</small>]] || || The [[Lingqu Canal]] was built.
|-
| [[213 BC|213 <small>BC</small>]] || || ''[[Burning of books and burying of scholars]]'': All copies of the ''[[Classic of Poetry]]'', the ''[[Book of Documents]]'' and works of the [[Hundred Schools of Thought]] were ordered burned.
|-
| rowspan="3" valign="top" | 210 <small>BC</small> || 10 September || [[Qin Shi Huang]] died from mercury pills made by his alchemists and court physicians; ironically these pills were meant to make Qin Shi Huang immortal.
|-
| || [[Qin Shi Huang]] was buried with the [[Terracotta Army]] in the [[Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor]].
|-
| October || [[Qin Shi Huang]]'s son [[Qin Er Shi]] succeeded him as [[emperor of China]].
|-
| rowspan="3" valign="top" | [[209 BC|209 <small>BC</small>]] || || The [[Xiongnu]] ''[[chanyu]]'' [[Modu Chanyu]] established the Xiongnu Empire on the [[Eurasian Steppe]].
|-
| July || ''[[Dazexiang Uprising]]'': Military officers [[Chen Sheng]] and [[Wu Guang]] began a rebellion for fear of being executed after failing to arrive at their posts.
|-
| December || ''Dazexiang Uprising'': [[Chen Sheng]] and [[Wu Guang]] were assassinated by their own men.
|-
| [[208 BC|208 <small>BC</small>]] || || [[Li Si|Li]] was executed on charges of treason.  [[Zhao Gao]], who had framed him, was appointed [[chancellor (China)|chancellor]] in his stead.
|-
| rowspan="5" valign="top" | [[207 BC|207 <small>BC</small>]] || || ''[[Battle of Julu]]'': [[Chu (state)|Chu]] forces led by the warlord [[Xiang Yu]] defeated a numerically superior [[Qin dynasty|Qin]] force, killing a large fraction of the Qin army.
|-
| October || [[Zhao Gao]] had [[Qin Er Shi]] killed.  Qin Er Shi's nephew [[Ziying]] succeeded him.
|-
| || The [[Chu (state)|Chu]] general [[Emperor Gaozu of Han]] entered the [[Qin dynasty|Qin]] capital [[Xianyang]].
|-
| December || [[Ziying]] killed [[Zhao Gao|Zhao]].
|-
| December || [[Ziying]] surrendered to [[Emperor Gaozu of Han|Gaozu]].
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | [[206 BC|206 <small>BC</small>]] || || ''[[Feast at Hong Gate]]'': [[Emperor Gaozu of Han|Gaozu]] fled a banquet after it became clear that [[Xiang Yu|Xiang]] had invited him there to be killed.
|-
| || [[Xiang Yu|Xiang]] led an army into [[Xianyang]], burned the [[Epang Palace]] and killed [[Ziying]] and the royal family.
|-
| [[205 BC|205 <small>BC</small>]] || || ''[[Battle of Jingxing]]'': [[Han dynasty|Han]] forces dealt a decisive defeat to a numerically superior [[Kingdom of Zhao|Zhao]] army at [[Jingxing Pass]].
|-
| [[204 BC|204 <small>BC</small>]] || || The [[Qin dynasty|Qin]] general [[Zhao Tuo]] established the state of [[Nanyue]].
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | [[202 BC|202 <small>BC</small>]] || || ''[[Battle of Gaixia]]'': [[Emperor Gaozu of Han|Gaozu's]] [[Han dynasty|Han]] forces destroyed the [[Western Chu]] army led by [[Xiang Yu|Xiang]] in modern [[Suzhou, Anhui|Suzhou]].
|-
| || [[Emperor Gaozu of Han|Gaozu]] took the title [[emperor of China|emperor]] and established his capital in [[Luoyang]].
|}