I tried to be brief... but this is still a very long article for a Reddit post, lol. Here's a bit long, yet extremely simplified account of 3,500 years of Chinese history.

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Pre-historic time: There were neolithic cultures scattered throughout the modern-day China (Longshan for example) - they might have not belonged to the same ethnic group.

• From 1900 - 1500 BC, there was an early bronze age culture called Erlitou. Some argue that this is where the legendary Xia dynasty was. There's another bronze culture [1700 BC-] in nearby Sichuan.
• Overall, Chinese bronze age started about 4,000 years ago.

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[When Chinese kingdoms were small]

Shang dynasty [1600 - 1045 BC]: I wrote a separate post about Shang, if anyone's interested.

• The modern Chinese characters evolved from their Oracle bones and divination practices (pyromancy).
• They made lots of interesting bronze artifacts. The last king and his consort are known for their extravagant "pond of wine, forest of meat." The dynasty was toppled and replaced by

(Early) Zhou dynasty [1045 - 771 BC]: It was a decentralized, yet hierarchical confederation of small kingdoms, with the kingdom of Zhou on top, and its vassal states (related by blood lineages).

• Shang dynasty was a small kingdom based on the inner Yellow River basin, but Zhou's vassal states spread far and away from the Yellow River basin. The vassal states, belonging to the same ethnic or language group, were spread across the Central plain, Shandong peninsula, modern-day Beijing area, etc. So the main territory of Northern China was already occupied by this group back then.
• It had a strict social hierarchy (link) and many elaborated rituals, which was praised by Confucius later. The culture was patriarchal, and patrilinearity (continuing paternal bloodline) was considered important. The origin of son preference in China.

Spring and Autumn period [771 - 476 BC]: The "harmonious" system of Zhou collapsed, and power struggle between the small kingdoms began.

• Confucius was born during this time and he missed the Golden Ages of Zhou a lot. People were using bamboo scrolls for writing, and Confucius compiled and wrote a lot of bamboo scrolls. One of his history books is titled "Spring and Autumn" - from which the period is named.
• Confucius also traveled across the small kingdoms from East to West of Northern China. His idea ("govern people by virtue and rituals" was not popular back then, though.
• Hundred Schools of Thought flourished, because many kings and nobles hosted philosophers and scholars, and bought the ideas. The golden age of Chinese philosophy.

Warring States period [475 - 221 BC]: The many small states eventually consolidated into 7 kingdoms. Intense wars followed. Philosophers Mencius and Zhuangzi were active in this era.

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[First unified empires]

Qin dynasty [221 - 210 BC]: Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor, unifies China. He's often depicted as a terrifying tyrant. He built

• The Great Wall of China - lots of forced labor mobilized
• The Mausoleum and Terracotta Warriors - it is said that he was obsessed with achieving immortality (Taoist influence), and took mercury believing that it was medicinal. His tomb was full of mercury.
• I found a great write-up about the important legacies of Qin's institutions:
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/vjhwc9/the_rise_and_fall_of_chinas_first_empire_the_qin/

Intermittent:

• Liu Bang defeats Xiang Yu - The defeat of a Southern kingdom, Chu
  • Chu was considered exotic and tropical - full of ethnic tribes, exotic animals and plants - the poems from Chu are passed down in Songs of Chu

Han dynasty [202 BC - 220 AD]: The first long-lasting unified empire in China. The Han Chinese is named after this era. The kingdom prospered, and culture flourished. It was also the first dynasty that promoted Confucianism as the main state ideology.

• Emperor Wu of Han engaged in many conquest wars, and vastly expanded the territory of the Chinese empire. He was the one that conquered the territories of Southern China, which were predominantly inhabited by different ethnic tribes.
  • Modern day Thai people, for example, originated from the ethnic minorities who were living in the Southern provinces of China back then. (Tai-Kadai languages)
  • Southern provinces in China still speak different languages (e.g. Cantonese) influenced by the indigenous languages of non-Sinitic ethnic groups. Also, there are still many different ethnic groups in the mountainous regions of Southern China (e.g. Hmong).
• This was also the time when the Silk Road was built.
• An excellent write-up about Han:
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/w3exia/the_rise_of_confucianism_largescale_peasant/

** Jesus was born during this period

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[Cycles of Division and Unification]

Three Kingdoms period [220-280 AD]

• At the end of the Han dynasty, a peasant rebellion driven by a Taoist cult swept across the empire. Han Dynasty falls, and the three kingdom period begins.
• This period would become one of the most dramatized periods in Chinese history by a 14th-century historical saga the Romance of Three Kingdoms. Any Chinese, Korean, and Japanese person knows the basic characters in the saga.
  • The famous opening line of this saga is "The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been"
• I wrote up a very basic introduction to the Romance of Three Kingdoms. Someone made a lot more thorough summary of the saga (here).
• The Battle of Red Cliffs is the most famous battle

Jin Dynasty and Sixteen Kingdoms [280 - 439 AD]

• Jin Dynasty unifies China... but soon, non-Sinitic nomadic groups invaded Northern China and founded sixteen kingdoms. Jin would be kicked out to the South and continue to rule there.
• Buddhism was introduced via Silk Road to China around this period. Dunhuang is a famous tourist attraction

Southern and Northern dynasties [420 - 589 AD]

• Buddhism becomes even more popular

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Sui dynasty [581 - 618 AD]

• Another short-lived unified empire.
  • But they're famous because they built the Grand Canal that connects the Yellow River to Yangtze River. It is the longest canal in the world

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Tang dynasty [618 - 907 AD]

It is said that Tang was the mixture of Han Chinese and Northern nomadic groups. It was the most cosmopolitan empire in Chinese history. Muslims and Nestorian Christians had their districts in the Tang capital Xi'an (Xi'an still has a deep-rooted Muslim population)

Plump women were popular, and women engaged in sports and horseriding - they had more freedom. Buddhism and Taoism flourished. A type of elaborated figurines called Sancai (Three Shades) were popular. Tang merchants traded far and away via Silk Road

Tang poetry would define Chinese poetry - led by poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu

The Tang culture also immensely influenced the surrounding East Asian culture -- notably Korea and Japan. Through Tang, Korea and Japan adopted "Chinese writing, Buddhism, and (Chinese style) legal codes." Japan had a fledgling ancient kingdom back then, and Heian Japan's new capital Heian-kyo (modern day Kyoto) was modeled after Xi'an. Silla unified the Korean peninsula by forming an alliance with Tang.

Interestingly:

• Tang also had the first and only female emperor in Chinese history. Wu Zetian was a consort of an emperor, but she took power, reigned as a de facto ruler, and eventually founded her own dynasty and announced herself as an emperor. She killed her son in that process. What a character in many senses. Her reign was actually praised as effective and prosperous.
• The Tang dynasty was weakened by the deadly An Lushan rebellion: An was a general, and interestingly historical records suggest that he was a Caucasian (Sogdian, which was a type of Iranian). A portrait depicts him as having blue eyes

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Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period [907-979 AD]

• After Tang's fall, many kingdoms were founded by both Han Chinese and nomadic groups

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[Pendulum swing between Han Chinese vs Nomadic conquest dynasties]

Song dynasty [960-1279 AD]: perhaps the first Han Chinese empire that had a stronger nationalistic sentiment against foreign influences. An enhanced, more orthodox kind of Confucianism called Neo-Confucianism emerged. Unfortunately, the practice of foot-binding also spread during this time.

• Being frugal was considered a virtue and many nobles wore white or less decorated clothes
• Imperial civil service examination, which had emerged in Sui Dynasty first, now became established
• As an reaction to An Lushan Rebellion, the military generals and military class were despised and suppressed - scholarly virtues were praised highly

Then:

• Jurchen Jin emerges: Jurchen, a Tungusic ethnic group from far-east Siberia (Manchuria), invaded the Northern China and took the territory (They're the direct ancestors of Manchus later)
  • Yue Fei is a popular Han Chinese hero who fought against Jurchen Jin
• Song, weakened by its scholarly and anti-military policies, was pushed away into the Southern territory of China. The Southern China was still covered by tropical forests, but during this time, lots of Han Chinese farmers went Southwards and developed the Southern China into a network of irrigated rice paddies. The land was wet and very fertile. Then, gradually, the Southern China started becoming the economic center of China.
  • And many ethnic minorities would go further south, many into Southeast Asia.

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Yuan dynasty [1271-1368 AD]:

• Then Mongol came. Mongol violently devastated the Northern Jurchen Jin, but was relatively lenient to Southern Song (or, they learned how to deal with the Chinese).
• The Mongols had a vast, vast empire and their trade network was truly extensive...
• They discriminated against the Han Chinese and hired foreigners for high positions.
• These types of dynasties are collectively called as Conquest Dynasties in China. Yuan dynasty is my major blind spot, I guess

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Ming dynasty [1366 - 1644 AD]: Then, the pendulum swung again, and a Han Chinese empire reclaimed China. Famously, Hongwu Emperor, a peasant from an impoverished family in the central part of China, led an army to expel Mongols, and founded a new dynasty (Heaven's Mandate).

During Ming era, the national Han Chinese folk culture emerged that still survives in China. The Romance of Three Kingdoms and other folk literature such as the Journey to the West was written in this period. Christianity comes.

• Christian missionaries and European merchants started coming to China during this period. The Portuguese had a trading post in the Moluccas and Macau, and traded spice. Silver started flooding into China
• Famously, Zheng He, an eunuch, commanded a fleet and explored India and East Africa, but soon such expeditions were banned. Ming China took an isolationist position.
• The Ming territory was confined to the territory of ethnic Han Chinese.

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Qing dynasty [1636 - 1912 AD]: Then, the pendulum swung again, and Manchu (former Jurchen) troops came to conquer China.

• Qing was an interesting period - the imperial family, who were ethnic Manchus, used Manchu scripts as the language of court. The imperial clan was called Aisin-Gioro.
• The Qing had a vast territory, mainly through tributary relationships with five ethnic groups - Manchus, Han Chinese, Mongols, Tibetans, and Hui (Muslims). Later, this would develop into a policy called Five Races Under One Union in the 20th century. A highly political topic now.
  • Kangxi emperor is often praised for his effective reign
• The Manchu imperial family strived to maintain their ethnic identity. They had a summer palace in Manchuria, and the emperors regularly visited Manchurian cities like Mukden for summer activities and hunting
• The Qing engaged in (moderate amount of) international trades, and silver flooded into the economy. In the 17th~18th century, China was the wealthiest country in the world. Qing had an active migration policy, which encouraged (mainly Han Chinese) farmers to migrate to underdeveloped lands. During the Qing era, the population increased threefold.
• Qing's fall:
  • Opium crisis and Opium Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_opium_in_China
    • If you look at the graph in the wiki article, you would realize that the British East India Company was practically drug lords. China lost the Opium Wars with the Britain, which would prove to be a significant turning point in East Asian history
    • After watching China lose the war with the West, the Japanese reformists succeeded in a coup and in massively adopting Western institutions
  • Taiping Rebellion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion
    • A massive peasant rebellion devastated the Southern part of China, led by a Christian-influenced indigenous cult
  • Empress Dowager Cixi's reign: she took power after the fatal Opium Wars, but as a conservative, she failed to modernize China the same way Japan did
  • Boxer Rebellion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion
    • An anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising shook China again, led by a secret society/cult
  • Xinhai Revolution in 1911 ends the Qing dynasty, and 2,200 years of imperial rule in China

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[Modern History]

The rest of the stories is...

• Japan invasion in the 1930s. Nanjing Massacre.
• Chinese civil war: between the Nationalist Party and Communist Party (1920s-1940s)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Civil_War
• Long March of the Communist Party https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March
• A short alliance between the Nationalist Party and Communist Party against Japan through 1941
• The victory of the communist party in 1949
• Tibet annexation in 1951 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation_of_Tibet_by_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China
• Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) - the most devastating economic failure
  • Great Chinese famine (1959-1961) - famously, about 30-50 million people died. Numerous accounts of cannibalism were reported. Massive famine and cannibalism has actually been regularly reported in Chinese history - I saw this phrase "and they ate each other (相食)" many times in ancient Chinese history records. A map shows the strange facet of the history
• Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) - another devastating period for China's people and culture
• And after all this chaos, Chinese economic reform (opening of the economy) came in the 80s, and we know the story after that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform

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Hope someone finds this interesting!