Tao Chinese Cuisine

Han Dynasty (206BC to 220AD)

Known as the Golden Age of cosmopolitan culture in Chinese history. The boundaries established by the Qin and maintained by the Han have more or less defined the Chinese Nation to the present day.

Song Dynasty (960 to 1279)

Heralding an age of administrative sophistication and complex social organisation, it was the first government in history to issue banknotes or paper money.

Tang Dynasty (618 to 907)

Regarded as the greatest age for progress and stability, literature flourished as scholars and poets gained prominence. With its vast army and mercantile network, it dominated lucrative trade routes along the Silk Road.

Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368)

Established by Mongolian Kublai Khan as he conquered the lands to the south, it was the first foreign dynasty to rule China. He promoted trade with the West, and is known to have entertained the Venetian trader Marco Polo at his court.

Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644)

A dynasty of exploration and development, as the emperor declared Beijing as the new capital of China, demoting the traditional Nanjing from its power base. Built the greatest navy in the world under eunuch commander and explorer Zheng He, and developed the forbidden city as the palatial residence of the emperor.

Qin Dynasty (221 BC to 206 AD)

First Imperial Dynasty of China, consolidating the seven warring states into an Unified China. It embarked on a number of ambitious projects in its short existence, the greatest being the northern wall, or better known as the Great Wall of China