Dynastic Changes. Chinese history from 617 to 1644 can be divided into several major dynastic periods. The Tang dynasty (618-907) marked significant military and administrative achievements in Chinese history. When the dynasty collapsed in the early tenth century, China became divided: the Northern area was ruled by the Five Dynasties (907-960) and the Southern region was controlled by the Ten Kingdoms (902-979). The Song dynasty (960-1279) gradually incorporated all the independent states into its empire and restored centralized government, although it had to contend with the rival Liao dynasty of the Khitans, or Qidans (916-1115), and the Jin dynasty of the Jurchens, or Ruzhens (1115-1234). The Mongols began to sweep out of the steppes in 1210, and by 1279 they dominated the whole of China. Their dynasty, the Yuan, ruled until 1368, and the subsequent Ming dynasty (1368-1644) succeeded in unifying the whole country under Chinese rule for the first time in four...