Chengdu: History, Former Names & Timeline

Centre of the Sichuan Basin and old land of Shu, capital of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms; the first government paper money, the jiaozi, was issued here under the Song.

Map showing Chengdu in AD 200 — Border map for AD 200. See the world in AD 200.

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<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/city/chengdu">Chengdu: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Former names of Chengdu

From	Name	Note
311 BC	Chengdu

Timeline of Chengdu

Year	Event
316 BC	Qin conquers the kingdom of Shu
311 BC	Zhang Yi and Zhang Ruo build the walls of Chengdu
256 BC	Li Bing builds the Dujiangyan irrigation works (about this date)
AD 221	Liu Bei proclaims himself emperor at Chengdu, founding Shu Han
1023	The Song government issues official paper money, the jiaozi, at Chengdu
1644	Zhang Xianzhong founds the Great Xi regime at Chengdu

Who ruled Chengdu

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–401 BC	Unclaimed / no data
400 BC–324 BC	Austro-Asiatic rice cultures
323 BC–201 BC	Qin
200 BC–2 BC	Han Empire
1 BC–299	Han
300–499	Jin
500–599	Jin Empire
600–699	Sui Empire
700–999	Tang Empire
1000–1299	Song Empire
1300–1399	Great Khanate
1400–1499	Ming Empire
1500–1649	Ming Chinese Empire
1650–1782	Manchu Empire
1783–1814	Qing Empire
1815–1919	Manchu Empire
1920–1937	Chinese Warlords
1938–1944	Chinese warlords
1945–today	China

Famous people of Chengdu

Lived	Person
AD 161 – AD 223	Liu Bei	Founder of Shu Han
AD 181 – AD 234	Zhuge Liang	Chancellor of Shu Han
AD 712 – AD 770	Du Fu	Poet

Questions about Chengdu

Which states have ruled Chengdu?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Chengdu lies within 17 different states: Austro-Asiatic rice cultures, Qin, Han Empire, Han, Jin, Jin Empire, Sui Empire, Tang Empire, Song Empire, Great Khanate and others.

What are the key dates in the history of Chengdu?

316 BC: Qin conquers the kingdom of Shu. 311 BC: Zhang Yi and Zhang Ruo build the walls of Chengdu. 256 BC: Li Bing builds the Dujiangyan irrigation works (about this date). AD 221: Liu Bei proclaims himself emperor at Chengdu, founding Shu Han. 1023: The Song government issues official paper money, the jiaozi, at Chengdu.

Which famous people are connected with Chengdu?

Liu Bei (founder of shu han, AD 161 – AD 223); Zhuge Liang (chancellor of shu han, AD 181 – AD 234); Du Fu (poet, AD 712 – AD 770).

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.