| 635 | Aloben and other Nestorians arrive in Xianfu
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| 635-38 | First translation of a Christian text into Chinese
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| 638 | Foundation of Nestorian monastery in Xianfu
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| 1243 | Battle of Liegnitz. Polish-German army defeated.
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| 1246 | The Franciscan friar Giovanni da Piano di Carpine arrives in Karakorum conveying a message from the pope.
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| 1253-55 | Wilhelm von Rubruck's journey to the Mongols
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| 1265 | Nicolo and Maffeo Polo arrive in Qanbalik (Beijing)
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| 1275 | Marco Polo arrives in Qanbalik
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| 1292 | Marco Polo leaves China
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| 1294 | The Franciscan Giovanni da Montecorvino (1247-1328), envoy of the pope, arrives in Qanbalik. He is received friendly by Timur Chan
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| 1298 | Marco Polo's story is written down.Church in Qanbalik. Second in 1305, third in 1318.
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| 1303 | Arnold von Köln arrives in China to assist Giovanni da Montecorvino.
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| 1307 | Establishment of Montecorvino as archbishop of Qanbalik.
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| 1303 | Establishment of the archdiocese Zaitun (Quanzhou)
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| 1322 | Arrival of the Franciscan Odorico da Pordeone (1265-1331) and friar James (from Irland) in Zaitun. Both travel to Beijing. Several years later Odorico travels back to Europe seeking further support for the mission in China. He dies in 1331 in Udine.
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| 1342 | Following a request by the Christian Alans at the court in Beijing the Franciscan friar Giovanni da Marignolli comes to China as a papal envoy . But because of the political uncertainties in China he returns back to Rome against the explicit wish of the Chan.
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| 1368 | End of Mongolian dynasty in China and end of Franciscan mission. Together with Marco Polo's story the letters and reports of the Franciscans brought many informations about China to Europe. |
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| 1521 | The Portuguese envoy Tomé Pires arrives in Beijing.
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| 1552 | Having tried in vain to enter China Franciscus Xaverius dies on an island near the Chinese coast.
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| 1556 | The Dominican Gaspar da Cruz arrives in Kanton.
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| 1557 | Beginning of Portuguese settlement in Macao.
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| 1565 | The Jesuits come to Macao.
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| 1578 | Alessandro Valignano arrives in Macao as supervisor of all Jesuits in East Asia.
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| 1579 | Michele Ruggieri S.J. arrives in Macao.
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| 1582 | Matteo Ricci S.J. arrives in Macao.
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| 1583 | Ruggieri and Ricci establish a missionary station in Xiuqing.
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| 1584 | Ricci draws his first map of the world.
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| 1585 | The Augustin Juan Gonzales de Mendoza publishes his description of China.
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| 1591 | First Chinese members of the Jesuit order.
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| 1601 | Ricci is called to the Chinese court.
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| 1602 | Xu Guangqi is baptized.
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| 1603 | First edition of Ricci's Tianzhu shiyi in Beijing.
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| 1604 | The Jew Ai comes to Beijing and informs Ricci about the Jewish community in Kaifeng.
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| 1605 | Bento de Gois S.J. arrives in Suzhou (Gansu).
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| 1607 | Bento de Gois S.J. dies in Suzhou.
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| 1610 | Li Zhizao is baptized.
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| 1611 | The Jesuits are asked to reform the Chinese calendar.
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| 1612 | Nikolaas Trigault S.J. (1577-1628) travels to Rome in order to support for the mission in China.
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| 1616 | Oppression of Christians by Shen Que.
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| 1618 | Johannes Schreck S.J. (Terrentius, 1575-1630) travels to Asia.
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| 1625 | Discovery of a Nestorian inscription in Xianfu.
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| 1630 | Johannes Schreck S. J. dies. Johan Adam Schall S.J. takes care of Chinese calendar.
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| 1630 | Schall's treatise on the telescope is published.
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| 1635 | The pope is asked to intervene into the debate concerning the problem of rites.
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| 1642 | Alvaro Semedo S.J. publishes his description of China.
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| 1644 | Begin of Qing-dynasty.
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| 1648 | Baptization of Helena and other members of the empirial Ming-family.
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| 1650 | In relation to the debate on rites Martin Martini S.J. (1614-1661) is sent to Rome.
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| 1655 | Publication of Martini's Novus Atlas sinensis in Amsterdam.
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| 1655-56 | First Dutch embassy to China led by Jakob de Keyzer and Pieter de Goijer.
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| 1656 | Martini's position on the problem of rites is supported by the pope.
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| 1656 | Publication of Michael Boym's Flora sinensis in Vienna.
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| 1656 | Martini's Sinicae historiae decas prima is published and causes a long lasting debate on biblical chronology.
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| 1659 | Johannes Grüber S.J. and Bernhard Diestel S.J. arrive in Beijing.
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| 1662 | Second Dutch embassy to China (Johan van Kampen, Constantin Nobel).
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| 1664 | Persecution of the christians under Yang Guangxian.
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| 1664 | Johannes Grüber S.J. and Heinrich Roth S.J. arrive in Rome.
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| 1664 | Third Dutch embassy to China (Pieter van Hoorn).
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| 1666 | Adam Schall dies.
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| 1667 | Athanasius Kircher's China illustrata is published.
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| 1670 | Publication of first Chinese dictionary in Europe.
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| 1672-74 | Publication of Ferdinand Verbiest's world map.
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| 1676 | Publication of Domingo Fernandez Navarrete's Tratados historicos.
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| 1682 | Publication of Specimen medicinae sinicae translated by Jesuits in Kanton and send to Europe by Andreas Cleyer.
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| 1683 | First library catalogue of Chinese books is printed in Berlin.
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| 1685 | Philippe Avril S.J. studies the landroute to China in Moscow.
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| 1687 | Publication of three Confucian texts under the title Confucius Sinarum Philosophus.
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| 1688 | Ferdinand Verbiest S.J. dies.
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| 1688 | Beginning of the French Jesuit Mission |
| 1689 | Jesuits are helpful in achieving the treaty of Nertschinsk between Russia and China.
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| 1692 | Tolerance edict by emperor Kangxi.
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| 1692 | Isbrand Ides travels to Beijing as an envoy of the Russian court.
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| 1693 | Charles Maigrot, apostolic vicar of Fujian, publishes a letter against the Chinese rites.
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| 1694 | Andreas Müller, first scholar on China in Germany, dies.
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| 1695 | Gemelli Carreri presumably has an audience at the Chinese court.
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| 1697 | Leibniz publishes the Novissima Sinica.
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| 1701 | Christan Mentzel, physican of Frederic the Great and scholar of Chinese matters, dies in Berlin.
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| 1702-1776 | Publication of the Lettres édifiantes et curieuses.
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| 1704 | The Chinese rites are condemned by the Holy Officium in Rome.
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| 1705 | The popes envoy Maillard de Tournon arrives in Beijing.
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| 1707 | Tournon proclaimes the condemnation of rites in Nanjing.
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| 1712-15 | Tulisen travels to Russia as a Chinese envoy.
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| 1716 | "Red Edict" of emperor Kangxi.
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| 1719-21 | Embassy of Izmailov.
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| 1720-42 | Chinese character types are made in Paris by Etienne Fourmont.
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| 1721-22 | Lorenz Lange lives in Beijing as a Russian agent.
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| 1722 | Emperor Kangxi dies.
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| 1726 | Emperor Yongzhen prohibits the Christian religion by an edict.
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| 1728-48 | Publication of Stöcklein's Neue Welt-Bott.
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| 1736 | Jean Baptiste du Halde S.J. published his Description géographique [...] de la Chine.
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| 1737 | Anville publishes his Nouvel Atlas de la Chine using the Jesuit atlas.
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| 1738 | Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer (1694-1738), pioneer of Chinese studies at the Academy of Science in St. Petersburg, dies.
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| 1745 | Etienne Fourmont, pioneer of Chinese studies at the Académie des inscription et belles-lettres in Paris, dies.
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| 1751-52 | Osbeck is in China.
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| 1773 | Jesuit order is dissolved.
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| 1776-91 | Mémoires concernant les Chinois are published.
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| 1777-85 | Mailla's Histoire générale de la Chine is published.
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| 1789 | Breitkopf tries to compose Chinese characters by using components.
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| 1792-93 | Earl Macartney's embassy to China.
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| 1794-95 | Dutch embassy to China unter Isaac Titsingh and Braam Houckgeest.
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| 1834 | Introduction of lithography to print Chinese characters. |
