The Years of Rice and Salt

Bao Moves to Fangzhang as History Professor

c. 2075 · Bao accepts a professorship in Fangzhang, where he teaches history and reflects on the shape of human civilization.

Bao Xinhua Meets Kung Jianguo

c. 2030 · Bao Xinhua meets Kung Jianguo and joins the revolutionary movement working to overthrow China's military government.

Scientific Conference in Isfahan

c. 2002 · A scientific conference in Isfahan reveals the implications of atomic research and gathers scholars into a fragile international conversation.

Shanghai Conference Ends the Long War

c. 1980 · The Shanghai Conference ends the Long War and imposes a new settlement on the defeated Muslim states.

Fangzhang Flood Crisis

c. 1861 · Fangzhang suffers a flood crisis in the nineteenth century, reflecting the universe's recurring attention to environmental history.

Kheim Fleet Reaches the American Continents

c. 1611 · Kheim's fleet reaches the American continents, opening one of the novel's most consequential cross-oceanic encounters.

Kheim Expedition Sails to Conquer Japan

c. 1610 · The Wanli Emperor's fleet under Kheim sails toward Japan before winds drive the expedition into a larger history-changing voyage.

Akbar Constructs Fatepur Sikri

c. 1571 · Akbar establishes Fatepur Sikri as his capital, creating the setting for one of the novel's central Mughal sequences.

Bistami Reaches Fatepur Sikri and Akbar's Court

c. 1571 · Bistami reaches Fatepur Sikri and enters Akbar's world, linking his spiritual search to imperial politics.

Kya the Tiger Guides Young Bistami Home

c. 1566 · Kya protects the young Bistami and leads him home, creating one of the novel's clearest crossings between animal and human moral worlds.

Kokila Is Executed

c. 1565 · Kokila is executed after taking revenge, ending the first major incarnation of the K-line in the novel.

Kokila Poisons Shastri and Shardul

c. 1564 · Kokila avenges Bihari by poisoning Shastri and Shardul, transforming private grief into direct retaliation.

Bihari Dies During Childbirth

c. 1563 · Bihari dies in childbirth after becoming pregnant by Shardul, turning Book II's village tragedy into irreversible loss.

Shardul's Abuse Triggers Village Crisis

c. 1562 · The abuse of power by Shardul and Shastri drives the village crisis that destroys Bihari's life and pushes Kokila toward revenge.

Kokila Is Married to Gopal

c. 1561 · Kokila enters an arranged marriage with Gopal, binding her to the family hierarchy that will soon turn abusive.

Kokila and Bihari Form a Lifelong Bond

c. 1546 · Kokila and Bihari become inseparable companions, creating the emotional center of the village sequence.

Insef Finds and Raises Bihari

c. 1541 · The village dai Insef takes in the abandoned Bihari and raises her, shaping the central friendship of Book II.

Kokila Is Born in a Mughal Village

c. 1536 · Kokila is born into the village world of Mughal India, beginning the K-line of Book II's first incarnation.

Yongle Emperor Begins Building Beijing

c. 1406 · The Yongle Emperor begins the construction of Beijing, establishing one of the key political centers of the alternate world.