This chapter examines the stages of state formation in the Indus Valley and China. It also examines the large urban centre of Anyang. The chapter looks at archaeological research, much of it based on intensive surveys, that is leading to a nuanced picture of state formation in China. The state societies of the Indus Valley and China challenge us to understand the sources of authority underlying state formation. The influence of the Chinese Empire across Asia provides an opportunity to consider the relationship between the core areas of state development and their peripheries. The chapter explores the effect of interaction with China on state formation in Japan; the culture of the people who lived along the Silk Route across central Asia; and the emergence of the spectacular city of Angkor, Cambodia. The spectacular preservation of burials in the desert of the Tarim Basin has brought public attention to the archaeology of central Asia.