Chinese tradition said that the Chinese calendar began during the 60th year of the reign of the Yellow Emperor in 2637, with New Year celebrations beginning in that year. As far as we now know, it's much less old than that. Parts of the old ways of counting time given above are at least as early as 1250, during the Shang times. Most of it was known by the Zhou (11th–3rd centuries). The 5 elements and small points were set by the Han (2nd century–2nd century). From eastern China, the calendar and its new year spread to nearby places like Vietnam (111), Korea (before 270), Japan (604), and Tibet (around 641). It also followed the overseas Chinese to their new homes in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other places.