Imperial China (221 BCE – 1912 CE)

Imperial China spanned over two millennia, ruled by a succession of hereditary dynasties from the unification under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE until the abdication of the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.

Major Imperial Dynasties.

Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE):

Unified China for the first time under Qin Shi Huang, started building the Great Wall, and standardized writing, currency, and legalism.

Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)

Widely considered a golden age, established Confucianism as state orthodoxy, and opened the Silk Road.

Sui Dynasty (581–618 CE)

Reunified China after a long period of fragmentation and completed the Grand Canal.

Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)

A high point of cosmopolitan culture, poetry, art, and the expansion of Buddhism under rulers including Empress Wu Zetian.

Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE)

Noted for major economic growth, paper money, and pivotal technological advances like movable type and gunpowder perfection.

Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368 CE)

Established by Mongol leader Kublai Khan after conquering the Song.

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)

Restored Han rule, built the Forbidden City, and extensively repaired and expanded the Great Wall.

Qing Dynasty (1644–1912 CE)

The final imperial dynasty ruled by the Manchus, which achieved China’s largest territorial extent before collapsing into the Republic of China.