A Brief Outline of China's Imperial History China has had a long and rich history: its imperial empire began during the 3rd Century BC at the time when the Roman Republic ruled over nomadic Europe. In 221 BC, the young king of the Qin kingdom conquered the other states and declared himself First Emperor, hoping his legacy and scions would go on to rule for the next ten thousand years. But by AD 1911, the last emperor of China was overthrown and was replaced by a republic. For over two thousand years, there has been a Chinese emperor on the Dragon Throne.
Dynasty Period	Important events
Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties 2600 BC - 475 BC No emperors	The Bronze Age in China led to the widespread use of jade, pottery, silk, bronze and metalwork. The great literary and philosophical works in the 5th century BC would later form the basis of the imperial educational system. The Chinese great philosopher, Confucius (554-479 BC), spread his teaching: later known as the Confucian Principles.
Warring States Era 475 - 221 BC	Seven states rule China
Qin Dynasty 221 - 207 BC 2 emperors	221 BC - Qin Shihuangdi destroys the other six states, and unites China, declaring himself First Emperor. 210 BC - The First Emperor dies. His son becomes the Second Emperor. 207 BC - Second Emperor commits suicide after the collapse of the Qin Empire.
Han Dynasty 206 BC - AD 220 Western Han - 13 emperors Eastern Han - 12 emperors	206 BC - Liu Bang (a peasant turned bandit turned official) becomes emperor of China, and founder of the Han Dynasty. 141 BC - Wudi becomes one of China's longest reigning emperors, ruling for 54 years, and under him, the empire doubled in size. The Silk Roads were opened for trade. 104 BC - Chinese armies travelled as far as the Greek kingdom of Sogdiana. 25 AD - Guang Wudi moves his court to Luoyang after his capital, Chang'an was sacked and destroyed. Therefore his dynasty is now known as the Eastern Han.
The Three Kingdoms Period AD 220 - 280 Wei - 5 emperors Wu - 4 emperors Shu Han - 2 emperors	A time of incessant warfare and instability. However, the Three Kingdoms Period is remembered as the golden age of chilvary and romance. The founders of these three kingdoms were later immortalised in the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
The Period of Disunion AD 265 - 589 Western Jin - 4 emperors Eastern Jin - 11 emperors Liu Song - 7 emperors Qi - 5 emperors Liang - 5 emperors Chen - 5 emperors	This period in Chinese history is similar to that of Europe's Dark Ages, where technology and expansion were halted while different dynasties fought it out with each other for supremacy. The empire was divided into two factions: the Northern Dynasties, which were under non-Han rulers, and the Southern Dynasties, where Han rulers protected Chinese treasures (vast libraries of history and literature) at their capital in Nanjing.
Sui Dynasty AD 581 - 618 3 emperors	The empire was reunited under the Sui, where they introduced the elements needed for genuine imperial rule - a strongly centralised military and civil administration with a sound financial base. They also used Buddhism and Confucianism as their sources for administration and legitimacy.
Tang Dynasty AD 618 - 907 21 emperors	618 AD - Military general Li Yuan captured the Sui capital of Luoyang; desposed the last Sui emperor Gongdi, and declared himself the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty, which historians agree to be China's Golden Age. 690 AD - Wu Zetian becomes the first (and last) female emperor of China. 712 AD - Xuanzong becomes emperor, and under his rule, the empire reaches an unprecedented high, creating the most brilliant court in Chinese history. His love affair with the beautiful concubine, Yang Guifei, has been written in countless of novels, ballads and poems. 907 AD - Aidi was the last Tang emperor, but by this time, the empire was already in ruins, and Aidi was nothing but a puppet. He was declared emperor when he was 12 years old, but was deposed at 15, and with his death lies the end of the splendid Tang era.
Five Dynasties AD 907 - 960 Later Liang - 2 emperors Later Tang - 3 emperors Later Jin - 2 emperors Later Han - 2 emperors Later Zhou - 2 emperors	Another dark age in China's history book. Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms sprung up to rule China after the fall of the Tang, but this half a century of chaos meant that after a strong founding emperor died, their successor would inevitably be overthrown by a military rival founding his own dynasty. Only the Later Tang had 3 emperors, but the last one barely ruled for a year.
Northern and Southern Song AD 960 - 1279 Northern - 9 emperors Southern - 9 emperors	960 AD - Zhao Kuangyin, a military general, was offered the throne by his officers after the death of the second Later Zhou emperor, Shizong, thereby ending the strife of the Five Dynasties, and the founding of the Song Dynasty. Under the Song, the empire flourished, and some of China's greatest poetry, painting and other works of art were created (and never been surpassed) during the relatively peaceful years. 1125 AD - The empire of Jin invaded the Song, and the emperor Huizong was captured and later killed. The Song looked to be at their end, but Huizong's ninth son, Gaozong, escaped captivity and fled south with the remaining Song army and court. He established his capital at Hangzhou, thereby known as the Southern Song, but the empire was seriously reduced in size. 1180s AD - Chinese ships roamed the seas with their superiority, and even sailed along the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, importing rare materials and luxuries. 1274 AD - The last reigning Song emperor, Duzong, died, leaving his empire into the hands of his three infant sons, at a time when the Mongol Horde was invading China. Five years later, after the deaths of all three infants, the Song empire had finally come to an end.
Yuan Dynasty AD 1279 - 1368 9 emperors (Khans)	1279 AD - Khubilai Khan, the grandson of the great Genghis Khan, became the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, and established his capital at Dadu (Beijing). 1368 AD - Toghon Temur, the last Yuan emperor, had to flee for his life after Dadu was captured by a Chinese rebel leader, Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty had barely lasted a hundred years.
Ming Dynasty AD 1368 - 1644 16 emperors	1368 AD - Zhu declared himself Emperor of China, established his capital at Nanjing, and spent most of his later years driving out the Mongols from China. 1406 AD - The emperor Yongle wanted a new capital built in Beijing, so he commissioned more than 200,000 workers building the Forbidden City. This remarkable piece of architecture was finished in 1421, and was literally a real city within a city, with over 9000 rooms, covering 250 acres. 1414 AD - The eunuch admiral, Zheng He (of Muslim birth), brought back to China the first giraffe ever to walk on Chinese soil. Zheng was commander of a huge fleet of 63 Chinese ships which had set sail for the West - they had reached as far as Egypt. 1421 AD - Yongle moved his court to Beijing, where it remained the capital of China ever since. 1450s AD - Emperor Zhengtong stopped the maritime expeditions, which would cause disastrious long-term consequences for China, as they would be unprepared for Western and Japanese naval attacks. 1582 AD - Jesuit priest, Matteo Ricci, was the first European to enter the Forbidden City. He mastered the Chinese language and learnt all the Classics, while impressing the Chinese scholars and nobility with his vast knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and music. Ricci never saw the Emperor Wanli, but was a frequent sight at court. It is said that Ricci and his followers were the first to preach Christianity to the Chinese. 1644 AD - General Li Zhicheng, with his army, swept into Beijing unopposed, and Emperor Chongzhen (after killing most of his own family), fled to a nearby hill behind the palace and hanged himself on a tree, thereby ending the Ming Dynasty.
Qing Dynasty AD 1644 - 1911 10 emperors	The Manchus were descendents from the Jin empire, and had adapted Chinese culture and learning so that they could blend in with the civilization. Without the help of renegade Ming general Wu Sanguei, the Manchus probably could not have entered Beijing. 1661 AD - Kangxi became Emperor of China, and under him, China became one of the strongest empires on earth. His military conquest nearly doubled China's size, and he remains China's longest reigning emperor (61 years). 1736 - 1795 AD - The Qing's most splendid reign, was that of Emperor Qianlong, who expanded China to her greatest extent, and by 1775, was easily the most wealthy and populous nation in the world. Too bad that the rapid expansion would later bring the empire down. 1793 AD - Lord George Macartney was sent by King George III of Britain to ask permission for increased trade opportunites, and to accept a permanent ambassador in Beijing. The mission was deemed a failure. 1840 - 1842 AD - The Opium War between China and Great Britain. Emperor Daoguang became the first emperor to be humiliated by a Western power. In the Treaty of Nanjing, China had to yield territory (Hong Kong), and open five ports to Westerners. 1850 - 1864 AD - The Taiping Rebellion. Its leader, Hong Xiuchuan, believed he was the brother of Christ, and preached Christianity. He acquired a vast number of followers, and later turned anti-Manchu. Hong took Nanjing and controlled most of the South, and could have toppled the Qing rule if not for the help from Western powers who feared Hong and his rabble. 1860 AD - Hostilities flared once again between China and Britain. Anglo-French troops marched into Beijing, sacking the Forbidden City, and destroying the beautiful Summer Palace, after looting it. Chinese scholars have never forgiven Westerners for their destruction of rare and old literary works, including the huge volumes of The Imperial History of China. 1908 AD - Empress Dowager Cixi dies, after manipulating the throne for more half a century. 1909 AD - Puyi was annointed Emperor of China, aged 3. 1911 AD - Puyi, last emperor of China, was desposed. The empire was subsequently replaced by a republic. At a stroke, 2000 years of imperial rule had finally come to an end.
1911 onwards	Dr. Sun Yat Sen became the first president of the republic, but he later resigned. A power struggle between warlords meant that China fell under a spell of anarchy once again. 1937 AD - Japan invades China. 1945 AD - Japan surrenders to Allied Forces. 1949 AD - Mao Tsetung establishes Communism in China. The country is known as The Peoples Republic of China. 1966 AD - Cultural Revolution sweeps through China. 1976 AD - Chairman Mao dies, Deng Xiao Ping succeeds him. 1989 AD - Tiananmen Square massacre. 1997 AD - Deng dies, Hong Kong is handed back to China.