Table of Chinese monarchs

Yuánguāng(元光) Yuánshuò (元朔) Yuánshòu (元狩) Yuándǐng (元鼎) Yuánfēng (元封) Tàichū (太初) Tiānhàn (天漢) Tàishǐ (太始) Zhēnghé (征和) 134 BC – 129 BC 128 BC – 123 BC 122 BC – 117 BC 116 BC – 111 BC 110 BC – 105 BC 104 BC – 101 BC 100 BC – 97 BC 96 BC – 93 BC 92 BC – 89 BC Yuánfèng (元鳳) 80 BC – 75 BC Dìjié (地節) Yuánkāng (元康) Shénjué (神 ...

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Table of Chinese monarchs, Table of Chinese monarchs - Xia Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Shang Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Zhou Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Qin Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Han Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Three Kingdoms Period, Table of Chinese monarchs - Jin Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Sixteen Kingdoms Period, Table of Chinese monarchs - Sovereignties established by Wu Hu, Table of Chinese monarchs - Northern and Southern Dynasties, Table of Chinese monarchs - Sui Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Tang Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Table of Chinese monarchs - Independent Regimes during Ten Kingdoms, Table of Chinese monarchs - Liao Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Song Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Western Xia, Table of Chinese monarchs - Jin Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Yuan Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Ming dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Shun Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Southern Ming Dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Qing dynasty, Table of Chinese monarchs - Taiping Rebellion, Table of Chinese monarchs - Yuan Shikai's Chinese Empire

Read more here: » Table of Chinese monarchs: Encyclopedia II - Table of Chinese monarchs - Han Dynasty

China is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with written records dating back 3,500 years. Turtle shells with markings reminiscent of ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty (商朝) have been carbon dated to around 1,500 BC. These records suggest that the origins of Chinese civilization started with city-states that may go back more than 5,000 years. Two thousand years ago is c ...

Including:

• History of China - Prehistoric times
• History of China - Ancient histories
• History of China - Xia Dynasty
• History of China - Shang Dynasty
• History of China - Zhou Dynasty
• History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire
• History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity
• History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties
• History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification
• History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity
• History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin
• History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty
• History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture
• History of China - Qing Dynasty
• History of China - The Republic of China
• History of China - Post modern independence

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia - History of China

In 1982, fifteen years before the lease on the New Territories would expire, the governments of the UK and the PRC began talks on the future of Hong Kong. The British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, hoped that the increasing openness of the PRC government and the economic reforms on the mainland would lead the PRC to agree to a continued British presence. On the contrary, not only did the PRC want to see the New Territories returned to Chinese control (with the PRC as the successor to Qing and the ROC) but it refused to recognise the unfa ...

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History of Hong Kong, History of Hong Kong - Prehistory, History of Hong Kong - Imperial China, History of Hong Kong - First contacts with the West and Hong Kong during the Ming and Qing dynasties, History of Hong Kong - East India Company, History of Hong Kong - British colony, History of Hong Kong - World War II, History of Hong Kong - Post-War period, History of Hong Kong - Transition to PRC rule, History of Hong Kong - Hong Kong since 1997

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Liu Shan - Zhuge Liang's regency. During the early years of his reign, Liu Shan was not an unwise ruler. While Zhuge Liang was alive, Liu Shan treated him as a father, allowing the chancellor to handle all state affairs. Zhuge Liang recommended many trusted officials, including Guo Youzhi (郭攸之), Fei Yi (費禕), Dong Yun (董允) and Xiang Chong (向寵) into key positions. Also under Zhuge's advice, Liu Shan entered into an alliance with Eastern Wu, helping both states to survive against the much larger Ca ...

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Liu Shan, Liu Shan - Early life, Liu Shan - Reign, Liu Shan - Zhuge Liang's regency, Liu Shan - Jiang Wan's regency, Liu Shan - Fei Yi's regency, Liu Shan - Jiang Wei's semi-regency, Liu Shan - Shu Han's destruction, Liu Shan - Life after Shu Han's destruction, Liu Shan - Liu Shan in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Shan - Battle of Changban, Liu Shan - Zhao Yun rescues A Dou from Lady Sun, Liu Shan - Personal information, Liu Shan - Reference

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Archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui (三星堆) and Erlitou (二里頭) show evidence of a Bronze Age civilization in China. The earliest written record of China's past dates from the Shang Dynasty in perhaps the 13th century BC, and takes the form of inscriptions of divination records on the bones or shells of animals—the so-called oracle bones (甲骨文). However the earliest comprehensive history of China, the Historical Records (史記) by Sima Qian (司馬遷), a renowned Chinese historiographer of the 2nd century B ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Ancient histories

In most cases the dates given in the table are the commonly used conventional dates marking the generally agreed point at which power in China changed hands. There is, however, still much dispute about dates in the Western Zhou period and earlier. It should also be noted that history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had b ...

See also:

Dynasties in Chinese history, Dynasties in Chinese history - Overview, Dynasties in Chinese history - Table of dynasties, Dynasties in Chinese history - Mnemonics, Dynasties in Chinese history - One version, Dynasties in Chinese history - Another version

Read more here: » Dynasties in Chinese history: Encyclopedia II - Dynasties in Chinese history - Overview

Yongle Emperor being a warrior, was able to maintain the foreign policy of his father. However, Yongle successors attached little importance to foreign affairs and this lead to deterioration of the army. Annam regained its independence in 1427 and in the north the mongols quickly regained their strength. Starting around 1445, the Oirat Horde became a military threat under their new leader Esen Taiji. The Zhengtong Emperor personally led a punitive campaign against the Horde but the mission turned into a disaster as the Chinese army was anihi ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming

Archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui (三星堆) and Erlitou (二里頭) show evidence of a Bronze Age civilization in China. The earliest written record of China's past dates from the Shang Dynasty in perhaps the 13th century BC, and takes the form of inscriptions of divination records on the bones or shells of animals—the so-called oracle bones (甲骨文). However the earliest comprehensive history of China, the Historical Records (史記) by Sima Qian (司馬遷), a renowned Chinese historiographer of the 2nd century B ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - Post modern independence

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Ancient histories

Qing Dynasty - Society. Manchu males had the custom of braiding hair into a pigtail known as a queue. During the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus enforced this custom onto the Han population, and any male who was seen without pigtail outdoors was to be beheaded. Emperor Kangxi commanded the most complete dictionary of Chinese characters ever put together at the time, and under Emperor Qianlong, the compilation of a catalogue of the important works on Chinese culture was made. Thousands of books viewed by Manchu rulers as politically unacceptable were destroyed when compiling the cata ...

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Qing Dynasty, Qing Dynasty - Formation of the Manchu state, Qing Dynasty - The conquest of China, Qing Dynasty - Kangxi and Consolidation, Qing Dynasty - The Yongzheng & Qianlong emperors, Qing Dynasty - Rebellion unrest and external pressure, Qing Dynasty - The Rule of Empress Dowager Cixi, Qing Dynasty - Qing government and society, Qing Dynasty - Society, Qing Dynasty - Politics, Qing Dynasty - Bureaucracy, Qing Dynasty - Military, Qing Dynasty - Fall of the Dynasty, Qing Dynasty - Legacy, Qing Dynasty - External link

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The fall of the Ming Dynasty was a protracted affair, its roots beginning as early as 1600 with the emergence of the Manchu state under Nurhaci. With superior artillery the Ming were able to repeatedly fight off the Manchu invaders, notably in 1623 and in 1628. However they were never able to capitalise on their victories and from 1629 onwards the Ming were wearied by a combination of internal strife and constant harassment of Northern China by the Manchu; who had turned to raiding tact ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

The Han Dynasty (漢朝) emerged in 202 BC. It was the first dynasty to embrace the philosophy of Confucianism, which became the ideological underpinning of all regimes until the end of imperial China. Under the Han Dynasty, China made great advances in many areas of the arts and sciences. Emperor Wu (Han Wudi 漢武帝) consolidated and extended the Chinese empire by pushing back the Xiongnu (匈奴)(sometimes identified with the Huns) into the steppes of modern Inner Mongolia (內蒙古), wresting from them the modern areas of Gansu (甘� ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity

Though these three kingdoms were reunited temporarily in 280 by the (Western) Jin Dynasty (晉朝), the contemporary non-Han Chinese (Wu Hu, 五胡) ethnic groups controlled much of the country in the early 4th century and provoked large-scale Han Chinese migrations to south of the Chang Jiang (長江). In 303 the Di (氐) people rebelled and later captured Chengdu (成都). Under Liu Yuan (劉淵) the Xiongnu rebelled near today's Linfen County (山西省臨汾縣). His successor Liu Cong (劉聰) captured and executed the last two Western ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties

The beginning of the Ming dynasty was one of Ming military conquests as they sought to perpetuate their hold on power. Early in his reign the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang provided instructions as injunctions to later generations. These instructions included the advice that those countries to the north were dangerous and posed a threat to the Ming polity and those to the south did not.Furthermore he stated that those to the south, not constituting a threat, were not to be subject to attack. Yet, either because of, or despite of, th ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests

( See the closeup for more detail ) Between 1405 and 1433, Ming emperors sent seven maritime expeditions probing down into the South Seas and across the Indian Ocean. The era's xenophobia and intellectual introspection, characteristic of the era's increasingly popular new school of neo-Confucianism, thus did not lead to the physical isolation of China. Contacts with the outside world, particularly with Japan, and foreign trade increased considerably. Yongle Emperor, fourth son of Hongwu, strenuously tried to exte ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation

The Sui Dynasty (隋朝) managed to reunite the country in 589 after almost 300 years of disjunction. The unification is the second shortest dynasty in the history of China after Qin Dynasty, and during this time, millions laboured on the Grand Canal of China (大運河), still the longest canal in the world to date. ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification

Historian considers Hongwu emperor as one the greatest Emperor of china.From the first, great care was taken by Hung Wu emperor to distribute land to small farmers. It seems to have been his policy to favor the poor, whom he tried to help to support themselves and their families. For instance, in 1370 an order was given that some land in Hunan and Anhui should be distributed to young farmers who had reached manhood: to preclude the absorption of this land by unscrupulous landlords it was announced that the title to it is not transferable. Ab ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution

The Mongol Yuan Dynasty ruled before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. During the rule, the Mongols' discrimination against the Han Chinese is often considered the primary cause for the end of Yuan rule in China. This finally led to a peasant revolt that pushed the Yuan dynasty back to the Mongolian steppes. Other causes include collusion with Tibetan lamas in depriving Chinese of their lands, paper currency over-circulation, which caused inflation to go up ten-fold during Yuan Emperor Shundi's reign, and the flooding of the Yellow Rive ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Origins

Hong Wu prejudice against the merchant class did not diminish the numbers of traders. On the contrary, commerce was on much greater scale than in previous centuries and continued to increase, as the growing industries needed the cooperation of the merchants. Poor soil in some provinces and over-population were key forces that led many to enter the trade markets. A book called "Tu pien hsin shu" gives a detailed description about the activities of mechants at that time. In the end, the Hong Wu policy of banning trade only acted to hinder the ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution

After the Ming army defeat at Battle of tumu and later raids by the Mongols under a new leader, Altan Khan, the Ming adopted a new strategy for dealing with the northern horsemen: a big wall. Almost 100 years earlier (1368) the Ming had started building a new, technically advanced fortification which today is called the Great Wall of China. Created at great expense the wall followed the new borders of the Ming Empire. Acknowledging the control which the Mongols established in the Ordos, south of the Yellow River, the wall follows what ...

See also:

Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty - Origins, Ming Dynasty - Exploration to isolation, Ming Dynasty - Ming military conquests, Ming Dynasty - Algriculture Revolution, Ming Dynasty - Commerce Revolution, Ming Dynasty - The Ming Code, Ming Dynasty - Scrapping Prime Minister Post, Ming Dynasty - Decline of the Ming, Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall, Ming Dynasty - The Network of Secret Agents, Ming Dynasty - Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Read more here: » Ming Dynasty: Encyclopedia II - Ming Dynasty - Building the the Great Wall

The Jin Empire was defeated by the Mongols, who then proceeded to defeat the Southern Song in a long and bloody war, the first war where firearms played an important role. Some scholars estimate that about half the population, 50 million Han Chinese people may have perished in total as a result of the Mongols' invasion and conquest. During the era after the war, later called the Pax Mongolica, adventurous Westerners such as Marco Polo travelled all the way to China and brought the first reports of its wonders to Europe. In China, the Mongols were di ...

See also:

History of China, History of China - Prehistoric times, History of China - Ancient histories, History of China - Xia Dynasty, History of China - Shang Dynasty, History of China - Zhou Dynasty, History of China - Qin Dynasty: The first Chinese Empire, History of China - Han Dynasty: A period of prosperity, History of China - Jin the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, History of China - Sui Dynasty: Reunification, History of China - Tang Dynasty: Return to prosperity, History of China - Song Dynasty and its northern neighbors the Liao and the Jin, History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty, History of China - Ming Dynasty: Revival of Chinese culture, History of China - Qing Dynasty, History of China - The Republic of China, History of China - The Present

Read more here: » History of China: Encyclopedia II - History of China - Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty