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History of People's Republic of China

Two millennia of imperial rule across periods of unity and division.. 7 eras, 618 CE to today.

Tang dynasty, 618 CE–907 CE Draft, not yet reviewed

The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. The Li family founded the dynasty after taking advantage of a period of Sui decline. The An Lushan rebellion (755-763) led to devastation and the decline of central authority during the latter half of the dynasty. Agrarian rebellions led to mass population loss and displacement and ultimately ended the dynasty in 907.

Seat of power: Chang'an, Tang Empire

Rulers

Song dynasty, 960 CE–1279 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Song dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty. The Southern Song (1127-1279) comprised the period following the loss of control over the northern half of Song territory to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty. Kublai Khan's armies conquered the Song dynasty in 1279 after defeating the Southern Song in the Battle of Yamen.

Seat of power: Bianliang

Rulers

Yuan dynasty, 1271–1368 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Yuan dynasty was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 1271 to 1368. The conquest was not complete until 1279 when the Southern Song dynasty was defeated in the Battle of Yamen. It was the first dynasty founded by a non-Han ethnicity that ruled all of China proper. In 1368, following the defeat of the Yuan forces by the Ming dynasty, the Genghisid rulers retreated to the Mongolian Plateau.

Seat of power: Khanbaliq

Rulers

Ming dynasty, 1368–1644 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Ming dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Yongle Emperor established Yan as a secondary capital and renamed it Beijing, constructed the Forbidden City, and restored the Grand Canal. One eunuch, Zheng He, led seven enormous voyages of exploration into the Indian Ocean as far as Arabia and the eastern coasts of Africa. The dynasty collapsed in 1644 as Li Zicheng's rebel forces entered Beijing.

Seat of power: Beijing

Rulers

Qing dynasty, 1636–1912 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Qing dynasty was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia which existed from 1636/1644 to 1912. The Qing dynasty reached its apex during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796), who led the Ten Great Campaigns of conquest, and personally supervised Confucian cultural projects. Following China's defeat in the Opium Wars, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States forced the Qing government to sign unequal treaties, granting them trading privileges, extraterritoriality and treaty ports under their control, beginning the century of humiliation. The dynasty lasted until the Xinhai Revolution of October 1911 led to the abdication of the last emperor in February 1912.

Seat of power: Beijing

Rulers

Republic of China, 1912–1949 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Republic of China established its governance over mainland China on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and ended China's imperial history. The Beiyang government in Beijing was the internationally recognized government of the ROC from 1912 to 1928, with regional warlords occupying parts of the country after the death of Beiyang leader Yuan Shikai in 1916. In 1926, the Kuomintang (KMT) launched the Northern Expedition, which eventually reunified the country in 1928. In 1949, the KMT was defeated in the Chinese Civil War by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the ROC government retreated to Taiwan.

Seat of power: Nanjing

People's Republic of China, 1949 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proclaimed the PRC and the ROC retreated to Taiwan. Both sides still claim political legitimacy. Attempts by the CCP to advance its political program faltered through famine and political turmoil. The reform and opening-up that began in 1978 moved China towards a socialist market economy, spurring economic growth.

Seat of power: Beijing

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.