#Asian dynasties series#

By tradition, the Chinese throne was inherited exclusively by members of the male line, but there were numerous cases whereby the consort kins came to possess de facto power at the expense of the monarchs. In the Chinese dynastic system, sovereign rulers theoretically possessed absolute power and private ownership of the realm, even though in practice their actual power was dependent on numerous factors. History Start of dynastic rule A depiction of Yu, the initiator of dynastic rule in China, by the Southern Song court painter Ma Lin.Īs the founder of China's first orthodox dynasty, the Xia dynasty, Yu the Great is conventionally regarded as the inaugurator of dynastic rule in China.

huángcháo ( 皇朝): generally used for imperial dynasties.wángcháo ( 王朝): while technically referring to royal dynasties, this term is often inaccurately applied to all dynasties, including those whose rulers held non-royal titles such as emperor.cháodài ( 朝代): an era corresponding to the rule of a dynasty.The following is a list of terms associated with the concept of dynasty in Chinese historiography: Politically, the word is taken to refer to the regime of the incumbent ruler. In the Chinese language, the character ' cháo' ( 朝) originally meant 'morning' and 'today'. As a form of respect and subordination, Chinese tributary states referred to Chinese dynasties as ' Tiāncháo Shàngguó' ( 天朝上國 'Celestial Dynasty of the Exalted State') or ' Tiāncháo Dàguó' ( 天朝大國 'Celestial Dynasty of the Great State'). Ĭhinese dynasties often referred to themselves as ' Tiāncháo' ( 天朝 'Celestial Dynasty' or 'Heavenly Dynasty'). The largest orthodox Chinese dynasty in terms of territorial size was either the Yuan dynasty or the Qing dynasty, depending on the historical source. The longest-reigning orthodox dynasty of China was the Zhou dynasty, ruling for a total length of 789 years, albeit it is divided into the Western Zhou and the Eastern Zhou in Chinese historiography, and its power was drastically reduced during the latter part of its rule. The word 'dynasty' is usually omitted when making such adjectival references. For example, porcelain made during the Ming dynasty may be referred to as 'Ming porcelain'. Accordingly, a dynasty may be used to delimit the era during which a family reigned, as well as to describe events, trends, personalities, artistic compositions, and artifacts of that period. ĭividing Chinese history into periods ruled by dynasties is a convenient method of periodization. Dynasties of China were not limited to those established by ethnic Han-the dominant Chinese ethnic group-and its predecessor, the Huaxia tribal confederation, but also included those founded by non-Han peoples.

#Asian dynasties series#

2070 BC to the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor on 12 February 1912 in the wake of the Xinhai Revolution, China was ruled by a series of successive dynasties. From the legendary inauguration of dynastic rule by Yu the Great c. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Manchu alphabet.ĭynasties in Chinese history, or Chinese dynasties, were hereditary monarchical regimes that ruled over China during much of its history.