CHINESE DYNASTIES
    Before the 3rd century BC, China consisted of a number of independent states.
    The Chinese empire was founded in 221 BC by Qin Shi Huangdi, who had acquired sufficient strength to defeat his rivals - known as the Warring States - and so establish the first imperial dynasty, Qin.
    All the imperial dynasties, and the two major pre imperial ruling houses are listed here. Gaps in the sequence of dates mark periods when the country was divided between two or more rulers.
    China became a republic under the nationalist leader Sun Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) in 1912 after the last of the Manchus was overthrown. It became a Communist state in 1949 under Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-t'ung) after civil war ended in defeat for the nationalists under Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek). The nationalists retreated from the mainland, but established an independent state on the island of Formosa (now Taiwan).
Shang About 1600 to 1100 BC
Zhou (Chou) About 1100 to 256 BC
Qin (Ch'in) 221 to 206 BC
Han 206 BC to AD 220
Wei, Chin and Northern and Southern 220 to 581
Sui 581 to 618
Tang 618 to 906
Song 960 to 1279
Yuan 1279 to 1368
Ming 1368 to 1644
Manchu 1644 to 1912

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