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Zhongguo, the Middle Kingdom, is one of the oldest civilizations on earth. Cotemporaneous in its roots with Egypt, Sumeria, and the Indus River culture, China has been the central fixture that all Far-Eastern peoples have had to measure themselves by. Today, the Chinese bid fair to have a significant influence on all the world. Note: In many instances on these lists, two names will be encountered. The first is the Regnal, Posthumous, or Temple Name -- the official name of the reign. The name within parentheses is the personal name of the individual; the name they were given at birth. Additional Note: Many readers will quickly realize that this archive contains a melange of Romanization schemes, primarily Wade-Giles and Pin-Yin, but I think there are a few others as well. This is as a result of using many different sources, some older than others. I realize that to an experienced reader, this will give the archive a disjointed and messy feel to it, and I apologize for the confusion. I am slowly converting the file to Pin-Yin (although I may parenthetically retain a few old-style names where familiarity warrants it), but that is a massive undertaking in itself - it will take quite awhile before everything is consistent. Aside from the Imperial succession from earliest traditional times to the present day, this contains Cao, Chao, Ch'i, Ch'u, Fuyu, Elder Ch'in, Gansu, Hou Zhou, Hunan, Later Chao, Liao-Xi, Manchukuo, Manchuria, Min, Nan Chao (Yunnan), Nan Han, Nan Yen, Northern Zhou, Szechuan, Qian-Qin, Qinghai, Taiwan, Tang-Ch'ang, Tsinghai, T'u-Yu-Hun, Wei, Wu, Wuhuan, Xi-Xia, Yen (Beijing), Yueh, Yu-Wen, and Zheng. |
CHINA Here is an overall survey of the Imperial succession, during times of substantial or complete unity.
NORTHERN and SOUTHERN DYNASTIES ERA This period saw a severe fragmentation of central authority, as northern barbarians succeeded in laying waste to much of China, and establishing their own states in turn. Local ephemerals for the most part, one people, the Toba, built a large state which lasted for some time, the so-called Northern Wei, centered around the Huang-Ho basin. In the south, a series of ethnically Chinese dynasties managed to endure on the lower Yangtze.
PROVINCIAL STATES