ABSTRACT
DYNASTY Period of rule by members of a single clan. In Chinese history the three earliest known dynasties (sandai 三代), Xia, Shang and Zhou, were ruled by kings. The first imperial dynasty was that of Qin and the last that of Qing. Since 1911 no ruler has sought to pass power on to a clansman, though Yuan Shikai did make an unsuccessful attempt to revive the monarchy in 1916. In imperial times two non-Chinese dynasties conquered and ruled the whole of China, the Yuan (Mongols) and Qing (Manchus), but in northern China the population also fell under the control of the Toba people (Wei dynasty), the Khitan (Liao dynasty), the Tibetans (Xi Xia dynasty), and the Jurchen (Jin dynasty). See also Son of Heaven.
