Dynasties and Timeline
The dynasty that overthrew the Shang and formulated the Mandate of Heaven.
Zhou
The divine approval concept used to justify the right of a dynasty to rule.
Mandate of Heaven
The Ming dynasty was noted for constructing large sections of this famous defensive structure.
The Grea Wall
The short-lived dynasty (38 years) that first unified China under a single emperor.
Qin
The high god worshipped before Zhou-era conceptions of Tian
Shangdi
The early Han emperor (r. c. 180 BCE) noted for benevolence and reducing harsh punishments.
Emperor Wen
The last imperial dynasty of China, founded by the Manchus and overthrown in 1911.
Qing
The Confucian term for the “superior man” or morally exemplary person.
Junzi
The female ruler who founded her own dynasty and ruled as empress for over twenty years.
Empress Wu (Wu Zetian)
The dynasty that solidified the bureaucratic pattern for imperial China and ruled for nearly 400 years after the Qin.
Han
The Confucian concept often translated as “propriety” or humane conduct, central to interpersonal relations.
Ren
The emperor famous for unifying China and for his mausoleum guarded by a terracotta army (two-word name).
Qin Shi Huangdi
It is sadly a fictional dynasty.
Xia
The Confucian concept usually translated as “ritual” tied to ancestor veneration.
Li
The Zhou-era text (Confucian classic) also called the "Classic of History."
Shujing