China

The longest continuous imperial tradition anywhere, and the argument about whether it is one state seen many times or many states using one name. Every dynasty here inherited a bureaucracy, a script and a claim to a mandate that could be lost — including the ones that arrived from the steppe and governed two populations under two administrations.

The line below is a time axis. Position on it is date, so concurrency is visible: concurrent polities sit side by side rather than in sequence.

9 sourced edges run between this region and another, to Mongol Empire, Northern Yuan, Qara Khitai, Gojoseon (Old Joseon), Goguryeo, Baekje and Balhae. Those are not drawn on this line — a thread that crossed regions would assert a sequence nobody cited — but they are on each polity’s own page.

200 BC20040060080010001200140016001800Qin Empire 221 BC – 206 BCHan Empire 202 BC – 220Cao Wei 220 – 265Jin Empire 265 – 420Northern Wei 386 – 535Liu Song (Southern) Dynasty 420 – 479Southern Qi Dynasty 479 – 502Liang Dynasty 502 – 557Chen Dynasty 557 – 589Northern Zhou 557 – 581Sui Empire 581 – 618Tang Empire 618 – 907Western Xia 890 – 1227The Five Dynasties 907 – 960Liao Empire 916 – 1125Song Empire 960 – 1279Jin Empire 1115 – 1234Yuan Empire 1271 – 1368Ming Empire 1368 – 1644Qing Empire 1616 – 1912206 BC Han Empire overthrew Qin Empire220 Cao Wei partitioned from Han Empire265 Jin Empire overthrew Cao Wei479 Southern Qi Dynasty overthrew Liu Song (Southern) Dynasty502 Liang Dynasty overthrew Southern Qi Dynasty557 Chen Dynasty overthrew Liang Dynasty581 Sui Empire overthrew Northern Zhou589 Chen Dynasty conquered by Sui Empire618 Tang Empire overthrew Sui Empire907 The Five Dynasties overthrew Tang Empire960 Song Empire overthrew The Five Dynasties1125 Jin Empire overthrew Liao Empire1279 Song Empire conquered by Yuan Empire1279 Yuan Empire absorbed remnants of Jin Empire1368 Ming Empire overthrew Yuan Empire1644 Qing Empire overthrew Ming Empire