The history of Chinese imperial rule traditionally begins with the semi-legendary Xia dynasty (traditionally dated c. 2070β1600 BCE) and unfolds through a succession of ruling houses that shaped one of the worldβs most continuous state traditions. From the Shang (c. 1600β1046 BCE) and Zhou (c. 1046β256 BCE), which articulated the Mandate of Heaven as a principle of dynastic legitimacy, to the Qin unification under Qin Shi Huang (reign 221β210 BCE) and the consolidation of imperial institutions under the Han (206 BCEβ220 CE), Chinese emperors governed vast territories through evolving administrative systems. Across periods of unity and fragmentation, imperial authority rested on bureaucratic governance, Confucian state ideology, and control over agrarian and commercial resources.
