For most of its history until the 20th century, China consisted of one or several dynastic kingdoms or states under the rule of hereditary monarchs. Beginning with the establishment of a system of dynastic rule by Yu the Great c. 2070 BC, and ending with the abdication of the last Xuantong Emperor, Puyi, in AD 1912^, China came to organize itself around the hereditary succession of predominantly male emperors, and more broadly their family dynasties.
For most of its history until the 20th century, China consisted of one or several dynastic kingdoms or states under the rule of hereditary monarchs. Beginning with the establishment of a system of dynastic rule by Yu the Great c. 2070 BC, and ending with the abdication of the last Xuantong Emperor, Puyi, in AD 1912^, China came to organize itself around the hereditary succession of predominantly male emperors, and more broadly their family dynasties.
Source: Wikipedia "Dynasties of China" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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