Dynastic Table of Chinese Emperors

Author: Du Jianmin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: The book "Chronological Genealogies of Emperors in Chinese History" introduces the basic information of emperors in various dynasties in China in a traditional tabular form, including the names, genealogies, temple names, posthumous titles, era names, birth and death years, ages at death, reign periods, ages at accession, and methods of succession, etc. It is a fundamental reference tool for studying and researching Chinese history and reading ancient Chinese historical texts. The content of this book covers the time period from the legendary Five Emperors to the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Each table is arranged in chronological order of dynasties, generally with one table per dynasty. The history of China, starting from the first year of the Western Zhou's Republic (841 BC), has reliable chronological records. Before this, the years were estimated by later generations, with varying interpretations and difficulties in reliance. Therefore, this book only lists simplified genealogical tables for the Xia and Shang dynasties, supplemented by textual explanations. Since the first year of the Western Zhou's Republic had definite records, the Western Zhou (after the Republic), the Spring and Autumn Period, and the Warring States Period are all listed with tables of the Zhou kings and feudal lords' genealogies and chronology. Starting from the Han Dynasty, emperors of each dynasty were given both temple names and posthumous titles, and era names were established. Thus, this book lists detailed genealogical tables for each dynasty after the Han Dynasty. The auxiliary textual explanations are kept concise.