Spirit tablets of generations of Chinese rulers venerated at the Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties (歷代帝王廟) in Beijing. Image Courtesy of Sohu.com.
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (? 3rd millennium BCE)
The Three Sovereigns (? before r. c. 2698 BCE)
Emperor Huang (黃帝, a.k.a. The Yellow Emperor, ? r. c. 2698-c. 2598 BCE)
Emperor Zhuanxu (顓頊, ? r. c. 2514-c. 2436 BCE)
Emperor Ku (嚳, ? r. c. 2436-c. 2366 BCE)
Emperor Yao (堯, ? r. c. 2366-c. 2255 BCE)
Emperor Shun (舜, ? r. c. 2255-c. 2184 BCE)
Yu the Great (大禹, ? r. c. 2123-c. 2025 BCE)
Three Ancient Dynasties (? 21th to 8th century BCE)
Xia (夏, ? c. 2070-c. 1600 BCE)
Shang (商, ? c. 1600-c. 1046 BCE)
Western Zhou (西周, ? c. 1046-771 BCE)
Spring & Autumn and Warring States (8th to 3rd century BCE)
Spring & Autumn Period (春秋, 771-476 BCE)
Warring States Period (戰國, 476-221 BCE)
Qin and Han (3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE)
Qin (秦, 221-207 BCE)
Western Han, a.k.a. Former Han (西漢, 206 BCE-8 CE)
Xin (新, 9-23 CE), usurper regime by Wang Mang 王莽 (r. 9-23 CE)
Eastern Han, a.k.a. Later Han (東漢, 25-220 CE)
Six Dynasties (3rd to 6th century)
Wei (魏, 220-266), part of the Three Kingdoms Period (三國, 220-280)
Western Jin (西晉, 266-316)
Sixteen States (十六國, 304-439) [by the “Five Northern Barbarians” 五胡] [North]
Eastern Jin (東晉, 317-420) [South]
Northern Dynasties (北朝, 439-581) [by the Xianbei 鮮卑]
Southern Dynasties (南朝, 420-589)
Sui and Tang (6th to 10th century)
Sui (隋, 581-618)
Tang (唐, 618-907)
Liao, Song, Jin, and Yuan (10th to 14th century)
Five Dynasties and the Ten States (五代十國, 902-979) [some by the Shatuo 沙陀]
Liao (遼, 916-1125) [by the Khitans 契丹] [North]
Northern Song (北宋, 960-1127) [South]
Jin (金, 1115-1234) [by the Jurchens 女真] [North]
Southern Song (南宋, 1127-1279) [South]
Yuan (元, 1271-1368) [by the Mongols 蒙古]
Late-Imperial (14th to 20th century)
Ming (明, 1368-1666)
Qing (清, 1636-1912) [by the Manchus 滿洲]
From the Reed Ashes Pavilion 