The Chinese Empire lasted for about 2,000 years from its establishment as an imperial state in 221 BC by the Qin Dynasty until the abdication of the last emperor in 1912 following the fall of the Qing Dynasty. The history of Chinese civilization itself stretches even further back, over 3,000 years since the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), but the imperial phase began with Qin's unification of China in 221 BC and ended with the Qing in the early 20th century.
More precisely:
- The imperial period started in 221 BC under the Qin Dynasty.
- The Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty, lasted from 1644 to 1912.
- The Qing's fall in 1912 marked the end of imperial China after more than two millennia of dynastic rule.
Thus, the Chinese Empire as an imperial entity lasted roughly 2,100 to 2,200 years.
