The history of imperial China spans from 221 BC to 1911 AD, from the Qin dynasty to the Qing dynasty.

The Qin dynasty (秦朝) was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), the dynasty was founded by Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin. Wikipedia

The Han dynasty (漢朝) was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). Spanning over four centuries, the Han period is considered a golden age in Chinese history. Wikipedia

The Three Kingdoms (三国) was the tripartite division of China between the states of Wei(魏), Shu(蜀), and Wu(吳). It started with the end of the Han dynasty and was followed by the Jin dynasty. Wikipedia

The Jin dynasty or the Jin Empire (晉朝), sometimes distinguished as the Sima Jin (司马晋) or Liang Jin (两晋) was a Chinese dynasty traditionally dated from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan, son of Sima Zhao, who was made Prince of Jin and posthumously declared the founder of the dynasty. It followed the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), which ended with the conquest of Eastern Wu by the Jin. Wikipedia

The Northern and Southern dynasties (南北朝) was a period in the history of China following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Wu Hu states. Wikipedia

The Sui dynasty (隋朝) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China of pivotal significance. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties and reinstalled the rule of ethnic Han Chinese in the entirety of China proper, along with sinicization of former nomadic ethnic minorities (the Five Barbarians) within its territory. It was succeeded by the Tang dynasty, which largely inherited its foundation. Wikipedia

The Tang dynasty (唐朝) or the Tang Empire was an imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The Tang capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was the most populous city in the world in its day. Wikipedia

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was an era of political upheaval in 10th-century Imperial China. Five states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen concurrent states were established elsewhere, mainly in South China. It was the last prolonged period of multiple political division in Chinese imperial history. Wikipedia

The Song dynasty (宋朝) was an era of Chinese history that began in 960 continued until 1279. It was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of Later Zhou, ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song often came into conflict with the contemporary Liao and Western Xia dynasties in the north and was conquered by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Song government was the first in world history to issue banknotes or true paper money nationally and the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy. This dynasty also saw the first known use of gunpowder, as well as the first discernment of true north using a compass. Wikipedia

The Yuan dynasty (元朝), officially the Great Yuan (大元), was the empire or ruling dynasty of China established by Kublai Khan, leader of the Mongolian Borjigin clan. Wikipedia

The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China – then known as the Great Ming Empire – for 276 years following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng (who established the Shun dynasty, soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing dynasty), regimes loyal to the Ming throne – collectively called the Southern Ming – survived until 1683. Wikipedia

The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing, was the last imperial dynasty of China. It was established in 1636, and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912. It was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. The Qing multi-cultural empire lasted for almost three centuries and formed the territorial base for modern China. It was the fifth largest empire in world history. Wikipedia