From the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, over the course of more than two thousand years of feudal history, dozens of dynasties of various sizes emerged. The unified dynasties included the Qin Dynasty, Western Han Dynasty, Eastern Han Dynasty, Western Jin Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Northern Song Dynasty (barely considered), Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty. They were the longest dynasties in China for nearly three hundred years, while the shortest ones were only a few decades. But apart from the short-lived dynasties of Qin and Sui, there were no other dynasties that had a complete lineage from father to son. So how many generations did each of them pass down from father to son? Let’s learn about it together in this article.
1、Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first unified dynasty in Chinese history. In 221 BC, after pacifying the six states, Qin Shi Huang unified the world and established the Qin Dynasty. He shared the same writings and vehicles, and established the first unified dynasty in feudal history. Originally, according to Qin Shi Huang’s idea, he wanted to pass on the legacy of the Great Qin for thousands of generations. He himself called himself Emperor Shi Huang, and his descendants would be referred to as the Second and Third Emperors, respectively, However, the Qin Dynasty did not inherit according to the ideas of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
In 210 BC, after the death of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, his youngest son Hu Hai ascended to the throne with the support of Zhao Gao, becoming the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty. However, after Hu Hai succeeded to the throne, he implemented cruel rule, which triggered peasant uprisings and led to the downfall of the Qin Dynasty in 207 BC. From the establishment of the Qin Dynasty by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC to its downfall in 207 BC, a total of 14 years were passed down from father to son.
2、Western Han Dynasty
After the downfall of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu engaged in a four-year struggle between Chu and Han, ultimately defeating Xiang Yu and establishing the Han Dynasty in 202 BC. During the reign of Liu Bang, he eliminated kings with different surnames and stabilized domestic rule. He reigned for 7 years and passed away in 195 BC. After Liu Bang’s death, Crown Prince Liu Ying succeeded to the throne. However, Liu Ying was too cowardly and the power was in the hands of Empress Lv. After serving as emperor for 7 years, Liu Ying passed away in 188 BC.
After Liu Ying’s death, Empress Lv appointed Liu Gong, Liu Ying’s illegitimate eldest son, as emperor in order to continue to control the power of the court. However, Liu Gong was still a child and naturally became a puppet of Empress Lv. Four years later, Liu Gong learned that his biological mother had been murdered and vowed to seek revenge when he grew up. Empress Lv was afraid that the former Young Emperor would cause trouble, so she imprisoned him in Yongxiang and soon assassinated Liu Gong. Later, Empress Lv appointed Liu Hong, another son of Liu Ying, as emperor. At this time, the inheritance from father to son in the Han Dynasty underwent a change. That is to say, from the establishment of the Han Dynasty by Liu Bang, only three generations (Liu Bang Liu Ying Liu Gong) were passed down from father to son, totaling 18 years. After the suppression of the Zhulu Rebellion in 180 BC, Liu Heng, the fourth son of Liu Bang, succeeded to the throne. He also passed on his father’s legacy to four generations: Emperor Jing Liu Qi, Emperor Wu Liu Che, and Emperor Zhao Liu Fuling, for a total of 106 years.
3、Eastern Han Dynasty
After Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, the implementation of the Tuogu Reform led to a great chaos in the world, causing uprisings in various places. Liu Xiu was one of the rebel forces. In 25 AD, Liu Xiu declared himself emperor in Baixiang, Hebei, and the country’s name remained Han, known as the Eastern Han Dynasty in history. After 12 years of efforts to unify the country, Liu Xiu succeeded to the throne and then worked hard to create a situation of Guangwu Zhongxing. In the year 57 AD, after Liu Xiu’s death, Crown Prince Liu Zhuang succeeded to the throne as Emperor Ming of Han. Emperor Ming continued to implement benevolent governance and his national strength flourished. However, his reign was not long, only 18 years. After the death of Emperor Ming, Crown Prince Liu Jiong succeeded to the throne, becoming Emperor Zhang of Han. Liu Jiong’s reign was not long, only 13 years, and he passed away at the age of 33.
After the death of Emperor Zhang Liu Zhu, Crown Prince Liu Zhao succeeded to the throne, and the national strength of the Eastern Han Dynasty reached its peak during his reign, known as the Yongyuan period in history. However, Liu Zhao also passed away at a young age, only 27 years old. After his death, his youngest son Liu Long, who was only over a hundred days old, succeeded him as emperor and was personally governed by Empress Dowager Hexi Deng Sui under the name of “Nv ü jun”, exercising imperial power on his behalf. Then, Liu Long died in less than a year of his reign. The throne was inherited by Liu Hu, the grandson of Emperor Zhang and the son of Prince Qinghe Liu Qing. The inheritance from father to son of the Eastern Han Dynasty came to an end. From the founding of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu to the untimely death of Emperor Shang Liu Long (106 AD), the lineage of the Eastern Han Dynasty was passed down from father to son for a total of five generations, lasting for 81 years.
4、Western Jin Dynasty
In 265 AD, based on the foundation laid by his ancestors, Sima Yan forced Emperor Yuan of Wei, Cao Huan, to abdicate and replace Wei Jianjin. In 280 AD, he conquered Sun Wu and unified the world. After the death of Sima Yan in 290 AD, Crown Prince Sima Zhong succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Hui of Jin. During the reign of Emperor Hui, the Rebellion of the Eight Princes broke out, and the Western Jin Dynasty entered a period of chaos for many years. After Emperor Hui’s death in 307 AD, Sima Chi, the 25th son of Sima Yan, succeeded him as emperor and was assisted by the Grand Tutor, Prince Donghai Sima Yue. From the establishment of the Jin Dynasty by Sima Yan in 265 AD to the succession of Sima Chi as emperor in 307 AD, the lineage of father son inheritance in the Western Jin Dynasty only lasted for two generations, totaling 42 years.
5、Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty, like the Qin Dynasty, had a short lifespan. In 581 AD, Yang Jian replaced Zhou to establish Sui, and in 589 AD, he went south to conquer Chen and unify the whole country. After years of governance, the Kaihuang rule was established. However, Yang Jian made a mistake in selecting his successor. After Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, due to his eagerness for quick success and instant benefits, he built the Grand Canal, established the eastern capital of Luoyang, and launched three expeditions to Goguryeo, which seriously exhausted his national strength and led to chaos. In 618 AD, Yang Guang was killed by Yuwen Huaji, and the Sui Dynasty was destroyed. The Sui Dynasty lasted for 38 years from its founding to its downfall, spanning two generations from father to son.
6、Tang Dynasty
In 618 AD, Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty and appointed his eldest son Li Jiancheng as the crown prince, and his second son Li Shimin as the king of Qin. Originally, according to Li Yuan’s idea, Li Jiancheng was supposed to succeed to the throne, but he could not resist Li Shimin’s strong abilities. Therefore, in 626 AD, Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident and executed Taizi Jiancheng. Two months later, Li Yuan abdicated the throne to Li Shimin and became the emperor himself. After Li Shimin succeeded to the throne, he worked hard to govern and established the Zhenguan rule. He was also revered as the Heavenly Khan by various ethnic groups. After the death of Li Shimin in 649 AD, Crown Prince Li Zhi succeeded to the throne. After Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, he continued to implement various policies of the Zhenguan Dynasty, worked hard to govern internally, and expanded his territory externally. The territory of the Tang Dynasty reached its maximum during his reign. However, in the later period of Li Zhi’s reign, his health deteriorated and he gradually entrusted the court affairs to Empress Wu Zetian, which also led to the later “usurpation” of the throne by Wu Zetian.
After the death of Li Zhi in 683 AD, Crown Prince Li Xian succeeded to the throne. As soon as Li Xian succeeded to the throne, he wanted to confer the title of prime minister on his father-in-law Wei Xuanzhen. Despite the opposition of the then prime minister Pei Yan, Pei Yan informed Wu Zetian of this matter. Wu Zetian then deposed Li Xian, who had just ascended the throne for 55 days, as the Prince of Luling and replaced him with his youngest son Li Dan. Wu Zetian then took charge of the court. At this point, the inheritance of a single lineage in the Tang Dynasty underwent a change. From the founding of Li Yuan in 618 AD to the abolition of Li Xian in 684 AD, the Tang Dynasty passed down from father to son for a total of 66 years, spanning four generations. However, since Li Dan became emperor for the second time, his father passed on the legacy of Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji, Emperor Suzong Li Heng, Emperor Daizong Li Yu, Emperor Dezong Li Shi, Emperor Shunzong Li Song, Emperor Xianzong Li Chun, Emperor Muzong Li Heng, and Emperor Jingzong Li Zhan for a total of 117 years.
7、Northern Song Dynasty
In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin rose to the throne in the Chenqiao Rebellion and established the Song Dynasty. However, after he reigned for 16 years and passed away, the throne was not passed on to his son, but to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. So from the Northern Song Dynasty to the second emperor, it was no longer passed down from father to son. And since Zhao Guangyi, it has only been passed down from father to son to grandson Renzong. Emperor Renzong had no son, so the throne was passed on to his nephew Zhao Shu. So from the beginning, the Northern Song Dynasty failed to successfully pass on knowledge from father to son.
8、Yuan Dynasty
In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was a matter of brotherhood and brotherhood, while in the Yuan Dynasty, it was directly passed down from grandfather to grandson. After Kublai Khan changed the Great Mongol Empire to the Great Yuan Dynasty, he worked hard to improve the power of the Yuan Dynasty, and his crown prince Zhenjin was also a qualified heir. However, Zhenjin became depressed and sick due to the abdication incident in 1285, and passed away at the end of the same year. Kublai Khan did not appoint any other sons as crown princes, but passed on the throne to his grandson Tiemu’er before his death in 1294. Therefore, the Yuan Dynasty was not passed down from father to son. As for the succession of the imperial throne after Emperor Chengzong’s reign, it was even more chaotic.
9、Ming Dynasty
After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Great Ming Dynasty in 1368 AD, the system of eldest son succession was established. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Ming Dynasty would pass on the lineage from father to son, but an unexpected event happened. The Crown Prince Zhu Biao, whom Zhu Yuanzhang devoted himself to nurturing, passed away in 1392, disrupting Zhu Yuanzhang’s plan. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang slaughtered a wave of meritorious officials and appointed his grandson Zhu Yunwen as the Crown Prince. After his death in 1398, Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne, so the founding of the Ming Dynasty was not passed down from father to son, but from grandfather to grandson. After Zhu Di ascended to the throne in the Battle of Jingnan, he passed on his father’s legacy to his great grandson Zhu Qizhen through Emperor Renzong Zhu Gaochi and Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji for a total of 47 years.
10、Qing Dynasty
Although the Qing Dynasty was not based on the system of eldest son succession, it was the longest lasting period of inheritance from father to son. In 1626 AD, after the death of Nurhaci, the eighth son, Huang Taiji (Four Beiles), inherited the throne. In 1636, Huang Taiji declared himself emperor and changed the country’s name to Qing Dynasty. In the eighth year of Chongde, Huang Taiji died suddenly. Due to the lack of a will, the ninth son of Huang Taiji, Fulin, succeeded to the throne as Emperor Shunzhi in the midst of the fierce competition between Dorgon and Haoge. Emperor Shunzhi reigned for 18 years, but passed away at a young age. After his death in 1661, he was succeeded by his 8-year-old third son Xuanye, who became Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi was the longest reigning emperor in history. During his reign, he accomplished many great things, including capturing Aobai, pacifying San Francisco, taking over Taiwan, and conquering Galdan. Under his efforts, the Qing Dynasty basically unified the whole country.
In the later years of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, the Nine Sons Incident broke out, and in the end, the fourth son Yinzhen emerged victorious, becoming Emperor Yongzheng. Emperor Yongzheng reigned for 13 years and worked hard to increase the amount of silver in the national treasury several times. After the death of Yongzheng, his fourth son Hongli succeeded to the throne as Emperor Qianlong. Qianlong was the longest reigning emperor in history, lasting for over 63 years, and the Qing Dynasty’s national strength reached its peak during his reign.
After the death of Emperor Qianlong, the throne of the Qing Dynasty was successively passed on to Emperor Jiaqing Yan, Emperor Daoguang Minning, Emperor Xianfeng Yi, and Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun. As Emperor Tongzhi passed away at a young age and had no son, the throne was passed on to Zaijian, the second son of Prince Chun Yi, known as Emperor Guangxu. Emperor Guangxu also had no son, so it was later passed on to Puyi, the son of his younger brother Zaifeng.
Starting from Nurhaci, the Qing Dynasty passed down from father to son for a total of 258 years, spanning 10 generations including Huang Taiji, Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi.
