Great Qing

The Great Qing (Mandarin: 大清 Manchu: ᡩᠠᡳ᠌ᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ) also known as the Empire of China is the current Imperial dynasty of China. It was established in 1636, and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912 and from 1920 to present. It was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China before being restored with the help of the German Empire. The Qing multi-cultural empire has lasted for almost three centuries and forms the territorial base for modern China. The dynasty was founded by the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan in Manchuria. In the late sixteenth century, Nurhaci, originally a Ming vassal, began organizing "Banners", military-social units that included Manchu, Han, and Mongol elements. Nurhaci united Manchu clans and officially proclaimed the Later Jin dynasty in 1616. His son Hong Taiji began driving Ming forces out of the Liaodong Peninsula and declared a new dynasty, the Qing, in 1636.

Starting in the 18th century the power of the Qing began to fade as they were forced to sign a series of unequal treaties with western powers. These treaties resulted in the decline of Qing power which created a period of internal strife. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the First and Second Opium wars, the Sino-Japanese War and the Taiping and Boxer rebellions. In 1911 the Qing dynasty under Emperor Puyi was overthrown and the Republic of China established. The Qing dynasty would later be restored to power in China with the help of the German Empire. Though nominally in charge of all China the Emperor's influence is limited and China is plagued by warlordism as well as the remnants of the Republic of China in Manchruia known as the Fengtain government.