Chinese

The Chinese group is made up of the Han peoples, divided into dozens of regional cultures such as the Wu of the lower Yangtze, the Gan, Jin and Hakka. They shared one written language and the idea of a single China under an emperor.

Kublai Khan founded the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in 1271 and conquered the Southern Song in 1279. The Red Turban Rebellions from 1351 destroyed Yuan rule, and Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming dynasty in 1368. The Yongle Emperor made Beijing his capital and sent Zheng He on great sea voyages. The Ming fell in 1644 to the rebel Li Zicheng and the Manchu-led Qing.