What's the difference between states, kingdoms, and dynasties in China? Why aren't they called kingdoms or empires like in Europe?

by [deleted]

[deleted]

DeSoulis

Because unlike Europe there was never a permanent multi-state system in China proper. What you had instead is the rise of an empire which unified China in 221 BC, which then collapsed and was subsumed by the Han dynasty. Each dynasty was therefore a kind of iteration of a state which implements the same idea of an universal empire which rules or at least claims to rule all of China.