Fall of the Qing Dynasty

By 1775, China was the most wealthy and populous nation in the world. But the same forces that had allowed the early Qing to flourish, brought challenges and chaos to the latter part of the dynasty. Internal instability and incursions from abroad continually weakened the dynasty. In 1912 the Republic of China (Zhōnghuá mínguó ; 中華民國) was established by Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙). Imperial rule ended in China.