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-The '''nobility of China''' were an important feature of traditional social and political organization of the [[Chinese civilization]]. While the concepts of hereditary titles and noble families were featured as early as the semi-mythical early historical period, a settled system of nobility was established from the [[Zhou Dynasty]]. In the subsequent millennia, this system was largely maintained in form, with some changes and additions, although the content constantly evolved. The last, well-developed system of noble titles was established under the [[Qing Dynasty]]. In 1911, the overthrow of the imperial system saw the dissolution of the nobility.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} Though some noble families maintained their titles and dignity for a time, new political and economic circumstances forced their decline. The fact that most existing nobles were of the [[Manchu]] ethnicity, a ruling elite under the Qing dynasty, but an ethnic minority like any other under the new Republic, resulted in minimal popular recognition of their nobility. Today, the nobility as a class is almost entirely dissipated in China, and only a very few maintain any pretense or claim to noble titles, which are almost universally unrecognized.
-==The Sovereign==
-The apex of the nobility is the Sovereign. The title of the sovereign has changed over time, together with the connotations of the respective titles.
-In the earliest, semi-mythical age, the sovereign was titled either ''huang'' (Chinese: 皇 huáng) or ''di'' (Chinese: 帝 dì). Together, these rulers were called the [[Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors]].
-* The King during the Xia and Shang dynasties called themselves di (Chinese: 帝 dì)
-* The King during the Zhou dynasty was called Wang (Chinese: 王 or 國王; wáng), was the title of the [[China|Chinese]] [[head of state]] until the [[Qin dynasty]]. The title "Wang" should not be confused with the common surname, which has no royal implications. A King can be subordinate to an Emperor.
-* The [[Emperor of China|Emperor]] or Huangdi (皇帝, [[pinyin]]: huáng dì) was the title of the [[China|Chinese]] [[head of state]] of China from the Qin dynasty in [[221 BC]] until the fall of the [[Qing dynasty]] in 1911. The first emperor of Qin ([[Qin Shi Huang]]) combined the two characters ''huang'' (皇 "august, magnificent") and ''di'' (帝 "God, Royal Ancestor") to form the title "Huangdi". Since the [[Han dynasty]], ''Huangdi'' began to be [[abbreviate]]d to ''huang'' or ''di''.
-Although formally "The Son of Heaven," the power of the [[emperor]] varied between different emperors and different dynasties, with some emperors being absolute rulers and others being figureheads with actual power in the hands of court factions, [[eunuch]]s, the bureaucracy or noble families.
-The title of emperor was usually transmitted from father to son. Most often, the first-born son of the [[empress]] inherited the office, failing which the post was taken up by the first-born son of a [[concubine]] or consort of lower rank, but this rule was not universal and disputed succession was the cause of a number of [[civil war]]s. Unlike in [[Emperor of Japan|Japan]], traditional Chinese political theory allowed for a change in dynasty, and an emperor could be replaced by a rebel leader. This was because a successful rebel leader was believed to enjoy the mandate of heaven, while the deposed or defeated emperor had lost favour with the gods, and his mandate was over, a fact made apparent to all by his defeat.
-It was generally not possible for a female to succeed to the throne, so that in history of China there has only been one reigning [[empress]], the [[Wu Zetian, Empress of China|Empress Wu]], whose reign punctuated the [[Tang dynasty]]. However, there have been numerous cases in Chinese history where a woman was the actual power behind the imperial throne (see [[éminence grise]]).
-==Princehood and Peerage==
-===''Fengjian'' and ''Zongfa'' of the Zhou Dynasty===
-The social system of the [[Zhou Dynasty]] is sometimes referred to as the Chinese proto-[[feudalism]] and was the combination of ''Fengjian'' (Honors and Awards) and ''Zongfa'' (Clan Law). [[Male]] aristocracies were classified into, in descending order of rank:
-*the [[nobility|nobles]] – ''Zhuhou'' (諸侯 [[pinyin]] zhū hóu),
-*the gentlemen ministers (of the royal court) – ''Qing'' (卿 qīng),
-*the gentlemen bureaucrats – ''[[Daifu]]'' (大夫 dà fū)
-*the  [[yeoman|yeomen]] – ''Shi'' (士 shì)
-*the [[commoner]]s – ''Shumin'' (庶民 shù mín).
-'''[[Fengjian]]''' (Honors and Awards) divided the [[nobility|noble]] class further into (originally) five ranks. The sizes of troops and domains a male noble would command would be determined by his rank of [[peerage]]:
-*[[duke]] or [[prince]] (''[[#Gong|gong]]'', ch. 公(爵) gōng),
-*[[marquis]] or [[marquess]] (''[[#Hou|hou]]'', ch. 侯(爵) hóu),
-*[[count]] or [[earl]] (''[[#bo|bo]]'', ch. 伯(爵) bó),
-*[[viscount]] (''[[zi]]'', ch. 子(爵) zǐ),
-*[[baron]] (''[[#Nan|nan]]'', ch. 男(爵) nán).
-While before the [[Han Dynasty]] a [[peerage|peer]] with a place name in his title actually governed that place, it had only been nominally true since. Any male member of the nobility or [[Gentry (China)|gentry]] could be called a ''gongzi'' (公子 gōng zǐ) (or ''wangzi'' (王子 wáng zǐ) if he is a son of a king, i.e. [[prince]]).
-'''Zongfa''' (宗法, Clan Law), which applied to all social classes, governed the [[primogeniture]] of rank and succession of other [[sibling]]s. The eldest son of the [[Queen consort|consort]] would inherit the title and retained the same rank within the system. Other sons from the consort, [[concubine]]s and [[Mistress (lover)|mistresses]] would be given titles one rank lower than their father.
-As time went by, all terms had lost their original meanings nonetheless. ''Qing'' (卿), ''Daifu'' (大夫) and ''Shi'' (士) became [[synonym]]s of court officials. [[Physician]]s were often called ''Daifu'' during the [[Late Imperial China]]. Referring to a male or self-reference of a male as ''Gongzi'' eventually became a way to raise one's ''mianzi'' (refer to [[Face (social concept)]]), and would indeed be considered flattery today.
-===Female Nobility===
-Titles of [[female]] members of the aristocracies varied in different dynasties and eras, each having unique classifications for the spouses of the emperor. Any female member excluding a spouse of an emperor can be called a [[princess]] or ''gongzhu'' (公主 gōng zhǔ), and incorporated her associated place into her title if she had one.
-===History===
-{{See|Society and culture of the Han Dynasty}}
-Before the [[Qin dynasty]], ''[[Wang]]'' ([[monarch|king]]) was the title for the ruler of whole China. Under him were the ''[[Zhuhou]]'' or [[nobles]], who were the local warlords. They had the duty to support the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]] king during an emergency. In the [[Spring and Autumn Period]], the Zhou kings had lost most of their powers, and the most powerful ''Zhuhou'' became the [[de facto]] ruler of China.  Finally, in the [[Warring States Period]], most ''Zhuhou'' declared themselves ''Wang'' or kings, and regarded themselves as equal to the Zhou king.  After Zheng, king of the state of [[Qin]], later known as [[Qin Shi Huang]], defeated all other ''Wang'' and unified China, he took a new title ''Huangdi'' ([[emperor]]). Qin Shi Huang eliminated noble titles, as he sponsored [[legalism]] and it believed in merit, not birth. He forced all nobles to the capital, seized their land, turned them into administrative districts with officials ruling them selected for merit. After the demise of [[Qin Er Shi]], the last Qin ruler to used the title ''Huangdi'' (his successor [[Ziying]] used the title [[King of Qin]] rather Emperor), [[Xiang Yu]] styled himself Hegemon King of Western Chu (Xichu Bàwáng 西楚霸王) rather than Emperor.  Xiang Yu gave  [[Emperor Yi of Chu|King Huai of Chu]] II the title of '''Emperor of Chu''' (楚義帝) or '''The Righteous Emperor of Southern Chu''' (南楚義帝) and awarded the rest of his allies, including [[Liu Bang]],  titles and a place to administer.  Xiang Yu gave Liu Bang the Principality of Han, and he would soon replace him as the ruler of China.
-The founder of the [[Han Dynasty]], [[Liu Bang]], continued to use the title ''Huangdi''. In order to appease his wartime allies, he gave each of them a piece of land as their own "kingdom" ([[Kingdoms of Han Dynasty|Wangguo]]) along with a title of ''Wang''. He eventually killed all of them and replaced them with members of his family. These kingdoms remained effectively independent until the [[Rebellion of the Seven States]]. Since then, ''Wang'' became merely the highest hereditary title, which roughly corresponded to the title of [[prince]], and, as such, was commonly given to relatives of the emperor. The title ''Gong'' also reverted purely to a [[peerage]] title, ranking below ''Wang''. Those who bore such titles were entirely under the auspices of the emperor, and had no ruling power of their own. The two characters combined to form the rank, ''Wanggong'', grew to become [[synonym]]ous with all higher court officials.
-During the [[Tang dynasty]], nobles lost most of their power to the [[mandarin (China)|mandarins]] when [[imperial examination]] replaced the [[nine-rank system]].
-Subsequent dynasties expanded the hereditary titles further. It should be noted, however, that not all titles of peerage are hereditary, and the right to continue the heredity passage of a very high title was seen as a very high honour; at the end of the [[Qing]] dynasty, there were five grades of [[prince]]s, amongst a myriad of other titles. For details, see [[Qing Dynasty nobility]].
-A few Chinese families enjoyed hereditary titles in the full sense, the chief among them being the [[Duke Yansheng|Holy Duke of Yen]] (the descendant of [[Confucius]]); others, such as the lineal descendants of [[Wen Tianxiang]], ennobled the Duke of Xingguo, not choosing to use their hereditary title. The Imperial Clansmen consisted of those who trace their descent direct from the founder of the [[Qing dynasty]], and were distinguished by the privilege of wearing a yellow girdle; collateral relatives of the imperial house wore a red girdle. Twelve degrees of nobility (in a descending scale as one generation succeeds another) were conferred on the descendants of every emperor; in the thirteenth generation the descendants of emperors were merged in the general population, save that they retain the yellow girdle. The heads of eight houses, the Iron-capped (or helmeted) princes, maintained their titles in perpetuity by rule of [[primogeniture]] in virtue of having helped the [[Manchu conquest]] of China.
-All titles of nobility were officially abolished when China became a [[Republic of China|republic]] in 1912.  They were briefly revived under [[Empire of China (1915-1916)|Yuan Shikai's empire]] and after [[Zhang Xun (Republic of China)|Zhang Xun]]'s coup.  The [[Puyi|last emperor]] was allowed to keep his title but was treated as a foreign monarch until the 1924 coup.  [[Manchukuo]] also had titles of nobility.
-==Other Historical Chinese Titles==
-'''Protector General''' (都護; Duhu) &ndash; See e.g. [[Ban Chao]].
-==List of people given peerage by Yuan Shikai==
-Yuan Shikai resurrected the system, in his [[Empire of China (1915-1916)]]
-====Prince of the First Rank Wuyi (武義親王 ''Wǔyì qīn wáng'')====
-*[[Li Yuanhong]]
-====Dukes of the First Rank (一等公 ''Yī děng gōng'')====
-*[[Long Jiguang]] (龍濟光)
-*[[Zhang Xun (Republic of China)|Zhang Xun]]
-*[[Feng Guozhang]]
-*[[Jiang Guiti]] (姜桂題)
-*[[Duan Zhigui]]
-*[[Ni Sichong]]
-*[[Liu Guanxiong]]
-====Marquesses of the First Rank (一等侯 ''Yī děng hóu'')====
-*[[Tang Xiangming]] (湯薌銘)
-*[[Li Chun (Republic of China)|Li Chun]] (李純)
-*[[Zhu Rui]] (朱瑞)
-*[[Lu Rongting]]
-*[[Zhao Ti]] (趙倜)
-*[[Chen Yi (Kuomintang)|Chen Yi]]
-*[[Tang Jiyao]]
-*[[Yan Xishan]]
-*[[Wang Zhanyuan]] (王占元)
-====Counts of the First Rank (一等伯 ''Yī děng bó'')====
-*[[Zhang Xiluan]] (張錫鑾)
-*[[Zhu Jiabao]] (朱家寶)
-*[[Zhang Mingqi]] (張鳴岐)
-*[[Tian Wenlie]] (田文烈)
-*[[Jin Yunpeng]]
-*[[Yang Zengxin]] (楊增新)
-*[[Lu Jianzhang]] (陸建章)
-*[[Meng Enyuan]] (孟恩遠)
-*[[Qu Yinguang]] (屈映光)
-*[[Qi Yaolin]] (齊耀琳)
-*[[Cao Kun]]
-*[[Yang Shande]] (楊善德)
-====Viscounts of the First Rank (一等子 ''Yī děng zǐ'')====
-*[[Zhu Qinglan]] (朱慶瀾)
-*[[Zhang Guangjian]] (張廣建)
-*[[Li Houji]] (李厚基)
-*[[Liu Xianshi]] (劉顯世)
-====Barons of the First Rank (一等男 ''Yī děng nán'')====
-*[[Xu Shiying]] (許世英)
-*[[Qi Yang]] (戚揚)
-*[[Ren Kecheng]] (任可澄)
-*[[Wang Yitang]] (王揖唐)
-*[[He Zonglian]] (何宗蓮)
-*[[Zhang Huaizhi]] (張懷芝)
-*[[Long Jinuang]] (龍覲光)
-*[[Chen Bingkun]]
-*[[Lu Yongxiang (Republic of China)|Lu Yongxiang]] (盧永祥)
-*[[Lü Diaoyuan]] (呂調元)
-*[[Jin Yong (Republic of China)|Jin Yong]] (金永)
-*[[Cai Rukai]] (蔡儒楷)
-*[[Duan Shuyun]] (段書雲)
-*[[Long Jianzhang]] (龍建章)
-*[[Shen Jinjian]] (沈金鑑)
-*[[Pan Juying]] (潘矩楹)
-====Baron of the Third Rank (三等男 ''Sān děng nán'')====
-*[[Feng Yuxiang]]
-==Styles for Foreign Monarchs==
-Traditional Chinese political theory held that "All lands under Heaven belong to the emperor, all people under Heaven belong, are subjects of the emperor." (普天之下，莫非王土;率土之濱,莫非王臣). Thus, a foreign monarch would also be referred to as ''Wang'', implying that one was inferior in rank and thus subject to the Chinese Emperor.
-In modern Chinese, a [[monarch|king]] is referred to as a ''Wang'', while an [[emperor]] would be referred to as ''Huangdi''. The king in those times were referred to as the mandate of heaven. Therefore [[Victoria of the United Kingdom]] was styled ''Nü-Wang'' (Queen) of the United Kingdom of [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]], and ''Nü-Huang'' (Empress) of [[India]].
-== References ==
-{{reflist}}
-''This article incorporates text from the [[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica]], which is in the public domain.''
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Nobility}}
-[[Category:Chinese nobility|*]]
-[[Category:Social history of China]]
-[[lv:Aristokrātijas tituli Ķīnā]]
-[[zh:中國爵位]]