Throughout the history of China, many rulers have come and gone. Who are the ones still standing tall in the annals of history as a result of their outstanding contributions and awe-inspiring character? There were the Three Sage Kings and the Five Legendary Rulers who painstakingly laid the foundation for Chinese civilization. They were followed by luminaries like Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty who first unified China, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who brought unprecedented prosper.

Throughout the history of China, many rulers had come and gone. Who are the ones still standing tall in the annals of history as a result of their outstanding contributions and awe-inspiring character?

There were the Three Sage Kings and the Five Legendary Rulers who painstakingly laid the foundation for Chinese civilisation. They were followed by luminaries like Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty who first unified China, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who brought unprecedented prosperity to the land,and Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty who contributed to the progress of the sciences. All these eminent emperors had one thing in common: their love for their people.

Who are the other great sovereigns who took personal responsibility for the people's happiness? Read on and find out!

Also, check out Infamous Chinese Emperors: Tales of Tyranny and Misrule for a glimpse of 13 of China's most notorious emperors!

1 The Three Sage Kings and the Five Legendary Rulers

 --Suiren,Fuxi,Shennong(Yandi)

 -- Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), Zhuanxu, Diku Yao, Shun

2 Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties

 The Emperor Who Founded the Xia Dynasty -- Yu

3 The King Who Founded the Shang Dynasty -- Cheng Tang

 The King Who Conquered Tyranny with Benevolence -- King Wen of Zhot

4 The Qin Dynasty

5 The First Emperor Who Unified China

 -- Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty

The Han Dynasty

6 The First Commoner Who Became Emperor

 -- Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang

7 Peace and Prosperity During the Reign of Emperors Wen and Jing

 -- Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Heng

 -- Emperor Jingdi of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Qi

8 The Emperor Who Took Western Han to a Golden Age

 -- Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty

9 The Emperor Who Reunified China

 -- Emperor Wendi of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian

The Tang Dynasty

10 The Golden Years of Zhenguan

 -- Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin

11 The Only Empress in Chinese History -- Wu Zetian

12 Ushering in the Prosperous Age of Kaiyuan with Song and Dance

 -- Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty Li Longji

The Song Dynasty

13 Draped with the Imperial Yellow Robe by His Supporters

 -- Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin

The Yuan Dynasty

14 The Khan Who Built an Empire Across Asia and Europe

 -- Emperor Taizu of the Yuan Dynasty, Genghis Khan

15 Man of Bold Vision

 -- Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan

The Ming Dynasty

16 The Emperor Who was a Monk

 -- Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang

17 The Emperor Who Brought Prosperity to the Ming Dynasty

 -- Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di

  The Qing Dynasty

18 The Most Benevolent and Able Emperor in Chinese History

  -- Emperor Shengzu of the Qing Dynasty, Xuanye

19 The Emperor Who Consolidated Monarchial Power and Advocated Reforms

  -- Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty, Yinzhen

20 The Benevolent, Autocratic, Conscientious, Talented and Romantic Emperor

  -- Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty, Hongli

Appendices

Glossary

A Brief Chronology of Chinese History