438 
CHINA. 
rate obfervations. Many revolutions of thofe great lu¬ 
minaries mult have been completed, and numberlefs con¬ 
junctions have paffed over, before their returns could be 
afcertained to happen in the fame day, at the end of nine¬ 
teen years. Tlte fmall difference of time between the 
returning periods of this cycle, was partly lelfened by the 
intervention of another of lixty years, or of 720 revolu¬ 
tions of the moon, which, with the fettled intercalations 
of twenty-two lunations, were atfirft fuppofed to bring a 
perfeCt coincidence of the relative politicns of the fun and 
moon : but even according to this period, every new year 
was made conftantly to recede, in a very fmall degree, 
which the Chinefe corrected afterwards from time to time. 
This cycle anfwered a double purpofe, one as an era for 
chronological reckoning, and the other as a regulating- 
period for a luni-folar year. Each year of the cycle is 
diitinguilhed by the union of two characters, taken from 
Inch an arrangement of an unequal number of words 
placed in oppofite columns, that the lame two characters 
cannot be found again together for lixty years. The firlt 
column contains a leries of ten words, the other twelve; 
which lalt are, in faCt, the fame that denote the twelve 
hours or divifions of the day, each being double the Eu¬ 
ropean hour. The firlt word or character of the firlt feries 
or column of ten words, joined to the firlt word of the 
fecond feries or column of twelve, marks the firlt year of 
the cycle ; and fo on until the firlt feries is exhaulted. 
when the eleventh word of the fecond feries, combined 
with the firlt of the firlt feries, marks the eleventh year 
of the cycle ; and-the twelfth or lalt of the fecond feries, 
joined with the fecond of the firlt feries, ferves for denot¬ 
ing the twelfth year. The third of the firlt feries becomes 
united in regular progreflion with the firlt of the fecond 
feries, to mark the thirteenth year; and proceeding by 
this rule, the firlt character in the firlt and in the fecond 
feries cannot come again together for fixty years, or until 
the firlt year of the fecond cycle. The • Chriltian year 
3797, anlwers to the 54th year of the 68th Chinele cycle, 
which afcertains its commencement to have been 2277 
years before the birth of Chrilt; unlefs it be fuppoied 
that the official records and public annals of the empire, 
which bear teliimony to it, Ihould all be falfified, and that 
the cycle when fiift eltablilhed Ihould have been antidat¬ 
ed; which is indeed as little probable as that the period, 
for example, of the Olympiads Ihould be afierted to have 
commenced many ages prior to the firlt Olympic games.” 
This is a very llrong argument againlt the opinion of 
a man whole talents and knowledge of oriental learning,^ 
were fucli as to give to his decisions on fuch fubjeCts the 
greatelt weight. If the ftatements and reafonings of Sir 
George Staunton be accurate, the Chinefe empire mult 
have fubfilted at lealt 3000 years before the Chriltian era ; 
for he fays exprefsly, that many ages mult have elapfed 
before the commencement of that cycle, which, accord¬ 
ing to him, commenced 2277 years before the birth of 
Chrilt.-Upon evidence fo equally fupported, and by men 
of fuch fuperior ability, we by no means think ourfelves 
qualified to decide. The queltion will probably remain 
for ever at iffue, unlefs lome very decilive documents 
Ihould be hereafter difcovered, whereby thefe two argu¬ 
ments might be reconciled ; or the one or other of them 
proved to be in fa£t, what they now only appear to be in 
conjecture. We therefore proceed to give that part of 
the Chinele hiltory which, Itands upon a furer bafis. The 
whole of the Chinefe emperors abltrafting from thofe 
who are faid to have reigned in the fabulous times, are 
comprehended in twenty-two dynallies, viz. 
t. Ilya, containing . 
Emperors. 
Before Chi 
. . 17 . . 
. . 2207 
2. Shang, orIng . • 
. . 28 . . 
. . 1766 
3. Chew ..... 
. . 1122 
4. Tfin .... 
. . 4 • • 
. . 248 
Han .... 
. . 206 
Empero 
6 . Hew-han . • 
2 
* 
220 
7. Tlin . . . 
15 
« 
465 
8. Song . . 
8 
220 
9. Tfi . . . . 
5 
479 
10. Lyang . . 
ft 
502 
11. Chin 
ft 
557 
12. Swi .... 
13. Twang. . . 
3 
20 
618 
14. Hew-lyang 
2 
907 
15. Hew-tang . 
a 
923 
16. Hew-tfin . . 
2 
936 
17. Hew-han . . 
2 
94-7 
18. Hew-chew 
3 
95 * 
19. Song . . . 
18 
960 
20. Iwen . . . 
9 
1280 
21. Ming . ' . 
16 
• 
1368 
22. Tfing . . 
• 
1645 
After Chrilt' 
This table is formed according to the accounts of Du 
Halde, and is commonly reckoned to be the molt authen¬ 
tic ; but according to the hypothefis of the compilers of 
the Univerfal Hiftor)', who make Yau contempoj-ary with 
Jofhua, the dynalty of Hya did not commence till the year 
before Chrilt 1357 ; and, to accommodate the hiltory to 
their hypothefis, great alterations mult be made in the du¬ 
ration of the dynalties. 
The molt interelting particulars of the Chinefe hiftoiy 
relate only to the incurlions of the Tartars, w'ho finally- 
conquered the whole empire, and who Hill continue to 
hold the lovereignty ; though by transferring the feat 
of the empire to Peking, and adopting the Chinefe lan¬ 
guage, manners, &c. Tartary would feein rather to have 
been conquered by China, than China by Tartary. 
In the tenth century of the Chriltian era,' the Kitan 
Tartars firlt got a footing in China. The Kitan were a 
people of ealtern Tartary, -who dwelt to the north and 
north-eaft of the province of Pecheli in China, lying with¬ 
out the great wall. Thefe people having fubdued the 
country between Korea and Kalhgar, became much more 
troublelome to the Chinele than all the other Tartars. 
Their empire commenced about 916 of the Chriltian era, 
and in the fourth year of the 14th Chinefe dynalty, called 
Hew lyang. In 946, Mingt-fong, fecond emperor of the 
15th dynalty, being dead, Sheking-tang his lon-in-law 
rebelled againlt Mmgt-fong, his Ion and fucgelfor, whom 
he deprived ot his crown and life. This he accomplished 
by means of an army of 50,000 men, fnrnilhed by the 
Kitan Tartars. Fi-ti, the fon of Mingt-fong, being un¬ 
able to refill: the ufurper, fled to the city Ghey-chew j 
where (hutting himfelf up with his family and all his,va¬ 
luable elfiedts, be let fire to the palace, and was burnt to 
allies. On his death, Sheking-tang affirmed the title of 
emperor; founded the 16th dynalty; and changed his 
name to that of Kaut-fu. But the Kitan general refufing 
to acknowledge him, he was obliged to purchafe a peace, 
by yielding up to the Tartarslixteen cities in the province 
of Pe-tche-li, befides a yearly prefent of 300,000 pieces 
of lilk. This fubmiflion ferved only to inflame the avarice 
and ambition of the Kitan Tartars. In 959, they broke 
the treaty, invaded the empire, and continued their in- 
curfions from time to time with various fuccefs, until the 
year 1117, when Whey-tfong, at that time emperor, being 
able neither to bear their ravages, nor to put a flop to theni^ 
refolved upon a remedy, which feems to have proved worfe 
than the difeafe. This was to call in the Ealtern Tartars, 
orNu-che, to deftroy the kingdom of the Kitan. From 
this he was difluaded by molt of his ownminifters; but, dis¬ 
regarding their advice, he joined his forces to thofe of the 
Nu-che. The Kitans were now every where defeated; and 
reduced to fuch extremity, that thofe who remained were 
obliged to fly to the mountains of the weft. Thus the 
empire of the Kitan w.as totally deftroyed, but not to the 
advantage of the Chinefe 5 for the Tartar general, elated 
with 
