Chinese emperors family tree (early)
Emperor Xian, the last emperor of the Han dynasty, was a descendant of the first emperor Liu Bang. Lasting for over 400 years (the first to last for more than a century), the Han Dynasty is regarded as one of the golden ages of Chinese history. The Han Dynasty was interrupted by the reign of the usurper Wang Mang, who declared the Xin dynasty (9–23 AD); on this basis, the Han Dynasty is generally divided into the Western Han (206 BC – 9 AD and 23–25 AD) and the Eastern Han (25–220 AD). The rulers of the Shu Han, one of the three successor states to the Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, were descended from the Han imperial family, and considered themselves a continuation of the Han Dynasty; they are included below.
Cheng, King of Han
In 209 BC, when uprisings occurred throughout China to overthrow the Qin Dynasty, Han Cheng went to join Xiang Liang's rebel force in the hope of reviving his native state. Along the way, he met Zhang Liang, a descendant of a bureaucrat family from his state. Zhang Liang succeeded in persuading Xiang Liang to restore the Hán kingdom and Han Cheng was appointed as its ruler, with Zhang serving as his chancellor. Xiang Liang also provided some troops to Han Cheng and allowed him to attack the Qin garrisons based at Yingchuan (穎川; in present-day Henan).