King Zhaoxiang of Qin
Reigning over 55 years, he was one of the longest-serving rulers during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Although making numerous policy mistakes during his later years, his aggressive territorial expansions were pivotal in consolidating the state of Qin as the dominant military powerhouse in the late Warring States period. It was the strategic dominance established during his reign that paved the way to Qin's eventual successful unification of China under his great-grandson, Ying Zheng.
Names of the Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty () was founded by the Jurchen Aisin Gioro clan in Manchuria (modern Northeast China) in the 17th century and became known by various names. Although it was established by the Manchu people, a Tungusic people ethnically unrelated to the native Chinese (Han Chinese), it was widely known in English as China or the Chinese Empire both during its existence, especially internationally, and after the fall of the dynasty.
In 1616 Nurhaci declared himself the "Bright Khan" of the "Later Jin" state (; Jurchen/Manchu: "Amaga Aisin gurun") in honor both of the 12–13th century Jurchen Jin dynasty and of his Aisin Gioro clan ("Aisin" being Manchu for the Chinese ("jīn", "gold")). The dynasty became known as the "Later Jin dynasty" by historians. His son Hong Taiji renamed the dynasty "Great Qing" in 1636, which entered China proper in 1644.