River, and in the Yüan dynasty (1280-1368) they conquered the whole
country. During the period 1644-1912 it was in the possession of
the Manchus. At present the five chief component peoples of China are
represented in the striped national flag (from the top downward) by red
(Manchus), yellow (Chinese), blue (Mongolians), white (Mohammedans),
and black (Tibetans). This flag was adopted on the establishment of the
Republic in 1912, and supplanted the triangular Dragon flag previously
in use. By this time the population--which had varied considerably at
different periods owing to war, famine, and pestilence--had increased
to about 400,000,000.


General Government

The general division of the nation was into the King and the People,
The former was regarded as appointed by the will of Heaven and
as the parent of the latter. Besides being king, he was also
law-giver, commander-in-chief of the armies, high priest, and
master of ceremonies. The people were divided into four classes: (1)
_Shih_, Officers (later Scholars), consisting of _Ch'ên_, Officials
(a few of whom were ennobled), and _Shên Shih_, Gentry; (2) _Nung_,
Agriculturists; (3) _Kung_, Artisans; and (4) _Shang_, Merchants.

For administrative purposes there were at the seat of central
government (which, first at P'ing-yang--in modern Shansi--was
moved eleven times during the Feudal Period, and was finally
at Yin) ministers, or ministers and a hierarchy of officials,
the country being divided into provinces, varying in number from
nine in the earliest times to thirty-six under the First Emperor,
221 B.C., and finally twenty-two at the present day. At first these