The Chinese Empire was an imperial state of East Asia that existed between the years 221 a. C. and 1912, a stage in the history of China in which the country was unified under the authority of an emperor. It covers about 2,000 years of history, from the unification by the Qin dynasty to the fall of the Qing dynasty, with interruptions due to civil wars, foreign invasions or fragmentation of various states.

The parliamentary system or cabinet system of government is where the Head of State is different from the Head of Government. That is, there are two persons running the affairs of the state. In this system of government, the Head of State is distinct from the Head of Government. | In a cabinet system of government, both the prime minister and his cabinet are selected from the parliament, and they are thus responsible and accountable to parliament in the performance of their functions. That is, they are individually and collectively responsible to parliament.