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China

Asian empire ruled by the Qing Dynasty in the 19th century (1644 – 1912).[1]

Named in early Hindu Sanskrit in the 5th century BCE after the Qin (pronounced "chin") Dynasty, the first imperial dynasty of ancient China.[1]

The Wrecker: In December of 1871[2] in San Francisco, Bret Maverick bid on the shipwreck of the Flying Scud for salvage, listed at auction as carrying a shipment of rice and fine silk from the Orient. Expecting to win the wreck for no more than $300, Bret was surprised as he found himself in a bidding way with Thomas Bellairs. When the bidding reached $5,500, Bret surmised there may have been more on the Flying Scud than rice and silk and, with a war on in China, gold might have been smuggled out of the empire amongst the ship's cargo.[3]

After more than 2000 years under imperial rule, the Qing Dynasty was the last. As As its economy faltered, Empress Xiaodingjing signed papers abdicating the  reigning six-year-old emperor. General Yuan Shikai stepped into the vacated leadership role and established the Republic of China in 1912.[1]