The Emperor of Imperial China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China ruling since the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Most of China's imperial rulers have been considered members of the Han ethnicity. During the Yuan and Qing dynasties, China was ruled by ethnic Mongolians and Manchurians respectively.

The pre-Qin monarchs were called Wang (King). In 221 BC, the then King of Qin unified China and adopted a new title to reflect his prestige as a ruler greater than the kings before him. He created Huangdi (Emperor) and called himself Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor.

The power of the emperors varied between different emperors and dynasties. Generally emperors founding a dynasty consolidated the empire through absolute rule, such as Shihuangdi of the Qin Dynasty, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, the Emperor's power was significantly overshadowed by the power of the chancellors. In the cases of child emperors, Empress Dowager, or the Emperor's mother, had significant power. Empress Lu of the Han Dynasty and Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty are typical examples.