The earliest historically-recorded Chinese dynasty dates back almost 4,000 years to the 17th century BCE. Imperial China dates from 221 BCE, to the final Qing Dynasty which lasted from 1644 to 1912. (The locater map shows the dynasty in 1890.)
There are many dragon coins from the Qing Dynasty and the final flag of the Qing Dynasty (adopted in 1889) features a dragon. A small selection of these coins from the early 20th century will reside in the Coin Zoo.
China - Qing Dynasty on Wikipedia