With the exception of Hong Kong and Taiwan, China has never had a representative democracy.
Main land china went from Qing to basically a military takeover to civil war, to Japanese occupation, back to civil war and to Communist take over. The Communist rule was probably not too different than another Dynasty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynastic_cycle
The cycle appears as follows:
A new ruler unites China, founds a new dynasty, and gains the Mandate of Heaven
China, under the new dynasty, achieves prosperity.
The population increases.
Corruption becomes rampant in the imperial court, and the empire begins to enter decline and instability.
A natural disaster wipes out farm land. The disaster normally would not have been a problem; however, together with the Corruption and overpopulation, it causes famine.
The famine causes the population to rebel and a civil war ensues.
The ruler loses the Mandate of Heaven.
The population decreases because of the violence.
China goes through a warring states period.
One state emerges victorious.
The state starts a new empire.
The empire gains the Mandate of Heaven.
(The cycle repeats itself.)