The Han Dynasty is seperated into two periods. The first period is the Western Han, also called Formal Han, and the second period is called the Eastern Han, also called Later Han. This map shows the furthest extension of the Han empire.
Technology/Economy
Since ancient times China has always been known to be one of the countries of the world that are the top heads of invention. During the Han Dynasty many inventions were made or developed for everyday uses. There are inventions, such as iron tools, standard weights and measures, as well as paper, were great technical developments. In those days Taoist scholars were still trying to find medicines that give eternal life or make gold, which was how alchemy and chemistry developed. Furthermore, there were inventions of armillary sphere, celestial globe, and seismograph. Astronomy and a new calendar were also found. During this age improvements of agricultural methods were introduced. This included use of iron plough, crop selection, irrigation, fertilizers, transplanting seedlings, horse breeding and silkworm breeding.
During the early reign of the Han Dynasty, economy was heavily damaged as a result of the suppressive policies of th
e Qin Dynasty. Cruel laws were abolished and taxes imposed on peasants and merchants were lowered. Since most part of the population were peasants and by being important production sources economy relied on them. Technological changes developed in agriculture, and peasants became more dependant on oxen and horses to plough their farms. New cultivation methods were also invented like the “daitianfa” method. It is a replacement-field method where the field would be ploughed with alternating furrows and ridges seedling placed in the furrow which will be protected from the wind. As for trading silk has always been an important product for the Chinese. It was traded in the west along the Silk Road and was also used as currency. State-owned slaves were also significant economical factor since enslavements were caused as a result of debt, crime, or war.
Social Changes
Since the period of the Han Dynasty is one of the golden ages of China, many social changes ha
d occurred during this time. Arts have always been China’s greatest culture that is used to pass on their traditional ways to their later generations. Poetry is considered to be one of China’s arts and in those days they gave much importance in this area. During the Han Dynasty poetry developed to a normal five and seven syllable poem style called “old poem”. This style of poetry could be found throughout China in both records of the history and song lyrics. However the invention of paper in 100 AD changed the style of writing form a flat Clerical, or Chancellery Script, to a more fluid style.
Government
The governing system during the Han Dynasty was a mixture of feudal system and central bureaucracy. The first son wil
l always inherit the thrown from the king unless the king made a decision to give it to another son. Territories had to be controlled by a member of the family, but the territories around the capital city will stay in the hands of the emperor. The central region around the capital Chang’an, now Xi’an) was controlled by the “Three Guadians”, which were the Metropolitian Governor, Left Guardian, and Right Guardian. The main government consisted of the “Three Dukes”, or “Grand Counsillors”, who were the chancellor, the Great Connemder, and the Censor-in-chief. Laws during the former Han were from the Qin Dynasty, but were later abolished after 10 to 20 years. The code of law has two parts, the penal law and the civil law. The penal law followed the tradition form the Qin state, and the civil law was when the emperor tells what needs to be done.
Religion/Philosophy
Chinese religion has always based its beliefs in ancestor worshiping. This belief was still very 
strong during the Han dynasty. Even the highest of all the people, the emperor, had to respect Heaven and Earth which are the Great Unity, and other seasonal gods and spirits which are “Three Augusts and Five Emperors. The emperor had to climb Mount Tai to make offerings for the Great Unity. Superstitions were a very strong influence among Chinese in the olden days. They believe that magic symbols could protect them from danger or regulate a healing force. People believed that human’s fate was determined by heaven
In the beginning Confucianism had already influenced Chinese people and the Five Confucian Classics were studied. Daoism had lesser influence, especially the book “Zhuangzi”, because it was too complicated for them. It was only during the later periods of the Han dynasty that Taoism takeover and Buddhism appeared only in the very last years of the dynasty.
Leaders/Contemporaries
Gaozu, or Liu Bang, was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty who reigned from 206 BC to 195 BC. He was one of the few emperors that rose from the peasant class. During the overthrowing of the Qin Dynasty Liu Bang fought in the war for 5 years and won Xiang Yu, the prominent general of the Qin Dynasty.
Wu Di, or Liu Che, was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty who reigned from 140 BC until 87 BC. He is considered to be one of the greatest emperors, who is best remembered for the territorial expansion during his reign and a strong Confucian.
During the period of the Han Dynasty there were also other civilizations with famous leaders. Emperor Augustus, or Octavian Caesar, of the Roman Empire was the first emperor of Rome and is one of the most important emperor. Octavian lived from 63 BC until 14 AD and was the person who ended the civil war that lasted a century and brought the era of "Pax Romana", or Roman peace, a golden age that lasted over 200 years.
Cleopatra VII, the queen of Egypt, is a famous female ruler who lived from 69 BC-30BC. During her lifetime she married a total of three times. Mark Antony of Rome was her last husband, who she conceived Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, with. Her reign was the mark of the beginning of the Roman era in the eastern Mediterranean.
Other
Period of the Han Dynasty is considered to be one of the golden ages in the history of ancient China. The dynasty reigned for 426 years and prospered in art, literature, philosophy, music, and economy.
Before the time of the Han Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty governed Chinese people. People were treated badly and there were rebellions by groups of officials, peasant armies, and lower nobility. Liu Bang was an important man, who help ended the dynasty by killing the last prince of Qin and the king of Chu, who was suppose to be the next ruler. Liu Bang was made king, Emperor Gao, and established the Han Dynasty with Shaanxi as the capital city, now call Xi’an.
The age of the Han Dynasty is divided into two periods because of the Wang Mang interregnum from 9 AD until 25 AD. Befo
re the interruption there was an uprising of the landholding class. Land taxes were based on the size of the land, not on the income, which makes it very on the farmer since their incomes were not stable. When taxes could not be paid merchants and prominent families force them to sell their lands. However, without their lands the Han government still imposed high tax for each individual to make up for the tax lost for land taxation. Peasants were being treated badly and the situation got worse.
Wang Mang was a reformer and one of the members of those landholding families. He saw that things were going bad in the country during the end of the Western Han Dynasty and believed that the emperor had lost the Mandate of Heaven. Wang Mang took power and established the Xin Dynasty which only lasted 16 years and made the economy even worse.
In the end the Han Dynasty won their power back, therefore beginning the Eastern Han Dynasty. However as time pass the dynasty fell into the states of corruption and political fights among the high class individuals. The last emperor of the Han Dynasty was forced to abdicate, therefore the era of disunity of the Six Dynasties came in place.
Timeline
202 BC Liu Bang takes over and establishes the Han Dynasty
136 BC Confucianism officially becomes the state ideology.
9-23 AD Period of the Wang Mang’s Interregnum (Xin Dynasty)
25 AD Han Dynasty regains their power.
50 AD Buddhism enters China
220 AD Han Dynasty falls and China enters the Six Dynasties period (era of political division)
Summarize 6 main points
- There were new inventions and technology that helped develop the people's lives and raised the economy of the country.
- Developments in the areas of culture and arts also occurred as civilization grew.
- The government governed with justice and a goal to protect its citizen, while the emperor is the highest of all the people.
- Confucianism had always been the main guideline for the Chinese with Taoism and Buddhism coming in at the very end of the period.
- Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, and Liu Che, one of the greatest Chinese emperor, were the two important people during the Han Dynasty.
- The Han Dynasty was interrupted by the Wang Mang Interregnum (Xin Dynasty) from 9-23 AD.
Work Cited
- . The Han Dynasty. 21 May 2002. 1 February 2007 .
- . Han Dynasty. 31 January 2007. 4 February 2007 .
- Ulrich, Theobald. Chinese History - Han Dynasty. 2000. 4 February 2007 .
- Carr, Karen. Kidipede-History for Kids. 10 November 2006. 11 February 2007 .
- . Cleopaatra VII. 10 February 2007. 12 February 2007 .
- . Augustus. 11 February 2007. 12 February 2007 .
