The Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

206 B.C.E. - 220 A.D.E.

China, an exceedingly ancient, intellectual, and praiseworthy civilization that existed on sacred earth. This massive empire subsisted since 7000 B.C.E. and survives gracefully to present day, though they have wrestled through several harsh conditions of collapsing economy, brutal changes in society, government break-down involving communism, and ruthless British colonization. The most prosperous period in Chinese history was during the Han dynasty, 400 years that wealth flourished over the blessed kingdom. It was a period of numerous technological inventions, country expansion advancements, boosting economy, various political conflicts, and religious development.

Technology/Economy

Throughout the affluent years of the Han dynasty, immeasurable numbers of technological innovations has been accomplished. Silk roads, papermaking, Iron technology (iron plow and moldboard plow), glazed potteries, wheel barrows, seismographs, compass, ship’s rudder, stirrups (horse riding), Dreawloom (weaving), Embroidery, and hot air balloons.

glazed pottery invented by the Chinese during the Han Dynasty.

the ancient way of Paper-making in Guizhou Village in southwestern China.

In contrast, the economy within the Han reign were totally destroyed at the beginning of the rise, due to the suppression policy of the former Qin dynasty that roots the agonizing troubles of unpaid taxes and lack of labor in the troops constructing the Great Wall of China. As a result to the discussed crisis, rulers of the Han dynasty agreed to eliminate the suppression policy, replacing it with the laissez-faire policy. The laissez-faire policy is forbidding government interference with trading or in other words the “free market economics” and the rulers reduced taxes to subordinate pressure in peasants and merchants. As the economy gradually improves, enhancements in agriculture took place quickly in Northern China, followed leisurely by the South. Oxen and horses grow to be significant because they are frequently utilized to pull heavy ploughs and a type of convenient sawing device was invented to supply human strength. A brand new method of cultivation was invented, it was called the “replacement-field method”, which is building deep furrows for planting seeds to protect it from the wind and shift it to new area every year. Iron and bronze industry were also rocketing. Almost everything were made up of iron and bronze; utensils, mirrors, candle-holders, earrings, etc. Eventually, trading progresses together with the successful agricultural development and metal industry, boosting the economy upwards. Objects like woolen fabrics, horses, slaves from the south, perfumes, and iron were traded, providing high profits for merchants.

• Han Dynasty was an extremely healthy and wealthy era, for the economic statuses were steadily increasing accompanied by new technological inventions, developments in agricultural techniques, towering metal industries and a stop to the suppressive policy.

Social Changes

There are a lot of social changes during the Han dynasty. However, the outstanding one was the evolution of taxes. In the former Qin dynasty, Chinese citizens were never allowed to perform any individual marketing, except send it into the bureaucracy market. Also, taxes had decreased since the Han dynasty took over.

• The two main social changes in the Han dynasty were the reduction of high taxes and the establishment of free marketing.

A beautiful painting of Chinese people trading in the silk road during the Han Dynasty.

Religion

A statue of Confucius, the wise old man who created Cofucianism.

Religion is an extremely powerful force that widely affects Chinese people during the Han dynasty through literature such as myths, the concept of divination, etc. At the establishment of this royal family line, the Chinese apprehended the emperor as their universal center and god. As well, they believed in heaven and hell, some spiritual mascots according to the changing seasons, and ‘the Great Unity’ of nature. Furthermore, in 550 B.C.E., 349 years before the Han dynasty, Taoism was founded. Therefore, it Lao zi’s teachings were widespread amongst almost every individual in China. It had a trememdeous effect on Chinese culture because it is the main factor that led to the creation of Chinese medicines. Towards the end of this authoritative dyasty, Buddhism imported from south-east asia became popular and exaggerated the trade routes on the goods types.

A rough sketch of Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, the belief that peace is within nature and oneself.

The symbol of Taoism named Yin-Yang, revealing the balance between two forces: good and bad.

• Many powerful religions such as taoism and buddhism contributed innumerable beneficial influences to the Chinese society.

Leaders/ Contemporaries

Emperor Wudi

A sketch of the greastest emperor in Chinese history, Han Wudi.

Emperor Wudi, the fifth emperor of the Han dynasty that lived from 141 B.C.E. to 86 B.C.E., is a divine ‘Mandate of Heaven’ who had brought the Han dynasty to its highest rate or prosperity. He powerfully supported Confucius and obligates every single school to adopt Confucianism as its main philosophy in education. As a result, Confucianism continues to be the central ‘idea’ in China for two thousand years. Wudi also established many well-built military forces against the Hun and other minor ancient tribes that lives in Northern China and successfully chased the Huns as far as the northern part of Gobi. However, to maintain China’s strong security strategy, Wudi organized the building of the Great Wall of China. He had positioned costly taxes, made private businesses public, and seized the possessions that belong to nobles to pay for the cost of his army and increase the income of the court, flourishing the economy. In Conclusion, Wudi had constructed the wealth of the Han dynasty and, unfortunately, richness diminishes gradually after his funeral.

Emperor Xuan

Emperor Xuan of the Han dynasty lived from 74 B.C.E. to 49 B.C.E. His reign was quite different from Han Wudi’s because Xuan’s government officials were honest and truly cared for the people. Xuan was praised by his citizens about his enthusiasm to modify himself and the country by listening to various advices in addition to his own thought. Also, Xuan became close allies with the Great Xiyu Empire and revolutionized China’s military tactics to protect themselves from other tribes and foreign nations. To conclude, Xuan was a mild ruler that governed over honest officials and was concerned about his people’s happiness.

• Several dedicated leaders, such as emperor Wudi and emperor Xuan, reigns during the flourishing Han dyasty, causing China's economy, military force, and development in relationships with other countries thrive.
  

Government

This is a cartoon picture of prejudice against the bureaucracy system for its nobility.

The two governmental structures present throughout the Han dynasty was the feudal system and the central bureaucracy system, descended from the Qin dynasty. Families are allowed to keep their own land, however, areas around the capital and other territories unoccupied belonged to the royal blood line. The government was chiefly operated by two highly positioned officials such as the president involving other commanders, nobles, dukes and counselors. Surprisingly, the Han dynasty government officials were the first political administrators to construct a method of education specifically for administrational bureaucracy. In total contrast to the Qin dynasty, violence such as physical persecution, disfigurement of body parts, and cruel stampings on the skin called stigmatizing were exterminated from China.

• The two main governmental methods during the Han Dynasty were the feudal system and the central bureaucracy system, which were the ancient systems passed on from the Qin dynasty.
  

Timeline

In 206 B.C.E., After the death of Qin Suangdi, the Han emperor ruled over China.

In 101 B.C.E. with the help of the great emperor Han Wudi, China triumphed over the Ferghana territory and nearby regions, therefore, confiscated beautiful horses for their own use. In addition, it gave China the control to trade routes and, in return, various kinds of goods such as wine, fabrics, and sesame.

In 220 B.C.E. an ethnic group called ‘Hsiung-nu’ migrated the Chinese population to the south from the yellow river to the Yangtze river in the south. Therefore, unfortunately, the Han dynasty crumpled brought down by three kingdoms, the Wei, the Wu, and the Shu.

25 B.C.E., the Eastern Han dynasty was established after the Western Han had lost the qualification for the 'Mandate of Heaven'.

During Han Wudi's reign from 141 B.C.E. to 86 B.C.E., poetry, philosophy and literature flourished over the Chinese people.

In 220 A.D.E., the Eastern Han dynasty's collapse created a war between six dynasties.

A drawing from the novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' that originated from this event.

• Countless events have happened during the Han dynasty and therefore many of them are important to Chinese history.
  

Other

An Interesting Fact...

The Great Wall of China, composed during the Han dynasty, is the longest construction in the world. As mighty as it is, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from outer space because it is too thin.

The Great Wall of China in spring time.

Paper- Making

Paper making, a miraculous innovation invented during the Great Han Dynasty still exploited in present day in southwestern China where minority groups live. Initially, Our Chinese ancestors alive during the Han dynasty used incredibly thin bamboo curtains and dangles them on a rope until all water is eliminated, left with thin dried papers. In the prehistoric period of the Han dynasty, T’sai Lun, the man who created paper went through a fairly complex process of manufacturing paper. Individual fibers of plants were mixed with purely sterilized water. Then, a rectangular screen was bathed into the humid solution, creating thin fibers on the upper space, and wait for it to dry. Therefore, every sheet of paper utilized worldwide were simply composed of clusters of fibers from plants.

A sketch of the paper making process during the Han dynasty.

• Paper-Making is a major invention during the Han dynasty in China that leads to many other important inventions such as printing and money production.

Works Cited

Ouyang, Changpei. “Ancient Paper Making.” Travel Weekly. 1996. Xindeco Business Information Company. <http://www.chinavista.com/experience/paper_make/paper_make.html>
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Xinhuanet. “New Evidence suggests longer paper making history in China.” 2006-08-10. China Economic Net. http://en.ce.cn/Life/arts&heritage/200608/10/t20060810_8083134.shtml
Department of Asian Art. "Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.)". In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2000)
“History Timeline”. http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/time_line.html
“A Timeline of China”. 1999. Piero Scaruffi. http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/chinese.html
Ulrich Theobald. “Chinese History - Han Dynasty 漢 (206 BC-8 AD, 25-220)map and geography”. 2000. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Han/han-map.html
“The Legacy of Ancient China: The Han Dynasty”. February 9, 2006. http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/chinahist/han.html
Frank E. Smitha. “China to the Fall of the Han Dynasty”. 1998.
http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch14.htm
“Han Wudi”. Ministry of Culture, P.R.China. 2003. http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22864.htm
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. “Han Xuan”. 07:43, 18 December 2006. Wikipedia®. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Xuan

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