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Liu Bang
The Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) was the dynasty before the Han Dynasty. Known through
out Chinese history for its harsh laws and punishments, it lasted only about 15 years, not
long after its first emperor died.
The Han Dynasty is divided into two periods. The period from 202 to 135 BCE is known as
the former or Western Han Dynasty. The latter part of the Han Dynasty id known as the
Later or Eastern Han Dynasty.
Liu Bang was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty. He ruled form 202 to 195 BCE. His
background is not what one would expect from the man who would one day rule all of
China. He was a man of humble birth who was working as a policeman at the end of the
Qin Dynasty. He was thug, but he was also quick-witted, courageous, and a good judge of
human character and talent. In addition, he was willing to listen to others’ advice. This trait
served him well in succeeding against his enemies. Together with a small band of men, he
decided to fight against the oppressive Qin Dynasty. Many other groups also fought to end
Qin rule, but Liu Bang and his followers were the first to reach and occupy the Qin capital.
However, his rival Xiang Bang fought with Xiang Yu for several years, finally defeating him
in 202 BCE. Liu Bang then issued a three-article code of laws to replace the harsh and
elaborate legal code of the qin. He proclaimed:
I hereby promise you a code of laws consisting of three articles only: he who kills
anyone shall suffer death; he who wounds another or steals shall be punished according
to the gravity of the offense; for the rest I hereby abolish all laws of Qin.
Although more elaborate laws were created later in Han Dynasty, the three-article code
served as an example of how simple and lenient the early Han government was, especially
when compared with that of the Qin Dynasty.
The early years of the Han were ones in which Liu Bang and his successors worked to unify
China through gradual and peaceful means. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the
notion of a unified and central government reminded many Chinese of the harsh rule of the
Qin Dynasty when China was unified by force and ruled by a heavy-handed central
government. As a result, Liu Bang decided to reward his comrades who fought with him
with parcels of land much like what was done under a feudal society. He soon realized that
by doing so he would have less power over the empire as a whole. Liu Bang and his
successors thus worked quietly and patiently to end the feudal system for good and to
establish a strong centralized government and unified country. In addition, they kept taxes
low, focused on developing agriculture, restricted government spending, and tried to avoid
conflict as much as possible within the country and outside its borders.
After Liu Bang died, he became known as “Gao Zu” which means “Eminent Progenitor.”