Download 7.3 Han Emperors in China

Han Dynasty - China
202 BC – 220 AD
The Han Restore Unity in China

Troubled Empire
• In the Qin
Dynasty the
peasants resent
high taxes and
harsh labor, and
rebel
• Qin Emperor
loses Mandate of
Heaven,
overthrown
The Han Restore Unity in China

Liu Bang Founds the Han Dynasty
• Liu Bang defeats a rival for power, and founds
the Han Dynasty about 202 B.C.
• The Han Dynasty lasts about 400 years and
has great influence on people and culture
• Liu Bang establishes centralized government:
 a central authority rule
 lowers taxes
 reduces punishments to keep people happy
Depiction of Emperor Liu Bang
The Han Restore Unity in China

The Martial Emperor
• Liu Bang’s greatgrandson Wudi rules
from 141 to 87 B.C.
• “Martial Emperor” Wudi
defeats nomads and
mountain tribes
• Colonizes from Korea to
Vietnam
Han Society
Family Life
•
•
•
Confucianism shaped
Chinese society
Confucius taught that
family was central to wellbeing of the state
Han officials believed
dutiful children made
respectful subjects
• Filial Piety
Filial Piety
• Children served parents as
they aged, honored dead
at household shrines
• Fathers – Head of
Family
• Obedience, devotion to
parents/grandparents
• Some men even received
government jobs because
of respect shown parents
A Highly Structured Society

Confucianism, the Road to Success
• Government employed 130,000; bureaucracy
of 18 ranks of jobs
• Civil service jobs—government jobs obtained
through examinations.
• Job applicants tested on knowledge of
Confucianism
• Emperors favor Confucian scholars, schools
built to train them
• Only sons of wealthy can afford expensive
schooling
A Highly Structured Society
•
Peasant Class
• Approx. 90% of people in China were peasants

54 mil. of 60 million
• Lived in small villages in simple houses, labored
long hours in fields, worked on government
projects in winter
• High taxes, bad weather forced them into debt
• Many had to sell lands, become laborers for
wealthy
A Highly Structured Society

Emperor’s Role
• Chinese believe their emperor has
authority to rule from god

Mandate of Heaven
• Believe prosperity is the reward of good
rule, and troubles reveal poor rule.
A Highly Structured Society

Structures of Han Government
• Complex bureaucracy runs Han
government
• People pay taxes and supply labor and
military service
• Government uses peasant labor to carry
out public projects
Han Technology and Commerce

Technology Revolutionizes Chinese
Life
• Invention of paper in A.D. 105 helps
spread education
• Collar harness, plow, and wheelbarrow
improve farming
• Silk


Fabric beautiful, soft, strong
Clothing costly, in high demand
Han Technology and Commerce

Agriculture Versus Commerce
• As population grows, farming regarded as
important activity
• Government allows monopolies—control by
one group over key industries
• Techniques for producing silk become state
secret as profits increase
 Revealing secret punishable by death
The Silk Roads


Merchants traveling between China, Central Asia
used overland routes called the Silk Roads
This network of routes eventually stretched from
China over 4,000 miles and linked China to India,
the Middle East, and the Roman Empire
The Silk Roads
The Silk Roads

Travelers on Silk Roads crossed rugged, barren
terrain

For protection, traveled in huge camel caravans

Most merchants traveled only part of way

Traded for goods from distant lands

Most goods traded were small, valuable, highly
profitable luxury items
Effects of Silk Road Trade



Growth of trade increased prosperity
Demand for Chinese goods led to increased trade
with west
Blood-sweating horses
• To obtain them, Emperor conquered more land
Effects of Silk Road Trade

Traders also carried ideas over the Silk Roads

Buddhism spread to China from India

Example of cultural diffusion
• Spread of ideas from one culture to another
Han Unifies Chinese Culture

Bringing Different Peoples Under Chinese Rule
• To unify empire, Chinese government
encourages assimilation
• Assimilation—integrating conquered peoples
into Chinese culture
• Writers encourage unity by recording Chinese
history
The Fall of the Han and Their
Return


The Rich Take Advantage of the Poor
• Large landowners gain control of more and
more land
• Gap between rich and poor increases
Buddhism gained popularity
• Buddhism’s message of rebirth offered hope
• Han government became less stable, violence
increased
The Fall of the Han and Their
Return

Wang Mang Overthrows the Han
• Economic problems and weak emperors cause
political instability
• Han emperors lose Mandate of Heaven
• In A.D. 9, Wang Mang seizes power and
stabilizes empire
• Wang Mang is assassinated in A.D. 23; Han
soon regain control
The Fall of the Han and Their
Return

The Later Han Years
• Peace is restored. The Later Han
Dynasty lasts until A.D. 220