Download The Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty
Chapter 7 Section 3
Today’s Discussion Questions (6-4)
When did the Han Dynasty rule? Who was
the founder?
 How was the Han government based on
the ideas of Confucius?
 List the social classes of the Han Dynasty.
 Why did the family take on such
importance during the Han Dynasty?
 What inventions/advances emerged during
the Han Dynasty?
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1. 2200 BC: Xia Dynasty
founded
2. 7000BC: Farming
developed along the Chang
Jiang Valley
3. 1100sBC: Zhou
Dynasty begins
4. 481 BC: Civil War
spreads during the Warring
States Period
5. 221 BC: Shi Huangdi
unifies China, begins the
Qin Dynasty
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6. 600s BC: First section
of the Great Wall was
built
7. 246 BC: Shi Huangdi
becomes emperor, a high
official rules in his name.
8. c206 BC: Qin Dynasty
collapses
9. 206 BC: Han Dynasty
begins
10. AD 220: Han Dynasty
falls
The Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220)

Founded by Liu Bang
◦ A peasant who claimed to be the recipient of the
“Mandate of Heaven”
◦ The first common person to become emperor
◦ Earned loyalty/trust of the people and was well
liked by both soldiers and peasants

His rule was different from the strict legalism
of the Qin
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Lowered taxes for farmers
Made punishments less severe
Gave large blocks of land to his supporters
Relied on educated officials to help him rule
New Government
140 BC: Emperor Wudi (Woo-dee) took the
throne
 Wanted to create a strong central
government

◦ Took land from the lords
◦ Raised taxes
◦ Placed the supply grain under the control of the
government
Confucianism in the Han Dynasty

Made Confucianism China’s official
government philosophy
◦ Officials were expected to practice
Confucianism
◦ Began a university to teach Confucian ideas

Exams were given on Confucian teachings
◦ If a person passed, he could get a good
position in government. (Civil Service Exam)
◦ Exams were only open to people
recommended for government service

As a result, wealthy families continued to
control government.
Family Life & Social Classes

Class structure became more rigid during
the Han Dynasty

Based on the Confucian system, people
were divided into 4 classes.
Emperor, Court,
Government Officials
Peasants
Artisans
Merchants
Merchants were in the lowest class because
they did not produce anything.
 They only bought and sold what others
made.
 Believed government officials should not
handle or be concerned with money
 Military was not an official class in the
Confucian system.
 It did however offer men the chance to rise
in social status because the military was
considered part of the government.

Lives of the Rich & Poor
Classes only divided people into social rank.
 Ranks did not indicate wealth or power.
 For example, merchants were ranked lowest
but were usually the wealthiest.
 The wealthy lived lavishly in expensive homes
while the poor lived in simple homes and
wore plain clothing.
 Most people in the Han Dynasty were not
wealthy.
 Out of the nearly 60 million, 90% of them
were peasants.

Emperor
Peasants
90%
Artisans
Merchants
Revival of the Family
Since Confucianism was the official
philosophy, teachings about family
were honored.
 They believed in a concept called
“Filial Piety”

◦ Respect Elders
◦ Disobeying parents was a crime
◦ Father was head of the family & had absolute
power
Revival of the Family
Han officials believed that if a family was
strong and obeyed the father, then it
would obey the emperor.
 Children were encouraged to serve their
parents.
 They were also expected to honor dead
parents with ceremonies and offerings.

◦ This was called Ancestor Worship.
◦ This is still practiced in parts of China today.
Boys vs Girls
Chinese parents valued boys more highly
than girls.
 This was because the sons carried the family
line and took care of their parents when
they were old.
 On the other hand, daughters became part
of their husband’s family.
 Some women gained power within their
families by influencing their son’s family.
 An older widow could become the head of
the family.
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Inventions & Advances
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Inventions/Innovations  Advances
◦ Paper
 Figure Painting
◦ Sundial
 Literature:
◦ Seismograph
 Fu style poetry
◦ Acupuncture
 Shi style poetry
◦ Waterwheel
 History: Sima Qian
◦ Rudder
wrote the complete
◦ Drill Bits
histories of the early
dynasties
End
of Section 4
Section 5
Chapter 6
The Silk Road
An overland trade route that extended
from Western China to Southwest Asia.
 Stretched over 4,000 miles
 Silk was the most valuable trade product.
 Trip was expensive and extremely
dangerous
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The Silk Road
Changes in China
The Han Emperors after Han Wudi were
weak and foolish.
 Central government lost respect and power
 Dishonest officials and greedy aristocrats led
to unrest among farmers
 Wars, rebellion, and plots against the
emperor led to the end of the Han Dynasty.
 People turned to Buddhism to cope with the
fear and unrest.
 As a result, Buddhism spread throughout
China.
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