The Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty is what ruled China for about two centuries and is considered one of the greater eras in China. It influenced the Chinese so much at the time they referred to themselves as "the people of the Han". During the Dynasty the Chinese believed that their emperor had divine authority and accepted his power. They thought that he was the link between heaven and earth. If he was a good emperor there would be peace and prosperity. If he was a bad one there would be disasters like earthquakes and plagues. This belief is also known as Mandate of Heaven.
This picture is of Liu Bang, who declared himself the first emperor of the Han Dynasty. He was one of Xiang Yu's generals, but turned against him and fought until he won in 202 B.C. He brought peace and stability to the empire by softening harsh punishment, lowering taxes, and creating a centralized government. Later on when Liu Bang died in 195 B.C his son got the power, though since the mother had powerful court friends she seized power. Eventually when Empress Lu died Liu Bang's family executed hers and regained power. Liu Bang's great grandson, Wudi, took power and adopted the name Liu Bang. He continued on in the original Liu Bang's ways.
The Han Dynasty Government
- There was a centralized Government, it's a central authority that controls the running of the state
- The Bureaucracy helped the emperor rule, however it was expensive
- The Government levied taxes, so that the peasants owned parts of their yearly crops to the Government and the Merchants had to pay taxes
- The Bureaucracy employed over 130,000 people many with government jobs
- It included 18 different ranks of civil service, government jobs civilization obtained by taking exams
- Most wealthy people got government jobs since peasants couldn't afford education
The Han Dynasty Military
- Peasants owned the government a month worth of labor or military service a month every year
- At the time China was a martial Empire meaning they expanded empire through war, so that meant more fighting for the military
- The ranks of China was filled with a vast army
- Troops were settled along northwest border for safety
- The military was sent south to conquer mountain tribes and set up Chinese colonization
- By the end of the army conquering and colonizing Ancient China expanded to nearly present day China's size
Trading in the Han Dynasty
On the left is a map of the Silk Roads that were in use during Ancient China times. Silk Roads were caravan trails that traders rode along carrying trade-able items, though usually their product of choice to sell was silk due to the demand and high price of it. The Silk Roads went through India, most of Asia, and ended in Rome.
- Monopoly, which occurs when a group has exclusive control over the production and distribution of certain goods, was more in use during trade
- Government established monopolies on the mining of salt, the forging of iron, the minting of coins, and the brewing of alcohol
- Silk Mills were built, and with contact from other lands they realized how important silk was so it became a huge state
secret - There was Chinese commerce along the silk roads
- A trade Network the Chinese learned of cultural items and conquered different cultured places along with bring the people under their rule
- With the conquered people they made them part of the Chinese culture, also known as assimilation
Confucianism and the Impact
- Confucianism is Confucius's teachings, Confucius was a man who lived 400 years earlier
- It's less like a traditional religion and more like an ethical system that gives a sense of direction for a government and good behavior
- Confucius taught "Reverence, generosity, truthfulness, diligence, and kindness."
- Wudi set up a school to study Confucianism
- The Civil Service exam has a part of Confucianism on it
- Wudi favored and actively followed Confucius scholars
Society in Ancient China
- Up top is a picture of the society structure during the Han Dynasty and throughout Ancient China
- Confucian scholars and ordinary people believed agriculture was the most important position because they fed more than 60 million people
- They said commerce was the least important however it played a very important part
- Commerce was a huge part due to the monopolies and silk
- Commonly women did duties in their home and worked on their field
- Upper class women were an exception since they could get an education, pursue culture, and even wield great power
- Upper class women could run shops and others practiced medicine
Chinese Accomplishments and Inventions
- In 105 A.D. paper was invented, which greatly helped spread education
- Collar harnesses were made, this allowed horses to pull heavier loads
- They perfected the plow so that it was double bladed
- The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow and improved other iron tools
- They began to use water mills to grind gain
The Decline in the Dynasty
Each generation of a family got part of their heirs divided land, every time it became a smaller portion. The effect of the smaller land led to farmers having a hard time raising and selling food. They didn't want their families to starve, though they were in debt so they borrowed money from the wealthy. However with the wealthy came consequences, one of them being interest rates. With the even higher prices the farmers couldn't pay back their dept, in that case the wealthy took possession of their land. The only problem with this was the larger and wealthy land owners did not have to pay dept, forcing the government to tax on smaller and poorer farmers land. This caused a gap between the poor and the rich leading to the decline in the Han Dynasty.