Han+China

= ﻿ Han China (The Unification of China):  = =Chapter 8 = =**QinDynasty/ First Emperor **= The Qin Dynasty was present in the fourth and third centuries (221 B.C.E.-206 B.C.E.). The Qin are often called the Ch'in, which is the origin of the name China. Qin is located in eastern China and adopted China's legalist’s policies. The Qin state went under remarkable rounds of economics, politics, and military development. The military was very powerful and was equipped with iron weapons. The technology of the military equipment helped the Qin defeat their opponent in battle. The leader of the Qin Dynasty and the First Emperor was Qin Shihuangdi (221 B.C.E.). He established centralized imperial rule. Qin also organized the project of connecting and extending of the Great Wall of China in Northern China to block invaders. The First Emperor took his title very seriously and enforced the law. Qin sentenced 460 scholars and had them buried alive because of the criticism against Qin himself. He banned books that discussed other forms of government and the writings of the philosophers of the Hundred School of Thought and executed those that did not follow. He often burned the books to pieces. (ABC CLIO Ancient Histo ry) In 210 B.C.E. Qin died. His body was buried in a tomb. The tomb was an underground palace with an army of life terra cotta figures. When Qin died, his son took the throne. Massive groups of public workers generated tremendous ill among people. Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 210 B.C.E. In 206 B.C.E. the Qin Dynasty was replaced by the Han Dynasty. Although the Qin Dynasty did not last very long it left an everlasting effect on the Chinese. Soon after the fall of the Qin dynasty, centralized government returned to China with Liu Bang around 206 B.C.E. He was a persistant and methodical man, who named this new dynasty Han after his homeland. Liu Bang's Han dynasty was in contol for about 400 years, 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E. However, temporarily the Han lost control of the kingdom around 9 C.E., but quickly regained power around 23 C.E. The time before this is considered the Former Han dynasty, while after is thought to be the Later Han. Emperor Wu also put into place a thriving metropolis, from where they ruled their impire called Chang'an. In the early years of Liu Bnag's rule, tried to walk the fine line between centralization and decentalization from Chang'an. Soon though he realized that this would not work, and went to a total centralized government which would be in place for the rest of the Han dynasty. Emperor Wu, mentioned in the book as Han Wudi, was also known as the "Martial Emperor" reigned for about 54 years, from 141 to 87 B.C.E. During his rule he emphazied two policies: centralization and ezpansion. This energetic emperor relied on centralization and and huge bureaucracy for his governement. Also using the legalist principles, he had imperial officers for his districts, much like Qin Shihuangdi. Han Wudi alsohad roads and canals throughout his kingdom, and began to raise taxes on agriclulture and trade to finace the large amount of machinery being used. Soon, he also established monopolies on both salt and iron. Because of his large empire, Emperor Wu needed a lot of people to have in his higher positions such as government officals. Though he cared little for education recruits were needed. This need sparked the formation of the Confucian Educational System in 124 B.C.E. With these recruits, Han Wudi invade northern Vietnam and Korea, which soon had Chinese ways. However, to the north of Wu's empire, was the Xiongnu nomadic tribe that was constantly nagging the Han kingdom. After trying to hold this group off by giving them food and finished goods as well as arranging marriages between two ruling houses, the Xioangu attacked. Han Wudi countered that with sending vast armies to this area, and soon hand much of China under his rule until social and economical problems caused problems to the Han dynsaty itself.
 * Liu Bang/Emperor Gaozu **
 * Emperor Wu **

The Han dynasty was under imperial rule. Han Centralization really started with emperor Liu Bang. When Liu Bang was almost captured by an army of Xiongnu warriors, his family did not give the support he wanted, which angered him. So from that point forward, he followed a policy of **government centralization**. When Han Wudi came into power, he worked strenuously to increase the authority of the central government and had built an enormous governmental structure. When Wang Mang came into power, he was known as the "socialist emperor." Wang Mang limited the amount of land that a family could hold and ordered officials to break up large estates and redistribute them to landless individuals with property to cultivate.
 * Han Government **

Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism were all big religions during the Zhou, Quin, and Han dynasty. Confucianism was founded by Kong Fuzi, or Confucius (551-479 BCE) and became very popular very quickly. Confucianism emphasized three qualities that a good leader should have: //ren// (kindness or respect)//, li// ((sense of propriety)//,// and //xiao// (filial piety or significance of family). Daoism was believed to be founded by a sage named Laozi who lived in the sixth century BCE. Daoism calls for a policy of non-competition and living in a natural state is more preferred than getting involved with government and politics. Legalism was founded by men who participated actively in Chinese political affairs during the late fourth century BCE, the most notable of them being Shang Yang. Legalists devoted their attention to the state which they wished to strengthen and expand at all costs.
 * Intellectual Life **



The families in the Han Dynasty were patriarchal. There was normally 5 individuals in each household, but sometimes several generations of aristocratic families lived together in large compounds. Children were taught to obey their elders and people had to pay taxes for agriculture, trade, and craft industries. Most people worked in the country, cultivating grains and vegetables. Wealthy people also wore fine clothing and ate great food while the poor families wore torn clothing and ate spoiled/not as nice food.
 * Daily Life **

During the Han Dynasty, Iron metallurgy, silk textile production, and paper production all become huge industries.

The ruling elites started trying to get a higher position in the government and along the way they would try and hurt their competition which led to the reduction in the effectiveness of the Han Dynasty's central government. Large landowners also started to get a large governmental influence and they shifted the burden of taxes onto the peasant. They also started to form private armies. Then the Yellow Turban rebellion started which was an uprising of the peasants. In 220 CE the dynasty was abolished and was made into 3 kingdoms.
 * Fall of the Han Dynasty **


 * Sources: **
 * The World History Book
 * Wiki Online Pictures
 * ABC Clio World History: Ancient and Medival Eras

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