Click for Home Page Click for Contact Us Page Click for FAQ's Page Click for About Us Page Click for Sitemap Navigation
Main Menu

Chinese Silk Fan

Zhaoqing at Night - Seen from 7-Stars Lake and Crags

Making a Silk Fan by Hand In Guilin

Lion Dance

Ancient and Modern Mix in Foshan City

Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an
Chinese History
Imperial China - Han
Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD

Han Dynasty
    Western Han
    Xin Dynasty
    Eastern Han

Western Han
The Han Empire was founded when Liu Bang was proclaimed Emperor, in what is today called The Western Han Empire. The vast majority of modern Chinese peoples are ‘Han’ and come from, or were assimilated into this group. The Han brought Confucianism to China, and extended dominion and trade Westwards as far as the Caspian Sea.

Emperor Han Wu consolidated previous gains and pushed back the Xiongnu (Early Hun's), thus establishing dominion over large areas of Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai. Later General Ban Chao extended Han control across the Pamir Mountains. These mountains are important, as they control the main passes through Tajikistan (And neighbouring regions of Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan). They are also the source of Lapis Lazuli, as venerated by the Pharaoh's of Egypt.

Overland trade with the West became commonplace, and these routes were later known as ‘The Silk Road’. They had documented trading relations with the early Roman Empire, such as in 166 BC via the Southern sea route into Canton, and later via The Silk Roads (There are actually four of them - Northern and Southern routes skirting the Taklamakan Dessert, a Southerly route via Burma to India, and of course the sea route via Canton)

The Han ruled an area that can modestly be stated as being the Eastern part of modern China, and as far South as Northern Vietnam, but excluding Tibet. However, religion dictates that modern Buddhism came from Tibet around this time, as evidenced by the Chinese fable ‘Journey To The West’, which you will know simply as ‘Monkey’ - one of 'The Four Great Books of China'

Map of Han Empire
Click for larger scale map
Map courtesy of Wikipedia and released under GNU free licence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Dynasty

Han achievements include the invention of Tofu (150 BC), and the first seismometer (132 BC) - a crude but useful device for measuring earthquakes. Many projects were continued from earlier designs, with the focus on promoting trade and thus earning revenue. Science, Arts and Culture also blossomed, and both mathematics and astronomy in particular saw large increase in knowledge

Xin (New) Dynasty
However, a lot of Chinese history is intertwined with powerful families, and around the turn of the millennia their power had grown so strong that their local taxes were undermining the state machine. A brief rebellion and breakaway Empire was formed by Wang Mang, who founded the New Xin Dynasty. This may be viewed as a popular Dynasty with ordinary people, because it heralded an extensive program of land and economic reforms.

However, this Dynasty was short-lived, but was an early indicator that all was not well. The underlying peasant unrest, coupled with frequent uprisings and inter-family fighting, eventually led to the foundations of the Han Empire crumbling

Eastern Han Empire
Emperor GuangWu defeated the New Xin, and established a new capital city West of Xi'an in Luoyang. However, the saga of land acquisition, invasions, and family wars continued unabated. In 184 AD, The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and this gave rise to another period of control by Warlords

Whilst the Han Empire did not officially cease until 220AD, the discontent and un-quelled uprisings gained momentum, so you may consider this Uprising to signal the practical end of the Han Empire. This led to a period known as The Three Kingdoms, but more of that in our next chapter

This information is as supplied by Wikipedia, as dated March 2009 or later, and/or other reliable sources.

Maps (Unless stated otherwise) are provided in association with Thomas Lessman
Web: www.worldhistorymaps.info


Disclaimer:
Please check this information yourself as it may alter without notice, and whilst we try our best to ensure it is correct, please do not hold us responsible for any errors - this is intended as a simple guide only
Search this Website
Search Query
Our Friends
Excellent & Free Online Chinese Language Portal
Cantonese Sheik - Free Online Language Resources
Thousands of free print-friendly Chinese reference sheets, tests and revision aids.
Easy Learning format &
Listen to Spoken Words
Image: ChinaBiz21 logo
Professional Visa Services
Company Formation Packages

.
British Foreign & Commonwealth Office
British Foreign Office

Resource and Advice for Travellers Worldwide
Chinese Embassy in UK
Chinese Embassy in UK

Information About China
International Relations
Visa & Consular
British Consulate General in China
UK Embassy in China

Information About UK
International Relations
Visa & Consular
Excel Education - Dedicated to Promoting International Languages, Cultural Exchange, and Understanding between Peoples Excel Education
Languages Courses
Study Abroad
Employability
Summer Camps
Information for Teachers
The Dreamscheme - A Place where all disadvantaged children can be empowered to make a difference to: Themselves, Their Local Community, and The World!
Excellent and relaxing base to explore this most beautiful of regions in all China!
Down The Road.org
How We Traded Our Ordinary Lives For a Global Bicycle Touring Adventure
Tim and Cindie Travis
See Us in China
The Dreamscheme - A Place where all disadvantaged children can be empowered to make a difference to: Themselves, Their Local Community, and The World!
Empowering Underprivileged Children & Their Communities = Worldwide
China Exploration and Research Society
Based in Shangri-la,
Yunnan Province
Travel China Guide - Your First Call for Holidays and Information about China. Free Community resources, including City guides written by Foreigners who have been there
China's Premiere International Travel Agency
Page Navigation: Top of Page
Link to: www.vidahost.com - Excellent Hosting and Support Services
Image for Decoration only
    Copyright Webmaster @ ChinaExpats Links