|
|
| 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'
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 |
|
|
| Our
Friends |
Excellent
& Free Online Chinese Language Portal
Thousands of free print-friendly Chinese reference sheets,
tests and revision aids.
Easy Learning format &
Listen to Spoken Words |
Professional
Visa Services
Company
Formation Packages
.
|
British Foreign Office
Resource and Advice for Travellers Worldwide |
Chinese Embassy in UK
Information About China
International Relations
Visa & Consular |
UK Embassy in China
Information About UK
International Relations
Visa & Consular |
|
Excel
Education |
Languages Courses
Study Abroad
Employability
Summer Camps
Information for Teachers |
|
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
See
Us in China |
Empowering Underprivileged Children
& Their Communities = Worldwide |
Based in Shangri-la,
Yunnan Province |
China's Premiere International
Travel Agency |
|
