The Han Dynasty World History/Napp
“Rumblings of discontent during the Qin Dynasty grew to roars in the years after
Shi Huangdi’s death. Peasants were bitter over years of high taxes, harsh laborquotas, and a severe penal system. They rebelled. Rival kings were eager toregain control of theregions they had held before Shi Huangdi. They raisedarmies and fought over territory.
During the civil war that followed, twopowerful leaders emerged. Xiang Yu was an aristocratic generalwho was willing to allow the warlords to keep their territories if they wouldacknowledge him as their feudal lord. Liu Bang was one ofXiang Yu’s generals.
Eventually, Liu Bang turned against Xiang Yu. The two fought their final battlein 202 B.C. Liu Bang won and declared himself the first emperor of the HanDynasty. The Han Dynasty, which ruled China for more than 400 years, isdivided into two periods. The Former Han ruled for about two centuries, untilA.D. 9. After a brief period when the Han were out of power,the Later Han ruled for almost another two centuries. The HanDynasty so influenced China that even today many Chinese call themselves ‘people of the Han.’
Liu Bang’s first goal was to destroy the rival kings’ power. He followed Shi Huangdi’s policy of establishing centralizedgovernment, in which a central authority controls the runningof a state. Reporting to Liu Bang’s central government werehundreds of local provincials called commanderies. To win popular support, Liu Bang departed from ShiHuangdi’s strict legalism. He lowered taxes and softened harshpunishments. People throughout the empire appreciated thepeace and stability that Liu Bang brought to China.”
~ World History
Identify and explain the following terms:
Qin Dynasty Shi Huangdi Xiang Yu
Liu Bang Han Dynasty “People of the Han”
Centralized How Liu Bang Won Popular Support
The Martial Emperor / Confucianism / Han Technology- When Liu Bang’s great-grandson took the throne, he continuedLiu Bang’s centralizing policies
- Wudireigned from 141 to87 B.C.
- Called the“Martial Emperor” because he adopted the policy of expanding China through war
- His first set of enemies were the Xiongnu, fierce nomadsknown for their deadly archery skills from horseback
- The Xiongnu roamed thesteppes and raided China’s settled farmland
- The early Han emperors tried to buy off the Xiongnu
- Usually, the Xiongnu just acceptedthese gifts and continued their raids
- When Wudi realized that the bribes were simply making the Xiongnu stronger,he sent more than 100,000 soldiers to fight them
- Although this tactic succeeded for a time, nomadic raiders continued tocause problems
- Wudi also colonized areas Manchuria and Korea / - A new way to fill government posts evolved under the Han
- The new method involved testing applicants’ knowledge of Confucianism
- Wudi began to activelyfavor Confucian scholars
- Confucius had taught that
gentlemen should practice “reverence [respect], generosity, truthfulness, diligence [industriousness], and kindness”
- Because these were exactly the qualities hewanted his government officials to have, Wudi set up a school where hopeful jobapplicants from all over China could come to study Confucius’s works
- After their studies, job applicants took formal examinationsin history, law, literature, and Confucianism
- In theory, any male could take the exams but in practice, few peasantscould afford to educate their sons
- So only sons of wealthylandowners had a chance at a government career
- The civil service system worked soefficiently that it continued in China until 1912 / - Advances intechnology influenced all aspects of Chinese life
- Paper wasinvented in A.D. 105
- Before that, books were usually written on silk but paper was cheaper, so books became more readily available
- This helped spread education in China
The invention of paper also affected Chinese government.
- Paper was much more convenient to use forrecord keeping, so Chinese bureaucracy expanded
- Another technological advance was the collar harness for horses
- This invention allowed horses to pull much heavierloads than did the harness being used in Europe at the time
- The Chinese perfected a plow that was more efficient because it had two blades
- They also improved iron tools, invented thewheelbarrow, and began to use watermills to grind grain
Identify and explain the following terms:
The Martial Emperor
Wudi
Xiongnu
Confucian Values
Civil Service System
Examination System
Limited Social Mobility in Chinese Civil Service
Paper
Collar Harness
Plow
Wheelbarrow
- Along which border did the Chinese build the Great Wall? Why didthey build it thereand not in other places?
- Through what lands did Silk Road traders travel?
- Where are the Himalayas located in relation to China?
- What seas border China?
- Where are China’s rivers located?
- What desert did Silk Road traders cross?
- Why did ancient peoples value silk?
- How did traders make fortunes?
- Why were the caravan trails that crossed Asia called Silk Roads?
- What did the Silk Roads encourage?
- Define cultural diffusion.
- Can you provide one example of cultural diffusion on the Silk Roads?
- Trade on the Silk Roads was a relay trade. Think of a relay race. Explain how Silk Road trade was a relay race.
- What dangers did travelers on the Silk Roads encounter?
- How did goods get from the Eastern Mediterranean coast to Rome? How did goods move once the overland trade route known as the Silk Roads ended?