The Han Restore Unity in China Troubled Empire In the Qin Dynasty the peasants resent high taxes and harsh labor, and rebel.

The Han Restore Unity in China Liu Bang Founds the Han Dynasty Liu Bang defeats Xiang Yu, a rival for power, and creates the Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty begins about 202 B.C. and lasts about 400 years. Divided into 2 periods Han Dynasty has great influence on Chinese people and culture Liu Bang establishes centralized government—central authority controls the running of a state Liu Bang lowers taxes and reduces punishments to keep people happy

Depiction of Emperor Liu Bang

The Han Restore Unity in China The Empress Lü Liu Bang dies in 195 B.C.; wife Lü seizes control of empire Empress Lü rules for her young son and outlives him. There are palace plots and power plays that occur throughout Han Dynasty

The Han Restore Unity in China The Martial Emperor Liu Bang’s great-grandson Wudi rules from 141 to 87 B.C. “Martial Emperor” Wudi defeats Xiongnu (nomads) and mountain tribes Colonizes Manchuria, Korea, and as far south as what is now Vietnam

Great Wall By 140 BC, under Liu Che (156BC-87BC), the emperor Han Wudi brought war home to the Huns. He also had several parts of the Great Wall built. He ordered a construction project of the wall in 127 BC. This resulted in rebuilding an older part of the wall and an extension of territories to present day Mount Yinshan of Inner Mongolia.

Qin Wall

Visiting the Great Wall (Mutianyu )

Getting down from the Wall Option 1: Go down the same way you went up Option 2: Hike Down (takes about 20 minutes) Option 3: Slide down (toboggan)

A Highly Structured Society Emperor’s Role Chinese believe their emperor has authority to rule from god. Believe prosperity is the reward of good rule, and troubles reveal poor rule.

A Highly Structured Society Structures of Han Government Complex bureaucracy runs Han government People pay taxes and supply labor and military service Government uses peasant labor to carry out public projects

A Highly Structured Society Confucianism, the Road to Success Wudi’s government employs 130,000; bureaucracy of 18 ranks of jobs Civil service jobs—government jobs obtained through examinations. Job applicants begin to be tested on knowledge of Confucianism Wudi favors Confucian scholars, builds schools to train them Only sons of wealthy can afford expensive schooling Civil service system works well, continues until 1912

Han Technology, Commerce, and Culture Technology Revolutionizes Chinese Life Invention of paper in A.D. 105 helps spread education Collar harness, plow, and wheelbarrow improve farming

Han Technology, Commerce, and Culture Agriculture Versus Commerce As population grows, farming regarded as important activity Government allows monopolies—control by one group over key industries Techniques for producing silk become state secret as profits increase

Han Unifies Chinese Culture Bringing Different Peoples Under Chinese Rule To unify empire, Chinese government encourages assimilation Assimilation—integrating conquered peoples into Chinese culture Writers encourage unity by recording Chinese history

Han Unifies Chinese Culture Women’s Roles—Wives, Nuns, and Scholars Most women work in the home and on the farm Some upper-class women are educated, run shops, practice medicine

The Fall of the Han and Their Return The Rich Take Advantage of the Poor Large landowners gain control of more and more land Gap between rich and poor increases

The Fall of the Han and Their Return Wang Mang Overthrows the Han Economic problems and weak emperors cause political instability In A.D. 9, Wang Mang seizes power and stabilizes empire Wang Mang is assassinated in A.D. 23; Han soon regain control

The Fall of the Han and Their Return The Later Han Years Peace is restored. The Later Han Dynasty lasts until A.D. 220 Next is the Sui Dynasty that only lasts 29 years Followed by the Tang and Song which we will discuss in our next unit