1. By: Kara Headley

2. After the civil war that followed the death of Qin Shihuangdi in 210 B.C., China was reunited under the rule of the Han dynasty. This dynasty was divided into two major periods: the Western or Former Han (202 B.C.–9 A.D.) and the Eastern or Later Han (25–220 A.D.). To the right is a picture of Han leader, Liu Bang. (founder of Han Dynasty) Other leaders include: Wu (141-87 B.C.) Guangwu (25-57 A.D.) Xian (189-220 A.D.) Wu Longest reigning emperor Guangwu Reestablished the Han dynast after the Wang Mang was overthrown Xian Last emperor of the dynasty

3. Architecture The construction of irrigation systems and water conservation projects. Expansion Contact with the West first happened through the Silk Road. Chinese borders were expanded to include Vietnam and North Korea, making the Han dynasty the largest empire to date. Art The world of arts, science and literature saw a rise in popularity as advances in technology were made. Inventions One of its greatest achievements was the invention of paper. This lead to an increase to the vast amount of literature produced during this era. Education The Han dynasty established the social and moral basis of Chinese society by making Confucianism the official state ideology. Formal education was then based off of this idea.

5. China becoming a Confucian state. This led to the process of selecting government officials through a Confucian examination system. During the previous Qin dynasty many books were burned and ideas were censored. This made China suffer a lot intellectually and culturally. During the Han Dynasty changes were made that reversed this. As a result, China flowered intellectually and culturally. The expansion to the Western Regions led to the use of the route known as the "Silk Road”. Chinese silk goods were traded to the West along the Silk Road. As contacts between the East and West increased, Buddhism spread to China in the first century.

6. http://www1.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003- 09/24/content_22724.htm http://www1.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003- 09/24/content_22724.htm Above is a link to a website that has more background knowledge and goes into greater detail about the Han Dynasty.