7.3 Han Emperors in China

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7.3 Han Emperors in China
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The Han Restore Unity in China

• Troubled Empire
• In the Qin Dynasty the peasants resent high taxes
  and harsh labor, and rebel.

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The Han Restore Unity in China

• Liu Bang Founds the Han Dynasty
• Liu Bang defeats Xiang Yu, a rival for power, and
  founds the Han Dynasty
• The Han Dynasty begins about 202 B.C. and lasts
  about 400 years.
• Han Dynasty has great influence on Chinese people
  and culture
• Liu Bang establishes centralized governmenta
  central authority rules.
• Liu Bang lowers taxes and reduces punishments to
  keep people happy

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Depiction of Emperor Liu Bang
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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 occur
  throughout Han Dynasty

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The Han Restore Unity in China

• The Martial Emperor
• Liu Bangs 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

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A Highly Structured Society

• Emperors Role
• Chinese believe their emperor has authority to
  rule from god.
• Believe prosperity is the reward of good rule,
  and troubles reveal poor rule.

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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

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A Highly Structured Society

• Confucianism, the Road to Success
• Wudis government employs 130,000 bureaucracy of
  18 ranks of jobs
• Civil service jobsgovernment 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 unil
  1912

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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

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Han Technology, Commerce, and Culture

• Agriculture Versus Commerce
• As population grows, farming regarded as
  important activity
• Government allows monopoliescontrol by one group
  over key industries
• Techniques for producing silk become state secret
  as profits increase

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Han Unifies Chinese Culture

• Bringing Different Peoples Under Chinese Rule
• To unify empire, Chinese government encourages
  assimilation
• Assimilationintegrating conquered peoples into
  Chinese culture
• Writers encourage unity by recording Chinese
  history

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An emperor translating classical texts from the
history of the Chinese emperors.
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Han Unifies Chinese Culture

• Womens RolesWives, Nuns, and Scholars
• Most women work in the home and on the farm
• Some upper-class women are educated, run shops,
  practice medicine

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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

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The Fall of the Han and Their Return

• Wang Mang Overthrows the Han
• Economic problems and week 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

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The Fall of the Han and Their Return

• The Later Han Years
• Peace is restored. The Later Han Dynasty lasts
  until A.D. 220