Han 汉 dynasty

The Han dynasty in total lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD and is divided into the Western (206 BC - 8 AD) and Eastern (25-220 AD) Han dynasty.

The Western Han dynasty

The capital of the Western Han dynasty was located in present day Xi'an. The early phase of the Han dynasty was characterized by refeudalization. The rulers retained the Qin 秦 system in their administration. Accordingly, the empire was divided into circles, which were administered by officials. The emperor appointed the officials and introduced a principle of dividing the inheritance over several sons.

To boost the economy, the Taoist doctrine of non-action (wuwei 无为) was used. This should have the effect that the burdens of the people were alleviated and there were also fewer collections of taxes. This resulted to some prosperity by the years 202 - 141 BC.

This policy changed under Emperor Wudi from Han 汉 武帝 (156-87 BC). Under the maxim of Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒 (179-104 BC) Confucianism was introduced as a state doctrine, which had serious effects on the educational system. Under Wudi's rule, the Han dynasty was increasingly threatened from the outside by the Xiongnu 匈奴. In the fight against the barbarian Xiongnu, the Han formed a coalition with Yuezhi 月氏 (today's Pakistan / Afghanistan). The result of this coalition were numerous legation trips and the Chinese occupation of areas in modern Xinjiang 新疆. This was of great importance for the creation of the Silk Road.

Power was weakened under the subsequent rulers. This development led to a brief loss of power and the establishment of the Xin 新 dynasty (8-25 AD) under the reign of Wang Mang 王莽. Due to its tyrannical rule, however, the Xin dynasty did not last long and was overthrown in 25 AD.

The Eastern Han dynasty

The Eastern Han dynasty was founded by Emperor Liu Xiu 刘秀, who established the capital in today's Luoyang. Due to the negative experiences under Wang Mang, Liu Xiu restored the Han dynasty, and put emphasis on the control of the large landowners and officials (gentry). Past experienced had already shown that a great potential of power emanated from this section of the population. Economically, the dynasty was characterized by increased production of iron and steel. Agriculture and trade regained their old strength.

Threat to the dynasty:

The Xiongnu continued to pose a threat to the dynasty, which particularly had an impact on the trade across the Silk Road.  In addition, internal conflicts arose in the empire, including infightings between the eunuchs and the relatives of the imperial family. The solution was incumbent on the scholars, the 3rd power in the empire. The corruption of the ruling class and natural disasters ultimately led to the uprisings of the Yellow Turban and the fall of the dynasty.

At the end of the Han dynasty there were individual generals who were independent from the emperor. These generals had their own personal goals and did not want to unite the empire. China was divided into several empires.

Han dynasty Culture:

While at times of the Qin dynasty Legism and Daoism had a preferred position within the society, the Han dynasty was shaped by the state doctrine of Confucianism. Nevertheless, during the Han dynasty, Buddhism came to China via the Silk Road.

Chinese historiography began in the Han dynasty with Sima Qian 司马迁 (145-86 BC). Another important historian of the Han dynasty was Ban Gu 班固 (32-92 AD).