Han Dynasty of China

            The country’s mayhem, paucity due to depleted treasury, and large rebellion of rebel armies against Qin leaders’ despotism and repression brought about the collapse of the Qin dynasty. Until a new rebel leader named Liu Bang emerged and founded a new dynasty which was named as Han. Though the Han government continued what the Qin dynasty had started and contributed, some various changes were also made. Because of the off-putting upshots of the Legalist form of government from Qin, this was combined with Confucianism’s principles in order to lessen its harsh effects. It highlighted the role of the government which was to serve its people. 

         Liu Bang established vassal principalities in some areas for the sake of political convenience, eradicated the control in travel, lowered the payment of taxes, let the armies went back from farming, tried to maintain tributary ties and promoted the education to produce a society of intellectuals to serve the state in which the civil service was also initiated. Writing of history became the greatest literary achievement of Han whereas Sima Qian was known as the China’s greatest historian.  Such dynasty also started the used of paper, porcelain, water-powered mills, and as well as water compartments in ships. Liu Bang had a goal of unifying the China but this was only happened until the supremacy of Emperor Wu Di who stiffened the imperial control and totally removed the remaining power of Liu Bang. 

            On this period was the period of the great military expansion where Wu Di expanded its territorial borders up to Vietnam and Korea and pushed the Huns to the south of Gobi who were also the most dangerous enemies of the Chinese. Due to this expansion, the Silk Road was developed. It had such name because merchants/traders used such route in traveling with their silk to the other countries which was the main export especially to the West and also a Chinese monopoly ever since. It ran from Chang’an then to the Hexi Corridor up to Dunhuang where it has three routes which spread all over the Xinjiang Uygur extending as far as Pakistan, India and even Rome. At first, this road was dangerous for the travelers since different nomadic tribes especially the Xiongnu tribe wanted to obtain their valuable commodities. But then in the end, those tribes were defeated by the government’s army. Though different rulers had led the Han dynasty, it had much success with its policies where its economy had flourished and maintained the stability from the obliteration brought by the previous dynasty.

***Taken from my AS 223 Seminar on Asia I essay paper.***