漢朝

I. The Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.)

       A. Former Han (206 B.C.E.-8 C.E) & Later Han (25-220)

            1. Dynastic cycle---tian ming---again evident

            2. Brief reign of Wang Mang in between

            3. Wang also claimed the tian ming

      B. Han founded by Han Gaozu (r. 206-195 B.C.E.)                 

            1. Gaozu a military leader of peasant origins

             2. Established the Han capital at Changan (Xian)

             3. Relaxed oppressive rule of the Qin

             4. Traced his ancestry to Laozi (Daoism)

              5. Superficial disrespect for Confucianism

       C. Han Wudi (r. 141-87 B.C.E.)                                               

            1. Wudi means “Martial Emperor”

             2. 54 year reign — greatest expansion

                  a. Northeast into Korean peninsula

                  b. Southeast into Vietnam

                  c. Northwest into Tarim basin

             3. Canal linking Yellow River to Changan built                武帝

             4. “Ever-normal” Granaries established

             5. Govt. monopolies in salt, iron, liquor, copper coins

                  a. Legalist scholars supported state monopolies

                  b. Confucians opposed them, criticizing the profit motive in govt officials

        D. Han Imperial Government

              1. Bureaucratic administration of Qin continued

              2. Officials ranked according to office, paid in grain

              3. Recruited by recommendation & testing

              4. Beginnings of the civil service exam sys. evident

              5. Legalist structure buffered by Confucian learning

              6. Imperial authority strong, but limited

                   a. Military leaders

                   b. Court officials

                   c. Empress dowager

                   d. Eunuchs

        E. Wang Mang’s (r. 8-23 C.E.)  Usurpation

             1. Succession of weak emperors

             2. Military expenses of Han Wudi a burden

             3. Large landowners allowed to escape taxes

             4. Excessive burden on peasants, small farmers

             5. Repeated rebellions throughout the empire              

             6. Wang Mang, an imperial family member                      

                   a. Accepted the throne, proclaimed Xin dynasty

                   b. Attempted redistribution of land

                   c. Yellow River flooded, new rebellions broke out

                   d. Wang killed in 23 C.E.

               7. Han Dynasty restored 25 C.E.

       F. Later Han (25-220)

           1. Capital of Later Han at Luoyang

            2. Reminiscent of Western Zhou flight from Xian

            3. Later Han initially strong, but soon declined

            4. Eunuch conspiracies

            5. Military involvement in imperial politics

            6. Private armies raised in the countryside among wealthy landowners

             7. Rise of Neo-Daoist religious movements

             8. Han military prevailed over rebels, but Han soon fell

       G. Han Culture

            1. Han Confucianism---eclectic blend

                 a. Dong Zhongshu (179-104 B.C.E.)

                  b. Correlations of natural, human, political worlds

                  c. Records of solar, lunar eclipses

             2. Han Historiography                                               董仲舒

                  a. Sima Qian (d. 85 B.C.E.) Historical Records

                  b. Book of the Han (Hanshu) by Ban Gu (d. 92)

             3. Neo-Daoism

             4. Buddhism---flourished in China by 5th century

V. In World Perspective: Han, Roman, & Mauryan Empires

      A. Similarities: followed intellectual revolutions

          1. Han: Rise of Chinese philosophy of Zhou

           2. Roman: Greek philosophy & Christianity

           3. Mauryan: Buddhism and Hinduism

      B. Differences: Chinese culture more unified

            1. Rome a “polyglot empire”

            2. China far more unified, linguistically & culturally

            3. Mauryan strength founded upon religious anomaly