Han+Empire

=Origin=

The Han Empire emerged in China after the death of Shi Huangdi, ruler of the Qin Empire. A peasant named Gao Zhou founded this empire in 202 BCE. He was later succeeded by Wu Ti(140-78 BCE).

=Social Structure=

The Han Empire was composed of four clearly defined social classes. On the top was the emperor who possessed a great amount of power. Below him were the aristocrats and bureaucrats. After them were the skilled laborers. Skilled laborers had different subcategories as well. First were the wealthy landowners, second were the farmers, and lastly, there were the artists and craftsmen. The last class was the unskilled laborers. This class included servants and slaves as well as merchants.

Chinese family structure was patriarchal like most other agricultural societies. It stressed unity and gave parents unusual authority. Parents were allowed to punish their disobedient children however they pleased. They would not get persecuted by the llaw even if they killed their child. Chinese culture stressed the repression of one's emotions. Women were subordinate but they did have some clearly defined roles and could occasionally gain power through their sons.

=Cities=

There were a few important cities in the Empire. The city of Han Zhong is where Liu Bang, the founder, took his first steps into founding the dynasty. Luoyan was the capital city during the eastern Han time and Chang An was the capital during the western Han time. Chang An rivaled Rome as being one of the most powerful cities of that time.

Nature of Imperial Administration
The Chinese rulers believed in the Mandate of Heaven which resulted in emperors ruling for most of their life. Gao Zhou appointed feudal lords to rule regional parts of the empire. These lords were men that had helped him during the rebellion. They overlooked their parts of the empire and reported back to the central government.

Emperor Wu Ti realized the importance of creating a large, skilled bureaucratic system that would be capable of carrying out complex duties of an empire. He established examinations for his bureaucrats that included information of classical Chinese literature as well as law. By the end of the Han Empire, there were 130,000 bureaucrats that representing 0.2 percent of the population. The Chinese bureaucracy system outlived the empire itself.

=Religion=

Confucius, who lived from 551 to 478 BCE, was a spokesman for Chinese tradition and what he believed was right. His emphasized personal virtue, reverence for tradition, filial piety, and respect for one's superiors. The government greatly promoted Confucianism as an official statement of Chinese values and they encouraged the worship of Confucius himself. Confucianism did not appeal to peasants because it didn't help them understand and survive their harsh lives.

Another religious philosophy produced around the same time as Confucianism was Daoism. Daoism emphasized balance in nature and added a sense of nature's mystery. Daoist believed that through humility and frugal living, one could best be in harmony with nature. Confucian thinkers argued with Daoist but the government was able to persuade Daoist priests to loyalty to the emperor in their temple serves which increased Daoism's political compatibility with Confucianism. In the end, Confucianism was embraced as the official philosophy of the empire.

=Technological Innovations=

The Chinese excelled in technological advances. Ox-drawn plows, collars for draft animals, water powered mills, and new iron tools made agriculture improve steadily. During the Han dynasty paper and porcelain, two of the greatest Chinese inventions, were produced.Chinese in medical research- studied principles of hygiene that would promote longer life.scientists improved their instrumentation inventing a new kind of seismograph to register earthquakes. They were also involved

=Economy=

Trade was extremely important in the Han Empire. Luxury items such as silk, jewelry, and leather goods were the focus of trade for the upper class. These items were produced by skilled artisans in the cities. Food exchange also existed between regions that wheat and those who produced rice. The introduction of copper coins facilitated trade which made some merchants sponsor commercial visits to India. Because Confucianism promoted learning and political service and looked down on lives devoted to money-making, the merchant class did not become extremely important in the economy. Although China possessed relatively advanced technology, they were still dependent on agriculture.

=Decline=

Although the Han Dynasty was extremely powerful, it fell onto some hard times. Land and currency reforms made by the government caused chaos and confusion to the citizens. There were also Wars on the Edge of the Kingdom going on which was a great expense that the empire had to finance. In order to support this war, taxes were increased. This increase affected wealthy landowners and they grew very unsatisfied. There were some things that contributed to the decline that were uncontrollable such as a famine and floods which depleted their food sources as well as their population. All this things came together and caused peasant uprisings which eventually overthrew their emperor, Wang Mang.

=Citations =

"The Han Dynasty: Politics, Ideology, and Empire (Overview)." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO,2012. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. "Han dynasty." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2012.  "365 Days of Happiness » Blog Archive » Confucius Quotes." // Tuvy Asian Books //. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. quotes/>.  "Han Dynasty Map - The Art of Asia - History and Maps." // Www.artsmia.org //. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. . "  "June 2010." // Jeffinous // . Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .   "IDENTIFICATION GUIDES FOR ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES." // VISUAL ONLINE GUIDES TO RESEARCH & APPRAISE ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES ONLINE // . Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .  Stearns, Peter N., Michael Adas, Stuart B. Schwartz, and Marc J. Gilbert. "Classical Civilization: China." //World Civilizations the Global Experience //. New York: Pearson Longman, 2003. 35-47. Print.