Essay On The Han Dynasty

1375 Words3 Pages

Of the many dynasties that make up China’s history, one of the most notable is the Han Dynasty, which lasted from 206 BCE to 220 CE, under the rule of numerous emperors. It made many contributions to China’s history and made lasting changes, some of which remained for millennia following the dynasty’s collapse. The Han Dynasty was founded in 202 B.C.E by Liu Bang, who became known as Emperor Gaozu, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty and ended in 220 C.E. when Emperor Xian, whose birth name was Liu Xie, was forced into abdication by Cao Pi, a man who led one of the Three Kingdoms which succeeded the Han Dynasty. They made changes to China’s economy, technology, social order, religion, philosophy, and education that revolutionized the way China operated. Also, as the Han Dynasty expanded greatly during its rule, many of the territory that the dynasty conquered became part of what would later be modern day China. These changes helped to shape the country that China became. One of the major lasting effects was the Han Dynasty’s changes to the economy. The Han Dynasty expanded their influence throughout the land and made improvements in many products made in China, including silk, iron, and textiles, as well as inventing paper. As stated in the article, “Great Journeys of China… The Silk Road”, “at the order of Emperor Wudi, courtier General Zhang Qian travelled to the “regions western to the Han Dynasty”, an area today covered by China's Xinjiang region and several central Asian countries” (). This route became the precursor to what would be the Silk Road, yet it was not until the nineteenth century, two thousand years later, that the route became known as the Silk Road. It was along this route that trade was conducted with many... ... middle of paper ... ... and power in China, which ended in 220 C.E with the rise of the Three Kingdoms period, during which time regional warlords all vied for power in the remnants of what was the Han Dynasty. Yet the Han’s lasting effects are still evident in the changes in the modern day China. Religions were introduced to China and expanded throughout its lands. Even in modern China, the people refer to themselves as Han rem, which means “Han people”, proof of the Han’s lasting effect and influence within China. The Han Dynasty’s legacy of improvements in education, government, religion, science, and innovation helped to shape the country that it would one day become. As Cristian Violatti stated in her article, “Although history tells us, then, that the Han Dynasty ended in 220 C..E., from the examples cited above it is clear that the Han still lives on today in many different forms.”

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