China: The Enduring Han Empire

Qin Imperial Centralization (Review)

First Emperor's Ambitious Policies, 221-210 BCE

Military campaigns

Northern Campaign

"300,000 soldiers"

Southern Campaign

"500,000 soldiers"

Building projects

Defensive walls

"1 million" die

Capital at Chang'an

120,000 feudal families as hostages

New Palace

Roads

4,000 miles

Imperial tomb

"700,000 laborers"

Rapid Fall of Qin Empire

Death of First Emperor, 210 BCE

Inept Second Emperor of Qin

Qin falls to rebels in 206

Han Dynasty 206 BCE-220 CE

*Emperor Liu Bang, (r. 206-195 BCE)

Capital at Chang’an

Traditional

Reduced severity of laws

Hybrid imperial administration

Qin-style centralized control

Western third

Indirect rule in east

Kingdoms occupy eastern two-thirds

*Emperor Wu, (r. 140-87 BCE)

"Blueprint for Empire" fully implemented

Reduced Power of Kingdoms

Financial demands

Inheritance rules

Partible inheritance

Education reforms

Imperial Academy

Confucian texts

Economic reforms

Iron, salt, and liquor monopolies

Monetary reforms

Wu Zhu coins

Lecture Study Questions

1. Why did the Qin Empire fall so rapidly after the death of the First Emperor? What role did First Emperor's ambitious policies play in the rapid downfall of his empire?

2. What reforms of Emperor Liu Bang and Emperor Wu helped to create a more stable and long-lasting empire of the Han Dynasty?

Reading Study Questions

Hansen, et al., 86-92

1. How did the Han emperors modify the Qin "Blueprint for Empire," particularly regarding the administrative structure and recruitment and promotion of government officials?

2. Which neighboring peoples in Central, East, and Southeast Asia did the Han Dynasty conquer? Why was the impact of Han Dynasty rule limited?

Supplementary Reading on D2L>Content:

12) “Factory of Wealth”

1. Why did illegal private mints making "Ban Liang" coins early in the Han Dynasty cause economic problems? Why did government mints manufacturing "Wu Zhu" coins make the economy run more smoothly? Critical thinking: What can the experience of the Han Dynasty teach us about potential problems of using privately "mined" crypto currencies, such as Bitcoin, to buy and sell goods today?

2. After excavating part of the Han Dynasty mint, what have archaeologists learned about how "Wu Zhu" coins were manufactured?

3. What have excavations at the Han Dynasty capital of Chang'an revealed about the layout of the city and types of buildings? Critical thinking: What do excavations of the city and mint reveal about the power or the Han Empire?