Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________ Period: __________
Chapter 7.3 Reading Quiz
1.
Who was Wudi? (Time Period, Location, Key Achievements)
 141-87BCE
 Great-grandson of Liu Bang…longest reign of all Han emperors
 Called martial emperor- expanded Chinese empire through war
 Defeated the Xiongnu
 Favored Confucianists
2.
List 4 achievements that occurred during the Han Dynasty.
 Invention of paper
 Collar harness
 Two-blade plow
 Invented the wheelbarrow
 Used watermills to grind grain
3.
Who was Ban Zhao? (Time Period, Location, Key Achievements)
 1st century CE
 Female historian who took over the work of her father, Ban Baio- finishing History of the
Former Han Dynasty
 Also wrote Lessons for Women where she reinforced traditional Confucian roles for women
in Chinese society.
Chapter 7.3 Han Emperors in China
I.


A.





B.

C.


II.

The Han Restore Unity to China
Following Qin Shi Huangdi’s death, the peasants rebelled, angry over high taxes, harsh labor
quotas, and severe penal system
Rival kings raised armies and fought over territory
The Founding of the Han Dynasty
During the ensuing civil war- Xiang Yu (aristocratic general who would allow warlords to keep
their territories in exchange for recognizing him as their feudal lord) and Liu Bang (one of Xiang
Yu’s generals)
202BCE- Xiang Yu and Liu Bang fought against eachother, Liu Bang won and declared himself the
first emperor of the Han Dynasty
Former Han (202BCE to 9CE) and Later Han to about 200CE
Liu Bang wanted to destroy the rival king’s power
o Established a centralized government (central authority controls the running of a state)
o Included hundreds of local officials of provinces called commanderies
o Nicknamed Gaozu= exalted founder
Liu Bang departed from strict legalism…lowered taxes, softened harsh punishments
The Empress Lu
Liu Bang died in 195BCE- his son became emperor, but Empress Lu ruled as regent (boy’s
mother)
o Empress outlived her son and kept naming infant after infant as emperor (with herself
as regent)
o Empress Lu died in 180BCE…Liu Bang’s family regained control and killed the old
empress’s relatives
o Han emperors had multiple wives, would choose favorite, and name her son as
successor, caused a lot of intrigue and power plays
The Martial Emperor
Wudi (141-87BCE) Liu Bang’s great-grandson who took power and ruled longer than any other
Han emperor…called the martial emperor because he expanded the Chinese empire through
war.
Xiongnu (fierce nomads- arrow-shooting warriors on horseback) raided China’s settled
farmland…initially early Han tried to pay off the Xiongnu, but it didn’t work
o After defeat by Wudi, the Xiongnu retreated into Asia…displacing others like the Huns
and the White Huns, which would in turn invade the Roman Empire and the Guptas
o Wudi also made allies of the Xiongnu enemies
o Wudi colonized former Xiongnu lands, as well as Manchuria and Korea…also into
Vietnam…by the end of Wudi’s reign the empire was almost as large as modern-day
China
A Highly Structured Government
Han emperors tried to control the people they conquered, and the Chinese people themselves.

A.


B.



III.


A.



B.





C.


Chinese considered their emperor to be semidivine…therefore, accepted his power…in charge of
keeping order on a cosmic level…natural disasters could be a sign that the ruler was failing
Structures of Han Government
Chinese emperor relied on a complex bureaucracy to him rule
Bureaucracy and imperial army was expensive to run…government levied taxes
o Farmers owed part of their yearly crops to the government and merchants paid taxes
o Peasants also owed the government a month’s worth of labor or military service every
year.
o Expanded the Great Wall
Confucianism, the Road to Success
Early Han emperors employed Confucian scholars as court advisers…Wudi actively favored them
Wudi set up a school where hopeful job applicants could come to study Confucius’s works.
Civil Service Examination…technically a meritocracy…though usually only the sons of the
wealthy could be educated in order to pass the exam
o Civil Service Exam continued until 1912
Han Technology, Commerce, and Culture
400 years of Han- improvements in education and great advancements in Chinese technology
and culture
Centralized government exerted more control over commerce and manufacturing
Technology Revolutionizes Chinese Life
Paper was invented in 105CE…books became readily available…helped spread education in
China…also used for record-keeping by the government
Collar harness- made it possible for horses to pull heavy loads
Plow with 2 blades, improved iron tools and invented the wheelbarrow…watermills to grind
grain.
Agriculture Versus Commerce
During the Han Dynasty- population of China swelled to 60 million
Agriculture was considered the most important and honored occupation (commerce as least
important occupation- merchants considered parasites)
Government established monopolies on the mining of salt, forging of iron, minting of coins, and
brewing of alcohol
o Monopoly= group has exclusive control over the production and distribution of certain
goods
Government also ran huge silk mills…techniques of silk production became a closely guarded
state secret
Silk Roads to Mediterranean Sea
Unifying Chinese Culture
With expansion of trade networks, Chinese learned about foreign foods, animals, and fashions
Many different cultures were brought under Chinese rule
o Government encouraged Assimilation
o



D.


IV.

A.



B.









C.



Chinese farmers were encouraged to settle newly colonized areas and intermarry with
local peoples
o Government officials set up schools to train local people in the Confucian
philosophy…appointed local scholars to government posts
Sima Qian (145 to 85BCE)- called the “Grand Historian” compiled a history of China from ancient
dynasties to Wudi…often visited historical sites, and interviewed eyewitnesses, researched
official records, and examined artifacts- book: Records of the Grand Historian
Ban Biao (AD3 to 54)…Ban Gu and Ban Zhao all wrote the History of the Former Han Dynasty
Ban Zhao- extraordinary life as a court historian…also wrote Lessons for Women
Wives, Nuns, and Scholars
Women were expected to leave quiet lives at home…Five Relationships of Confucianismwomen as submissive
Women could become Daoist or Buddhist nuns…could be educated, alternative to marriage
Rebellion and Restoration
Han emperors also faced grave problems…economic imbalance caused by customs that allowed
the rich to gain more wealth at the expense of the poor
The Rich Take Advantage of the Poor
Custom: family’s land was divided equally among all of the father’s male heirs…each generation
inherited smaller plots…harder to subsist on food raised to feed the family…small farmers often
went into debt…borrowed money from wealthy…could have their land confiscated
Large landholders didn’t have to pay taxes, therefore, as their holdings increased, money to
government decreased
Gap between rich and poor increased
Wang Mang Overthrows the Han
Political instability grew
Lots of plots over succession
32 BCE to 9CE- succession of inexperienced emperors…chaos, discontent
Wang Mang- Confucian scholar and member of court decided he needed to restore order…9CE
Wang Mang took imperial title for himself and overthrew the Han (Former Han)
Wang Mang minted new money to relieve the treasury’s shortage
Set up public granaries to help feed China’s poor
Took large landholdings from the rich and planned to redistribute it to the poor…wealthy were
angry
AD 11- great flood left thousands dead and millions homeless…huge peasant revolts rocked the
land…wealthy joined the rebellion against Wang Mang
Rebels assassinated Wang Mang in AD23…Later Han began
The Later Han Years
First decades of Later Han Dynasty was prosperous, secured the Silk Roads
Still had weaknesses
220 Later Han Dynasty disintegrated into three rival kingdoms.