The Han Dynasty

1. The Han Dynasty Ariyana Chowdhury, Alan George, Tim Yoon and Caroline Beninger

2. Introduction The Han Dynasty was the largest Dynasty that lasted from 206 B.C.E till about 220 B.C. The Han prospered during a time of ‘Unrest’. The people rebelled against the harsh conditions of the Legalist Qin, soon after the first Emperor’s death. The Han dynasty began after a rebel named Liu Bang gained control of the Han Kingdom and took over the Qin Army. The Han brought back Confucian ideas knowing that they could not rule with Force and Power alone. During the Han Dynasty, China went through a ‘Golden Age’ which is a long period of stability and wealth. Peoples daily lived improved greatly and each characteristic of civilization flourished. The Han also expanded further than any other Dynasty…. So sit back relax and enjoy. 

3. Warfare The Han’s were experts at war. That’s how it became the largest dynasty in Chinese history. They had a powerful military of of about 130, 000- 300,000. Relying on them and their fantastic iron weapons, they were able to expand to parts of present-day Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam. Since their army was so prosperous, there were almost no more invasions from the north, so the Han Dynasty had years of peace without war. They invented and used a fish scale armor that flexed and moved with the body. They also made a sword with iron that was very long and could be used against an enemy from a safe distance. One of their favorite weapons was the Crossbow. By its great strength and range, it became the standard military issue. They also used smart tactics to scare away the enemy. One example is the kite, that has small bamboo pipes on each point. When airborne, The pipes made ghostly sounds: fu, fu, which in Chinese, means beware, beware. Many enemies were frightened and often ran away. According to legend they used the kites to measure the lengths of walls.

5. Government The Han dynasty of China introduced a different style of government from Emperor Qin Shihuangdi. The top Han officials (also known as advisors) stayed in the capital and gave Han advice. The less important officials were scattered in other places around China to ensure that roads and canals were maintained and that enough grain was made and stored in case of famine. The Han dynasty changed how civil servants were hired. They hired civil servants because of their knowledge and ability instead of their social status. When young men wished to become government officials, they would have to take a long, hard test. The test was about 5 classic writings. They say that they would have to take the test in small rooms with guards watching them to insure that they wouldn’t cheat. After they became civil servants they were placed far from home so that they couldn’t show favoritism to the people close to them. Once every three years the workers would be judged on everything that they did and would either be promoted or demoted.

6. Agriculture Han farmers led a very tough life. They were expected to grow enough food so that they could feed their own families and help stock up the shared silos. In addition to this the Han farmers had to construct their own houses, make their clothes and volunteer one month of unpaid labor to the government for building projects. They were also expected to deal with natural disasters such as floods and droughts. The difficulties faced by the ancient farmers were reduced to a great extent by the advances made in agriculture during the Han dynasty. One of the tools introduced by the Hans was the Chain Pump. This tool was used to get water from water sources that were below the farming land. The chain pump had pedals that the workers used to turn a wheel that was attached to a series of wooden planks. These planks assisted in moving water uphill from the ditches and canals below and then poured into the farming land. The Chinese were the first people to learn how to make molds out of iron; this also helped the farmers a great deal. Ploughs were made out of iron that helped to dig up the ground to make it fertile. The Hans also invented the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow had a wheel in the middle and loads were carried on either side. This made it easier for the farmers to carry heavy loads with much ease.

7. Industry Silk and Salt were the two most important industries in China, and the Han dynasty developed some new ways to produce these important items. The Han dynasty developed a machine powered by human feet to make the silk. This machine wound fibers on to a large reel so that they would be ready for use when needed. For getting salt, people would normally have to go to and get salt water from the sea, but the Han dynasty developed a machine where you would dig a deep well using an iron tipped bamboo drill to tap underground salt water. Then they would drop a hollow bamboo pole into the well and a valve at the end of the pole would be opened and the water would enter the pole then when the pole was full they would close the valve and bring the pole up, empty the water into a big pot and heat it to evaporate the water, leaving a bunch of salt. This technique was very useful when you weren’t close to the sea.

8. Art One of the most significant inventions of the Han’s was paper. it was the ideal material for Calligraphy- a style of writing that flowed naturally and was inspired by nature. They wrote the characters by painting them with brush and ink, they were created by one or more strokes done quickly and drawn in a particular order. This order created both Bold and Delicate lines. Paper was the ideal material for this Art because it absorbed the ink well and fast. Before paper they used to write on Silk which was very expensive but easy to carry. On the other hand they also used Bamboo which was cheap but very awkward and bulky to carry around. The invention of paper not only helped the Calligraphers but. Changed the way people communicated with each other. Paper was much cheaper than Bamboo or Silk, so more people could afford to write. Paper was also very convenient to bind in a book and also carry around.

9. How they made Paper… Paper was made with different materials such as- Silk fibers, Bamboo straw, Seaweed and Hemp (Marijuana) All these materials were boiled into a soupy pulp. Then a screen was dipped into the pulp and brought out to dry. Once it was dry, it turned in to paper!

10. Medicine The practice of medicine they had back in the Han dynasty days is used even now. The Chinese had believed that the reason you became sick/ ill was due to the imbalance created between the Yin and the Yang. They used to have different types of treatments depending on the nature of the illness. For example the treatment for headache like illness was treated with Acupuncture. Acupuncture is a system of treatment where needles are inserted into specific pressure points of the body. Another healing technique they used was Moxibustion. This was used mainly for long-term diseases like Arthritis. What they would do is put powdered sticks and leaves or Moxa in a small cone, and then place it on the patient’s body. After this they would set the Moxa on fire. They believed the application of heat would speed up the healing process and relieve pain. The Chinese also discovered that blood is circulated from the heart, to the entire body and comes back to the heart. They discovered this much earlier than any Western Scientist. The Han used a special kind of Wine as an Anesthetic and also knew how to judge health by listening to one’s pulse and heart-beat.

11. Science Hans made a number of significant scientific discoveries. Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of comets which they referred to as ‘broom stars’. They discovered that the moon shines because it reflects the light of the sun and that solar eclipses happen when the moon blocks our view of the sun. They discovered two very useful instruments – the seismograph and the magnetic compass. The first seismograph was circular and made of bronze and had a pendulum that when vibrated released a ball that moved towards the direction of the quake. The Hans could detect earth quakes up to several hundred miles away.

12. More about Science By the 200’s C.E., the Hans figured out that the lodestone always aligns in a north-south direction due to the earth’s magnetism. With this knowledge they used the lodestone to make the Magnetic Compass. The lodestone was curved into the shape of a spoon with a handle that would always point south. This invention was used to find in which direction things should be located or face. For the Han’s it was very important to know which direction their temples, graves and homes faced so that they could ensure good luck.

13. Concept Summary The Han Dynasty was clearly one of the best dynasties that China has had. As we mentioned before they introduced many advances in different fields. Such as new tools in the fields of Technology, Agriculture and Warfare. Science and Medicine made progress to a great extent. Agriculture, Industry and Art also improved. The Han dynasty ruled for over 400 years and almost all of this time without war, but that didn’t mean they had a bad military. The Han Dynasty expanded towards Korea and Vietnam, thanks to its brilliant Military Tactics. The Han dynasty made a big impact on Chinese culture and apparently some people still use the word ‘Han’ when they describe China’s culture.