Warring States
476-206 		History of China 9 - 250 A.D.





Western Han



The CH'IN DYNASTY (221-206) ended after just a few years, overthrown by LIU PANG, who assumed the Imperial name KAO TSU and founded the HAN-DYNASTY. The capital, as under the Ch'in Dynasty, was CHANG'AN.
Han dynasty china, like Ch'in dynasty China, had a centralized state administration. In contrast to Ch'in, Han tolerated philosophical schools and adopted CONFUCIANISM as state philosophy.
CONFUCIAN SHRINES were established, state offices kept written records. The most prominent Emperor of Western Han was WU TI (140-86). During his reign, the Tarim basin was conquered by Chinese troops. China also expanded into YUE territory (southeast China), THAI territory (Sichuan) and into what today is northwestern Korea, where the LOLANG COMMANDERY was established.
In A.D. 9, an usurper named WANG MANG seized power, for a few years interrupting the Han dynasty.





EXTERNAL
FILES 		The First Imperial Period, from History of China, online edition of the Army Area Handbook, posted by Leon Poon ; gives names in transcription and in Chinese characters
The Han Dynasty, 206 B.C. - 220 A.D., from China and East Asia Chronology, from North Park
Online map of Han dynasty China, from friesian.com, scroll down. Map sketchy
List of Western Han emperors (206-25) from friesian.com, scroll down
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE Map of Han Dynasty China in H. Kinder/W. Hilgemann, The Penguin Atlas of World History, Vol.1 p.40



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on January 14th 2002, last revied on November 4th 2004

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