Han governing techniques
To many historians, The Han Dynasty (206BCE-220CE) was the Golden Age of Chinese History. During this period, the Han consolidated their power in many different ways. The Han transformed the government by creating a civil service exam. The exam was based on Confucian and Taoist teachings. Students were required to pass the exam to gain a job in the enormous imperial bureaucracy. That bureaucracy helped the Han run the government using the most qualified applicants. This was different from how most empires ran their governments at the time because many of the jobs were reserved for friends or families of the elite. To further centralize and consolidate their rule, the Chinese emperors continued to build roads and canals. They also levied taxes on farmers, craftsmen, and traders to pay for those infrastructure projects and expansion. Additionally, the government had a monopoly on the salt and iron trade. That means only the government was allowed to sell salt and iron. Because these two products were necessary, the government made a lot of money.
The Han believed themselves to be the “Middle Kingdom” and were the most civilized people of that time. They thought that all others were barbarians. The Chinese would expand their empire and actively assimilate those barbarians forcing them to become culturally like the Chinese. Foreign ideas were eliminated. A noted exception was Buddhism. Buddhism entered China around 200 CE. By 500 CE, many Chinese emperors began persecuting Buddhist monks and burning down Buddhist monasteries to eliminate the foreign religion
Mandate of Heaven
Han emperors believed they got the right to rule by order of the Heavens. They believed in the Mandate of Heaven or that if they behaved with acted with the interest of their people in mind, they would continue to rule. If the rulers did not behave in the people's best interest, they would lose the Mandate of Heaven.
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Expansion
Why did the Han fall?
Many of the emperors who succeeded Han Wudi were weak and dishonest. Corrupt officials and greedy aristocrats raised taxes, took over more of the land, forcing many farmers to give up their property. A series of floods led to food shortages. Additionally, the Xiondu barbarians and Mongols kept invading across the Great Wall. People began to rise up and rebel against the Han rulers in a Civil war. Rebel armies destroyed the Han capital, Luoyang (LWAW-YAHNG) in 190 C.E. By 220 C.E. A civil war divided China.
For the next 400 years, China remained divided into many small kingdoms. Other imperial dynasties would rule China in the future. These new dynasties would pattern themselves after the Han dynasty. Like the Han, these new dynasties would unite several smaller Chinese territories under their centralized rule. These new dynasties would govern their empire by Confucian principles. They would use the same civil servants and scholar-officials as the Han dynasty. Most importantly, they would try to keep the Mandate of Heaven.
For the next 400 years, China remained divided into many small kingdoms. Other imperial dynasties would rule China in the future. These new dynasties would pattern themselves after the Han dynasty. Like the Han, these new dynasties would unite several smaller Chinese territories under their centralized rule. These new dynasties would govern their empire by Confucian principles. They would use the same civil servants and scholar-officials as the Han dynasty. Most importantly, they would try to keep the Mandate of Heaven.
Buddhism gains followers
The fall of the Han dynasty and the long years of civil war frightened many Chinese. Feeling anxious, fearful, and unsafe, many people turned to Buddhist ideas. Followers of Confucius and Daoists also admired Buddhist ideas, which influenced their own religious rituals and moral ideas. By the 400s C.E.. Buddhism had become one of China's major religions. Confucianism began to decline.
Technological Advancements
Ancient China held leading positions in many fields in studying nature in the world. Ancient China contributed countless inventions to the world, how many other creations do you know? Follow this link with a list of inventions created by ancient Han Chinese and some may surprise you.