Section 4: The Han Dynasty Ancient China Section 4: The Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty Government Liu Bang became the first emperor of the Han Dynasty Bang was a peasant, but was able to become emperor because of the mandate of heaven Was the first common person to become emperor He was well liked by both soldiers and peasants – this helped him to maintain control Wanted to free people of hard government policies Bang: lowered taxes for farmers, made punishments less severe, gave large blocks of land to his supporters, set up a government structure that built on the foundation begun by the Qin, and relied on educated officials to help him rule

Emperor Wudi Wanted to create a strong central government Wudi: took land from the lords, raised taxes, and placed the supply of grain under the control of the government Confucianism became China’s official government philosophy Wudi began a university to teach Confucian ideas Wealthy or influential families continued to control the government

Family Life Class structure became more rigid – family became important within Chinese society once more Based on Confucian system, divided into 4 classes: Upper class – emperor, his court, and scholars who held government positions Second class (the largest) – peasants Artisans – these people produced items for daily life and some luxury goods Merchants – occupied the lowest class because they did not produce anything; they only bought and sold goods The military was not an official class in the Confucian system Classes did not indicate wealth or power

Confucian teachings about the family were honored: Disobeying one’s parents was a crime Within the family, the father had absolute power Wives and children had to obey their husbands and fathers Chinese parents valued boys more highly than girls Sons carried on the family line and took care of their parents when they were old

Han Achievements Art and literature: Inventions and advances: Became experts at figure painting – a style of painting that includes portraits of people that often showed religious figures and Confucian scholars Became known for their poetry – the fu style combined prose and poetry to create long works of literature; the shi style featured short lines of verse that could be sung Inventions and advances: Paper Sundial – uses the position of shadows cast by the sun to tell the time of day Seismograph – is a device that measures the strength of an earthquake Acupuncture – the practice of inserting fine needles through the skin at specific points to cure disease or relieve pain