In the first 206, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang claimed to be Hanwang, and in the first 202, he claimed to be the emperor, establishing the Han Dynasty. In 8 years, Wang Mang proclaimed himself emperor, changed his title to new, and the Western Han Dynasty perished, with a year of ***2 10. The Western Han Dynasty experienced 12 emperors, excluding emperors such as Lv Zhi, Shaodi and Changyi Wang who had been in office for less than one year.
The Western Han Dynasty was a peak of China's cultural development, with all-round social, economic and cultural development and increasingly frequent foreign exchanges, becoming one of the most powerful countries in the world at that time. The capital of the Western Han Dynasty was Chang 'an (now northwest of Xi City, Shaanxi Province). Mausoleums are all over Guanzhong, and cultural relics are very rich, showing a colorful era style of "Han and the world".
In order to avoid the experience of the Qin Dynasty, the emperors in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty took measures to stabilize people's hearts and restore national strength. Liu Bang inherited many systems of the Qin Dynasty, such as the bureaucratic system of three officials and nine ministers. Legally, the Han law is basically based on the Qin law, but some places have undergone reforms. These measures enabled the country's strength to recover rapidly, and Emperor Wendi and Emperor Jingdi continued to reduce the burden of the people's corvee and reduce the punishment, which is known as the rule of Wenjing in history. At the same time, the early Han emperor tried to deprive the governors of their power and strengthen centralization. These measures laid the foundation for the prosperous period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
The period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was the most prosperous period of the Western Han Dynasty. Internally, he used imperial edicts to further weaken the power of the vassal States, forbade them to coin coins themselves, reformed the system of selecting officials, advocated Confucianism, and nationalized the cause of making salt and iron. He cracked down on Xiongnu abroad, solved the threat of Xiongnu and opened up the Silk Road in the Western Regions. However, the foreign war of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty also came at a price. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the national tax revenue increased again, and at the same time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also increased the punishment again. There were some riots in the later period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty.
Emperor Zhao of Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuan of Han Dynasty resumed the policy of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, which was called Zhao Xuanzhongxing in history.
In the late Western Han Dynasty, the national tax revenue was strengthened again, coupled with some natural and man-made disasters and chaos within the royal family, which provided an opportunity for Wang Mang to usurp power.
Niu Geng and ironware were widely used in the Western Han Dynasty. At the same time, the handicraft industry has also made great progress. In particular, the textile industry and porcelain production are developed. The Western Han Dynasty was a very developed dynasty in ancient China. The stability of the country and the development of transportation provide a good environment for the development of business. Domestic trade is endless, and foreign trade is also very developed. The Western Han Dynasty even had indirect trade relations with ancient Rome, India and other countries through the Silk Road. Western Han culture has a far-reaching influence on East and Southeast Asian countries. Vietnam, Korea, Japan and other countries accepted the influence of Western Han culture.
Taoism was a powerful force in the early Han Dynasty, and Confucianism was the only one since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Sima Qian's Historical Records occupies a special position in China's history and literature.
China's earliest mathematical works Zhou Pian Shu Jing and Nine Chapters Arithmetic were written in the Western Han Dynasty. Since the Western Han Dynasty, China has also had very detailed astronomical records, including the first recognized sunspot record. In addition, acupuncture and papermaking may have been invented in the Western Han Dynasty.
Eastern Han Dynasty
It was established by Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty, between 25 and 220 AD. With the help of the outlaw hero, he overthrew the new dynasty established by Wang Mang and gained the throne. With Luoyang as the capital and Jianwu as the title, the Han Dynasty ruled by Liu was restored, which was called the Eastern Han Dynasty in history. In the second year of Jianwu (26 years), Emperor Guangwu ordered the rectification of bureaucracy and set six ministers in charge of state affairs, further weakening the power of the three fairs (Taiwei, Situ and Sikong); At the same time, check the land and gradually stabilize people's lives. After the governance of Emperor Guangwu, Emperor Hanming (reigned from 58 to 76) and Zhang Han (reigned from 76 to 89), the Eastern Han Dynasty has gradually restored the prosperity of the former Han Dynasty, which was later called "Guangxu Zhongxing". Later, because the emperor was young, eunuchs and consorts monopolized power in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In 220 AD, Cao Pi, the second son of Cao Cao, forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate, and the Eastern Han Dynasty was declared extinct. The history of China has entered a long period of division-the Three Kingdoms period. . Eastern Han calendar 12 emperor, *** 195.
In addition:
1, the Han Dynasty once and for all relieved the Xiongnu's threat to the Central Plains Dynasty. The powerful Huns who once dominated Northeast Asia began to split, and some people went to Eastern Europe. They not only became grave diggers in the Western Roman Empire, but also caused an unprecedented national migration in human history. In this sense, the defeat of the Huns by the Han Dynasty not only changed the historical process of China, but also changed the world.
2. In the process of long-term contacts with nomadic people in the north, the Han Dynasty explored and created a set of effective methods of detention. Its specific strategies, such as "affinity, conquest, migration and merger, compilation and merger, assimilation", became the "sunflower collection" for the Central Plains Dynasty to deal with ethnic affairs in later generations. At the same time, the strong concept of "Hua Yi" of the Han regime in China was strengthened, which played a very unique role in the development of ancient ethnic relations in China.
3, oust a hundred schools of thought, and respect Confucianism alone. The feudal emperors in China found the "spiritual weapon" and "theoretical basis" to maintain the rule of the landlord class. Governing the country with certain academic thoughts is the most brilliant place of China feudal dynasty compared with foreign theocracy. It was not until the end of the Middle Ages that the Italian Machiavelli systematically summarized the western imperial art, which was really backward.
4. As the rising stage of feudal society in China, the Han Dynasty was not only prosperous, but also the enterprising spirit of the people of the Han Dynasty was extraordinary. Ban Gu, who runs in the western regions of Zhang Qian, and Huo Qubing, who gallops on the battlefield of Wei Qing, are all the same. In particular, the opening of the Silk Road on land has gradually improved the exchanges between China and the West. The fanatical demand for China silk by the dignitaries of the Roman Empire directly led to a serious consequence-according to the analysis of foreign historians, due to the large use of silver in exchange for China silk products, the loss of precious metals in Rome was serious, which eventually became an important reason for the financial exhaustion of the Roman Empire.
5. The experience and lessons of the warlord regime in Han Dynasty became the frame of reference for future generations to deal with the same problem. All dynasties that did not learn from the lessons of the Han Dynasty, such as the Western Jin Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, had royal civil wars. However, those dynasties that insisted on centralization, such as the Qing Dynasty, were able to maintain the stability of imperial power. The Qing Dynasty was a special case. The San Francisco Rebellion in Kangxi period was characterized by "Han Jing's Rebellion in Seven Kingdoms" and "Wang with a different surname"-this was the biggest worry of Liu Bang in that year.
6. The cruelty of the court struggle in Han Dynasty and the power of consorts eunuchs gave great stimulation to later generations. Although these problems have been puzzling the feudal rulers of China since then, the powerful warning function of the court history of the Han Dynasty should not be underestimated-since the Song Dynasty, the historical tragedy of eunuchs controlling the emperor has rarely been repeated-although eunuchs intervened in politics in the Ming Dynasty, the imperial power was still supreme and inviolable. The downfall of the Machiavellian eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty was often only in the words of the emperor. This is not the same as the eunuch who held the power of life and death of the emperor in the Han and Tang Dynasties.
7. The Han Dynasty fully learned the lesson of the sudden death of Qin and adopted a series of measures to restore and develop the productive forces. His thought of "paying more taxes than profits, cultivating self-cultivation, and being lenient and cautious in punishment" became the only way for China feudal dynasties to create prosperous times one after another.
8. In the first month of the spring in the second year of Jianwu Zhongyuan (AD 57), "the Japanese slave king sent a big gift." The emissary claimed to be a doctor, and the southernmost boundary of Japan was also sealed by Emperor Guangwu. The seal is the golden seal of the slave king of China. Please note that the Japanese slave owners who accepted my gift here are the ancestors of the Japanese royal family that lasted for thousands of years. That is to say, as early as two thousand years ago, the Japanese royal family was willing to be my "slave".