Han Dynasty
After four years of war between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu (Chu-Han War), Liu Bang defeated his rival and established the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty consisted of two dynasties: the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the period there were 24 emperors. Many were excellent contributing to the prosperity of the country with Emperors Gaozu, Wen, Jing and Wu among them. The Han Dynasty was a world power at the time with much interest in literature, arts, culture and technology with achieving successes. Some of the achievements at that time still influence the lives of the Chinese people today.
Western Han Dynasty The Western Han Dynasty was set as the first unified and powerful empire
in Chinese history. Lasting from 206 BC to 24 AD, it was established by Liu Bang. This Western Han Dynasty
was based on a series of political and economic reforms and was ruled by 12 emperors in succession enjoying peace and prosperity.
Economy Handcrafts, industry, and commerce were great achievements. Water conservationand irrigation projects were built and greatly expanded production. Cattle, and iron farm tools were used at large to plow the land and planting skills were also improved greatly so that one hectare of field could be seeded in a day
Industry In industry, productivity was improved greatly in both metallurgy and the textile industry. Looms were used taking the place of manual labor in weaving. Iron-smelting was carried on a large scale and steel was made using coal as fuel. Hydraulics were developed using water power to drive a celestial sphere.
Culture and Arts With China's economy and industry rapidly increasing, their culture and arts also improved. Literature flourished with the invention of paper as art flourished with the invention of the loom and porcelain.
Eastern Han Dynasty was established by Liu Xiu, who became the Emperor Guangwu. With Luoyang in Henan Province as its capital city, the dynasty was reined over by 12 emperors in a span of 195 years. The most prosperous period of Eastern Han was the middle period of the first century.
Economy The central government focused on irrigation works. In the reign of Emperor Ming, many fields that had been flooded by the Yellow River were changed into fertile lands. At the same time, the productivity of industry was greatly improved. With that said, a special tool called 'Shui Pai' was invented by a local viceroy in Nanyang. This tool allowed the power of water to be applied to the air-blasting in the process of iron smelting which promoted productivity in the metallurgical industry.
Western Han Dynasty The Western Han Dynasty was set as the first unified and powerful empire
in Chinese history. Lasting from 206 BC to 24 AD, it was established by Liu Bang. This Western Han Dynasty
was based on a series of political and economic reforms and was ruled by 12 emperors in succession enjoying peace and prosperity.
Economy Handcrafts, industry, and commerce were great achievements. Water conservationand irrigation projects were built and greatly expanded production. Cattle, and iron farm tools were used at large to plow the land and planting skills were also improved greatly so that one hectare of field could be seeded in a day
Industry In industry, productivity was improved greatly in both metallurgy and the textile industry. Looms were used taking the place of manual labor in weaving. Iron-smelting was carried on a large scale and steel was made using coal as fuel. Hydraulics were developed using water power to drive a celestial sphere.
Culture and Arts With China's economy and industry rapidly increasing, their culture and arts also improved. Literature flourished with the invention of paper as art flourished with the invention of the loom and porcelain.
Eastern Han Dynasty was established by Liu Xiu, who became the Emperor Guangwu. With Luoyang in Henan Province as its capital city, the dynasty was reined over by 12 emperors in a span of 195 years. The most prosperous period of Eastern Han was the middle period of the first century.
Economy The central government focused on irrigation works. In the reign of Emperor Ming, many fields that had been flooded by the Yellow River were changed into fertile lands. At the same time, the productivity of industry was greatly improved. With that said, a special tool called 'Shui Pai' was invented by a local viceroy in Nanyang. This tool allowed the power of water to be applied to the air-blasting in the process of iron smelting which promoted productivity in the metallurgical industry.