HAN DYNASTY: One of the most important 
dynasties in Chinese history, the Han dynasty 
(202 B.C.-220 A.D.) made an impact that is 
still felt in CHINA today; ethnic Chinese refer 
to themselves as the Han people in reverence 
to the dynasty. The Han dynasty ruled CHINA 
for over four hundred years, except for a 
brief period between 9 and 23 A.D. when 
Wang Mang usurped the throne and 
established the Hsin Dynasty. In contrast with 
the Han, this short-lived dynasty ruled over 
what is considered to be one of CHINA's 
blackest periods. The period of the Han 
dynasty is, therefore divided by historians 
into two distinct periods: the Early Han, 
covering the period before Wang Mang, and 
the Later Han, which ruled from after Wang 
Mang until 220 A.D. The Han dynasty rose as 
a result of popular discontent with the Ch'in 
dynasty and its policies. The dynasty's 
founder, Liu Pang, was originally a farmer, 
who took part in the insurrection against 
Ch'in. He then established a centralized 
government in Ch'ang-an and adopted the 
royal name Han Kuo-tse. He was a competent 
monarch who followed the advice of one of 
his officials: "An empire can be conquered 
from the back of a horse, but it cannot be 
ruled from the back of a horse." Han Kuo-tse 
established many precedents in Chinese 
history. He was the first emperor to give the 
initiative in making policy to his advisers and 
he himself would make no decisions without 
first consulting these advisers. Another Han 
emperor, Wu (reigned 141-87 B.C.), is often 
considered to be the greatest emperor in 
Chinese history. He centralized all 
government powers in Ch'ang-an, established 
the bureaucracy, promoted literacy, expanded 
CHINA's borders into Central and Southeast 
Asia, promoted diplomatic and trade ties with 
the West, modernized CHINA's penal code, and 
enacted economic reforms regulating the 
influence of the middle class. After his death, 
few Han emperors were able to match his 
achievements and commitment, and the 
dynasty fell into decay, culminating in the 
usurpation of the throne by Wang Mang in 9 
A.D. Wang Mang nationalized land and 
reenacted many of the Ch'in dynasty policies 
abolished by the early Han emperors. 
Nevertheless, it seemed that even nature 
opposed him. In 11 A.D. the Yellow river 
changed course, killing millions and sparking 
rebellions in northern CHINA. In 23 A.D. Wang 
Mang was deposed and two years later Liu 
Hsiu, a member of the Han dynastic family, 
entered Ch'ang-an and reinstated the Han 
dynasty. Liu Hsiu and his descendants were 
able to restore much of the imperial glory of 
the Early Han dynasty. However, about one 
hundred years after Liu Hsiu's death, the 
court eunuchs began amassing power and 
privileges. In 190 Szechuan seceded and 
contact with Central Asia was lost. By 220 
CHINA had split into three kingdoms: Wu, Wei, 
and Shuhan.  In the four hundred years of 
Han rule, Chinese culture flourished. Most 
scholars believe that the five Chinese 
classics - the Book of History ("Shu Ching"), the 
Spring and Autumn Annals ("Ch'un Ch'iu"), the 
Book of Songs ("Shih Ching"), the Book of Rites 
("Li Chi"), and the Book of Changes ("I Ching") - 
were written during this period. CONFUCIANISM 
was established as the state religion, and 
BUDDHISM was first introduced from INDIA.
(See also China article).