Han dynasty

The Han dynasty ruled China from 202 BCE to 220 CE, with a brief interruption by the Xin dynasty. Its Western and Eastern periods helped shape imperial government and Chinese cultural identity.

Han bureaucracy: The administrative officials and institutions through which the Han emperor governed the empire. Its layered offices translated imperial commands into provincial and local administration.
Chu–Han Contention: The civil war between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu after the fall of the Qin dynasty. Liu Bang’s victory established the political foundation of Han rule.
Emperor Wu of Han: A Han emperor who ruled from 141 to 87 BCE and expanded imperial power and territory. His campaigns and court policies marked the height of Western Han expansion.
Mawangdui Han tombs: A group of Western Han tombs near Changsha containing exceptionally preserved bodies and artifacts. Their manuscripts and objects illuminate elite life and beliefs under the Han.
Han Chinese: The largest ethnic group in China, whose name derives from the Han dynasty. The dynasty’s name became an enduring label for a major Chinese ethnic identity.
Civil service examination: A system of examinations used to select government officials, developed fully in later Chinese dynasties. Han recommendation-based recruitment preceded, but was not the same as, the later examination system.
Liu Bang: The founder of the Han dynasty, who ruled as Emperor Gaozu from 202 to 195 BCE. His victory in the Chu–Han Contention made him the first Han emperor.
Sima Qian: A Chinese historian who wrote the Records of the Grand Historian during the Han dynasty. His history preserved accounts of Han origins and earlier Chinese states.
Han dynasty tomb figurines: Small clay or ceramic figures placed in Han tombs to represent people, animals, and daily activities. They offer material evidence of social roles and household life.
Chinese historiography: The traditions and methods used to record and interpret China’s past. Han historians established influential models for writing dynastic history.

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