The Qin and

Han Dynasties
Looking Back, Looking Ahead Meeting People
Each of China’s early dynasties Qin Shihuangdi (CHIHN SHEE •
History was led by rulers who were very hwahng • dee)
Social Science different. In this section, you will Liu Bang (lee • OO BAHNG)
Standards see how the Qin and Han dynasties Han Wudi (HAHN WOO • DEE)
WH6.6 Students differed because of their rulers.
analyze the geographic,
political, economic, Content Vocabulary
religious, and social Focusing on the acupuncture (A • kyuh • PUHNGK •
structures of the early • Qin Shihuangdi used harsh methods chuhr)
civilizations of China.
to unify and defend China. (page 295)
• Developments during the Han dynasty Academic Vocabulary
improved life for all Chinese. (page 298) currency (KUHR • uhn • SEE)
civil (SIH • vuhl)
• The Silk Road carried Chinese goods
as far as Greece and Rome. (page 300) found
secure (sih • KYUR)
• Unrest in China helped Buddhism
to spread. (page 303)
Reading Strategy
Determining Cause and Effect
Locating Places Complete a diagram like the one
Guangzhou (GWAHNG • JOH) below showing the effect of new
Silk Road inventions on Chinese society.
Luoyang (loo • WOH • YAHNG) Invention Effect

200 B.C. A.D. 1 A.D. 200

202 B.C. c. A.D. 100 A.D. 190
Liu Bang founds Silk Road Rebel armies
Changan Han dynasty established attack Han capital

294 CHAPTER 5 • Early China

 WH6.6.5 List the policies and achievements of the emperor Shi Huangdi in unifying northern China under the Qin Dynasty.

Emperor Qin Shihuangdi which means “the First Qin Emperor.” The
Qin ruler made changes in China’s govern-
Qin Shihuangdi used harsh methods to ment that would last for 2,000 years.
unify and defend China.
Reading Connection Imagine your city or state with- A Powerful Ruler Qin based his rule on
out any roads. How would people get from one place to the ideas of Legalism. He had everyone
another? Read to find out how a Chinese ruler used who opposed him punished or killed.
roads and canals to unite China. Books opposing his views were publicly
burned. Qin made the central government
You have read about the problems in stronger than ever before. He appointed
China from about 400 B.C. to 200 B.C. The government officials, called censors, to make
rulers of powerful local states fought one sure government officials did their jobs.
another and ignored the Zhou kings. One Second in power to the central govern-
of these states was called Qin . Its ruler ment were provinces and counties. Under
took over neighboring states one by one. Zhou kings, officials who ran these areas
In 221 B.C. the Qin ruler declared himself passed on their posts to sons or relatives.
Qin Shihuangdi (CHIHN SHEE • hwahng • dee), Under Qin, only he could fill these posts.

Qin and Han Empires 221 B.C.–A.D. 220

100°E 120°E 100°E 120°E

0 600 mi. N 0 600 mi. N

0 600 km W E 0 600 km W E
Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection
S S
XIONGNU XIONGNU
40°N 40°N
)

)
H ua n
R.
Hua n

R.
Yellow Yellow
w

w
l lo

l lo

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Sea
Xianyang Wei H e(
Wei H e
e Changan
Jiang (Ya n g tze R.) Jiang (Ya n g tze R.)
East East
ng

ng

a a
Ch China Ch China
Sea Sea

Xi Jian Xi Jian
g g

South 20°N 20°N

China
Sea South
China
Sea

KEY
Qin empire
1. Place Which geographical areas
Great Wall in Qin period
did both empires include? Han empire
2. Location Which empire expanded Great Wall in Han period
farther west?

CHAPTER 5 • Early China 295

 Qin Shihuangdi unified China. He cre-
ated one currency, or type of money, to
be used throughout the empire. He also
ordered the construction of roads and a
huge canal. The canal connected the Chang
Jiang in central China to what is today the
city of Guangzhou (GWAHNG • JOH) in
southern China. He used the canal to ship
supplies to his troops in far-off territories.
The Great Wall Northern China was bor-
dered by the vast Gobi. Nomads, people
who move from place to place with herds of
animals, lived in the Gobi. The Chinese
knew them as the Xiongnu (SYEHN • NOO).
The Xiongnu were masters at fighting on
horseback. They often attacked Chinese
farms and villages. Several Chinese rulers in
the north built walls to keep out the Xiongnu.
Qin Shihuangdi forced farmers to leave
their fields and work on connecting and
strengthening the walls. The result was the
Great Wall of China, built with stone, sand,
and piled rubble. However, Qin did not
build the wall that we know today. It was
built 1,500 years later.

Why Did People Rebel? Many Chinese

viewed Qin Shihuangdi as a cruel leader.
Aristocrats were angry because he reduced
their power. Scholars hated him for burning
their writings. Farmers hated him for forc-
ing them to build roads and the Great Wall.
Four years after the emperor died in 210 B.C.,
the people overthrew his dynasty. Civil war
followed, and a new dynasty soon arose.
Explain Why did Qin face
little opposition during most of his reign?

This artwork shows the Great Wall many

years after the reign of Qin Shihuangdi. Most
of the wall built by Qin was made of stone
and rubble, and was located north of the
Great Wall we see today. Little remains of
Qin’s wall. Who was the wall meant to
keep out?
 WH6.6.5 List the policies and achievements
of the emperor Shi Huangdi in unifying northern
China under the Qin Dynasty.

QIN SHIHUANGDI
c. 259–210 B.C.
At the age 13, Ying Zheng became the leader of
the Chinese state of Qin. The state was already very
powerful because of Zheng’s father, the previous ruler.
Its government and military were well organized. With
the help of his generals, young Zheng defeated Qin’s six
rival states. By 221 B.C ., he had united all of the Chinese
states under his rule. To mark a new beginning for
China and to show his supremacy, Zheng gave himself
the title Qin Shihuangdi—“The First Qin Emperor.”
Qin Shihuangdi energetically went to work organizing
his country. He divided the land into 36 districts, each
with its own governor and a representative who reported
directly to him. He made laws and taxes uniform Qin Shihuangdi
throughout the country. He also standardized weights
and measurements. Throughout China, the emperor had “I have brought order
his achievements inscribed on stone tablets. to the mass of beings.”
—Qin Shihuangdi
Qin Shihuangdi did strengthen and
organize China, but many people disliked him
because of his harsh laws and punishments.
Many people also disliked how he spent lavish
amounts of money to build palaces and a
gigantic tomb for himself. He had an entire
lifelike army—over 6,000 soldiers and
horses—built of clay and placed in the tomb.

Part of the terra-cotta army found in

Qin Shihuangdi’s tomb Why do you think modern historians disagree
in their evaluation of Qin Shihuangdi’s
leadership?

297
(t)ChinaStock, (b)Robert Harding Picture Library
 WH6.6.6 Detail the political contributions of the Han Dynasty to the development of the imperial bureaucratic state and the
expansion of the empire.

The Han Dynasty Wudi wanted talented people to fill govern-

ment posts, job seekers had to take long,
Developments during the Han dynasty difficult tests to qualify for the bureaucracy.
improved life for all Chinese. Those with the highest scores got the jobs.
Reading Connection How much time do you spend In time, Wudi’s tests became the civil
studying for tests? Find out why some Chinese people service examinations. This system for choos-
spent years studying for one special test. ing Chinese officials was used for 2,000
years. The system was supposed to allow
In 202 B.C. Liu Bang (lee • OO BAHNG) anyone with the right skills to get a govern-
founded the Han dynasty. Liu Bang was a ment job. However, it actually favored the
peasant who became a military leader and rich. Only wealthy families could afford to
defeated his rivals. He declared himself educate their sons for the difficult exams.
Han Gaozu—“Exalted Emperor of Han.” Students preparing for these tests
Although Han Gaozu threw out the harsh learned law and history. More importantly
policies of the Qin dynasty, he continued to they studied the teachings of Confucius,
use censors and also divided the empire into which had become the official teachings
provinces and counties. throughout the empire. Students began to
memorize the works of Confucius at age
What Was the Civil Service? The Han seven. After many years of schooling, the
dynasty reached its peak under the leader- students took their civil service examina-
ship of Han Wudi (HAHN WOO • DEE), tions. Only one in five passed. Those who
which means “Martial Emperor of Han.” failed taught school, took jobs as assistants to
He ruled from 141 B.C. to 87 B.C. Because officials, or were supported by their families.
The Chinese Empire Grows A large
bureaucracy was needed to rule the rap-
idly growing empire. The population had
grown from about 20 million under Han
Gaozu to more than 60 million under Han
Wudi. This happened in part because
Chinese agriculture continued to thrive.
Over time, however, problems began to
develop. When farmers died, their land
was divided among their sons. When their
sons died, their land was again divided
among their sons. Gradually, over several
generations, the amount of land a family
had to farm became smaller and smaller.
By the middle of the Han dynasty, the
average farmer owned only about one acre
of land.
With so little land, farm families could
This painting shows students taking a civil
service examination. Why did the civil service not raise enough to live. As a result, many
system favor rich job seekers? sold their land to aristocrats and became

298 CHAPTER 5 • Early China

Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
 Papermaking
Modern papermaking
The Chinese were the first people to make
paper. The oldest piece of paper found in China
dates from the first century B.C . Papermakers
soaked tree bark, hemp, and rags in water
and pounded it into pulp. They lowered
a bamboo screen into a vat of the pulp
and then lifted it out. It held a thin
sheet of pulp which dried into a single
sheet of paper.

Papermaking today is a
huge international industry. Most
paper is made in paper mills by
machines, but the basic process is the
same. Instead of tree bark, rags, and
hemp, most paper today is made from wood
pulp. Why do you think some modern artists
continue to make paper using pulp and a frame?
A modern artist demonstrates
an ancient way of making paper.

tenant farmers. Tenant farmers work on nomads to the north—China remained at

land that is owned by someone else and peace for almost 150 years.
pay their rent with crops. Eventually, aris- During this period of peace, new forms
tocrats owned thousands of acres and of Chinese literature and art appeared. In
became very wealthy, but the peasants literature, the Chinese emphasized the
remained trapped in poverty. recording of history. Scholars and historians
China’s empire grew in size as well as wrote new histories of current events and
in population. Han armies added lands made copies of old literature.
to the south and pushed Chinese borders During the Han dynasty, the focus of art
westward. The Han dynasty also made also changed. In earlier periods, artists
the country more secure. After Wudi’s mostly created religious works for the kings
armies drove back the Xiongnu—the and nobles. Under the Han rulers, many

CHAPTER 5 • Early China 299

(l)Ontario Science Centre, (r)Dean Conger/CORBIS
 WH6.6.7 Cite the significance of the trans-Eurasian "silk roads" in the period of the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire and their
locations.

beautiful works of art were created for

wealthy families. For example, some wall
The Silk Road
carvings in the tombs of such families fea- The Silk Road carried Chinese goods as
ture scenes of everyday life and historical far as Greece and Rome.
events. They also include highly decorated Reading Connection Many of the things we buy
products made of the best quality silk. today are made in China. How do these goods get to the
Although the idea of filial piety had United States? Read to learn how goods made in China
existed in the Zhou dynasty, it became very long ago made it all the way to Europe.
strong during the Han dynasty as the ideas
of Confucius spread and became popular. Chinese merchants made a lot of money
The stability of the government also helped by shipping expensive goods to other coun-
to strengthen family ties. Although the new tries. Silk was the most valuable trade prod-
scholar class had great influence over the uct. Some of it went by ship to Southeast
government, the social classes in Chinese Asia. However, most went overland on the
society remained the same, and daily life Silk Road.
was very similar to what it had been before. What Was the Silk Road? Merchants from
An Era of Inventions New inventions dur- China began traveling far westward when
ing the Han dynasty helped Chinese work- the emperor Han Wudi sent out a general
ers produce more goods and manufacture named Zhang Qian (JAHNG CHYEHN) to
more products than ever. Millers used explore areas west of China. Zhang had been
newly invented waterwheels to grind more sent on a mission to find allies for China
grain, and miners used new iron drill bits to against its enemies, especially the Xiongnu
mine more salt. Ironworkers invented steel. to the north.
Paper, another Han invention, was used by After a journey of about 13 years, Zhang
officials to keep government records. returned to China having failed to find allies
Chinese medicine also improved under for China. However, Zhang had discovered
the Han. Doctors discovered that certain a kingdom far to the west, perhaps in mod-
foods prevented disease. They used herbs ern-day Kazakhstan, where there were
to cure illnesses and eased pain by sticking horses of exceptional strength and size.
thin needles into patients’ skin. This treat- Emperor Wudi was delighted to hear this
ment is known as acupuncture (A • kyuh • because the cavalry of his enemies, the
PUHNGK • chuhr). Xiongnu, gave them a great advantage over
The Chinese also invented the rudder his army, which was mostly infantry. The
and a new way to move the sails of ships. emperor encouraged trade to get these
These changes allowed ships to sail into the horses so that his cavalry could defeat the
wind for the first time. Chinese merchant Xiongnu. The result was the Silk Road, a
ships could now travel to the islands of large network of trade routes stretching
Southeast Asia and into the Indian Ocean. 4,000 miles (6,436 km) from western China to
As a result, China established trade connec- southwest Asia. By the A.D. 100s, the various
tions with people who lived as far away as portions of the route were completed.
India and the Mediterranean Sea. Merchants used camels to carry their
Identify Which inventions goods across deserts and mountains to cen-
helped Chinese society during the Han dynasty? tral Asia. From there Arabs carried the goods

300 CHAPTER 5 • Early China

 Trading in the Ancient World

°N
40
20°E 60°E 100°E
0 1,000 mi.
ROMAN N
40
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EMPIRE

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1,000 km GOBI
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Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection W
E RUSSIA

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Luoyang Hangzhou
Black Sea Aral Changan

Ca
Sea

spi
CHINA

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Constantinople

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EGYPT. Sea
SP

ARABIA

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Sea Bay of
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S S S
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I N DI A N O CEA N
Java

KEY
Silk Road SP
ICE
S
Cloves Grains Pearls 1. Movement What were some trade
Other trade Copper Horns/Tusks Sandalwood goods produced by China?
routes
Cotton cloth Leopard skins Semiprecious
2. Region What regions were near or
SP
ICE
S
Black pepper stones along the route of the Silk Road?
SP
ICE
S
Frankincense/Myrrh SP
ICE
S
Nutmeg
SP
ICE
S
Cardamom Silk
Gold Oils
PIC
E S
Cinnamon Teakwood
Ginger Papyrus
S
S
ICE
SP

to the Mediterranean Sea. The trip over the carts to survive the entire journey. Most mer-
Silk Road was extremely difficult, danger- chants traveled part of the journey and then
ous, and quite expensive. sold their goods to someone else who trav-
The Silk Road was broken up into eled another portion of the journey. Goods
smaller segments, each traveled by different passed from one person to another until they
merchants. This was because the terrain was went from China all the way to kingdoms
so difficult and changed so much over the along the Mediterranean Sea.
course of the Silk Road. There were high, Merchants had to pay taxes to many
snowy mountains; vast deserts; and long kingdoms as they moved the goods east
regions of rocky land, as well as rivers and and west. Each person who bought goods
long plains to cross. It would have been then charged higher prices to the next per-
extremely difficult for the same animals and son. For this reason, they carried mostly

CHAPTER 5 • Early China 301

(l)The Art Archive/National Palace Museum Taiwan, (others)The Art Archive/British Library
 Four Chinese Dynasties
SHANG ZHOU QIN HAN
When 1750–1045 B.C. 1045–256 B.C. 221–206 B.C. 202 B.C.–A.D. 220
Important Numerous kings
Leaders with large armies
and control over
the land; ruled
from capital
city of Anyang Wu Qin Shihuangdi Liu Bang
Main Ideas and Developed social Longest-lasting Strengthened Population and
Accomplishments classes that dynasty in central landmass grew
included farmers, Chinese history; government; under Han;
merchants, established created single opened China
aristocrats, Mandate of monetary to trade and
and royal family Heaven system commerce by
building Silk Road

Influences on Influenced Chinese Developed Introduced use Created

Chinese Culture religion and culture; irrigation and of censors to government’s
created Chinese flood-control check on civil service
written language systems to help government examination;
farmers grow officials; Qin major inventions:
more crops built the first steel, paper,
Great Wall acupuncture,
The four dynasties of early China were to keep out advanced sea
separated by brief periods of unrest. invaders travel
1. Under which dynasty was a single monetary
system put in place?
2. Evaluate Which dynasty do you think
contributed the most to Chinese culture? Why?

high-priced goods such as silk, spices, tea, Chinese to civilizations in Southeast Asia,
and porcelain. In return, they earned great southern India, and Egypt. Both the sea and
wealth. land trade routes led to an exchange of
many different goods and ideas.
The Impact of the Silk Road General Over the years merchants traded many
Zhang also told the emperor of a mighty items in addition to silk. These included fruit,
empire to the west with large cities full of vegetables, flowers, grains, and other prod-
people “who cut their hair short, wear ucts. For example, China sent peaches and
embroidered clothes, and ride in very small pears to India, while India sent cotton and
chariots.” Zhang was describing the Roman spinach to China. In time, Chinese technolog-
Empire. ical advances, such as paper, would also
The trade begun by the Silk Road travel to other countries along the Silk Road.
brought China into contact with many
other civilizations. Some merchants trav- Conclude Why did merchants
eled by sea. This sea trade linked the carry mostly expensive goods on the Silk Road?

302 CHAPTER 5 • Early China

 WH6.6.8 Describe the diffusion of Buddhism northward to China during the Han Dynasty.

Major Changes in China began grabbing more land and wealth.

Dishonest officials and greedy aristocrats
Unrest in China helped Buddhism to caused unrest among the farmers.
spread. Wars, rebellions, and plots against the
Reading Connection What do you do when you feel emperor put an end to the Han dynasty.
frightened or unsafe? Read to find out how those feel- In A.D. 190 a rebel army attacked the Han
ings triggered the spread of Buddhism from India to China. capital, Luoyang (loo • WOH • YAHNG). By
A.D. 220, China had plunged into civil war.
As you read in Chapter 4, Buddhism To make the situation worse, the northern
began in India, but it soon spread to other nomads invaded the country.
countries as well. Merchants and teachers The collapse of the government and
from India brought Buddhism to China dur- the beginning of the civil war frightened
ing the A.D. 100s. At first, only a few many Chinese. They felt unsafe. Buddhist
merchants and scholars were interested ideas helped people cope with their stress
in the new religion. In time, however, and fears. Even the followers of other reli-
Buddhism became very popular. This was gions found Buddhism attractive. Followers
due in part to the collapse of the Han dynasty. of Confucius and Daoists admired Buddhist
The Han emperors after Wudi were concepts. By the 400s, Buddhism had
weak and foolish. As a result, the central become popular in China.
government lost respect and power. At the Identify What groups in
same time, as you read earlier, the aristocrats China were the first to adopt Buddhism?

Study Central Need help understanding the

influence of the Silk Road? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com
and click on Study Central.

What Did You Learn?

Reading Summary 1. Why did Qin Shihuangdi have
the Great Wall built?
5. How did Qin
Shihuangdi make China’s soci-
Review the ety more stable? CA HR3.
• The short-lived Qin dynasty 2. What was the purpose of the
helped to unify China. civil service examinations? 6. Expository Writing Pretend
you are Zhang Qian and have
• During the Han dynasty, people Critical Thinking
visited modern-day America.
began taking tests for govern- 3. Geography Skills What geo- Write a letter to the emperor
ment jobs. New inventions, graphic features made using describing the United States.
such as the waterwheel and the Silk Road difficult? CA 6WS1.0
paper, were created. CA CS3.
7. Economic
• The Silk Road was an important 4. Cause and Effect Draw a dia- Analysis Merchants on the
trade route that linked China to gram to show the causes of the Silk Road had to pay high taxes
the West. Han dynasty’s fall. CA 6WS1.3 and pay for protection. Explain
• As the Han dynasty lost power, why they used the Silk Road if
many Chinese became followers Han the costs were so high. How
of Buddhism. Dynasty did they overcome the high
Falls costs? CA HI6.

CHAPTER 5 • Early China 303

 WH6.6.3 Know about the life of
Confucius and the fundamental
teachings of Confucianism and
Daoism.

Chinese Ideas
About Leadership
In ancient China, emperors and local rulers wielded enormous Chinese
power. As you have learned, the Chinese had many different ideas emperor
about leadership. For some, leadership was about power and fame. Liu Bang
For others, a strong leader needed to be wise and of good character.
Read the following passages on pages 304 and 305, and study
the picture and caption below.

Reader’s Dictionary
magnificence (mag • NIH • fuh • suhns): excessive (ihk • SEH • sihv): extreme
wonderful appearance courteous (KUHR • tee • uhs): polite

Traveling Companions
T his set of bronze figures comes from the
tomb of a Chinese official buried in the
A.D. 100s. The entire procession included
17 soldiers, 28 attendants, 39 horses, and
14 carriages.

304 CHAPTER 5 • Early China

 Han Gaozu’s Palace Confucius on Leadership
The Chinese historian Sima Qian lived during Confucius believed that leaders had to be good
the Han dynasty. Qian recorded the following people to govern well.
conversation between Gaozu, the first Han ruler, “If you showed a sincere desire to be good,
and Gaozu’s chief minister, to illustrate why the your people would likewise be good. The
emperor built large palaces. virtue of the prince is like the wind; the virtue
Chief Minister Xiao was in charge of the of the people is like grass. It is the nature of
construction of the Eternal Palace. . . . When grass to bend when the wind blows upon it.”
Gaozu arrived and saw the magnificence of
—Confucius, as quoted in Simple Confucianism
the buildings, he was outraged. “Warfare has
kept the empire in turmoil for years, and vic- “If leaders are courteous, their people will
tory is not yet assured. What is the idea of not dare to be disrespectful. If leaders are just,
building palaces on such an excessive scale?” people will not dare to be [ungovernable]. If
“It is precisely because the fate of the leaders are trustworthy, people will not dare to
empire is not yet settled,” Xiao He responded, be dishonest.”
“that we need to build palaces and halls like —Confucius, Analects
these. The true Son of Heaven treats the four
quarters as his family estate. If he does not
dwell in magnificent quarters, he will have no
way to display his authority, nor will he estab-
Laozi’s Ideal Leader
lish the foundation for his heirs to build on.”
On hearing this, Gauzo’s anger turned into
The Daoist philosopher Laozi also believed that a
leader had specific qualities.
delight.
The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence
—Patricia Buckley Ebrey, The Cambridge Illustrated to his subjects.
History of China
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly.
When his task is accomplished and his work
done
The people all say, “It happened to us natu-
rally.”
—Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, D.C. Lau, trans.

Traveling Companions Laozi’s Ideal Leader

1. How important do you think an official who 4. What kind of leader is Laozi’s ideal leader?
traveled with such a procession was? Explain.
Read to Write
Han Gaozu’s Palace 5. Imagine that you have been appointed a
2. Why did Gaozu at first object to the building regional governor during the Han dynasty.
of the palaces? Do you agree with Xiao He’s Write a letter to your local officials explaining
reasons for building the palace? Explain. your ideas of how a leader should act. Base
your arguments on these sources. Explain why
Confucius on Leadership you disagree with some sources and agree
3. Rewrite Confucius’s sayings in your own with others. CA HR4. CA 6WA2.5
words.

CHAPTER 5 • Early China 305