The Han Dynasty

1
The Han Dynasty

• The Qin dynasty came to a close shortly after Qin
  Shihuandgi death, he was the first emperor of
  China.
• With his death came a golden age to China, a long
  period of stability and wealth with the Han
  dynasty.
• The Han Dynasty incorporated Confucian ideals of
  moral behavior into the Chinese government.

Emperor Wu Han Wudi founder of the Han Dynasty
2
Warfare

• The Han excelled in warfare and their military
  methods helped them expand the dynasty.
• The Han army was large with historians estimating
  that the army ranged from 130,000 to 300,000 men.
• The Han were the first people to make Iron swords
  and they also introduced the crossbow.

3
Government

• The Han emperors adopted the centralized
  government of the Qin dynasty, but brought
  Confucian ideas back to government.
• The government of China during the Han dynasty
  was a bureaucracy.
• The highest level Han officials lived in the
  capital and gave advice to the emperor, while the
  lower level officials lived throughout the empire.

4
Government

• The Han dynasty was the first dynasty to employ
  civil servants not on bloodline, but ability.
• Once hired they were not allowed to be a civil
  servant in their home district to avoid
  corruption.

5
Agriculture

• The Han dynasty made important advances in
  agriculture that improved their lives
• In china droughts and flooding were challenges
  for farmers.
• One invention that helped farmers was a chain
  pump. The chain pump made it easier to move water
  from low irrigation ditches and canals up to the
  fields.

6
Agriculture

• The Han dynasty also learned how to pour melted
  iron into molds, making a stronger plow and they
  also invented the wheelbarrow to help carry heavy
  loads.

7
Industry

• The Han dynasty controlled the two most important
  industries Silk and Salt.
• Silk was a material made from fibers of a
  silkworm cocoon. The Han developed a foot powered
  reeling machine that threaded the silk faster,
  which improved production.
• Salt was another important part of industry
  because it was used to preserve food and for a
  seasoning.

8
Industry

• Salt water or brine exists deep within the
  earths surface and the Han developed a bamboo
  pole that helped the salt water enter the pole,
  which produced more salt.

9
Art

• During the Han Dynasty, a key advance was made in
  art with the invention of paper.
• Before paper the Chinese used bones, silk, and
  bamboo.
• A variety of materials were used to make paper.
  They included silk fibers, hemp, bamboo, straw,
  and seaweed. They were boiled into a soupy pulp
  and dried on a screen.

10
Medicine

• The Han Dynasty believed that illness occurred
  when the yin and the Yang were out of balance.
• One technique developed by Chinese healers was
  acupuncture.
• Acupuncture is believed to be useful for curing
  illnesses like headaches.

11
Medicine

• A second healing method was moxibustion, in this
  method a moxa, a small cone of powdered leaves or
  sticks is placed near or on the skin. The heat is
  believed to reduce pain and promote healing.
• The Han also discovered that heartbeat as a way
  to judge health and that blood circulates from
  the heart throughout your body.

12
Science

• Chinese astronomers closely observed the heavens
  and recorded comets, eclipses, and the moon.
• The Chinese of this period also invented two very
  useful instruments, the seismograph and the
  magnetic compass.
• The invention of the seismograph led the Chinese
  to detect earthquakes several hundred miles away
  and using a loadstone would help them with
  direction and exploring.