Growth of the Chinese EmpireSocial Studies Chapter 12

Section 2Expansion Under the Han Dynasty

Anticipatory SetWhat would you do if you were the next emperor to ruler China after the Qin Dynasty was overthrown…

Which policies of the Qin Dynasty would you keep? Which would you change?

StandardsH-SS 6.6.6 –Detail the political contributions of the Han Dynasty to the development of the imperial bureaucratic state and the expansion of the empire

H-SS 6.6.7 –Cite the significance of the trans-Eurasian “silk roads” in the period of the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire and their locations

The Big Idea

The Han Dynasty built on Shi Huangdi’s success to create one of the most successful dynasties in Chinese history.

Key TermsLiu Bang (lee oo bahng)

Wudi (woo dee)

Zhang Qian (jahng chi ehn)

The Rise of the HanThe fighting that toppled the Qin

Dynasty lasted for several years

In 206 B.C. a rebel named Liu Bang gained control of China and founded the Han Dynasty

The First Han Emperor Unlike most Chinese rulers, the first Han

emperor came from a poor family

Liu Bang studied with Confucian scholars to learn how to govern

The result was a government that continued its efforts to standardize Chinese life, but also followed Confucian teachings

The Emperor Wudi In 140 B.C. a 16 year old boy named Liu

Che became the sixth Han Emperor (later known as Wudi)

Ruled for more than 50 years

During his reign he sent armies into Vietnam, Manchuria, Korean

The Rise of the Han

Read The Rise of the Han on pages 333 – 334 of your

textbook

War Against the XiongnuWudi’s most important military

goal was to destroy the nomads known as the Xiongnu (or Huns)

The Great Wall was built to stop Xiongnu’s raids, but it failed to keep the nomadic warriors from the region

War Against the Xiongnu Liu Bang tried to end the Xiongnu threat

through diplomacy (the art of reaching agreements between peoples and nations)

Wudi declared war against the Xiongnu, but fighting them was not easy

Zhang Qian’s Long Journey During the conflict, the emperor questioned

captured nomads

Wudi sent an official named Zhang Qian to see out the Yuezhi people

During his journey he learned that the enemy Xiongnu troops had great war horses

Also learned about new lands: India, Persia, and Mesopotamia

The “Silk Road” Zhang’s travels into Central Asia took

him as far as present day Kazakhstan and Afghanistan

His report led to the establishment of China’s first trade route to the West

View the map of the Silk Road on page 339 of your textbook

War Against Xiongnu

Read the War Against Xiongnu on pages 335 – 336 of your

textbook

The Imperial Bureaucratic State

Wudi did more than expand the Chinese Empire

He helped build an imperial bureaucracy to govern the vast lands of China

The Structure of Government

Emperor and chief

advisors

Counties and Provinces

Districts

Small towns and villages

Han government

was organized like

a pyramid

Civil Service The strength of the Han government lay

in its educated civil service People who work for the government

Included more than 130,000 officials

Wudi created exams to find the best people for the jobs

Civil Service Officials had great power

Collected taxes Organized labor Enforced laws Could force people to move

Were not allowed to serve in their home districts Helped keep them from favoring their family

and friends

The Imperial Bureaucratic State

Read The Imperial Bureaucratic State on pages 336 – 337 of

your textbook

Check for Understanding

Which Dynasty came to power after the Qin?

What was the significance of Emperor Wudi sending Zhang Qian on his journey?

Check for UnderstandingWhich Dynasty came to power after the Qin?

The Han Dynasty came to power after the Qin Dynasty.

What was the significance of Emperor Wudi sending Zhang Qian on his journey?

Zhang Qian’s journey gave him information about Central Asia that led to the creation of the trade route known as the “Silk Road.”

Modeling/Guided/Independent

Complete the Modeling, Guided Practice, and Independent Practice Sections of your China 12-2 Worksheet.