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China's Han Dynasty Rises and FallsUSHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff, 06/28/2017

The Han dynasty will always be remembered for connecting Europe and Asia through the Silk Road. Ideas and goods, such as silk and spices, were exchanged with lands as far west as India and the Roman Empire. China's most famous landmark, the Great Wall, was built primarily during the Han period. Its walls protected the Chinese people from foreign invasions throughout the centuries.

The rise of the Han

The Han dynasty restored lords to their positions of power. China prospered in peace once again. Paper and porcelain were invented during the Han dynasty, as was the wheelbarrow. Legend says that paper was first created in A.D. 105, but archaeological evidence suggests that it was in use up to 200 years earlier. In comparison, paper was not widely used in Europe until more than 1,000 years later.

The emperor Wu Ti is given credit for the first major successes of the early Han. He ruled for 54 years, from 140-87 B.C. He expanded the borders in many directions, but it was his expansion to the west that most influenced the Han.

To the west

Wu Ti had heard rumors of rich lands to the west. In 138 B.C., he sent the explorer Chang Ch'ien out to search. Thirteen years later, Chang Ch'ien returned. He did not reach many western lands, but he learned about them. These places included Persia, Arabia and the Roman Empire.

Wu Ti sent Chang Ch'ien west again a few years later. These trips started the Silk Road. It was a trade route. The Chinese received

Illustration of the construction of the Great Wall of China. During the Han Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall continued. Photo from Wikimedia.

Lords: wealthy and powerful people

Prospered: succeeded

goods on the Silk Road. Those goods included ivory, glass and wool. In return, the Chinese sent furs, jade stones and iron goods. China also sent silk. Most people outside China had never seen silk. 

Another brick in the Great Wall

The Han kept building the Great Wall of China. This is one of the country's greatest creations. It began during the Qin dynasty. Wu Ti restored the wall. He also built another 300 miles. This protected China against outsiders. The Great Wall is now called one of the wonders of the world. But it came at a high price. About 10 workers died for each mile that was built.

Highs and lows

Acupuncture, the piercing of needles into the skin, became popular around A.D. 100 as a treatment for common illnesses. The Han also studied the stars and the planets. They created atlases of the sky. The atlases showed the shapes of 29 different types of comets as well as the accurate positions of Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

The Han dynasty lasted for more than 400 years. But by around A.D. 200, people thought the government had become corrupt and there were other problems. The Han dynasty finally lost power in A.D. 220. After that, China saw 400 years of political chaos.

A map of the Eastern Hemisphere in A.D. 200 including China’s Han dynasty. Photo from Wikimedia

Atlas: book of maps