Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

9The Han Dynasty,206 BCE – 220 CE 1History and DevelopmentThere were a number of rebellions against the Qin dynasty after the death ofthe First Emperor. Liu Bang, who began as a farmer, was one of the rebels,and he led forces that captured the Qin capital, Xianyang, in 206 BCE.During the civil war, when Liu Bang was fighting against Xiang Yu forcontrol of China, Liu Bang ’ s armies encircled the capital of the old stateof Lu. In the city, Confucians, many of whom had supported Xiang Yu,carried on discussions, chanted poetry, and performed music. In a showof courage and defiance, they ignored the imminent attack from the leaderthey had not supported and “ the sounds of their playing and singing didnot cease. ” 2 Liu Bang went on to establish the Han dynasty as its firstemperor, Gaozu.The Han dynasty lasted for four hundred years and was roughly contemporarywith the Roman Empire in the West. It was, in general, a verysuccessful dynasty, expanding its territory both north and south to includemuch of what we think of as China today. Iron tools and weapons weremass - produced in factories. Han military successes were aided by the useof the crossbow, not seen in Europe till the 900s. The government encouragedsettlement in the newly opened north and northwest by tax breaksand grants. Improvements in food production, 3 which had begun duringthe Warring States era, meant that there was a surplus of food produced byfarmers who often owned their own land. The government sponsored irrigationprojects and the building of roads, bridges, and dams. The result wasa strong internal economy. Foreign trade boomed too: by the first centuryBCE, silk and other goods were being sold along the “ Silk Road ” to thewest, to India, to what is now the Middle East, and beyond, as far as Rome.There were other technological advances. Horse harnesses were changedto put the pressure on the horse ’ s chest, not its windpipe, to make it