The approximately 400 years of the Han（202 BCE〜220 CE）was a period of major development in Chinese culture, scholarship, and technology. Its influence continues today, to the extent that the terms "Han Chinese" and "Chinese characters" derive from the name of this dynasty.
Scholarship and Literature
As Emperor Wu made Confucian learning the state orthodoxy, the study of Confucian classics flourished. Groundbreaking achievements were also made in historical writing.
- Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian：China's first full-scale general history, recording the period from the Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu（biographical annals style）
- Ban Gu's Book of Han：a model for official histories recording the history of the Former Han
- Confucian education at the Imperial University：the foundation for training government officials
・Invention and improvement of paper（Cai Lun・Later Han・around 105 CE）：inexpensive paper spread as a substitute for silk and bamboo, revolutionizing the recording and transmission of information
・Introduction of Buddhism（around the 1st century）：Buddhism from India reached the Later Han court through the Silk Road. It is said that China's first Buddhist temple, the White Horse Temple, was built during the reign of Emperor Ming（late 1st century）
・Improvement of farming tools：spread of iron farming tools and the replacement-field system（improving land efficiency）
・Invention of a seismograph：Zhang Heng made an armillary sphere（an astronomical instrument）and a seismoscope（a seismograph）（2nd century）
Social Structure during the Han Dynasty
Han society consisted of a hierarchical structure of emperor・officials・landowners（powerful clans）・farmers. Local powerful clans controlled land and farmers, and by the end of the Later Han they had gained power comparable to that of the emperor. Commerce also developed, and large markets were formed in Chang'an and Luoyang.
Practice
- Give the name of the Former Han historian who wrote China's first full-scale general history and the title of the work.
- What invention did Cai Lun of the Later Han improve, revolutionizing the transmission of information?
- Name the religion introduced to the Later Han through the Silk Road and its place of origin.