The Han Dynasty (漢朝, Hàn Cháo, Western period 202 BC – AD 9, Eastern period 25–220) is the fifth Chinese dynasty following the Qin Dynasty and the first to have its capital in Chang'an (modern Xi'an).
The big one. So famous that the dominant ethnic group in China still refers to itself as Han Chinese. So big that the Chinese most commonly call their language(s) Hànyǔ (漢語/汉语, "Han speech") and the most widely used system of romanizing Chinese is called Hanyu Pinyin (漢語拼音/汉语拼音). So big that the Chinese word for "Chinese characters" is Hànzì (漢字/汉字), literally "Han characters", and was exported to other cultures as the Japanese word kanji, Korean hanja, and Vietnamese Hán tự. You have one guess which part of their writing system it refers to.note
The Han Dynasty was founded by Liu Bang (劉邦/刘邦), a Boisterous Bruiser of humble birth from what is now Xuzhou (徐州) in Jiangsu Province. He was A Father to His Men (at least initially) and a good politician. He was also very likable that bartenders gave him free booze because people would buy more drinks just to hang around him longer. In fact, he was so likable that his future father-in-law offered his daughter (future Empress Dowager, Lü Zhi 呂雉/吕雉) to marry Liu Bang upon just meeting the man for the first time. Upon the death of Qin Shi Huangdi, Liu Bang took opportunity of the chaos and mustered an army. He fought his way to the throne, and although he was a bit crude and uncouth, he knew how power worked and could take advice, even criticism, and so developed policies that helped his line rule all China almost uninterrupted for 400 years. His main rival during the post-Qin turmoil was Xiang Yu (項羽/项羽), and the years of their struggle were commonly known as the "Chu-Han Contention" (楚漢爭霸/楚汉争霸, 206-202 B.C.)
Confucianism became solidly entrenched as the official government philosophy (during Emperor Wu's reign)note , but Legalism remained at large, especially policies in regards to crime and punishment. This was also the time when many Chinese inventions came forward: paper (a must for bureaucrats), advances in metallurgy (in particular the blast furnace for producing steel), deep drilling (for mining), an early version of the seismograph, the hydraulic pump, and other technologies that people today take for granted. Concurrently, Chinese character writing was codified during this time, giving us the Han characters (漢字/汉字) that the world would recognize until the present day. The first attempt to record Chinese history from the era of the legendary 3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors to the then present-day was undertaken by Sima Tan (司馬談/司马谈), but it was his son Sima Qian (司馬遷/司马迁) who completed the task. The resulting work, Shǐjì ("Records of the Grand Historian"), was regarded as a literary and historical masterpiece (regarded as the pinnacle of the "24 Histories"), and Sima Qian himself became known as the Grand Historian.note
Noteworthy emperors during this era are Emperors Wen and Jing — father and son ushered in what was arguably imperial China's first golden age, the "Reign of Wen and Jing" (文景之治, Wén Jǐng zhī Zhì) and Emperor Wu (Jing's son, who sent men to explore the Silk Road and warred with the Xiongnu).note Emperor Wu's long reign on the throne also allowed him to wage war against the Xiongnu (pronounced Hunnu at the time) for almost as long as he reigned. Under the leadership of generals such as Wei Qing & Huo Qu Bing, these nomadic peoples were eventually displaced and forced westward, and it is alleged that their descendants mingled with other peoples of central/west Asia, where they eventually reappeared as a new nomadic confederation known to Europe as the Huns. By defeating the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu was able to expand China all the way to the Tarim Basin and opened China to trade with the rest of the world. This became the origins of The Silk Road, a route that future Chinese dynasties would protect with extreme jealousy.
The Han Empire coexisted with the Roman, Parthian (Persian), and Mauryan (north Indian) Empires and together these four countries ruled over more than 70% of the entire world's population. There was much trade contact between the four, both directly and via intermediaries — the Romans had to pass laws restricting the silk trade because Rome's gold reserves were being emptied by its ravenous demand for Chinese silk. The Han Chinese for their part did rather like Roman glassware, particularly glass beads (sophisticated glass-making was as unknown in China as silk was in Rome), but never enough to seriously affect monetary policy. There is some debate about whether Roman and Chinese soldiers ever met in combat — there have been claims that the Persians captured some Roman soldiers, then moved them to their other frontier and paid them to fight for them, where they then fought Han troops in the area of modern Afghanistan. For their part, Han's numerous expeditions into Parthia would allow the Han Chinese to learn about their Roman counterpart in the West, although most of the information regarding Rome was based off what the Chinese learned from Syria. The Han Chinese nonetheless correctly understood that the Roman Republic did not have a permanent king and power was shared (referring to the senate). Furthermore, the Romans were seen as something of a western version of Chinanote , and their realm was termed as Dàqín (大秦, "Great Qin"; the Qin and the Roman Republic had also been contemporaries) and this name stuck. There's an account that the Han tried a formal delegation to Rome to establish official relations, but while going through Parthia, the Parthian authorities (perhaps understandably terrified of the two most powerful empires in the known world building relations) persuaded them to turn back before reaching Roman lands.
The Han also gave imperial China her first Empress and living Empress Dowager, Lü Zhi (呂雉/吕雉).note Lü Zhi proved to be an ambitious woman, and dominated court politics from her husband Liu Bang's death to her own, a period of about 15 years.note Emperor Wu himself faced pressure from his grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Dou (竇太皇太后/窦太皇太后), during the first years of his reign. The rest of the Han dynasty would also have powerful women, especially in the Eastern Han as there were a lot of child emperors.
The Han Dynasty was briefly overthrown by Wang Mang (王莽; nephew of the last Grand Empress Dowager of the Western Han, Wang Zhengjun, and had already been ruling as regent of three different child Emperors for several years) in 9 AD, but his self-proclaimed Xin Dynasty (新朝, Xīn Cháo) lasted only 14 years before he was killed by a merchant in a nationwide rebellion and the Han Dynasty was restored 2 years after Wang's death.note As the restored Han Dynasty moved its capital to the east from Chang'an to Luoyang, historians divide it into the Western Han (prior to Wang's usurpation) and Eastern Han (after restoration) periods.note
The Eastern Han was founded by Liu Xiu (descended from Emperor Jing), who crowned himself emperor in 25 C.E. His reign was known as the "Restoration of Guangwu" (光武中興/光武中兴, Guāngwǔ Zhōngxìng).note His son and grandson continued his good governance, ushering in a golden age known as the "Rule of Ming and Zhang" (明章之治, Míng Zhāng zhī Zhì). However, Emperor Zhang died relatively young (in his early 30s), a curse which was to linger in the dynasty ever since. This allowed eunuchs and relatives of the imperial harem to interfere in state politics (as Emperors ascend the throne as either children or teenagers), causing governance to decay and eventually the dynasty to collapse. This could be seen as someone's idea of a bad joke, as Emperor Guangwu was the one who set the rule that male attendants in the harem had to be all eunuchs.
Of the "24 Histories", Shǐjì covers the early Han era, almost until the end of the reign of Emperor Wu.note The "Book of Han" (漢書/汉书, Hànshū), attributed to Ban Gu (班固), covered mostly the Western Han, while the "Book of Later Han" (後漢書/后汉书, Hòu Hànshū), attributed to Fan Ye (范曄/范晔), covered the Eastern Han. It was also during the Eastern Han that the first written account of Japan was recorded.
Monarchs of the Han dynastynote
Life: 256 BCE – 195 BCE
Consorts: Empress Lü Zhi (呂雉/吕雉; 241 BCE – 180 BCE), Empress Bo (薄太后; ??? – 155 BCE), at least three other concubines
Came from a peasant family, contended against Xiang Yu for domination of China, and after victory disposed of his most talented generals, only to step back and realize his mistake after an encounter with philosopher Lu Jianote . One 12-volume of book by Lu Jia later, Liu Bang converted to Confucianism and spread the religion to his dynasty, setting up the foundation of why his dynasty becomes the most beloved in China, and he stopped doing those backstabbing things. Still, despite a hefty dose of Han propaganda, Xiang Yu still tends to be the more popular character for some reason. He was the husband of the aforementioned Lü Zhi.
Life: 210 BCE – 188 BCE
Consorts: Empress Zhang Yan (張嫣/张嫣; 202 BCE – 163 BCE)
Became emperor at the age of 15 after his father died. He was essentially a Puppet King under his mother Lü Zhi. Liu Ying was afraid his mother would hurt his younger half-brother Liu Ruyi (劉如意/刘如意) and tried to protect him. However, his mother poisoned Liu Ruyi and killed Ruyi's concubine mother Lady Qi (戚夫人) in a very gruesome way. After this, Liu Ying was so horrified that he believed he was unfit to rule due to having such an evil mother, and relinquished all control to her.
Life: 203/2 BCE – 157 BCE
Consorts: Princess Consort Lü (王后呂氏/王后吕氏; ??? – ???) Empress Dou Yifang (竇猗房/窦猗房; c. 205 BCE – 135 BCE), at least one other concubine
Became emperor after the Lü clan were deposed and murdered after Lü Zhi's death. His reign was marked by internal stability, and the reign of him and his son Emperor Jing is known as a golden age in Chinese history. He was considered a benevolent ruler. He was also known as filially pious, i.e. respecting one's ancestors, usually one's parents and grandparents.
Life: 188 BCE – 141 BCE
Consorts: Empress Bo (薄皇后; ??? – 147 BCE), Empress Wang Zhi (王娡; 173 BCE – 126 BCE), at least five other concubines
Continued his father's peaceful reign (the so-called "Reign of Wen and Jing" is known as a golden age and period of stability in Chinese history). However, his reign was also marked by political intrigue and treachery. He is also credited with furthering the study of Taoist texts. The "Rebellion of the Seven States" occurred during his reign.
Life: 156 BCE – 87 BCE
Consorts: Empress Chen Jiao (陳嬌/陈娇; 166/5 BCE – 110 BCE), Empress Wei Zifu (衛子夫/卫子夫; ??? – 91 BCE), at least four other concubines
The Emperor responsible for broadly defining the borders of China up to the present day. He continued the golden age since his grandfather's peaceful reign with expansionism, conquering what is now parts of Korea and Vietnam. Emperor Wu reigned for over half-century, and warred against Han's neighbors, but in particular, the Xiongnu for almost as long as he was on the throne. Domestically, he elevated Confucianism as the official doctrine while practicing pragmatic policies similar to Legalist teachings. Often gets compared to Qin Shi Huangdi for his military achievements, strict use of rewards and punishments as well as attempts to gain immortality in his final years. The copper coin he introduced in 118 BCE, the wǔzhū (五銖/五铢), was legal tender in China for more than 7 centuries; it was replaced by the kāiyuán tōngbǎo (開元通寶/开元通宝) coin during the early Tang era. In his late reign, people framed his eldest son Liu Ju (劉據/刘据) of witchcraft; Liu Che decided to execute his entire family (except Liu Ju's newborn grandson who was thrown in prison), and Liu Ju committed suicide.
Life: 94 BCE – 74 BC
Consorts: Empress Dowager Shangguan (上官太后; 89 BCE – 37 BCE), at least one other concubine
Son of Liu Che, he became emperor at the age of seven or eight. He spent his early reign caught in a power struggle between his two of his co-regents, who were also the paternal and maternal grandfathers of his wife — Shangguan Jie (上官桀) and Huo Guang (霍光), respectively. The power struggle ended in Huo Guang exterminating the Shangguan clan (Empress Dowager Shangguan was spared because she was eight years old and Huo Guang's granddaughter). The young emperor was wise beyond his years, but died at the age of 20 before making his mark as emperor.
Life: 91 BCE – 48 BCE
Consorts: Empress Xu Pingjun (許平君/许平君; 89 BCE – 71 BCE), Empress Huo Chengjun (霍成君; 87 BCE – 54 BCE), Empress Wang (王皇后; ??? – 16 BCE), at least five other concubines
Remember that baby great-grandson Emperor Wu threw into prison? He grew up, learned of his royal origins, and got married. After Emperor Zhao died, Liu He (劉賀/刘贺), one of Emperor Wu's other grandsons, was put into power. However, Liu He was impeached after a month on 1127 different charges. Therefore, they put Liu Bingyi (劉病已/刘病已)note on the throne as the Hidden Backup Prince. He spent his early reign under the control of Huo Guang. However, his first Empress Xu Pingjun died suddenly after giving birth. Huo Guang's ambitious wife put her own daughter on the throne. Then it was discovered that not only had Lady Huo poisoned Empress Xu, but the Huo clan was plotting against him, so he wiped out the Huos. The rest of his reign was a good one, and he was hard-working and brilliant.
Life: 75 BCE – 33 BCE
Consorts: Empress Wang Zhengjun (王政君; 71 BCE – 13 CE), at least three other concubines
Son of Liu Xun, he supported Confucianism as the state ideology. However, while he was doing that, the empire started to crumble under him, due to his indecisiveness and trust in corrupt officials. Wang Mang (王莽), who usurped the throne, was the nephew of his wife Wang Zhengjun. He favoured his son Liu Kang (劉康/刘康)note , the son of his concubine Consort Fu (傅昭儀/傅昭仪note ), but did not change the order of succession. His reign also saw the appearance of the second of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, Wang Zhaojun (王昭君), whom he accidentally sent off to Xiongnu because the local court painter painted her unflatteringly for not trying to bribe him. Thus, Liu Shi dismissed her as plain and could be sent off with no issues, then realized his mistake too late. Still, the relationship with Xiongnu became even stronger due to his accident, so not all was lost. Liu Shi still had the painter executed for the trickery, though.
Life: 51 BCE – 7 BCE
Consorts: Empress Xu Kua (許誇/许夸; ??? – 8 BCE), Empress Zhao Feiyan (趙飛燕/赵飞燕; 45 BCE – 1 BCE), at least six other concubines
He is well known as a playboy emperor. He was enamored with the Zhao sisters, Zhao Feiyannote and Zhao Hede (趙合德/赵合德), and he took them as concubines. However, they were rumoured to have murdered the children of other consorts. During his reign, he let Wang Mang, his cousin, rise to power in the court. He had no children when he died.
Life: 27 BCE – 1 BCE
Consorts: Empress Fu (傅皇后; ??? – 1 BCE)
Is widely seen as gay with his lover Dong Xian (董賢/董贤). There is a famous story that Emperor Ai cut off his own sleeve to avoid waking the sleeping Dong Xian, whose body was pressing on said sleeve. A struggle emerged between the Fu clan and Wang clan, of which the Wang clan emerged victorious. When he died, he planned to leave the kingdom to Dong Xian, but Empress Dowager Wang acted first and forced Dong Xian to kill himself.
Life: 9 BCE – 6 CE
Consorts: Empress Wang (王皇后; 8 BCE – 23 CE)
Became emperor at the age of eight via Wang Zhengjun (王政君; a consort of Emperor Yuan) and Wang Mang's machinations. Like Emperor Xuan before him, his name was changed — in his case, from Liu Jizi (劉箕子/刘箕子) — to reduce the burden on the populace to maintain the naming taboo. He had a heart condition, so he was initially easy to control as a puppet. He was married to Wang Mang's daughternote , which helped Wang Mang gain power. By his early teens, however, he grew out of his heart condition and made it clear he resented Wang Mang for killing his relatives. Wang Mang poisoned him and put a baby on the throne, before usurping the throne himself.
Consorts: Empress Wang (王皇后, no relation; ??? – 21 CE), Empress Shi (史皇后; ??? – ???), at least four other concubines
Wang Mang was a well-read and educated academic. Prior to becoming Emperor, he had a reputation for being polite and generous. Wang Mang was known to have distributed his own wealth to the poor & needy while remained frugal in regards to his own affairs. Though his tenure as Emperor received no such praise, and left much to be desired.
Wang Mang would usurp the throne from the Han in approximately 9 AD, and immediately enacted radical reforms which prove socialism is Older Than Feudalism: land redistribution, income tax, state monopoly of key commodities. He was also the first ruler anywhere on Earth who's recorded to have abolished slavery. However, his rule was often criticized by later historians for being extremely idealistic while taking little account of present realities and lacking actual practicality. For example, Wang Mang's land reforms stressed on equality, but did not take into account population growth and/or differences between family compositions. In addition, Wang Mang's frequent economic reforms disrupted trade, causing inflation and market uncertainty. Moreover, his reforms sought to rekindle the good ol' days of the Zhou Dynasty including its rites, culture and governance (which led to the Warring States in the first place). All these combined with his penchant for harsh punishments against those who disagreed also helped little in his cause. The lower & upper class turned against him in no time, and his arrogance towards northern nomads only made the situation worse. Wang Mang's rule ended in utter failure and the restoration of the Han, he became the stock figure for usurpers and the fate that befalls them.
Life: 5 BCE – 57 CE
Consorts: Empress Yin Lihua (陰麗華/阴丽华; 5 CE – 64 CE), Empress Guo Shengtong (郭聖通/郭圣通; ??? – 52 CE), at least one other concubine
Restored the Han to power after Wang Mang's usurpation. Notable for not killing any of his generals once the war was over, and generally considered a wise ruler who knew when to be merciful, but showing no hesitation for violence when it was necessary. He was also a rare example of a Chinese ruler who didn't employ strategists, because he had that role covered himself. He was descended from Emperor Jing.
Life: 28 CE – 75 CE
Consorts: Empress Ma (馬皇后/马皇后; 39 CE – 79 CE), at least four other concubines
Restored the golden age of Wen and Jing. It was also during his reign that Buddhism spread in China, however it would not be until the Southern and Northern Dynasties that it would become popular. He was a hard-working and able administrator. He was also the last emperor of the Han dynasty to reach 40 before Liu Xie, the last Emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Life: 56 CE – 88 CE
Consorts: Empress Dou (竇皇后/窦皇后; ??? – 97 CE), Consort Liang (梁貴人/梁贵人; c. 61/2 CE – 83 CE , honoured posthumously), Consort Song (宋貴人/宋贵人; ??? – 82 CE, honoured posthumously), at least one other concubine
Continued the golden age of his father. However, it was also him who set the precedent of the immense power of wàiqì
(外戚), or "consort kin". Like his father, he was a hardworking and diligent emperor. It was also him that set the precedent for the absurdly short life expectancy of Eastern Han emperors, as he died aged 32.
Life: 79 CE – 106 CE
Consorts: Empress Yin (皇后陰氏/皇后阴氏; 80 CE – 102 CE), Empress Dowager Deng Sui (鄧綏/邓绥; 81 CE – 121 CE), at least two other concubines
While he was a kind and gentle man, he lacked his father and grandfather's political ability. While it was in his reign when the Eastern Han began its decline, scientific progress, including the invention of paper, was made during his reign.
Life: 94 CE – 125 CE
Consorts: Empress Yan Ji (閻姬/阎姬; ??? – 126 CE), Empress/Madam Li (李氏; ??? – 115 CE, honoured posthumously)
Became emperor after the death of his one-year-old cousin Liu Long (劉隆/刘隆). Looked upon as a poor emperor, who did little to improve the state, and spent his time with women while listening to corrupt eunuchs and his wife Yan Ji's corrupt relatives.
Life: 115 CE – 144 CE
Consorts: Empress Dowager Liang Na (梁妠/梁妠; 116 CE – 150 CE), at least three other concubines
Made the same mistakes as his father, and despite being kind, listened to corrupt eunuchs and his wife Liang Na's obviously corrupt brother Liang Ji (梁冀). Despite his reign being an improvement of his father's, he didn't stop the decline of the Eastern Han.
Life: 132 CE – 168 CE
Consorts: Empress Liang Nüying (梁女瑩/梁女莹; ??? – 159 CE), Empress Deng Mengnü (鄧猛女/邓猛女; ??? – 165), Empress Dou Miao (竇妙/窦妙; ??? – 172 CE), at least four other concubines
After Emperor Shun's death, his young son Liu Bing (劉炳/刘炳) was put on the throne, but died a year later. Then, the seven-year-old Liu Zuan (劉纘/刘缵) was put on the throne, but he was murdered by Liang Ji after he made a rude comment on him. Liu Zhi was then out on the throne because he was married to Liang Ji's sister Liang Nüying. He spent the first years of his reign as Liang Ji's puppet, but in 159, he massacred the Liangs and took back his own power. However, he was no better than his predecessors and listened to eunuchs.
Life: 156 CE – 189 CE
Consorts: Empress Song (宋皇后; ??? – 178 CE), Empress Dowager He (何太后; ??? – 189 CE), Consort Wang Rong (王榮/王荣; ??? – 181 CE, honoured posthumously)
Like Emperor Huan, he trusted his corrupt eunuchs, the Ten Attendants (十常侍). Eventually, widespread corruption lead to the Yellow Turban Rebellion (黃巾之亂/黄巾之乱), which lead to a severely weakened Han state. He favoured his son Liu Xie over his oldest son Liu Bian, and entrusted Liu Xie to his eunuch Jian Shuo (蹇碩/蹇硕) in an attempt to put him on the throne.
Life: 176 CE – 190 CE
Consorts: At least one concubine
Became emperor at the age of thirteen due to the machinations of his mother. During his short reign, the power of the eunuch faction at court ended after He Jin (何進/何进), his uncle and regent, and Yuan Shao (袁紹/袁绍), a warlord at the time, massacred the palace eunuchs. Dong Zhuo (董卓), his regent, saw him and his mother as bad puppets, so had him deposed and installed Liu Xie on the throne. He was forced to commit suicide during a rebellion against Dong Zhuo when he was only fourteen.
Life: 181 CE – 234 CE
Consorts: Empress Fu Shou (伏壽/伏寿; ??? – 214 CE), Empress Cao Jie (曹節/曹节; 197 CE – 260 CE), at least four other concubines
Became emperor at the age of eight. He spent his life as the Puppet King of various warlords, such as Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao (曹操). At the age of 39, he was forced to abdicate to Cao Pi (曹丕)note . Best known for being a puppet of Cao Cao and later for being a minor character in Romance of the Three Kingdomsnote .
Notable non-monarch figures in this era
- Xiang Yu (項羽/项羽): Liu Bang's archrival. A late general of Qin Dynasty who wanted to restore China free from Qin influences after the dynasty became corrupt after the passing of Qin Shi Huangdi. At first, he actually teamed up with Liu Bang to do the job, but he ended up forming the Hegemon of Chu instead. Thus he lost to Liu Bang in Chu-Han Contention because he was more of a battle juggernaut than a politically savvy man. Due to Liu Bang's erratic actions later, Xiang Yu's posthumously known as a Tragic Hero who fought to the bitter end and kept his honor as a warrior, a better reputation than Liu Bang's. He's also known to have a very beautiful wife, variously known as Consort Yu/Yu Ji (虞姬) or Yu Mei-ren/Yu the Beauty (虞美人), known as one of China's most beautiful women, but not counted as the four great beauties.
- The Three Heroes of Han Dynasty: Liu Bang's main allies when he brought down the Qin Dynasty and also the Chu-Han Contention.
- Han Xin (韓信/韩信): Liu Bang's main general, a battle genius and a master of the arts of war. He's usually the one who charges into the battlefield and personally clashed with Xiang Yu. He unfortunately fell off from Liu Bang's favor in his later life, leading to his execution by his old friend.
- Zhang Liang (張良/张良): Liu Bang's main battle strategist, a genius who devises many strategies to help out Liu Bang and Han Xin in battles. He also suspected Liu Bang to be getting worse later, but managed to retire and avoid execution, but his location of death remains a mystery. Not to be confused with Zhang Liang (張梁/张梁), brother of Zhang Jue/Jiao, who initiated the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
- Xiao He (蕭何/萧何): Liu Bang's main chancellor. He dealt with the political side of the Han, allowing Liu Bang to win the hearts of the people. Unlike Han Xin and Zhang Liang, Xiao He remained in Liu Bang's good graces and continued to advise Liu Bang's successor, Liu Ying (Emperor Hui), until his natural death.
- Wang Zhaojun (王昭君): Originally a harem girl/lady in waiting for Emperor Liu Shi trying to get promoted to concubine to improve her life, but was screwed off by her local painter who put a mole in his picture because she was so confident in her own natural beauty that she refused to bribe the painter with extra money, so Liu Shi dismissed her as plain. She then got sent off to the Xiongnu tribe for political marriage, but that made Liu Shi realize that she's actually the most beautiful lady he has ever seen and executed the painter for tricking him for the sake of his own greed and ego. Regardless, thanks to Wang Zhaojun's willingness to go along with all these, the Han Dynasty averted a possible unnecessary war with Xiongnu and she became known as the second of the Four Beauties of Ancient China.
- Lu Jia (陸賈): Philosopher responsible for converting Emperor Gaozu/Liu Bang to Confucianism and stopping his post-unification Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, setting him to the path of benevolence that made the dynasty so beloved (even if he still lost to Xiang Yu reputation-wise). After calling out Liu Bang for his brazen attitude as an Emperor and made him realize he's gone down the wrong path, Lu Jia fulfilled his task of penning a 12-volume book of how the Qin Dynasty failed with their anti-Confucianism. Liu Bang took the lessons from his book at heart, ensuring a long lasting, beloved dynasty.
- Sima Qian (司馬遷/司马迁): Court historian in the early Han era, most notable for writing Shǐjì (aka Records of the Grand Historian), a general history of China covering more than 2,000 years from the rise of the mythical Yellow Emperor to his own time. This work established him as the "father of Chinese historiography", with Shǐjì serving as a model for official history writing in China and the Chinese cultural sphere until the 20th century. He was also an accomplished poet and prose writer, and was also instrumental in creating the traditional Chinese (Taichu) calendarnote .
Depictions in fiction
- Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom takes the Gaulish comic book hero to China for the first time in the history of the franchise, with the plot notably concerning a fictional daughter of Emperor Xuan and Julius Caesar (ahistorically) bringing Roman troops there.
- Han campaign in Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom follows the dynasty from its rise till the 150s AD.
- OverSimplified: The first half of the "Three Kingdoms" episode lays out the political situation of the late Eastern Han Dynasty and covers its decline and fall (starting from around Emperor Ling's reign), in order to set the scene for the titular time period and its events in the second half.
- Parts of Romance of the Three Kingdoms are about the fall of the Eastern Han.
- Secret of the Three Kingdoms is set during the Eastern Han and is a fictionalised account of Liu Xie's reign.
- Singing All Along dramatizes Liu Xiu's rise to power.
- Wang De Sheng Yan is about Liu Bang, his rise to power and the final time of his reign.
