History 1601E Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Emperor Gaozu Of Han, Chen Sheng, Xia Dynasty

• School: Western University
• Department: History
• Course: History 1601E
• Professor: Cary Takagaki

Document Summary

Hist1601e lecture 3 - the han dynasty in china (206 bce-221 ce) Picked as new leader of the han dynasty. Did not kill the old king, as to kill a man who has already surrendered would only bring bad luck. Declined all gifts from citizens, as he had plenty already. Declined the position of emperor many times before eventually accepting. Those who steal will be punished under law. Traditional scholarship tends to emphasize the differences between qin and han dynasties. However the policies of the han at the beginning of the dynasty did not differ much from the qin. Most classical learning continued to be orally transmitted. Therefore burning books may not have had much effect. The first emperor was said to have put to death all of the scholars. However there are indications that these accounts were interpolated (added) into histories by later historians after the fall of qin. The story of chen she and wu was a myth.