CHIN 50 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Dong Zhongshu, Yin And Yang, Azure Dragon
Document Summary
Han dynasty (206 bce - 220 bce), a period of about 400 years; long dynasty. Former (western) han (202 bce - 9 ce), capital at chang"an. Interregnum (9-25 ce), rule by usurper named wang mang. Later (eastern) han (5-220 ce), capital at luoyang. One of only two commoners in history to become an emperor. Defeated his rivals, including his archrival xiang yu to found the han empire in 202 bce. Known by reign name gaozu, he reigned from 202-195 bce. The political structure of the han empire: a combination of zhou and qin systems. Commanderies (jun) in the western region (like the qin system) Kingdoms (guo) in the eastern region (like the zhou system) Expanded territory of the han empire considerably. Opened trade routes with central asia (the silk roads) Hostilities with the xiongnu, a steppe nomadic tribe to the north of the han, located in the. Yin: a concept associated with female, cold, dark, stillness, etc.
