CHIN 50 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Dong Zhongshu, Sima Qian, Xiang Yu
Document Summary
Former (west) han (202bce-9ce) capital of chang"an. Later (east) han (25-220 ce) capital of luoyang. Interregnum (9-25 ce) rule by usurper named wang mang. One of the only two commoners in history to become an emperor. Defeated rivals, including xiang yu to found the han empire in 202 bce. Known by reign name gaozu he reigned from 202-195 bce. Commanderies (jun) im the western region (like qin system) Kingdoms (guo) in the east (like the zhou system) Opened trade routes with central asia (silk roads) Hostilities with the xiongnu, a steppe nomadic tribe to the north of the han, located in modern mongolia. Yin: concept associated with female, cold, dark, stillness. Yang: associated with male, heat, lightness, activity, etc. Yin and yang are complementary, and alternate with each other to predominate. All animals divided into the five phases. Synthesis of many different intellectual trends during the han. Articulated a vision of imperial sovereignty based on this han synthesis .
