Liaised by a centralized self-governance, the Han can be viewed as an almost idealization of what a dynasty should be. The empire of the Han dynasty, akin to that of the Romans and the Shang, were a result of numerous conquests and political strife. The advancement of technology, along with other such innovations, meant that the quality and quantity of life had greatly improved. This would mean greater amount of resources, both in terms of commerce and firepower. Beyond conquest and commerce, both means of acquiring power and wealth by past dynasties, the Han were able to create everlasting impact on the modern world through the usage of philosophy.
As written in Doc. 1 by a Han government official, China searched for ways to apply their technologies in the most efficient way possible, without much labor, and to benefit the laborers as well. Doc. 4 from a history book sponsored by the Han government, states that China aimed to make work easier for the laborers, to increase the efficiency. Both documents show Han China in a bright light, and that may be because they are written or sponsored by Han government officials.
The Chinese development of technological advances, allowed the era of the Tang, and the Song dynasty to bring about a social, political, and urban change. The Chinese found new techniques in Agriculture and farming rice. This allowed for more growth and spreading of population in the regions. As the population grew, people were interest in new jobs and careers in the markets. So, they sought out jobs such as shop sellers, blacksmiths, metallurgy, fishing, and government work.
The Chinese government proved effective because of the large population growth during the dynastic period. The rapid population growth lead to a need for more food, which required new area for cultivation. New crops from the Americas, Portugal, and Ireland arrived through the trans-Pacific trade and were
Both Han China and Classical India used social structure systems as a method of political control. The caste or class a person was born into in either China or India, determined your position and status, unless under extreme circumstances would a person be lowered or raised in a caste or class. However, how people were placed into a specific social structure were very different. Han China developed a social structure based upon literacy, and Classical India introduced a caste system based on “occupation”. Literacy divided China educationally between first class, palace court, nobles, government officials; second class, peasants; third class, artisans; and fourth class, merchants and slaves.
Town planning also began during this era. Town planning is a placement of how the town should look like, such as placement of avenues, and intersections in squares, which brought Baroque Garden Plans. Baroque gardens were for show, high society members came to attend or participate for theatre purposes. Having garden in front of housing was a way to show power and importance of a person. As for theatre, commercials and Broadway began during the baroque era.
Series of reforms were implemented; Juntian Zhi (Land Equalization System), Zuyongdiao System (peasant’s burden was lessened, and production efficiency was improved. Farm tools and agriculture technique was enhanced, and many of the irrigation works were finished). Commercial sites were opened during the Tang dynasty, Lanzhou, Chengdu, Guilin, Hangzhou, Chang’an (currently Xian), and Luoyang (the auxiliary capital). The opening of the Silk Road introduced foreign merchants and ambassadors encouraged marine trade. The economy was extremely damaged after the AnShi rebellion.
The empire oversaw technological innovation such as iron and steel replacing bronze weapons and tools. Advances in military technology led aided Han conquests and allowed them to defend the vast expanse of Chinese territory. Coinage and an advanced, centralized economy brought enough wealth to the nation to effectively run the centralized imperial state but most of all were the advances the Han dynasty made in agriculture. According to authors Hardy and Kinney “agricultural innovations continued throughout four centuries of Han rule” (2005, p. 54) bring field rotation, paddies, and new farming tools into common
Chinese society did not get better under Mao’s rule because there was roadblock preventing the economy from growing and Mao was the problem not allowing it to thrive. In document 3, it stated that there was discrimination against landlords. This proves that the Chinese society did not improve because there was no benefits for landlords getting
The natural features of geography protected the Chinese and influenced the way they lived through rivers that provided rich soil for growing crops, mountainous regions providing protection/isolation and the growth of a new crop to China, deserts veering off invaders and a major ocean border. The first natural feature of geography that influenced the Chinese way of life is the Yellow River, or Huang He, a river that travelled across the agricultural land of China, collecting rich and fertile soil along the way. This soil, loess, would sink to the riverbed, creating a thick layer of silt that would allow Chinese people to grow staple foods and catch fish. In the North the staple was wheat and in the south, rice. An example of the Yellow River influencing the way the Chinese people lived is in the map in source 1, drawn by cartographer Cha Yun in 1861-1875, as it shows the river with roots coming out in all directions of the land, conveying how the river provided food and life to the Chinese people.