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Han

Specialty Definition: Han

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Specialty Definition: Han

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Han can refer to:

1. Han Chinese, the dominant majority of ethnic group in mainland China.
2. Chinese written language (漢文)
3. Han Dynasty
4. Later Han Dynasty during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
5. Han (state), a state during the Warring States Period
6. Han, one of the Sixteen Kingdoms, see also Han Zhao and Former Zhao.
7. Korea, as an abbreviation used by South Koreans.
8. One of the Samhan or three tribes in southern Korea before the Three Kingdoms Period.
9. Han River (Korea)
10. Han-sur-Lesse, Rochefort, Belgium
11. Han, a feudal clan or fief in Japan (See: Abolition of the Han system)
12. Transliteration of Chinese family name 韓,韩,邗,罕,寒,憨 etc.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Han."

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Han (Japan)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Han were the feudal clans of Japan that existed before the Meiji reformation, when they were disbanded in favor of the formation of prefectures. They were traditionally led by a daimyo which surpassed 10,000 koku.

The richest is Kaga han with 1 millon koku.

See also: Abolition of the Han system

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Han (Japan)."

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Han (state)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

zh-cn:韩国 (诸侯)

The Han (simplified Chinese: 韩, traditional Chinese: 韓) was a state during the Warring States Period in China.

Its territory directly blocked the passage of the state of Qin into the North China Plain, thus becoming a frequent traget of Qin's military operations. Although the Han had attempted several self strengthening reforms, notably under the famous Legalist Shen Buhai (simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese: 申不害) during the reign of Marquess Zhao of Han, it would never overcome the Qin. In fact it was the first of the Six states to be conquered by Qin in 230 BC.

The invasion of Qin into Shangdang Commandery (simplified Chinese: 上党郡, traditional Chinese: 上黨郡) ushered in the bloodiest battle of the whole period, the Battle of Changping in 260 BC.

List of Han rulers

Marquess Jing of Han

Marquess Lie of Han

Marquess Wen of Han

Marquess Ai of Han

Marquess Zhuang of Han

Marquess Zhao of Han

King Xuanhui of Han

King Xiang of Han

King Xi of Han

King Huanhui of Han

King An of Han

See also

See Han (disambiguation page) for other meaning of the word

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Han (state)."

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Han Chinese

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

zh-cn:汉族 zh-tw:漢族

Han Chinese (Traditional: 漢, Simplified: 汉 in Pinyin: han4) is a term which refers to the majority ethnic group within China which constitutes over 92% of the population. The term Han Chinese is sometimes used synonomously with "Chinese"; this usage tends to be frowned upon by Chinese. It was occasionally translated as "Chinese proper" in older texts (pre-1980s).

The term was first used in the 19th century to distinguish the majority from the Manchu minority which ruled China. The name comes from the Han Dynasty which ruled the parts of China where Han Chinese originate.

Many Uighurs, either disparagingly call the Han Chinese Anangga ski Hanzular or apply on them the historical ethnonym of Hitay (Khitan), originally belonging to a Confucian, but Mongolic state that once lorded over the Turkic Kara-Khanids. It is interesting the note that the designations for the Chinese in the Russian and Mongol languages today, Kitaj and Khyatad, respectively, derives from the original Mongolic ethnonym, yielding these nations' perception of the Chinese State's northern nomad, Altaic origin.

Among Han Chinese, there is a wide diversity of distinct cultural and linguistic groups. The differences among regional and linguistic subgroups of Han Chinese are at least as great as those among many European nationalities. Han Chinese speak seven or eight mutually unintelligible dialects, each of which has many local subdialects. Cultural differences (cuisine, costume, and custom) are equally great. Modern Chinese history provides many examples of conflict, up to the level of small-scale regional wars, between linguistic and regional groups.

Such diversities, however, have not generated exclusive loyalties, and distinctions in religion or political affiliation have not reinforced regional differences. Rather, there has been a consistent tendency in Chinese thought and practice to downplay intra-Han distinctions, which are regarded as minor and superficial. What all Han share is more significant than the ways in which they differ. In conceptual terms, the boundary between Han and non-Han is absolute and sharp, while boundaries between subsets of Han are subject to continual shifts, are dictated by local conditions, and do not produce the isolation inherent in relations between Han and minority groups.

Han ethnic unity is the result of two ancient and culturally central Chinese institutions, one of which is the Chinese written language. Chinese is written with ideographs (sometimes called Chinese characters) that represent meanings rather than sounds, and so written Chinese does not reflect the speech of its author. The disjunction between written and spoken Chinese means that a newspaper published in Beijing can be read in Shanghai or Guangzhou, although the residents of the three cities would not understand each other's speech. It also means that there can be no specifically Cantonese Chinese or Hunanese literature because the local speech of a region cannot be directly or easily represented in writing. (It is possible to add local color to fiction, cite colloquialisms, or transcribe folk songs, but it is not commonly done.) Therefore, local languages have not become a focus for regional selfconsciousness or nationalism. Educated Chinese tend to regard the written ideographs as primary, and they regard the seven or eight spoken Han Chinese dialects as simply variant ways of pronouncing the same ideographs. This is linguistically inaccurate, but the attitude has significant political and social consequences.

The other major force contributing to Han ethnic unity has been the centralized imperial state. The ethnic group takes its name from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). Although the imperial government never directly controlled the villages, it did have a strong influence on popular values and culture. The average peasant could not read and was not familiar with the details of state administration or national geography, but he was aware of belonging to a group of subcontinental scope. Being Han, even for illiterate peasants, has meant conscious identification with a glorious history and a state of immense proportions. Peasant folklore and folk religion assumed that the imperial state, with an emperor and an administrative bureaucracy, was the normal order of society. In the imperial period, the highest prestige went to scholar-officials, and every schoolboy had the possibility, at least theoretically, of passing the civil service examinations and becoming an official.

Within Chinese nationalist theory, China is composed of a many ethnic groups, and promoting the interest and culture of Han Chinese at the expense of the other ethnic groups is known as Han chauvinism which has a pejorative meaning.

See also: List of Chinese ethnic groups

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Han Chinese."

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Han Dynasty

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Han Dynasty 漢朝 (pinyin han4 chao2 202 BC - AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China.

During the Han Dynasty, China officially became a Confucian state and prospered domestically: agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished, and the population reached 50 million. Meanwhile, the empire extended its political and cultural influence over Vietnam, Central Asia, Mongolia, and Korea before it finally collapsed under a mixture of domestic and external pressures. The first of the two periods of the dynasty, namely the Former Han Dynasty (Qian Han 前漢) or the Western Han Dynasty (Xi Han 西漢) 206 BC - AD 9 seated at Changan (now Xian). The Later Han Dynasty (Hou Han 後漢) or the Eastern Han Dynasty (Dong Han 東漢) AD 25 - AD 220 seated at Luoyang. The western-eastern Han convention is used nowadays to avoid confusion with the Later Han Dynasty of the Period of the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms although the former-later nomenclature was used in history texts including Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian. The dynasty was founded by the Liu family.

Intellectual, literary, and artistic endeavors revived and flourished during the Han Dynasty. The Han period produced China's most famous historian, Sima Qian ( 145 -87 BC?), whose Records of the Grand Historian provides a detailed chronicle from the time of legendary Xia emperor to that of the Emperor Wu ( 141- 87 BC). Technological advances also marked this period. Two of the great Chinese inventions, paper and porcelain, date from Han times.

It is fair enough to state that contemporary empires of the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were the two superpowers of the known world. Nonetheless Hou Hanshu (History of the Later Han) recounted that only one Roman convoy set out by emperor Antoninus Pius reached the Chinese capital Luoyang in 166 and was greeted by Emperor Huan.

The Han dynasty, after which the members of the ethnic majority in China, the "people of Han," are named, was notable also for its military prowess. The empire expanded westward as far as the rim of the Tarim Basin (in modern Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region), making possible relatively secure caravan traffic across Central Asia. The paths of caravan traffic are often called the "Silk Road" because the route was used to export Chinese silk. Chinese armies also invaded and annexed parts of northern Vietnam and northern Korea toward the end of the second century BC. Han control of peripheral regions was generally insecure, however. To ensure peace with non-Chinese local powers, the Han court developed a mutually beneficial "tributary system." Non-Chinese states were allowed to remain autonomous in exchange for symbolic acceptance of Han overlordship. Tributary ties were confirmed and strengthened through intermarriages at the ruling level and periodic exchanges of gifts and goods.

The Emergence

Within the first 3 months after Qin Dynasty emperor Qin Shi Huangdi's death at Shaqiu, widespread revolts by peasants, prisoners, soldiers and descendants of the nobles of the Six Warring States sprang up all over China. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, two in a group of about 900 soldiers assigned to defend against the Xiongnu, were the leaders of the first rebellion. Continuous insurgence finally toppled the Qin dynasty in 206 BC. The leader of insurgents was Xiang Yu, an outstanding military commander without political expertise, who divided the country into 18 feudal states to his own satisfaction. The ensuing war among those states signified the 5 years of Chu Han Contention with Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, as the eventual winner. The beginning of the Han Dynasty can be dated either from 206 BC when the Qin dynasty crumbled or 202 BC when Xiang Yu committed suicide.

Taoism and Feudal System

The new empire retained much of the Qin administrative structure but retreated a bit from centralized rule by establishing vassal principalities in some areas for the sake of political convenience. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gao divided the country into several "feudal states" to satisfy some of his wartime allies - but planned to get rid of them once he had consolidated his power.

After his death, his successors from Emperor Hui to Emperor Jing tried to rule China combining Legalist methods with the Taoist philosophic ideals. During this "pseudo-Taoism era", a stable centralized government over China was established through revival of the agriculture sectors and fragmentations of "feudal states" after compression of the Rebellion of the seven states.

Emperor Wu and Confucianism

During the "Taoism era", China was able to maintain peace with Xiongnu by paying tribute and marrying princesses to them. However, Under Emperor Wu's leadership, the most prosperous period ( 140 - 87 BC)of the Han Dynasty, the Empire was able to fight back. At its height, China incorporated the present-day Qinghai, Gansu, and Vietnam into its territories.

Emperor Wu decided that Taoism was no longer suitable for China, and officially declared China to be a Confucian state; however, like the emperors before him, he combined Legalist methods with the Confucian ideal. This official adoption of Confucianism led to not only a civil service nomination system, but also the compulsory knowledge of Confucian classics of candidates for the imperial bureaucracy, a requirement that lasted up to the establishment of the Republic of China in AD 1912. Confucian scholars gained prominent status as the core of the civil service.

Beginning of the Silk Road and Buddism

Emperor Wu also dispatched Zhang Qian twice as his envoy to the Western Regions, and in the process pioneered the route known as the Silk Road from Chang'an (today's Xi'an, Shaanxi Province), through Xinjiang and Central Asia, and on to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Good exchanges such as Chinese silk, Africa ivory, and Roman incense increase the contacts between the East and West. This lead to the introduction of Buddhism to China from India in the first century. See also: silk road

Rise of landholding class

To draw funds for his triumphant campaigns against the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu relinquished land control to merchants and the riches, and in effect legalized the privatization of lands. Land taxes were then drawn based on the sizes of fields, and no longer on harvest. Though the Han government guaranteed itself a steady influx of taxes, most peasant depended on harvest for their income and hence could not gurantee to pay their taxes completely. Incomes from selling harvest were often market-driven - a stable amount could not be guranteed especially after harvest-reducing natural disasters. Merchant and prominent families then lured peasants to sell their lands since land accumulation guranteed living standards of theirs and their descendants' in the agricultural society of China. Lands were hence accumulating into a new class of landholding families. The Han government in turn imposed more taxes on the remaining independent servants in order to make up the tax losses, therefore encouraging more peasents to come under the landholding elite or the landlords.

Ideally the peasants pay the landlords certain periodic (usually annual) amount of income, who in turn provide protection against crimes and other hazards. In fact an increasing number of peasant population in the prosperous Han society and limited amount of lands provided the elite to elevate their standards for any new subordinate peasants. The inadequate education and often complete illiteracy of peasants forced them into a living of providing physical services, which were mostly farming in an agricultural society. The peasants, without other professions for their better living, compromised to the lowered standard and sold their harvest to pay their landlords. In fact they often had to delay the payment or borrow money from their landlords in the aftermath of natural disasters that reduced harvests. To make the situation worse, some Han reigns ever double-taxed the peasants under the landlords. Eventually the living conditions of the peasants worsened as they solely depended on the harvest of the land they once owned.

The landholding elite and landlords, for their part, provided inaccurate information of subordinate peasants and lands to avoid paying taxes; to this very end corruption and incompetence of the Confucian scholar gentry on economics would play a vital part. Han court officials who attempted to strip lands out of the landlords faced enormous resistance that their policies would never be put in to place. In fact only a member of the landholding families, for instance Wang Meng, was able to put his reforming ideals into effect despite failures of his "turning the clock back" policies.

Interruption of Han rule

After 200 years, Han rule was interrupted briefly during AD 9-24 by Wang Mang, a reformer and a member of the landholding families. The economic situation deteriorated at the end of Western Han Dynasty. Wang Mang, believing the Liu family had lost the Mandate of Heaven took power, turning the clock back with vigorous monetary and land reforms, which damaged the economy even further.

Rise and Fall of Eastern Han Dynasty

A distant relative of Liu royalty, Liu Xiu, led the revolt against Wang Mang with the support of the landholding families and merchants. He "re-established" the Han Dynasty at Luoyang, which would rule for another 200 years, and became Emperor Guangwu of Han China.

In 105, During Eastern Han Dynasty, an official and inventor named Cai Lun invented the technique for making fine paper. The invention of paper is considered a revolution in communication and learning, dramatically lowering the cost of education.

Nevertheless the Eastern Han emperors failed to put forward any groundbreaking land reforms after the failure of its precedent dynasty. Rife bureaucratic corruption and bribery contributed into lingering adverse consequences of land privatizations throughout the dynasty. Prestige of a newly founded dynasty during the reigns of first three emperors were barely able to hinder the corruption; however Confucian scholar gentry turned on eunuchs for their corrupted authorities when consort clans and eunuchs struggled for power in subsequent reigns. None of these three parties was able to improve the harsh livelihood of peasants under the landholding families. Land privatizations and accumulations on the hands of the elite affected the societies of the Three Kingdoms and the Southern and Northern Dynasties that the landholding elite held the actual driving and ruling power of the country. Successful ruling entities worked with these familes, and consequently their policies favored the elite. Adverse effects of the Nine grade controller system or the Nine rank system were brillant examples.

Taiping Taoist ideals of equal rights and equal land distribution quickly spread throughout the peasantry. As a result, the peasant insurgents of the Yellow Turban Rebellion swarmed the North China Plain, the main agricultural sector of the country. Power of the Liu royalty then fell into the hands of local governors and warlords, despite suppression of the main upraising of Zhang Jiao and his brothers. Three overlords eventually succeeded in control of the whole of China proper, ushering in the period of the Three Kingdoms. The figurehead Emperor Xian reigned until AD 220 when Cao Pi forced his abdication.

In 311, around one hundred years after the fall of the Eastern Han, its capital Luoyang was sacked by barbarians.

Han Dynasty Sovereigns

Posthumous names	Chinese family names and given namess	Period of Reigns	Era names and their according range of years
Chinese Convention: "Han" + posthumous name + "di" excluding Liu Gong, Liu Hong, Liu He, Liu Ying, Liu Yi and Liu Bian
Western Han Dynasty 206 BC-AD 9, 23-25
Gao (高 py. gāo)	Liu Bang (劉邦 py. liú bāng)	206 BC-195 BC	Did not exist
Hui (惠 py. hùi)	Liu Ying (劉盈 py. liú yíng)	195 BC-188 BC	Did not exist
Empress Dowager Lü (呂太后 py. Lü Taihou)	Lü Zhi (呂雉)	188 BC-180 BC	Did not exist
Shao (少 py. shao4)	Liu Gong (劉恭 py. liú gōng)	188 BC-184 BC	Did not exist
Shao (少 py. shao4)	Liu Hong (劉弘 py. liú hóng)	184 BC-180 BC	Did not exist
Wen (文 py. wén)	Liu Heng (劉恆 py. liú héng)	180 BC-157 BC	Houyuan (後元 py. hòu yúan) 163 BC-156 BC
Jing (景 py. jĭng)	Liu Qi (劉啟 py. liú qĭ)	157 BC-141 BC	Zhongyuan (中元 py. zhōng yúan) 149 BC-143 BC Houyuan (後元 py. hòu yúan) 143 BC-141 BC
Wu (武 py. wŭ)	Liu Che (劉徹 py. liú chè)	141 BC-87 BC	Jianyuan (建元 py. jìan yúan) 140 BC-135 BC Yuanguang (元光 py. yúan gūang) 134 BC-129 BC Yuanshuo (元朔 py. yúan shùo) 128 BC-123 BC Yuanshou (元狩 py. yúan shòu) 122 BC-117 BC Yuanding (元鼎 py. yúan dĭng) 116 BC-111 BC Yuanfeng (元封 py. yúan fēng) 110 BC-105 BC Taichu (太初 py. tài chū) 104 BC-101 BC Tianhan (天漢 py. tīan hàn) 100 BC-97 BC Taishi (太始 py. tài shĭ) 96 BC-93 BC Zhenghe (征和 py. zhēng hé) 92 BC-89 BC Houyuan (後元 py. hòu yúan) 88 BC-87 BC
Zhao (昭 py. zhāo)	Liu Fuling (劉弗陵 py. liú fúlíng)	87 BC-74 BC	Shiyuan (始元 py. shĭ yúan) 86 BC-80 BC Yuanfeng (元鳳 py. yúan fèng) 80 BC-75 BC Yuanping (元平 py. yúan píng) 74 BC
King of Changyi (昌邑王 py. chāng yí wáng)	Liu He (劉賀 py. liú hè)	74 BC	Yuanping (元平 py. yúan píng) 74 BC
Xuan (宣 py. xūan)	Liu Xun (劉詢 py. liú xún) or Liu Bingyi (劉病已 py. liú bìngyĭ)	74 BC-49 BC	Benshi (本始 py. bĕn shĭ) 73 BC-70 BC Dijie (地節 py. dì jíe) 69 BC-66 BC Yuankang (元康 py. yúan kāng) 65 BC-61 BC Shenjue (神爵 py. shén júe) 61 BC-58 BC Wufeng (五鳳 py. wŭ fèng) 57 BC-54 BC Ganlu (甘露 py. gān lù) 53 BC-50 BC Huanglong (黃龍 py. húang lóng) 49 BC
Yuan (元 py. yúan)	Liu Shi (劉奭 py. liú shì)	49 BC-33 BC	Chuyuan (初元 py. chū yúan) 48 BC-44 BC Yongguang (永光 py. yŏng gūang) 43 BC-39 BC Jianzhao (建昭 py. jìan zhāo) 38 BC-34 BC Jingning (竟寧 py. jìng níng) 33 BC
Cheng (成 py. chéng)	Liu Ao (劉驁 py. liú áo)	33 BC-7 BC	Jianshi (建始 py. jìan shĭ) 32 BC-28 BC Heping (河平 py. hé píng) 28 BC-25 BC Yangshuo (陽朔 py. yáng shùo) 24 BC-21 BC Hongjia (鴻嘉 py. hóng jīa) 20 BC-17 BC Yongshi (永始 py. yŏng shĭ) 16 BC-13 BC Yuanyan (元延 py. yúan yán) 12 BC-9 BC Suihe (綏和 py. sūi hé) 8 BC-7 BC
Ai (哀 py. āi)	Liu Xin (劉欣 py. liú xīn)	7 BC-1 BC	Jianping (建平 py. jìan píng) 6 BC-3 BC Yuanshou (元壽 py. yúan shòu) 2 BC-1 BC
Ping (平 py. píng)	Liu Kan (劉衎 py. liú kàn)	1 BC-6	Yuanshi (元始 py. yúan shĭ) 1-6
Ru Zi (孺子 py. rú zi)	Liu Ying (劉嬰 py. liú yīng)	6-8	Jushe (居攝 py. jū shè) February AD 6- October AD 8 Chushi (初始 py. chū shĭ) November AD 8-January AD 9
Xin Dynasty (AD 9-AD 23)
Continuation of Han Dynasty
Gengshi (更始 py. gèng shĭ)	Liu Xuan (劉玄 py. liú xúan)	23-25	Gengshi (更始 py. gèng shĭ) 23-25
Eastern Han Dynasty AD 25 - AD 220
Guangwu (光武 py. gūang wŭ)	Liu Xiu (劉秀 py. liú xìu)	25-57	Jianwu (建武 py. jìan wŭ) 25-56 Jianwuzhongyuan (建武中元 py. jìan wŭ zhōng yúan) 56-58
Ming (明 py. míng)	Liu Zhuang (劉莊 py. liú zhūang)	57-75	Yongping (永平 py. yŏng píng) 58-75
Zhang (章 py. zhāng)	Liu Da (劉炟 py. liú dá)	75-88	Jianchu (建初 py. jìan chū) 76-84 Yuanhe (元和 py. yúan hé) 84-87 Zhanghe (章和 py. zhāng hé) 87-88
He (和 py. hé)	Liu Zhao (劉肇 py. liú zhào)	88-106	Yongyuan (永元 py. yŏng yúan) 89-105 Yuanxing (元興 py. yúan xīng) 105-106
Shang (殤 py. shāng)	Liu Long (劉隆 py. liú lóng)	106	Yanping (延平 py. yán píng) 106-107
An (安 py. ān)	Liu Hu (劉祜 py. liú hù)	106-125	Yongchu (永初 py. yŏng chū) 107-113 Yuanchu (元初 py. yúan chū) 114-120 Yongning (永寧 py. yŏng níng) 120-121 Jianguang (建光 py. jian4 guang1) 121-122 Yanguang (延光 py. yán gūang) 122-125
Shaodi (少帝 py. shào dì or Marquess of Beixiang (北鄉侯 py. bĕi xīang hóu)	Liu Yi (劉懿 py. liú yì)	125	Yanguang (延光 py. yán gūang) 125
Shun (順 py. shùn)	Liu Bao (劉保 py. liú báo)	125-144	Yongjian (永建 py. yŏng jìan) 126-132 Yangjia (陽嘉 py. yáng jīa) 132-135 Yonghe (永和 py. yŏng hé) 136-141 Hanan (漢安 py. hàn ān) 142-144 Jiankang (建康 py. jìan kāng) 144
Chong (冲 py. chōng)	Liu Bing (劉炳 py. liú bĭng)	144-145	Yongxi (永熹 py. yōng xī) 145
Zhi (質 py. zhí)	Liu Zuan (劉纘 py. liú zŭan)	145-146	Benchu (本初 py. bĕn chū) 146
Huan (桓 py. húan)	Liu Zhi (劉志 py. liú zhĭ)	146-168	Jianhe (建和 py. jìan hé) 147-149 Heping (和平 py. hé píng) 150 Yuanjia (元嘉 py. yúan jīa) 151-153 Yongxing (永興 py. yŏng xīng) 153-154 Yongshou (永壽 py. yŏng shòu) 155-158 Yanxi (延熹 py. yán xī) 158-167 Yongkang (永康 py. yŏng kāng) 167
Ling (靈 py. líng)	Liu Hong (劉宏 py. liú hóng)	168-189	Jianning (建寧 py. jìan níng) 168-172 Xiping (熹平 py. xī píng) 172-178 Guanghe (光和 py. gūang hé) 178-184 Zhongping (中平 py. zhōng píng) 184-189
Shao Di (少帝 py. shào dì) or King of Hongnong (弘農王 py. hóng nóng wáng)	Liu Bian (劉辯 py. liú bìan)	189	Guangxi (光熹 py. gūang xī) 189 Zhaoning (昭寧 py. zhāo níng) 189
Xian (獻 py. xìan)	Liu Xie (劉協 py. liú xíe)	189-220	Yonghan (永漢 py. yŏng hàn) 189 Chuping (初平 py. chū píng) 190-193 Xingping (興平 py. xīng píng) 194-195 Jianan (建安 py. jìan ān) 196-220 Yankang (延康 py. yán kāng) 220

For a complete list of Chinese sovereigns, check Chinese sovereign.

See also: Chinese history, Wu Hu, Huns, Silk, Pepper, Paper

Preceded by: Qin Dynasty

Timeline of Chinese history

Succeeded by: Three Kingdoms

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Han Dynasty."

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Han Zhao

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

zh-cn:汉赵zh-tw:汉赵

The Han Zhao (sim. ch 汉赵, trad. ch 漢趙, pinyin han4 zhao4) (304-329) was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Chinese Jin Dynasty (265-420). It represented two states, the Han state (ch. 漢) proclaimed in 304 by Liu Yuan and the Former Zhao state (ch. 前趙) in 318 by Liu Yao. Since they were both ruled by the partially sinicized Xiongnu or Hunnic Liu family, historians combined them into a single Han Zhao state. Some western texts referred the Han state as the Northern Han, a nomenclature in diminishing use as the term now referring to the Northern Han in the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Although chronologically the Han Zhao was not the first of the kingdoms, its armies sacked the Jin dynastic capitals of Luoyang in 311 and Chang'an in 316. Emperor Huai and Emperor Min of the Jin were captured, humiliated and executed. In 318, Liu Can and the ruling family resided at Pingyang were toppled and executed by the coup d'etat of Jin Zhun who was in turn eliminated by Shi Le and Liu Yao. The Former Zhao state was proclaimed and lasted until 318 when Shi Le defeated Liu Yao at the river Luo. Liu Yao was captured and executed; his sons succumbed to the follow-up military advancement.

Remnants of the Jin court fled to Jiankang, located eastward of Luoyang and Chang'an, and founded the so-called Eastern Jin Dynasty, under the Prince of Longya, who later became Emperor Yuan. They had the support of the prominent local Zhu, Gan, Lu, Gu and Zhou families.

Conditions of Huns in Northern China and their uprising

By the 280s, a huge number (approximately 400,000) of Hunnic herdsmen resided in the Ordos and the Bing province, a political division including modern-day areas of the whole Shanxi province, southwestern part of Inner Mongolia and eastern part of Shaanxi province, after Cao Cao moved them there and split them into "five departments" (wu bu, ch. 五部). These Xiongnu seemed to substantially change from the nomadic lifestyles of the steppes to stockbreeding and to some extent, agriculture.

Sinicization was evident, especially among the elite; Liu Yuan, the hereditary chieftain of the "Left Department" (zuo bu. ch. 左部) was educated at Luoyang, capital of the Jin Dynasty, and proficient in Chinese literature, history, military strategies and tactics - expertise of a perfect person in the classical sense. Speculations had recounted that Liu Yuan was once considered the commander of the Jin forces in the conquest of the Kingdom of Wu; consideration was later dropped due to his Hunnic ethnicity.

Nonetheless, among the Hunnic elite and herdsmen, including Liu Yuan himself, a keen sense of separate identity from the Chinese was retained. Most herdsmen still kept their horseback raiding and combat skills. Discontentment against the Jin dynastic rule and of their subordinate position prompted them to seek an independent or self-governing Xiongnu entity. As one of the elite adequately put it, "since the fall of Han [Dynasty], [Kingdom of] Wei and Jin [Dynasty] have risen one after the other. Although our [Xiongnu] king (Shanyu) had been given a nominal hereditary title, he no longer has a single foothold of sovereign territory."

Developments in the War of the Eight Princes (also known as the Rebellion of the Eight Kings) finally favored the Huns. Liu Yuan took advantage of a commission from the desperate Prince of Chengdu (Sima Ying), who was just being driven out of his base at Ye (near modern-day Linzhang County ch. 临漳县, Hebei province) to gather 50,000 Hunnic warriors. Liu Yuan then proceeded to proclaim himself the "King of Han" - a deliberate adoption of the long fallen Han Dynasty based on the earlier intermarriages of Xiongnu shanyu and Han princesses to render the Jin and Wei usurpers. Liu fully wished that such legitimist stance would earn him substantial support from the Chinese elite. His motives also explained the extent of his adoption of the ideology and political practices from the same elite.

Nevertheless such proclamation was to remain titular - his war effort would eventually outdo his legitimist plan. His Han state attracted the support of some chieftains of other non-Chinese Xianbei and Di and certain bandit forces including those of an ex-slave Shi Le of the Jie ethnicity. However the neighboring Tuoba tribe, the powerful Xianbei nomads in modern-day Inner Mongolia and northern parts of Shanxi province, intruded into the Hunnic residence of the Han State under their chieftain Tuoba Yilu (ch. 拓拔猗盧 py. tou4 ba2 yi1 lu2). A powerful Hunnic state would dash Tuoba's hope of migrating into the region.

On one hand they would hence assist the Jin governor of the Bing province to launch counteroffensive against the Han state. On the other hand Hunnic cavalry, successful in plundering the countryside, failed to capture the fortified Jinyang (modern-day Taiyuan city, the provincial capital of the Shanxi province), the provincial capital of the Bing province even though the former governor Sima Teng had fled to the North China Plain and left a mess. Liu Kun, the new governor, reorganized the defense and exploited the feud between the Han and the Tuoba to his advantage. Allegiance between the Jin court and the Tuoba was sealed - five prefectures were rewarded in 310 to Tuoba Yilu, who was also made the Prince of Dai. The areas around Jinyang would remain in Jin hands until the death of Tuoba Yilu in 316 when Jinyang was captured after a disastrous counteroffensive. Liu Kun fled but was later murdered by a Xianbei chieftain Duan Pidi.

By 309, The Hunnic armies defeated the Jin armies on the field and pushed all the way up to the gates of Luoyang.

Rulers of the Han Zhao

Temple names	Posthumous names	Family names and given name	Duration of reigns	Era names and their according range of years
Chinese convention: use family and given names
Han 304-318
Gao Zu (高祖 gao1 zu3)	Guangwen, ch 光文, pinyin guang1 wen2	Liu Yuan, ch 劉淵, pinyin liú yuan1	304-310	Jianxing (建興 jian4 xing1) 304-308 Yongfeng (永鳳 yong3 feng4) 308-309 Herui (河瑞 he2 rui4) 309-310
Did not exist	Prince of Liang, ch. 梁王, py. liang2 wang2	Liu He, ch. 劉和 py. liú he2	7 days in 310	Did not exist
Lie Zong (烈宗 lie4 zong1)	Zhaowu, ch. 昭武, py. zhao1 wu3	Liu Cong, ch. 劉聰 py. liú cong1	310-318	Guangxing (光興 guang1 xing1) 310-311 Jiaping (嘉平 jia1 ping2) 311-315 Jianyuan (建元 jian4 yuan2) 315-316 Linjia (麟嘉 lin2 jia1) 316-318
Did not exist	Yin, ch. 隱 py. yin3	Liu Can, ch. 劉粲 py. liú can4	a month and days in 318	Hanchang (漢昌 han4 chang1) 318
Former (Qian) Zhao 318-329
Did not exist	Hou Zhu (後主 hou4 xhu3)	Liu Yao ch. Liu Yao 劉曜 py. liú yao4	318-329	Guangchu (光初 guang1 chu1) 318-329

See also

• Huns
• Xiongnu
• Wu Hu
• Sixteen Kingdoms
• Sinicization

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Han Zhao."

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List of people by name: Han

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

List of people by name: A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z Ha - Hb-Hd -He-Hh - Hi-Hm - Hn - Ho - Hp - Hq - Hr - Hs - Ht - Hu - Hv - Hw - Hx - Hy - Hz Haa/Hå - Hab-Haf - Hag-Hah - Hai-Hak - Hal - Ham - Han - Hao-Haq - Har - Has-Hat - Hau-Hav - Haw-Hax - Hay-Haz

Hana-Hann

• haNasi, Judah, (end of 2nd century A.D.), editor of the Mishnah and head of the Sanhedrin
• Hancock, Butch, musician
• Hancock, Herbie, (born 1940), musician
• Hancock, John, (1737-1793), early US statesman, large signature
• Hancock, Nick, (born 1962)
• Hancock, Otho Lewis, (1923-1926)
• Hancock, Tony, (1924-1968), British comedian, television personality
• Handel, George Frideric, (1685-1759), German composer
• Handke, Peter, (born 1942), novelist
• Handler, Daniel, pen name Lemony Snicket, writer
• Handler, Ruth, (died 2002), inventor of the Barbie Doll
• Handy, W.C, (1873-1958), blues composer
• Haney, Lauren, author
• Haney, Lee, (born 1959), US body builder
• Hanff, Helene, (born 1916), author
• Hanfstangl, Ernst, (born 1887), German/US pianist, politician
• Han Gao Zu
• Han Gaozu, Emperor of China
• Han, Herman, Polish painter
• Hani, Chris, (died 1993), activist
• Hanks, Tom, (born 1956), US actor
• Hanna El Hajj, Maronite Patriarch
• Hannah, Barry, American author, novelist
• Hannah, Daryl, (born 1960), US actor
• Hanna, Jake, musician
• Hanna, William, (1910-2001), US animator, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera cartoon studio
• Hannett, Martin, (died 1991), record producer
• Hannibal, (247 BC-182 BC), Carthaginian general
• Hannibaldus of Hannibaldus, scholastic philosopher
• Hannigan, Alyson, (born 1974), US actress
• Hanno the Great, Carthage
• Hannu, ancient Egyptian who travelled along the Red Sea to a land called Punt

Hans-Hanz

• Hansberry, Lorraine, (1930-1965), writer
• Hansen, Armauer G
• Hansen, Conrad, (1906-2002), German pianist and pedagogue
• Hansen, Emil Christian, (1842-1909), fermentation physiologist
• Hansen, Erik Fosnes, author
• Hansen, Gerhard Armauer, (1841-1912), discoverer of the bacteria causing leprosy
• Hansen, Howard, (born 1896), composer
• Hansen, Jacob Thune, Gade, composer
• Hansen, Peter Andreas, (1795-1874)
• Hansen, Rick, "Man in Motion" Foundation
• Han Shangdi
• Hanson, Howard, (1896-1981), composer
• Hanson, John, (1728-1812)
• Hanson, Larry, co-inventor of green plastic garbage bag
• Hanson, Pauline, Australian senator
• Hansson, Bo, Swedish musician
• Hansson, Lena T, Swedish actor
• Hantuchova, Daniela
• Hanussen, Erick van, German mystic
• Hanzei, emperor of Japan
• Hanzek, Matjaz, (born 1949), poet

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of people by name: Han."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Han

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Modern Usage: Han

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Commercial Usage: Han

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Image Slideshow: Han

Illustrations: Han More pictures...

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Photo Album: Han

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Pictured (L-R) are Linda Han, Leslie Tengelsen, Roy Campbell, Theodore Tsai, Costin Cernescu, and Simona Ruta analyzing human sera at the Bucharest Virology Institute. Credit: CDC.		"I gar lovte far a ga tur. I dag bare sover han". Credit: National Library of Medicine.
	Han Suyin / WHO photo. Credit: National Library of Medicine.		Plan del estado y metodo de los trabajos que se han de seguir en las reales minas de estano de Villar de Cierbos en el valle de Monte Rey en Galicia / por Dn. Carlos Juan Garcia Alvarez. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Scene along the banks of the Han River of Korea, with the junks that are the commerce carriers of the country. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Han
 

"Foggy pagoda" by Henry Yao Commentary: "Pagoda in han zhou."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Use in Literature: Han

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Non-Fiction Usage: Han

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Usage Frequency: Han

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Han

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Usage in Company Names: Han

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Expressions: Han

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Han

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Modern Translation: Han

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Bible Trace: Han

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Matched Bible Translations: Han

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Derivations & Misspellings: Han

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Anagrams: Han

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