Han Dynasty

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the imperial dynasty that ruled China from 206 BCE to 220 CE, widely regarded as one of the most formative periods in Chinese history and the source of the term Han Chinese that today's ethnic majority population uses as its self-designation; the Han dynasty established Confucianism as the ideological foundation of the Chinese state, created a centralised bureaucracy staffed by examination-meritocracy, extended the Great Wall, opened the Silk Road trade routes, and sent missions that established Chinese contact with Rome; the Han achieved major advances in iron smelting, silk weaving, papermaking, and astronomical observation; the Four Books of Confucius were canonised and the Chinese historical tradition institutionalised during this period; the Han Empire was roughly contemporaneous with the Roman Empire in size, sophistication, and historical significance