Han Dynasty Society

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In the society of the time of the Han Dynasty , the unified idea prevailed that the rightful ruler is the one to whom “everything under heaven” turns. The Han dynasty ruled China from 202 BC. BC - AD 220 after its state unification and establishment of the Chinese Empire by Qin Shihuangdi . It produced an official state and the Confucian state ideology. The Chinese still call themselves Han people today, the so-called Han Chinese make up the largest proportion of the population.

Theories on the causes of the emergence of the peculiarity of Chinese society

  • Economic theory: Oriental society
    The Asian mode of production with irrigation and community work makes a centralized bureaucracy necessary, this also controls the development and non-development of industry. Highly developed, labor-intensive cultivation methods make technological developments seem unimportant. (See also: Hydraulische Gesellschaft )
    Concrete examples:
    Water mills are fought by officials and large landowners. State economic monopolies prevent private capital accumulation.
  • Social theory: Gentry society
    Large landowners are no longer primarily the nobles, but a new class that has bought the land and lives from the leasing of this land. This shift also provides the officials.
  • Political-ideological theory: Confucianism
    The central bureaucracy is increasingly identified with Confucianism. Tradition and commitment to headquarters and family determine the structure of the company.
  • Foreign policy theory:
    The Chinese empire is expanding without having an equivalent culture as an opposite. The state has a monopoly on foreign trade. Instead of trading, one speaks of tributes and gifts.

Cultural achievements in the Han period

literature

  • Arthur Cotterell: The Imperial Capitals of China: An Inside View of the Celestial Empire . Pimlico, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-84595-009-5 (English, 304 p., Limited preview in Google Book Search).
  • John King Fairbank , Merle Goldman: China: A New History; Second Enlarged Edition (2006). Cambridge: MA; London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01828-1
  • C. Martin Wilbur: Slavery in China during the Former Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 25 , Field Museum of Natural History, 1943