The Two-Han Period 206 BCE–220 CE (about 400 years)

1. the Western or Former Han (206 B.C.–9 A.D.) 西汉/前汉 The Western Han capital, Chang‘an 长安 in present-day Shaanxi Province 陕西省【Shǎnxīshěng】 one of the two largest cities in the ancient world (Rome being the other). the Eastern or Later Han (25–220 A.D.) 东汉/后汉 City of Luoyang 洛阳 The two-capital system: What are the advantages? The Two-Han Period 206 BCE–220 CE (about 400 years)

2. Liu Bang’s reign: 202 BC-195 BC A minor official under the Qin rule, Liu Bang was escorting some convicts or prisoners assigned to Mount Li to build the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor. Overnight, some prisoners escaped. Liu assembled his remaining prisoners, telling them he would free them if they followed him…Then he became a rebel against the Qin Rule. 楚漢相爭 206 BC–202 BCChu–Han Contention (Ebrey 41)刘邦【liúbāng】 the first emperor of Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220)

3. The Tragedy of Xiang Yu"Hegemon-King of Western Chu“西楚霸王【xīchǔbàwáng】 • Xiang Yu boasted 400,000 troops • The tragedy of Xiang Yu lies in that as someone whose talents are to be used or utilized by others, Xiang Yu accidently sits on the hot seat to employ others… • Wang Liqun 王立群 • Chinese professor at Henan University

4. Banquet at Hongmen 鸿门宴(206 BCE)Read The Basic Annals of Xiang Yu onlineSima Qian_Xiang Yu vs. Liu Bang • After his victory in the Battle of Julu which wiped out the main Qin army (207 BC), Xiang Yu 项羽 prepared for an invasion on Guanzhong 关中, the heartland of China. In the winter of 207 BC, the last (3rd) Qin ruler Ziying 子婴 (on the throne for 46 days) surrendered to Liu Bang's army in Xianyang 咸阳. When Xiang Yu arrived at Hangu Pass, the eastern gateway to Guanzhong, he saw that the pass was occupied by Liu Bang's troops, a sign that Guanzhong was already under Liu's control. • Liu‘s left general 左司马 Cao Wushang 曹无伤 sent a messenger to see Xiang Yu, reporting that Liu Bang would become King of Guanzhong, with Ziying appointed as Liu's Prime Minister or chancellor. (80-86)

5. 項莊舞劍 意在沛公 Course Reader 83【xiàngzhuāngwǔjiànyìzàipèigōng】 • Xiang Zhuang performed a sword dance as a cover-up for his attempt on Liu Bang's life - act with a hidden motive. • The Banquet at Hongmen 鸿门宴 refers to a dinner party that harbors evil designs or malicious intentions to have the guest killed but after all the guest could escape, a revelation of Xiang Yu’s personality; • Role of Fan Zeng 范增 as Xiang Yu’s “Second Father” 亚父 • Xiang Zhuang vs. Xiang Bo (Zhang Liang’s friend): Whenever Xiang Zhuang got close to Liu Bang, Xiang Bo would shield Liu Bang…

6. Hongmen Banquet (206 BCE)Feast at Hong Gate

7. 垓下之战【gāixià zhīzhàn】The Battle of Gaixia in 202 BCE • “Oriental Waterloo” at Gaixia, He County, Anhui Province • 四面楚歌: four sides, Chu songs • 【sìmiànchǔgē】 be besieged on all sides; be utterly isolated. • The Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) marks a fiasco for Napoleon • 1st Duke of Wellington is instrumental in defeating Napoleon.

8. Lady Yu joined her voice with his. Tears streamed down his face… 霸王别姬【bàwángbiéjī】 Farewell to My Concubine

9. 四面楚歌【sìmiànchǔgē】 be besieged on all sides; be utterly isolatedOn four sides Songs of Chu (State) stirred up homesickness among the Chu soliders • In 202 BC, Han armies led by Liu Bang, Han Xin and Peng Yue attacked Western Chu from three sides and trapped Xiang Yu‘s army, which was low on supplies, in the Battle of Gaixia. Liu ordered his troops to sing folk songs from the Chu region, to create a false impression that Xiang’s native land of Chu had been conquered by the Han forces. The morale of the Chu army plummeted and many of Xiang‘s troops deserted in despair. Xiang sank into a state of depression and he sang the famous Song of Gaixia. His beloved concubine Consort Yu (虞姬) committed suicide. The next morning, Xiang Yu led about 800 of his best cavalry 骑兵 troops on a desperate attempt to break out of the siege, with 5,000 enemy troops hot on pursuit.

10. The western half was ruled by Liu through a system of local administration, with officials appointed by the emperor Nepotism: favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those with power or influence Bloodline/inheritance/hereditary system In the eastern half, power was held by military strongmen who had followed Liu Bang in his earlier years; Over time, those strongmen began to manifest separatist behavior, as in Zhou’s time. Meritocracy, a political philosophy that holds power should be vested in individuals according to merit Potential Problems, Ebrey 41Embedded in Liu Bang’s Rule

11. In the ancient times an oath was taken by spreading the blood of a white horse on one’s lips. See Shiji v. 9 on “The Basic Annals of the Empress Lu” Later, with the help of his wife, Liu Bang got rid of those founding generals one by one to strengthen his rule. Han Xin’s story stood out as a classical example It is a deal Liu Bang cut with his (7) founding generals. Liu Bang made them take an oath that only Lius can be kings. In return, Liu Bang enfeoffed them with titles equivalent to a duke in a state. In nature, Liu Bang actually adopted the Western Zhou’s system of enfeoffment. The White-Horse Confederation白马之盟 for Liu’s Family Rule

12. In 180 BCE, the family of the empress, named Lǚ, gained great power at court and almost usurped the throne before being suppressed. The empress actually ruled for about 15 years. 美人心计【měirén xīnjì】 Beauty's calculation; scheming; planning, cunning. No. 1 TV series at http://tv.sohu.com/hotteleplay/ Usurpation of the Empress LǚEbrey 42

13. The Crown Prince Liu Ying 刘盈 The empress asked help from Zhang Liang 张良, Zhang Liang pointed out only the four famous hermits at Mt. Shang 商山四皓 can dramatically change the situation. They did. Ruyi 如意, son of Liu Bang’s favorite concubine Qi Ji 戚姬 In His Old Age, Liu Bang Changed his Mind

14. Four Hermits at Mount Shang商山四皓 • 博士【bóshì】 Ph.D; court ‘acade’mician (in feudal China on the five Confucian classics).　 • These hermits were court academicians under the Qin rule (total 70 “PhDs”) • Tang Bing, Cui Guang, Wu Shi and Zhou Shu • Emperor Wu of Han established 五经博士【wǔjīngbóshì】 court ‘acade’mician (in feudal China, comparable to PhDs) on the Five Classics (The Book of Songs/Documents/Rites/Changes/Spring & Autumn Annals)

15. In 195 BCE, after Liu Bang died, the empress had Qi Ji’s four limbs cut off, her eyes gouged, and her ears burned; She also made Qi Ji戚姬dumb/mute by some drugs. Left in a toilet, Qi Ji was moaning and groaning like a pig… The young emperor Liu Ying could not stand his mother’s cruelty. He quit ruling. 人彘【rénzhì】 <formal> pig; swine.

16. the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty, ruled from 141 BC to 87 BC—54 years on the throne. The Han Synthesis pioneered a model that later dynasties followed till 1911. The Han SynthesisEmperor Wu of Han 汉武帝刘彻141 BC - 87 BC (54 years 20 days)

17. Emperor Wu of Han (Ebrey 49-50)Liu Che汉武帝 (r. 141 BC to 87 BC)(54 years 20 days) • Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast terri’torial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized. He is cited in Chinese history as the greatest emperor of the Han dynasty and one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. Emperor Wu's effective rule transformed his dynasty that parallels Rome.

18. Dongfang Shuo 东方朔 (154-93 BCE) From time to time, 单于【chányú】 chief of the Xiongnu in ancient China, demanded the Han give him a wife. The court was divided in between pacifists 主和派and militants 主战派. The young emperor had no idea how to handle the case. Dongfang Shuo plotted a scheme that silenced those who advocated interracial marriages. Headache about Xiongnu 匈奴

19. In 200, Liu Bang led his troops to attack Xiongnu. 单于【chányú】 chief of the Xiongnu in ancient China Chanyu Mao Dun faked a retreat, thus leading Liu Bang to Baideng where 400,000 cavalryman 骑兵 formed a siege for 7 days and 7 nights The Siege of Baideng白登之围, Ebrey 41

20. Liu Bang’s Waterlooand its Consequences (ripple effect) • The siege was only relieved after seven days when the Han royal court, under Chen Ping's (陳平) suggestion, sent spies to bribe Mao Dun's wife. • Consequence: Han promised to send its women on a regular basis!

21. The Policy of Interracial Marriagea political marriage • 和亲【héqīn】 (of some feudal dynasties) attempt to cement relations with rulers of minority nationalities in the border areas by marrying daughters of the Han imperial family to them. • Those poor princesses, being unable to stand a rough life style, died quickly.

22. Zhang Qian 张骞 & the Silk Road200 BCE - 114 BCE, Ebrey 51

23. The Silk Road (61)Lifespan of a silkworm

24. Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒 (179–104 BC) was a Han Dynasty scholar who is traditionally associated with the promotion of Confucianism as the official ideology of the Chinese imperial state. The victory of Confucianism and its consequences: “intellectual diversity” is dead ever since. The Han Synthesis (pluot—plum + Apricot)The Intellectual Architect (Ebrey 43/46)

25. The philosopher Dong Zhongshu developed a theory of correlative cosmology 天人感应 to explain how natural phenomena were omens of political changes. This rhetoric functions as a leash on those emperors who have to pay attention to their personal conduct. Dong Zhongshu shrewdly placed the son of heaven under heaven, not above heaven, thus calf-ropinga leash on one’s ambition/inclination (desire); Read the Han Synthesis online Luxuriant Gems of the Spring and Autumn Annals 〖春秋繁露〗 “Correlative Cosmology”The Son of Heaven

26. Three-Way ThoughtWoven Together: Confucianism • Confucianism: a theory of social contract with its five-folds human relationships which is featured with hierarchy and reci’procity; rule by rite and benevolence; yet there is no guarantee that everybody will become a Confucius’ ideal gentleman 君子, therefore it is idealistic at its best, naïve at its worst; • a five-fold web of relationships: king vs. subjects; father vs. son; husband vs. wife; elder brother vs. younger brother; friend vs. friend;

27. Confucian Core VirtuesEbrey 26 • Fill in the blanks • Three models in American higher education: British (Gentleman), German (Scholar/research), American (the Wisconsin Idea—Service) • Kongzi or Confucius—the Analects论语, put together by his disciples, • Mengzi 孟子 (human nature is good 性善论), Xunzi 荀子 (human nature is evil 性恶论)

28. Daoism/Taoism • Daoism/Taoism provided a larger framework for understanding the nature of the world in which men lived; It is a rule by the natural way; • Co-founders: Laozi 老子—Daodejing道德经 • Zhuangzi 庄子 – Inner Chapters/Outer Chapters/Miscellaneous Chapters • How to carve an ox?

29. Legalism • Legalism: rule by law; effective in administration yet seems too harsh; • Premise: human nature is evil; • Two handles: rewards and punishments • Representatives: Shang Yang (Lord Shang); Li Si and Han Fei; • Li Si and Han Fei are Xunzi’s students;

30. Confucianism is rooted in the human world, focusing on the order of a family-based on thisness--society; Family is seen as a microcosm of how relationships linking people together; The assumption is a well behaved son is not likely to become a rebel against an authority; Taoism implies that there is something much larger than a human world Taoism challenges us to reevaluate our position within the entire universe; Fan Kuan 范宽’s painting Confucianism vs. Taoism

31. Travelers amid Mountains and Streams (谿山行旅; ink and slight color on silk; dimensions of 6¾ ft by 2½ ft. National Palace Museum, Taipei http://uwch-4.humanities.washington.edu/~WG/~134/Famous%20Paintings/ Fan Kuan’s Paintinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Travelers_Among_Mountains_and_Streams.pngproportion (technical) and proposition (philosophical)

32. Becoming One with Nature • Fan Kuan范寬 (fl. 990–1020) was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). • Travelers amid Mountains and Streams, a large hanging scroll, is Fan Kuan's best known work. Fan based the painting on the Taoist principle of becoming one with nature. When looking at the painting, the viewer realizes how small he/she is compared to the big picture of nature. The painting focuses on the big picture of nature and the world as a whole instead of the individual.

33. historian Patricia Ebreyon the painting • [the]...foreground, presented at eye level, is executed in crisp, well-defined brush strokes. Jutting boulders, tough scrub trees, a mule train on the road, and a temple in the forest on the cliff are all vividly depicted. There is a suitable break between the foreground and the towering central peak behind, which is treated as if it were a backdrop, suspended and fitted into a slot behind the foreground. There are human figures in this scene, but it is easy to imagine them overpowered by the magnitude and mystery of their surroundings.

34. 无为而治—Govern by doing nothing that is against nature; or govern by non-interference. This Wuwei should be translated as with no wrong actions. It implies there is a natural way to do things instead of fighting it. Wrong actions are counterproductive. The (Natural) Way

35. A central theme of the Daodejing is that correlatives are the expressions of the movement of dao, the way Correlatives in Chinese philosophy are not opposites, mutually excluding each other; they represent the ebb and flow of the forces of reality: yin/yang, male/female; excess/defect; leading/following; active/passive.— In other words, opposites are not oppositional; instead, they are complementary to each other. Both…And--holistic As opposed to the Western way of thinking (Aristotelian categories and genre studies-- In Poetics, Aristotle proposes to treat poetry in itself and of its various kinds, noting the essential quality of each.) that treats a thing in itself and of itself has philosophical implications in many ways. (Western dualism 二元论tends to be binary and oppositional) Either…Or Appositional vs. OppositionalComplementary vs. Competitive

36. Gestalt SwitchEdgarRubin’s Vase andJoseph Jastrow’s “Duck-Rabbit”

37. Young Girl-Old Woman Illusionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f1G6Nx5VDw

38. M. C. Escher’ Tessellations棋盘形布置, 嵌石装饰1898 – 1972

39. Sima Qian 司馬遷 & Shi ji(ca. 145 or 135 BC–86 BC) Records of the Grand Historian • a Prefect of the Grand Scribes (太史令) of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography 历史编纂学 because of his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian/Scribes (史記 or 史记) • In 110BC, Sima Tan fell ill and could not attend the imperial sacrificial ceremony. Thinking he was about to die, he summoned his son to carry on the family tradition and to complete the work he had begun.

40. The Range of his Work (Ebrey 46-47) • Upon his father's death, Sima Qian inherited his office and took on an ambitious project started by his father - production of the first full history of China, the Shiji (historical records). • Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, covers the period from the five sages of prehistoric times, through the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin dynasties to the Han Dynasty of Sima Qian's own time.

41. There are five sections: The Basic Annals Chronological Tables Treatises He’reditary Houses Memoirs/Biographies Example: “The Basic Annals of Xiang Yu” (online) 本紀 表 書 世家 列傳 The Layout of ShijiRecords of the Grand Historian

42. Castration • In 99 BC, Sima Qian became embroiled in the Li Ling Affair: Li Ling (李陵)and Li Guangli (李廣利), two military officers who led a campaign against the Xiongnu in the north were defeated and taken captive. Emperor Han Wudi attributed 归结 the defeat to Li Ling, and all the officials in the government condemned Li Ling for the defeat. • Sima was the only person to defend Li Ling, who had never been his friend but whom he respected. Emperor Han Wudi interpreted Sima’s defence of Li Ling as an attack on his brother-in-law, who had also fought against the Xiongnu without much success, and sentenced Sima to death. • At that time, execution could be commuted 减刑, 用……交换 either by money or castration. Since Sima did not have enough money to atone his "crime", he chose the latter and was then thrown into prison, where he endured three years.

43. Wudi adopted Sang Hongyang’s proposal and had liquor, salt and iron controlled by the government. Emperor Zhao of Han 汉昭帝 (94 BC–74 BC) called for the famous debate in 81 BCE; Huan Kuan 桓宽 compiled a book; Consult the source book 360 to 362 An Invisible Hand(regulated by demand and supply) in The Wealth of Nation 富国论 by Adam Smith first published in 1776. It is an account of economics at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, as well as a rhetorical piece written for the generally educated individual of the 18th century - advocating a free market economy as more productive and more beneficial to society. The book is often considered to have laid the basic groundwork for modern economic theory. The Debate on Salt and IronMonopolies 《盐铁论》(Ebrey 42-43)

44. After Emperor Ai died childless, the throne was passed to his cousin Emperor Ping—then a child of nine years old. Wang Mang was appointed regent. Later, Emperor Ping started to show dissatisfaction; In 6 AD, Wang Mang had Emperor Ping poisoned. Wang Mang’s Usurpation (Ebrey 43)reign: 9 - 23 (Killed by Lülin Force 绿林军)

45. 绿林好汉 【lùlínhǎohàn】 Chinese Robin Hoods heroes of the greenwood; forest outlaws; a band of bandits entrenched in a mountain stronghold; brigands. Chimei (赤眉, red eyebrows) refers, as an umbrella term, to one of the two major agrarian rebellion movements against Wang Mang‘s Xin (New) Dynasty 王莽新政, initially active in the modern Shandong and northern Jiangsu region, that eventually led to Wang Mang's downfall by draining his resources… The Green Forest Rebellion &Red Eyebrow Uprising

46. Emperor Guangwu (13 January 5 BC – 29 March 57), born Liu Xiu, was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, restorer of the dynasty in AD 25 and thus founder of the Later Han or Eastern Han (the restored Han Dynasty). He ruled over parts of China at first, and through suppression and conquest of regional warlords, the whole of China was consolidated by the time of his death in 57. Liu Xiu刘秀Emperor Guangwu of HanThe Eastern Han Dynasty

47. The Battle of KunyangJune–July in 23 AD 昆阳之战 • Liu Xiu is instrumental in the key victory that sealed Wang Mang's fate. Wang, aware that Emperor Gengshi was becoming a major threat, sent his cousin Wang Yi (王邑) and his chancellor Wang Xun (王尋) with what he considered to be overwhelming force, some 430,000 men, intending to crush the newly constituted Han regime.

48. Battle of KunyangSiege besieged • About 8,000 soldiers stationed in Kunyang, County Ye, Henan Province; • Wang Mang laid a siege; • Liu Xiu sneaked out and persuaded others: United we stand; divided, we fall. • Liu Xiu summoned about 10,000 to rescue Kunyang; • Wang Mang’s army got exhausted from the siege; • Liu Xiu counter-cornered Wang Mang’s troops

49. Liu Xiu Took City of Luoyang Whole without shedding one drop of blood • In 25 AD, Liu Xiu took an oath by the Yellow River, promising no revenge; • Zhu Wei and his troops guarding the city surrendered without any fight; • For the next century and half, the empire was both stable and prosperous • Read The Art of War • Definition of the most intelligent battle • 兵不血刃 win a victory without battle, without bloodshed

50. The Second Unified Dynasty after QinWestern Han Achievements • The boundaries established by the Qin and maintained by the Han have more or less defined the nation of China up to the present day. • Have the Xiongnu (The Huns) under control; • Unified in political system, language and cultural practice; • The Han Synthesis: weaving together Confucianism, Daoism (broader vision) and Legalism (modified) • Han Fu in poetry writing, see Han Fu • Best Translation: David R. Knechtges