Fortunately, this book explains how and why the two Han Dynasties occurred. For clarification, the Western Han Dynasty began with Liu Band and lasted from 202 BCE to 9 CE. The Eastern Han Dynasty, restored by Liu Xiu, lasted from 25 to 220 CE.
While Emperor Ping rose to the crown at 8-years of age, he was placed under the control of Wang Mang. But Wang Mang really enjoyed power and he poisoned his protege. Although Wang Mang wrapped himself in Confucian robes, he was unable to stabilize the country. By 19 CE, there was a civil war and eventually, Wang Mang was killed in the fighting (in 23 CE). However, it took 2 years for Liu Xiu to emerge as the next Han Emperor.
His son, Ming, and the next successor, Emperor Zhang, are considered to be the rulers of the Golden Age of the Eastern Han. There was stability in the country, trade flourished, and China's might resurged. Although all power rested on the Emperor, he used his palace eunuchs and family members to further his rules and regulations. There was an incredible amount of infighting and plotting against each other for power. I cannot imagine how the Emperor had time to run the country with all the intrigues going on in the palace.
Some corrupt government officials of the Han Dynasty were harsh toward the Qiang peoples; they started a rebellion in 88 CE. This fighting would eventually bring down the Han Dynasty. The book made a point of stating that when child emperors came to the throne, this led to reigns of internal strife as families were trying to wrest power to themselves (while a weak, young ruler was leading things). It was the internal fighting of the royal families and the arrogance of the eunuchs that caused so much turmoil in China, rendering the government unstable. If that weren't enough, Emperor Huan started selling government positions to pay for the Qiang rebellions. Then he started selling military officer positions in the imperial guard!
The Han Dynasty is known, not for its stability, but for advances in the arts, culture, science, and technology. The Chinese learned to extract and use bronze and copper. They created paper, made amazing discoveries in astronomy and math. The Chinese discovered anesthesia and compiled the first Chinese dictionary.
While Emperor Ping rose to the crown at 8-years of age, he was placed under the control of Wang Mang. But Wang Mang really enjoyed power and he poisoned his protege. Although Wang Mang wrapped himself in Confucian robes, he was unable to stabilize the country. By 19 CE, there was a civil war and eventually, Wang Mang was killed in the fighting (in 23 CE). However, it took 2 years for Liu Xiu to emerge as the next Han Emperor.
His son, Ming, and the next successor, Emperor Zhang, are considered to be the rulers of the Golden Age of the Eastern Han. There was stability in the country, trade flourished, and China's might resurged. Although all power rested on the Emperor, he used his palace eunuchs and family members to further his rules and regulations. There was an incredible amount of infighting and plotting against each other for power. I cannot imagine how the Emperor had time to run the country with all the intrigues going on in the palace.
Some corrupt government officials of the Han Dynasty were harsh toward the Qiang peoples; they started a rebellion in 88 CE. This fighting would eventually bring down the Han Dynasty. The book made a point of stating that when child emperors came to the throne, this led to reigns of internal strife as families were trying to wrest power to themselves (while a weak, young ruler was leading things). It was the internal fighting of the royal families and the arrogance of the eunuchs that caused so much turmoil in China, rendering the government unstable. If that weren't enough, Emperor Huan started selling government positions to pay for the Qiang rebellions. Then he started selling military officer positions in the imperial guard!
The Han Dynasty is known, not for its stability, but for advances in the arts, culture, science, and technology. The Chinese learned to extract and use bronze and copper. They created paper, made amazing discoveries in astronomy and math. The Chinese discovered anesthesia and compiled the first Chinese dictionary.
