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As dynasties emerge and disappear in the river of history, it’s only natural that civilization and government change. As the rulers change, so do its governmental structures, territories, cultures and citizens. Sometimes the changes are big and sometimes, they are small. One of the biggest changes in the Chinese history was between the Qin (221-206BC) and the Han (206BC-220AD) dynasties. Both empires had their strong and weak points.

During the Qin dynasty, the iconic leader Shi Huangdi (or Qin Shu Huan, meaning the first emperor of Chin, as the Chinese would call him) expanded China. He stretched her boundary from the Xi River, as well as the land bordering other major rivers, to the Gobi Desert. He then was divided the empire into districts and appointed government official to take care of them. When the Qin dynasty fell, its district system fell apart as well. Then Han dynasty, established by its first emperor Liu Bang, known in history as Han Gao Tzu (meaning the high ancestor of Han), came into rule. Han Gao Tzu and his successors extended the Chinese territory even more. China then covered the central part of Asia as well as filling in much of what Shi Huangdi missed. After lengthening the Great Wall to fit the expansion the empire, they also moved the capitol to Luoyang.

Shi Huangdi ruled for the entire Qin dynasty period. Under his cruel, iron rule, China was unified. This meant that the entire empire (a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom) had a single money, weight, written language, and government system. He followed legalism beliefs (all men were born evil and education could not improve them) and as a result the government he created was strong with absolute power by the means of very harsh punishments. He burned all books and scholars that disagreed with his ideas - the scholars were often buried alive, decapitated, or burned. However he was very afraid of death and invasion and did not trust his advisers. After he died, his empire fell into war and chaos. However, one army led by Liu Bang took control. This was the start of the Han dynasty. Liu Bang became the first Chinese commoner to become emperor, a very significant milestone in the Chinese history. Much different from Shi Huangdi, Liu bang lowered taxes, made punishments less severe, and changed how the government worked. Han Wu Di (meaning the armed emperor of Han), the emperor after him, was another great leader. He made Confucianism the official government philosophy. He also changed the government so that the laws revolved around Confucianism. For example, all the families became patriarchal and the women of the family obeyed the husband or father no matter what the circumstances.

Both dynasties made great infrastructural advancements. As soon as Shi Huangdi unified China, he built canals and roads which made delivery and trade much more efficient. Irrigation was built as well to make farming easier, increasing the number of crops harvested. His biggest accomplishment was, of course, the Great Wall of China -- considered one of the seven wonders of the world even today. It was made to keep the invaders out but the construction process was harsh and long, with many lives sacrificed. Han, on the other hand, advanced more in the mechanics area. They began making plows and had exceptional ironwork (swords, daggers, helmets, etc.). After conquering central Asia, they pioneered the Silk Road. This was a major and historically significant trade route, as it allowed the Chinese to trade with major empires such as Greece, Rome, and India. The invention of silk further advanced the economy. It was highly sought after because it was made a special way (claimed as the empire’s trade secret), and for its unique smooth and soft texture. As a result, China became rich mainly due to her silk production. Even today, silk is symbolic to China in many ways.

As mentioned above, Shi Huangdi followed legalism beliefs. Some of his empire followed them, too. However, Confucianism was invented (by Confucius, or Kong Tz, as the Chinese would call him) at the time so a few people began following that school of thoughts. Daoism (invented by Lao Tz) came before Confucianism and was the most followed because it was more familiar. Legalism was incredibly self-defeating and as a result became a dead philosophy. As soon as the Qin dynasty fell, Liu Bang made Confucianism the national philosophy. After the Silk Road was built, however, Buddhism came to China and a massive amount of Chinese were converted! Buddhism happened to come during the fall of the Han dynasty and it offered hope and a new outlook on life, different from Confucianism.

The two dynasties shared a similar hierarchical social structure. In both Qin and Han, the emperor was always at the top of the social structure and the biggest group were always the peasants. Shi Huangdi was at the top, then government officials, merchants/artisans, peasants, and at the bottom, slaves. However, in the Han dynasty the social structure was remade and did not indicate wealth or power.(except for the first class). First was the emperor, court, and scholars. Then, the peasants, the artisans, and finally the merchants.

Overall, both Han and Qin dynasties had very strong governments. They both had conquered so much land so they were quite equal in this sense. With a harsh government, Shi Huangdi kept his people under control and unified, but earned the reputation as one of the cruelest tyrant in the Chinese history. In Han, the rulers were more benevolent and better liked, but they didn't stay unified, and there were still people that did not like the emperor's ways. Both dynasties had their strengths and weaknesses and significant contributions in history.

Copyright 2009 by Crystal Chang/Rockabunny