Han Dynasty

• The Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) was founded by the Rebel Leader Liu Bang and is considered to be the Golden Age of Chinese History. The Capital was first at Chang’an (206 BCE- 9 CE), then Luoyang (23-196 CE), then Xuchang (196-220 CE).
• The majority ethnic group in China call themselves the Han Chinese, speak the Han language and use Han Characters in the written Chinese script.

Early Imperial Dynasty Period (221 BCE-220 CE)

Preceded by early Chinese Dynasties 2070-256 BCE

• Qin Dynasty 221 – 207 BCE
• Western Han 202 BCE – 9 CE
• Xin Dynasty 9-23 CE
• Eastern Han 25-220 CE

Followed by the Three Kingdoms (220-280 CE) , and subsequent Dynasties which ended in 1912.

Innovations during the Han Dynasty

1. The Steerable Rudder: appears on pottery models of Junks from first century CE onwards.
2. The use of Negative Numbers.
3. The Raised Relief Map showing mountains, made out of rice.
4. The use of Coins throughout the Empire, made from casting in molds.

Zhang Heng (78-139 CE)

• Zhang Heng was highly influential Chinese Astronomer, Cartographer, Mathematician who was a contemporary of Ptolemy. He was honoured in his own time and well as today.
• He created or invented:
  1. A water powered Armillary Sphere, used in Astronomy.
  2. A Seismometer.
  3. A Star Catalogue of 2,500 stars.
  4. Theories on the Lunar Eclipse and the Solar Eclipse
  5. In 116 CE he published the ‘Ti Hsing Thu’, a Chart of the World using the Rectangular Grid System.
  6. An Odometer Chariot (attributed to Zhang): as the wheels rotated, cogs struck a drum after one ‘Li’, and a Bell after ten ‘Li’.
  7. The south pointing Chariot (also attributed to Zheng): a differential gear system rotated a wooden figure of a Chinese Minister to always point south, despite whatever direction the Chariot was heading towards.

Luoyang (Capital between 23-196 CE)