After the Qin Empire fell, Liu Bang became the first Han Dynasty emperor in 202 B.C. The Han Dynasty brought the birth of paper and advances in writing and art until it lost control in 220 A.D.

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Today's Daily Dose short history film covers the Han Dynasty of China, which began in 202 B.C. and ended in 220 A.D. The filmmaker has included the original voice over script to further assist your understanding:

Today on The Daily Dose, the Han Dynasty.

Following a mass revolt in 210 B.C., which ended the Qin (chin) Empire, following brief control by warlord Xiang Yu, Liu Bang became the first Han Dynasty emperor in 202 B.C., renaming himself Gaozu while establishing the Han capital at Chang’an (Chang on) along the Wei (way) River. Gaozu replaced many of the ancient Chinese kings with members of his own family to quell rebellions and insurrections, however the move would prove to be a struggle against the ambitions of his own family members. Following Gaozu’s death in 195 B.C., Empress Lu Zhi seized power by murdering several of Gaozu’s sons, including the murder and mutilation of Gaozu’s favorite mistress, Lady Qi, before tossing her body into a privy and showing it off to friends. The power struggle ended 15 years later, when Gaozu’s son, Emperor Wan, slaughtered Lu Zhi and her entire bloodline.

Confucianism became favored by Han royalty around 135 B.C., during the reign of Emperor Wu, which had been kept alive during Confucianism’s lost years due to intellectuals like Fu Sheng, who saved important Confucian literature during the civil wars that ended the Qin (chin) Dynasty. In 138 B.C., a man named Zhang Qian (che ah) was sent on a 13-year trip by Emperor Wu to make contact with western tribes, finally reaching Afghanistan in an area known as Bactria, which was then under Greek control. In Bactria he saw bamboo and silk textiles brought in from China, and when he learned about the overland route the traders had taken, he took the news back to Emperor Wu, which would quickly become known as the now legendary Silk Road trading route.

While the Han Dynasty would also see the birth of paper and many advances in writing and art, the Han Dynasty’s predilection for courtly intrigue eventually brought it down. Scuffles broke out between Empress Dowager’s family and the eunuchs at court, following a coup attempt by a religious cult known as the Yellow Turbans, and as the situation continued to worsen, the military took control of the conflicts until 220 A.D., when the last Han emperor was dethroned and the dynasty finished, ushering in The Six Dynasty Period that would flourish from 220 A.D. until 589 A.D.

And there you have it, the Han Dynasty of China, today on The Daily Dose