Han Dynasty
Learn about the Han Dynasty — the Chinese empire that established the Silk Road, invented paper, and created the civil service exam system.
The Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) was one of the most consequential empires in world history. Lasting over four centuries, it established the political, cultural, and institutional foundations that would define Chinese civilization for the next two millennia. So deeply did the Han mark Chinese identity that to this day, the dominant ethnic group in China calls itself Han Chinese.
The Han built on the Qin's unification while abandoning its harshest excesses. Emperor Wu (r. 141–87 BCE) expanded the empire to its greatest extent, pushing deep into Central Asia, Korea, and Vietnam. More importantly, he adopted Confucianism as the state ideology and established the civil service examination system — the revolutionary idea that government officials should be selected through competitive examinations rather than by birth. This meritocratic principle would shape Chinese governance for over two thousand years.
Han achievements in science and technology were remarkable. Paper was invented during the Han period, eventually transforming communication worldwide. Han astronomers mapped the stars and tracked sunspots. Han engineers built sophisticated irrigation systems and invented the seismograph. The Silk Road, actively promoted by the Han government, connected China to Rome for the first time, creating a trade network that would shape Eurasian history for centuries.