Lesson 11 The Establishment of the Western Han Dynasty and the Rule of Cultural

Establishment of the Western Han Dynasty

Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu, unified the whole country and established the Han Dynasty in 202 B.C. The capital was Chang'an, which was called the Western Han Dynasty.

Due to the brutal rule of Qin Dynasty and the war at the end of Qin Dynasty, the social production was severely damaged. At the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, there was a scene of dilapidation and desolation everywhere. The people were displaced, the population was decimated, and large areas of land were barren. At that time, even the emperor's carriage was not equipped with four horses of the same color, and some generals had to travel in ox carts, and the people did not have enough food and clothing. How to restore and develop social production and consolidate the new dynasty became the primary problem facing the rulers of the early Han Dynasty.

Rest and Recuperation Policy

In order to consolidate his regime and stabilize society, Han Gaozu learned the lesson of the quick death of the Qin Dynasty due to tyranny and adopted a policy of rest and recuperation. He ordered "all soldiers to return home", allowing them to return to their hometowns to work as farmers and releasing those who had become slaves due to war and famine to become commoners in order to increase the agricultural labor force. In order to stabilize the hearts of the people and encourage them to devote themselves to agricultural production, the Han Gaozu adopted a policy of lighter taxes and less taxation for the peasants, and correspondingly reduced corvée and military service.

After the death of Han Gaozu, the successor ruler continued to implement the policy of rest and recuperation, focusing on agricultural production, so that the economy of the early Han Dynasty gradually recovered and developed, and the social situation stabilized.

"The Reign of Wen and Jing"

During the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, the Western Han Dynasty continued its policy of rest and recuperation. They focused on agricultural production, advocated farming as the basis, required officials at all levels to care about agriculture and mulberry, and further reduced taxes and corvée, lowering the tax on fields to thirty to one. During the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, they attached importance to "moralizing the people" and abolished some harsh laws, such as the mutilation of limbs by flesh. They also advocated diligent and frugal governance and opposed extravagance and pomp. Emperor Wen set an example by living a simple life for more than 20 years during his reign, without increasing the number of palaces, gardens and even carriages.

During the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, there was political clarity, economic development, and stability for the people. At that time, the state power was greatly enhanced, the state accumulated a lot of money and grain, and the stock of grain and copper coins was very abundant. The ruling situation in this period is called "the rule of Wenjing" in history.（516words）