Lesson 15 Technology and Culture of the Han and Han Dynasties

The invention of paper

Before the introduction of paper, the ancients carved and wrote on oracle bones and silk, or cast and engraved on bronze artifacts. During the Qin and Han dynasties, official correspondence, private letters and canonical texts were written on silk and paper. Later people use "book" "compilation" "volume" to say the length of the book, is from the Jane of the compilation and storage characteristics of the way to get. Jane made of bamboo and wood, the weight is very heavy; silk, although light, but the price is expensive. People are limited to use.

During the Western Han Dynasty, people already knew the basic method of paper making. Eastern Han Dynasty, the eunuch Cai Lun summed up the experience of previous people, improve the paper-making process, with bark, hemp, rags, old fishnet and other plant fibers as raw materials for paper, paper quality greatly improved. This paper is easy to find raw materials, cheap, easy to promote. Since then, the use of paper has become increasingly common, gradually replacing silk and paper, becoming a widely used writing materials, facilitating the circulation of the canon.

Most of the world's papermaking was passed down from China. The invention of papermaking is one of the great contributions of China to world civilization.

Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo

Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history and was developed to a high level during the two Han dynasties, with more advanced diagnostic and therapeutic methods and the establishment of the basic theories of Chinese medicine.

Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, humbly sought advice from famous doctors, traveled extensively, collected folk remedies, and, based on the experience of his predecessors and his own clinical practice, wrote the book On Typhoid Miscellaneous Diseases. This work developed the theory and treatment methods of Chinese medicine, summarized the symptoms of various diseases, suggested that the diagnosis should be made by identifying and analyzing the conditions, and then treating the symptoms; it also proposed the theory of "treating the disease before it occurs" and advocated disease prevention.

Zhang Zhongjing was the pioneer of the clinical theory system of Chinese medicine and made great contributions to the development of Chinese medicine. He was known as the "Saint of Medicine" for his exquisite medical skills and noble medical ethics.

Hua Tuo, another famous doctor in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, was not only good at treating people with acupuncture, moxibustion and tonics, but also at performing surgical operations. He invented "Ma Bo San", which was taken by patients with wine to make them lose consciousness and then perform various surgeries. Hua Tuo also imitated the postures of five animals, namely, tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird, and created the "Five Animal Play" to help people strengthen their bodies.

Historical masterpiece "The Records of the Grand Historian

The author of "The Records of the Grand Historian" is Sima Qian, a great historian in ancient China. His father, Sima Tan, served as the Commander of History during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in charge of astronomy, calendars, and national codices. As a young man, Sima Qian traveled to famous mountains and rivers to study the local customs and collect historical information. As a young man, he traveled to famous mountains and rivers, investigated the local and regional areas, and collected historical information. He was determined to follow his father's footsteps and write history books. However, he endured great grief and wrote a monumental work of history in more than ten years.

The Historical Records is the first chronicle of ancient China, covering a period of about 3,000 years from the legendary Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The book records the historical activities of the emperors and generals, recognizing their achievements and ruthlessly exposing their corruptions and sins. In The Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian also wrote biographies of many lower-class people. His fairness, love and hatred, and straightforward writing have had a profound impact on the development of Chinese historiography. With its beautiful writing and vivid characters, The Records of the Grand Historian also has a high status in the history of literature.

Taoism and Buddhism

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the people were in great distress and needed to find spiritual support, which provided the ground for the rise of Taoism. Zhang Jiao founded the Tao of Peace, which revered the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and also incorporated some of the immortal arts popular in the society. He preached by healing the sick, which was very attractive to the poor people, and the Tao of Peace spread quickly. At that time, there was also the Five Dou Mi Dao created by Zhang Ling in Hanzhong and Bashu, where people could enter the Dao or be cured by giving five dou of rice. The Tao of Peace and the Tao of Five Dou Mi were similar in doctrine and propagation, and were practiced by the lower classes.

Buddhism is one of the three major religions of the world and was founded in India in the 6th century BC. The founder was Chodamanda Siddhartha, also known as Shakyamuni. Buddhism believes that life is like an ocean of suffering and that one can only be liberated by extinguishing various desires and worries and practicing for good. In some ways, the teachings of Buddhism catered to the desire of the poor people for a peaceful life and therefore spread.

Buddhism was introduced to China through the Silk Road after Zhang Qian's passage to the West. During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, monks from the Western Regions carried Buddhist scriptures to Luoyang, where they were supported by the upper ruling class, and Buddhism gradually spread throughout society. The introduction of Buddhism enriched Chinese culture and had a profound impact on society, thought, literature, as well as architecture, sculpture, and painting.（999words）