-The first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 206 BC. It was formed after the conquest of six other states by the state of Qin, and its founding emperor was known as Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin. Only two emperors, Qin Shi Huang and his son Hu Hai ever ruled the state, which was finally overthrown by the people's uprising.

Culture

- The society was very centralized to the point that every dissenter against the rule of the court was killed, tortured, or sent for forced labor, and most literature was destroyed. The people were enslaved for wars and great construction projects.

- There is the well-known event – 'Burn the books and bury the scholars alive'.

- A system of rewards and punishments.  Qin Shi Huang influenced people to spy on their neighbors and to turn in lawbreakers.

- Qin Shi Huang standardized the language and writing of China so as to create a consistent way to help people communicate across the country.

- The Great Wall was built in the north, to fend off barbarian invasion. Roads and irrigation canals were also built throughout the country.

.

.

Administration

- The whole empire was divided into commanderies (jun 郡), administered by a civil governor (shou 守), a military commander (wei 尉) and an imperial inspector (jianyushi 監御史). The commanderies were divided in counties (xian 縣), administered by a magistrate (ling 令).

- The practice of Legalism- During his time as minister, Shang Yang radically renovated the policies of government but, in fact, he simply revived a practice which was already present for years: a form of government with a focus on greater efficiency and less adherence to tradition in which strict adherence to the letter of the law was made paramount (hence the name `Legalism'). Emperor Shi Huangti approved of Shang Yang's policies and implemented them across his realm.

Social strata

Highest Order:   Emperor and His Advisors

Upper class:  Generals, Nobles, and Workers

Lower Class:  Artists and Peasants

Lowest Class:  Slaves and Servitude

Tradition

- Qin Shi Huang formulated a set of complicated rituals for libations and worship. He also requisitioned thousands of common people to construct many palaces around Xianyang for him.

- Qin Shi Huang believed that when a person died, his spirit would go to the heaven and still exist. So he had constructed his tomb on the Li Mountain when he was still alive in the hope that he could continue his sovereign after the death.

History or myth

- The Qin reign came to an end shortly after the First Emperor's death. Emperor Qin Shi Huang only ruled for 37 years; he died suddenly in 210BC. His son took the throne as the Second Emperor, but was quickly overthrown, and the Han dynasty began in 206BC.

-Despite its military strength, the Qin Dynasty did not last long. When the first emperor died in 210 BC, his son was placed on the throne by two of the previous emperor's advisers, in an attempt to influence and control the administration of the entire country through him. The advisors squabbled among themselves, however, which resulted in both their deaths and that of the second Qin emperor. Popular revolt broke out a few years later, and the weakened empire soon fell to a Chu lieutenant, who went on to found the Han Dynasty.

Others

- Terracotta army at the emperor’s burial site- 6,000 clay soldiers protecting the tomb a possible substitute for the living people who were previously buried with the rulers.

-The Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) was an imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms (220–280 AD). It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. The Han Empire was divided into areas directly controlled by the central government, known as commanderies, and a number of semi-autonomous kingdoms. These kingdoms gradually lost all vestiges of their independence, particularly following the Rebellion of the Seven States.

.

Culture

-With the exception of the bookseller and apothecary, the scholarly gentry class did not engage in trade professions, since scholars and government officials viewed the merchant class as lowly and contemptible.

- Two ideologies were competing against one another, Legalism and Confucianism.

-There were great innovations in metallurgy. The Han period saw the development of steel and wrought iron by use of the finery forge and puddling process.

.

Administration

- The Empire is broken down to Provinces -> Commandery -> County -> District.

-The highest officials in the central bureaucracy, who provided advisory, censorial, executive, and judicial roles in governing the empire, consisted of cabinet members known as the Excellencies, heads of large specialized ministries known as the Nine Ministers, and various metropolitan officials of the capital region.

.

Social Strata

Highest Order: Emperor

Upper Class: Government Officials, Nobles and Scholars.

Lower Class: Farmers, Artisans, Craftsman and Peasants.

Lowest Class: Laborers, Servants and Merchants

.

Tradition

-Chinese kinship relations during the Han were influenced by Confucian mores and involved both immediate nuclear family and extended members

-Although romantic love was not discouraged, marriages were arranged as agreements and bonds formed between two clans (with property as the chief concern), not necessarily two individuals

-The two types of inheritance during Han included the common inheritance of property from the deceased, which all social groups (except for slaves) participated in, and the inheritance of titles, which only the people of twenty ranks, nobility, and royalty could enjoy.

.

History or Myth

-The Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang (known as Emperor Gaozu after his death),] was the second imperial dynasty of China after Qin dynasty. There was unprecedented territorial expansion and exploration initiated by struggles with non-Chinese peoples, especially the nomadic Xiongnu, today modern Mongolia. 

-When the Han defeated by Xiongnu in 200 BCE the Han emperors were initially forced to acknowledge the rival Xiongnu Chanyus (a name used to address Mongolia ruler) as their equals yet in fact Han was the inferior partner since it was forced to pay tribute to appease the militarily powerful Xiongnu. However the Xiongnu keep violated the treaty and often attack the northern border city of Han dynasty. The Xiongnu Federation collapsed when emperor of Wu launched a series of military campaign and redefined the borders of China.

-The eastern half of the empire was indirectly administered through large semi-autonomous kingdoms which pledged loyalty and a portion of their tax revenues to the Han emperors, who ruled directly over the western half of the empire from Chang'an. Gradual measures were introduced by the imperial court to reduce the size and power of these kingdoms, until a reform of the middle 2nd century BCE abolished their semi-autonomous rule and staffed the kings' courts with central government officials. Yet much more volatile and consequential for the dynasty was the growing power of both consort clans (of the empress) and the eunuchs of the palace. In 92 CE, the eunuchs entrenched themselves for the first time in the issue of the emperors' succession, causing a series of political crises which culminated in 189 CE with their downfall and slaughter in the palaces of Luoyang. This event triggered an age of civil war as the country became divided by regional warlords vying for power. Finally, in 220 CE, the son of an imperial chancellor and king accepted the abdication of the last Han emperor, who was deemed to have lost the Mandate of Heaven according to Dong Zhongshu's (179–104 BCE) cosmological system that intertwined the fate of the imperial government with Heaven and the natural world. Following the Han, China was split into three states: Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu; these were reconsolidated into one empire by the Jin dynasty (265–420 CE).

-The Three Kingdoms (AD 220–280), a tripartite between the states of Wei (魏), Shu (蜀), and Wu (吳), followed the loss of the de facto power of the Han dynasty in China, ushering in the start of the Period of Disunity. Wei Shu Wu had fought in the war for about 50 years. The one stood until the end was "Wei". Which was known leading by Chao Cao. The 3 Kingdoms dynasty was ended after The dominator was killed by his Prime minister "Sima Zhao".

.

Culture

-Because of the collapse of the imperial court, those worn copper coins were not melted and reminted and many privately minted coins appeared. In the Three Kingdoms period, newly minted coins never made their way into currency. Due to the collapse of the coinage, Cao Wei officially declared silk cloth and grains as the main currencies in 221

-Continuous wars among the three states developed various wise and political military thinking and produced talented persons such as Zhuge Liang, and Cao Cao, who demonstrated their special ability not only in military and political affairs, but also in literature

- Poetry, music, calligraphy, painting by the great calligrapher Wang Fishy and outstanding painter Go Knish flourished.

- This period also enjoyed considerable advancements in technology and mathematics.

-Three Kingdoms has had a profound influence on personal, social, and political behavior, even language usage, in the daily life of people in China today

Administration

-The governmental structure was maintained by most regimes as a façade behind which a succession of military rulers governed with personal aides and relatives whose status was gradually regularized into a stable new structure, largely "neo-feudal" in character ("neo-feudal" because relatives were enfeoffed as "kings" or "princes", wang 王, and "marquesses", hou 侯).

-The administrative powers was distributed in this manner. President -> Prime minister -> Consultants -> Gong Gong -> Soldiers

Social Strata

Highest Order: President

Upper Class: Government

Lower Class: Community

Lowest Class: Slave

Tradition

-The rulers of Wei as 'Emperors' and those of Shu and Wu as 'Lords' or by their personal names.

-the spirit of Chao cao has been influencing Chineses for ages until nowadays. For example there are a lot of Chinese phrases like, 说朝曹朝曹就到
-the spirit of Guan Yu applies the same among Chinese community as well.

- Buddhism also took roots in China during this era. Buddhism was originally introduced in China with the development of the Silk Road when monks travelled with merchants.

- During the Three Kingdoms Period, Taoism also flourished. The Wisdom School of Xuanxe was established. Most members of this school, however, were not about religion but more focused on integration of Confucianism to the principles of Taoism.

.

History

- The earlier, "unofficial" part of the period, from 190 to 220, was marked by chaotic infighting between warlords in various parts of China.

-  The middle part of the period, from 220 and 263, was marked by a more militarily stable arrangement between three rival states, Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.

- The later part of this period was marked by the collapse of the tripartite situation: first the destruction of Shu by Wei (263), then the overthrow of Wei by the Jin Dynasty (265), and the destruction of Wu by Jin (280).