Wang Mang Dynasties Essay

Brief Background of China

Dynasties that ruled China

SHANG DYNASTY (1766-1122 B.C.)

King ruled the nation by "Mandate of Heaven”, with limited control over his feudal states. It consisted of 17 generations and 31 kings. Its civilization was based on agriculture, hunting and animal husbandry.

CHOU DYNASTY (10-27-256 B.C.)

The longest dynasty in Chinese history. Known as the Classical Age by historians. Originally pastoralists, the Chou set up a (proto-)feudal social organization based on families, with administrative bureaucracy, and developed a middle class. From such a decentralized tribal system, the Chou became centralized over time. The rise of "hundred school of thought," in which Confucianism and Taoism were very
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Known as the "Imperial Age." The empire was extended and the government was centralized. Confucianism was elevated at the expense of other schools of thought. An extended system of grain storage was done by the government, as well as levying the taxes and issuing of a reformed calendar.

HSIN DYNASTY (A.D. 9-23)

Wang Mang made himself as an emperor of Hsin. His goal was the introduction of the nine field system propagated by Menzius. It caused new coins to be minted, create a state banking monopoly, and created new titles to go with his new dynasty; his reforms instantly kindled resistance on the part of influential landowners, whose uprisings were promptly suppressed. Wang Mang's reign was finally ended by peasant revolts. Founded the secret organization "Red Eyebrow."

EASTERN HAN DYNASTY (A.D. 25-220)

The emperor Liu Hsui restored the empire and extended his authority to Central Asia. Many cultural developments happened in this time, including the invention of paper, introduction of Buddhism from India and the establishment of Taoism as a
The revolution consisted of many revolts and uprisings. The revolution arose mainly in response to the decline of the Qing state, which had proven ineffective in its efforts to modernize China and confront foreign aggression, and was exacerbated by ethnic resentment against the ruling Manchu minority. Many underground anti-Qing groups, with the support of Chinese revolutionaries in exile, tried to overthrow the Qing. The revolution ended with the abdication of the "Last Emperor” Puyi on February 12, 1912, that marked the end of over 2,000 years of imperial rule and the beginning of China's republican era.
Puyi was to retain his imperial title and be treated by the government of the Republic with the protocol. He and the imperial court were allowed to remain in the northern half of the Forbidden City (the Private Apartments) as well as in the Summer Palace. A hefty annual subsidy of four million silver taels was granted by the Republic to the imperial household, although it was never fully paid and was abolished after just a few