Everyday Life in Early Imperial China During the Han Period 202 Bc-Ad 220

About this book

The four centuries depicted in Everyday Life in Imperial China the period of the Han Dynasty broke the ground for the chief political economic cultural and social structures that were to characterize Chinese civilization for two millennia. The dynasty of the Han was the first successful exponent of imperial power in China and as such did much to determine the patterns of Chinese life both during its own time of power and in the centuries that followed. Under the Han force and law replaced an earlier system of personal morality and mutual responsibility. The Han period is at once a time of great consolidation and enormous change. The essentially conservative character of a vast imperial government for example is balanced by the accompanying rise of a huge civil service which being open to all classes created a revolution in social relationships. Not only did the enormous power of the imperial government influence daily life great changes are also to be observed in the areas of technology agriculture the arts population literature (the first libraries a standardized written language) and religion (the Han dynasty witnessed the triumph of Confucianism over older superstitions and also saw the introduction of Buddhism from India). Michael Loewe has done an admirable job of presenting the general non-specialist reader with an engaging portrait of all the important aspects of Chinese life during this exciting period of history. Everyday Life in Imperial China is a valuable introduction to the study of China during its most formative period.