News Story

Journey to the Silk Road  by Kat Dickie
   




                  The Silk Road was first discoverd during the Han Dynasty. In 139 A.D.,a man named Zhang Qian was on a mission to create a military alliance with Da Yuezhi against the Huns. But ironically, Qian was captured by the Huns along the way and was held captive. After ten years of being held by the Huns, Zhang Qian finally escaped. He traveled west and eventually made it to Da Yuezhi. But when Qian arrived, the people turned down Qian's offer for alliance.

                    Zhang Qian decided to return to Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, after one year. On his travels, he tried his best to avoid the area controlled by the Huns by going on the outskirts of different civilizations. Unfortunately, Qian was again captured by the Huns, but he was only held captive for one year.

                    Zhang Qian was finally able to make it back to Chang'an. Emperor Wudi was quite interested in the information that Zhang brought back. He sent Zhang Qian on yet another journey to ally with Wusun, but Wusun did not have any interest in fighting against the Huns.

                     Quian then sent people into other states. By doing this, Zhang left traces in many other parts of the world including Southwest and Central Asia, and even as far as the Roman Empire. Zhang therefore became famous for pioneering the what is known as the Silk Road.

Opinion

The Han Dynasty was good for its economy. "In the reign of Emperor Ming, many fields that had been flooded by the Yellow River were changed into fertile lands". Since this happened, productivity of the industry increased greatly. Later on, a new tool called "Shu Pai" was invented. This device permitted the power of water to be applied to the air-blasting in the process of iron smelting which promoted productivity in the metallurgical industry.

The Han Dynasty was also good for it's literature. "Literature also became an integral part of the Han dynasty culture as it flourished greatly during this era mainly because of the invention of paper". They were successful in both the fields of art and science. Some other things popular during the Han Dynasty were pottery, painting, and calligraphy.


http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/han/eastern.htm  
 http://totallyhistory.com/han-dynasty-culture/

Inventions

 
 Liu Bang. 2011. History of China.

One invention of the Han Dynasty is paper. Paper was invented in the Han Dynasty, made out of bamboo or wooden boards. A few long pieces of this paper were pasted together to form a strip, 

which was then wrapped around a wooden roller. Paper was 
used as the tool for recording the important events and data. 
A few long pieces of this paper were pasted together to form a 
strip, which was then wrapped around a wooden roller.

The invention of paper began in 206 B.C. in China. This was the first form of paper making that happened in the Western Han Dynasty. When paper making got popular, the Eastern Han Dynasty started to make a new kind of paper. However the paper there was thinner and cheaper.

Paper has changed lives in the Han Dynasty and ours today. Before paper was invented, Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history, had to go over 120 kilos of official documents written on bamboo or wooden strips. Paper has also impacted our lives so much, that without it, we wouldn't be where we are today.


http://www1.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_26514.htm

Map

 http://homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlangill/HIS%20217/HIS%20217%20Maps.htm

 rlangill@stmartin.edu

   

The Han dynasty was located in what is now considered, the China Proper. To the east of their land is the Pacific Ocean. The ocean provided trade routes, protection from invasion, and a source of food. To the north of the Han dynasty's land is the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall provided a border for the Han dynasty and protection from mongols. The Himalayan mountains are located in the southwest of the Han dynasty's land. The four major rivers of China, Yellow, Xi, Yangtze, and Wei, were also located in the Han dynasty's land. The capitol of the Han dynasty, Chang'an is also located in the Han dynasty's land.