The death of the Shih Huang-di, the only Chin Emperor, led to widespread fighting across Chinese territory. The two main figures were Hsiang Yu and Liu Pang; the former is usually portrayed as a representative of the feudal, aristocratic school and the latter was born a peasant and was a self-made man who rose thanks to his own virtues. Hsiang Yu seized the palace and the imperial family; Liu Pang seized the imperial archive which was so important in providing legitimacy for a new emperor. Ultimately, Liu Pang was successful and he established the Han Dynasty, which ruled from 206BCE-221CE.
Liu Pang stabilized his new regime by persevering with the legalistic forms of the preceding Chin dynasty while eliminating the most extreme and unpopular forms, including the punishment of mutilation. Steps were put in place to cause the growth in the bureaucracy which was to be the basis of administration and rule throughout the empire. People – men, at least – were to be recruited to the bureaucracy on the basis of talent and ability (rather like Liu Pang himself) and this was the basis for the creation of the Imperial Examination system. To make this possible, the emperor took steps to increase social mobility and this was raised to perhaps the highest level it has ever been in Chinese history until very recent years. It was based on education and knowledge rather than wealth and the largest social class, the peasant farmers, were given opportunities to obtain that education. This does not mean, of course, that richer people could not obtain an advantage by hiring the best teachers and resources or that the freedom extended as far as girls and women. Nevertheless, this was a progressive step. It also led to the creation and strengthening of the scholar class, of whom so much is heard throughout Chinese history – of course, it is the scholars who wrote most of that history and so they may well have exaggerated their own importance from time to time.
During the Han Dynasty, contacts were made with Central Asian cultures and also with civilizations from the Mediterranean region. Indeed, stories emerge periodically of fair-haired slaves who are supposed to be located in Chinese territory, supposedly being Romans captured by someone or other and shunted eastwards over a period of years. Attempts were also made by Han emperors to control the Tarim Basin region, where Tibet was emerging as a powerful neighbour. This area became increasingly important in subsequent dynasties.
