Han Wudi: The Martial Emperor
and his contributions to a unified china
By: Ross Petersen
Han Wudi was considered the greatest and most influential Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and also much of the reason for the Dynasty's success. He sat on the throne for 54 years during 141 to 87 B.C.E. He was called the martial emperor, notorious for being energetic and ruling his empire with vigor and vision. He had two major goals during his rule: centralize and increase the authority of the government and imperial expansion.
Domestic Effects of Han Wudi
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During his reign, he focused on centralizing authority and increasing the prestige of his government. He created a bureaucracy to manage the different regions and provinces of his massive empire. He would send imperial officers to these provinces and regions to maintain control and order. He heavily followed Legalist principles of government. He continued the practice of building roads and canals throughout the regions of China to facilitate trade which was performed by dynasties that had come before the Han. Due to the fact that his empire was giant and very costly to maintain and control, he issued taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries. He also set up imperial controlled monopolies on essential items like iron and salt.
Education
During the time of his rule, education in China was a problem. There were very little places and ways to learn besides becoming a student of men such as Confucius, Mencuis, and Xunzi. Han Wudi knew he need to surround himself with intelligent advisers and have thousands of smart and trained administrators to run his bureaucracy if he wanted to be able to complete his goals. There was no education that could supply that could consistently give acceptable candidates for office. In 124 B.C.E. Han Wudi created a solution. He started an imperial university, which would train young men for positions in the government. The Emperor personally didn't care for education, but he knew those in his government would need it if he wanted to reach his vision. The university took Confucianism as the basis for its teachings, as it was the only fully developed tradition of teachings. Even though he relied on Legalist principles, this would ensure the long-term survival of Confucianism.
Imperial Expansion
Han Wudi also focused on expanding his empire and conquering new lands. He eventually gained control of Korea, northern Vietnam, and a strip of central Asia. This advance caused the Chinese culture to spread all throughout Southern Asia.
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Han Dynasty Video
This video does a good job at explaining the Han Dynasty and what happening during this period. It doesn't directly mention Han Wudi, but talks about actions he performed or caused.