Han China for Children

By Ms. Gluskin

An ExpeditionSources: ImageMetropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrun Timelinen of Art History – trade Routes between Europe and Asia During Antiquity, 2009, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/trade/hd_trade.htm (Nov. 30, 2009).

InformationEbrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, p. 69, 70.

JustificationConnection to Theme(s):Centralization – a new capital city is created for the entire dynasty. This gives stability to the new dynasty’s centralized nature. Expansion – Han sent troops to Xiongnu, north of China, in order to gather horses for use in military conquests. They also got horses from further west in Central Asia. Image: the map shows where the barbarians live in relation to the Han Chinese.

Name: Ms. G

Sub-topic:

The Capital CitySources: ImageWikipedia, File: Han Tomb Mural, N.d., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Han_Tomb_Mural,_Horses_and_Carts.jpg (Nov. 25, 2013).

InformationEbrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, p. 63. Harris, Hamlyn History of Imperial China, p. 22.

JustificationConnection to Theme(s):Centralization – a new capital city is created for the entire dynasty. This gives stability to the new dynasty’s centralized nature. Expansion and Superiority: Han troops fought a lot of barbarians (to whom they feel superior) so they lengthened the Great Wall and improved it by adding signal towers. Image: the mural from a Han official’s tomb in Inner Mongolia from the Han period shows the importance of horses to the army. The tomb owner was a colonel in the army.

We Are VigiliantSourcesInformationImages: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrun Timeline of Art History, Covered jar, Western Han Dynasty, 2000-2013, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1992.165.20ab (Nov. 26, 2013).

Justification: Connection to themes: Superiority: the Chinese feel they are superior to others, especially the nomads from Xiongnu who are represented as the wolf on this Han vase. The wolf is being shot by the arrow of the Bow star (the Chinese).

Image: The Han jar has painted on it an image of constellations representing the Xiongnu barbarians (wolf) and the archer shooting a bow (Chinese) to protect against the wolf. It is apparently a commonly used Han motif and story.

Back in the VillageSources: InformationEbrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, p. 75. Image: Lauren Hilgers, Archaeology Archive, Reading the Yellow River, March/April 2011, http://archive.archaeology.org/1103/features/china_han_dynasty_yellow_river.html (Nov. 26, 2013).

Justification:Connection to Themes: Centralization – the central government has policies to try to get more taxes out of the farmers and to try to get more land being farmed. Image: This is an archaeological dig site of a Han village that was flooded by the Yellow River around 2000 years ago. The picture shows the impression of the fields left behind in the mud. The other picture is a roof tile from one of the homes in the site.