The Han Dynasty is considered the golden age of Chinese
culture; and this may lend itself to it being referred to as Glorious. It was during the
Han dynasty, which lasted for four hundred years (with a brief hiatus) that China was
brought under centralized rule. China was divided into administrative districts with
officials who answered directly to the Emperor. Legalism, a Chinese doctrine or
orderliness and obedience, became the standard for reform under Emperor Liu Bang. Roads
and canals were constructed, government monopolies on iron and salt were imposed, and an
imperial university was established to educate young men in Civil Service, primarily on
Confucian principles. Interestingly, Liu Bang personally had nothing but contempt for
education. He once publicly urinated into the cap of a Confucian scholar to demonstrate
his disdain.
Sadly, after almost four hundred years, the
dynasty ended because of infighting among members of the royal family, Confucian
scholars and court eunuchs.
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