The Birth of the Western Regions Protectorate During the Han Dynasty’s Xuan Emperor period (74-49 BCE), a pivotal institution emerged […]
The Precarious Succession of Emperor Xuan In the winter of 49 BCE, Emperor Xuan of Han lay dying with an […]
The Turbulent Frontier: Han Dynasty’s Western Border Challenges During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han (74–49 BCE), the Western […]
The Shadow Emperor of Han Dynasty In the turbulent years following Emperor Wu of Han’s death, a remarkable power dynamic […]
A Succession Crisis in the Western Han Dynasty The death of Emperor Zhao of Han (Liu Fuling) in 74 BCE […]
The Rise and Fall of a Favored General Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE) was one of China’s most […]
The Rise and Fall of a Favored Heir In 128 BCE, Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) celebrated the birth […]
The Making of a Historian In 145 BCE, in Xia Yang County’s Dragon Gate (modern-day Hancheng, Shaanxi), a child was […]
The Making of a Historian In 145 BCE, in Xia Yang County’s Dragon Gate (modern-day Hancheng, Shaanxi), a child was […]
The Strategic Pause in the Northern Frontier Following the monumental victories against the Xiongnu in 119 BCE, Emperor Wu of […]
The Rise of a Scholarly Prince In the turbulent years following the Rebellion of the Seven States (154 BCE), the […]
The Emergence of Han’s Military Titans In 123 BCE, during Emperor Wu of Han’s reign, the Han Dynasty faced relentless […]
A Legacy of Appeasement For decades following the humiliating defeat at Baideng (200 BCE), the Han Dynasty had pursued a […]
The Warring States Legacy and Qin’s Legalist Experiment The intellectual landscape of pre-imperial China reached its zenith during the Warring […]
The Rise of Emperor Jing and His Controversial Mentor In 157 BCE, Emperor Wen of Han passed away after twenty-three […]
The Turbulent Transition of Power After Empress Lü’s Death When Empress Lü Zhi died in 180 BCE, the political landscape […]
The Rise of a Ruthless Matriarch Empress Lü Zhi’s journey to becoming one of China’s most formidable female rulers began […]
The Fragile Birth of a Dynasty When Liu Bang declared himself emperor in 202 BCE, founding the Han Dynasty, his […]
The Fragile Foundations of a New Empire The early years of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) were marked by […]
The Steppe Threat: Origins of the Xiongnu For centuries, the vast grasslands north of China’s Central Plains bred formidable nomadic […]
The Fall of Xiang Yu and the Rise of Liu Bang The death of Xiang Yu, the formidable warlord of […]
The Broken Truce: A Fateful Decision In the waning years of the Chu-Han Contention (206–202 BCE), a fragile peace briefly […]