Dynasties, emperors, and ancient Chinese history.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Which teaching gained official support as a basis for government under the Han?
Han rulers supported study of Confucian classics, helping make educated officials central to imperial government.
Which city served as the capital of the Eastern Han dynasty?
The Eastern Han takes its name from the capital’s position east of the earlier Han capital at Chang’an.
Which historian wrote the Records of the Grand Historian during the Han dynasty?
Sima Qian organized history through biographies as well as chronological accounts, influencing later Chinese historians.
Silk from Han China was made using fibers produced by which creature?
Unwinding the long fibers from silkworm cocoons produces the threads used to weave silk cloth.
Which rebellion helped weaken the Han dynasty near the end of its rule?
Commanders recruited armies to fight the Yellow Turbans, helping regional warlords gain power as Han authority faded.
Which dynasty ruled China immediately before the Han dynasty?
The Han kept much of the Qin system of centralized government but eased some of its harsh laws.
Why did the Han government under Emperor Wu establish salt and iron monopolies?
The monopolies helped pay for expensive military campaigns, and their costs sparked a famous court debate.
Han founder Liu Bang rose to become emperor from which social background?
Liu Bang had served as a minor official before joining the revolts that brought down the Qin dynasty.
Ming admiral Zheng He's treasure fleets sailed as far as which continent?
Zheng He's fleets reached East Africa, and a giraffe brought back from that trade was paraded at court as a qilin, a mythical beast of good fortune.
Which oxide gives Ming blue-and-white porcelain its famous blue decoration?
Cobalt oxide produces a permanent bright blue even through the 1,200–1,350 °C heat needed to fire porcelain.