The Han Dynasty (汉朝, 206 BCE-220 CE) was the second great imperial unification dynasty of China. The dynasty, with 24 recognized emperors, ruled China for over 400 years. The reign of the Han Dynasty is broadly divided into the Western Han Dynasty (西汉) and the Eastern Han Dynasty (东汉). The period of the Han Dynasty is termed as the golden age in Chinese history. As such, the dynasty contributed in several socio-economic fields, such as the opening of the Silk Road (丝路), the invention of paper, adoption of Confucianism as the state religion, developing first Chinese dictionary, etc. In fact, it was during the Han Dynasty that Sima Qian (司马迁), the great Chinese historian, wrote the treatise 《史记》: Shiji ("Records of the Grand Historian"). No wonder, since the Han Dynasty, the Huaxia ethnic group has been gradually known as the Han ethnic group (汉族/汉人), or Han nationality, the main ethnic group in China.
The book, Chinese History 5, a Chinese reading practice book, presents a broad and simple overview of China's second and longest imperial dynasty: the Han Dynasty. The volume, 15th in the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series, includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin. With about 900 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6). Overall, the Mandarin Chinese Reading Series offers you a variety of elementary level books (Level 1/2/3) to learn Chinese culture as well as practice Chinese reading fast.
The book has 10 chapters in the following order:
Chapter 1: Overview of the Han Dynasty (第一章：汉朝概述)
Chapter 2: Basic Facts about the Han Dynasty (第二章：关于汉朝的基本事实)
Chapter 3: Timeline of the Han Dynasty (第三章：汉朝的时间表)
Chapter 4: The Beginning of the Han Empire (第四章：汉帝国的开始)
Chapter 5: Chang'an (第五章：长安)
Chapter 6: Empress Lü Zhi (第六章：皇后呂雉)
Chapter 7: Achievements of the Han Dynasty (第七章：汉朝的成就)
Chapter 8: The New Dynasty (第八章：新朝)
Chapter 9: The Last Days of the Han Dynasty (第九章：汉朝的最后日子)
Chapter 10: The Legacy of the Han Dynasty (第十章：汉朝的遗产)
