The Han dynasty's 400 years shaped Chinese identity, and the Han people are named after it

historyWikipedia202 BC–220 AD · China

The Han dynasty's 400 years shaped Chinese identity, and the Han people are named after it

the gist

The Han dynasty ruled China in two periods, the Western Han from 202 BC to 9 AD and the Eastern Han from 25 to 220 AD, with a brief interruption by the Xin dynasty. It was founded by Liu Bang after the short-lived Qin dynasty and is often regarded as a golden age that defined Chinese identity. The emperor sat at the top of society but shared power with nobles and scholar-official ministers. From the reign of Emperor Wu, the court officially promoted Confucianism. The dynasty made major advances in science and technology, including papermaking, rudders for ships, negative numbers in mathematics, and seismometers. Han armies pushed back the nomadic Xiongnu, helping open the Silk Road, and expanded into southern China and northern Korea. Later, palace eunuchs, consort clans, and Taoist rebellions weakened the court until warlords divided the empire, and Cao Pi ended the dynasty in 220 AD.

so what

The Han period is the reference point for much of Chinese culture, language and self-understanding, which is why the majority ethnic group is called the Han people and the written script is called Han characters. It also set the pattern of imperial bureaucracy that influenced East Asia for centuries.

fun fact

China's majority ethnic group is called the Han people, and the written language is called Han characters, both named after this dynasty.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗