Han (Warring States)

Han Hàn *Gar
403 BC–230 BC
Status	March → Kingdom
Capital	Yangzhai(before375 BC) Xinzheng(after375 BC)
Religion	Chinese folk religion ancestor worship
Government	Monarchy
Marquess→King
Chancellor
Historical era	Warring States period
•Partition of Jin	403 BC
• Conquered byQin	230 BC
Currency	spade money otherancient Chinese coinage
Preceded by Succeeded by Jin (Chinese state) Qin dynasty

Han
"State of Han" insmall seal script(220 BC)
Traditional Chinese	Hàn Quốc
Simplified Chinese	Hàn Quốc
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hánguó Gwoyeu Romatzyh Harn-gwo Wade–Giles Han-kuo IPA [xǎnkwǒ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hòhn Gwok Jyutping Hon⁴ Gwok³ Southern Min Tâi-lô Hân-kok Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[g]ˤar[C.q]ʷˤək

Hanwas anancient Chinese stateduring theWarring States periodofancient China.Scholars frequently render the name asHannto clearly distinguish it from China's laterHan dynasty.

It was located in central China (modern-dayShanxiandHenan) in a region south and east ofLuoyang,the capital of theEastern Zhou.It was ruled by aristocrats of the Ji (Cơ) family ancestral temple who rose to power as a ministerial family in the state ofJin,and whose power eventually eclipsed that of the Jin ruling house. Thepartition of Jinwhich resulted in the states of Han,Wei,andZhao,marked the beginning of the Warring States period.

The state of Han was small and located in a mountainous and unprofitable region.Its territory directly blocked the passage of the state ofQininto theNorth China Plain..Although Han had attempted to reform its governance (notably under Chancellor and "Legalist"Shen Buhaiwho improved state administration and strengthened its military ability)these reforms were not enough to defend itself and it was the first of theseven warring statesto be conquered by Qin in 230 BC.

Qin invasion of Han'sShangdang Commanderyin 260 BC resulted in theBattle of Changping,claimed to be the bloodiest battle of the Warring States period where up to 400,000 soldiers died.

History

Founding

According to chapter 45 of theRecords of the Grand Historian,the royal family of Han was a cadet branch of the royal family of the state ofJin.The founder of the Han clanWuzi of Hanwas the uncle ofDuke Wu of Jin.

Members of the family became ministers in the powerful state ofJinand were grantedHanyuan(modernHanchenginShaanxi).

Spring and Autumn period

During theSpring and Autumn period,members of the Han family slowly gained more and more influence and power withinJin.In 453 BC,Jingof Han, along withWenofWeiandLieofZhaopartitioned Jin among themselves. InChinese history,thisPartition of Jinis the event which marks the end of theSpring and Autumn periodand the beginning of theWarring States.Subsequently, Han was an independent polity.King Lieeventually recognized the new states in 403 BCand elevated the rulers toHầu(hou,"marquess").

Warring States Period

In 375 Han defeated the neighboring state ofZheng(founded in 806 by the Zhou dynasty). Han conquered and annexed Zheng, thus expanding its territory. Han also moved its capital there, and assimilated Zheng's heritage. This included that of the young politician Shen Buhai (400-337).

Han's highest point occurred under the rule ofMarquess Xi.Xi appointedShen Buhaias hischancellorand implemented hisLegalistpolicies. These reforms improved state administration and strengthened its military capability. Under KingXuanhui(r. 332–312 BC), Han declared itself an independentkingdom.

However, Han was disadvantaged in the competition of the Warring States period because Jin's partition had left it surrounded on all sides by strong states:Chuto the south,Qito the east,Qinto the west, andWeito the north. Han was then the smallest of the seven states and was without any easy way to further expand its own territory and resources, It was bullied militarily by its more powerful neighbors.

Defeat

During its steady decline, Han eventually lost the power to defend its territory and had to request military assistance from other states. The contest between Wei and Qi over control of Han resulted in theBattle of Maling,which established Qi as the pre-eminent state in the east. In 260 BC,Qin's invasion of Han led toZhaointervention and theBattle of Changping.

During the late years of the era, in an attempt to drain Qin's resources in an expensive public works project, the state of Han sent the civil engineerZheng Guoto Qin to persuade them to build a canal. The scheme, while expensive, backfired spectacularly when it was eventually completed: the irrigation abilities of the newZhengguo Canalfar outweighed its cost and gave Qin the agricultural and economic means to dominate the other six states. Han was the first to fall, in 230 BC.

In 226 BC, former nobility of the Han launched a failed rebellion in former capital Xinzheng, and King An, the last king of Han, was put to death the same year.

Han Xinwas made a "Prince" or "King of Han" (Hàn vương) byLiu Bangafter the establishment of theHan dynasty(Hán triều). He was removed toTaiyuan Commanderyand the territory of thekingdom of Dai,where he defected to theXiongnuand led raids against the Han Dynasty until his death.

Culture and society

Before the state of Qin unified China in 221 BC, each region had their own unique customs and culture, although they were all dominated by an upper class that shared a largely common culture. In theYu Gong(Tribute of Yu), a section of theBook of Documentswhich was most likely composed in the 4th century BC, the author describes a China that is divided into nine regions, each with its own distinctive peoples and products. The core theme of this section is that these nine regions are unified into one state by the travels of the eponymous sage-emperor,Yu the Great,and by sending each region's unique goods to the capital as tribute. Other texts also discussed these regional variations in culture and physical environments.

One of these texts wasWuzi(The Book of Master Wu) which was a Warring States military treatise written in response to a query by Marquis Wu ofWeion how to cope with the other states.Wu Qi,the author of the work, declared that the government and nature of the people were linked to the physical environment and territory they live in.

In the Han Feizi

Chapter 19 of theHan FeizirecallsQin's conquest of Ye from theZhao,dated to 236bc. The chapter says: "To-day, Han, being a small state, is relying upon big powers. Her sovereign, paying little attention to the law, takes every word from Qin. The above-mentioned small states, having relied upon Wey, Ch`i, Ching, and Wu for support, went to ruin one after another. Thus reliance on others is not sufficient to extend the native soil." Seemingly written from the context of the late Han state, the chapter might have preceded its fall in 230bc, or either Zhao and Wei if the latter had only yet ceded territory.

Rulers

Title	Name	Reign	Alternative Title(s)
Pre-State sovereigns
Wuzi Hàn Võ tử	Hán Wàn Hàn vạn
Qiubo Hàn cầu bá	unknown
Dingbo Hàn định bá	Hán Jiǎn Hàn giản
Ziyu Hàn tử dư	Hán Yú Hàn dư
Xianzi Hàn hiến tử	Hán Jué Hàn xỉu
Xuanzi Hàn Tuyên tử	Hán Qǐ Hàn Khởi
Zhenzi Hàn Sadako	Hán Xū Hàn cần
Jianzi Hàn giản tử	Hán Bùxìn Hàn không tin
Zhuangzi Hàn thôn trang	Hán Gēng Hàn canh
Kangzi Hàn khang tử	Hán Hǔ Hàn hổ
Wuzi Hàn Võ tử	Hán Qǐzhāng Hàn khải chương	424 BC – 409 BC
State sovereigns
Marquess Jing Hàn Cảnh hầu	Hán Qián Hàn kiền	408 BC – 400 BC
Marquess Lie Hàn Liệt hầu	Hán Qǔ Hàn lấy	399 BC – 387 BC	Marquess Wu (Hàn Võ hầu)
Marquess Wen Hàn Văn hầu	unknown	386 BC – 377 BC
Marquess Ai Hàn ai hầu	unknown	376 BC – 374 BC
Marquess Gong Hàn cộng hầu	Hán Ruòshān Hàn nếu sơn	374 BC – 363 BC	Marquess Zhuang (Hàn trang hầu) Marquess Yi (Hàn ý hầu)
Marquess Xi Hàn li hầu	Hán Wǔ Hàn Võ	362 BC – 333 BC	Marquess Zhao (Hàn chiêu hầu)
King Xuanhui Hàn Tuyên huệ vương	unknown	332 BC – 312 BC	King Xuan (Hàn Tuyên vương) Marquess Wei (Hàn uy hầu), before 323 BC
King Xiang Hàn Tương Vương	Jì Cāng Cơ thương	311 BC – 296 BC	King Xiang'ai (Hàn tương ai vương) King Daoxiang (Hàn điệu Tương Vương)
King Xi Hàn li vương	Hán Jiù Hàn cữu	295 BC – 273 BC
King Huanhui Hàn Hoàn huệ vương	unknown	272 BC – 239 BC
King An Hàn vương an	Hán Ān Hàn an	238 BC – 230 BC

Rulers family tree

Han state

Mu of JinTấn mục hầu Marquis of Jin 812–785 BC Wen of JinTấn văn hầu Marquis of Jin 780–746 BC Huan Shu of Quwo Khúc Ốc Hoàn thúc 745–731 BC Zhao of JinTấn chiêu hầu Marquis of Jin 745–739 BC Hán Wàn Hàn vạn Wuzi of HanHàn Võ tử Ruler of Han Zhuang Bo of QuwoKhúc Ốc trang bá 731–716 BCE Qiubo of Han Hàn cầu bá Ruler of Han Hán Jiǎn Hàn giản DingboHàn định bá Ruler of Han Hán Yú Hàn dư ZiyuTử dư Ruler of Han Hán Jué Hàn xỉu Xianzi of HanHàn hiến tử Ruler of Han Hán Qǐ Hàn Khởi Xuanzi of HanHàn Tuyên tử Ruler of Han Hán Xū Hàn cần Zhenzi of HanHàn Sadako Ruler of Han Hán Bùxìn Hàn không tin Jianzi of HanHàn giản tử Ruler of Han Hán Gēng Hàn canh Zhuangzi Hàn thôn trang Ruler of Han Hán Hǔ Hàn hổ Kangzi of HanHàn khang tử Ruler of Han Hán Qǐzhāng Hàn khải chương Wuzi of HanHàn Võ tử Ruler of Han 424–409 BC Hán Qián Hàn kiền Jing of HanHàn Cảnh hầu Marquess of Han 408–400BC Hán Qǔ Hàn lấy Lie (Wu) of Han Marquess of Han 399–387 BC Wen of Han Marquess of Han 386–377 BC Ai of HanHàn ai hầu Marquess of Han 376–374 BC Hán Ruòshān Hàn nếu sơn Gong of HanHàn cộng hầu Marquess of Han 374–363 BC Hán Wǔ Hàn Võ Xi of HanHàn li hầu Marquess of Han 362 BC–333 BC Xuanhui of Han Hàn Tuyên huệ vương King of Han 332–312 BC Xiang of HanHàn Tương Vương King of Han 311–296 BC Hán Jiù Hàn cữu Xi of HanHàn li vương King of Han 295–273 BC Jǐ shī kỉ rận Huanhui of Han Hàn Hoàn huệ vương King of Han 272–239 BC Xin of Han King of Han 205–196 BC Hán Ān Hàn an An of HanHàn vương an King of Han ?–238–230–226 BC

Famous people

• Han Fei,aLegalistphilosopher
• Zhang Liang,a major figure in the earlyHan dynasty
• Zheng Guo,thehydraulic engineerwho designed theZhengguo CanalforQin

Han in astronomy

Main article:Chinese constellations

Han is represented by the star35 Capricorniin the "Twelve States"asterism,part of the "Girl"lunar mansionin the "Black Turtle"symbol.Han is also represented by the starZeta Ophiuchiin the "Right Wall" asterism, part of the"Heavenly Market" enclosure.

References

• Sima Qian;Sima Tan(1959) [90s BCE]. "45: Hàn thế gia".Records of the Grand HistorianSử ký.Zhonghua Shuju.
• Sima Guang,ed. (1934) [1084]. "vol. 1–6".Zizhi Tong gian.Hong Kong: Zhonghua Shuju.