Western Han

The Han dynasty founded by Liu Bang made its capital at Chang'an. After the quiet recovery of the Wen and Jing reigns, under Emperor Wu the Han stood among the strongest states on earth.

Zhang Qian rode west and opened the Silk Road; Wei Qing and Huo Qubing pushed back the Xiongnu; Sima Qian endured shame to finish the Records of the Grand Historian. It was also under Emperor Wu that Confucian learning became the court's teaching.

Late in the dynasty, the regent Wang Mang seized the throne, and in 8 CE the Western Han ended. But the word "Han" had become one of the deepest names of this people.