Beliefs

The Han Dynasty Beliefs By Katherine

The Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 BC) focused on two beliefs… Confucianism and Legalism. The Han were smart enough to join the two together to create strict laws. Those laws also combined honor and fairness. In the following report, you will read about each of these philosophies and then learn about how they were combined effectively into the honored leadership of the Han. Legalism started with the Qin Dynasty. They had harsh laws to govern the people of China. An example is that the Qin burned books, didn’t give much food to the people of China and they chopped of peoples heads. This is why the peasants and the soldiers rebelled, and over threw the Qin. One of the main leaders would soon after become the first ruler of the Han dynasty. His name was Liu Bang. He knew the hardship of legalism, but he also wanted to not have everybody just do as they please. That’s when the Han thought of Confucianism.

“The Han leaders saw that China’s government could not be based on Legalism alone. Confucianism- the belief in moral behavior and rule by good example- became popular again.” – Lesson Four, Ancient China, Across the Centuries

Many years after Confucius died; scholars still studied the five relationships… ruler to subject, teacher to student, friend-to-friend, sibling-to-sibling, and parent to child. The Han even rewrote some old Confucius text… from memory! Together Legalism and Confucianism created strict laws and good example. This system continued through out the dynasties. “Like a good father.” An emperor recalls. There is even a Ceremony and a temple celebrating Confucius. Together Legalism and Confucianism created strict

Legalism and Confucianism are two very different things, but the Han combined them into a belief that inspired people for centuries.