Page 67 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol III

886 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

northern China. In order to confront the Xiongnu, Han Further Reading
Wudi in 139 BCE sent an envoy, Zhang Qian, to central Ban Gu. (1975). Han Shu. Shanghai, China: Zhonghua Shuju. (Original
work published c. 114 CE)
AsiatoseekanalliancewiththeYuezhipeople,whoearlier
Ban Ku. (1944). The history of the former Han dynasty (H. Dubs,Trans.).
had been expelled from their homeland by the Xiongnu. Baltimore: Waverly Press.
Zhang Qian was captured by the Xiongnu and lived there Bielenstein, H. (1980). Bureaucracy of Han times. Cambridge, UK: Cam-
bridge University Press.
for ten years before finally reaching the Yuezhi. However, De Bary, W. (1999). Sources of Chinese tradition. New York: Columbia
by then the Yuezhi were no longer interested in forming University Press.
Loewe, M. (1967). Everyday life in early imperial China. NewYork: G. P.
an alliance to fight the Xiongnu. Zhang Qian, however,
Putnam & Sons.
brought back information about new regions and a pos- SimaGuang.(1972).Zi-zhitong-jian[Comprehensivemirrorforaidingov-
sible route to India. Subsequently Wudi first sent envoys ernment].Taipei,Taiwan:ShijieShuju.(Originalworkpublished1084)
Ssu-ma Ch’ien. (2002). The grand scribe’s records (W. Nienhauser,
and later troops, leading to eventual establishment of the Trans.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Silk Road. Twitchett, D., & Loewe, M. (Eds.). (1986). The Cambridge history of
China:Vol. 1.The Ch’in and Han empires, 221 B.C.–A.D. 220. Cam-
Beginning in 133 BCE Wudi took the offensive against
bridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
the Xiongnu.The wars were long and costly, but the Han Wang, Z. (1982). Han civilization (K. Chang,Trans.). New Haven, CT:
army was victorious.Wudi’s generals expelled the Xiongnu Yale University Press.
Wood, F. (2002). The Silk Road:Two thousand years in the heart of Asia.
from Ordos, Inner Mongolia, Kansu, and Chinese Turk- Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
estan and greatly expanded Han territory. Wudi estab- Yu,Y. (1967). Trade and expansion in Han China: A history in the struc-
ture of Sino-barbarian relations. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University
lished military colonies and instituted a system whereby
of California Press.
native rulers were allowed to retain their autonomy but
became vassals. This arrangement became common in
Chinese foreign relations until the mid-nineteenth cen-
tury.Wudi’s army also incorporated northern Korea and
northern Vietnam. Indeed, most of his reign was marked Hanseatic League
by military campaigns. He died at age sixty-nine and was
buried in Maoling near modern Xi’an.After his death he he Hanseatic League was a federation of merchant
was known as “Wudi, the martial emperor,” although he Tcities that formed in northern Germany during the
never led an army; he instead employed gifted generals. middle of the twelfth century and dominated trade in
Han Wudi laid the foundation of a strong empire for northern Europe for the next two centuries with its eco-
his Han dynasty posterity. His establishment of a Con- nomic policies.The league derived its name from the Ger-
fucian bureaucracy with merit-based recruitment (a com- man word hansa, an association or group of merchants
bination of recommendation and examination) began a who specialized in trade with foreign cities or countries.
system of responsible rulers and officials that has lasted The unstable and dangerous nature of mercantile life in
for more than two thousand years.His promotion of Con- thelatemedievalperiod,combinedwiththelackoforgan-
fucian virtue and learning made Confucianism a prevail- ized protection provided to merchants by their own gov-
ing influence in China and in other east Asian states. ernment, encouraged traders to work together for safety.
Through his military campaigns against the Xiongnu he These alliances, which originally started out between
opened a connection between East and West, facilitating merchants from the same town, soon grew into larger
trade and cultural diffusion. associations and leagues between neighboring towns.
In antiquity, the most cost effective way to transport
Lily Hwa
commercial goods was over water, and cities located on
See also China; Confucianism rivers or the coast had a natural advantage over interior