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Han韓  *Gar
403 BC–230 BC
Status	March → Kingdom
Capital	Yangzhai (before 375 BC) Xinzheng (after 375 BC)
Religion	Chinese folk religion ancestor worship
Government	Monarchy
Marquess → King
Chancellor
Historical era	Warring States period
• Partition of Jin	403 BC
• Conquered by Qin	230 BC
Currency	spade money other ancient Chinese coinage
Preceded by Succeeded by Jin (Chinese state) Qin dynasty

Han
"State of Han" in small seal script (220 BC)
Traditional Chinese	韓國
Simplified Chinese	韩国
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hánguó Gwoyeu Romatzyh Harn-gwo Wade–Giles Han-kuo IPA Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hòhn Gwok Jyutping Hon⁴ Gwok³ Southern Min Tâi-lô Hân-kok Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *ˤar ʷˤək

Han was an ancient Chinese state during the Warring States period of ancient China. Scholars frequently render the name as Hann to clearly distinguish it from China's later Han dynasty.

It was located in central China (modern-day Shanxi and Henan) in a region south and east of Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Zhou. It was ruled by aristocrats of the Ji (姬) family ancestral temple who rose to power as a ministerial family in the state of Jin, and whose power eventually eclipsed that of the Jin ruling house. The partition of Jin which resulted in the states of Han, Wei, and Zhao, 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 of Qin into the North China Plain.. Although Han had attempted to reform its governance (notably under Chancellor and "Legalist" Shen Buhai who improved state administration and strengthened its military ability) these reforms were not enough to defend itself and it was the first of the seven warring states to be conquered by Qin in 230 BC.

Qin invasion of Han's Shangdang Commandery in 260 BC resulted in the Battle of Changping, claimed to be the bloodiest battle of the Warring States period where up to 400,000 soldiers died.

History

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Founding

According to chapter 45 of the Records of the Grand Historian, the royal family of Han was a cadet branch of the royal family of the state of Jin. The founder of the Han clan Wuzi of Han was the uncle of Duke Wu of Jin.

Members of the family became ministers in the powerful state of Jin and were granted Hanyuan (modern Hancheng in Shaanxi).

Spring and Autumn period

During the Spring and Autumn period, members of the Han family slowly gained more and more influence and power within Jin. In 453 BC, Jing of Han, along with Wen of Wei and Lie of Zhao partitioned Jin among themselves. In Chinese history, this Partition of Jin is the event which marks the end of the Spring and Autumn period and the beginning of the Warring States. Subsequently, Han was an independent polity. King Lie eventually recognized the new states in 403 BC and elevated the rulers to 侯 (hou, "marquess").

Warring States Period

In 375 Han defeated the neighboring state of Zheng (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 of Marquess Xi. Xi appointed Shen Buhai as his chancellor and implemented his Legalist policies. These reforms improved state administration and strengthened its military capability. Under King Xuanhui (r.  332–312 BC), Han declared itself an independent kingdom.

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: Chu to the south, Qi to the east, Qin to the west, and Wei to 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 the Battle of Maling, which established Qi as the pre-eminent state in the east. In 260 BC, Qin's invasion of Han led to Zhao intervention and the Battle 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 engineer Zheng Guo to Qin to persuade them to build a canal. The scheme, while expensive, backfired spectacularly when it was eventually completed: the irrigation abilities of the new Zhengguo Canal far 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 Xin was made a "Prince" or "King of Han" (韓王) by Liu Bang after the establishment of the Han dynasty (漢朝). He was removed to Taiyuan Commandery and the territory of the kingdom of Dai, where he defected to the Xiongnu and 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 the Yu Gong (Tribute of Yu), a section of the Book of Documents which 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 was Wuzi (The Book of Master Wu) which was a Warring States military treatise written in response to a query by Marquis Wu of Wei on 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 the Han Feizi recalls Qin's conquest of Ye from the Zhao, 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

Rulers family tree

Famous people

• Han Fei, a Legalist philosopher
• Zhang Liang, a major figure in the early Han dynasty
• Zheng Guo, the hydraulic engineer who designed the Zhengguo Canal for Qin

Han in astronomy

Han is represented by the star 35 Capricorni in the "Twelve States" asterism, part of the "Girl" lunar mansion in the "Black Turtle" symbol. Han is also represented by the star Zeta Ophiuchi in the "Right Wall" asterism, part of the "Heavenly Market" enclosure.

References

1. Loewe, Michael (1999). Michael Loewe; Edward L. Shaughnessy (eds.). The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 B.C. Cambridge University Press. p. xxv. ISBN 0521470307. OCLC 37361770.
2. ^ Watson, Burton (2003). Han Feizi: Basic Writings. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 2. ISBN 9780231521321. OCLC 796815905.
3. David R. Knechtges (2014). "Shenzi 申子". In Knechtges, David R; Chang, Taiping (eds.). Ancient and early medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference guide. Vol. 2. Leiden: Brill. pp. 874–875. doi:10.1163/9789004201644_002. ISBN 9789004191273. OCLC 649419201.
4. Derk Bodde (1986). "The State and Empire of Chʻin". In Fairbank, John K; Twitchett, Denis (eds.). The Cambridge History of China. Vol. 1: Chʻin and Han. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 21–98. ISBN 9780521243278. OCLC 2424772.
5. ^ Lewis, Mark Edward (2007). The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. pp. 11–16, 38. ISBN 9780674024779. OCLC 71189868.
6. Zhang, Qizhi (2015). An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture. Springer. pp. 231–232. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-46482-3_8. ISBN 9783662464823. OCLC 907676443.
7. Shiji, vol. 45.
8. Herrlee G. Creel, Shen Pu-hai (University of Chicago 1974), 7-10, 15, 24-25.
9. Li Feng, Early China (Cambridge University 2013), pp. 162-163, 171, 175, 191.
10. Bertil Lundahl 1992. p190. Han Feizi, the Man and the Work
11. Ian Ridpath. "Capricornus the Sea Goat". Ian Ridpath's Startales. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
12. Chen Huihua (陳輝樺), ed. (24 Jun 2006). 中國古代的星象系統 (55)： 天市右垣、車肆. Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy 天文教育資訊網 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2010.

• Sima Qian; Sima Tan (1959) . "45: 韓世家". Records of the Grand Historian 史記. Zhonghua Shuju.
• Sima Guang, ed. (1934) . "vol. 1–6". Zizhi Tongjian. Hong Kong: Zhonghua Shuju.

• Han (Warring States)
• 403 BC
• States and territories established in the 5th century BC
• States of the Warring States period
• Jin (Chinese state)
• Zheng (state)
• History of Henan
• 230 BC
• States and territories disestablished in the 3rd century BC
• 3rd-century BC disestablishments
• 1st-millennium BC disestablishments in China
• 5th-century BC establishments in China
• Former monarchies