Overview

This chapter explores the unification and expansion of China during the Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.). A rich tradition of the social and political philosophies of Confucians, Daoists, and Legalists was the foundation on which these and later dynasties rested. Some of the significant elements contributing to the unification of China in this period were

• The building of a centralized bureaucracy staffed with professionals educated in Confucian thought and values
• A prosperous economy based on technological and industrial development and long-distance trade
• The standardization of the written language