Chinese emperors (202 BC to 221 AD).

imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time) from 206 BC to 221 and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy

the period of great cultural and territorial expansion that brought China into contact with other cultures, including those of Southeast Asia and Korea. During this time, Confucianism began to flourish and Buddhism was brought to China by merchants along the Silk Roads. In the Han dynasty, the civil service was developed, the first history of China was written, and the first Chinese dictionary was compiled. Many concepts that became the foundations for religious Taoism (e.g., notions of the cosmos and immortality) developed during this period, and Laozi was deified. Taoist-inspired rebellions ultimately brought about the collapse of the dynasty. Many of the art objects that survive from this period are burial objects that reflect ideas about cosmology and the afterlife.

Chinese dynasty that succeeded the Qin in 202 b.c.e.; ruled for next 400 years. (p. 114)

The Han Dynasty (; 206 BC–AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the prominent family known as the Liu clan.