ABSTRACT
Despite the brevity of its existence, the Qin dynasty had an enormous influence on later Chinese dynasties right up to the end of the imperial period. The fifteen years of the Qin served as a kind of prelude to the Han dynasty, which (with a brief interruption) ruled China for over four centuries—a remarkable achievement. Like the Zhou, the Han dynasty is divided into western and eastern phases, and for the same reason: the relocation of the capital from the west (near Xi’an) to the east (near Luoyang). The Western, or Former, Han spans the years from 206 BCE to 7 CE; the Eastern (or Latter) Han ran from 25 CE to 220 CE.
