Han Culture
After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, Shaanxi became once again the political center of China, from which the Han Empire not only fulfilled the uncompleted cause started by Emperor Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty but also established the first unified country in its real sense. The empire also started the first prosperous age in Chinese feudal society, during which China rose for the first time a strong power in the world. The Han Empire helped create a number of Chinese characters with special meaning to Chinese culture, such as the Han People, The Han nationality, Han language (Chinese), the Han Fellow (the guy), Han Studies (China Studies) etc.
The Han nationality is the largest ethnic group in the world and its language (Han Language) and the Chinese characters are used by the largest population. Its popularity makes the Chinese cultured being dubbed Han Culture and scholars of other countries in China Studies being called Han Scholars. Han dates back to the kingdom of Western Han and the luxuriant birthplace of the Western Han Dynasty—Han River and Hanzhong Area.
The Han River, known as the Mianshui River in ancient China, is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River. It originates from the Micang Mountain, north of Ningqiang County in southern Shaanxi Province. Hanzhong (literally the center of Han) gained its name for its location on the middle reaches of the Han River. It had been one of the 36 prefectures of the Qin Dynasty since King Huiwen of the State of Qin established the prefecture of Hanzhong in 312BC, about 2,300 years until now.
In 206BC, the uprising forces led by Liu Bang took Guanzhong Area and defeated the Qin Empire. Based on the contract before insurrection, the general who first seized Guanzhong would become the emperor, but Xiang Yu, boasting his former military exploits, broke his promise and appointed Liu Bang the King of Hanzhong along the secluded Han River in southern Shaanxi Province after a premeditated treachery dinner known in the history as “Hongmen Banquet”. With Liu Bang being stranded in the mountainous Hanzhong Area, Xiangyu appointed three surrender generals from Qin, Zhang Han, Sima Xin and Dong Yi as vassal kings to garrison Guanzhong and Northern Shaanxi in order to isolate Liu Bang and prevent Liu Bang from seizing the national leadership from him.
Hanzhong is secluded but the geographical location makes it a natural stronghold with rich soil. Liu Bang adopted the suggestion of his advisor Zhang Liang, Xiao He etc. and accumulated national strength to launch a successful attack to Guanzhong and seized power from Xiang Yu later. Hanzhong serves as an irreplaceable position in the battles between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. To memorize his military victory from Hanzhong, Liu Bang named his newly established kingdom Han. the Han Dynasty left in Chinese language such expressions as the Han People, Han nationality, Han Culture etc., which are all related to Han. Later, lexicologists found that expressions with the character “Han” are mostly related to Han River, Hanzhong and the Han Dynasty.
As the birthplace of the Han Dynasty, Hanzhong houses many cultural relics related to the Han Dynasty, including Han Tai (Han Platform), Bai Jiang Tai (Altar for Appointing Generals) and Zhang Liang Temple.
Built on rammed earth base, Hantai is a platform-style building with the basic construction structure of the imperial palaces in Qin and Han dynasties and it is generally considered as the symbol of the Han Dynasty. Situated in Dongdajie Street, Hanzhong City, Han Tai was originally the residence for the king of the State of Han, Liu Bang. In the early Western Han Dynasty, the prefecture chief of Hanzhong, Tian Shu, changed it into a temporary imperial palace for short stays for Liu Bang. Composed of three floors of seven-meter tall platforms, the south-facing Han Tai covers an area of about 8,000m2 with a north-south length of 156m and east-west length of 72m. On the platform, there is a River-viewing Tower which has been damaged and repaired in the history. The recent tower is a rebuild during the period of the Republic of China (1912～1949).
Bai Jiang Tai, the altar for appointing generals, built in 206BC, is situated 200 meters southwest of Han Tai. It was originally for Liu Bang to appoint Han Xin as the general for battle against Xiang Yu. Han Xin, who was born in a poor family in Huiyin, Jiangsu Province, lost his parents as a child but he worked hard in his studies and was highly praised in Chinese history for his self-discipline and personal characters. At the recommendation of the advisor Xiao He, Liu Bang built the altar for the reception and appointed Han Xin as the general. Later, Han Xin offered the famous military strategy of “repairing the road while making the secret detour” and launched one successful battle after another. Finally, Han Xin helped Liu Bang in his battle against Xiang Yu and in the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, for which he was praised one of the “Top Three Outstanding Figures of the Early Han Dynasty”. The altar is basically composed of two three-meter-high separated rammed earth platforms arranged southward and covers an area of 7840m2. It is the birthplace for the Han Dynasty which testifies the traditional Chinese code of conduct of making good use of the talented and thus gaining the victory.
Zhang Liang Temple is situated in Miaotaizi, 17km northwest of the recent Liuba County. It was originally built in late Eastern Han Dynasty, 1,700 years ago. The temple houses 150 halls and rooms with an entire coverage of 14,200m2 and in the temple you can find 100 plus stone tablets, 50 plus wooden banners and 30 pairs of couplets on slates or wood boards. It is recently the largest well-preserved Zhang Liang Temple in China and also a holy temple for early Taoism practice in China. Zhang Liang (250～186BC), with the alias of Zi Fang, might be born in Chengfu of the early Han Dynasty (the recent Haozhou, Anhui Province). He was born in an official family with five of his ancestors serving as prime minister for the State of Han. After the State of Han was annexed by Qin, he went in exile to Xiapi (in recent Jiangsu Province) where he met the famous hermit strategist Huangshigong. As the successful disciple of Huangshigong, he learnt various military strategies which enabled him to win battles even without going to the front and to become one important advisor for Liu Bang. Enjoying the title of “Top Three Outstanding Figures in the Early Han Dynasty”, he was bestowed noble rank after the Han Dynasty was established. Legend had that after the establishment of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Liang retreated at the proper moment as a hermit in Liuba near Hanzhong, where people built for him a Zhang Liang Temple to show respect towards his worldly wisdom to retreat to the security with such a massive exploits. The temple was also called Liuhou Temple since he was once offered the noble rank of Liuhou.
Zhang Liang Temple
Guanzhong is an alluvial plain by Weishui River in mid Shaanxi Province. It is a natural stronghold located in the embrace of Hangu Pass in the east, Wu Pass in the southeast, Xiao Pass in the Northwest and San Pass in the southwest, which explains why it was called Guanzhong (literally inside the passes) in Chinese history. The superior geographical conditions resulted in the traditional emphasis on farming in Guanzhong Area, which were all the more noticeable in the Warring States Period during which the famous water project Zhengguo Channel made Guanzhong Area “a heavenly place of abundance” and a natural barn for the kingdom. Apart from the rich soil and advanced agriculture, the geographical location also makes Guanzhong Area a fortified stronghold of strategic importance. To the north runs the Loess Plateau crisscrossed with ravines and gullies and immediately near the center of the area, several ridges jointly forms the North Mountain which is like a wall to stop the attackers from north. To the south of Guanzhong Plain is the high and steep Qinling Range running hundreds of miles and to the east is the roaring Yellow River. To the west, Longshan Mountain forms the natural barrier. Situated in such a superior location, the rich Guanzhong Plain never failed to provide comfort and security for its residents and has therefore been a hotly contested spot with strategic importance in various dynasties.
From Guanzhong Area, the State of Qin unified the entire nation and from Guanzhong Liu Bang defeated his strong opponent Xiang Yu and established the Han Dynasty 20 years after Qin’s unification of China. During the 20 years, Guanzhong was twice a strategic spot deciding the fate of the nation. After the battle with Xiang Yu, Liu Bang awarded his followers according their contribution. What’s noticeable is that his highest award didn’t go to Cao Cen, the general with the largest military exploits but to Xiao He, an official in charge of logistics in the home front at Guanzhong, which shows the importance of Guanzhong for the success of the battle. Guanzhong became the location of the capital afterwards. This choice was followed by many following dynasties, which testifies the significance of Guanzhong again in the long course of Chinese history.
