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Han Wudi of Han Dynasty

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Figure 8Han Wudi Liu Che An outstanding statesman in Chinese history,Han Wudi——Liu Che (156-87 BC)(see Figure 8)was one of the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty,who pushed the Han Dynasty to its peak.In order to consolidate his rule,he proscribed all non-Confucian schools of thought and espoused Confucianism as the state ideology,thus pushing Confucius up into the orthodox position.Ifwe say that Qin Shihuang was the first emperor who unified China in terms of territory,then the first emperor who unified China in terms of ideology was none other than Han Wudi.For two thousand years thereafter,Confucianism had been the only one dominant school of thought under Heaven.From this onecan well imagine just how great an influence Han Wudi had exerted in Chinese history.

While unifying the state ideology,Han Wudi strengthened the centralized state power and weakened local forces.He dispatched troops to attack aristocrats of the Huns,and twice sent Zhang Qian(?一114BC),Reception Chief of the Han court,as an envoy to the Western Regions to open the Silk Road and promote economic and cultural exchanges with the west.

Under Emperor Wudi(140-87 BC),the Western Han reached the peak of its power.The Western Regions were opened.This made it possible for merchants to travel between China and Europe by way of West Asia.China’s silk was the main commodity transported along this road,so it was called the Silk Road.It played an important part in promoting trade and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.The distance within Chinese territory is called the Pass Way west off the Huanghe River.

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