Han Drama-sty

We’re off to the rich history of China this week to visit the Han Dynasty! We’re focusing on a dynasty this week because the entire history of the China would just be TOO MUCH. So, what is a dynasty? Well, a dynasty is essentially a ruling family of an empire. One dynasty = One ruling family. Not all empires follow this model of succession (although people do like to keep nice things like VAST RICHES in the family), so breaking up the long history of China into dynasties is a good way to distinguish between historical periods. Even in the annals of Chinese history, the Han Dynasty is regarded as special. Not only is it one of the longest major Chinese dynasties (dating from 206 BCE to 220 CE), this period was marked by numerous advances in arts, politics, and technology. We’ve got another golden age on our hands! Like many of the best stories, this dynasty has very humble origins. The first Han emperor was also the first Chinese emperor who started out life as a commoner! The birth name of this emperor is your first code.