The Great Wall of the Han Dynasty

In 206 B.C., the Qin Dynasty was overthrown due to its tyrannical rule mostly for the large expenses required for building the Wall. In 202 B.C., after several years' civil war, it was finally replaced by a new feudal dynasty – the Han Dynasty. Historians call the period from 202 B.C. to A.D. 8. Earlier Han, and Later Han from A.D. 25 to A.D. 220. Between the two periods was a transient ruling time of Wang Mang and Liu Xuan. Han Dynasty lasted over 400 years and is regarded as the first golden time in Chinese history.

When the Han Dynasty was established, for the long-time war against the Qin Dynasty, the agriculture had almost ruined. The economy recessed and the national treasury was virtually empty. To bring through this severe crisis, Emperor Liu Bang, also know as Han Gaozu, softened some crucial policies related to the peasants, such as taxation, and made it the chief task to recover the agriculture and stabilize the social order. Gradually, the agriculture, handicraft industry and commerce restored and began to develop.

Accompanying the renewal, Hun in the north was stronger than ever and ambitious. To appease Hun, Han Gaozu married daughters of his family to Hun, wishing through this alliance to relent the two-county relation. The marriage treaty with Hun handed down to later emperors of Han Wendi and Han Jingdi. It existed for over 100 years.

When Junchen became ruler of Hun, he often dispatched troopers to Shangjun and Yunzhong Counties on the north border of Han. Hun killed people and looted properties and put the border in turbulence. On the other hand, due to the softened policies continuously adopted during the rule of Han Wendi and Han Jingdi, the economy of the Han Dynasty recovered, and the military strength was becoming powerful too. After Han Wudi had succeeded, he saw the fit to fight back against Hun. A war that lasted more than 30 years finally broke out.

In 127 B.C., General Wei Qing led an army and marched west from Yunzhong County and recaptured the Great Bend area of the Yellow River. To consolidate the frontier, he set up Shuofangzhen County and repaired a part of the wall left by the Qin Dynasty.

Later, Han built walls mainly for three times.

In 121 B.C., Huo Qubing, titled by Han Wudi General of the Flying Cavalry, led an army of 10,000 troopers from present Longxi and defeated Hun utterly. Hu Xiewang, Hu official governing the west area to the Yellow River, i.e. the Hexi Region, was captured and submitted to the Han Dynasty. The area he ruled was also incorporated within the territory of Han. To secure the Gansu Corridor, thoroughfare on the Silk Road, in 121 B.C., Han set up the two counties of Wuwei and Jiuquan, and the next year Zhangye and Dunhuang Counties. To protect and maintain the Silk Road leading to the West Regions, King Han Wudi built the wall that ran west from now Yongdeng to Jiuquan.

Han's control of the Hexi Region paved way to Zhan Qian's second diplomatic mission to