HIST 270: Chapter 3 Reading Guide

Ebrey, A History of China — Chapter 3: The Founding of the Bureaucratic Empire: Qin-Han China (256 B.C.E.–200 C.E.)

Note: This is a reading guide, not a study guide. It is designed to be completed while you read — directing you to specific passages, keeping you engaged, and holding you accountable as you move through the text. The goal is comprehension and evidence-gathering, not review.

Chinese history can feel unfamiliar at first. This guide will help you identify and understand the most important events and processes, so that by the time you finish the chapter, you will have a solid grasp of the material your professor wants you to know — and be well prepared for the Chapter Quiz.

Step 1: Find the sentence using the page and opening words provided. Type it verbatim into the first box.
Step 2: Answer the question in your own words. No outside research needed or permitted.
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Review Question 1

On Page 39, find the sentence beginning with the words: "To make it..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did the First Emperor of Qin consolidate his power and enforce uniformity across the Chinese realm after defeating the final independent states in 221 B.C.E.?

Review Question 2

On Page 41, find the sentence beginning with the words: "The penalties imposed..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Evaluate the role of Qin law as a mechanism for state control and massive infrastructural development. How did the state’s penal system dictate the lives of its subjects?

Review Question 3

On Page 42, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Emperor Gao did..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Contrast the founding of the Han Dynasty by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) with the rule of the preceding Qin Dynasty. In what ways did the early Han administration simultaneously adopt and modify Qin political structures?

Review Question 4

On Page 43, find the sentence beginning with the words: "After Emperor Gao's..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Evaluate the Han Dynasty’s evolving strategies for managing the nomadic Xiongnu confederation. How did diplomacy, economic tribute, and military action interact on the northern frontier?

Review Question 5

On Page 43, find the sentence beginning with the words: "In 119 B.C.E...."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Analyze the economic and military policies initiated by Emperor Wu. How did his administration alter the relationship between the centralized state and private enterprise?

Review Question 6

On Page 44, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Emperor Wu soon..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did Emperor Wu’s patronage transform Confucianism into a practical tool for imperial governance, and what was the defining role of the scholar-official in this system?

Review Question 7

On Page 45, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Their cosmological theories..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did cosmological theories and religious beliefs evolve during the Han Dynasty to explain the relationship between the emperor, humanity, and the cosmos?

Review Question 8

On Page 47, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Like the Greek..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What methodological and literary innovations did Sima Qian introduce in his Records of the Grand Historian, and what were his primary motivations for completing this massive work?

Review Question 9

On Page 50, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Access to office..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Describe the evolution of the social hierarchy during the Han Dynasty. How did wealth, landownership, and political access define the new elite classes after the eradication of the Zhou nobility?

Review Question 10

On Page 51, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Han laws supported..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Discuss the structure of the Chinese family during the Han period. How did foundational texts like the Classic of Filial Piety and Ban Zhao’s Admonitions for Women shape social and gender roles?

Review Question 11

On Page 52, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Through the trade..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What were the origins of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, and how did these trans-Eurasian connections change China’s economy and its understanding of the world?

Review Question 12

On Page 54, find the sentence beginning with the words: "The most famous..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did Chinese migration and military expansion impact the southern region of Nam Viet (modern Vietnam), and how did the indigenous populations respond to Chinese overlordship?