Wikipedia:POTD column/June 13, 2006



The Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) is considered one of the greatest periods in the entire history of China. During this time, China officially became a Confucian state and prospered domestically. Meanwhile, the empire extended its political and cultural influence over its neighbors before it finally collapsed under a combination of domestic and external pressures. The ethnic majority of Chinese people are known today as Han Chinese, named after this dynasty.

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