![[漢武帝-1.jpg]] Han Wu (156-87 BCE) was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty, who ascended the throne at age fourteen and ruled for 54 years. Emperor Wu inherited a land threatened by aggressive neighbors such as the Xiongnu (Huns), but led the empire through its rapidest period of territorial growth. China shifted from a defensive posture to offense, and Wu conquered regions in modern-day Korea, Vietnam, and Central Asia. To finance the defense that became an offense, Wu overhauled the economy. He nationalized key industries like salt and iron, and introduced the *tuntian* system of granting frontier lands to soldiers, which not only helped make the military more self-sufficient, but spread Chinese culture and imperial authority to the very edge of his territory. ![[Han_Dynasty_2_BC_(cropped).svg-1.png]] *Darkest blue represents the Han Empire. Light blue represents the Tarim Basin protectorate.* Wu also promoted Confucianism as the state ideology and the basis of Civil Service. In 136 BCE, he established the Imperial Academy and created the series of examinations that would grant scholars access to work as local, regional, and even imperial administrative appointments. The examinations tested a scholar's literacy and understanding of both the *Analects* and the works of Confucian philosophers like [Mencius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mencius). This merit-based system of choosing government officials remained central to the empire for over two thousand years. Although the process was sometimes corrupted or de-emphasized, for most of the life of the Chinese Empire, it provided an opportunity for leaders to be chosen by adherence to a philosophy of harmony, reciprocity, and moral rule, rather than simply rising to power by birth or conquest. ----- Next: [[7.2 - Silk Road]]