Name: ________________________________________________ Class: ____________ Date: ____________

The Han and the Xiongnu

After China became unified under the Qin dynasty its borders began to grow. This brought the Chinese into contact with new people. In the north and northwest the Chinese defended against nomadic invasions. This was

because Xiongnu tribes were creating their own empire in what is today Mongolia. The first conflicts between Xiongnu and the Chinese took place around 200 BCE. Thereafter, periods of war alternated with periods of peace.

DOCUMENT 1: The Nomad Lifestyle

Farmers live on the land and stay on the land. Nomads live off their animals. They move with the seasons, constantly in search of food and water for their animals. This difference in lifestyles sets the stage hundreds of years of conflict between China and the Xiongnu people.

. . . The animals they have are horses, cows, and sheep. . . They move in search of water and land and have no cities or houses. They do not farm. Their lands are divided into area under the control of different leaders. All the young men are able to use a bow and act as soldiers in time of war. It is their way to raise their animals in times of peace and make their living by hunting. But in difficult times they use their weapons and go off on plundering missions . . . (Watson 1961: 154).

Plundering – robbery; stealing

DOCUMENT 2: Peace Negotiation

In 200 BCE, peace was negotiated between the Chinese and the Xiongnu.

1. The Chinese made yearly payments of silk, wine, grain, and other food to the Xiongnu. 2. The Chinese gave a princess in marriage to the Xiongnu.3. The Xiongnu and Chinese were ranked as equal countries. 4. The Great Wall was the official boundary between the two countries (Barfield 1989: 46).

DOCUMENT 3: The Tribute System

Chinese armies could never conquer the Xiongnu. Even if they won a major battle, the nomads could escape beyond the reach of Chinese soldiers. The most important way to deal with nomads was the tribute system.

A country that entered into the tribute system presented gifts to the Chinese. In return, the nomads received valuable goods such as silk, cash, and gold jewelry. This was very important since the nomads didn’t have the supplies and people to produce the things they got from the Chinese — clothing, wine and other food. China, for its part, received horses, cattle, and furs from the nomads.

DOCUMENT 4: EMPEROR WU OF HAN’S FOREIGN POLICY

The Xiongnu formed the first union of nomadic tribes in Asia in the late third century BCE. The First Emperor of Qin sent 100,000 troops against them in 213 BCE. The early Han emperors tried peacemaking policies, by giving the Xiongnu leaders generous gifts, including silk, rice, cash, and even princesses as brides. Critics of these policies feared that it only strengthened the enemy; and indeed, in 166 BCE, 140,000 Xiongnu horsemen invaded deep into China, reaching a point less than 100 miles from the capital.

DOCUMENT 5: Rebellion

. . . long wars make the people unhappy and it can lead to a rebellion. The Chinese people who live along the border have a difficult time. And the generals and soldiers begin to bargain with the enemy (Barfield 1989: 57).

Rebellion – when the people are unhappy and go against the emperor

DOCUMENT 6: Gifts to the Xiongnu When looking at the gifts given to the Xiongnu, it is clear that the longer the peace lasted the more expensive it became. There was a continued increase in the value of gifts given to each Shanyu [Xiongnu chief] who visited the Chinese. . . The Xiongnu, not the Han, requested these visits and, far from being welcomed, the Chinese feared them because of their expense to the country . . . (Barfield 1989: 65).

Position: We should/should not make peace with the Xiongnu

Reason Source & Evidence