Literature & Art

   Sima Qian was the great figure of literature during the age of the Han. Sima Qian lived from about 145 to 90 BC. Dunring the reign of Han Wudi he inherited his father's position as historian. His great work was called the Shiji. This history is the source of most modern day knowledge on the Qin and early Han periods.

     Also during the Han period the Four Books of Confucian learning--the Lunyu, the Daxue, the Zhongyong, and the Mengzi--were edited into final form.

   Graphic art during Han times was thought to cure illness, and was seen as a type of magic. Little has survived in the way of this type of art, and much that is known comes from written commentaries. Also, pottery was a large form of art during the times of Han.