LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Han Dynasty: Power
built 499 days ago
Following two years of bitter fighting between rival tribes the Han dynasty was finally restored to power in 25 AD. Laissez faire policy was restored with the emphasis being on family supremacy. Each powerful family that owned a large business would pass it on to his heir. These families ... had their own armies and were exempt from paying taxes. At the same time as an increase in military strength came a period of creative reform.
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According to Shaffer, "The origin of the civil service examination system in China can be traced back to the Han dynasty, but in the Song dynasty government-administered examinations became the most important route to political power in China. For almost a thousand years (except the early period of Mongol rule), China was governed by men who had come to power simply because they had done exceedingly well in examinations on the Neo-Confucian canon. At any one time thousands of students were studying for the exams, and thousands of inexpensive books were required. Without printing, such a system would not have been possible."
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Historically, trip hammers were often powered by a water wheel , known to be used in China as long ago as the Han Dynasty ( 202 BC ? 220 AD ), and in medieval Europe by the 12th century.
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