The Han dynasty ruled all China, with only a brief break, from 202 BC to AD 221, a period of more than 400 years.
The Han dynasty came to power in 202 BC, bringing an end to the chaos that raged throughout China after the fall of the Qin dynasty. The Han emperors ruled China for more than 400 years, except for a brief period between AD 9 and 23, when a powerful minister, Wang mang, seized the throne.
The four hundred years of unity which the Han brought China gave the Chinese a strong identity as a single nation (to this day they call themselves the "Han" people). Moreover, during the Han period the Chinese civil service was developed into an organization which could govern the entire country effectively and weld it together into a single state. This was a magnifiacent achievement, the results of which are very much with us to this day.
