Eastern Han: the Luoyang court and scholarly networks

Liu Xiu became emperor in 25 CE and restored Han government, later centered on Luoyang. Eastern Han lasted until 220. After the wars at the end of Xin, the court rebuilt offices and local administration, drawing support from regional families and scholars. Restoring order involved population movement, farming and relations among regional powers, while officials and scholars gathered in Luoyang.

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The Hou Hanshu records Emperor Guangwu’s restoration of classical instruction. Specialists in the Five Classics taught through their respective lineages, and the imperial academy was rebuilt. Works such as the Changes, Documents and Songs had differing interpretive traditions. Official and local teaching sustained networks in which books, teachers and reputations affected both knowledge transmission and scholars’ opportunities for office.

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Scholars connected families, local communities and the court. Recommendations, teaching and personal evaluations created social networks, and scholarly reputations often intersected with political positions. In late Eastern Han, conflicts involving officials, scholars and eunuchs intensified. Proscriptions restricted some scholars, bringing political conflict into careers and everyday relationships and changing ties between local society and the palace.

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The Yellow Turban uprising in 184 and subsequent conflicts increased military and regional power. Court authority weakened during warfare, while regional rulers organized armies, populations and food supplies. The Han name lasted until 220, with political power already dispersed. Wei, Shu and Wu subsequently formed their governments, incorporating Han scholarly and administrative traditions into new systems.

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