Han Solo in History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Qin Dynasty

The oldest Chinese dynasty is the Xia Dynasty, which ruled from about 2100 BC to 1650 BC. The dates are unknown, and are disputed. In fact, it is often said to be a myth and that the Xia Dynasty never even existed! The next Dynasty was the Shang Dynasty, which ruled between 1766 BC and 1122 BC. Next in the list of dynasties was the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted from 1045 BC to 256 BC.

The Zhou Dynasty was followed by the Qin Dynasty, which lasted only a very short time - from 221 BC to 206 BC. After the Qin Dynasty is the theme of the quiz, the Han Dynasty.

This dynasty lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD. Finally, the Qing Dynasty, often confused with the Qin Dynasty, is the most recent of the list of dynasties. The Qing Dynasty lasted from 1644 to 1912.

It was briefly restored in 1917, but did not last long. Interestingly, my great grandmother was born a few months before the Qing Dynasty ended in 1912!

Answer: Chang'an

Xianyang was the capital of the Qin Dynasty. Haojing was one of two capitals of the Zhou Dynasty, the other being Luoyang. Chang'an was the capital of the Han Dynasty from 206 BC to 9 AD. But in 25 AD, Luoyang was adopted as the capital once more, nearly 450 years later!

Answer: Silk Roads

The reason for being called the "Silk Road" is simple. The roads were used to export Chinese silk westwards. It became a major trade route in Ancient China, and some elements survive.

Answer: The previous Emperor died, and many revolted against the dynasty

Emperor Qin Shi Huang had died, and revolts began right across the social spectrum, from peasants to nobles. The revolts led to war, which led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty. The Han Dynasty quickly rose to power.

Answer: Rule of Wen and Jing

The "Rule of Wen and Jing" was named after two rulers, Wen and Jing. They were great Han rulers. They reduced taxes, and encouraged Taoist influences in governmental issues. The rule was known as a 'golden age.' The next 'golden age' would not come onto the scene until the rule of Ming and Zhang in the first century CE.

Answer: Ping

Ping is the name Mulan took as her own so nobody would know she was a woman. Mushu was the dragon guardian of Mulan, AKA Ping, and Shan Yu was the evil Hun! Note that he was a Hun, not a Han. There was a difference! Tawn Wi is a character from "Star Wars II: Clone Wars," the tall woman from Kamino. Ping of the Han Dynasty reigned from 1 BCE to 5 CE, a mere 6 years.

In 3 CE, the governmental school system was formed.

Answer: Sima Qian

Although Jackie Chan is Chinese, he was not born when the years were counted down BCE ... Fa Zhou is the father of Mulan in "Mulan." Wu Liu is a combination of Emperor Wu and Emperor Ping Liu of the Han Dynasty, so he does not really exist. Sima Qian was born in 145 BCE and died in 86 BCE... approximately, anyways. Sima Qian was most noted for his work "Records of the Grand Historian." It covered 2,000 years of rich, Chinese culture and history, from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Han Wudi.

Answer: Paper

Cai Lun was a eunuch who lived from 50 CE to 121 CE. He invented paper, or at least was the most recognized inventor of paper. Who would have thought, that something we take for granted was something invented nearly 2,000 years ago, and was something new and became a great technological advancement! Nowadays, we consider a great technological advance something sophisticated like putting miniature keyboards without buttons on cell phones. Now, we are trying to REDUCE the amount of paper made! It was a great idea for 2,000 years, but do you think Cai Lun thought in 2,000 years it would be much worse on the environment? :-D

Answer: Wang Mang

Note that Wang is pronounced with the "ah" sound, and Mang is pronounced with the "ay" sound. Wang Mang was a reformer and believed the Liu family had lost what was known as the "Mandate of Heaven." Therefore, he overthrew the Lius and founded the Xin Dynasty, which lasted only from 9-23 CE.

The Han Dynasty was restored to power when Wang Mang was overthrown as Emperor. The Xin Dynasty was one of the shorter dynasties of China.

Answer: Wen Di

Gao Lu, Shio Di, and Hun Di never existed. However, Gao Zu, Shao Di, and Hui Di were rulers of the Han Dynasty. Wen Di, although the name may be deceiving, was NOT a woman named Wendy. In fact, that name hadn't even been invented until Peter Pan came to be! He ruled from 179 to 157 BC.

Thank you for travelling with the Han throughout history! I hope you enjoyed the journey. If you would like any additional information about the Han Dynasty and other facts mentioned in this quiz, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty. Note: the period is not part of the URL, that is simply to end my sentence! ;-)

I should probably mention that Han Solo was used simply as a clever name for the quiz. He has nothing to do with the Han Dynasty, besides having the same name. I apologize if you thought you were playing a quiz about Han Solo. I hope you enjoyed it, anyway! :-D