4.5 The Reign of Wu-di, 141-87

Abstract

Wudi, or Emperor Wu of the Han, was an exceptional figure of royal power, whose expansionist policies changed the shape of China, and whose anointment of Confucianism as a state-sponsored ideology formed a type of terminus to the era of early China, establishing the profile of the long traditional era. This chapter discusses the major policies and events of Wudi's reign.