Editing History of China (section)

==== Eastern Han ====
[[Emperor Guangwu of Han|Emperor Guangwu]] reinstated the Han dynasty with the support of landholding and merchant families at [[Luoyang]], ''east'' of the former capital Xi'an. Thus, this new era is termed the [[Eastern Han dynasty]]. With the capable administrations of Emperors [[Emperor Ming of Han|Ming]] and [[Emperor Zhang of Han|Zhang]], former glories of the dynasty were reclaimed, with brilliant military and cultural achievements. The [[Xiongnu|Xiongnu Empire]] was [[Han–Xiongnu War#Final stages|decisively defeated]]. The diplomat and general [[Ban Chao]] further expanded the conquests across the [[Pamirs]] to the shores of the [[Caspian Sea]],<ref>{{ cite journal
| pages = 165–184
| jstor = 40727536
| journal= Monumenta Serica
| publisher= Taylor & Francis
| volume= 54 | year = 2006
| last = So | first= Francis K.H. (蘇其康)
| title= Travels, contact, and conversion: Chinese rediscovery of the West
| doi = 10.1179/mon.2006.54.1.006
| s2cid = 190841108
}}</ref>{{rp|175}} thus reopening the [[Silk Road]], and bringing trade, foreign cultures, along with the [[Chinese Buddhism#Traditional accounts|arrival of Buddhism]]. With extensive connections with the west, the first of several [[Romano-Chinese relations|Roman embassies to China]] were recorded in Chinese sources, coming from the sea route in AD 166, and a second one in AD 284.

The Eastern Han dynasty was one of the [[Science and technology of the Han dynasty|most prolific eras of science and technology]] in ancient China, notably the historic invention of [[papermaking]] by [[Cai Lun]], and the numerous scientific and mathematical contributions by the famous [[polymath]] [[Zhang Heng]].