The Chinese genius for government is first fully documented for the two Han dynasties, and the bureaucratic organization of that time formed the historical basis of all subsequent administrations in China until the abdication of the last emperor in 1912. Surprisingly, no attempt has been made in any language toward a comprehensive study of the entire Han official system. I have tried to fill that gap.

The Former Han dynasty is traditionally dated from 206 B.C., but began, in fact, in 202 B.C. It came to an end in A.D. 9, when Wang Mang ascended the throne. He was swept away in A.D. 23, whereupon the old dynasty was restored. The Later Han lasted from A.D. 25 to 220, although there was no efficient central government after A.D. 189. This book covers, therefore, the period from 202 B.C. to A.D. 189, omitting the interregnum of Wang Mang.

While it is my purpose to be reasonably thorough, I will not go into the details of border defense as revealed by the wooden slips. An excellent book by Michael Loewe is available on that subject (Records of Han Administration, 2 vols., Cambridge 1967). Neither will I discuss the few official titles which were peculiar to the civil wars after the fall of Ch'in and after the death of Wang Mang, since these appeared only temporarily and were not part of the regular bureaucracy.