A concise and readable popular book on the four-hundred-year history of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 CE). The book features prominent historical events such as the Chu-Han Contention (206 – 202 BC), the siege of Baideng by the Xiongnu (200 BC), the attempt of Empress Lü and her clan to usurp the Liu loyal family’s power after the death of the founding emperor Liu Bang in 195 BC, and the peaceful and prosperous reign of Emperor Wen (202 – 157 BC) and Emperor Jing (188 – 141 BC).