Interview with Emperor Gaozu

Reporter: Hello Emperor, how are you?
Emperor Gaozu: I’m doing great! Let’s get this interview started!

Reporter: What came from your rise of power?
Emperor Gaozu: Well, the most obvious answer to this question is the Han Dynasty. Everybody knows I am the founder of the Han. When I first founded the Han, people everywhere were distressed with the fall of the Qin. I had to show everybody that this was a good step for China, and things would be ok. To do this, I lowered taxes, and developed agriculture. The development of agriculture came out of the Han following the philosophy of giving people peace and security. Another step I took in the beginning of my reign was that I released slaves, and restricted the addition of peasantry by the merchant classes. I believe that these steps were essential to getting the people on my side, and to go forth and expand China.  
Reporter: What are your thoughts on Confucianism? Do you believe it was the best philosophy for China to follow?
Emperor Gaozu: In my opinion, Confucianism was what kept the Han Dynasty standing for so long. I would say it was most definitely the best philosophy China could follow. There are a couple different reasons that make me believe Confucianism was a strong and supportive philosophy for China. One was that Confucianism helped strengthen the country because it taught us not to hand people jobs because of who they are, or where they came from, but to challenge their knowledge. This is why we started giving people written exams. When we made this change, we could see that people who we would never think to give a governing position because of their poverty were the ones who were stepping up. Not only would they pass the exams with flying colors, but were also giving marvelous suggestions. Another reason I thought Confucianism helped wasn’t as much as our country growing in size, but in respect for eachother. Confucianism teaches us five key relationships we should work to build: ruler and subject, parent and child, husband and wife, elder sibling and younger sibling, and lastly, friend and friend. If Confucianism helped the country learn anything, it was to respect those above you and below you. Confucianism was a wonderful philosophy because not only did it help us strengthen our economy, but it also taught us how to respect one another, and that is a very important life lesson that everybody should know.
Reporter: What are your thoughts on the invention of paper? Do you believe it helped China in anyway?
Emperor Gaozu: My thoughts about the invention of the new lighter weight paper is that it is much easier to handle. I believe it helped China in numerous ways. First of all, when the new type of paper was invented, many people were overwhelmed with joy that the paper was a much lighter weight. It’s now easier for people to carry it around with them, which made it much more useful. Before it was invented, people would dread needing to carry paper around with them because it was so big and bulky, but now, people will use it whatever chance they get. Paper also helped pass around ideas, teachings, and philosophies. One other reason paper was a great invention was because educating people became much easier. Since education became easier, more people were getting educated. This led to more people applying for jobs. Before you know it, just about everybody in the country is putting their best foot forward to help strengthen China. It’s like a domino effect. These are the reasons I find this new paper to be such a wonderful invention.
Reporter: What was the main reason for developing the Silk Road? Did it achieve what you were hoping it would?
Emperor Gaozu: When silk was accidently invented, we wanted to get the word out to countries outside of China, but we didn’t have a way to get as far as we would’ve liked. This is when the Silk Road came into play. We made the Silk Road as a trade route, starting with us wanting to trade silk for other goods. As for it achieving what we hoped for, it went far and beyond what we were looking for. Usually in return for silk, other countries would trade jade, furs, spices, pearls, and ivory. One of the most valued trades were when people would trade horses, or when the Romans would trade glassware. Like silk, the Romans invented glassware and everybody wanted it. Silk for glassware was one of the most valuable trades for China, especially up until we were taught how to make glassware ourselves. Another reason the Silk Road was such a magnificent idea was because, instead of just material items, people also started trading ideas, and stories, and philosophies. This is how China learned about Buddhism, which eventually became a major religion in China. As you can see, this is why I think the Silk Road was a wonderful development for China.

Reporter: Thank you very much for your time. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Emperor Gaozu: Thank you for having me.