Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang)

Emperor Gaozu of Han, born Liu Bang, was a charismatic peasant rebel of humble origins who founded the four-century Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE)—the epoch that gave China's dominant ethnic group, the 'Han Chinese', their enduring cultural identity. Starting life as an unruly village patrol officer in Pei County, Liu Bang rebelled against the tyrannical Qin Dynasty following the death of Qin Shi Huang.

In the four-year Chu-Han Contention (206–202 BCE), Liu Bang fought a desperate duel against the aristocratic, militarily brilliant Hegemon-King Xiang Yu. While Xiang Yu was the superior combat general, Liu Bang was a supreme judge of human talent, surrounding himself with master strategist Zhang Liang, logistician Xiao He, and supreme commander Han Xin. Trapping Xiang Yu at the Battle of Gaixian in 202 BCE, Liu Bang unified China, took the imperial title Gaozu, and established his capital at Chang'an. Dethroning brutal Qin legalism, Gaozu reduced peasant taxes, softened criminal punishments, and restored peace to a war-torn nation.