The Han Dynasty, starting around 250 BC and lasting about 400 years, is widely regarded as a "golden age" of China, especially compared to the Qin Dynasty that preceded it.
Perhaps the most famous achievement of the Han Dynasty is the construction of the Great Wall of China, which was later expanded over time into the enormous continent-spanning structure it is today.
Other major achievements during the Han period include the invention of paper and the invention of porcelain (the latter so impressive to Europeans that we often still refer to porcelain as "China"). It was also under the Han emperors that China first established strong trade networks with Europe, the famous Silk Road which actually connected all the way to Rome. With these trade networks came great prosperity for China.
During the Han period, China was technologically and probably militarily superior to Europe, but afterward China stagnated, and eventually fell behind.
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