Xin Dynasty

Xin Dynasty
Chinese Empresses

The Xin dynasty (9 – 23 CE) was a short‑lived interregnum carved out of the Han by the regent‑turned‑usurper Wang Mang. Proclaiming a return to ancient Zhou ideals, Wang launched sweeping reforms—nationalizing land, capping estates, issuing new coinage, even trying to outlaw slavery—but his top‑down changes collided with entrenched elites, bureaucratic confusion, and catastrophic Yellow River floods. Peasant uprisings such as the Red Eyebrows and loyalist “Liu” forces overwhelmed the capital Chang’an; Wang Mang was killed in palace fighting, and the Han dynasty was restored (as the Eastern Han) in 25 CE. Despite its brevity, the Xin episode is remembered for its bold social experiments and the chaos that followed their abrupt imposition.

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  Empress Wang (Xin)