Section 2 Development of Post in the Han Dynasty

In the Han Dynasty (206 B.C -22OA.D), "Post" was called to"ÖÃ(Zhi)" and delivery was called "æä(Yi)" meaning "Post" which carried on post system in the Qin Dynasty with perfect delivery system. Its communication organization was mainly post and pavilion, which were for document delivery where inns were built to provide couriers and officials with places of rest.

Besides reception of officials and transportation of materials, post in the Han Dynasty was mainly used for document and mail delivery, among which urgent military information was the most important. Furthermore, documents were delivered differently according to their contents and extents of importance. Among the unearthed bamboo slips in Gansu Province, some were common documents delivered by walking, while some labeled by "Express" were urgent documents which need to be delivered by couriers by riding. In the Han Dynasty, document delivery was strictly managed. It was demanded to be safe, on schedule, and rapid. Delivery method was decided by the character of the document. There were time limits for delivery by walking, by carriage with its speed as high as over 100 km per day or by horse with its speed as high as 200 km per day.

In the Han Dynasty, the seal of document was also very strict, which would be done by the sender himself. First the document was tied up with ropes, with a wooden slip noting the receiver, then it would be sealed to prevent from opening or secret divulging. There were strict handling over procedures along the route. The forwarding documents should be stamped, noting the handler as well as receiving and sending time, recording forward procedure for inspection.

In ancient China, before paper was invented, bamboo and wooden slips were use as writing materials. Bamboo slips were mainly used for copying scripture, * while wooden slips were mainly used for document. Because the length of slips . were about I chi (l chi =l/3 m), letters were called "Chi Du" since the Han Dynasty. By the Tang Dynasty, paper was widely used, but letter w., still called "Chi De" or "Chi Yan" or "Chi Shu".

Post system in the Han Dynasty radiated outward with the capital as center. . All regions were linked by roads and delivery systems which were the main lines of communication as well as transportation. The main lines were broad, convenient for traveling, trees were planted along the roads to be used as the milestone and shelter from the sunshine. Because the power center of the Western Han Dynasty was in' northern pod, communication and transportation were mainly Oil land. in the Han Dynasty, the famous land transportation route "Sib Road" was constructed. which passed from "Hexi Passage" along Tianshan mountain cross "Congling' and reached eastern part of ancient Rome. The openup of "Silk Road' promoted the exchange of economy and culture between western and eastern part as well' as the development of post. It was recorded that along the road there were many pavilions and posts, the roads were crowed with 4 merchants and couriers.