Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
HANDAN CITY
HANDAN CITY. Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period (475−221 BCE), after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of Zhao by Qin except for the Dai Commandery. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang visited the city once and ordered all enemies of his mother to be buried alive.
Handan was still considered a commercial center during the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties (206 BCE−220 CE). Handan is now mainly an industrial city. It still has attractions, most from Zhao folklore such as the road into which Lin Xiangru, courier of the precious jade He Shi Bi, backed in order to let his nemesis Lian Po pass first as well as the location in which Lian Po begged for Lin Xiangru's forgiveness.
The population at the 2010 census was estimated at 1,371,000 for the built up area and 9,174,679 for the entire Prefecture-level city area of 12,087 km2 (4,667 sq mi).