The rise of the Han dynasty began with the suicide of the Western Chu emperor, Xiang Yu. After the collapse of the Qin dynasty, China was in interregnum; Both the Han and Chu dynasties wanted complete and total domination of China. At that time, 18 kingdoms formerly known as the Qin Empire provoked many battles just for the command of China (see Appendix – the 18 kingdoms). One of the most important battles was the Battle of Julu, where Xiang Yu defeated the Qin Empire; the Battle of Julu marked the end of the Qin dynasty (Zhou, 2003). Liu Bang accompanied by his advisor Zhang Liang headed towards the Qin capital, Xian Yang; Although Liu Bang's forces were greatly weakened, they managed to force their way into the capital in 206 BCE, with the Qin ruler (Ziying) surrendering to Liu Bang (Wu, 2003). Xiang Yu also moved his forces west toward the capital Xian Yang; Liu Bang was greatly outnumbered by Xiang Yu's forces and forced to retreat, leaving his wife and father behind in the capital of Xian Yang (Wu, 2003). Both Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were on a quest to invade Guanzhong; a promise from King Haui II (Emperor Yi of Chu) indicated that the first conqueror of Guanzhong could occupy these lands (Wu, 2003). Although Liu Bang was the first to conquer Guanzhong, it was Xiang Yu who divided the Qin empire into 18 kingdoms between three former Qin generals (Wu, 2003). Xiang Yu effectively displaced the emperor from Chu, driving him into exile; the exile of Emperor Yi from Chu sparked rebellions, which Liu Bang would later use to his advantage (Wu, 2003). Now that Xiang Yu was preoccupied with fighting members of the rebellion, this gave Liu Bang an open window to attack the three regions of...... middle of paper ......ions: Han Dynasty . Farmington Hills: Lucent Books. 2003. Greenblatt, Miriam. Han Wu Di and ancient China. Tarryton: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2006. Hall, Eleanor J. Ancient Chinese Dynasties. San Diego: Lucent Books. 2000. Beck, Mansvelt. (1986). “The Fall of the Han”, in The Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC – AD 220, 317-376. Edited by Denis Twitchett and Michael Loewe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24327-0. Man, ZM, Ge, QS and Zhang, PY (2000). Case studies on the impact of climate change on the agricultural-pastoral transition zone over historical periods. Geographic Research 19: 141–147. Yancheva, G., Nowaczyk, NR, Mingram, J., Dulski, P., Schettler, G., Negendank, JFW, Liu, J., Sigman, DM, Peterson, LC & Haug, GH (2007). Influence of intertropical convergence