The Rule of Wen and Jing occurred during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. Before the Han Dynasty was established, society had been under the brutal rule of the Qin Dynasty and the turmoil of the Chu-Han Contention, leading to economic decline and the people lacking basic necessities. After the founding of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Hui, and Empress Lü vigorously developed agriculture, restored social productivity, stabilized social order, and strengthened imperial power. These measures laid the foundation for the nation's stability and development.
During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the national land tax was reduced from one-fifteenth to one-thirtieth, and eventually all land taxes were abolished. Emperor Wen advocated peaceful coexistence with neighboring states, refraining from launching wars lightly, thereby creating a stable and comfortable living environment for the people. He also promoted frugality and set an example himself; during his rule, the household items in the palace were those left from the time of Emperor Gaozu of Han, he rarely acquired new clothes, and his carriages and horses were adorned with no luxurious decorations, while the bedding and curtains in the palace featured simple patterns without embroidery. Emperor Jing further required concubines to raise silkworms and grow vegetables in the rear palace to reduce the burden on farmers; he forbade commanderies and kingdoms from offering rare treasures, prohibited officials from living extravagantly, and banned the exploitation of the people's wealth.
Emperor Wen of Han adopted Chao Cuo's suggestions, emphasizing agriculture over commerce and repeatedly urging the people to engage in agricultural development. He ordered the nationwide classification of the population based on labor capacity, granting different rewards accordingly, and opened up some state-controlled mountains, forests, rivers, and marshes, distributing them to households in set proportions to encourage and boost the people's enthusiasm. This promoted the growth of agriculture and sideline industries, as well as the development of essential goods like salt and iron. Chao Cuo also proposed relocating surplus populations from inland areas to border towns, granting them land and housing. This not only developed the frontier regions and raised the overall level of social development but also reduced the state's need to support the borders, achieving two goals at once. Emperor Wen also revised some laws, abolishing harsh punishments to make them more humane and better suited to the people's lives. These measures played a crucial role in the economic development of the Han Dynasty.
By the time of Emperor Jing of Han's reign, the state continued Emperor Wen's policies of recuperation and light taxation, and on this basis proposed many new initiatives.
Emperor Jingdi repeatedly issued decrees encouraging agriculture and sericulture throughout the empire, requiring local officials to introduce incentive policies to attract people to farming. For those living in poor and remote areas, he allowed them to relocate to fertile regions to cultivate land, plant trees, and raise silkworms; if they could not obtain land, they could lease it from the state. He strictly prohibited officials from hiring laborers for non-agricultural work, a ban that prevented corrupt officials from forcing the people to do private tasks, which greatly pleased the populace—they were deeply grateful to Emperor Jingdi and worked even harder. To ensure sufficient grain reserves and that every household had enough to eat, he ordered that no one use grain to make wine, nor could post stations or government offices use grain as horse feed.
In terms of governance, Emperor Jing advocated minimizing unnecessary administrative affairs to avoid disrupting the people's daily lives, striving to create a peaceful and harmonious society for the nation. The laws were also revised, correcting overly unreasonable provisions, and officials were required to exercise caution in imposing harsh punishments during judgments, refraining from deliberate retaliation. For criminals with special circumstances, penalties could be appropriately relaxed.
During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, the social economy and productivity had reached a certain level, prompting the rulers to begin developing fields beyond agriculture, starting with literary education.
At that time, there was a very famous man named Wen Weng, a native of Lujiang. When he was young, Wen Weng loved reading and memorized the entire Spring and Autumn Annals. The local governor, recognizing his exceptional talent, recommended him to the imperial court. Emperor Jing tested him with questions, and Wen Weng answered fluently. The emperor was delighted and appointed him as the Governor of Shu Commandery. After taking office, Wen Weng established official schools in the commandery and counties, guiding officials in learning the principles of governance and teaching them how to harmoniously interact with the people. For a time, regions across the country eagerly imitated his model, and Emperor Jing greatly praised Wen Weng's approach. Even during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Wen Weng's educational system continued to be promoted.
On one hand, Emperor Jing vigorously promoted the development of culture and education, while on the other hand, he suppressed the nobility and evil forces. When constructing his own mausoleum, Yangling, Emperor Jing ordered the relocation of some nobles to Yangling Town, a method also used by Emperor Gaozu of Han. By separating the nobles into two locations and blocking their interactions, he weakened their power so they would not threaten the emperor's rule. To prevent any plots or conspiracies, Emperor Jing also appointed a group of officials specifically to use severe punishments on heinous and unrepentant criminals as a warning to others; upon hearing this, officials and nobles who harbored malicious intentions significantly restrained their behavior.
Emperor Jing's series of policies for governing the state and stabilizing the people further developed and enhanced the social economy and productivity from Emperor Wen's era, leading to increasingly better lives for the common people and a steadily growing national strength. During Emperor Jing's reign, grain filled the granaries to the point where much of it rotted from being uneaten; countless copper coins in the national treasury, long unused, had the strings binding them rot and break. The population of the Han Dynasty also grew from initially having large marquisates of no more than ten thousand households and small ones of fewer than six hundred, to large marquisates reaching forty thousand households, while the number of small states increased severalfold, clearly reflecting the abundance of living standards.
During the 41 years of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing's rule of the Han Dynasty, both advocated policies of rest and recovery, as well as light taxes and reduced corvée labor, leading to China's first feudal golden age—the Rule of Wen and Jing. Learning from the fall of the Qin Dynasty, they relaxed many policies toward the people, especially farmers, to consolidate their power. The success of the Rule of Wen and Jing lay in the rulers' alignment with historical trends and their adoption of policies suited to the nation's and society's conditions, which boosted political, social, and economic development. People often measure a country's strength not by the wealth of the rich, but by the prosperity of the common people at the bottom.
During the Rule of Wen and Jing, the rulers' policies toward the vassal states were still relatively lenient, which sowed the seeds for future rebellions among these states. On the other hand, the abundance of grain and wealth laid the foundation for the nation's prosperity and military strength under Emperor Wu of Han, and also provided ample material resources for later campaigns against the Xiongnu.