My Interview with Emperor Wu Di

Question 1:Why were you using the Great Wall of China as security, and from what were you protecting people?

Answer 1: The nomads have been raiding our part of China for a long time and this outside threat has kept the area from being fully used and developed. I first tried to put up with the Nomads but that obviously didn't work, so I started to rely on guards so they could keep the nomads out. After I had pushed the Nomads past the Gobi Desert, I started to extend the Wall, thought it was not going to be successful for a long term solution. I did provide more security and allowed people to use their time and resources to concentrate on things that could improve their lives. It also encouraged more trade with that area as people felt safer to journey to the area.

Question 2: Why would you always send Zhang Qian to go on with your trade missions?

Answer 2: Oh, that is a very easy question to answer. It's because there is something that I have always liked about Zhang Qian and I knew that he would be a great transporting person for my trading purposes. I was very right about that. That's because he has a history of being successful at this. I previously sent him to the western areas with the products tea, silk, and pottery. With those small objects, he got me some things such as gold, cotton, and glassware into China.

Question 3: What positive things do you think that you brought to the Han Dynasty?

Answer 3: Well I think that i did very well with the economy of the Han Dynasty, using the Silk Road to get many objects and goods in from different trades. I also think that our security worked very well while i was Emperor. The Great Wall of China was a big help keeping out all of the invaders. So those were some positive things that I brought to the Han Dynasty.

Question 4: How do you think you treated people during your Dynasty?

Answer 4: Well I was a very harsh ruler and I did have harsh punishments to the people in the Han Dynasty. I would have done anything to keep my Dynasty in control, even though it might have cost the lives of many people in China.

Question 5: How strict were you about choosing government officials?

Answer 5: I know that I had to be smart about which I had to choose to be government officials because If I made a mistake in my choosing it might have cost me my chance of staying the emperor. So I made a special system in choosing government officials. During that period, talented people emerged in all of their occupations. My system turned out to work very well for the Dynasty.