Xin dynasty

The Xin dynasty was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 9 to 23 AD. It was founded by Wang Mang, a consort kin of the Han dynasty who had served as regent for several young emperors and had crushed revolts against his de facto rule in 6 and 7 AD. In 9 AD he usurped the throne, deposed the infant Liu Ying and proclaimed the Xin, or New, dynasty. Although the old bureaucracy and nobility largely remained loyal to the Han, they did not openly resist the change at first. Wang Mang presented himself as a champion of Confucian virtue and launched an ambitious programme of reforms, including changes to landholding, coinage and the bureaucracy, intended to restore an idealized antiquity. He also altered the capital at Chang'an and reorganized ritual and administrative titles. His relations with the Xiongnu confederation deteriorated, and frontier conflict added to the regime's difficulties. The reforms alienated large parts of the elite and the peasantry, while floods and famine caused widespread hardship. Rebellions spread across the empire, and in October 23 AD rebel militias captured Chang'an, plundered the capital and killed Wang Mang. The Han dynasty was then restored by Liu Xiu, a distant descendant of Emperor Jing, who became Emperor Guangwu. Because the Xin interrupted the Han sequence, it is often treated as an interregnum between the Western and Eastern Han.