The Chinese emperor Kuang-wu-ti (6 BC-AD 57) was the founder of the Later Han dynasty. He reconstituted the civil administration, began a period of recuperation in domestic affairs, and restored peace to China's borders.

Kuang-wu-ti is the posthumous title given to Liu Hsiu, the founder of the Later Han dynasty (25-220). He was a descendant of Emperor Ching (reigned 156-141 B.C.); his family lived in modern-day Honan, a part of the landbased aristocracy. As a young man, Liu Hsiu went to the capital, Ch'ang-an, to study, but he preferred running the estate to scholarly activities and returned home.

Bandit Rebellion

During the latter part of Emperor Wang Mang's reign, bandit groups, joined by leaders of the aristocracy, including Liu Hsiu and his elder brother Liu Po-sheng, rose in many parts of the country. The commoners in the bandit group of which the Liu brothers shared the leadership were distrustful...