CHANG-TI

born AD 57, China died 88, China Pinyin Zhang Di (posthumous name, or shih), personal name (hsing-ming) Liu Ta, temple name (miao-hao) (tung-han) Su-tsung emperor (reigned AD 75/7688) of the Han dynasty, whose reign witnessed the dissipation of Han rule. In many ways, Chang-ti's reign seemed to bring the Han to new heights; the famous general Pan Ch'ao continued his conquests of Central Asia, while internally Chang-ti followed a mild, peaceful policy. Nevertheless, eunuchs increased their power at court, and the great landed families grew more powerful in the countryside. Scheming officials and eunuchs completely dominated the country after Chang-ti's death, and, of the nine rulers who ascended the throne during the century following his demise, the oldest was 14.