Question

How did china's geography influence the directions in which rulers chose to expand their empires?

Answer 1

The rulers of China chose to expand the empire by conquering the places to which they could travel easily. It was not easy to travel to places which were protected by mountains and deserts. So they decided to expand in the east and south.

For instance, the military expansion to the south started under the Qin dynasty and continued during the Han era. A series of military campaigns and expeditions were taken up by the Han dynasty. They expanded their lands and culture in the neighbouring countries like Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam and Japan.