How did Wang Mang interrupt Han rule and establish the Xin dynasty?
Wang Mang interrupted the Han dynasty by leveraging his family’s dominant position at the imperial court to seize control of the government. As the nephew of the Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun, he rose to power during the reign of the young Emperor Pingdi. Following Pingdi's death in 6 ce, Wang Mang bypassed the adult members of the imperial Liu family by selecting an infant as the successor and appointing himself "acting emperor".12
To legitimize his transition to power, Wang Mang utilized an intensive propaganda campaign, claiming that the Han dynasty had exhausted its allotted time and that he had received the mandate from Heaven to rule. In 9 ce, he formally ascended the throne and established the Xin dynasty. This act of usurpation created an interim in the Han succession, leading historians to divide the era into the Xi (Western) Han and Dong (Eastern) Han periods. His reign ultimately ended in 23 ce after widespread unrest and rebellion led to his death.213