Short imperial dynasty founded by the Han court reformer-usurper Wang Mang, who deposed the child Han emperor Ruzi Ying in 9 AD and proclaimed himself emperor of a new ("Xin") dynasty, launching sweeping land, currency, and slavery reforms.
Toppled by a mix of peasant uprisings (the Red Eyebrows) and Han loyalist forces; Wang Mang was killed in the sack of Chang'an in 23 AD, and the Han dynasty was restored under Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu) as the Eastern Han.
Standard scholarly reference covering the Qin-Han institutional world Wang Mang inherited and reformed.