Qin (221 BC to 206 BC) - The beginning of the Chinese Empire, Shi Huangdi became the first Chinese Emperor. Although this was a short dynasty much was accomplished including the beginning of the Great Wall; standards were set for weights, measures, and money; many roads and canals were built; and a single type of writing was used throughout the country. All of these advancements would be used in future dynasties to make China strong.
Early Life
Prince Zheng was born in 259 BC. His father was king of the Qin state. At the time Zheng was born, China was divided up into 7 major states. These states fought each other all the time. Historians call this time in Chinese history the Warring States period.
Becoming King
When Zheng was just thirteen years old his father died. Zheng was now king at a very young age. For the first several years, a regent helped him to rule the land, but by the time he was 22, King Zheng took full control. He wanted to conquer the other Chinese states and unite China under his rule.
Uniting China and Becoming Emperor
Once he had complete control of the state of Qin, King Zheng set out to conquer the other six Chinese states. He took them on one by one. The first state he conquered was the Han state. Then he quickly conquered the Zhao and the Wei. Next he took on the powerful Chu state. Once the Chu state was defeated the remaining Yan and Qi states fell easily.
Now King Zheng was leader of all of China. He declared himself emperor and changed his name to Shi Huang, which meant "first emperor".
Organizing the Empire
Qin Shi Huang did much to organize his new empire. He established reforms in many areas:
Economy - Emperor Qin also unified China by establishing a common currency (money) and standard units of measure. With everyone using the same money and measurements, the economy ran much smoother.
Writing - Another important reform was a standard way of writing. There were many ways of writing in China at the time. Under Emperor Qin, everyone was required to teach and use the same type of writing.
Construction - Emperor Qin began the building of the Great Wall of China. He had many of the existing walls throughout the country connected to form a long wall that would protect China from the invaders to the north.
Legalism
The emperor followed a philosophy called legalism, which claimed that the state was much more important than the individual and that the individuals had to conform completely to the decrees of their supreme rulers. A legalist believes that people are basically bad. That's why it is necessary to control every minute of their life. Otherwise, they'll do bad things.
Qin Shihuangdi seized the land of many noble families and forced them to live in cities where he could keep an eye on them and prevent any rebellion they might be planning. Those who did try to rebel were buried alive or sent to work on the emperor's building projects. Peasants were assigned specific jobs, usually in farming or silk raising. If they resisted, they were simply killed or perhaps sent to work elsewhere at a less pleasant job of hard labor.
The emperor also wanted to keep his subjects uneducated to prevent any defiance of his rule and to make them easier to control, so he ordered books burned throughout his empire. Scholars and teachers scrambled to hide their books, but those who were caught or resisted in any way were often burned alive with their books.
Building a Tomb
Today Qin Shi Huang may be most famous for his tomb. He had over 700,000 workers constructing his tomb throughout his life. They built a vast terracotta (clay) army of 8,000 soldiers, horses, and chariots that he thought would protect him in the afterlife.
Death
Qin Shi Huang died while traveling on a tour of Eastern China in 210 BC. His second son, Huhai, was on the trip with him. He wanted to become emperor, so he hid his father's death and forged a letter from his father to his older brother telling him to commit suicide. After his brother killed himself, Huhai became emperor.
Interesting Facts about Emperor Qin
Prince Zheng was born in 259 BC. His father was king of the Qin state. At the time Zheng was born, China was divided up into 7 major states. These states fought each other all the time. Historians call this time in Chinese history the Warring States period.
Becoming King
When Zheng was just thirteen years old his father died. Zheng was now king at a very young age. For the first several years, a regent helped him to rule the land, but by the time he was 22, King Zheng took full control. He wanted to conquer the other Chinese states and unite China under his rule.
Uniting China and Becoming Emperor
Once he had complete control of the state of Qin, King Zheng set out to conquer the other six Chinese states. He took them on one by one. The first state he conquered was the Han state. Then he quickly conquered the Zhao and the Wei. Next he took on the powerful Chu state. Once the Chu state was defeated the remaining Yan and Qi states fell easily.
Now King Zheng was leader of all of China. He declared himself emperor and changed his name to Shi Huang, which meant "first emperor".
Organizing the Empire
Qin Shi Huang did much to organize his new empire. He established reforms in many areas:
Economy - Emperor Qin also unified China by establishing a common currency (money) and standard units of measure. With everyone using the same money and measurements, the economy ran much smoother.
Writing - Another important reform was a standard way of writing. There were many ways of writing in China at the time. Under Emperor Qin, everyone was required to teach and use the same type of writing.
Construction - Emperor Qin began the building of the Great Wall of China. He had many of the existing walls throughout the country connected to form a long wall that would protect China from the invaders to the north.
Legalism
The emperor followed a philosophy called legalism, which claimed that the state was much more important than the individual and that the individuals had to conform completely to the decrees of their supreme rulers. A legalist believes that people are basically bad. That's why it is necessary to control every minute of their life. Otherwise, they'll do bad things.
Qin Shihuangdi seized the land of many noble families and forced them to live in cities where he could keep an eye on them and prevent any rebellion they might be planning. Those who did try to rebel were buried alive or sent to work on the emperor's building projects. Peasants were assigned specific jobs, usually in farming or silk raising. If they resisted, they were simply killed or perhaps sent to work elsewhere at a less pleasant job of hard labor.
The emperor also wanted to keep his subjects uneducated to prevent any defiance of his rule and to make them easier to control, so he ordered books burned throughout his empire. Scholars and teachers scrambled to hide their books, but those who were caught or resisted in any way were often burned alive with their books.
Building a Tomb
Today Qin Shi Huang may be most famous for his tomb. He had over 700,000 workers constructing his tomb throughout his life. They built a vast terracotta (clay) army of 8,000 soldiers, horses, and chariots that he thought would protect him in the afterlife.
Death
Qin Shi Huang died while traveling on a tour of Eastern China in 210 BC. His second son, Huhai, was on the trip with him. He wanted to become emperor, so he hid his father's death and forged a letter from his father to his older brother telling him to commit suicide. After his brother killed himself, Huhai became emperor.
Interesting Facts about Emperor Qin
- He was obsessed with trying to live forever. He had his best scientists work on finding an elixir of immortality that would enable him to never die.
- Emperor Qin had thought his family would rule China for thousands of years. However, the empire collapsed only three years after his death.