History: Ancient Civilisations: China

One of the most remarkable figures in China's history, Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of Qin, had become king of the state of Qin in 246 BCE at the age of thirteen. He was a brilliant general, under whom Qin armies defeated all the other states. In 221 BCE, he united them in a realm that established China much as we know it today, and declared himself First Emperor. Across the new Chinese empire, the noble houses of the former states were abolished. The government sent its own officials to govern each area, using a great quantity of rules and regulations. Weights and measures were standardized, and even the width of axles was regulated, so that vehicles would run smoothly on the new roads that were built empire-wide. Criticism was not tolerated, and all books were destroyed except manuals on topics like agriculture and medicine. According to tradition, 460 scholars were buried alive as a warning against defiance. Hundreds of thousands of people were conscripted to build the Great Wall, as well as a huge palace and a gigantic tomb. The tomb was discovered by farmers in 1974, with its thousands of life-size terracotta figures lined up to protect the emperor. Ordinary people suffered from onerous labor service, and from harsh treatment under Qin laws.

• The Qin (221- 206 BCE) and subsequent Han (202 BCE- 220 CE) dynasties unify China and establish a centralized empire, which endures and evolves down through 20th century. The imperial structure draws on elements of both Legalist and Confucian thought. (Note: the Western word for “China” probably comes from the Romanized spelling of Qin, which is pronounced and also spelled “Ch’in,” while the Chinese refer to themselves as “the people of Han.”)
• The Chinese empire is founded when the state of Qin unites the other Chinese states in 221 BCE and establishes a centralized system of government; Qin Shi Huangdi (Ch’in Shih Huang-ti), or the First Emperor of Qin, rules for a very short time (221-206 BCE) but lays the foundation for China’s imperial structure and begins construction of the Great Wall for defense to the north. At his death, an army of life-sized terra cotta warriors is buried near his tomb. (These terra cotta warriors were first discovered in 1974 and have been the subject of exhibitions, magazine articles, and books since that time.)
• The Qin follows the Legalist proposals for state order and establishes a centralized bureaucracy and a finely detailed law code with specified punishments for each crime.
• The Han dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) follows the short-lived Qin and rules China for 300 years. The Han greatly expands the Chinese empire. The Han dynasty retains the centralized bureaucracy and unified political system of the Qin but adopts and grafts upon this the Confucian view that government should be run by educated, ethical men.