The Qin Dynasty of China

Adrian Chan Linda and Monica LKADU Grade 10 Chinese May 10, 2007

The Qin dynasty was the first dynasty to unify China as a nation in 221 B.C. The Qin, one of the warring states in the last dynasty, conquered the other warring states and the Qins leader declared himself as the First Emperor or Shi Huangdi, thus beginning the tradition of having emperors as the leaders of the country. The emperor made many changes to unify China. For example, he standardized the writing and language of China to establish a consistent way of communication throughout the nation. The Qin emperor simplified the big seal script into the small seal script. Small seal script reduced the number of character strokes. The currency was also standardized as a circular copper coin with a square hole in the middle. Measurements and weighing things were done using the same units. He implemented the legalist form of government which was a system of laws for the citizens to follow. The best known accomplishment of Shi Huangdi was the Great Wall of China, which was built to protect the nation against invasions. Although these changes improved the nations economy, it also limited philosophical ideas. The emperor was not liked because of the heavy taxes and public projects that burdened the population. The nobility also lost all of their power and they were forced to move to the capital of the Qin territory. Therefore, this is why the Qin Dynasty was one of the most influential dynasties of China in which most of Shi Huangdis achievements are still present today. The Qin was one of the warring states that existed in the Warring States period. They conquered the other states and unified China. Although they were not the most culturally advanced state, they were the strongest. They incorporated new technologies in warfare such as cavalry. Sometimes, Qin is referred as Chin, which was probably the origin of the western name of China. The Qin Emperors ideas and projects led to the increased development of the Qin state, culturally and economically. To improve communication between people, he reformed the language and writing of China, which varied greatly from area to area. He implemented the legalist form of government in which the nation is divided into 36 areas which are then subdivided into counties. These areas consisted of a civil governor, a military commander and an imperial inspector. The leaders of the areas had to report to the Emperor in writing. The Emperor, who was a legalist, believed that all people were bad and that it was necessary to control and monitor people constantly for them to obtain the needed discipline to work hard in fields and in battle. Harsh punishments were given if rules were broken, even suggesting an improvement on things can lead to immediate death without a trial. Economically, he established the round coin with a square hold in the middle (Ban Liang Coin) as the main currency. The system of measurements was also made identical because other states had their own distinct system and the Emperor wanted his nation to be as one to strengthen it. The Emperors most renowned accomplishment was the

creation of the Great Wall of China, which still stands today. Its purpose was to protect against invasions and help in warfare. However, the Great Wall consumed many of Chinas resources and economy as well as human life. Another project that was very interesting was the Terra Cotta army located at the Qin Emperors burial site. This army consisted of 6000 pottery soldiers that protected the time. It is speculated this could have been a replacement for actual people who have been buried there. Although his tomb chamber has not been explored, historical documents describe it as a miniature world of his kingdom, with constellations painted on the ceiling and rivers made of mercury. Despite his success in defining Chinese culture and unifying China with his many reformed systems, he was very disliked by the citizens. The Qin emperor believed that in order to reinforce the strength and unity of China, everyone must think in the same way with no foreign ideas that could disrupt this balance. Also, he burnt many books which he feared would affect peoples thinking. After hearing that some scholars discussed about his arrogance, he buried 460 scholars alive as punishment. The heavy taxes and forced public service exhausted the citizens. Also, many people died in the construction of the Great Wall. The aristocracy despised him for depriving them of their nobility and forcing them to move into the capital of the Qin state because he did not want them to rise over his power. The Qin Emperor believed that the more time people spent studying, the less time they had for growing crops. He also especially hated Confucius, a philosophy, and had all Confucius books burnt. Qin believed his rule was not cruel as he thought, A thousand people may die so that a million may live. The Emperor grew old and did not want to die. He gathered all the scientists and doctors to work on a solution that would allow him to live as a god. The pills they created actually contained traces of mercury that caused his death in 210 B.C. His son took the throne but a revolt against the Qin state by the people led to the decease of the Qin dynasty after 15 years in 206 B.C. The Qin dynasty was a very influential dynasty for China. Despite the hatred against the Emperor, he accomplished many projects in only 15 years. He unified and strengthened China culturally and economically by standardizing the writing, language, currency and measurement. China ran on a legalist form of government in which China was divided into 36 areas and people were organized into groups with leaders who would report to the Emperor of any people who broke the law. One of the most important accomplishments of the Qin Emperor was the Great Wall of China and the Terra Cotta army. These projects had a big price where people died and were worked intensely. As a result, the citizens hated the Emperor for the public work they were forced to do and the taxes that burdened them. Also, the Emperor prevented them from thinking freely and therefore burnt books that he deemed useless or a potential danger. On the other hand, the aristocracy despised him for stripping them of their land and forcing them to

settle in the capital. Although the Qin dynasty was shortly lived as other dynasties lasted for hundreds of years, its projects that were completed in a short amount of time developed China into the great nation it is now. Sources: http://library.thinkquest.org/12255/library/dynasty/qin.html http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/200309/24/content_22719.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/qin/ http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_chin a/qin.html http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/qind/hd_qind.htm http://www.china-window.com/china_briefing/china_history/chinesehistoryqin-dynast.shtml http://china.mrdonn.org/qin.html http://www.rice-paper.com/uses/calligraphy/history/qin.html