The Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC) reunited China and laid the foundation for 21 centuries of imperial rule. Its great building projects and achievements were overshadowed by enormous cultural destruction and loss of life.
Qin Dynasty History Outline
· The Rise of the Qin Empire
· First Emperor of Qing Dynasty: Qin Shihuang
· Qin Dynasty Achievements:Construction Projects
· Qin's Military Conquest and Expansion
· Fall of Qin Dynasty
· Legacy of Qin Dynasty
· Religion and Philosophy of Qin
· Quick Facts of Qin
Quick Facts about the Qin Dynasty
Terracotta Warriors.
· The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty in Chinese history.
· Capital: Xianyang
· It was the shortest dynasty in Chinese history, lasting for just 15 years.
· Qin Dynasty's founder: Qin Shihuang
· Qin's most famous historical site is the Terracotta Warriors.
The Qin rulers conquered all the other states and some surrounding regions. However, their dynastic rule from 221-206 BC was the shortest in the region's history. Their empire fell apart after only 15 years.
In only 9 years in successive wars from 230 to 221, the Qin conquered every other region of the former Zhou Empire. Then the Qin conquered outlying regions to the south all the way to Vietnam and to the north towards Korea. They had the biggest empire in the region's history until then.
The society was very centralized to the point that every dissenter against the rule of the court was killed, tortured, or sent for forced labor, and most literature was destroyed. The people were enslaved for wars and great construction projects.
The absolute power that the emperor and staff wanted for themselves corrupted them, and the dynasty quickly ended in assassinations and foolish policies and the people rebelled.
This Map of the Qin Dynasty shows the area under the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
Read more about the Qin Dynasty and the Terracotta Army in Qin Dynasty.
Great Construction Projects during Qin Dynasty
The Qin were known for great construction projects. Major projects that strengthened the state were the Wei Canal that was completed in 246 BC and Dujiangyan that allowed irrigation of the Sichuan plain that was built in 256.
· See Dujiangyan and Chengdu Tour.
the Terracotta Warriors
Perhaps it was this experience of success that led the Qin empire rulers to build even greater projects. They used the labor of millions of slaves to produce the Great Wall and the Qin Mausoleum that includes the Terracotta Warriors.
The first Qin emperor called Qin Shi Huang exiled even his own son who would have been the prince to work on the Great Wall. It was said someone died for every foot of the wall that they built. The emperor wanted the high wall as a fortification to keep out northern tribes such as the Xiongnu.
The Qin Mausoleum is a huge tomb complex that was constructed near present day Xi'an. It was the mausoleum for the new emperor. It is said that most of it remains unexcavated and that only a small portion has been uncovered. The small part that has been uncovered called the Terracotta Army is astounding.
· Two-Day Terracotta Warriors Tour is the Xi'an best-seller.
· Facts You Won't Know about the Terracotta Army
Institutional Policies of Qin
The Qin Empire is also known for its far-reaching policies. They standardized the writing system, money, and measurements and built a lot of infrastructure that helped the big region prosper later.
Under Li Si, the writing system was standardized by ordering everyone to write in the script used in Qin. The rulers wanted everyone to be able to understand their orders and for the officials to communicate with each other. Officials were chosen based on their merit and their ability to obey the Emperor Qin Shihuang.
But their projects and policies eventually destroyed the dynasty. The people revolted. By destroying the ideas and teachers who they were against, they established the dominant philosophies of their big region.
The Origins of the Qin Empire
The Beginnings of the State of Qin
There are written accounts about the ancient history of Qin, but it isn't known if the accounts are accurate. It is said that Fei Zi was appointed rule over the city of Qin in the northwest. He is called the founder of the state of Qin.
In 672, Qin rulers tried to expand eastward. The Qin initially didn't attempt conquests of other states because they feared that tribes around them would attack them if a large army left.
The Legalism Philosophy of Shang Yang
Then Shang Yang came to power as a court official in 361. During the two decades that he ruled, he made big political changes that took hold. He espoused and ruled according to a defined set of strict rules and a clear political philosophy.
He was eventually killed, but his philosophy that was called Legalism was adopted by the ruling court. Shang Yang introduced a lot of major governmental and political reforms that were revolutionary for his time, and set the course for Qin to become militarily more powerful and more ruthless than the other states.
There was a generally known protocol for warfare in the whole Zhou region until Yang came to power that was somewhat similar to European ideas of chivalry in combat. There were ideas such as generals should allow the opposing generals to set up battle formations before beginning battle and other ideas like that.
There were also generally accepted family ties and responsibilities such as those espoused by Confucians. Shang Yang did away with the protocols and morals. He wanted subservience to the ruling court to be the foremost law, and to destroy enemies ruthlessly.
He also wanted everyone to be treated equally under a fixed set of laws. In a way, this legal system was fair because it was less arbitrary. He thought that everyone should be ruled by the same laws whether they were members of a ruling clan or a peasant.
Under Legalism, political opposition was not tolerated. One of the strengths of Qin was the tight central control.
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