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Qin

Page history last edited by Summer M. 13 years, 11 months ago

Qin Dynasty

 

 

221 BCE - 206 BCE

 

Quick Over-view:

       The Qin came to power in 221 B.C. They were one of the western states that existed during the Warring States Period, and the first to unite them. Their leader named himself the First Emperor, or Shi Huangdi, beginning the tradition of haveing emperors for rulers. The Qin, while not the most culturally advanced of the Warring States, was militarily the strongest. The Qin is sometimes called the Ch'in, from which the word 'China' originates.

     The area was divided up into 36 commentaries, which were then subdivided into counties. These commentaries had a civil governor, a military commander, and an imperial inspector. The leaders of the commentaries had to report to the Emperor in writing. The Legalist form of government utilized rewards and punishments to keep order. The state had absolute control over the people and the former nobility lost all of their power eveen being transplanted from their homes to the captial. Groups were formed of units of five to ten families, which then had a group responsibility for the wrongdoings of any individual within the group.

 


 

P.E.R.S.I.A.N.

 

Political

     During the Qin dynasty, Qin Shih Huangdi (221 – 210 B.C.E.) pronounced himself the first emperor of China. He was a wise, yet brutal leader. He believed in legalism, centralized government, and standardized laws. He stripped nobility of their land and power and divided it up into administrative provinces so no one could challenge his authority. Qin Shih Huangdi’s cruel ruling made him very unpopular with his people.

 

Economic

     Qin Shih Huangdi standardized currency, measurements and language during his reign of power so that it would be the same in all regions of China.

 

Religious

     Emperor Qin Shih Huangdi enforced legalism. Legalism is a belief that says that humans are “naturally evil and will only obey authority through force.” Therefore, Huangdi created strict laws and harsh punishments for breaking those laws. To ensure that everyone would be thinking in the same way, the emperor burned any books that spoke of other beliefs (Confucianism, Daoism, etc). The only books that remained were ones of practical use (medicine, agriculture).

 

Social

     Huangdi divided China into 36 regions; and stripped nobility of their power and land to ensure that no one could challenge him. The first standardized language was formed during this dynasty: Mandarin Chinese. People still spoke their own versions of the language in their region, but when it came to writing mandarin Chinese was used. Measurements and currency was also unified during this dynasty.

 

Intellectual

     Qin Shih Huangdi enforced legalism; therefore, other schools of thought were banned. In fact, he burnt all books of other teachings or beliefs. One copy of each book was kept in a private library and only books of practical use such as medicine and agriculture were allowed. However, the first emperor accomplished many things during his ruling. He standardized laws, languages, measurements, and currency. He started the fortification of the Great Wall of China, built irrigation canals and roads.

 

Artistic

     The most famous artistic developments of this dynasty are construction of the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Warriors. The creation of the Great Wall of China began under the rule of Shih Huangdi. It was originally built to keep invaders and nomads out. The Terracotta warriors were found at the burial site of Qin Shih Huangdi. Approximately 6,000 life-size clay soldiers and horses were buried with first emperor when he died. In addition, Chinese architecture during this dynasty consisted of long city walls, high towers, pillar gates, etc.

 

Near geography

     China’s territory expanded to present day Vietnam and Korea during this dynasty. However, the capital city, Xi’an, still remained in the Yellow River valley. In earlier dynasties, China was more isolated.

 


 

Important Dates:

221 B.C. -   Qin state emerges victorious, as the warring states of China are unified under a single empire with a powerful central government.

 

220 B.C. - Construction on the Great Wall begins.

 

213 B.C. - Book Burning policy begins.

 

209 B.C. - Chieftain Modu Shangyu establishes the Xiongnu Empire on the northern steppe.

 

208 B.C. - Chief eunuch Zhao Gao has the Chancellor Li Se executed, destabilizing Qin as the rebellions of Xiang Yu and others become widespread.

 

207 B.C. - Xiang Yu forces the surrender of Qin general Zhang Han, but Liu Bang captures Hanzhong, the heart of Qin. Qin leader Ziuing executes his chief eunuch Zhao Gao and formally submits to Liu Bang.

 

206 B.C. - In the first month of 206 B.C, after Liu Bang occupied the Qin capital of Xianyang, his rival Xiang Yu arrives at the city and allegedly plunders and burns it to the ground, killing Ziying and the remnants of the Qin royal family. Although Ziying had already submitted to Liu Bang in the last month of 207 B.C, this event is viewed by historians as the final event of the Qin Dynasty.

 

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Qin Shi Huangdi

1st emperor.

 

     A ruler from the western state of Qin, he united the Warring States and formed China in 221 B.C. Declaring himself the first emperor of China, he named himself Shi Huangdi, which means the "First Emperor". During the Qin Dynasty, the emperor connected and extended the old walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C, forming the Great Wall of China to stop invading barbarians from the north. Shi Huangdi standardized Chinese writing, scholarship, law, currency, weights, and measures. He expanded the Chinese empire, built a capital in Xian, a system of roads, and massive palaces. Shi Huangdi was a cruel ruler who readily killed or banished those who opposed him or his ideas. He was notorious for burning virtually all the books about Confusionism that remained from previous reigns. He even banned scholarly discussions of the past. The Qin dynasty ended soon after his death, but a unified China remained for over 2,000 years. China's name is derived from his short but seminal dynasty, Qin, which is pronounced  "Chin."

 

He banished his mother and her lover for planning to assassinate him.

He died in search of a drug for immortality, which contained mercury.

 

 

He also had created the Terracotta Warriors, who take their name from the clay used to create them . The figures vary in height (183–195 cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates show that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there are over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. They were created in a assembly-line type way and are life-like and life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The colored lacquer finish, individual facial features, and actual weapons and armor from battle were used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance. The original weapons were stolen shortly after the creation of the army and the coloring has faded greatly. However, their existence serves as a testament to the amount of labor and skill involved in their construction. It also reveals the power the First Emperor possessed, enabling him to command such a monumental undertaking as this. Their current location is in Xian, China and is viewable to the public at the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses.

 

 

Huhai

2nd emperor.

 

 

     During the last trip with his youngest son Huai in 210 B.c, Qin Shi Huang died suddenly. Huhai, under the advice of two high officials, the Imperial Secretariat Li Si and the chief eunuch Zhao Gao, forged and altered the Emperor's will. The faked decree ordered Qin Shi Huang's first son, the heir Fusu to commit suicide, instead naming Huhai as the next emperor. Zhao Gao systimatically seized the power of Huhai, effectively making him an emperor from Han dynasty historians. Qin Shi Huang;s mistake was failing to properly arrange his successor: he actually wanted to live forever. Huhai killed all his brothers and sisters, and was killed himself by Zhao Gao. The 2nd Qin Emperor, he had no known descendants. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, two in a group of about 900 soldiers assigned to defend against the Xiongnu, becames the leaders of the 1st revolution by commoners. Huhai lived to see the Battle of Julu, the major defeat of the Qin army in the hangds of the rebels, which marked the end of the Qin Dynasty.

 

 

 

Zhao Gao

3rd emperor.

 

 

 

     In the beginning of October 207 B.C, Zhao Gao forced Huhai to commit suicide and replaced him with Fusu's son, Ziying. Ziying soon killed Zhao Gao, then surrendered to Liu Bang in the beginning of December 207 B.C. In turn, Liu Bang was forced to hand over Xianyang and Ziying to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu then killed Ziying and burned down the palace in the end of January 206 B.C. It is said the fire lasted two months before the dying down. The palace was supported with thousands of pillars made from prehistoric lumbers growing to up to 115 meters (383ft) high. One single pillar required a team of a thousand workers a lifetime to harvest. Due to the weight and scale of each piece of lumber, cutting the lumber could take weeks, if not months, transporting from the prehistoric forest to the lumber mill required certain weather so the river can be flooded enough to even move the massive lumber down river. The captain of each team is rewarded with imperial rank, with their goal in life being to acquire one of these prehistoric pieces of lumber for the construction of the palace. It's said each pillar sacrificed the lives of a hundred men. Xiang Yu's action sets the stage for the legendary battles between Xiang Yu, the warrior king and Liu Bang, the people's king. The Qin dynasty came to an end, three years after the death of Qin Shi Huang, and less that twenty years after it was founded. Although the Qin Dynasty was short-lived, it's rule had a deep impact on later dynasties in China. the imperial system initiated during the Qin dynasty foreshadowed pattern that was continued and developed over the next two millennia.

 

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Vocabulary

 

 

1. Qin

     -(Ch'in) was a state during the spring and autumn and warring states periods of China.

 

2. Zhao Gao

     -Chief eunuch during the Qin Dynasty of China.

 

3. Xiang Yu

     -Prominent general during the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

 

4. Ziying

     -was the last ruler of the Qin Dynasty of China, ruling as kind of Qin.

 

5. Xianyang

     -is a city in Shaanxi province, near Xi'an.

                         -Population: 1,00,000.

 

6. Burning of Books and Scholars

     -is a phrase that refers to a policy and a sequence of events in the Qin Dynasty of China between 213 and 206 B.C.E. Confucian books created by prior dynasties were burned, and any scholars were either banished or killed.

 

 

Comments (3)

Nohea T said

at 10:11 pm on May 3, 2010

Was this the shortest dynasty in china?

kincadestirek@yahoo.com said

at 10:14 pm on May 3, 2010

To Nohea I believe it was the Qin to be the shortest lived the Emperor was suspicious of everybody and the job to rule became a lot for him to handle.

Omar S. said

at 10:30 pm on May 3, 2010

Yes, it was the shortest lived Chinese dynasty. The emperor was legalist (believing that humans were inherently evil and needed discipline), and that didn't make him too popular. His son did not remain in power for long, and the Qin soon fell to the much more successful Han dynasty.

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