54
IF THE QIN SHOULD EVER
GET HIS WAY WITH THE
WORLD, THEN THE
WHOLE WORLD WILL
END UP HIS PRISONER
THE FIRST EMPEROR UNIFIES CHINA
(221 bce)
C
hina is probably the most
enduring coherent state
in world history, and to
an extraordinary extent this is
due to the will of one man: Qin
Shi Huangdi, the self-styled First
Emperor. Before he unified ancient
China in 221 bce, it was a region
of diverse states, differing in culture,
ethnicity, and language. During the
era known to Chinese historians
as the Spring and Autumn Period
(771–476 bce), the region was
nominally under the control of Zhou
dynasty kings, but in reality their
feudal system of government meant
that only a token authority rested
with the royal throne, while feudal
lords held genuine power over whatIN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Han ChinaBEFORE
1600 –1046 bce Shang
dynasty rules.c.1046–771 bce Western
Z hou dy na s t y.771–476 bce Spring and
Autumn Period (the first half
of the Eastern Zhou dynasty).551– 479 bce Life of Kong Fuzi
(known as Confucius).476–221 bce Warring States
Period (the second half of
the Eastern Zhou dynasty).AFTER
140–87 bce Reign of Han
Emperor Wudi (Liu Che)—a
time of imperial expansion.220–581 ce Three Kingdoms
and Six Dynasties Period.581– 618 Su i dy na s t y.618–907 Ta ng dy na s t y.US_054-057_First_Emperor_China.indd 54 15/02/2016 16:40
55
See also: Emperor Wu claims the Mandate of Heaven 70 ■ China is divided
into Three Kingdoms 71 ■ The An Lushan revolt 84–85 ■ Kublai Khan conquers
the Song 102–03 ■ Hongwu founds the Ming dynasty 120–27Qin Shi Huangdi
As First Emperor of China,
Ying Zheng (later known as
Qin Shi Huangdi, 260–210 bce)
was a truly pivotal figure in
Chinese history, uniting the
country and ushering in a
period of imperial rule that
lasted nearly 2,000 years.
He was a brutal despot but
was also innovative, dynamic,
and energetic—reports claim
that he needed just one hour’s
sleep per night and he set
himself a daily work quota,
measured by the weight of
papers that he needed to go
through. He regularly walked
the city streets in disguise
to keep tabs on the populace,
and he made five great tours
of inspection of the empire.
Highly paranoid and fearful
of possible attempts on his
life (he survived at least one
assassination attempt), the
emperor became obsessed
with the quest for immortality,
sponsoring expeditions to
look for magic ingredients
and mystics who could brew
an elixir of life, to enable him
to live forever. Ironically, his
death at the age of 50 might
well have been linked to his
consumption of toxic mercury-
based potions that he had
taken to extend his life.were effectively autonomous states.
Up to 140 small states competed
for power and territory.
The Spring and Autumn Period
gave way to the Warring States
Period (476–221 bce), in which
power was consolidated into the
hands of seven kingdoms: Qi, Chu,
Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin. At
this point in China’s history it was
by no means certain that an over-
arching Chinese identity or state
would emerge. If anything, it was
more likely that the considerable
geographical, climatic, cultural,
and ethnic differences between
the various kingdoms would see the
region develop in a similar fashion
to Europe many centuries later,
with multiple distinct and
divergent national entities.The rise of Qin
In 247 bce, a 13-year-old prince
named Ying Zheng succeeded to
the throne of Qin. He inherited a
militarized state, in which effective
bureaucracy, powerful armies, andcompetent generals combined to
produce a formidable and ruthless
war machine. Zheng had rivals
executed or exiled, appointed very
effective generals and counselors,
and conquered the six other states
in the region, so that by 221 bce all
seven states were unified under his
rule. Disdaining the old title of king
(Wang), he styled himself as emperor
(Huangdi). Since he was the first
(Shi) emperor of the Qin dynasty,
he was known as Qin Shi Huangdi.
The governing philosophy of the
Qin state had been legalism: strict
centralization of power and severity
in enforcing adherence to the law.
The emperor now set about applying
this philosophy throughout the
whole of China, ruthlessly imposing
cultural, linguistic, economic, and
technological unity. All scripts
except Xiaozhuan (small seal script)
were banned. In addition, according
to legend, the emperor gave orders
for 400 Confucian scholars to be
buried alive and all existing books
to be burned; his reign was to mark
a new “Year One” in the history and
culture of China. He also introduced
a host of economic reforms—there
was to be a single, unified system
of weights and measures, a uniform
coinage, and even the gauge of cart
tracks was standardized so that
axle-widths could be the same
across the empire.The new order
The new social and political order
of the empire reflected changes
that had been underway since the
Spring and Autumn Period. The
feudal system was abolished, so
that the mass of peasantry now
owed their allegiance to the state
rather than feudal or clan lords.
Over 100,000 noble families were ❯❯ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
When [Qin Shi Huangdi]
is in difficulty he readily
humbles himself
before others, but when
he has got his way,
then he thinks nothing
of eating others alive.
Sima Qian
Han historianUS_054-057_First_Emperor_China.indd 55 15/02/2016 16:40