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Qin Dynasty

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Ancient History,
Classical History and Mythology

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   The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: 秦朝; pinyin: Qín Cháo; Wade-Giles: Ch'in
   Ch'ao) ( 221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded by the Zhou Dynasty and followed
   by the Han Dynasty in China. The unification of China 221 BC under the
   First Emperor Qin Shi Huang marked the beginning of imperial China, a
   period that lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. The Qin
   Dynasty left a legacy of a centralized and bureaucratic state that
   would be carried onto successive dynasties.

Qin Shi Huang

   Qin Shi Huang imposed the State of Qin's centralized, non-hereditary
   bureaucratic system on his new empire in place of the Zhou's
   feudalistic one. The Qin Empire relied on the philosophy of legalism
   (with skillful advisors like Han Fei and Li Si). Centralization,
   achieved by ruthless methods, was focused on standardizing legal codes
   and bureaucratic procedures, the forms of writing and coinage, and the
   pattern of thought and scholarship. Characters from the former state of
   Qin became the standard for the entire empire. The length of the wheel
   axle was also unified and expressways standardized to ease
   transportation throughout the country. To silence criticism of imperial
   rule, the emperor banished or put to death many dissenting Confucian
   scholars and confiscated and burned their books.

   To prevent future uprisings, Qin Shi Huang ordered the confiscation of
   weapons and stored them in the capital. In order to prevent the
   resurgence of feudal lords, he also destroyed the walls and
   fortifications that had separated the previous six states. A national
   conscription was devised: every male between the ages of seventeen and
   sixty years was obliged to serve one year in the army. Qin
   aggrandizement was aided by frequent military expeditions pushing
   forward the frontiers in the north and south. To fend off a barbarian
   intrusion (mainly against the Xiongnu in the north), the fortification
   walls built by the various warring states were connected to make a
   wall; this is usually recognised as the first Great Wall of China,
   although the present, 5,000- kilometer-long Great Wall of China was
   largely built or re-built during the Ming Dynasty. A number of public
   works projects, including canals and bridges, were also undertaken to
   consolidate and strengthen imperial rule. A lavish tomb for the
   emperor, complete with a Terracotta Army, was built near the capital
   Xianyang, a city half an hour from modern Xi'an. These activities
   required enormous levies of manpower and resources, not to mention
   repressive measures.

   Qin Shi Huang reportedly began going "crazy" from swallowing mercury
   pills, which were made by his court alchemists and doctors, containing
   too much mercury. Ironically, these pills were meant to make Qin Shi
   Huang immortal. This may be accountable for most of his paranoiac acts
   such as building the terracotta army. This may also be the cause of his
   death later on.

Second Emperor

   During his reign Shi Huang Di made five inspection trips around the
   country. During the last trip with his second son Huhai (胡亥) in 210 BC,
   Shi Huang Di died suddenly at Shaqiu prefecture. Huhai, under the
   advice of two high officials — the Imperial Secretariat Li Si(李斯) and
   the chief eunuch Zhao Gao, forged and altered Emperor's will. The faked
   decree ordered Shi Huang Di's first son, the heir Fusu (扶蘇), to commit
   suicide, instead naming Huhai as the next emperor. The decree also
   stripped the command of troops from Marshal Meng Tian (蒙恬) — a faithful
   supporter of Fusu — and sentenced Meng's family to death. Zhao Gao step
   by step seized the power of Huhai, effectively making Huhai a puppet
   emperor.
   Qin empire in 210 BC.
   Enlarge
   Qin empire in 210 BC.

   Within three years of Shi Huang Di's death, widespread revolts by
   peasants, prisoners, soldiers, and descendants of the nobles of the Six
   Warring States sprang up all over China. Chen Sheng (陳勝) and Wu Guang
   (吳廣), two in a group of about 900 soldiers assigned to defend against
   the Xiongnu, became the leaders of the first revolution by commoners.

Third Emperor

   In the beginning of October 207 BC, Zhao Gao forced Huhai to commit
   suicide and replaced him with Fusu's son, Ziying (子嬰). Note that the
   title of Ziying was "king of Qin" to reflect the fact that Qin no
   longer controlled the whole of China. The Chu-Han contention ensued.
   Ziying soon killed Zhao Gao and surrendered to Liu Bang (劉邦) in the
   beginning of December 207 BC. But 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 BC. Thus the Qin dynasty came
   to an end, three years after the death of Qin Shi Huang, and less than
   twenty years after it was founded.

   Although the Qin Dynasty was short-lived, its legalist rule had a deep
   impact on later dynasties in China. The imperial system initiated
   during the Qin dynasty set a pattern that was developed over the next
   two millennia.

Sovereigns of Qin Dynasty

   Note: King Zhaoxiang of Qin (秦昭襄王) had already been ruling Qin for 51
   years when Qin annihilated the Zhou Dynasty; however the other six
   warring states were still independent regimes. Historiographers thus
   used the next year (the 52nd year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin) as the
   official continuation from Zhou Dynasty.

   Qin Shi Huang was the first Chinese sovereign to proclaim himself
   "Emperor", after reunifying China in 221 BC. That year is therefore
   usually taken as the start of the "Qin Dynasty".
   Posthumous names / title Chinese family names and given names Period of
   Reigns
   Convention: "Qin" + posthumous name
   Zhaoxiang (昭襄 Zhāoxiāng) Ying Ze (嬴則 yíng zé or Ying Ji|嬴稷 yíng jì) 306
   BC– 250 BC
   Xiaowen (孝文 Xiàowén) Ying Zhu (嬴柱 yíng zhù) 250 BC
   Zhuangxiang (莊襄 Zhuāngxiāng) Ying Zichu (嬴子楚 yíng zi chǔ) 249 BC– 247
   BC
   Shi Huangdi (始皇帝 Shǐ Huángdì) Ying Zheng (嬴政 yíng zhèng) 246 BC– 210 BC
   Er Shi Huangdi (二世皇帝 Èr Shì Huángdì) Ying Huhai (嬴胡亥 yíng hú hài) 209
   BC– 207 BC
   Ziying was often referred using personal name or Qin Wang Ziying (秦王子嬰
   qín wáng zi yīng)
   Did not exist Ying Ziying (嬴子嬰 yíng zi yīng) 207 BC

   During the Qin Dynasty, starting with Qin Shi Huang, there were no
   posthumous names. The title of Shi Huangdi ("Commencing Emperor") and
   Er Shi Huangdi ("Second Generation Emperor") were used during the
   rulers' lifetimes.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty"
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