Emperor Qin Shi

Huang – First
Emperor of
China
Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259
BC - 210 BC) fascinates
people when they talk about
the Great Wall and
the Terracotta Warriors and
Horses - his two greatest
achievements. As the first
emperor of China, he indeed
has a profound influence on
Chinese history and culture.
 
How did he come to Statue of Qin Shi Huang
the throne?
Qin Shi Huang, born as Ying Zheng in 259 BC, was the son of the king of the Qin
State. At the age of thirteen, he succeeded his father's regality. Ying Zheng was
very aggressive and ambitious at an early age. He assumed full power at 22 by
ridding himself of his premier, Lu Buwei, who acted as regent while he was a
minor. He wanted to unify and subjugate all the states like Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu,
Yan and Qi by the powerful political, economic and military strength of the Qin
State. Ying Zheng realized his ambition and built the first feudal and centralized
empire in Chinese history in 221 BC. This was what we called - the Qin Dynasty
(221 BC - 206 BC). Ying Zheng was the first emperor of a united China, so he
proclaimed himself Qin Shi Huang.
 
Qin Shi Huang
When Ying Zheng unified China, he considered his achievement surpassing the
legendary "San Huang (three emperors)" and "Wu Di (five sovereigns)". He
created a new title for himself: "Huangdi" together with "Shi (means the first)",
hence get the name "Qin Shi Huang" or "Qin Shi Huangdi", which means he was
the first emperor of China. He hoped his descendants would follow in his steps to
rule the country for eternity.
 
Achievements and Defects
In order to
consolidate the
nascent
empire, Qin
Shi Huang
reformed
politics,
economy and
culture. In
politics, he
abolished the
hereditary
vassal
enfeoffment
system and
established
prefectures
and counties,
ruled directly
by the Clay Figure Soldiers in Qinshihuang's Tomb
emperor.
Based on the original rules of the Qin State, the emperor adopted some
regulations of other rival states to form a workable law of the Qin Dynasty. In
economy, he claimed that both the agriculture and commerce were very
important. People should have them developed together. Besides, tax system
began to function and coinage and metrology were all standardized. In culture,
the emperor unified the Chinese characters in writing, which promoted the
development of culture. However, he also suppressed scholars who were not to
his liking. Consequently, many scholars involved were killed in Xianyang.

The symbol of the Chinese ancient civilization, the Great Wall bears witness to
Qin Shi Huang's centralism. He ordered conscript laborers to link together the
defensive works against marauding nomads already built by the former states.
That was the forerunner of the modern Great Wall. Another world-famous
achievement is the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi'an, which was
discovered nearby the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Both are the
wonders of China. But during their construction, countless conscripts lost their
lives. It's really wasting manpower and resources.
 
Decline of the First Emperor
Qin Shi Huang
longed for
longevity, so
he sent his
ministers to go
on quests
seeking for an
elixir of
immortality.
However,
death claimed
him before he
could find
success on Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum
that matter. He
departed from the world of the living in 210 BC while traveling. The Peasant
Uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang broke out soon after Hu Hai, the
second generation, got onto the throne. Accordingly, the Qin Dynasty came to an
abrupt end in 206 BC. Qin Shi Huang is truly an epoch-making historic emperor
in history.