Qin left four huge footprints in world history:
     * The concept and name of a united China
     * The first Chinese emperor and Dynasty
     * The Great Wall
     * The Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an

Expanse of the Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty History

 The years leading up to 221 BC were marred by wars between the seven states of Qin, Zhao, Han, Chu, Wei, Yan and Qi. Through cunning warring matched with superior agriculture, King Zheng of Qin in 221 BC annexed the other six states and thus ended the long "Warring States" period. He styled himself as Qin Shi Huangdi -"First Emperor".

Being a true "Legalist" (man is by nature undisciplined and evil and must be kept in order by fear and harsh punishment) he united the empire through the authority of a powerful, centralized state with its capital in Xianyang (20 km NW of today's Xi'an).

The former states were replaced by 36 prefectures. Local customs were destroyed by burning libraries and by introducing uniform weights, measurements and currency. Also a simplified, single script was imposed to eliminate local variations but at the same time creating a core for future developments in the written language.

Domestic disarmament further cemented military control. To thwart off the traditional enemies, the Mongol horsemen, the many sections of The Great Wall were connected, reinforced and extended. The Great Wall now stretched for 4,000 km and marked the boundary of civilization to the north and west.

To the south the empire was expanded all the way to the South China Sea bringing the salt mines of Nanhai into the empire.

Numerous road and canal systems were also greatly extended and systematized improving communications and further forcing political unity. Although far from the emperor's objective also commerce benefited from the improved infrastructure. The output of the vast iron ore and salt mines of the Shandong province in the east and around Shu in the southwest could now in a few weeks be transported to the center of the empire. Stimulating trade the expansion created a cash economy and a wealthy merchant class.

The Qin palace originally erected in Xianyang, now reconstructed in Xi'an. The statutes were cast from conquered weapons.

But the brutal suppression of dissidents and unpopularity over the vast human resources expended on the construction of The Great Wall, the infrastructure, the emperor's palace and -tomb led to an increasing number of revolts and several attempts on Qin Shi Huang's life.

When the emperor decreed that 4,000 girls and boys should be entombed along with his body, his wise and powerful adviser, Li Si, managed to convince the emperor that a large terracotta army instead be created and buried around the tomb. If the soldiers depicted real figures, Li Si argued, this would be akin to the emperor taking the army, his main source of power, with him to the afterlife. Privately, Li Si feared -with good reason- that a huge killing of people however customary would cause an immediate and uncontrollable uprising.

Qin Shihuang's terracotta soldiers still guard his tomb 2,200 later.

In 210 BC the mighty but by now disillusioned and paranoid emperor died at Shaqiu (now Julu in Hebei) 50 years old while on an inspection trip to the eastern provinces. Li Si kept Qin Shi Huang's death secret and with a forged document forced the (too liberal) crown prince, Fu Su, to commit suicide instead installing Qin Shi Huang's 20 year old son, Hu Hai, as second emperor -Er Shi.

Devoid of his father's strong character, however, Er Shi withdrew into an extravagant life within the palace and an unscrupulous eunuch, Zhao Gao, assumed real power. He brutally purged Li Si, senior army officers and their families and even members of the imperial family. Taxes and punishments were increased and the already restless population were finally driven to outright rebellion when peasants were conscripted for military service.

In 206 BC Zhao Gao forced Er Shi to commit suicide and installed Er Shi's nephew, Zi Ying, as King of Qin effectively terminating the Qin empire.

Just 46 days later the new king surrendered to the peasant leader of the rebellion, Liu Bang. A month later the king and the imperial family were beheaded and the capital and palace sacked in a fire that burned for months.

The former feudal states saw the fall of the Qin empire as their opportunity to reinstate their kingdoms. By 202 BC, after 5 years of devastating war, Liu Bang, King of Han, had conquered the other kingdoms and assumed the title of emperor Gaodi of the Han Dynasty. China's second imperial dynasty was a reality!

Culture:
Culture was not exactly high on the list of essentials in the Qin Dynasty. Shi Huangdi's burning of private libraries and classic works of liberal philosophers of earlier periods used to attack his authoritarian rule created many enemies. Disobeying scholars were sent to work on his tomb, palace or The Great Wall and some allegedly buried alive.

Religion & Arts:
Confucian philosophy remained the prevailing spiritual direction but was merely tolerated rather than promoted. The ruler was focused on building the empire and suppressing internal rebellions and not his people's beliefs.

Qin Art

Tiger tally: Bronze tally divided in two halves along the middle. A military order was only valid if the general possessed two matching halves.

Eight-Catty Quan: Uniform bronze weight of 2,06 kg. Apart from "Eight Catties" the inscription is an imperial edict on the unification of weights and measures.

Brick with 12 characters: 30 cm long and 4 cm thick. It reads: "Loyal subjects every where; bumper harvest every year; no hungry men on the streets".

The Qin Legacy

Despite the short duration of this, China's first dynasty, it will forever remain solidly anchored in history due to the legacies it left behind:

A United China
However brutally attained, Shi Huangdi founded the concept of a united Chinese empire. A concept that the next (Han) dynasty firmly cemented and which has stood until today -over 2,000 years later! He also named the country: Qin = Chin = China.

Emperor and Imperial Dynasties
By styling himself "emperor" King Zheng of Qin created the concept of an empire with a central emperor. Though often changed in style and even terminated and resurrected many times the central idea of a Chinese emperor and an imperial dynasty withstood the tides of time until 1911.

The Great Wall
Qin Shihuang neither conceived or commenced the construction of a walled defense to the north and west of China. Many parts were already built by feudal kingdoms in the 4th century BC. But the fact that he ordered his general Meng Jian to connect the already existing sections, extend the walls east and west and establish a line of fortresses created the basis of what we today consider The Great Wall. These walls were mostly mounds of soil and rock and not the elaborate walls of the Ming we see today.

Many sections were added or reinforced over the centuries, notably by the Han- and Ming dynasties. The Han did so to protect the "silk route" in northwestern China around Jiauguan. Later, and to a much larger extent all across northern China by the Ming being aware of the need for a strong defense against northern tribes after having been ruled for a century by Mongolian leaders in the preceding Yuan dynasty.

Very little unfortunately remains of The Great Wall built by Meng Jian. A few stretches remain in Guansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi provinces as does a small section north of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia close to Baotou. Most of us today admire the relatively late constructions by the Ming north of Beijing or in Shaanxi province.

The Terracotta Warriors
Li Si, emperor Shi Huangdi's adviser, hardly had the tourists of the 21st century in mind when he conceived the idea of the magnificent terracotta army. Had it not been for his good foresight of the potentially disastrous consequences of Shi Huangdi's decree to entomb thousands of people upon the emperor's death we would never today have had the opportunity to admire the great handiwork of 2,200 years ago. See separate story.