Dynasties of ChinaQin dynastyQin dynasty lineage
Reign 221–210 BCE
The first emperor unified China, extended commandery-and-county government and standardized writing and vehicle axle widths.
Ying Zheng was the son of Qin King Zhuangxiang. He was born in Handan of Zhao State in 259 BC. At that time, his father and son Chu were serving as hostages in Zhao State. He succeeded to the throne as King of Qin at the age of thirteen, and the state affairs were presided over by the Prime Minister Lü Buwei. In 238 BC, he held the crown ceremony and quelled the rebellion of Lao Ai. He dismissed Lü Buwei the following year, and then appointed Li Si, Wei Liao, Wang Jian and others. It took ten years from 230 BC to destroy the six kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi (for details of his King of Qin period, see the Warring States period).
After unifying the world in 221 BC, he considered himself to be more accomplished than the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so he took the title of "Emperor" and called himself First Emperor. The central government was composed of three ministers and nine ministers, and the local government comprehensively implemented the commandery-and-county system; it also unified writing, weights and measures, currency, and tracks, and built galloping and straight roads. Externally, he sent Meng Tian to attack the Huns in the north and build the Great Wall, and sent troops to conquer Baiyue in the south and dig the Ling Canal, which laid the basic outline of China's territory from now on.
The First Emperor advocated Legalism and governed the country with severe punishments and laws. From 213 BC to 212 BC, he burned books and harassed Confucian scholars to suppress dissent. He also believed in alchemists and repeatedly sent people into the sea to seek immortality. He also conscripted hundreds of thousands of prisoners to build Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum, and the people were exhausted. During his reign, he went on five tours. In 210 BC, he died of illness on the sand dune platform during his fifth tour. Zhao Gao and Li Si did not mourn him secretly, but issued an imperial edict to grant the death of his eldest son Fu Su and the birth of his youngest son Hu Hai. Qin dynasty died three years later.
Qin Shihuang ended hundreds of years of strife among nations. The emperor system, commandery-and-county system, and measures to unify writing, weights and measures he created profoundly shaped China for the next two thousand years. Li Zhi of the Ming Dynasty called it "one emperor through the ages." However, he used the people's power without restraint, burned books, harassed Confucians, punished harshly, and was superstitious in seeking immortality. After the reunification, Qin Dynasty was unable to recuperate. Soon after his death, the world was in chaos, and the Second Emperor died. Later generations are often referred to as "violent Qin".
Sources:Yang Zhenhong "Looking at the development of the commandery-and-county system in the Warring States period Qin & Han period from the evolution of Qin's "state" and "internal history" (checked 2026-10-16)
PoliticsThe young King of Qin takes charge
He succeeded to the throne as King of Qin at the age of thirteen, and state affairs were presided over by Prime Minister Lü Buwei. Lao Ai, the Queen Mother's favorite, was also granted the title of Marquis with exclusive power. In 238 BC, he held the crown ceremony in Yongcheng and took charge of the government, quelling the rebellion of Lao Ai. The following year, he removed Lü Buwei from the position and took over the power alone.
MilitaryDestroy six countries in ten years
Han was destroyed in 230 BC, and Zhao, Wei, Chu, and Yan were destroyed one after another. In 221 BC, Wang Ben went south to Linzi, and King Qi Jian surrendered without a fight. Spring and Autumn period Warring States period The more than five hundred years of division ended, and Qin became the first unified centralized dynasty.
Lasting legacyThe name for China in Western languages such as English China is said to be derived from the transliteration of "Qin". There are other theories in the academic circles, and there is no conclusion yet.
PoliticsCreate the emperor system
He ordered the ministers to agree on the title of the emperor, and took the two characters "emperor" and "emperor" to collectively call him "emperor". He called himself First Emperor, and was passed down as Second Emperor and Third Emperor to later generations. The order was called "Zhi" and the order was called "Edict". The emperor called himself "I" and abolished the posthumous law that allowed subordinates to discuss the monarch.
Lasting legacyThe title "Emperor" was used from then on until the Qing emperor abdicated in 1912, a period of more than 2,100 years.
PoliticsFully implement the commandery-and-county system
Prime Minister Wang Wan asked the princes to make them kings and guard Yan, Qi, Chu and other remote places. Tingwei Li Si tried his best to explain the disadvantages of enfeoffment. The First Emperor adopted Li Si's proposal and divided the country into thirty-six counties. The counties were equipped with guards, lieutenants, and supervisors, and counties were established under the counties. Chiefs were appointed and removed by the court and were not hereditary.
Lasting legacyCounties, as grassroots administrative divisions, have lasted for more than two thousand years since the Qin Dynasty implemented it throughout the country. Today, China's county-level administrative divisions are still a direct continuation of this system.
CultureStandardization of writing
He ordered the "standardization of writing" to use the Qin script as the basis and abolish the Six Kingdoms variants that were inconsistent with it. Li Si's "Cangjie Pian", Zhao Gao's "Yanli Pian", and Hu Wujing's "Boxue Pian" used the standard Xiaozhuan as a model for calligraphy, while the simpler official script was mostly used for daily documents.
Lasting legacySince then, Chinese characters have ceased to have "different characters", and the subsequent evolution of glyphs has been carried out within the same system; today, people from various places with widely different dialects still share the same set of characters.
EconomyUnify weights, measures and currency
The scales, capacities and weighing instruments of the whole country were unified according to the old system of the Qin State, and an imperial edict to unify weights and measures was engraved on the official powers and quantities and issued to all places. The currency uses gold as the upper currency and "half tael" copper coins with round square holes as the lower currency. All the old coins of the six countries are abolished.
Lasting legacyThe copper coin shape with round square holes was used for more than two thousand years, and it was not until the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China that it was replaced by machine-made copper coins and silver coins.
EconomyXiuchi Road, standardization of vehicle axle widths
The distance between the two wheels of vehicles was unified, and a galloping road was built with Xianyang as the center, extending to Yanqi in the east and Wuchu in the south. According to the "Book of Han·Jiashan Biography", the road is fifty steps wide, the roadbed is tamped with iron vertebrae, and green pine trees are planted along the roadside.
CultureTouring East to Fengchan Mount Tai
On the second tour, he traveled eastward to commanderies and counties, climbed Mount Yi and Mount Tai to erect stones to praise virtues, and held a Zen ceremony in Mount Tai. He then went to Langye, where he stayed for three months and moved 30,000 households to the foot of Langye Tower, exempting them from taxes and servitude for twelve years.
PeopleXu Fu went to the sea to seek immortality
Xu Fu (also known as Xu Shi), a local scholar in Qi, wrote a letter saying that there were three sacred mountains in the sea: Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou. The First Emperor sent him to lead thousands of boys and girls into the sea to seek elixirs. According to "Historical Records", Xu Fu "got the plains and vast swamps, and the king did not come".
Lasting legacyThe story of Xu Fu's eastward journey to Japan originated from the legend of later generations. There are Xu Fu's tombs and memorial parks in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
PeopleAssassination of Borangsa
During the third eastward patrol to Yangwu Bolangsha, the Korean aristocrat Zhang Liang and his warriors ambush the roadside and sniped at the driver with a 120-pound iron spine, accidentally hitting the passenger car. The First Emperor was furious and ordered a nationwide manhunt for ten days. Zhang Liang changed his name and fled to Xiapi.
EconomyMake the head of Guizhou come from Shitian
According to Xu Guang quoted in "Anthology of Historical Records", in this year the imperial court ordered people to report the actual number of acres of land they owned to the government as the basis for collecting land rent. Historians generally believe that this means that the state recognized the private ownership of land nationwide.
MilitaryMeng Tian attacked the Huns from the north
The First Emperor visited Jieshi in the north, and the alchemist Lu Sheng presented a book called "Hu Ye, the One Who Destroyed Qin". The First Emperor then sent Meng Tian to lead an army of 300,000 to attack the Xiongnu in the north. The following year, he recovered the Henan area south of the Yellow River and set up forty-four counties along the river, moving criminals to enrich the border areas.
MilitaryPingding Lingnan
Hundreds of thousands of Qin troops marched south to conquer Baiyue. After hard battles, they finally pacified Lingnan and established three counties: Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun. Ren Xiao was appointed Nanhai Captain, and the population of the Central Plains was moved to places where the Yue people were mixed. Lingnan was then included in the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty.
Lasting legacyNanhai County governs Panyu, and Ren Xiao built a city here, which is regarded as the beginning of the construction of Guangzhou; the name "Panyu" is still a district of Guangzhou today.
Science & technologyDigging Lingqu
In order to transfer grain and wages to Lingnan, Supervisor Shi Lu presided over the construction of a canal, built a diversion dam on the upper reaches of the Xiangjiang River, introduced the Xiang Water into the Li River, and connected the two major water systems of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River. It has been the main route between Lingnan and the Central Plains for the next two thousand years.
Lasting legacyLing Canal is located in today's Xing'an County, Guangxi, and still supplies water for irrigation. In 2018, it was included in the World Irrigation Engineering Heritage List.
MilitaryBuild the Great Wall
After Meng Tian regained Henan, he connected and repaired the old Great Walls of Qin, Zhao, and Yan Three Kingdoms. Due to the terrain and dangerous obstacles, it stretched from Lintao in the west to Liaodong in the east, stretching for more than 10,000 miles. The long-term levy of garrison soldiers and labor services became a heavy burden on the people.
Lasting legacyMost of the Great Wall seen in Beijing today was built in the Ming Dynasty, and the remains of the Qin Great Wall still exist in Guyang, Inner Mongolia and other places; the Great Wall was listed as a World Cultural Heritage in 1987.
CultureBurning books
Dr. Chun Yuyue advocated the enfeoffment of learning from ancient times at the banquet. Prime Minister Li Si suggested that all history books of various countries except "Qin Ji" should be burned. "Poetry", "Books" and Baijiayu not collected by doctorate officials should be handed over to the officials for burning within a time limit. Books on medicine, divination, and tree planting are not included in this list. Those who want to learn laws should "take officials as their teachers."
PoliticsTrap and kill all living beings
The alchemists Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng sought elixir for the First Emperor but failed, so they discussed it privately and fled. The First Emperor was furious and ordered the imperial censor to interrogate all those living in Xianyang, and more than 460 of the offenders were buried alive in Xianyang. Those who were trapped include Confucian scholars and alchemists. One theory is that alchemists are the main ones. The eldest son Fu Su advised him and was sent to Shangjun to supervise the army.
EconomyBuild straight road
Meng Tian was ordered to build a straight road from Yunyang near Xianyang to Jiuyuan County in the north, with a total length of 1,800 miles, "direct access to the mountains and valleys", so that the Guanzhong army could reach the northern border defense within a few days.
Lasting legacyThe roadbed remains of Qin Zhidao can still be seen in places such as Fuxian and Xunyi in Shaanxi and Ordos in Inner Mongolia.
SocietyYing Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum
Because the palace in Xianyang was too small, he built the front hall of Afang Palace in Shanglinyuan in Weinan; the Lishan Mausoleum began to be built since the beginning of his accession to the throne. More than 700,000 people were imprisoned for the two projects. Archeology found that the rammed earth platform of the front hall was huge. It is said that Afang Palace was not completed until the death of Qin Dynasty.
Lasting legacyThe Qin Shihuang Mausoleum and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit were listed as World Cultural Heritage in 1987. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit discovered in 1974 is now the Qin Shihuang Imperial Mausoleum Museum.
Politicsdune change
On his fifth tour, he went south to Kuaiji to carve stones. On his way back north, he fell ill in Pingyuanjin and died on a sand dune platform in July. Zhao Gao and Li Si secretly did not mourn, but used abalone to cover up the smell of the corpse. They tampered with the posthumous edict and granted the deceased Fu Su, and established Hu Hai as Crown Prince. After returning to Xianyang, they held a funeral and was buried in Lishan Mountain.
Lasting legacyThe dune platform site is located in today's Guangzong County, Xingtai, Hebei Province.
A native of Shangcai in Chu State, he studied under Xun Zi. After unification, Tingwei was promoted to prime minister, advocated the commandery-and-county system and burned books, and presided over the unification of writing with small seal script. During the Sand Dungeon Incident, he conspired with Zhao Gao to establish Hu Hai, but was later framed by Zhao Gao for treason and killed in Xianyang.
At the beginning of the unification, he was appointed prime minister, and he agreed with the imperial censor Feng Jie, Tingwei Li Si and others on the title of "emperor". He once asked the enfeoffment disciples to serve as kings to guard Yan, Qi, Chu and other distant places, but the emperor vetoed it, and the commandery-and-county system was established.
He was born in the Qin Kingdom as a general. After unification, he led an army of 300,000 to drive the Xiongnu northward, regained Henan, presided over the construction of the Great Wall and the Straight Road, and garrisoned Shangjun for more than ten years. After Fu Su died, he was imprisoned in Yangzhou and was later forced to commit suicide by taking medicine.
Meng Tian's younger brother, who holds the position of supreme minister, is deeply trusted by the First Emperor. He rides with him when he goes out and waits in front of him when he comes in. Zhao Gao was once sentenced to death according to law, but was pardoned by the First Emperor, and Zhao Gao held a grudge. Hu Hai was killed after he came to the throne.
He had a generous temperament and once advised his father not to use heavy Dharma with the words "All living beings should recite Dharma, Confucius", and was sent to Shangjun to supervise Meng Tianjun. When the First Emperor died, he ordered him to return to Xianyang to preside over the funeral, but the edict was tampered with as a death edict, and he committed suicide immediately.
He was proficient in criminal and prison laws, used the Zhongche Mansion Order and Fu Xi Order, and taught his young son Hu Hai calligraphy and prison breaking. After the death of the First Emperor, he obtained the imperial edict and persuaded Li Si to establish Hu Hai, and then gradually took control of the government.
Qidi Langye alchemist. In 219 BC, he was ordered to go into the sea to seek immortality, but it cost a lot of money and gained nothing. In 210 BC, he asked for an archer to be sent to accompany him on the pretext of a giant shark blocking the way, but his fate was unknown after that.
In the Qin Dynasty, he was a censor, named Lu, and was later known as Shi Lu. During the southern expedition to Baiyue, he presided over the construction of the Ling Canal, which connected the Xiangjiang River and the Lijiang River with the canal, solving the problem of grain transportation for the Qin army. He was an outstanding water conservancy engineer in ancient China.