Qin Dynasty221 BCE to 206 BCE

The Qin State (778 BC-207 BC) a Chinese feudal state that

existed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history. It emerged as one of the dominant superpowers of the Seven Warring States by the 3rd century BC and eventually united China under its rule in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty.

The Qin Dynasty (221 BCE to 206 BCE) The Qin state derived its name

from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The Qin's strength had been consolidated by Lord Shang Yang during the Warring States Period, in the 4th century BC. In the early third century BC, the Qin accomplished a series of swift conquests; the state subjugated the Chu, remnants of the Zhou Dynasty, and various other states to gain undisputed control of China.

Important Dukes of Qin Duke Mu of Qin (秦穆公 ) (died 621 BC), born Ying Renhao

(嬴任好 ), was a ruler of the State of Qin from 659 or 660 to 621 BC in China. One of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, he greatly expanded the territory of Qin during the reign of King Xiang of Zhou.

He acquired many talented advisors, such as Baili Xi, Jian Shu (蹇叔 ), Pi Bao (丕豹 ), and Gong Sun (公孫 ).

He was the son of Duke De and the younger brother of Duke Cheng. He married the daughter of Duke Xian of Jin (晉獻公 ), and married his daughter, Huaiying (懷嬴 ), to Duke Wen of Jin. He helped his son-in-law win the Battle of Chengpu (城濮之戰 ) against Chu; these two marriages led to the saying 'the Friendship of Qin and Jin' (秦晉之好 ) to denote political marriages and alliances based on marital bonds. His posthumous name Mu means "reverent".

The Battle of Chengpu The Battle of Chengpu (城濮之戰 ) was a conflict

between the states of Jin against Chu and its allies in China in 632 BC during the Spring and Autumn Period. It could be viewed as the first great battle in the protracted conflict between the states of the Yellow River valley, and the states of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) valley. The Jin victory confirmed the hegemony of Duke Wen and checked Chu ambitions in the north for at least a generation.

The Battle of Chengpu is probably the biggest of the Spring and Autumn Period and definitely the most detailed in the Zuo Zhuan.

Duke Xiao of Qin (381 BC - 338 BC)

Duke Xiao of Qin 秦孝公 , born Ying Quliang 嬴渠梁 , was the ruler of the Qin state from 361 BC to 338 BC during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. Duke Xiao is best known for employing the Legalist statesman Shang Yang from the Wei state (衛 ), and authorizing him to conduct a series of upheaving political, military and economic reforms in Qin. Although the reforms were potentially controversial and drew violent opposition from many Qin politicians, Duke Xiao supported Shang Yang fully and the reforms did helped to transform Qin into a dominant superpower among the Seven Warring States.

King Huiwen of Qin338 BC - 311 BC

During King Huiwen's reign, Qin became very powerful in terms of its military strength, and constantly invaded neighboring states as part of its expansionism policy. The strategist Su Qin, a student of Guiguzi, managed to persuade the other six major states to form an alliance to deal with Qin. However, Su Qin's fellow student, Zhang Yi, came into the service of King Huiwen and he helped Qin break up the alliance by sowing discord between the six states.

Though severely punished for his crime by Shang Yang, the king maintained Shang Yang’s system during his reign.

远交近攻【 yuǎnjiāojìngōng 】 befriend distant states while attacking those nearby.

In the latter half of the Warring States, King Zhaoxiang of Qin 秦昭襄王or 秦昭王 ) (324 BC – 250 BC) or King Zhao of Qin adopted a strategy by Fan Zhui 范雎 , his chancellor. The strategy destroyed the alliance among the six states.

In 260 BC, King Zhao won the vital Battle of Changping against the State of Zhao.

Qin Shi Huang(259 BC – 210 BC)

king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC

Sequence of Qin’s Conquest 1. Conquered the Han State灭韩 , weakest, directly east,

and took the city of Yangdi in 230 BC. 2. They then struck northward; the state of Zhao灭赵

surrendered in 228 BCE, 3. and the farthest northern state of Yan灭燕国 followed,

falling in 226 BC. 4. Next, their armies launched assaults to the east, and later

the south as well; they took the Wei city of Daliang (now called Kaifeng) in 225 BC灭魏国 ,

5. and forced the Chu灭楚国 to surrender by 223 BC. 6. Lastly, they deposed the Zhou Dynasty's remnants in

Luoyang, and 7. conquered the Qi灭齐国 , taking the city of Linzi in 221

BCE.

Map of the Warring States

Feudalistic Land Ownership

Private ownership of land is legally protected in 216 BCE

This changed the nature of the Chinese society, marking a clear-cut break from the Zhou rule;

Qin Dynasty vs. Han Dynasty

Qin adopted legalism

14 years 221 to 206 BC

Han dynasty adopted Confucianism

400 years (206 BCE – 220 CE

UnificationEfficiency in Government

shū tóng wén 书 同 文 The language This has turned out to be

extremely consequential; The language has been

functioning like glue to unite the whole nation;

In history there were a quite a few instances when the conquerors had been eventually tamed by the Chinese language and culture.

chē tóng guǐ 车 同 轨 Two Major Imperial Speedways: one

eastbound to Yan and Qi; and one southbound to Wu and Chu—50 feet wide, with pines planted on each side every three zhangs: 丈【 zhàng 】 a unit of length (=3.333 metres);

In 212, another Imperial Speedway was built northbound, about 1,800 li in length, equivalent to 900 kilometers,

The distance in between two sleepers underneath the road coincided with the distance of steps of a galloping horse…

I

Qin vs. XiongnuThe Hans vs. the Huns

General Meng Tian 蒙恬 In 218 on his military

Expedition to defeat Xiongnu

To counterbalance Xiongnu, the emperor adopted a new immigration policy, moving 30,000 people to the Inner Mongolian area;

This turned out to be quite effective

A Dam/Dike vs. a Weir

A dam is a barrier to obstruct the flow of water, esp. one of earth, masonry, etc., built across a stream or river.

The Weir at River Du, Dujiang Yan, 256 BCE; Zhengguo Canal, 246

BCE Lingqu Canal, 214 BCE A weir is a dam placed

across a river or canal to raise or divert the water, as for a millrace, or to regulate or measure the flow.

Lingqu Canalor the “Magic Canal” (216 BCE)

The main device is like the mouth of a ploughshare 铧

嘴 to divide and divert the flow of water;

Major scale/balance or minor scale/balance as if to weigh water;

70% of water goes to River Xiang (Hunan province);

30% of water flows to Lijiang Military function—to use

water as soldiers 以水代兵 , yǐshuǐdàibīng--if necessary.

located in Xing'an County, near Guilin, in the northeastern corner of Guangxi Province. It connects the Xiang River (which flows north, toward the Yangtze) with the Lijiang (which flows south into the Gui River, which in its turn continues toward the Xijiang), and thus is part of a historical waterway between the Yangtze and the Pearl River Delta.

thirty-six canal lock gates

Its length reaches 36.4 km and was installed with thirty-six canal lock gates. The architect who designed the canal was Shi Lu (fl. late 3rd century BC).

The canal has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List.

Some Significant Constructions

The Great Wall of Qin The Mausoleum of the first emperor E Pang Palace/E Fang Palace

E Pang Palace E Pang Palace, the most

famous palace architectural complex in Chinese history, is splendid in scale and on sight. It was built in 212 B.C. After unifying China, the emperor Chin Shi Huang built the tomb at the foot of the Li Mountain while built the great Epang Palace in the Shanglin Parkland the south of the Wei River with the 700,000 prisoners and farmers.

E Pang Palace

焚书坑儒【 fénshūkēngrú 】 burn the books and bury 460 scholars alive in 213 BCE.

Li Si: Memorial on the Burning of Books, page 209 in the Source Book, v.1

Zhao Gao, the First Eunuch Chancellor

Who Overpowered an Emperor

指鹿为马 【 zhǐlùwéimǎ 】 call

a stag a horse - deliberately misrepresent.

A test/threat posed by Zhao Gao to the second emperor.

Chen She/or Chen Sheng & Wu GuangThe First Uprising

Chen Sheng was born in Yangcheng (陽城 , in modern Dengfeng, Henan). In 209 BC, he was a military captain along with Wu Guang when the two of them were ordered to lead 900 soldiers to Yuyang (漁陽 , in modern Beijing) to help defend the northern border against Xiongnu. Due to storms, it became clear that they could not get to Yuyang by the deadline, and according to the Qin Rule, if soldiers could not get to their posts on time, they would be executed.

Chen and Wu, believing that they were doomed, led their soldiers to start a rebellion. They (falsely) announced that Ying Fusu, the elder son of Qin Shi Huang and elder brother of Qin Er Shi, who had wrongly been forced to commit suicide, and Xiang Yan (項燕 ), a beloved general of Chu, had not died and were joining their cause. They also declared the reestablishment of Chu. Before long, more than 20,000 people joined.

Uprising at Daze Village, (209 BCE) Prefecture Su, Anhui Province