Qin Dynasty

(pronounced “Chin”) of

Ancient China

Qin Shi Huang • declared himself the first emperor of the entire nation

• dynasty lasted from 221 B.C. to 207 B.C.

• declared Xianyang the capital

• decided a round coin with a square hole should be the only

money used, which allowed for better commerce

• placed great importance on irrigation and road building

projects, which saved lives from flooding and famine

• had the Great Wall of China Built, which provided an

advantage in war

to prevent his people from thinking freely, he had many books burned, including those of Confucius

after learning that some scholars spoke negatively about him, he had 460 of them buried alive

built his famous mausoleum, terra-cotta warriors and horses

forced his people to work hard, pay high taxes, follow strict laws, and give service to the military

Qin believed in legalism, which was a philosophy that people are basically bad and must have every part of their lives controlled so that they have the discipline needed to work hard and fight battles

developed a system called a bureaucracy

* divided the empire into 36 provinces, which were then divided into districts

* 2 government officials were in charge of each province

* to make sure everyone was doing their jobs, he set up a spy system – people had to spy on each other

* anyone who reported a lawbreaker would be rewarded

* people who didn’t do their jobs were sent to work on the Great Wall

Qin did not believe in education for the common man

o when he grew old, Qin decided he wanted to be immortal, so he asked the scientists and doctors to work on creating a medicine that would make him a god

o according to legend, the doctors gave him medicine with mercury in it, which led to his death

o his son took over after his death, but was not in power long

o the people, led by peasants Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and later Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, revolted against the Qin rule