The Qin Dynasty was founded by Qin Shi Huang, who unified China for the first time in 221 BCE and became its first emperor. He instituted harsh authoritarian rule and major reforms, standardizing laws, currency, weights and measures. Qin Shi Huang oversaw vast construction projects including the Great Wall and connected China with a network of roads and canals. However, his oppressive rule led to widespread rebellion after his death in 210 BCE, causing the short-lived Qin Dynasty to fall in 206 BCE.

1. The Qin Dynasty
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2. Source – What was Emperor Qin like?

3. Source – What was Emperor Qin like?
• ‘The King of Qin was born with a prominent
nose, elongated eyes, the breast of a bird of
prey, and the voice of a jackal: he seldom
extends favour, and has the heart of a tiger or
wolf. Once he really has his way in the world,
he will hold the whole world captive. He is
ruler without benevolence or respect for
learning.’
(Sima Qian, Grand Historian, 221 B.C.)

4. Other ways Qin (秦)is written
• Qin
• Chin
• Chi’in
• Don’t confuse the 秦朝 Qin Dynasty (221-206
BCE) with the 清朝 Qing Dynasty (1644-1917
CE)
• Some scholars think the name “China” comes
from Qin!

5. The State of Qin in the Warring States Period
• Leaders of Qin were members of Zhou feudal
aristocracy and famous charioteers
• Excavations at Maojiaping ‘Dog Hill’ revealed a
number of lavish tombs from Zhou Period with
many human sacrifices
• Increasingly involved in Zhou government,
especially in Western China
• Duke Mu led Qin in a series of wars with Jin led
to expansion into Yellow River area
• Other Chinese see them as brutal and uncivilised

6. Qin: A royal lineage
“The forebear of Qin was Lady Xiu, granddaughter
of a remote descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu. Once
when Lady Xu was weaving, a dark bird dropped an
egg. The lady swallowed it and gave birth to Grand
Undertaking. Grand Undertaking took as his wife a
child of Shaodin named Lady Hua. Lady Hua gave
birth to Grand Expenditure who assisted Yu the
Great in regulating the lands and rivers.”
- Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian

7. Qin: A state on the rise
“Li Si was a clerk in the state of Chu. One day he
entered his office privy [toilet]. He noticed that
the rats were scrawny and filthy. In the granary
near the office the rats were fat and healthy. ‘A
man’s life is just like that of the rats,’ he
thought. ‘His condition depends on where he
places himself’ Thus, Li Si realised that Qin was
fast becoming the strongest of the seven
states.”
- Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian

8. A traveller’s report of Qin state
“Qin’s frontier defences are mountains. It has
forests, streams and valleys. Entering its
fronteirs, I saw that the people were simple and
plain and not frivolous. They stood in deep awe
of the officials and followed the old customs
obediently. When I entered the cities, I saw that
the officials were dignified, courteous, honest
and sincere. They are worthy men.
- Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian

9. Qin: Military Power
“For four generations now, Qin has on easy
victory. Its armies are the strongest in the world
[tien xia]. It did not reach this position by
goodness or worthiness, but by taking
advantage of every opportunity. That is all.”
- Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian

11. The First Emperor
• Born as Ying Zheng in 259 BCE
• Rumour that he was illegitimate
son of a merchant and Qin
King’s concubine
• Unified warring states
• Declared himself “Qui Shi
Huangdai” - “The First Emperor”
(lit. Son of Heaven)
• Died 210 BCE
• Length of dynasty – short
• Qin dynasty ended 206BCE –
Han Dynasty next

12. Important Ancient Sources
Other texts
Sima Qian, 史記 Shiji [Records of
the Grand Historian]
• Material from the First
Emperor’s Chief Minister, Li Si
• Copies of First Emperor’s steles
• His own investigations
Jia Yi, 過秦論 Guo Qin Lun [The
faults of Qin]
Ban Gu, 漢書Hanshu [History of the
former Han]
Han Historians Archaeology
First Emperor’s 7 poetic steles
Folktales
• Building the Great Wall
First Emperor’s tomb at Xian
Great WallEdicts on bronze
Administrative texts on bamboo
strips
Qin capital, Xianyang
Infrastructure – canals, irrigation,
road building
Poetry
• Chu Yuan, Songs from the South

14. Pacification
“He demolished the walls of major cities and put to
death men of fame and talent, collected all the
arms of the realm at Xianyang and had the spears
and arrowheads melted down to form twelve huge
statues in human form – all with the aim of
weakening his people. The he… posted capable
generals and expert bowmen at important passes
and placed trusted officials and well-trained
soldiers in strategic array to challenge all who
passed.”
-Jia Yi, The Faults of Qin

15. 咸阳 Xianyang
Existing Qin Capital City was remodelled in First Emperor’s reign
• ~62 km2
• divided into political and commercial sectors, separated by high
walls
• 270 palaces in surrounding area; representations of conquered
regions
Palace
• 65 m x 45 m; on a 6 m high foundation; three stories
• Emphasis on verticality (pillars, towers, platforms)
• Decorative wood, pottery bricks, tiles
• Moddeled on conception of heaven
• Complex sewage/drainage system
• Heating system
• Extensive storage facilities
• Large number of bronze coins and wares

17. Han Dyn. Capital
Chang’an
Qin Dyn. Capital
Xianyang
Modern Xi’an
First
Emperor’s
Tomb
Qin Dyn. Palce

22. Administrative reforms
• Capital built at Xianyang
• Divided kingdom into 36 districts
• Three administrative departments
– Military department
• Recruiting soldiers
• Paying and clothing soldiers
• Defense of the realm
– Civil department
• Taxes
• Courts
– Imperial inspection department
• Headed by an official who reported directly to the emperor
• Ensured what was happening was approved
• Prevented other officials becoming too powerful
• Centralisation: bringing everything under a single, central authority
– All officials were paid by the emperor
– No jobs could be passed on from fathers to sons
– Men were chosen for posts based on experience, education and loyalty
• Standardization: Making things the same all over the Empire
– Money
– Weights and Measures
– Writing
– Canals & Irrigation
– Roads
– This made trading easier

26. Qin Dynasty
Chancellery Script
Modern character

27. • most of the administrative text were
written on bamboo slips, using the quick
Chancellary Script style (lishu 隸書)

28. commemorative
stone tablets
advertising the
emperor’s
achievements were
written in Small
Seal Script (Qin
zhuan 秦篆)

29. Damaged
Mt Liang Stele

30. "In the 26th year of his rule the
emperor conquered all the vassal
states under heaven, brought peace
to the people and declared himself
Emperor. He ordered Prime Ministers
Kui Zhuang and Wang Wan to unify
all inconsistent and incorrect weights
and measures in accordance with the
law."

31. Highway Network
• 6 800 km of roads - “Speedy road” E-W and “Straight
road” N-S
• Some multi-laned - centre lane reserved for Emperor
and his messengers
• Standard axle-width of 6 feet
• “The First Emperor ordered the building of roads, eat
to the utmost boundaries of Qi and Yan, south to the
extremities of Wu and Chu, around lakes and rivers,
and along the coasts of the seas. The highways were 50
bu [paces] wide and a tree was planted every 30 bu
along them. The road was made very thick and firm at
the edge and hammered down with metal rammers.”
– Jia Shan, Histories of the Han Dynasties

34. • Continuation of Qin state
policy
• Canals encourage trade
• Allow supply of army
stationed in North
• Irrigate Chegdu Plain
• Reduce risk of flooding

37. Qin’s
campaigns in
North &
South to
expand his
empire

39. Legalism

40. Legalism
• Originated in Zhou dynasty
• State over the individual
• Qin rejected Confusanism (rule by wisdom
and virtue) in favour of Legalism (rule by law)
• Legalism believed that people were wicked
• Strict laws to control behaviour
• Reward/punishment

42. Taoist Magic
• Legalist philosophy scorned belief in the
supernatural
• But Qin seems to have put some store in magic
– Elemental theory – era of ‘water’ replacing era of ‘fire’
– Colour black (symbolic of water_
– Number 6
– Mercury pills and astrology
– 2m wide magic mirror that could reveal the inner
organs and innermost thoughts of visitors
– Xu Fu sent to find the elixir of life

44. Magical Policy
“The First Emperor believed that the Five Powers succeed each
other in unending cycle, and he held that the Zhou dynasty had
ruled by the power of fire. Since the Qin had replaced the Zhou,
its power should therefore proceed from that which fire cannot
overcome; the power of water had now begun its era of
dominance.
He changed the time for the court celebrations marking the
beginning of the year, holding them all on the first day of the
tenth month, and all clothing, flags, and pennants honoured the
colour black. Among numbers, six was the standard, so that
tallies and official caps were six inches, carriages were six feet,
six feet were taken to make up one pace, and carriages were
drawn by six horses. He also changed the name of the Yellow
River, calling it ‘Powerful Water’ to indicate that the era of the
power of water had begun.”
- Sima Qian, Records of the grand Historian

45. End of the Qin Dynasty
• Large meteor lands in 211BCE – “The First
Emperor will die and his land will be divided”
• Qin Shi Haungdai dies in 210 BCE
• No clear successor and a forged will
• His son was a weak ruler
• Han historians emphasise bad advice of court
eunuchs
• Peasant revolt led by Chen She and Wu Guang
• End of the Qin Dynasty in 206BCE
• Han Dynasty was established – kept Qin’s
administration but softened harsh aspects of his
rule

46. Video
• First Emperor of China - National Geographic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XprytutpR
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