The Qin Dynasty was the first to unify China and establish the Chinese empire. The reign of the Qin was relatively short (221–206 BC), and their harsh methods of rule made them unpopular with their subjects. Nonetheless, the Qin created a lasting legacy: they established the basic boundaries and governing system that all subsequent Chinese dynasties were to follow for the next 2,000 years.

Government

The Qin presided over an empire that reached the Korean peninsula in the east, the Sichuan basin in the west, the Gobi Desert in the north, and the South China Sea in the south. To rule this vast territory, the Qin created a highly efficient system of government. They divided the empire into 36 provinces with each one ruled by a governor who reported to the king. They also built an elaborate highway network to link the provinces with the capital, Xianyang. They kept order throughout their empire with the help of a large and well-trained army.

While the Qin governed efficiently, they also ruled with a brutal hand. They attempted to control nearly every aspect of life in the empire. Qin rulers standardized the writing system, standardized the measurements of length and weight and even the width of highways. In addition, they forced many citizens to perform manual labor for the state on projects ranging from roads and palaces to the Great Wall of China. In order to halt the spread of ideas they opposed, they ordered all books burned, except those on such useful subjects as medicine.

History

From 771 to 221 BC the land now known as China consisted of many small independent states. The Qin occupied the Wei River valley in the extreme northwestern area of the region. Between the middle of the 3rd and the end of the 2nd century BC, the Qin created a highly organized and powerful state. They gradually began to conquer their neighbors and soon emerged into a major power. Finally, in 247 BC, the boy king Chao Cheng came to the throne. He completed the Qin conquests and in 221 created the Qin empire; Chao Cheng proclaimed himself “First Sovereign Emperor of Qin.”

After Chao Cheng's death in 210 BC, rebellion erupted throughout the empire. In 206 officials overthrew the new Qin leader and ushered in the Han Dynasty, which ruled China for roughly the next four hundred years.